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PEOPLE@HES-SO – Directory and Skills inventory

PEOPLE@HES-SO
Directory and Skills inventory

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Ben Hamida Lamia

Ben Hamida Lamia

Professeur-e HES associé-e

Main skills

International Business

Export learning

Transversal competences

Knoweledge sharing

FDI learning

Quantitative Methods

Qualitative methods

  • Contact

  • Teaching

  • Research

  • Publications

  • Conferences

Main contract

Professeur-e HES associé-e

Haute Ecole Arc - Gestion
Espace de l'Europe 21, 2000 Neuchâtel, CH
DECO
BSc HES-SO en Droit économique - Haute Ecole Arc - Gestion
  • Microeconomics
  • Macroeconomics
BSc HES-SO en Economie d'entreprise - Haute Ecole Arc - Gestion
  • Outils pour le travail de Bachelor

Ongoing

Compétences globales dans l'enseignement supérieur : regards croisés Suisse-Maroc et perspectives de recherche

Role: Main Applicant

Financement: Leading House MENA

Description du projet :

Ce projet part du constat d’un déficit en termes de formations en compétences globales (soft skills) chez les étudiants marocains et suisses issus des facultés leur permettant de suivre leurs études de manière efficiente, mais surtout de pouvoir s’intégrer dans le monde professionnel. La littérature a montré de manière patente qu’au-delà des compétences strictement disciplinaires et techniques (hard skills), les entreprises sont d’abord sensibles, dans les processus de recrutement, aux qualités personnelles et interpersonnelles des collaborateurs. Tout d’abord, nous organisons un workshop en Suisse qui nous mettra en lumière les pratiques actuelles et les attentes des entreprises suisses et marocaines. Nous échangeons sur l’importance des compétences globales en termes d’employabilité et nous introduisons la discussion sur le rôle de l’enseignement supérieur suisse et marocain dans la formation sur ces compétences. Au Maroc, nous organisons une école d’été qui vise à établir l’état des lieux quant aux activités existantes et non formalisées menant à des formations sur ces compétences (activités de clubs, modèles pédagogiques, initiatives ponctuelles de certains enseignants…). Nous programmons des ateliers participatifs analysant de bonnes pratiques et co-créons des pistes de réflexion en la matière. L’occasion sera également donnée aux représentants d’entreprises de nous présenter les besoins professionnels. Des doctorants en science de l'éducation participeront aux réflexions durant les ateliers. En parallèle, nous procédons à des évaluations de ces compétences chez les jeunes étudiants marocains et suisses en mobilisant le questionnaire développé par l’équipe suisse lors de ses précédents travaux de recherche. Ces différentes activités permettront d’orienter efficacement nos réflexions et de définir les axes prioritaires pour le dépôt d’un projet européen. Afin de disséminer les résultats de ce projet, des actions de sensibilisation et de communication seront programmées. La participation commune de l’équipe Suisse-Maroc à une conférence internationale ponctuera le projet et permettra de créer un réseau pérenne bilatérale tant en termes de formation que de recherche. En résumé, notre projet portera sur des activités de diagnostic, de sensibilisation, de soumission d’un projet Erasmus et de publication.

Research team within HES-SO: Ben Hamida Lamia

Partenaires académiques: Amel Nejjari, Ecole Nationale des Sciences Appliquées Tétouan

Durée du projet: 01.01.2024 - 31.12.2024

Montant global du projet: 37'000 CHF

Statut: Ongoing

International student mobility, employability and related personal outcomes: the role of soft skills (N° Sagex 129806)

Role: Main Applicant

Financement: FNS

Description du projet :

Higher education institutions (HEIs) in Europe and in Switzerland play a crucial role in setting up the necessary mechanisms to train and cultivate soft skills. International student mobility (ISM) is an important instrument for the development of these skills. That program is even more important that the need for such skills in the national, and global professional market has increased during recent years. Inspired by the COST Scheme, this project stands as complementary interdisciplinary research devoted to ISM and their impact on student post-mobility employability and related personal outcomes.
We adopt a mixed empirical methodology (qualitative and quantitative) in this project. First, based on competence-based approach, organisational and human resource management theories, we make (1) a longitudinal quantitative analysis with different groups, students who have applied to make an ISM, student upon coming back from ISM (control group: student who have not experienced ISM), mobile graduates 6 months after graduation (control group: graduates without ISM). These surveys at different time periods provide the global trends progress of the importance of ISM in the development of students’ soft skills and consequently in their employability, satisfaction and organisational commitment. (2) We make survey with actual and potential employers of ISM students (the managerial and HR staff of private and public companies) to compare their perceptions with students and graduates.

this project will support the garnering of valuable scientific insights on soft skills, which will enable ISM students to effectively leverage these competences, leading to increased agility and job satisfaction in the long run. It highlights the value of incorporating soft skills alongside hard skills as a strong asset in promoting the sustainable employability of students. In addition, triangulating the different perceptions by surveying students, graduates and employers is a novelty in the literature that allows us to measure with exactitude the impact of the ISM on employability and related personal outcomes in terms of satisfaction and engagement. This triangulation in both Swiss and Spanish contexts together with deeper interviews will help HEIs to develop common policies and mechanisms that better meet students' and labour market needs, shape ISM's framework to promote students' soft skills development for sustainable employability and satisfaction.

