IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unm/unumer/2018026.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Domestic quality certification and growth of Vietnamese MSMEs

Author

Listed:
  • Calza, Elisa

    (UNU-MERIT)

  • Goedhuys, Micheline

    (UNU-MERIT)

Abstract

Using two waves of the Mirco, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs) survey of Vietnamese manufacturing firms, this paper first explores what drives firms' decision to have a domestically recognized certificate, taking into account a rich number of factors related to the cost and expected benefits of certification as well as institutional factors. It further explores the presence of a positive and significant effect of domestic certificates on firm growth, these serving as signaling devices for desirable attributes under information asymmetry and thus leading to an increase in legitimacy and reputation. Evidence is indeed found for a signaling effect of certification, this being stronger for more recently adopted certificates, for advertising firms and for women entrepreneurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Calza, Elisa & Goedhuys, Micheline, 2018. "Domestic quality certification and growth of Vietnamese MSMEs," MERIT Working Papers 2018-026, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2018026
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/wppdf/2018/wp2018-026.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Keith E. Maskus & Tsunehiro Otsuki & John S. Wilson, 2013. "Do foreign product standards matter? Impacts on costs for developing country exporters," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(1), pages 37-57, March.
    2. James R. Tybout, 2000. "Manufacturing Firms in Developing Countries: How Well Do They Do, and Why?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(1), pages 11-44, March.
    3. Joseph A Clougherty & Michał Grajek, 2008. "The impact of ISO 9000 diffusion on trade and FDI: A new institutional analysis," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(4), pages 613-633, June.
    4. Micheline Goedhuys & Leo Sleuwaegen, 2010. "High-growth entrepreneurial firms in Africa: a quantile regression approach," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 31-51, January.
    5. Micheline Goedhuys & Pierre Mohnen, 2017. "Management Standard Certification and Firm productivity: Micro-evidence from Africa," Journal of African Development, African Finance and Economic Association (AFEA), vol. 19(1), pages 61-83.
    6. Jakob Edler & Paul Cunningham & Abdullah Gök & Philip Shapira (ed.), 2016. "Handbook of Innovation Policy Impact," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 16121.
    7. Francesco Quatraro & Marco Vivarelli, 2015. "Drivers of Entrepreneurship and Post-entry Performance of Newborn Firms in Developing Countries," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 30(2), pages 277-305.
    8. Alex Coad, 2009. "The Growth of Firms," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13424.
    9. Amanda Elam & Siri Terjesen, 2010. "Gendered Institutions and Cross-National Patterns of Business Creation for Men and Women," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 22(3), pages 331-348, July.
    10. Evans, David S, 1987. "The Relationship between Firm Growth, Size, and Age: Estimates for 100 Manufacturing Industries," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 567-581, June.
    11. Hansen, Henrik & Trifković, Neda, 2014. "Food Standards are Good – For Middle-Class Farmers," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 226-242.
    12. Mulu Gebreeyesus, 2015. "Firm adoption of international standards: evidence from the Ethiopian floriculture sector," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 46(S1), pages 139-155, November.
    13. Clougherty, Joseph A. & Grajek, Michał, 2014. "International standards and international trade: Empirical evidence from ISO 9000 diffusion," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 70-82.
    14. Sleuwaegen, Leo & Goedhuys, Micheline, 2002. "Growth of firms in developing countries, evidence from Cote d'Ivoire," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 117-135, June.
    15. Matthew Potoski & Aseem Prakash, 2009. "Information asymmetries as trade barriers: ISO 9000 increases international commerce," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(2), pages 221-238.
    16. Alberto Abadie & Guido W. Imbens, 2016. "Matching on the Estimated Propensity Score," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 84, pages 781-807, March.
    17. Sharma, Smriti & Tarp, Finn, 2018. "Does managerial personality matter? Evidence from firms in Vietnam," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 432-445.
    18. Christian Volpe Martincus & Sebastián Castresana & Tomás Castagnino, 2010. "ISO Standards: A Certificate to Expand Exports? Firm‐Level Evidence from Argentina," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(5), pages 896-912, November.
    19. Benedikte Bjerge & Nina Torm & Neda Trifkovic, 2016. "Gender matters: Private sector training in Vietnamese SMEs," WIDER Working Paper Series 149, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    20. Sharma, Smriti & Tarp, Finn, 2018. "Does managerial personality matter? Evidence from firms in Vietnam," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 432-445.
    21. Gallego, Juan Miguel & Gutiérrez, Luis H., 2017. "Quality Management System and Firm Performance in an Emerging Economy: The Case of Colombian Manufacturing Industries," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 8260, Inter-American Development Bank.
