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Juell-Skielse, Gustaf. "ERP adoption in small and medium sized enterprises". Licentiate thesis, Stockholm, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-3982.
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Rauch, Andreas. "Success factors of small and medium sized enterprises". [Amsterdam] : Amsterdam : University of Amsterdam, Faculteit Maatschappij- en Gedragswetenschappen ; Universiteit van Amsterdam [Host], 2000. http://dare.uva.nl/document/57256.
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Ohlenschlager, Moritz. "Exit Strategies of German Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises". St. Gallen, 2008. http://www.biblio.unisg.ch/org/biblio/edoc.nsf/wwwDisplayIdentifier/03606399002/$FILE/03606399002.pdf.
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Mayanja, Jamiah. "Business ethics in Ugandan small and medium-sized enterprises". Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8521.
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SMEs have been acknowledged by governments globally as a prime source of economic growth and development. In Africa there has been a noticeable increase in the number of SME establishments. In Uganda, SMEs are the most popular business choice and play a major role in the national economy. Although SMEs significant economic contributions are generally acknowledged, being ethical and successful has become a challenge, as many SMEs in Uganda have not fully adopted and integrated ethics into their business strategies. Understanding the reasons for the increased unethical behaviour in SMEs is central to their continued business success. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the factors that influence ethical business conduct in Ugandan SMEs. From a comprehensive literature review, three main independent variables (staff-, business- and external environment factors) were identified as variables influencing ethical business conduct (dependent variable) of SMEs. A hypothetical model was developed to determine whether the independent variables have an influence on the dependent variable. Twelve hypotheses were formulated to test the relationships between three staff factors, five business factors, four external environment factors and ethical business conduct. The study sought the perceptions of SME owners or managers in the Kampala District and utilised the quantitative research paradigm. A survey was conducted with the aid of a structured self-administered questionnaire distributed by three fieldworkers. A combination of convenience and snowball sampling was utilised. The final sample comprised 384 respondents. The validity of the measuring instrument was ascertained by using exploratory factor analysis. The Cronbach‟s alpha values for reliability were calculated for each of the factors identified during the exploratory factor analysis. A total of ten valid and reliable factors were retained. Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to test the correlation and statistical significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent and dependent variables. One statistically significant relationship was found between the staff factors (employee attitude) and ethical business conduct. Two statistically significant relationships were found between the business factors (knowledge acquisition and management practices) and ethical business conduct. Three statistically significant relationships were found between the external environment factors (legal requirements, industry norm and media power) and ethical business conduct. External environmental factors seem to have a greater influence on SME ethical business conduct in Uganda. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to identify if significant relationships exist between the eight demographic variables and seven reliable and valid independent variables. Furthermore, post-hoc Scheffé tests identified where the significant differences occurred between the different categories. Cohen‟s d-values were calculated in order to assess the practical significance of the mean scores. A total of twelve practical significant relationships were identified. SME owners or managers should consider employing staff with the right attitude to uphold sound ethical business values. They should implement ethical management practices to promote ethical business conduct amongst employees and ensure that employees are made aware of what is regarded as acceptable ethical business behaviour. SME owners or managers should adhere to legal requirements and industry norms to be known as businesses exhibiting ethical behaviour and utilise media to instil and guide ethical values in employees. Lastly, they must pay attention to the role that demographical variables such as: gender, level of education, current employment status, number of years in business and number of employees, play in behaving ethically in business.
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McElroy, Rachelle, Itzel Orozco i Renee Simard. "Applying Strategic Sustainability : For Small and Medium Sized Enterprises". Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Avdelningen för maskinteknik, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-3015.
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Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are an underutilised sector to disseminating sustainability within communities. Entrepreneurs are action-oriented individuals who enjoy challenges and act upon environmental feedback, making them ideal change agents. However, there is a lack of tools specifically targeted towards SMEs to help them act strategically towards sustainability. In order to support entrepreneurs and motivate them into becoming catalysts for change towards sustainability the research team identified the need to provide them with a customized tool. The tool will be focused towards entrepreneurs interested in starting up new businesses with a core strategy of sustainable development. If the entrepreneur is able to apply sustainability at the beginning of their business venture, it reduces the need for later corrections. The research examines what is needed in a tool to support entrepreneurs and how to encourage them through the conception of adopting sustainable strategies.Renee Simard #1066 Amphion St., Victoria, BC V8S 4G3 Rachelle McElroy 637 Cowper St. Victoria, BC V9A 2E8 Itzel Orozco 1138 E 22nd Ave Eugene OR 97403 United States
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Ghanatabadi, Firouzeh. "Internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises in Iran /". Luleå, 2005. http://epubl.luth.se/1402-1544/2005/01.
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Dabo, Danjuma A. "Financing of small and medium sized enterprises in Nigeria". Thesis, Loughborough University, 2006. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/7838.
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The objective of this study is to assess factors which affect the performance of SMEs in Nigeria. The literature shows that economic development, growth and poverty alleviation are vitally linked with reliable and sustainable operations of SMEs. This is particularly relevant to Nigeria which seeks to diversify its real sector by reducing over-dependence on the volatile oil sector. In recognition of these problems the Nigerian government set up the Small and Medium Industries Equity Investment Scheme (SMIEIS) for SMEs. Nonetheless, as it is the case in many developing countries, SMEs are faced with poor access to financial resources, and little research seems to have focused on factors affecting the performance of SMEs in Sub-Saharan African economies including Nigeria. The study is primarily based on an extensive mail survey of 502 SMEs in Nigeria's two regions and three main sectors (manufacturing, business services, and trade sectors). Accordingly, a broad range of testable hypotheses have been formulated which tend to capture peculiarities in the Nigerian economy using correlation and logistic regression analysis. Access to finance, difficulties encountered, financing decisions and desire for Islamic finance turned out to be the major factors affecting regional and sectoral performance of SMEs. The study reveals some significant differences in the regional performance of SMEs. Most important amongst these differences are: ease of `access to finance', `difficulties encountered' in the process, decisions about `accepting or rejecting' bank financing, and the regional appeal of `Islamic finance' with its different financing modes. It also reveals significant difficulties in obtaining external finance by the entire survey respondents. The study concludes that characteristics internal to the SMEs (like Firm age and size, location and legal form) and their owner-managers characteristics (like education, experience and age) seem to determine the demand for and use of external financing. It recommends policy makers and SME stakeholders to review the existing SMIEIS policies which unduly exclude most SMEs from having access to such finance.