Research team within HES-SO: Ben Hamida Lamia , Kouadio Armand Brice

Partenaires académiques: Cullinan John, University of Galway (Ireland); Perez-Encinas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Christof Van Mol, Tilburg University

Partenaires professionnels: Maude Theurillat, Haute Ecole de Santé Arc

Durée du projet: 01.01.2024 - 01.01.2028

Montant global du projet: 358'163 CHF

Statut: Ongoing

Développement des produits du terroir à l'international : étude comparative entre la Suisse et la Tunisie

Role: Main Applicant

Financement: Leading House MENA

Description du projet :

À travers deux études de cas dans deux filières phares du secteur des produits alimentaires de terroir, dans deux pays différents (l'huile d’olive 100 % bio en Tunisie et le fromage "Tête de moine AOP" en Suisse), la présente étude vise à analyser en profondeur et comparer les pratiques stratégiques, managériales et organisationnelles relatives aux activités d’exportation adoptées par les acteurs intervenant dans les deux filières. Dans le cadre de ce projet, l’analyse comparative est un préambule à une dynamique d’échanges de bonnes pratiques entre les deux filières et à une proposition de conduite managériale pour les entreprises qui misent sur les perspectives de vente de leurs produits à l'export. Cette collaboration tuniso-suisse va nous permettre de renforcer la collaboration entre les deux institutions en publiant dans des revues et conférences scientifiques et aider les entreprises à tonifier leurs stratégies d’exportation.

Research team within HES-SO: Ben Hamida Lamia

Partenaires académiques: Romdhane Khemakhem, Université de Sfax

Durée du projet: 01.01.2023 - 31.08.2024

Montant global du projet: 34'000 CHF

Statut: Ongoing

Completed

Innovation performance and knowledge spillovers : the case of Switzerland

Role: Main Applicant

Financement: FNS

Description du projet :

Innovative firms are increasignly considred as the main source for spillovers benefits reflected in productivity of the domestic firms. Appart from foreign direct investement (FDI) and export activities, the innovative activities of firms may also be a valuable source of knowledge for domestic firms, allowing them to start sharing knowledge with the dispersed and culturally distant countries. Innovative firms can find it challenging at times to share knowledge due to the large geographic and cultural distances that separate them (Ambos and Ambos, 2009). The contacts of domestic firms with innovation-oriented firms provide better access to knowledge and enable host countries to integrate more advantageously into global innovation networks (Cantwell and Piscitello, 2000 ; Carlsson, 2006 ; Santangelo, 2005) - raising the innovation performance in domestic firms through knowledge spillovers. Knowledge spillovers occur through a variety of mechanisms and thus the assessment of these effects calls upon a detailed analysis according to the mechanisms by which they take place. Firstly, there are demonstration effects, domestic firms learn through imitation of technologies and skills from innovative firms, technologies can inspire and stimulate domestic inventors to develop new product and/or processes. Secondly, there are competition effects following the entry and/or presence of innovative firms, which increases competition and forces domestic firms to work harder or absorb new technologies. Thirdly, there are labour mobility effects when domestic inventors who were previously trained by and/or worked in an innovative firms may leave the firm to join an existing domestic firm or open a new one. Fourthly, there are backward and forward linkages as a result from technological know-how transfer from innovative firms customers (suppliers) to innovative firms suppliers (customers). In addition, knowledge spillovers might not be observed at the aggregate level (for all firms/products/destinations//industries/regions), but only in the subset of firms which share some common cultural characteristics and/or are located not far from innovative firms. Finally, domestic firms need a certain level of technological capacity to be able to benefit from the indirect effects associated with the innovative activities of firms. Along these lines, Cohen and Levinthal, (1990) define “absorptive capacity” as the ability to acquire, assimilate and exploit knowledge developed elsewhere. Domestic firms with a greater absorptive capacity are open to new knowledge and better able to use them for innovation (Caragliu and Nijkamp, 2008 ; Xia, 2013 ; Zahra and George, 2002). In this context, the core hypothesis we test in this project is that innovation oriented firms act as knowledge sharing catalysts raising the innovation performance of domestic firms. This hypothesis has been studied by a number of scholars (Cheung and Lin, 2004 ; Fu et al., 2018 ; Howell et al., 2020 ; Montobbio and Sterzi, 2013 ; and so on ), nonetheless, the empirical results have been mixed for both developed and developing countries and knowledge spillovers on host and home economies are not well understood. So, investigations are needed to study in details the role of firms’ innovative activities in improving the innovation performance of domestic firms through knowledge spillovers. In particular, we test whether innovative activities of firms located in Switzerland may benefit the Swiss economy when the specific knowledge that is experienced on foreign markets may be shared with domestic firms, raising their innovation performance. Switzerland is particularly an interesting case study since its economic development relies on innovation. First, Switzerland has been ranked as the world’s most innovative country for the 10th year in a row (Dutta et al., 2020). Second, Switzerland is regarded to have achieved competitive technological levels in many industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and watches and then possesses sufficient level of absorptive capacity to efficiently exploit knowledge spillover benefits. Third, Swiss government, especially at regional level, is more and more active in encouraging innovative activities. Fourth, Switzerland is a multicultural society , cultural heterogeneity lead to the exploration of innovation paths and original competencies (West, 2002). Fifth, to date, there has been no investigation of the potentially beneficial knowledge spillover effects of firms’ innovative activities on domestic firms in Switzerland. The aim of this project is to focus on the role of firms’ innovative activities in enhancing the knowledge sharing processes in Switzerland. It examines the resultant effect of firms’ innovative activities in terms of knowledge spillovers on the innovation performance of Swiss firms. We believe that learning is highly localized and that spillovers are regionally bounded (Ascani at al.,2020 ; Jaffe et al., 1993 ; maggioni et al., 2007). We test for spillovers at the national and regional levels and argue that the assessment of spillovers calls upon a detailed analysis of these effects according to the following factors (the mechanisms by which knowledge spillovers are transmitted – viz. the demonstration effects, the increase of competition, the labour mobility and the vertical linkages; the absorptive capacity of domestic firms; the geographical proximity and the cultural diversity). Such modeling strategy is likely to describe more correctly the process of spilling-over and then identify whith accuracy the nature and the size of the resultant effects. To sum up, this project will investigate in details the knowledge spillovers according to their key determinants cited above, in order to exaclty identify the potential benefit for domestic firms.

