Exploring the Co-Creation of Small and Medium Enterprises, and Service Providers Enabled by Digital Interactive Platforms for Internationalization: A Case Study in Malaysia
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The paper is a timely one and has a potential to provide important insights especially for SMEs’ for internationalization through Digital Interactive Platform utilization and co-creation with service providers. The authors studied on two businesses and three service providers in Malaysia after providing an elaborated land satisfying literature review. The paper concludes that the DIPs help SMEs wıth their internationalization. However, the paper has some weaknesses especially related to analysis, methodology, sampling, and generalizability of the results as mentioned and listened below. The authors are recommended to make some revision, especially on the paper as indicated below.
1. The title gives an impression that the results of this study are generalizable. However, the study only includes two companies and based on these two cases. The authors are advised to use a more appropriate and suitable title. Either emphasize two cases in the title or include more samples and measurements in the study. Only two cases without detailed quantified results and statistics creates some generalization and reliability related questions.
2. The main scope of the Journal is Sustainability. However, the paper does not contribute to Sustainability field. Authors should explain why this issue is important from the perspective of sustainability.
3. The concepts, definitions and examples of DIP applications should be provided in more detail in the study. What is the difference between basic ICT and the DIP? Specifically, how these three service providers use DIP should be explained clearly.
4. The literature on co-creation was explained well. However, how and in which degree co-creation was achieved for the cases covered in the study was not explained at all. Authors should show us that the internationalization occurred and it was due to the DIP utilization.
5. The authors indicated that this paper aimed to examine co-creation of services between service providers and SMEs from the DIP (digital interactive platforms) perspective and its effect on SMEs internationalization in developing countries. However, the paper mostly emphasize the financial supports from the service providers (mostly governmental institutions) to SMEs in two cases, rather than DIP details and DIP based co-creation. What is co-creation? If you get some financial support from some institutions does this mean co-creation? Or should it go further and include more functions than financing? The use of DIP was shortly mentioned wıthout any quantitative data or collected statistics. Authors need to explain the details of how the DIP was utilized for co-creation and contributed to the internationalization of SMEs in detailed.
6. The authors explained data collection method well, however did not describe which data comes from which source or sources. So, the authors are advised to explain the operationalization of how they used the data sources that indicated, (i.e. semi structured observation, research observation and documentation) .
7.More appropriate research method and tools would be used to investigate the research question. For example a questionnaire to measure DIP based collaboration level and internationalization level of SMEs by using relatively a large sample size. If authors prefer to use this qualitative method, they are recommended, at least, to compare these 2 firms with de others which do not use or utilize the DIP as much as these two businesses and have mostly similar characteristics with the current businesses. Internationalization success of these 2 SMEs may result from other factors, rather than DIP based co-creation, thus authors are recommended to use more samples with different DIP utilization levels.
Overall, the paper has some quality and may have potential to contribute to the theory and to practice. However, the current version of the paper has some serious issues with design, methodology, sampling, and analysis of data as suggested above. The authors must consider some revisions based on these suggestion to improve readability and contribution of the paper.
Author Response
Dear respected reviewer,
We express our gratitude for your valuable advice and comments.
We have included the suggestion in the manuscript. Please see the attachment.
Thank you.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
Please see attachment
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Dear respected reviewer,
We express our gratitude for your valuable advice and comments.
We have included the suggestion in the manuscript. Please see the attachment.
Thank you.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Thank you for the detailed revision.
Reviewer 2 Report
The authors have made all the necessary corrections