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Panayiotou, Panayiotis. "Automated visual inspection in small and medium sized enterprises". Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.339935.
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Smith, Mark T. "Eco-design innovation in small and medium sized enterprises". Thesis, Open University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.341364.
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Майборода, Тетяна Миколаївна, Татьяна Николаевна Майборода, Tetiana Mykolaivna Maiboroda i L. Bashir. "Role of small and medium-sized enterprises in Tanzania". Thesis, Сумський державний університет, 2015. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/43705.
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs; sometimes also small and medium enterprises) are enterprises whose personnel numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used in the European Union and by international organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
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Tu, Ciwen. "The internationalisation process of small and medium sized enterprises". Thesis, University of Manchester, 2003. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.669157.
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Chijioke, Matthias Ikenna. "Strategies to Sustain Small-and-Medium Sized Business Enterprises". ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3146.
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Eighty-five percent of all firms operating in Nigeria are small-and medium-sized business enterprises (SMEs) and contribute almost 55% to the gross domestic product (GDP) in Nigeria. Capital flight and other growth inhibitors pose threats to the sustainability of SMEs in Nigeria. This exploratory multiple-case study was to determine strategies SME leaders use to sustain business operations in Nigeria. The study participants consisted of 15 SME leaders from 3 regional manufacturing firms who had successfully implemented strategies to sustain SMEs in Nigeria. Bertalanffy's general systems theory and Freeman's stakeholder theory were the conceptual frameworks used in the research. The data collection processes included semistructured interviews and reviewing company documents. After analyzing the interview data and validating through member checking, 5 core themes emerged during the data analysis process: creating new markets, encouraging opportunity for sustainable growth, securing additional funding sources, employee participation in decision making, and gaining competitive advantages. The findings may promote social change among the business community leaders by identifying essential characteristics to improve the posterity of SMEs in Nigeria.
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Keen, Henon Christian. "The internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises from Argentina". Thesis, McGill University, 2010. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:8881/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=92263.
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Ozalp, Dizem. "Small And Medium-sized Enterprises And Banking Sector In Turkey". Master's thesis, METU, 2006. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12607995/index.pdf.
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This study has the objective of arguing the fact that the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise
(SME) lending is developing, relevant to the evolution of the business environment and banking
sector, during the period between 2001 –
2006 years. The thesis is testing this claim on two data sets. First
the financial data of CBRT during the period of 2001 - 2006 is evaluated. Then, the SME data of a Bank is evaluated. The thesis also covers the arguments on SME definition, the literature survey for SME development policies, SME lending infrastructure, the banking sector, as the main source of finance for SME, and the SME profile of Turkey. The thesis concludes on two things: The share of SMEs in the total credit volume is rising during the period between 2001 &
#8211
2006 years. And the share of medium-term credits is rising, while the short-term credits&
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is decreasing. In addition to these, the study criticizes the recent SME definition of KOSGEB.
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Thibault, Marc. "Factors influencing sales performance in small and medium-sized enterprises". Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ61953.pdf.
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Hudson, Melanie. "Introducing integrated performance measurement into small and medium sized enterprises". Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/400.
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The thesis extends current knowledge and understanding of integrated performance measurement (PM) development into the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The research builds on existing knowledge of integrated PM development approaches and identifies the context-specific factors which affect its introduction into SMEs. These are used to design, develop and validate a new, continuous improvement based approach for the development of integrated PM systems, which is specifically designed for use in SMEs. First, a conceptual model of criteria for integrated PM development is synthesised from the literature and the characteristics of SMEs are established. An evaluation of current approaches for the development of integrated PM is undertaken and an approach which conforms to the conceptual model is selected for an empirical study in a SME. Along with a set of interviews examining the state of PM in SMEs, this study identifies several factors which affect integrated PM introduction in this environment. These factors enhance the conceptual model and indicate the need for a more effective development approach for SMEs. Design theory is used to inform and structure the design of the new approach, which is developed and refined for practical use through a SME case study. Two further cases are carried out to validate the new approach, in which cross-case comparisons are made. The results indicate the validity of both the new approach and the enhanced conceptual model. The formulation of an enhanced conceptual model of integrated PM development, detailing the context specific criteria for effective in use in SMEs, together with the validation of a new, continuous improvement based, approach for integrated PM system development in SMEs that conforms to the conceptual model, represents a significant contribution to both theory and practice from this research.
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Newlands, David J. "Developing supply chain methodologies for small to medium sized enterprises". Thesis, Coventry University, 2001. http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/21c6a124-706a-d58b-a106-7e6db420b4c7/1.
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This thesis summarises research focused on the requisites required to implement improvement initiatives successfully. Processes used to enhance supply chain performance initiatives are examined. The core hypothesis is that a preconditioning programme provides support for progressive organisations, irrespective of size or position in the supply chain. An interpretation matrix developed as a result of action research with M E Ltd was tested with NP Ltd and its suppliers. During search conferences the matrix was found to add value by serving as a common platform to record then compare observations and agree a common understanding between participants. Based on qualitative descriptions of training and learning in organisations from the 1950s to the 1970s, Barrington's model has three levels: 'systematic approach' predominating in the 1950s, 'appraisal approach' developed extensively in the 1960s and an 'attitude to continuous improvement' that was promoted after the 1970s fuel crises. This model was used as the basis for selecting collaborating establishments. The literature review concludes that conventional supplier development has the attributes of the systematic approach, which is considered the least effective level. M E Ltd was considering introducing appraisal, had few attributes of the systematic approach, and had an attitude for continuous improvement. A company specific survey was undertaken that led to a series of remedial actions which were identified as a preconditioning programme prior to supplier development. NP Ltd selected leaders by attitude, had institutionalised appraisals and once the core group was established, trained employees with systematic techniques. AAP Ltd had the attitude and systematic techniques, yet did not have appraisal systems. Principal conclusions of this are: · These case studies suggest companies can have any two of Barrington's levels. As a result, an alternate depiction of Barrington’s model is suggested. · The cases indicate that preconditioning can occur within a company, from customer to suppliers and from suppliers to customer. · The cases suggest product development roadmap stability as a root cause for negative effects to the relationship between customer and supplier.