Research team within HES-SO: Ben Hamida Lamia

Durée du projet: 01.04.2022 - 30.09.2022

Montant global du projet: 28'000 CHF

Statut: Completed

Acquérir les compétences globales pour une employabilité durable

Role: Main Applicant

Financement: Movetia

Description du projet :

Ce projet de coopération entre la Tunisie et la Suisse s’est penché sur les liens entre les compétences globales (CG), également appelées « soft skills », la mobilité internationale et l’employabilité. Dans un monde en perpétuel mouvement, les attentes des employeurs en termes de compétences ne cessent d’évoluer. Aujourd’hui, « Plus les individus développent ces compétences globales en plus des compétences métiers, plus ils naviguent facilement dans le monde du travail » (Conseil Fédéral, 2019 ; World Economic Forum, 2020). Au travers de ce projet, il a été possible d’étudier de plus près les besoins des employeurs, mais également de définir les compétences globales et de les intégrer dans les réflexions des institutions. Les supports crées peuvent être utilisés par d’autres institutions intéressées à thématiser les compétences globales au sein de leurs cursus.  

Research team within HES-SO: Ben Hamida Lamia

Partenaires académiques: Abdeljalil Akkari, Université de Genève; Arafat Farroukh et Halima Ouanada, University of Tunis El Manar (UTM)

Durée du projet: 01.09.2020 - 31.08.2022

Montant global du projet: 72'000 CHF

Url of the project site: https://www.movetia.ch/fr/experiences-et-connaissances/experiences/competences-globales-et-employabilite-zoom-sur-un-projet-international-a-lheg-arc

Statut: Completed

Soon : Social Network of Machines Contrepartie
AGP

Role: Co-applicant

Requérant(e)s: Analyse de données, Ghorbel Hatem, Analyse de données

Financement: HES-SO Rectorat

Description du projet : Soutien-Contrepartie au dépôt déposée à la session de novembre 2018 du fonds interdomaine HES-SO, en regard du projet "Soon : Social Network of Machines"

Research team within HES-SO: Ghorbel Hatem , Carrino Stefano , Brun-Cosme Aline , Ben Hamida Lamia

Partenaires académiques: Analyse de données; Management des villes et du territoire; Ghorbel Hatem, Analyse de données

Durée du projet: 28.02.2019 - 29.02.2020

Montant global du projet: 33'936 CHF

Statut: Completed

2024

Foreign direct investment motivation and spillovers from southern MNCs in Switzerland :
Scientific paper ArODES
the role of FDI motivation and cultural dimension

Racha Khairallah, Lamia Ben Hamida, Rochdi Feki

Macroeconomics and Finance in Emerging Market Economies,  Online first

Link to the publication

Summary:

An increasing number of studies analysed spillovers from northern economies to southern/northern economies, whilst little attention has been paid by scholars to study these effects from southern to northern economies. This study tests FDI spillovers from southern MNCs in Switzerland. It explores the intra- and inter-industry levels and focuses on the potential role of FDI motivation and cultural dimension in determining the size and the extent of intra- and inter-industry spillovers. Using firms-level data from Switzerland, we found that FDI intra- and inter-industry spillovers differ according to FDI motivation. Cultural dimension seems to be a significant element when assessing spillovers.

