A Belief rule-based environmental responsibility assessment system for small and medium-sized enterprises

Various environmental management systems, standards and tools are being created to assist companies to become more environmental friendly. However, not all the enterprises have adopted environmental policies in the same scale and range. Additionally, there is no existing guide to help them determine their level of environmental responsibility and subsequently, provide support to enable them to move forward towards environmental responsibility excellence. This research proposes the use of a Belief Rule-Based approach to assess an enterprise’s level commitment to environmental issues. The Environmental Responsibility BRB assessment system has been developed for this research. Participating companies will have to complete a structured questionnaire. An automated analysis of their responses (using the Belief Rule-Based approach) will determine their environmental responsibility level. This is followed by a recommendation on how to progress to the next level. The recommended best practices will help promote understanding, increase awareness, and make the organization greener. BRB systems consist of two parts: Knowledge Base and Inference Engine. The knowledge base in this research is constructed after an in-depth literature review, critical analyses of existing environmental performance assessment models and primarily guided by the EU Draft Background Report on "Best Environmental Management Practice in the Telecommunications and ICT Services Sector". The reasoning algorithm of a selected Drools JBoss BRB inference engine is forward chaining, where an inference starts iteratively searching for a pattern-match of the input and if-then clause. However, the forward chaining mechanism is not equipped with uncertainty handling. Therefore, a decision is made to deploy an evidential reasoning and forward chaining with a hybrid knowledge representation inference scheme to accommodate imprecision, ambiguity and fuzzy types of uncertainties. It is believed that such a system generates well balanced, sensible and Green ICT readiness adapted results, to help enterprises focus on making improvements on more sustainable business operations.

Lessons from natural disasters, tsunami-affected Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises(SMEs) in Sri Lanka

The main objective of this paper is to identify some of the key issues encountered by tsunami-affected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the process of rehabilitation and re-establishment in Sri Lanka. The second objective is to assess how far these affected industries have received various benefits and supports from bodies such as government agencies, private sector firms, donors and NGOs to help them get back into business. The final objective is to recommend policies and strategies to develop the tsunami-affected SMEs in a self-sustaining manner and within a certain time period. The main database of firms for this research has been obtained from the Industrial Development Board, which conducted a survey covering 4,389 tsunami-affected micro- and SMEs. In addition to this, information from various state organizations and NGOs-based sources has been used. This paper identifies the main issues related to tsunami-affected SMEs ranging from basic infrastructure provision up to finance, marketing, machinery, technology, training, product identification and development and so forth. In fact, it is shown that there are no significant differences between issues faced by SMEs in general and tsunami-affected SMEs, apart of course from the effects of a sudden disaster (the tidal wave). Consequently, these issues can be generalized as issues relevant to SMEs in Sri Lanka as a whole. However, under the flood and rain of local and foreign assistance, there have been more pledges and promises than actual deliveries and, so, tsunami-affected SMEs have received comparatively little support and assistance in recovering and no records can be found as to where the colossal amount of foreign assistance received has actually gone. Finally, this paper recommends various types of business incubator centres and entrepreneurial enhancing skill programmes for the revamping of tsunami-affected SMEs in addition to the normal disaster risk management plan.

Determinants of Decentralization within the Firm: Some Empirical Evidence from Spanish Small and Medium- Sized Enterprise

This paper examines empirically the determinants of decentralization of decision- making in the firm for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that tend to be highly centralized. By decentralization of decisions we mean the delegation of decision rights from the owner or manager to the plant supervisor or even to floor workers. Our findings show that the allocation of authority to basic workers or a team of workers depends on firm characteristics such as firm size, the use of internal networks or the number of workplaces, and workers characteristics, in particular, the composition of the laborforce in terms of education and seniority and whether or not workers receive pay incentives. External factors such as the intensity of competition and the firm s export intensity are also important determinants of the allocation of authority.