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Håkansson, Anders. "Industrial design : rapid tooling for small and medium sized enterprises". Licentiate thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Innovation och Design, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-25650.
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This licentiate thesis combines three different topics, the small business environment, industrial design and rapid tooling. Smaller companies often suffer from lack of resources in many ways and since most theoretical product development methods are formulated for larger companies, this is a problem. The possibility to design and give their products the desired form is therefore difficult. Rapid tooling is a new way of producing forming tools that cut the cost and lead time compared to conventional tooling methods. The aim of this thesis is to investigate and clarify if Rapid tooling is a solution to the problem of using forming tools in smaller companies. These tools can be used both as early prototype tools to verify a design and make a basis for decision of acquiring conventional tools for long production series, and as production tools for shorter production series. Paper A explains the initial problem formulation and the combining of the three topics. Also a small case study is included to help clarifying the aim to find a way for smaller companies to use forming tools that are adapted to their specific situation. Paper B focuses on the implementation of Rapid Tooling methods in smaller companies and whether to make the tools in-house with an own RT-machine, or buy the service externally from a service provider. Paper C deals with the question of how to choose the right RT-method for your specific situation. Each RT-method has its own advantages as well as disadvantages and are more suited for certain types of applications. It is therefore important to choose the right RT-method that is best for your product and what kind of tool you need. The thesis is concluded with plans for further research.Godkänd; 2003; 20070218 (ysko)
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Udeh, Jennifer. "New product development within small-medium sized enterprises : innovation report". Thesis, University of Warwick, 2012. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/56906/.
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Innovation is of increasing importance for raising the productivity, competitiveness and growth potential of modern economies (BIS 2010). New products are a form of innovation and New Product Development (NPD) is the term used to describe the innovation process of commercialising a new product idea. Due to the nature of innovation small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) produce, typically ‘novel’ new-to-the world offerings that provide the highest potential contribution to the economy and businesses themselves, there is an increasing emphasis on NPD within SMEs. Despite this, there is a gap between existing knowledge of the requirements of success and their application in practice. Furthermore, there is increasing recognition within the literature that the process of innovation requires on-going maintenance, disciplined audit and renewal (Leonard-Barton 1995). SMEs in particular are finding the implementation of NPD success factors challenging(Humphreys, McAdam et al. 2005; Owens 2007) and there are limited in-depth studies on how this is achieved in practice. The research provides an understanding of the challenges SMEs face in adopting NPD success factors and develops an approach to overcome these challenges and support sustained success. The research consists of two cycles of action research involving active engagement within two independent SME contexts. The first cycle provided practical insights into challenges including factors relating to: people, process, politics and technology within SMEs. As a result the research focus was refined to consider learning as a mechanism to support the implementation and the renewal of successful NPD practices. A new model is developed, namely Logical Learning, which facilitates the development of: knowledge, skills and attitude within SMEs, for this purpose. The second cycle of action research developed a unique NPD programme that implemented the Logical Learning model within SMEs. Moreover, a comprehensive and rigorous framework for learning evaluation is developed and formally validated the significance of the model. Evidence has been generated that links the application of the model to learning within SMEs, learning to changes in behaviour and NPD practices, and changes in behaviour to organisation results. Logical Learning was initially applied through a regional programme in the West Midlands, UK, which supported innovation within SMEs. Following success over an 18 month period, the programme competed for and won a national contract to continue to deliver this support. Therefore a nationwide roll-out is currently planned. The implementation of the model has impacted on the commercial success of SMEs, so far resulting in 8 new product introductions to market. These product innovations have generated actual sales of between £50,000 and £14 million within individual SMEs for the period 2011-2012, with businesses forecasting significant increases of over 400% in the year ahead. Collectively these SMEs have generated 93 additional jobs within the West Midlands, which contribute to economic development within the UK. Additionally the SMEs have developed NPD capabilities including the implementation of more formalised approaches and effective resource management. Moreover, these SMEs report further business development achievements including establishing partnerships with marketleading organisations, international distribution agreements and further private investment to support business growth. The research proves how learning is at the heart of these achievements and provides a new perspective on how it is facilitated, to successfully improve: knowledge, skills and attitudes and ensure SMEs are better equipped to sustain NPD success.
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Hervé, Annaële. "lnternationalization and Digitalization of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises". Thesis, Université de Lorraine, 2021. http://www.theses.fr/2021LORR0011.
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L'avènement des technologies numériques a radicalement transformé les entreprises et les sociétés. Ces transformations sont particulièrement disruptives au regard de la nouvelle réalité du commerce international "connecté". Cependant, les théories traditionnelles sur l'internationalisation des entreprises ne traitent pas spécifiquement des effets omniprésents des technologies numériques. L'objectif de la thèse sur articles est d'étudier l'internationalisation et la numérisation des entreprises et contribuer aux connaissances sur la réalisation d'activités internationales entrepreneuriales et compétitives dans un contexte numérique. Le projet de recherche suggère de relier les dimensions d'intérêt par les comportements entrepreneuriaux des entreprises et des individus et développe un processus conceptuel global qui démontre comment les technologies numériques impactent les comportements entrepreneuriaux et comment façonner de nouvelles opportunités pour améliorer l’intensité d'internationalisationIn recent years, the advent of digital technologies has radically transformed the business world and societies paradigms. The current transformations are particularly disruptive with regard to the new reality of digital connected global trade. However, traditional theories and models on internationalization of firms do not specifically address the pervasive effects of digital technologies. The purpose of the paper-based dissertation is to study the internationalization and digitalization of firms and to contribute to the knowledge on achieving entrepreneurial and competitive international activities in a digital context. By investigating entrepreneurial behaviors of firms and individuals, the research project suggests to link the dimensions of interest through an overall conceptual process that demonstrates how the use of digital technologies impact entrepreneurial behaviors and how this might shape new opportunities to enhance the propensity for internationalization
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Fletcher, Margaret. "Internationalising small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) a learning approach". Thesis, Connect to e-thesis, 2007. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/984/.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Glasgow, 2007.Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Department of Management, University of Glasgow, 2007. Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.