    22. Richard Ericson & Ariel Pakes, 1995. "Markov-Perfect Industry Dynamics: A Framework for Empirical Work," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(1), pages 53-82.
    23. Terlaak, Ann & King, Andrew A., 2006. "The effect of certification with the ISO 9000 Quality Management Standard: A signaling approach," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 579-602, August.
    24. Nichter, Simeon & Goldmark, Lara, 2009. "Small Firm Growth in Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(9), pages 1453-1464, September.
    25. Jovanovic, Boyan, 1982. "Selection and the Evolution of Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(3), pages 649-670, May.
    26. Vincenzo Verardi & Christophe Croux, 2009. "Robust regression in Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 9(3), pages 439-453, September.
    27. Jaffee, Steve & Masakure, Oliver, 2005. "Strategic use of private standards to enhance international competitiveness: Vegetable exports from Kenya and elsewhere," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 316-333, June.
    28. Trifković, Neda, 2017. "Spillover Effects of International Standards: Working Conditions in the Vietnamese SMEs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 79-101.
    29. Sartori, Anne E., 2003. "An Estimator for Some Binary-Outcome Selection Models Without Exclusion Restrictions," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(2), pages 111-138, April.
    30. Pakes, Ariel & Ericson, Richard, 1998. "Empirical Implications of Alternative Models of Firm Dynamics," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 1-45, March.
    31. Henson, Spencer & Masakure, Oliver & Cranfield, John, 2011. "Do Fresh Produce Exporters in Sub-Saharan Africa Benefit from GlobalGAP Certification?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 375-386, March.
    32. Pham, Tho & Talavera, Oleksandr, 2018. "Discrimination, Social Capital, and Financial Constraints: The Case of Viet Nam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 228-242.
    33. John Hudson & Philip Jones, 2003. "International trade in 'quality goods': signalling problems for developing countries," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(8), pages 999-1013.
    34. He, Wenlong & Liu, Chong & Lu, Jiangyong & Cao, Jing, 2015. "Impacts of ISO 14001 adoption on firm performance: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 43-56.
    35. Nguyen, Binh T. & Albrecht, James W. & Vroman, Susan B. & Westbrook, M. Daniel, 2007. "A quantile regression decomposition of urban-rural inequality in Vietnam," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 466-490, July.
    36. Maskus, Keith E. & Otsuki, Tsunehiro & Wilson, John S., 2005. "The cost of compliance with product standards for firms in developing countries: an econometric study," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3590, The World Bank.
    37. Nelson, Philip, 1974. "Advertising as Information," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(4), pages 729-754, July/Aug..
    38. Javorcik, Beata & Sawada, Naotaka, 2018. "The ISO 9000 certification: Little pain, big gain?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 103-114.
    39. Hudson, John & Orviska, Marta, 2013. "Firms’ adoption of international standards: One size fits all?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 289-306.
    40. World Bank, 2011. "Vietnam Country Gender Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 26745, The World Bank Group.
    41. David Roodman, 2009. "Mixed-process models with cmp," DC09 Stata Conference 11, Stata Users Group.
    42. David Audretsch & Alex Coad & Agustí Segarra, 2014. "Firm growth and innovation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 743-749, December.
    43. Oliver Masakure & Spencer Henson & John Cranfield, 2009. "Standards and export performance in developing countries: Evidence from Pakistan," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(3), pages 395-419.
    44. Doms, Mark & Dunne, Timothy & Roberts, Mark J., 1995. "The role of technology use in the survival and growth of manufacturing plants," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 523-542, December.
    45. Goedhuys, Micheline & Sleuwaegen, Leo, 2013. "The Impact of International Standards Certification on the Performance of Firms in Less Developed Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 87-101.
    46. Blind, Knut & Mangelsdorf, Axel & Pohlisch, Jakob, 2018. "The effects of cooperation in accreditation on international trade: Empirical evidence on ISO 9000 certifications," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 50-59.
    47. David Roodman, 2009. "Estimating Fully Observed Recursive Mixed-Process Models with cmp," Working Papers 168, Center for Global Development.
    48. Paula Kantor, 2005. "Determinants Of Women'S Microenterprise Success In Ahmedabad, India: Empowerment And Economics," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 63-83.
    49. Zoo, Hanah & de Vries, Henk J. & Lee, Heejin, 2017. "Interplay of innovation and standardization: Exploring the relevance in developing countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 334-348.
    50. Delmas, Magali A. & Montes-Sancho, Maria J., 2011. "An Institutional Perspective on the Diffusion of International Management System Standards: The Case of the Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(1), pages 103-132, January.
