Smart working and base technologies in corporate performance: New directions in emerging firms

This study analyzes the smart working (SW) relationships at large and medium-sized companies in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru in terms of base technologies (BT) and corporate performance (CP). A total of 431 surveys were collected from workers at different hierarchical levels, and data processing was done using the Structural Equations Model (SEM) and Multigroup Analysis. We found that SW and BT positively influence CP, with BT having the greater influence, and economic activity moderated these relationships. Consequently, we show that manufacturing companies use SW the most, while service companies tend towards BT. No significant differences were found in the multigroup analysis by type of industry. However, there was a positive association between CP and SW only for commercialization companies, which means that these are increasingly making inroads into using SW. This paper acknowledges the contributions of previous studies, and is the first to provide researchers, practitioners, and academics with empirical evidence on SW, BT, and CP. It also broadens the understanding of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies and their impact on the CP of companies in emerging economies.