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McGlashan, Asha. "Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Obtaining Public Procurement Contract Awards". ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5573.
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The dominance of federal and state contracts by large enterprises reduces the share of contracts small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) business leaders obtain. As of the last census reading in 2016, SMEs received only 23% of contracts. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies of 3 small business leaders, operating in south Florida, for obtaining state contracts through public procurement. The thematic findings were in the context of the principal-agent theory as the conceptual framework. The participants answered 10 questions in semistructured interviews and provided organizational procurement documents for review. The methodological triangulation of multiple data sources and data analysis led to the identification of 3 primary themes: business performance, overcoming barriers, and strategic initiatives. Enabling proper business performance protocols for revenue, company reputation, pricing, and compliance benefitted the 3 participants as a strategy for successfully winning state contracts. The participants first identified the barriers they experienced, which included access, bargaining power, funding, and labels. The barriers encountered by the participants became less overwhelming with the implementation of strategic initiatives based on knowledge, relationship building, skilled personnel, and taking action. Findings included the importance of SME business leaders and personnel educating themselves on the public procurement process and building relationships with individuals in the various agencies. Application of the findings may lead to a social change of higher small business employment rates, increased revenue, and improved innovation for business leaders.
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Haddad, Monther I. S. "Strategies for Implementing Innovation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises". ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6035.
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Inefficient processes for innovation implementation can prevent owners of small and medium-sized enterprises from realizing goals and growth potential. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that managers of small and medium-sized enterprises use to implement innovation in their organizations to improve performance. The population for this study consisted of 5 managers from 4 small and medium-sized enterprises operating in Dubai. The resource-based view theory was the conceptual framework of this study. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and review of companies' documents. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step process. After transcribing the interviews and coding the resulting transcripts, the key themes that emerged included: the role of the top management in cultivating an innovative culture, the identification of ideas as the starting points for innovation, and the recognition of customers as resources for the company. Managers of small and medium-sized enterprises might benefit from the results of this study by implementing the recommendations and strategies to improve performance. Implications for social change include the potential to create employment opportunities and improve the living conditions of the employees in Dubai through economic growth.
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Majukwa, Donnemore. "Sustainability Strategies for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Zimbabwe". ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7039.
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Zimbabwe's entrepreneur owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) comprise approximately 94% of business owners but contribute only 50% of the country's gross domestic product. Entrepreneur owners play an important role in strengthening Zimbabwe's economy because they create approximately 60% to 80% of employment opportunities. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies owners of SME in Zimbabwe use to sustain their businesses. The population consisted of 5 owners of SMEs who have successfully implemented the strategies to sustain their businesses for over 5 years. The general systems theory was the conceptual framework of the study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and review of company financial documents. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings of the study. The data analysis process was conducted using Yin's 5-phases of qualitative data analysis. Four themes emerged from data analysis, including passion and dedication, quality of products and services, customer satisfaction, and employing staff with the right skills. The results of the study could lead to positive social change for SMEs and the communities by helping owners of SME to create growth strategies, increase revenues for the country, and create long-term employment opportunities for the communities. The findings from the study could catalyze positive social change by improving workforce capabilities, creating awareness of the success of entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe, and increasing the interest of financial institutions in lending to SMEs.
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Jaroudi, Hicham. "Strategies for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Geoeconomic Crisis". ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4637.
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Lebanon are at risk of failure because of the geoeconomic crisis. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that successful leaders of SMEs use to sustain their businesses during tenuous economic conditions. The target population for the research comprised 6 business leaders of SMEs in Beirut, Lebanon: 3 in the civil security field and 3 in the facilities management field. Kotter's change model theory provided the conceptual framework for this research. Data were gathered from company documents and interviews with SMEs leaders in Beirut. Data were analyzed using Yin's data analysis method, which included compiling the data, disassembling the data, reassembling the data, interpreting the meaning of the data, and concluding the data. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to add consistency and rigor to the findings. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) leaders of SMEs embedded change management in their organizations to sustain their businesses, (b) leaders of SMEs increased awareness in their organizations, (c) leaders of SMEs succeeded in creating solid organizational and financial structures to ensure a sustainable cash flow, and (d) leaders of SMEs formed niche markets to grow. Leaders of SMEs achieved their strategies by (a) establishing a sense of urgency, (b) forming a powerful guiding coalition by creating awareness in leaders' organizations, (c) empowering others to communicate both organizational and financial visions, and (d) generating short-term wins. The implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce unemployment rates and create new job opportunities by sustaining businesses of SMEs during tenuous economic conditions.
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Öhgren, Annika. "Towards an Ontology Development Methodology for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises". Licentiate thesis, Linköping University, Linköping University, MDA - Human Computer Interfaces, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-17400.
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This thesis contributes to the research field information logistics. Information logistics aims at improving information flow and at reducing information overload by providing the right information, in the right context, at the right time, at the right place through the right channel.
Ontologies are expected to contribute to reduced information overload and solving information supply problems. An ontology is created to form some kind of shared understanding for the involved stakeholders in the domain at hand. By using this semantic structure you can further build applications that use the ontology and support the employee by providing only the most important information for this person.
During the last years, there has been an increasing number of successful cases in which industrial applications successfully use ontologies. Most of these cases however, stem from large enterprises or IT-intensive small or medium-sized enterprises (SME). The current ontology development methodologies are not tailored for SME and their specific demands and preferences, such as that SME prefer mature technologies, and show a clear preference for to a large extent standardised solutions. The author proposes a new ontology development methodology, taking the specific characteristics of SME into consideration. This methodology was tested in an application case, which resulted in a number of concrete improvement ideas, but also the conclusion that further specialisation of the methodology was needed, for example for a specific usage area or domain. In order to find out in which direction to specify the methodology a survey was performed among SME in the region of Jönköping.
