title: Institutional framework and networking of exporting agricultural SMEs in Bangladesh
Creators: name: Bose, Tarun Kanti
Publisher: name: University of Glasgow
Year: 2019
Subjects: subject: Institutional framework, domestic networking, international networking.

description: This current study is directed towards investigating the impact of institutional framework on the formations of domestic and international networks of exporting agricultural SMEs of Bangladesh. Adopting the three pillars (regulatory, normative and cognitive) of institutional framework this study is aimed at exploring different areas of the influences of the institutional framework on domestic and international networking. This study has utilized the current concepts of both institutional theory and network perspective and set up three research questions in order to make theoretical and practical contributions. Those research questions are: 1) how regulatory institutional framework affects domestic and international networking; 2) how normative institutional framework affects domestic and international networking; and 3) how cognitive institutional framework affects domestic and international networking In order to address the research questions and making theoretical and practical contributions, the current research work has adopted qualitative research methods. Fifty interviews (30 SMEs, 10 representatives of the associations and 10 government officials) have been conducted for a period of seven months for collecting the required data. Afterwards, thematic analysis of qualitative data was carried out to evaluate the research outcome. The findings of the study suggest that the complex and difficult process of export regulations coupled with distanced locations prompted domestic networks formation with government officials, agents and middlemen by the exporting agricultural SMEs. Apart from this, intense requirement of prompt completion of the export regulations procedure plays major roles in the formations of those domestic networks. In addition, this current research works also has identified the formations of international network for dealing with the above-mentioned problems and challenges in the domestic institutional framework. The SMEs were found to be forming international networks with available international lobbyists, middlemen and importers for dealing with the above-mentioned difficulties in the domestic regulatory institutional framework. The exploration of the impact of normative institutions on networking evaluated that there is widespread corruption in the export regulations and this has contrasting impact on the domestic and international network formations. The SMEs that accept the corruption as normal phenomenon (revisionists SMEs) are more likely to form domestic networks. In contrast, the SMEs that reject the corruption as immoral phenomenon (moralists SMEs) are more likely to form international networks. The evaluation of cognitive institutional impacts reveal that more experienced SMEs have lesser ignorance about the institutional framework and are more likely to form international networks. In contrast less experienced SMEs have more ignorance and are more likely to form domestic networks. The findings of this current research study have contributed towards advancing the institutional theory and network perspectives. This study apparently bridges the relationship between institutional framework and networking from the perspective of emerging and developing countries. Apart from that it also shows that international networks contribute towards solving domestic institutional problems. In addition contrasting impacts of normative and cognitive elements towards formulation of domestic and international networking seem also to be an apparent original contribution of our research. Moreover, our research also has pointed related practical implications for both managers and policy makers.