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Purpose This paper aims to study and explore the activities and the use of institutional network resources by industrial business associations (IBAs) to support and facilitate internationalisation processes of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Other goals are to understand the internationalisation follow-up process and the future vision of IBAs to improve this internationalisation support. Design/methodology/approach Based on empirical evidence and following an abductive approach, this paper presents a qualitative exploratory field research, providing insights from interviews performed with 20 IBAs based in Portugal. Findings The findings suggest that the current institutional network support to internationalisation is mainly provided through promotional activities; counselling, training and technical and legal support; information sharing; and cooperation with other institutional entities. Each support category is explored and explained and a new conceptual model is developed to represent these findings. Regarding the internationalisation follow-up, IBAs provide a continuous support for the international operations by using some instruments and mechanisms to assist SMEs after an internationalisation initiative. Finally, collaboration and the use of new information technology are the main aspects to improve IBAs’ support in a near future. Research limitations/implications The qualitative methodological approach adopted in this work can imply a larger difficulty to obtain a generalisation of the findings. Another limitation is that the participating IBAs are based in only one country. Practical implications Findings can help SMEs to understand the functioning and the benefits of using the institutional network resources of IBAs in overcoming their lack of resources to operate in international markets. IBAs can also understand their current position in terms of internationalisation support and think about new ways for improving this support. Originality/value This paper contributes to a better understanding of the influence of institutional networks in SME internationalisation by exploring the specific role of one of the institutional actors rather than focusing on the institutional network as a whole. Therefore, this study details the current activities and uncovers other types of support provided by IBAs that are not based on export promotion programmes. New knowledge is also obtained about the specific information content, information sources and means and channels of information sharing used by IBAs for supporting SME internationalisation.

\"Until recently, if it has been considered at all in the context of business continuity, cyber security may have been thought of in terms of disaster recovery and little else. Recent events have shown that cyberattacks are now an everyday occurrence, and it is becoming clear that the impact of these can have devastating effects on organizations whether large or small, public or private sector. Cybersecurity is one aspect of information security, since the impacts or consequences of a cyberattack will inevitably damage one or more of the three pillars of information security: the confidentiality, integrity or availability of an organization's information assets. The main difference between information security and cyber security is that while information security deals with all types of information assets, cyber security deals purely with those which are accessible by means of interconnected electronic net- works, including the Internet. Many responsible organizations now have robust information security, business continuity and disaster recovery programs in place, and it is not the intention of this book to re-write those, but to inform organizations about the kind of precautions they should take to stave off successful cyberattacks and how they should deal with them when they arise in order to protect the day-to-day businesses.\"--Publisher website.

The objective of this study is to determine whether there is a consistent case for encouraging business representation through encompassing, sectorwide associations rather than narrowly constituted trade associations. The study draws on evidence from a large-scale survey of SMEs in New Zealand to examine whether trade and sector associations attract different types of enterprise, the motivations for membership, the benefits obtained and how association membership can be made more attractive. Results suggest that each type of association appeals to a particular range of enterprises and that trade associations play a more diverse role than simply lobbying for a narrow constituency.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Swedish Advertisers’ Association's role in the institutional development of Swedish international advertising during 1955–1972. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative analysis of business association sources is used to explore the institutional development of international advertising. Findings A new postwar paradigm that focused on a consumer-oriented brand ideology enabled marketing executives in the Swedish Advertisers’ Association to develop a new discourse on international advertising in Sweden, which then was institutionalized within a national network on export promotion. The institutionalization process was supported by a corporatist system typical of smaller export dependent postwar European economies. Research limitations/implications While based on a national case, this study points to the importance of understanding how advertising concepts are embedded within other economic, political and cultural systems than in those they originated in and how this contributes to a heterogenous implementation of similar ideas and practices. This study also illustrates how members can use their association to institutionalize a new discourse on marketing and network with other actors to enhance the use and reputation of its ideas and practices. Practical implications By highlighting the importance of analyzing both internal and external organizational relations, this study contributes to the research on history of marketing by making salient the importance of an institutional perspective to understand key processes in marketing. In practice neither the institutional perspective nor the explanatory power of discourse has received much attention, therefore the study results should be both interesting and valid for practitioners as well. Originality/value The study of the historical development of international advertising is limited and often descriptive. This study contributes to the literature by using a theoretical and methodological approach to make salient how the interaction between discourse, marketing associations and other collective actors propelled the institutionalization of international advertising within a specific national context.

State-owned business associations have a peculiar role in the system of governmental exercising of (public) functions. They have to comply with the legislative regulations, the objectives set for the business association concerned already upon the formation, the regulations set on owner or - as the case may be - government level, the policy (sector)-level regulations and standards, the expectations of the parties using the public service, the short, medium and long-term strategic objectives the organisation set for itself, the corporate values set for the managers and the employees. Our study is aimed at answering the question whether there are any guidelines for the state-owned business associations, or how the compliance of the state-owned business associations could be audited at all. As a result of our research we found that the Hungarian regulation disposes of the topic of compliance only partially, and there is uniform normative regulation hiatus in respect of the state-owned business associations. Based on the review of the regulation applicable to the state administration entities, to the insurance and credit institution sector we drew up those regulatory topics which we propose for consideration in order to establish the compliance audit foundations of state owned business associations.

We organized business associations for the owner-managers of young Chinese firms to study the effect of business networks on firm performance. We randomized 2,820 firms into small groups whose managers held monthly meetings for one year, and into a “no-meetings” control group. We find the following. (i) The meetings increased firm revenue by 8.1%, and also significantly increased profit, factors, inputs, the number of partners, borrowing, and a management score. (ii) These effects persisted one year after the conclusion of the meetings. (iii) Firms randomized to have better peers exhibited higher growth. We exploit additional interventions to document concrete channels. (iv) Managers shared exogenous business-relevant information, particularly when they were not competitors, showing that the meetings facilitated learning from peers. (v) Managers created more business partnerships in the regular than in other one-time meetings, showing that the meetings improved supplier-client matching.

While prior ecolabel research suggests that consumers' trust of ecolabel sponsors is associated with their purchase of ecolabeled products, we know little about how third-party certification might relate to consumer purchases when trust varies. Drawing on cognitive theory and a stratified random sample of more than 1200 consumers, we assess how third-party certification relates to consumers' use of ecolabels across different program sponsors. We find that consumers' trust of government and environmental NGOs to provide credible environmental information encourages consumers' use of ecolabels sponsored by these entities, and consumers do not differentiate between certified versus uncertified ecolabels in the presence of trust. By contrast, consumers' distrust of private business to provide credible environmental information discourages their use of business associationsponsored ecolabels. However, these ecolabels may be able to overcome consumer distrust if their sponsors certify the ecolabels using third-party auditors. These findings are important to sponsors who wish develop ecolabels that are more credible to consumers, and thus encourage more widespread ecolabel use.