The main conclusion from the survey is that ontologies can be expected to be useful for SME mainly in the area of product configuration and variability modelling. Another area of interest is document management for supporting project work. The area of information search and retrieval can also be seen as a possible application field, as many of the respondents of the survey spend much time finding and saving information.
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Phan, Mai Thi Huong, i mai phan@rmit edu au. "Building green capability in small-to-medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs)". RMIT University. Management, 2009. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20090821.162056.
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Despite the widely acknowledged contention that pollution control measures would be less beneficial than pollution prevention technologies in the long run, pollution control approaches remain a popular solution for organizations seeking, or coerced, to engage in corporate environmentalism. Drawing on the conceptual underpinnings of the Theory of Planned Behaviour as an integrative framework, this study combines the tenets of five major management theories - institutional, stakeholder, planned behaviour, resource-based view, and life-cycle management - to examine how and why small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs) embrace dissimilar approaches to implementing green initiatives under different circumstances. This research adopted a nested, multiple-case design to explore why some organizations have been able to obtain beneficial effects from their green initiative implementation while others have not. The findings, based on the experiences of s even SMMEs, which implemented a total of 27 green initiatives in their production operations, reveal that legislative requirements, stakeholders' expectations, organizations' natural environmental orientation, as well as their environmental resource base and capabilities, jointly drive corporate environmental strategies. The case study found that the higher the external pressures, a combination of legislative requirements and stakeholder expectations, the more likely it was for SMMEs to adopt quick-fix, off-the-shelve solutions, which typically carried limited short-term benefits with associated high long-term costs. By contrast, less intense external pressures offer firms the opportunities to explore plausible options and exploit internal resource capabilities to advantage, giving rise to the adoption of more sustainable approaches. The study further discovers that experiential learning, i.e., a firm's ability to learn from its green initiative implementation experience, separates SMMEs capable of capital izing on the values of their implemented green initiatives to gain competitive advantages and redefine competition from those that are immersed in a cognitive lock-in, unable to free themselves from an unproductive green wall. The findings suggest that nurturing organizational learning among environmentally resistive firms could transform them into environmentally responsible enterprises. The study concludes by interpreting its findings into a number of theoretical propositions for theory building in corporate environmental management.
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Wittsiepe, Richard. "IFRS for small and medium-sized enterprises structuring the transition process". Wiesbaden Gabler, 2007. http://d-nb.info/987522159/04.
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Settembrini, Daniele. "Value and risk based management in small and medium-sized enterprises". Thesis, University of Surrey, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.590804.
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The value based management approaches aim primarily at listed major corporates. Through the equity cost rate they are linked to the capital market theory (CAPM) and portfolio theory. Medium-sized enterprises in the sense of the present research are never listed on stock markets, but are owned by an entrepreneur, a few companies or, as the case may be, further family members as well. Considering the very low application rate of value based concepts in SMEs, despite their large macro economical importance and the significant untapped potential, there is a clear demand in theory and praxis for a holistic integrated framework that better considers the constitutive SME characteristics and identified requirements regarding the implementation in medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The research method applied to develop such a framework is on one side exploratory, i.e. logic-deductive. The theoretical basis constitutes the shareholder value approach, the stakeholder theory, the intellectual capital management theory, as well as the business economics of SMEs. On the other side, to fulfil the practical objective the research project is based on a second pillar. Within the scope of the dissertation, an empirical case study of a typical medium-sized enterprise is conducted. The case study findings affirm the practical relevance and value adding, the applicability and relability of the implemented framework. Furthermore, concrete practical recommendations are given for the implementation of the developped risk and value based management framework in SMEs. The risk and value based management framework, considering the normative, methodological and instrumental perspectives, brings together elements of shareholder theory, stakeholder theory and intellectual capital concepts applied to the actual findings in SME research. This has significant practical implications for managers and entrepreneurs. Management and entrepreneurs can break down the overall target of value creation to single intellectual capital (IC) or stakeholder related events. Such a value-oriented management concept provides a basis for top management and entrepreneurs, and serves as starting point for a differentiated operational control and early warning system that identifies and quantifies value and risk drivers for managing employee, customer and supplier capital, or from an IC perspective, structural, relational and human capital, all in a value-oriented and quantitative way. Additionally, as the premises, i.e. the conceptual underpinnings of valuation, have radically changed, the impact on valuation practice is consequently significant, as it opens the possibility for valuation practitioners to develop corresponding specialised valuation approaches, e.g. focusing on IC or stakeholder valuation, not only for (unlisted) SMEs.
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Lawrence, Japhet Eke. "The use of the Internet in small to medium-sized enterprises". Thesis, University of Salford, 2002. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/14694/.
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Information technology, particularly the Internet has the potential to radically change the way business is conducted, offering a competitive edge and a gateway to the global marketplace. The explosive growth and commercialisation of the Internet has opened up a vast arena providing more opportunities for businesses, particularly SMEs to sell their products and service to a global audience than they would have be able to afford to reach using the traditional methods. There is tremendous potential for SMEs to harness the power of the Internet to improve their productivity and sharpen their competitive edge in both local and international markets. The Internet is viewed as a means through which SMEs could extend their geographic reach at minimal cost and to integrate and expand their business practices globally. Through such means it is argued that small companies could compete effectively against larger firms as the Internet is believed to be a great equaliser. The contribution of SMEs is extremely important to the economy of many countries and their contribution cannot be over emphasised. SMEs account for more than 50% of private sector employment in the UK and are currently contributing most of the private sector employment growth. This research reports on the empirical study of SMEs usage of the Internet. The intention is to present evidence on the current status of Internet use among SMEs and show the factors that influence their decision to adopt the Internet in business. Although the Internet has experienced tremendous growth world wide, very little empirical research has been conducted to examine this phenomenon in SMEs context. Questions about what SMEs are using the Internet for and what is driving them to use the technology in their business are still lacking. It is therefore of importance that insight be gained into how SMEs are currently using the Internet and the factors that influence their decision to adopt the Internet in business. In order to achieve these objectives, the research uses a quantitative and qualitative approach in order to provide an in-depth description of how SMEs currently use the Internet and the factors that influence their decision to adopt it. A questionnaire was used to survey 400 SMEs in the UK and 92 usable response (23%) were received. The survey result shows that communication, customer services, information gathering, and advertising are the areas the Internet is used most in SMEs. While the case study result shows that technological, organisational and environmental factors influence SMEs' decision to adopt the Internet. These factors are used to develop a theoretical model for conceptualising the organisational issues around the adoption and use of the Internet--issues that have been largely missing from contemporary discussions of Internet usage in SMEs. The study thus has important implications for research and practice. Specifically, the theoretical model and findings suggest that technological and organisational factors, rather than environmental factors, play a significant role in Internet adoption. Similarly, the study suggests that practitioners will be better able to adopt the Internet in business, if they understand how these factors influence its adoption and usage. The limitations of the study, the contributions of the research, the implications of the research findings and future research are discussed.