Understanding absorptive capacity in Malaysian small and medium sized (SME) construction companies

Purpose – The construction industry is a very important part of the Malaysian economy. The government's aim is to make the industry more productive, efficient and safe. Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are at the core of the Malaysian construction industry and account for about 90 per cent of companies undertaking construction work. One of the main challenges faced by the Malaysian construction industry is the ability to absorb new knowledge and technology and to implement it in the construction phase. The purpose of this paper is to consider absorptive capacity in Malaysian construction SMEs in rural areas. Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted in three stages: first, understanding the Malaysian construction industry; second, a literature review on the issues related to absorptive capacity and discussions with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB); and third, multiple case studies in five construction SMEs operating in a rural area to validate the factors influencing absorptive capacity. Findings – Nine key factors were identified influencing absorptive capacity in Malaysian construction SMEs operating in rural areas. These factors involved: cost and affordability; availability and supply; demand; infrastructure; policies and regulations; labour readiness; workforce attitude and motivation; communication and sources of new knowledge and; culture. Originality/value – The key factors influencing absorptive capacity presented in this paper are based on validation from the case studies in five construction SMEs in Malaysia. The research focuses on how they operate in rural areas; however, the research results have wider application than just Malaysia. The key factors identified as influencing absorptive capacity can serve as a basis for considering knowledge absorption in the wider context by SMEs in other developing countries.

The importance of clusters for the development of small & medium enterprises

This thesis aims to open a theoretical discussion on the importance of cluster for the development of Small and Medium Enterprises. The methodology applied was based on bibliographical and qualitative research. The basic questions raised by this study can be summarized as follows: How the creation of a cluster will help in the development of the SME?. Consequently, the final objective of the work is to identify which are the characteristics that help into the success of a Small & Medium Enterprises inserted in a cluster. The answer to this question led the research to a better understanding of (i) the characterization of the Small & Medium Enterprises; (ii) the clusters theory; (iii) evidence for a developed (Italy) and a developing (Chile) country that support our proposition to verify. The main results confirm the relevance of the cluster for the development of the Small and Medium Enterprises because of the collective efficiency that generates, improving the funding conditions, the exporter capacity and diminishing the activities costs of the small companies that are part of the conglomerate.

Information technology for development of small and medium-sized exporters in Latin America and East Asia

Includes bibliography

Impacts of flood hazards on small and medium companies:strategies for property level protection and business continuity

Worldwide floods have become one of the costliest weather-related hazards, causing large-scale human, economic, and environmental damage during the recent past. Recent years have seen a large number of such flood events around the globe, with Europe and the United Kingdom being no exception. Currently, about one in six properties in England is at risk of flooding (EA, 2009), and the risk is expected to further increase in the future (Evans et al., 2004). Although public spending on community-level flood protection has increased and some properties are protected by such protection schemes, many properties at risk of flooding may still be left without adequate protection. As far as businesses are concerned, this has led to an increased need for implementing strategies for property-level flood protection and business continuity, in order to improve their capacity to survive a flood hazard. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute a significant portion of the UK business community. In the United Kingdom, more than 99% of private sector enterprises fall within the category of SMEs (BERR, 2008). They account for more than half of employment creation (59%) and turnover generation (52%) (BERR, 2008), and are thus considered the backbone of the UK economy. However, they are often affected disproportionately by natural hazards when compared with their larger counterparts (Tierney and Dahlhamer, 1996; Webb, Tierney, and Dahlhamer, 2000; Alesch et al., 2001) due to their increased vulnerability. Previous research reveals that small businesses are not adequately prepared to cope with the risk of natural hazards and to recover following such events (Tierney and Dahlhamer, 1996; Alesch et al., 2001; Yoshida and Deyle, 2005; Crichton, 2006; Dlugolecki, 2008). For instance, 90% of small businesses do not have adequate insurance coverage for their property (AXA Insurance UK, 2008) and only about 30% have a business continuity plan (Woodman, 2008). Not being adequately protected by community-level flood protection measures as well as property- and business-level protection measures threatens the survival of SMEs, especially those located in flood risk areas. This chapter discusses the potential effects of flood hazards on SMEs and the coping strategies that the SMEs can undertake to ensure the continuity of their business activities amid flood events. It contextualizes this discussion within a survey conducted under the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded research project entitled “Community Resilience to Extreme Weather — CREW”.

