E-commerce and export promotion policies for small- and medium-sized enterprises: East Asian and Latin American experiences

Includes bibliography

Promoting corporate social responsibility in small and medium enterprises in the Caribbean: survey results

Includes bibliography

Policies for small and medium-sized enterprises in Chile

Includes bibliography

New product development in brazilian technology-based small and medium enterprises

This article examines new product development (NPD) in small and medium-sized Brazilian enterprises (SMEs) in two technology-based industries: medical devices and process control automation devices. A conceptual model that categorizes factors that contribute to the success of a new product was established. The data were collected from a sample of 62 Brazilian SMEs. The conceptual model was tested to examine the relationships between NPD practices and new product success. Data analysis reveals that new product success in medical device companies is related to organizational characteristics such as NPD proficiency and marketing skills; while in process control automation device companies, they deal in a large degree with product differentiation, innovation and capability to analyze the targeted market. Due to the relatively small sample size, caution should be exercised when interpreting the results.

Birth, Survival and Growth of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Poland: 1990-1994

This research is based on a unique and extensive database which tracks the employment, payroll and sales of individual Polish firms for the period 1990 to 1995. This allowed the authors to calculate the birth, survival and growth rates for different categories of enterprises (state-owned, cooperative, private, foreign-owned and privatised after 1990) and regions. These data match data collected in the United States, making it possible to compare the Polish situation with that of the state of Michigan. Analysis of the data and lessons from the Poland-Michigan comparisons provide a solid basis for the formulation of new policy recommendations for Poland. Allowing for certain important differences, Poland would still seem to need a higher rate of births of new companies. New small private companies and companies with foreign capital can be seen as the main source of job creation and economic revitalisation. To strengthen positive trends in the economy, Poland should create a model of institutional support for both potential entrepreneurs and foreign investors.

Creating innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises:evaluating the short-term effects of the creative credits pilot

This working paper looks at the short-term impact of the Creative Credits pilot scheme which operated in the Manchester City Region in the North West of England from September 2009 to September 2010, and was funded by NESTA, Manchester City Council, the North West Development Agency, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Creative Credits is a business-to-business (B2B) voucher mechanism designed to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to work innovatively with creative companies. Businesses receive credits worth £4,000, which they must match with at least £1,000, to spend with creative firms on a variety of creative services.

Internationalization of small and medium sized UK manufacturing enterprises:technology and knowledge transfer perspective

This dissertation examines internationalisation of small and medium sized enterprises. There has been a journey to achieve this. The research has started as an action research as Teaching Company Scheme Associate. This has been done in two research cycles, which investigated factors for successful internationalisation of a small and medium sized UK manufacturing enterprise. This has revealed that successful internationalisation requires good technology and knowledge transfer to the new operations. The action research is followed by a survey that has been conducted within UK manufacturing companies. The data collected was analysed under three models: entry mode selection, role of factory and level of internationalisation. The first two models explain two major aspects of internationalisation decision. The last is showing what makes successful internationalising small and medium sized companies. These models provided several important results. The small and medium sized enterprise internationalisation is harder to achieve because most of these organisations do not have experience in technology and knowledge transfer. The success of internationalisation depends on the success of the transfer. This is achieved through employee ownership of the new knowledge. There are many factors affecting this result such as the network relationships such as trust, control and commitment and cognitive distance between two organisations. The last is a product of the difference between prior knowledge and the required level of knowledge. The entry mode and role of factory are decided through these factors while the level of internationalisation can only be explained by absorptive capacity of the recipient organisation and the technology transfer ability of the host organisation.