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Imronudin. "Islamic bank financing for small and medium-sized enterprises in Indonesia". Thesis, Birmingham City University, 2015. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.680133.
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Beyrle, Theresa Lucia. "Decision-making in the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises". Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2017. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7844/.
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As a result of the rise in globalisation, international markets have become important for SMEs. However, the study of internationalisation decisions has been limited, and no coherent body of theory has materialised so far. Furthermore, previous research has produced contradictory results. To further develop the mostly non-generalisable outcomes, research is required that (1) specifically conceptualises and measures decision-making in the context of SME internationalisation, and (2) which examines the direct and moderating influence of the context, as well as (3) sheds light on several decision outcomes. This thesis tests an integrative model incorporating a range of decision antecedents and outcomes using data from 218 questionnaires completed by German and Australian SMEs and drawing from multiple theoretical perspectives. The present study makes several substantial and original contributions to knowledge: (1) a valid measurement tool for procedural rationality is developed, which satisfies the special requirements of internationalising SMEs. This study presents evidence (2) that perceived environmental uncertainty does not influence the degree of procedural rationality and that (3) procedural rationality is positively related to a firm’s growth rate, but not to its internationalisation performance. An integrated model is crucial to reaching a comprehensive understanding of decision-making in SME internationalisation.
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Williams, Sarah. "Managerial engagement with climate change in small and medium-sized enterprises". Thesis, Open University, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.664280.
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If the response to climate change is to include a transition to a low carbon economy, then the role of small businesses will be vital. As employers, innovators, polluters and carbon users, small businesses have significant combined impacts and opportunities. Within the framework of ecological modernisation, government policy has taken a largely voluntary approach to engaging small businesses with pro-environmental behaviour. Research has consistently found small businesses to be resistant to business greening and taken a predominantly positivist approach to identifying the barriers and drivers to behaviour and to measuring the effectiveness of different policy measures. In this study, the Schwartz Value System (SVS) is used within a qualitative research design to contribute new insight into how managers make sense of climate change. The thesis demonstrates the role of values in sensemaking and the need to engage with individuals within small businesses through the value-based frames they hold. In particular, this research shows that the win-win approach aimed at encouraging SMEs to save money, save the planet through voluntary engagement strategies over-simplifies managerial motivation. The managers in this study drawing on the self-enhancing value of Power most clearly reflected win-win ideas, except that they encapsulated the save money but not the save the planet message. Environmental protection, found within Universalism values, was only demonstrated by managers drawing on Achievement. In making sense of climate change, managers constructed their ideas using a mix of self enhancing, self-transcending, open and conservation values. To fully engage SME managers with climate change, policy makers need to take a more sophisticated approach to explicitly engaging individual with values.
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Elshamly, Amina Basiouny Mousa. "Developing a strategic framework in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)". Thesis, University of Gloucestershire, 2012. http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/454/.
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Aims: The purpose is to understand the strategy process approach within SMEs to gain a better understanding of how a SME performs the strategy process. The research aims to develop a strategy process framework through the findings of a case study within a SME, by comparing those findings with the existing literature. Methodology: The research paradigm is moderate constructionism that adopts first a deductive approach to obtain the required theoretical knowledge of how strategy process (phases, activities, and tools) function and how they have been used within empirical studies, with a specific focus on case studies in SMEs. This is achieved through the establishment of a conceptual framework of the strategy process including phases and activities. Second, an inductive approach is adopted to induce from the research findings how the strategy process of the SME evolves. This mixture of deductive and inductive approaches is known as abductive. The research adopts an abductive approach culminating in a strategy process framework based on the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), the findings of the case study, and the literature. The research strategy is a single case study using semi-structured interviews during which the interviewer conversationally obtained the required information. This was complemented by documentation evidence. The data analysis process used thematic analysis and an enumeration approach. Results: Whilst the literature lays out a systematic, sequential process, the picture presented by the case study in a SME is somewhat different. The SME was involved in several different aspects of strategy as defined in the literature review, including several phases of the strategy process, and the activities within each of these phases. Some activities were more frequently performed than others, in a very ad-hoc manner. Moreover, The SME did not have a coherent strategy process. The process that the SME uses is messy; it is not systematic; it is not sequential and is not clear. These results are incorporated in a revised conceptual framework to reflect the strategy process actuals used within the SME of the present study. The reasons that explain the finding and the need of the framework may be summarized as: Ambiguous communication of information, Inability to manage development, innovation without a flexible approach, a lack of systematic methods for defining strategy, short-term cash flow issues, and high risks in the SME. Originality/value is contribution to knowledge (theory and empirical): First: a comprehensive literature review investigated and extended the strategy process phases and activities literature, by establishment of a conceptual framework of the strategy process including phases and activities. Second: this conceptual framework was revised based on these findings to reflect the strategy process actually emplaced within the SME in the present study, this aided an overall understanding of the theory of the strategy process. Third: due to the lack of formal strategy the SME had much ‘emergent’ strategy, which it failed to deal with effectively. Normatively, it should work to overcome this, by implementing a more coherent and formal approach to the strategy process framework (using the BSC framework with support of other strategic tools [QFD and SWOT analysis]). Fourth: the methodological implementation of the research paradigm of moderate constructionism and validation through crystallization.
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Öhgren, Annika. "Towards an ontology development methodology for small and medium-sized enterprises /". Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-17400.
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Abdulsaleh, Abdulaziz M. A. "Bank Financing for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Libya". Thesis, Griffith University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365835.
