Research Report on “New paradigms BMs for SMEs for entering, learning and upgrading in GVCs in the era of 4IR”

This deliverable will report on the various approaches in literature that define the point of entry for a value chain analysis, that is a concern with SMEs, which feed into a number of value chains, might require the research to focus on final markets, buyers and their buyers in a number of sectors, and on a variety of input providers. This deliverable will be also a literature review on research already undertaken and ongoing methodologies, methods and models for firms in upgrading in GVCs. It will be a summary of the relevant contributions from existing bodies of the literature and will identify the theoretical foundations for the research that will be carried out in this project. It will identify the level of novelty and relevance of the research described in this project, helping to clarify and refine the focus, research questions and hypotheses that will be addressed in the era of 4IR.