    51. Holleran, Erin & Bredahl, Maury E. & Zaibet, Lokman, 1999. "Private incentives for adopting food safety and quality assurance," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 669-683, December.
    52. Benedikte Bjerge & Nina Torm & Neda Trifković, 2016. "Gender matters: Private sector training in Vietnamese SMEs," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-149, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    53. Sascha O. Becker & Andrea Ichino, 2002. "Estimation of average treatment effects based on propensity scores," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 2(4), pages 358-377, November.
    54. Elisa Calza & Micheline Goedhuys & Neda Trifković, 2019. "Drivers of productivity in Vietnamese SMEs: the role of management standards and innovation," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 23-44, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Goedhuys, Micheline & Sleuwaegen, Leo, 2013. "The Impact of International Standards Certification on the Performance of Firms in Less Developed Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 87-101.
    2. Blind, Knut & Mangelsdorf, Axel & Pohlisch, Jakob, 2018. "The effects of cooperation in accreditation on international trade: Empirical evidence on ISO 9000 certifications," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 50-59.
    3. Trifković, Neda, 2017. "Spillover Effects of International Standards: Working Conditions in the Vietnamese SMEs," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 79-101.
    4. Wadho, Waqar & Goedhuys, Micheline & Chaudhry, Azam, 2019. "Young innovative companies and employment creation, evidence from the Pakistani textiles sector," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 139-152.
    5. Goedhuys, Micheline & Sleuwaegen, Leo, 2016. "International standards certification, institutional voids and exports from developing country firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(6), pages 1344-1355.
    6. Calza, Elisa & Goedhuys, Micheline, 2016. "Entrepreneurial heterogeneity and the design of entrepreneurship policies for economic growth and inclusive development," MERIT Working Papers 2016-043, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    7. Elisa Calza & Micheline Goedhuys & Neda Trifković, 2019. "Drivers of productivity in Vietnamese SMEs: the role of management standards and innovation," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 23-44, January.
    8. Elisa Calza & Micheline Goedhuys & Neda Trifković, 2019. "Drivers of productivity in Vietnamese SMEs: the role of management standards and innovation," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 23-44, January.
    9. Neda Trifković, 2016. "Private standards and labour productivity in the food sector in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-163, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    10. Neda Trifkovic, 2016. "Private standards and labour productivity in the food sector in Vietnam," WIDER Working Paper Series 163, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Neda Trifković, 2018. "Certification and business risk," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2018-80, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    12. Ullah, Barkat, 2020. "Signaling value of quality certification: Financing under asymmetric information," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    13. Neda Trifkovic, 2018. "Certification and business risk," WIDER Working Paper Series 80, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    14. Francesco Quatraro & Marco Vivarelli, 2015. "Drivers of Entrepreneurship and Post-entry Performance of Newborn Firms in Developing Countries," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 30(2), pages 277-305.
    15. John C. Beghin & Miet Maertens & Johan Swinnen, 2017. "Nontariff Measures and Standards in Trade and Global Value Chains," World Scientific Book Chapters,in: Nontariff Measures and International Trade, chapter 2, pages 13-38 World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    16. John C. Beghin & Miet Maertens & Johan Swinnen, 2017. "Nontariff Measures and Standards in Trade and Global Value Chains," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: John Christopher Beghin (ed.), Nontariff Measures and International Trade, chapter 2, pages 13-38, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    17. Ullah, Barkat & Wei, Zuobao & Zhu, Yicheng, 2023. "Can a signal mitigate a dilemma? Quality management standards, corruption, and business ethics," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 701-716.
    18. Hassan Arouri & Adel Ben Youssef & Francesco Quatraro & Marco Vivarelli, 2020. "Drivers of growth in Tunisia: young firms vs incumbents," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 323-340, January.
    19. Neda Trifkovic, 2024. "Certifiable management standards, labor productivity, and worker wages: Evidence from the food sector in Vietnam," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(1), pages 161-184, January.
    20. Clougherty, Joseph A. & Grajek, Michal & Shy, Oz, 2016. "Taking ‘Some’ of the Mimicry Out of the Adoption Process: Quality-Management and Strategic Substitution," CEPR Discussion Papers 11661, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Certification; Firm growth; Transaction costs; Signaling Emerging economies; Viet Nam;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2018026. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ad Notten (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/meritnl.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.