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Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are of increasing importance for all national economies worldwide. Evidence already shows that SMEs are critical in key economic areas, including the distribution of income, the absorption of labour and the alleviation of poverty. As a result, SMEs have been increasingly the focus of policies and strategies that aim at achieving sustainable development goals in both developing and developed countries, regardless of any pre-existing differences in their underlying economic systems. However, despite widespread developments in recent decades, the lack of access to finance remains a formidable obstacle for SME development. In seeking to diversify its economy and reduce its over-reliance on the large firm- dominated oil sector, Libya has chosen to focus on the role of SMEs to assist in achieving myriad economic and social development objectives. However, as the case in many other developing countries, Libyan SMEs face difficulties obtaining external finance, yet, there has been very little research undertaken to investigate the issues associated with their access to finance. This is particularly the case with bank financing, which as elsewhere, is the most important source of external finance for SMEs.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith Business School
Griffith Business School
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Salimzadeh, Parisa. "Sustainable practices in small and medium sized enterprises in regional Australia". Thesis, Federation University Australia, 2016. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/102924.
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Global warming, through rising greenhouse gas emissions, is not only impacting on human populations and ecosystems; it is also causing negative impacts on economic development. Commercial activities of businesses are contributing to global warming through unethical social behaviours, so businesses have a role to play by adopting environmental friendly practices in their actions and strategies, so as to reduce their impact on ecosystems. Also, successful businesses to be sustainable need to consider the social concerns within their local communities. Socially friendly businesses attempt to increase human capital through skill improvement and contribute to social capital in a way that community and social groups respect their social responsibility and support them. Sustainability adoption refers to the actual implementation of sustainable practices in currently operating businesses. Such adoption in terms of ecology and community has been commonly accepted as a requirement for large businesses under the rubric of corporate social responsibility. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have not been scrutinised anywhere near to the same level in terms of their attention to sustainability adoption in their business mission and strategies. Owner/managers of SMEs are no more exempt from environmental and social ethics than anyone else in society. Furthermore, SMEs are significant regional development agents contributing to the increased productivity and an improved quality of local life. Especially in Regional Australia where SMEs constitute approximately 95% of businesses in services and industry sectors, so for Regional Australian SMEs to adopt sustainability and regional economic strategies at the same time, enables local communities to benefit from sustainable development, innovation and economic development in their regions. In the SME literature, there is a lack of appreciation of the sustainability issue and its connection with its local community. Bringing together the relevant literature, this research develops a sustainability assessment framework for SMEs by determining the internal and external drivers and inhibitors affecting the adoption of social and environmental friendly practices in SMEs within the regional context. This framework can be used as a basis for application in regional development. It will also be a valuable tool for evaluation and monitoring of strategies for sustainability adoption. To gain a deep understanding of sustainability adoption by regional SMEs, this research investigates social and environmental practices adopted by regional SMEs in order to respond to the sustainability challenge. This research explores factors affecting the sustainability adoption by regional SMEs. Also the research undertaken seeks to identify whether some demographic variables (i.e. business size, business category, business age, owners/managers‟ experience and educational level) have any significant impact on the adoption of social and environmental practices. This quantitative research has a response rate of 28.77% and stands on pre-test, a pilot study and the main study. It draws on the response of 233 SME owner/managers within the regional city of Ballarat. The research uses descriptive statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and logistic regression and is guided by the conceptual framework. The results show that the SMEs are actively engaged in employee support and they tend to be close to the local community while lacking environmental practices. However, despite being active in the areas of recycling, energy efficiency, and using environmentally friendly products, these SMEs showed an inability to grasp the strategic importance of overall environmentally sustainable policy and practice. Moreover, findings reveal that business size and owner/managers‟ education have significant positive effects on the adoption of socially responsible practices. The results of this research contribute significantly to understanding of sustainability adoption by SMEs in a regional context. This research is one of the first empirical studies undertaken to investigate the factors affecting the sustainability adoption by regional SMEs in Australia. Thus, this research builds a platform for future research in relation to understanding better the factors that are barriers to adoption of sustainable practices outside major metropolitan regions, and a theoretical framework to guide such future research. The findings of this research highlight significant implications for both theory and practice in the context of a non-metropolitan urban setting. These implications include addressing practices in a way that brings business operators together to network and collaborate with the communities in the region.Doctor of Philosophy
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Blake, Hugh. "Strategies to Sustain Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises in Jamaica". Thesis, Walden University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13424135.
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Jamaica?s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a high failure rate. In 2016, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) recorded Jamaica's SME start-up rate at 4.06% and the discontinuance rate at 9%. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive multiple case study was to explore the strategies some Jamaican SME owners used to achieve business sustainability in the manufacturing sector for longer than 5 years of operation. The conceptual framework used was the entrepreneurship theory, which provided insights into business sustainability. A purposive sample of 5 owners of SMEs who had achieved business sustainability in the manufacturing sector for longer than 5 years of operation were the participants in this study. Semistructured interviews of participants and review of company documents produced in-depth insights into the strategies they used to achieve business sustainability. Coding keywords, sentences, and ideas from the interviews and company documents and categorizing them was the approach taken for data analysis, using methodological triangulation. The themes from the study were entrepreneurial characteristics, competitive advantages, resource management, customer relationship management, quality management, and marketing. Implications for social change include the potential to provide strategies that support SMEs? business sustainability and lead to greater job creation and ultimately the Jamaican government?s ability to fund social projects.
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Navamarat, Pantiva. "Strategies to Decrease Business Failure in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises". ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5756.
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In Southeast Asia, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fail each year; in 2010, SME failure rate exceeded 50%. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that some SME business leaders use to decrease the failure rate of SMEs in Southeast Asia. The target population consisted of 5 SME business leaders in Southeast Asia who demonstrated success in using strategies to decrease the failure rate of SMEs. The conceptual framework for this study was the Ulrich model, which supports the notion that a human resource manager needs to be involved in overall organizational decision making as a strategic partner, administrative assistant, employee champion, and a change agent for business continuity and sustainability. Data collection sources included semistructured interviews and analysis of company documents. Using Yin's 5-step data analysis approach resulted in 3 themes: governance, marketing and branding, and integration of information technology. The governance theme included employee engagement and leadership strategies, which could help business leaders to create an agile work environment and work commitment to decrease business failure. The marketing and branding theme included social media and networking strategies that could promote the brand and enhance company image. The implication for social change is that business continuation could lead to economic development, employment opportunities, and tax revenue for local governments, leading to an improved standard of living and overall prosperity of local communities.
