African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly pursue exporting and regional expansion, but institutional complexity, informality, and weak market-supporting infrastructure raise coordination costs and constrain internationalization. This study examines how export-focused business aggregators internationalize across African markets and enable SME participation in cross-border trade. Using a multiple-case qualitative design, we studied seven aggregators connected to intra-African routes and extra-regional hubs. Data came from 90-minute semi-structured interviews with senior executives and were analyzed through iterative thematic and cross-case analysis. The findings show that aggregators enact entrepreneurial orientation through relational reliability, informal network brokerage, contextual agility, continuous stakeholder engagement, and calculated risk absorption. Together, these practices create an export aggregation capability that curates and standardizes dispersed SME supply, aligns partner incentives and quality expectations, and coordinates logistics, payments, and distribution. We conceptualize export aggregation as a managed-ecosystem entry mode that pools risk and learning at the intermediary level, reduces transaction hazards and liabilities of outsidership, and provides SMEs with scalable access to foreign markets. Although grounded in Africa, the model has implications for Asia-facing value chains and SME-dense Asian markets where institutional heterogeneity and intermediary-led orchestration shape cross-border strategy. The study thereby extends international business theory on intermediaries, ecosystems, and emerging-market strategy.
Bangladesh has seized on a crucial socioeconomic turning point in its growth trajectory, aiming to transition to an upper-middle-income economy by 2041. This study sought to answer the question of whether Bangladesh will be in the middle-income trap (MIT). The study used a two-step analysis procedure. The study first applies both relative and absolute approaches recommended by the middle-income trap literature to determine whether Bangladesh and the other nations under consideration are in the middle-income trap using GNI per capita and GDP growth variables. The study then employs a descriptive qualitative research design, in which the researcher seeks to identify the presence of the middle-income trap scenario in Bangladesh by comparing data from other countries and gaining insight into the state of macroeconomic, institutional, demographic, and governance indicators. The findings of this study highlight an important feature of the MIT in Bangladesh. According to the quantitative approach based on GDP and economic growth, Bangladesh will surpass the lower MIT while just barely falling into the upper MIT. However, the economic, demographic, institutional, and governance indices show that Bangladesh lacks the capabilities required to avoid MIT and achieve high-income status. A critical and in-depth comparative study is indispensable to identify whether Bangladesh will fall into MIT and the factors contributing to overcoming MIT in Bangladesh. The outcome of the study will help policymakers recommend some steps and ways to avoid the middle-income trap of Bangladesh, which is a considerable future threat to the economy.
Persistent health inequities continue to affect marginalized populations in both high-income and low-income countries, despite ongoing investments in public health systems. This study examines the critical role nonprofit organizations play in advancing health equity in the United States and Bangladesh, two countries with vastly different institutional capacities, economic conditions, and governance structures. Using an extensive literature-based methodology, the analysis explores how nonprofits expand access to healthcare, address social determinants of health, and advocate for systemic reforms that benefit disadvantaged communities. This study compares how nonprofit organizations in Bangladesh and the United States advance health equity through community-embedded service delivery, integration of social determinants, and advocacy. It contributes to a cross-national, theory-informed analysis that identifies shared mechanisms and context-specific constraints, offering practical policy lessons for governments and nonprofit leaders. Findings show that Bangladesh’s nonprofits, particularly large organizations like BRAC, operate as primary service providers in low-resource settings, leveraging community health workers and integrated development programs to reach underserved populations. This study highlights the need for stronger government–nonprofit collaboration, diversified funding models, and expanded data systems to enhance equity outcomes. By comparing two distinct national landscapes, the research underscores nonprofits’ indispensable contribution to building more inclusive, resilient, and equitable public health ecosystems.
This study examines how social media could substantially influence the purchasing decisions of Gen Z female university students in Macau, China, with particular attention to the specific processes through which influential social media content might shape their perceptions and choices. An interpretive qualitative research design was employed, based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 10 university students aged 18-25. Moreover, the data were processed through thematic analysis, with saturation monitoring to ensure the credibility and depth of interpretations. Given that social media platforms continue to evolve, data analysis may reveal that they provide information. Additionally, analysis might indicate that social media plays a formative role in constructing purchase considerations. However, short videos and live-stream content may stimulate scenario-based imagination. Furthermore, content could influence perceptions of authenticity and shape risk assessments. Findings indicate female students identify three interrelated mechanisms during the cheongsam purchase conversion process: scenario script construction, visibility management, and a mechanism termed the "fit-authenticity evidence chain." Nevertheless, mechanisms help explain why initial interest does not necessarily translate into actual purchase. In light of these important empirical findings, this research could provide cheongsam brands with significant opportunities to enhance competitiveness through scenario-based content strategies, clearer sizing guidance, and strengthened return/exchange/alteration service commitments. Thus, tight integration between online promotion and offline fitting services may boost Gen Z consumers' trust. Notwithstanding current market conditions, integration might improve conversion rates.
Firm performance is critical to the survival and competitiveness of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, yet many firms in South‑West Nigeria have not realised comparable gains from cross‑border expansion. This study examined how the internationalisation capability bundle affects performance and whether infrastructure and government policy moderate these relationships. A cross‑sectional key‑informant design was used. The population comprised 1,763 top and middle managers across 13 FMCG firms headquartered in South‑West Nigeria. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s table, 407 questionnaires were administered; 398 usable responses were returned (98%). Reliability exceeded accepted thresholds. Data were analysed using multiple and hierarchical regression at α=0.05. Internationalisation predicted overall performance, and infrastructure and government policy strengthened this link. Operations method and personnel predicted sales growth (Adj. R²=0.53; F(5,382)=89.71; p<0.05); operations method and target market predicted profitability (Adj. R²=0.78; F(5,382)=273.74; p<0.05); operations method, personnel and structure predicted market share (Adj. R²=0.75; F(5,382)=227.58; p<0.05); finance, personnel and target market predicted service delivery (Adj. R²=0.46; F(5,382)=67.66; p<0.05); and operations method, target market and structure predicted competitive advantage (Adj. R²=0.78; F(5,382)=268.72; p<0.05). The study concludes that internationalisation improves FMCG performance, with stronger gains under supportive infrastructure and enabling policy; firms should deepen human-capital and operational capabilities, while policymakers prioritise trade-facilitating infrastructure.
