Contribution of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in global export is becoming significant but still a large number of these are unable to outperform in international market. In this study, we have identified and classified the firm-level controllable determinants of export performance. Based upon a comprehensive and systematic literature study we finally developed a synthesized model which may provide a broader understanding of the export behavior of the SMEs to enhance their export performance. Many information sources have been explored to collect the relevant literature. The determinants found from the literature are classified into firms characteristics, management characteristics, and export marketing strategic capabilities. In this paper, we have proposed a synthesized model for the researchers who are interested to investigate the issue further (i.e. about SMEs export performance determinants).

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of Shariah-compliant status and Shariah regulation on initial public offering (IPO) underpricing in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Besides the ordinary least square’s method, this study used quantile least squares as a robust approach and stepwise regression for further analysis to investigate the underpricing phenomenon in Pakistan. Data of 84 IPOs listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange from January 2000 to December 2018 were collected to determine the impact of Shariah-compliant status and Shariah regulation on IPO underpricing. Findings Results of the study show that Shariah-compliant status has a negative relationship but Shariah regulation has a positive relationship with IPO underpricing. Hence, it is contended that Shariah-compliant firms have lower asset volatility and uncertainty than non-Shariah-compliant firms because of less information asymmetry, resulting in lower underpricing. These Shariah-compliant firms provide signals of high-quality IPOs as they must comply with the strict guidelines issued by the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan in addition to being considered as amicable by investors. Further, this study suggests that investors are more attracted to Shariah-compliant firms than non-Shariah-compliant ones. Research limitations/implications This study’s offers limited consideration of nonfinancial and financial characteristics that could influence the decision of investors to subscribe to IPOs. Besides, future studies could consider the screening benchmarks; for instance, debt and cash may explain the intensity of IPO initial return in Pakistan. Originality/value The present work empirically investigated the influence of Shariah-compliant status and Shariah regulation on IPO underpricing in Pakistan’s IPO market, which has been scarcely covered in the existing literature.

The contribution of Pakistan furniture industry in exports have declined in last few years. This situation is alarming for industry and country economic growth and overall performance of the industry. The main objective of study is to investigate the moderating role of the business network (BN) on the relationship among total quality management (TQM), export market orientation (EMO) and company export performance (CEP) of furniture industry of Pakistan. The study has adopted the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to assess the 119 responses from the furniture industry. The findings of the study shown the significant relationship between EMO, TQM and CEP. More importantly, the study-initiated BN moderating effect on the relationship between EMO, TQM and CEP. However, this study found that BN is the influential variable to enhance the effectiveness of EMO and TQM which leads to higher CEP. Therefore, the present is helping to furniture firms that they can effectively implement the EMO, TQM and BN strategies to increase the CEP in Pakistan context, whereas CEP reported low.

This study analyzed the moderating role of business network (BN) on the relationship between export market orientation (EMO), total quality management (TQM) and company export performance (CEP). The present study used the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique on sample size 119 furniture manufacturing exporting companies. The results of this study shown the positive significance relationship between EMO, TQM and CEP. Additionally, the study found the moderating role of BN between the relationship of EMO, TQM and CEP. Thus, this revealed that BN is considered the influential variable to enhancing the effectiveness of EMO and TQM which leads to higher CEP. This study contributes to the literature and to the practice of companies by helping them to understand how the process of EMO, TQM and BN produces better export performance through export market orientation.