Local firms spillovers from multinationals’ exports in Switzerland
Scientific paper ArODES

Lamia Ben Hamida

Small business international review,  8, 1, e581

Link to the publication

Summary:

This paper aims to examine how local firms can learn from the export activities of large multinational corporations (MNCs). Arguing that MNCs’ export activities could act as catalysts for local firms, allowing them to start exporting or intensify their export volume, we hypothesize that the size and extent of export spillovers depend on the linkage between local firms and MNCs, the geographical distance between them in the home country, and the foreign export market destination in terms of psychic distance from the home market. Using Swiss manufacturing firm-level data, we found support to this learning by exporting effect through which local firms benefit from the presence of MNCs’ exporter counterparts and the export activities of their upstream MNCs’ suppliers, with particular effects of the nature and the physical location of destinations. From these findings, several important academic and practical implications are exhibited and discussed.

Learning and absorption of export-related knowledge :
Book chapter ArODES
the case of Swiss SMEs active in the manufacturing sector

Patrick Ischer, Lamia Ben Hamida

Dans Davoine, Eric, Furrer, Olivier, Nivoix, Sophie, Internationalization and organizations : challenges and prospects  (Pp. 34-54). 2024,  New York : Routledge

Link to the publication

Summary:

In this study, the authors explore whether exporting products can lead to revenue growth for Swiss SMEs. Using a qualitative approach, they seek to grasp as precisely as possible the mechanisms by which firms receive and use export-related know-how by considering the strategies implemented by SMEs that have been exporting for several years compared to those that are just starting to export. The findings of their qualitative study show that regardless of the size, technological capability of the firm, and its export experience, the strategies deployed are identical. However, the process may differ, in terms of both learning and practical implementation. Thus, the study findings are only partially consistent with what has been observed in other empirical studies. In fact, unlike what has already been found, if vertical links stimulate knowledge transfer in specific contexts, it must be recognized that it is somewhat anecdotal when it concerns the exchanges established between the SME and its suppliers.

2023

Developing transversal and intercultural competences to increase employability :
Book chapter ArODES
the role of international mobility in Swiss higher education

Patrick Ischer, Sophie Wodociag, Lamia Ben Hamida

Dans Branch, John D., Durnali, Mehmet, Global perspectives on the internationalization of higher education  (pp. 164-181). 2023,  Hershey PA : IGI Global

Link to the publication

Summary:

Organizations look for new and increasingly global and international business models and increase their relationships with other cultures. Companies are therefore looking for executive profiles that prioritize availability, mobility, and adaptability to different cultural environments. Considering that, this chapter aims to 1) identify transversal and intercultural competences developed by students during their short stay abroad and 2) examine how these competences can help students integrate the world of work. Based on qualitative and quantitative analyses, the researchers find evidence that international experience is an efficient mechanism for strengthening transversal and intercultural competences, but that these competences are then under-exploited when job-hunting.

2022

Apprentissage et absorption des connaissances relatives à l’exportation :
Book chapter ArODES
le cas des PME suisses actives dans le secteur manufacturier

Patrick Ischer, Lamia Ben Hamida

Dans Davoine, Eric, Furrer, Olivier, Les défis de l’internationalisation des organisations  (Pp. 37-58). 2022,  Paris : Vuibert

Link to the publication

Reverse knowledge transfer in multinational companies :
Book chapter ArODES
evidence from Swiss manufacturing industry

Lamia Ben Hamida

Dans Khan, Zaheer, Lew, Yong K., Nair, Smitha R., Research handbook on knowledge transfer and international business  (Pp. 48-61). 2022,  Cheltenham : Elgar publishing

Link to the publication

2021

Foreign implementation strategies :
Scientific paper ArODES
the case of Swiss manufacturing MNCs

Lamia Ben Hamida, Patrick Ischer, Stefanie Hasler

International journal of export marketing,  2021, vol. 4, no 3, pp. 260 - 281

Link to the publication

Summary:

The desire to increase exports may lead some firms to acquire subsidiaries abroad. In doing so, they become multinationals that can rely on the knowledge, distribution networks, etc. of their sisters in order to more easily overcome certain legal, economic or cultural barriers. Using a qualitative approach based on interviews with representatives of manufacturing multinationals based mainly in French-speaking part of Switzerland, this paper shows that the process of implementation abroad is systematically evolving. This presence outside national borders is first made possible by intermediaries, whether they are distributors or agents. Once market entry is consolidated, firms invest abroad, either by building a production site or by acquiring a distribution subsidiary. In addition, contacts with other firms can enhance knowledge sharing and strengthen firm export performance. Finally, a dynamic ecosystem exists, in which, large firms can also share their networks with smaller ones as long as both design complementary products.