Technology adoption in small and medium-sized logistics providers

Purpose - The main aim of the research is to shed light on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the logistics innovation process of small and medium-sized third party logistics providers (3PLs). Design/methodology/approach - A triangulated research strategy was designed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The former involved the use of a questionnaire survey of small and medium-sized Italian 3PLs with 153 usable responses received. The latter comprised a series of focus groups and the use of seven case studies. Findings - There is a relatively low level of ICT expenditure with few companies adopting formal technology investment strategies. The findings highlight the strategic importance of supply chain integration for 3PLs with companies that have embarked on an expansion of their service portfolios showing a higher level of both ICT usage and information integration. Lack of technology skills in the workforce is a major constraint on ICT adoption. Given the proliferation of logistics-related ICT tools and applications in recent years it has been difficult for small and medium-sized 3PLs to select appropriate applications. Research limitations/implications - The paper provides practical guidelines to researchers in the effective use of mixed-methods research based on the concept of methodological triangulation. In particular, it shows how questionnaire surveys, focus groups and case study analysis can be used in combination to provide insights into multi-faceted supply chain phenomena. It also identifies several potentially fruitful avenues for future research in this specific field. Practical implications - The paper's findings provide useful guidance for practitioners on the effective adoption of ICT as part of the logistics innovation process. The findings also provide support for ICT vendors in the design of ICT solutions that are aligned to the needs of small 3PLs. Originality/value - There is currently a paucity of research into the drivers and inhibitors of ICT in the innovation processes of small and medium-sized 3PLs. This paper fills this gap by exploring the issue using a range of complementary research approaches. Copyright © 2013 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Kis- és középvállalatok innovációs tevékenysége a válság idején – hálózatok szerepe (Innovation of small and medium-sized enterprises in times of crises – The role of networks)

A hálózati megközelítés alapján a vállalatok nem izoláltan működő szervezetek. A kis- és középvállalkozások számára a hálózatok, a partnerkapcsolatok jelentős támogatást képesek biztosítani a növekedés, a tanulás és az innovációs tevékenység során. A szerző a hálózati, partneri kapcsolatok szerepét a válság idején vizsgálta, kvalitatív kutatás keretében. A tanulmány fontos megállapítása, hogy nem kizárólag a hálózatban rejlő lehetőségek, hanem a korábban biztos partneri kapcsolatok megszűnése is indukálhat innovációt a válság idején, valamint a biztonság, a tartalék-erőforrások megléte esetén lassabb a piaci reagálás, kevésbé kerül előtérbe a változás, s főként az innovációs tevékenység ______ Based on the network perspective companies are not isolated organizations. Networks and partnerships mean a significant support for SMEs in growth, learning and innovation. The author examines the role of networks and partnerships during the crisis, in a qualitative research. An important result of the paper is that not only the opportunities in networks but also the decomposition of prior secure relationships can induce innovation during the crisis. Moreover in case of safety and slack resources the reaction is slower, change and innovation come to the front less.

"Lájkolom őket, de ennék is náluk?" – Aktivitásra buzdító kis- és középvállalati közösségimédia-tevékenységek fogyasztói fogadtatása magyarországi vendéglátóhelyek példáján keresztül ("I like them, but would I eat at their place?" – Encouraging social media activities of small and medium-sized enterprises and their consumerreactions – the case of Hungarian catering establishments)

A vendéglátóipari egységek kommunikációjában fontos szerepe van a közösségi médiában való jelenlétnek. Hazánkban a leggyakrabban használt felület a Facebook, amely sok ilyen vállalkozás esetében kiemelt fontosságú, vagy akár az egyetlen reálisan elérhető marketingkommunikációs felület. Kutatásunkban azt vizsgáljuk, hogy a felhasználók hogyan érzékelik a feléjük továbbított üzleti célú információkat a közösségi felületen, illetve hogy a fogyasztókra milyen mértékű aktivitás jellemző kedvenc vendéglátóipari egységük oldalán. Ennek céljából szubjektív fogyasztói narratívákat (n=151) elemzünk a kvalitatív tartalomelemzés módszertanával. A válaszadókat arra kértük, hogy írjanak kedvenc vendéglátóhelyükkel való kapcsolatukról az online térben. A "belájkolt" vendéglátóipari egységek felületeinek fogyasztók által észlelt aktivitása segítheti a vállalkozásokat abban, hogy alaptevékenységük elemeinek kommunikálásával, vagy akár ettől teljesen eltérő közösségi stratégiát használva pozicionálják márkájukat. A márkák tudatos tartalommenedzselése hozzájárulhat továbbá a felhasználók virtuális térben való hatékonyabb eléréséhez és bevonásához. ____ Presence in social media is an important element in the communication of catering establishments. The most frequently used platform in Hungary – that is extraordinarily important, or even the only reasonably accessible marketing communications platform for many catering companies – is Facebook. In our research, we analyse how users perceive the business-purposed information forwarded to them on the social media platform, and how intensive are the consumers’ activities on their most preferred catering establishment's site. For this purpose we analyse subjective consumer narratives (N=151) with the methodology of qualitative content analysis. We asked the respondents to write about the relationship with their most preferred catering establishment in the online sphere. Perceived activity of the "liked" catering establishment's platform could help enterprises to position themselves by communicating their core activities, or by using a totally different social strategy. Moreover, conscious content management of brands could contribute to reach and to engage users in the virtual sphere more efficiently.

