Predictive effect of intellectual capital on business innovation in Ecuadorian SMEs

Informal Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in their respective economies over the world particularly in the African continent. This paper reviews various theories on SMEs towards understanding the potential of the informal sector in the context of African countries. The paper uses a theoretical approach for the purpose of assessing the challenges that have affected the development of the informal SMEs sector over the years in both the developing and developed world. Economically developing countries in Africa pose unique challenges to informal SMEs development compared to the developed countries. The paper reviews the theories that define the rise to informality in Africa by identifying the key determinants for the emergence of informal SMEs. A conceptual framework for assessing informal SME’s potential for Africa is developed. The conceptual framework is based on the Fishbone diagram developed by Kaoru Ishikawa (1986). This paper discusses the intricacies of the applicability of the proposed conceptual framework to assess the potential of the informal SMEs in Africa and the way forward for the formalization debate.

From a global perspective, the business environment has become highly dynamic, unpredictable, and competitive due to external forces – mostly technology – that generate change. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of digital technologies on South African business sectors. The sample includes small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the KwaZulu-Natal province. Being qualitative by design, the study used semi-structured interviews for data collection, with eight interviews in the Durban area. SME managers were purposefully selected as participants based on their management positions in the business/company and that they oversee the business operation and understand the influence of digital transformation in the business. The interviews were then transcribed after data collection to determine any recurring themes. In the effectiveness of digital transformation, the study identified themes such as “gaining exposure” and “gaining effective sales figures” as a result of implementing digital transformation, which was indicated by six of eight participants. The findings showed that digital transformation significantly affects building customer relationships and ensuring easy accessibility of the business. The results further indicate online selling and digital marketing as the leading digital platforms successfully implemented by most South African SMEs. Lastly, the study revealed digital maintenance and rapid changes in technology as challenging factors. Moreover, the study recommends that South African SMEs implement more available digital technologies to gain additional exposure.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of technical trading strategies in trading stocks of selected Indian companies represented in the Nifty 50 Index. The research was done using secondary data from January 2022 to August 2022. Hourly share prices of 14 largest companies as per market capitalization from 14 different sectors from the Nifty 50 Index were considered as a part of the study. Simple Moving Average, Exponential Moving Average – Relative Strength Index and Bollinger Bands – Relative Strength Index – strategies considered in the study. It was found that strategy based on Bollinger Bands and Relative Strength Index performed the best. Performance was considered with respect to both the number of stocks having a net profit and the number of stocks that were able to outperform the buy-and-hold strategy for the time period considered. The study considered several combined strategies and performance indicators, whereas previous studies used limited indicators. Out of the 14 stocks considered, the Simple Moving Average strategy was able to generate net profit for 8 stocks and it outperformed the buy-and-hold strategy for 6 stocks, Exponential Moving Average – Relative Strength Index strategy generated net profit for 6 stocks and it outperformed the buy-and-hold strategy for 5 stocks, and the Bollinger Bands – Relative Strength Index generated net profit for 11 stocks and it outperformed the buy-and-hold strategy for 10 stocks. The Bollinger Bands – Relative Strength Index strategy was able to outperform as it was more dynamic and entered and exited positions actively.