2019

Are there export spillovers in manufacturing industry :
Scientific paper ArODES
evidence from Switzerland

Lamia Ben Hamida, Patrick Ischer

International journal of export marketing,  2019, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 3-19

Link to the publication

Summary:

Apart from foreign direct investment (FDI), multinationals’ (MNCs) export activities are also a valuable source of knowledge for domestic firms (in the home and the host countries). The aim of this paper is to focus in detail on the role of MNCs’ export activities in improving the export performance of domestic firms through export spillovers. In particular, we test whether export activities of both Swiss and foreign MNCs located in Switzerland may benefit the Swiss economy when the export specific knowledge that is experienced on foreign markets may spill over to domestic firms, raising their export propensity. We argue that export spillovers do not occur automatically. They depend upon the mechanism by which they take place, the absorptive capacity of domestic firms, the export destination, and the geographical proximity. We found that the probability that domestic firms exports is positively and significantly associated with the presence of MNCs exporters in their sector. Demonstration-imitation is the main mechanism for these benefits. These benefits are larger when specific by destination and when domestic firms are in close proximity to foreign and Swiss MNCs. In addition, domestic firms with high technological capacities benefit more from export spillovers.

2017

Outward R&D spillovers in the home country :
Book chapter ArODES
the role of reverse knowledge transfer

Lamia Ben Hamida

Breaking up the global value chain: oppportunities and consequences  (pp. 293-310). 2017,  Bingley : Emerald

Link to the publication

Summary:

This study examines how foreign R&D investment may explain interfirm variations in productivity performance of home country firms in terms of spillovers. Many have studied spillovers from MNCs to host country’s firms, but there is still scarce evidence on spillovers from outward FDI to the home country. This study analyzes spillovers from foreign R&D investment and hypothesizes that the benefit of outward R&D spillovers occurs only when knowledge accumulated in foreign R&D centers is effectively transferred to MNCs’ parent companies at home. This benefit depends on the mandate of foreign R&D units, their embeddedness in the host economy, and their entry mode. Using detailed firm-level data for Switzerland, our findings seem to support our arguments.

Are there productivity spillovers from southern MNCs in the Swiss service/construction industry ?
Scientific paper ArODES

Lamia Ben Hamida, Racha Khairallah

Journal of contemporary management,  2017, Vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 57-70

Link to the publication

Summary:

Although developing and emerging market firms (southern MNCs) are increasingly engaged in outward FDI in European advanced economies, we have an incomplete and inconsistent understanding of whether, and under what conditions, this investment may benefit the local economy. Our paper addresses this issue by examining whether local firms may benefit from the entry and the presence of southern MNCs in services/construction industry. We argue that analyzing spillovers from southern MNCs needs to distinguish these effects according to how they take place as well as the technological characteristics of local knowledge receivers. Using firms-level data from Switzerland, we found that local firms need to upgrade their human capital to take benefit from the entry and presence of southern MNCs in their industry; otherwise the presence of southern MNCs reduces the productivity of local services/construction firms in Switzerland. No benefit is found from competition effects. Moreover, interactions between different technological capacities of local firms and the ways they benefit from spillovers from southern MNCs provide differences in spillover results.

2016

Knowledge transfer in multinational companies :
Book ArODES
sharing multiple perspectives

Lamia Ben Hamida, Christophe Lejeune

2016,  Paris : L'Harmattan,  204 p.

Link to the publication

Southern MNCs in Switzerland and regional productivity spillovers in services/construction industry
Scientific paper ArODES

Lamia Ben Hamida, Racha Khairallah

International journal of business and emerging markets,  2016, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 340–358

Link to the publication

Summary:

As more developing and transition market firms (southern MNCs) are engaged in outward FDI in European advanced economies, a fundamentally important question has to be addressed: whether this investment leads to positive productivity effects for host economies. Our paper addresses this issue by examining whether there are indicators of regional spillovers from the entry and the presence of southern MNCs in the service/construction industry. We suggest that: 1) regional spillovers from southern MNCs are co-determined by local and foreign characteristics, namely, FDI motivation and technological capacity of the local host country firms; 2) possible interaction effects between local technological capacity and FDI motivation would also influence the size and the extent of regional spillovers from southern MNCs. Using firms-level data from Switzerland, we found that knowledge-exploiting FDI (KE FDI) and knowledge-seeking FDI (KS FDI) have different amounts of spillovers. In addition, human capital development in local firms appears to be essential in gaining large regional spillovers. This allows for positive regional spillovers for high technology firms when southern MNCs are assigned KE mandates and for low technology firms when southern MNCs invest in KS FDI.