Waste Not, Want Not: Managing Perishables in Small and Medium Retail Enterprises

Purpose of this paper:
Recent literature indicates that around one third of perishable products finish as waste (Mena et al., 2014): 60% of this waste can be classified as avoidable (EC, 2010) suggesting logistics and operational inefficiencies along the supply chain. In developed countries perishable products are predominantly wasted in wholesale and retail (Gustavsson et al., 2011) due to customer demand uncertainty the errors and delays in the supply chain (Fernie and Sparks, 2014). While research on logistics of large retail supply chains is well documented, research on retail small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) capabilities to prevent and manage waste of perishable products is in its infancy (c.f. Ellegaard, 2008) and needs further exploration. In our study, we investigate the retail logistics practice of small food retailers, the factors that contribute to perishable products waste and the barriers and opportunities of SMEs in retail logistics to preserve product quality and participate in reverse logistics flows.

Design/methodology/approach:
As research on waste of perishable products for SMEs is scattered, we focus on identifying key variables that contribute to the creation of avoidable waste. Secondly we identify patterns of waste creation at the retail level and its possibilities for value added recovery. We use explorative case studies (Eisenhardt, 1989) and compare four SMEs and one large retailer that operate in a developed market. To get insights into specificities of SMEs that affect retail logistics practice, we select two types of food retailers: specialised (e.g. greengrocers and bakers) and general (e.g. convenience store that sells perishable products as a part of the assortment)

Findings:
Our preliminary findings indicate that there is a difference between large retailers and SME retailers in factors that contribute to the waste creation, as well as opportunities for value added recovery of products. While more factors appear to affect waste creation and management at large retailers, a small number of specific factors appears to affect SMEs. Similarly, large retailers utilise a range of practices to reduce risks of product perishability and short shelf life, manage demand, and manage reverse logistics practices. Retail SMEs on the other hand have limited options to address waste creation and value added recovery. However, our findings show that specialist SMEs could successfully minimize waste and even create possibilities for value added recovery of perishable products. Data indicates that business orientation of the SME, the buyersupplier relationship, and an extent of adoption of lean principles in retail coupled with SME resources, product specific regulations and support from local authorities for waste management or partnerships with other organizations determine extent of successful preservation of a product quality and value added recovery.

Value:
Our contribution to the SCM academic literature is threefold: first, we identify major factors that contribute to the generation waste of perishable products in retail environment; second, we identify possibilities for value added recovery for perishable products and third, we present opportunities and challenges for SME retailers to manage or participate in activities of value added recovery. Our findings contribute to theory by filling a gap in the literature that considers product quality preservation and value added recovery in the context of retail logistics and SMEs.

Research limitations/implications:
Our findings are limited to insights from five case studies of retail companies that operate within a developed market. To improve on generalisability, we intend to increase the number of cases and include data obtained from the suppliers and organizations involved in reverse logistics flows (e.g. local authorities, charities, etc.).

Practical implications:
With this paper, we contribute to the improvement of retail logistics and operations in SMEs which constitute over 99% of business activities in UK (Rhodes, 2015). Our findings will help retail managers and owners to better understand the possibilities for value added recovery, investigate a range of logistics and retail strategies suitable for the specificities of SME environment and, ultimately, improve their profitability and sustainability.

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.