A beszerzés helye és szerepe a kis és középvállalatok gyakorlatában = The role of purchasing in small and medium sized companies

A tanulmány a szakirodalom azon egyre szélesedő részéhez járul hozzá, amely a kis és középvállalatok gyakorlatával, sajátosságaik vizsgálatával foglalkozik. Egy speciális aspektust emel ki, mely a hazai nagyvállalati működésben jelentős fejlődésen ment keresztül azzal, hogy a KKV-k beszerzési sajátosságainak megismerését célozza meg. Az áttekintő kép kialakításához a nemzetközi szakirodalomban elérhető empirikus eredményeket és a BCE-n folyó Versenyképesség Kutatás kérdőíves adatbázisának válaszait dolgozza fel. Olyan kérdéseket emel ki, mint a beszerzés szerepe a KKV-k működésében és az azt befolyásoló tényezők illetve a beszerzési gyakorlat sajátosságai. _________ Small and medium sized enterprises play an important role in every economy. This article aims to contribute to the growing number of literature focusing on SMEs management practice. It highlights a management field, which has gone through a significant development in large companies’ practice as it investigates the purchasing and supplier management related issues. The overview is based on a review of literature and the analysis of the survey database of Competitiveness Research of CUB. It highlights such topics as the role of purchasing in SMEs, factors influencing the perceived importance and the purchasing practice of SME-s.

Dynamic Approach and Testbed for Small and Medium Players Simulation in Smart Grid Environments

The Smart Grid environment allows the integration of resources of small and medium players through the use of Demand Response programs. Despite the clear advantages for the grid, the integration of consumers must be carefully done. This paper proposes a system which simulates small and medium players. The system is essential to produce tests and studies about the active participation of small and medium players in the Smart Grid environment. When comparing to similar systems, the advantages comprise the capability to deal with three types of loads – virtual, contextual and real. It can have several loads optimization modules and it can run in real time. The use of modules and the dynamic configuration of the player results in a system which can represent different players in an easy and independent way. This paper describes the system and all its capabilities.

Implementing quality management systems in small and medium construction companies: a contribution to a road map for success

Leadership and Management in Engineering, January 2009

Workers cooperation within the firm: an analysis using small and medium size firms

We investigate the determinants of teamwork and workers cooperation within the firm. Up to now the literature has almost exclusively focused on workers incentives as the main determinants for workers cooperation. We take a broader look at the firm's organizational design and analyze the impact that different aspects of it might have on cooperation. In particular, we consider the way in which the degree of decentralization of decisions and the use of complementary HRM practices (what we call the .rm.s vertical organizational design) can affect workers'collaboration with each other. We test the model's predictions on a unique dataset on Spanish small and medium size firms containing a rich set of variables that allows us to use sensible proxies for workers cooperation. We find that the decentralization of labor decisions (and to a less extent that of task planning) has a positive impact on workers cooperation. Likewise, cooperation is positively correlated to many of the HRM practices that seem to favor workers'interaction the most. We also confirm the previous finding that collaborative efforts respond positively to pay incentives, and particularly, to group or company incentives.

EULAR recommendations for the management of primary small and medium vessel vasculitis.

Objectives: To develop European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of small and medium vessel vasculitis. Methods: An expert group (consisting of 10 rheumatologists, 3 nephrologists, 2 immunologists, 2 internists representing 8 European countries and the USA, a clinical epidemiologist and a representative from a drug regulatory agency) identified 10 topics for a systematic literature search using a modified Delphi technique. In accordance with standardised EULAR operating procedures, recommendations were derived for the management of small and medium vessel vasculitis. In the absence of evidence, recommendations were formulated on the basis of a consensus opinion. Results: In all, 15 recommendations were made for the management of small and medium vessel vasculitis. The strength of recommendations was restricted by low quality of evidence and by EULAR standardised operating procedures. Conclusions: On the basis of evidence and expert consensus, recommendations have been made for the evaluation, investigation, treatment and monitoring of patients with small and medium vessel vasculitis for use in everyday clinical practice.

Business Process Modeling in Software Requirements Engineering for Small and Medium Software Projects

Vaatimusmäärittelyn tavoitteena on luoda halutun järjestelmän kokonaisen, yhtenäisen vaatimusluettelon vaatimusten määrittämiseksi käsitteellisellä tasolla. Liiketoimintaprosessien mallintaminen on varsin hyödyllinen vaatimusmäärittelyn varhaisissa vaiheissa. Tämä työ tutkii liiketoimintaprosessien mallintamista tietojärjestelmien kehittämistä varten. Nykyään on olemassa erilaisia liiketoimintaprosessien mallintamiseen tarkoitettuja tekniikoita. Tämä työ tarkastaa liiketoimintaprosessien mallintamisen periaatteet ja näkökohdat sekä eri mallinnustekniikoita. Uusi menetelmä, joka on suunniteltu erityisesti pienille ja keskisuurille ohjelmistoprojekteille, on kehitetty prosessinäkökohtien ja UML-kaavioiden perusteella.