Building R&D capabilities abroad and the role of reverse knowledge transfer in explaining MNCs’ productivity
Book chapter ArODES

Lamia Ben Hamida

Handbook of Research on Comparative Economic Development Perspectives on Europe and the MENA Region  (pp. 219-235). 2016,  Pennsylvania : IGI Global

Link to the publication

Summary:

Although MNCs are increasingly globalizing their R&D, we have an incomplete and inconsistent understanding of whether, and under what conditions, the knowledge accumulated from foreign R&D centers can improve the productivity of the parent firm. We address this issue by examining the factors that influence the extent to which reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) enhances the productivity of the MNC at home. Our contribution lies in showing that the productivity benefits of RKT depend on the idiosyncratic characteristics of MNCs’ parent and R&D affiliates. We show that RKT has a stronger effect on the productivity of the parent MNC when foreign R&D units are charged with a knowledge seeking role. These effects further increase when R&D affiliates are well embedded in host countries. Surprisingly, the productivity enhancing effects of RKT do not differ across acquired and greenfield affiliates.

2024

Comment réussir l’internationalisation des produits de terroir à l’ère actuelle ? :
Conference ArODES
regard sur les filières d’huile d’olive tunisienne et du fromage de la Tête de moine AOP suisse

Lamia Ben Hamida, Stefanie Hasler, Hana Abid Siala, Romdhane Khemakhem

Acte de la 14e conférence annuelle de Atlas-AFMI

Link to the conference

Summary:

La mondialisation et la crise sanitaire ont soumis les produits de terroir et leur expansion à l'étranger à des défis significatifs. Bien que ces produits soient souvent loués pour leur qualité, ils ne semblent pas garantir automatiquement le succès sur la scène internationale. La présente étude propose une analyse approfondie des orientations stratégiques associées à l'exportation des produits de terroir. À cette fin, une étude qualitative exploratoire a été menée auprès des acteurs de deux secteurs spécifiques, à savoir l'huile d'olive tunisienne et la Tête de Moine AOP suisse. Cette analyse repose sur la théorie des ressources RBV de Barney (1991), complétée par l'avantage concurrentiel lié au territoire. Les résultats de cette étude intersectorielle mettent en lumière des divergences au niveau des couples ressources et capacités dans les activités d'exportation des deux filières. Par ailleurs, l'avantage territorial se manifeste de manière plus marquée au sein de la filière Tête de Moine AOP, tandis qu'il est moins prononcé dans le domaine oléicole. Ces disparités dans les trajectoires d'exportation offrent des pistes significatives pour des recommandations managériales adaptées aux deux filières, en tirant parti de manière synergique des avantages spécifiques au terroir.

Réussir l’internationalisation des produits de terroir :
Conference ArODES
regard sur la filière de l’huile d’olive tunisienne

Hana Abid Siala, Romdhane Khemakhem, Lamia Ben Hamida, Stefanie Hasler

Acte du 21e Colloque International de l’Association Tunisienne de Marketing (ATM)

Link to the conference

Summary:

This study aims to study internationalization strategies for terroir products. Through an exploratory study, we analyzed in depth the managerial and marketing practices of a sample of Tunisian olive oil exporters, while basing ourselves on the RBV resource theory. Our objective is to identify the resources and capacities mobilized by these companies and to identify the extent of their territorial embeddedness. Our analysis showed us that these companies have certain advantages in terms of production, management, relationships, and marketing. However, these companies do not exploit the advantage of their link with the territory in a visible and efficient manner in their strategy.

2023

Knowledge spillovers from patent citations :
Conference ArODES
evidence from Swiss manufacturing industry

Racha Khairallah, Lamia Ben Hamida

Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Innovation, Knowledge and Data Management

Link to the conference

Summary:

Our paper attempts to examine how Swiss manufacturing firms manage to learn from patent citations to improve their innovation performance. We argue that the assessment of these effects needs a detailed analysis of spillovers according to the source of knowledge with respect to formal and informal patent citations made in European and internal search, the horizontal and vertical mechanisms by which knowledge spillovers take place, and the technological characteristics of innovative firms that able them to absorb external knowledge and integrate it in their existing innovation process. We use OECD data and find evidence that knowledge spillovers occur only from horizontal and backward linkages. The importance of these effects depends on the type of citation, in which the references to non-patent literature (informal citations made in European and international searches) have a greater impact. In addition, only firms with high technological capacities benefit from knowledge spillovers from formal and informal citations. Low-technology firms fail to catch up and efficiently learn external knowledge from patent citations.

