Purpose – The study aims to explore the innovative characteristics of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the link between their innovation and business performance in the emerging Dubai market in the United Arab Emirates. Design/methodology/approach – Using data from 200 SMEs, the study utilizes a structured survey that was developed from a methodical literature review. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to evaluate the findings. Findings – The findings described the innovative characteristics of SMEs and suggested that there is a significant positive link between innovation and business performance. Research limitations/implications – The study offers SMEs with innovative behaviors a better perspective of their business and market environments. However, the study is limited to SMEs operating in the Dubai marketplace. Future research could also look at other markets and use qualitative research methods. Originality/value – The study provides important insights that could guide SMEs in their understanding of innovation and its benefit in emerging markets. The findings reinforce the growing empirical evidence of the positive impact of innovation on business performance. The findings also challenge the assumption that innovation drains resources in emerging markets.

This study examines how technology orientation interacts with innovation to affect business performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an emerging market, namely Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Survey data from 200 Dubai SMEs demonstrated, firstly, that technology orientation influenced innovation and did not have a significant and direct influence on business performance, and secondly, that innovation influenced business performance. Based on these findings, future research avenues are identified and managers of SMEs are advised to consider innovation as a mediating factor for technology orientation to achieve better business performance for their firms.

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This study explores the relevance of established organisational determinants of innovation practice in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the emerging market of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Drawing upon data from 200 SMEs, the findings suggest that management orientation, technology orientation, alliance and cooperation and market orientation are important antecedents to SMEs' innovative practices, but question the importance of organisational culture. This study is the first to examine the organisational determinants of innovation in both an SME and emerging market context. Implications and suggestions for future research are offered to both scholars and practitioners.

This paper presents a study exploring and explaining the risk factors that cause businesses to lose trade secrets. The study examined the role of employees in the process of trade secrets divulgence, employee"s confidentiality defined by the law, contractual obligations, inevitable disclosure, civil remedies, agreements and rules, and it also looked at how legal regulations address such risk factors. A range of commonly suggested business procedures in organizations were then examined against the sufficiency of addressing these risk factors. The results of this study have both theoretical and practical contribution towards the understanding of how to do business in china.