Internationalization has become increasingly important to the competitiveness of firms of all sizes, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs play a crucial role in the development of lower-income countries. In Bangladesh, SMEs account for between 80 and 85 percent of industrial employment and 23 percent of total employment and are critical to economic growth. Though the literature on firm internationalization is well established, the internationalization process of SMEs from developing countries, such as Bangladesh, remains relatively under-explored. The main aim of this study is to explore factors that hinder the internationalization of SMEs in a developing country, with Bangladesh serving as the context of the investigation. Qualitative research methods were adopted, comprising semi-structured interviews with leaders of 16 SMEs in Bangladesh. Six major themes were identified as hindrances to the firms’ internationalization: (1) lack of market knowledge, (2) lack of family support, (3) the proliferation of ‘scammer buyers’, (4) the (negative) involvement of third parties, (5) mismanagement of domestic ports, and (6) unregulated local market. Regarding positive factors, only one theme emerged from the data, the strong support from the local government, which provides considerable backing for local SMEs with international ambitions. This study’s primary contribution and originality lie in the context of the investigation, with Bangladesh primarily overlooked in the international business literature. Therefore, the study presents several novel insights into the internationalization process of SMEs.

This study examines the effects of product market competition on corporate investment and firm value and the moderating role of economic policy uncertainty on this relationship. The firm-level data of 1971 listed corporate firms for BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries during 2009–2020 were used, totaling 23,652 observations. Using the GMM estimates, our results depict that product market competition significantly influences corporate investment and firm value in BRIC countries. The result also reveals that economic policy uncertainty plays a significant role in the impact of product market competition on corporate investment and firm value at Brazilian, Russian, Indian, and Chinese firms. The study’s findings contribute to the body of knowledge by providing new evidence on the relationship between PMC, corporate investment, and firm value. These findings are vital for policymakers and regulatory bodies to focus on economic uncertainty in a competitive environment without jeopardizing investment returns in emerging markets.

The paper aims to explore the impact of financial risks on the firm value of banks in ASEAN-5 countries. The study used the panel data regression model to analyze the available data for 63 commercial banks in ASEAN-5 countries from 2009 to 2017, totaling 567 observations. GMM dynamic estimation was also used for robustness and comparison purposes. The financial risk was measured using the non-performing loans ratio (NPL), the loan to deposit ratio (LD), the liquid asset ratio (LATA), the cost to income ratio (CIR), and the net interest margin (NIM), while firm value was measured using the enterprise value. The study used controlled variables proxied by size, GDP growth and the inflation rate, while the correlation between credit risk and interest rate risk (CR•IR) was also determined. Given the results of the study, credit risk proxy by non-performing loans ratio has a significant positive effect on the firm value, the liquidity risk (LD) has a significant positive impact on the firm value of ASEAN banks, while LATA has a significant negative effect on the firm value. Operational risk (CIR) and interest rate risk (NIM) have a significant negative impact on the firm value of ASEAN-5 banks. Bank size and inflation rate significantly and negatively affect the firm value, while GDP growth is found to have a significant positive impact on the firm value of ASEAN-5 banks. An insignificant interaction is found between credit risk and interest rate risk (CR•IR). The GMM estimation also supported these findings. The results obtained will be an important signal for policy makers, which is useful for the effective mobilization and allocation of credits to productive areas and helps manage inherent risks. The study provides implications for all countries regarding the financial risks associated with the value of the firm. Therefore, this study offers new insights into this relationship by providing useful information to the academics, policy makers, governments, and other stakeholders and serves as a benchmark for further study in this area.

This study contributes to the current debate on the downsides and benefits of revenue diversification. Diversification may affect banks when they invest in riskier activities with lower returns, while they benefit from diversified activities that are less risky but have higher returns. The study offers extended implications in the empirical literature using a different measure of revenue diversification from an emerging market perspective. The study uses recent financial data from 26 Malaysian and Nigerian banks for the period 2009–2017, totaling 234 observations. The GMM estimation technique is employed to test the relationship. The results show that revenue diversification – non-interest income/gross revenue ratio (NII), fee and commission income/revenue ratio (NII1), and non-interest income/total assets ratio (NIITA) – significantly affect the firm value and stability of Nigerian banks. Liquidity, administrative expenses, net interest margin (NIM), non-performing loans (NPL), size, GDP growth rate and inflation also affect the firm value and stability of a bank. For Malaysian banks, diversification variables do not significantly affect firm value of a bank, while liquidity, administrative expenses, NIM and size significantly affect firm value. Diversification (NII and NIITA), liquidity, administrative expenses, NIM, NPL, size, GDP growth and inflation rate has a significant impact on the stability of Malaysian banks. The study concludes that revenue diversification affects both the firm value and stability of banks, and to achieve sound financial stability, banks that focus on interest-generating activities may diversify into non-interest-generating activities.