2020

Do domestic firms need to learn from MNCs to export? :
Conference ArODES
evidence from Swiss manufacturing industry

Lamia Ben Hamida

Proceedings of the 13th Annual Conference of the EuroMed Academy of Business

Link to the conference

Summary:

Our paper attempts to examine how domestic firms manage to benefit from the export activities of large multinational corporations (MNCs). We analyze export spillovers from MNCs, in which export specific knowledge of MNCs that are experienced on foreign markets may spill over to domestic firms, improving their export performance. Multinational firm has a significant advantage over domestic firm since it can benefit from the existing international network of the entire corporation to start export operations and overcome the fixed costs induced by these activities (Blomstrom and Kokko, 1998). The contacts of domestic firms with export oriented MNCs provide both knowledge about the product and process technologies and international market conditions and access to foreign marketing and distribution networks - for example, foreign preferences regarding design, packaging, and product quality - raising the export and productivity performances in domestic firms through export spillovers. The export activities of MNCs may benefit domestic firms when the export specific knowledge that MNCs are experienced on foreign markets may spill over to domestic firms, allowing them to reduce the cost of access to these markets. By learning from MNCs, domestic SMEs are likely to raise their export propensity or intensify their export volume.

Foreign implementation strategies and export modes :
Conference ArODES
the case of Swiss manufacturing multinational firms

Patrick Ischer, Lamia Ben Hamida

Proceedings of the 3rd Workshop on Export Management Research

Link to the conference

Summary:

The desire to strengthen exports may encourage some companies to acquire subsidiaries abroad. In doing so, they become multinationals that can rely on the knowledge, distribution networks, etc. of sister firms to more easily overcome certain barriers, whether legal, economic or cultural. On the basis of this observation, the objective of this paper is threefold. Firstly, it aims to understand, from a diachronic perspective, how the process of anchoring Swiss manufacturing companies abroad is proceeding. Secondly, it tends to capture, as accurately as possible, the different modes and strategies of exports that these multinationals deploy to export to international markets in a sustainable way. The aim is therefore to identify the channels that these companies use to strengthen their exports, taking into account in particular the area in which they are active, but also to assess the investments they need to absorb export knowledge. Thirdly, our paper questions to what extent the way these multinationals operate can be imitated by SMEs.

2019

Comment favoriser l’employabilité des futurs professionnels par le développement de compétences transversales et interculturelles ? Le point de vue des étudiants et des employeurs
Conference

Ischer Patrick, Ben Hamida Lamia

Congress of the Swiss Sociological Association - Futur du Travail, 10.09.2019 - 12.09.2019, Neuchâtel

Apprentissage et absorption des connaissances relatives à l’exportation. Le cas des PME suisses actives dans le secteur manufacturier
Conference

Ischer Patrick, Ben Hamida Lamia

9ème Conférence ATLAS AFMI - Le national face au global: nouvelles perspectives pour le Management international, 17.06.2019 - 19.06.2019, Fribourg

Link to the conference

Do firms learn to export? :
Conference ArODES
evidence from Switzerland

Lamia Ben Hamida, Patrick Ischer

Proceedings of Interactive research development workshop and conference - Internationalization of SMEs in the digital age : opportunities and threats

Link to the conference

2018

Are there export spillovers in manufacturing industry?
Conference ArODES
evidence from Switzerland

Patrick Ischer, Lamia Ben Hamida

Proceedings of the Nordic International Business and Export Marketing Conference 2018 (NIB&EM Conference 2018)

Link to the conference

Summary:

Apart from foreign direct investment (FDI), multinationals’ (MNCs) export activities are also a valuable source of knowledge for domestic firms (in the home and the host countries). The aim of this project is to focus in detail on the role of MNCs’ export activities in improving the export performance of domestic firms1 through export spillovers. Positive and significant spillover effects emerge as domestic firms’ learning activities succeed in increasing their export propensity and /or intensity. In particular, our project tests whether export activities of both Swiss and foreign MNCs located in Switzerland may benefit the Swiss economy when the export specific knowledge that are experienced on foreign markets may spill over to domestic firms, raising their export performance. To the best of our knowledge, this study will be the first to explore the Swiss case. In contrast to the existing literature, the diverse factors assessing the size and the extent of export spillovers will be determined in detail and a complete theoretical picture of these effects will be elaborated, so as to exactly identify the potential benefit for domestic firms. Our hypotheses will be tested against the empirical evidence for the Swiss economy using interviews and regression analyses. Based on a firm data set for manufacturing, we first study the management practices of local and foreign manufacturing exporters as well as domestic learning process related to these export activities. Second, we evaluate the beneficial return of Swiss and foreign MNCs’ export activities for domestic firms in terms of spillovers. Third, we examine how our contribution to the body of knowledge on export spillovers will help managers in manufacturing as well as policy-makers leveraging the potential spillover benefits of MNCs’ export activities. This today is particularly interesting because exports in Switzerland continue to have some difficulties and policy makers need to have some new insights on how promoting these activities since Swiss economy relies largely on exports. (Domestic firms used in this project refer to exporting and non-exporting firms that are not investing in FDI.)

Le développement des compétences interculturelles et transversales en vue de favoriser l'employabilité :
Conference ArODES
le rôle de la mobilité internationale dans l'enseignement supérieur

Patrick Ischer, Sophie Wodociag, Lamia Ben Hamida

Actes de la 8ème Conférence Atlas AFMI

Link to the conference

Summary:

Cette contribution a pour objectif d’identifier les compétences transversales et interculturelles que des étudiants en gestion, santé et ingénierie d’une institution de formation supérieure suisse romande développent dans le cadre de leur expérience de mobilité internationale et d’examiner dans quelle mesure ces compétences particulières favorisent l’insertion sur le marché du travail. S’appuyant sur des méthodes mixtes (qualitatives et quantitatives), l’étude exploratoire exposée démontre que si le séjour à l’étranger demeure un moyen efficace pour affermir d’autres compétences que celles purement techniques ou académiques, sa valorisation au moment de la recherche d’un emploi mériterait d’être davantage soutenue.

2017

Reverse knowledge transfer in multinational companies :
Conference ArODES
evidence from Swiss manufacturing industry

Lamia Ben Hamida

Actes du 4ème Colloque International en Economie, Finance, Comptabilité et Transparence (EFCT 2017)

Link to the conference

Summary:

This study demonstrates how reverse knowledge transfer (RKT) explains inter-firm variations in productivity performance of multinational companies (MNCs) investing in foreign R&D. More specifically, it investigates the factors that influence the extent to which knowledge transfer from foreign units to parent companies (RKT) enhances the productivity performance of the MNC at home. Based on interviews and regression analyses using detailed firm data from Swiss manufacturing, we found evidence that (a) well integrated foreign units in the whole company through close management cooperation with their parent companies contribute in enhancing RKT process. (b) The effect of RKT is higher when parent companies have high technological capacities.

2015

Southern MNCs in Europe and regional productivity spillovers in services/construction industry :
Conference ArODES
evidence from Switzerland

Lamia Ben Hamida

Proceedings of Reading-UNCTAD International Business Conference 2015

Link to the conference

Summary:

As more developing and transition market firms (southern MNCs) are engaged in outward FDI in European advanced economies, a fundamentally important question has to be addressed: whether this investment leads to positive pr oductivity effects for host economies. Our paper addresses this issue by examining whether there are signs of regional spillovers from the entry and the presence of southern MNCs in the service/construction industry. We highlight that regional spillovers from southern MNCs are c o - determined by local and foreign character istics, namely, FDI motivation and technological capac ity of the local host country firms . Possible interaction effects between local technological capacity and FDI motivation would also influence the size and the extent of regional spillovers from southern MNCs. Using firms - level data from Switzerland, we found that knowledge - exploiting FDI (KE FDI) and knowledge - seeking FDI (KS FDI) have different amounts of spillovers. In addition, h uman capital development in l ocal firms appears to be essential in gain ing large regional spillovers. It allows for positive regional spillovers for high technology firms when southern MNCs are assigned KE mandate and for low technology firms when southern MNCs invest in KS FDI.

Knowledge Transfer in Multinational Companies :
Conference ArODES
Does Cultural Dimension Matter ?

Lamia Ben Hamida

Proceedings of Panel: "Why do we need intercultural competence in a multicultural society like Switzerland?”

Link to the conference

2014

Are there productivity spillovers from southern MNCs in Europe :
Conference ArODES
evidence from Swiss service/construction industry ?

Lamia Ben Hamida, Racha Khairallah

Proceedings European International Business Academy (EIBA) Conference 2014

Link to the conference

Summary:

Although MNCs from developing and transition countries (called hereafter southern MNCs) are increasingly investing in European advan ced economies, we have an incomplete and inconsistent understanding of wh ether, and under what conditions, this investment may benefit the local economy. Our paper addresses this issue by examining whether Swiss local firms may benefit from the entry and the presence of southern MNCs in services construction industry. Relying on spillover literature, we argue that an alyzing spillovers from southern MNCs needs to distinguish these effects according to the ways they occur as well as the technological characteristics of local knowle dge receivers. We show that local firms need to upgrade their human capital to take benefit from the entry and presence of southern MN Cs in their industry; otherwise the presence of southern MNCs reduces the productivity of local services construction firms in Switzerland. No benefit is found from competition effects. Moreover, interactions between different technological capacities of local firms and the ways they benefit from spillovers from southern MNCs provide differences in spillover results.

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