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Amaglo, John Kwaku. "Strategies for Sustainability of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Ghana". ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6963.
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 92% of all Ghana firms, providing 60% of citizens' employment and contributing about 70% of Ghana's income from gross domestic products. Within the first 5 years of operation, 40% of new businesses fail. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used by Ghanaian SME manufacturing leaders in the fruit industry to sustain business for longer than 5 years of operation. The conceptual framework for this study was open systems theory and complexity theory. The population for this study was 5 Ghanaian SME manufacturing business leaders in the fruit industry who maintained their businesses longer than 5 years of operation. The data sources were semistructured face-to-face interviews, interview notes, and the organizations' manuals for standard operations. Data collected were transcribed, member checked, analytically coded, and analyzed using Yin's 5-stage method of qualitative data analysis. Four themes emerged: training and capacity building, the need for good equipment and good packaging, the availability of working capital, and the need for target marketing. The implications of this study for positive social change include lowering high unemployment, alleviating poverty, supporting community development, and enhancing economic growth in the country.
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El, Basha Hanan. "Internationalization Strategies for Sustainable Growth of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises". ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5004.
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Inadequate use of international knowledge by SME (small- and medium-sized enterprises) leaders is a prime contributing factor to failed internationalization efforts in the U.K. affecting firms' growth and survivability. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies U.K. SME leaders use to expand business internationally for sustainable growth. The Uppsala internationalization process model (UIPM) served as the conceptual framework for this study. Participants consisted of 4 senior leaders and 3 international operations employees who demonstrated effective use of strategies in the operation of the SME internationalization activities. Data collection occurred through semistructured interviews and review of an archival document, complemented by member checking to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the findings. Four themes emerged through thematic data analysis: applying home and foreign market knowledge, capitalization of firm characteristics, selecting psychically close markets, and conducting sequential internationalizing activities for successful and sustainable SME internationalization efforts. The conclusion is that to achieve sustainable growth, SME leaders need to understand all factors pertaining to the internationalization initiatives of the firm, inclusive of market research and data collection, using experiential knowledge, assessing firm-specific advantages, capitalizing on limited resources, and leveraging networks in international markets. Subsequent positive social change may include an increase in sustainable SME in the United Kingdom offering innovative and competitive products and services, increasing employment opportunities, contributing to the citizens' financial stability, and contributing to the community's economic prosperity.
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Jackson, John C. "Technology Integration and Training in Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises". ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7154.
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Business leaders' lack of effective technology strategies results in lower quality products in the machining industry. This multiple case study was an exploration of the strategies that machining industry business leaders in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) used to implement technology training. The population consisted of 9 business leaders from 3 machining industry SMEs in the southeastern United States who had successfully used technology-training implementation strategies. The conceptual framework for this study was the reasoned action theory, as demonstrated through the technology acceptance model (TAM). The data collection process included semistructured interviews and organizational documentation. Data analysis was conducted following Yin's 5-step approach. Data were compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, reassembled into sequence of groups, and interpreted for meaning. Methodological triangulation and member checking validated the trustworthiness of those interpretations. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: ensuring technology preparedness, delivering appropriate employee training, and overcoming barriers to implementation. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to establish a workforce with high technology skills that is prepared to provide an improved quality of life for themselves and their families.
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Doan, Quang Hung. "Essays on determinants of innovation of small- and medium-sized enterprises". Doctoral thesis, Luiss Guido Carli, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/11385/222380.
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Social Capital and Firm Performance in Transition Economies: Evidence from Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Vietnam. Effects of tax administration corruption on innovation inputs and outputs: Evidence from small and medium sized enterprises in Vietnam. Intangible Assets, Global Value Chains and Innovation: Evidence from Vietnamese SMEs.
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van, Rijn Micha, i David Jansen. "Performance Measurements for Social Enterprises : With focus on Small and Medium sized Social Enterprises". Thesis, Högskolan i Jönköping, Internationella Handelshögskolan, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-26999.
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As the field of Social Enterprises has strongly grown over two decades, the importance of Social Enterprises for the society has also grown and still developing, more and more to a third economic segment between the private and public economy. Within this study we explain how “Small and Medium sized Social Enterprises” (SMSEs) can face the increasing pressure to measure and demonstrate their impact to society and their stakeholders. We especially address the limitations in skill and resource endowment, which SMSEs most commonly face. We execute this research based on a practical and outcome-oriented method and therefore apply an overall pragmatic research philosophy. The research is further designed around a narrative strategy, with an exploratory mono method cross-sectional study. For the collection of empirical data, six semi-structured interviews were conducted with (Social) Entrepreneurs and their stakeholders. This study finds a language barrier between SMSEs and their commercial stakeholders, caused by low willingness from the Social Entrepreneurs’ side to adapt to a commercial business language. The findings of this study further imply that SMSEs are capable of using surveys to measure their performance quantitatively, in terms of in- and output. More importantly, our results suggest that these measurements, completed with additional “soft” measurements to “qualified narratives”, are sufficient to prove the SMSEs’ performance to their stakeholders. Finally, this study takes up an existing contingency model and enriches it with the revealed discoveries, to a more comprehensive measurement approach for SMSEs. It thereby contributes to the field of Social Enterprises and lays valuable foundations for further research.
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Eybers, Carey. "Copreneurships in South African small and medium-sized family business". Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1207.
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Taking cognisance of the increasingly important role that copreneurial businesses play in national economies, the unique challenges that they face, and the lack of research attention given to such spousal teams, the purpose of this study was to contribute to the more effective functioning of copreneurships in South Africa by identifying the factors that impact on their success. Consequently, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the Perceived success of copreneurships in South Africa, as well as the conditions required for the effective and harmonious functioning of such spousal partnerships. This study seeks to incorporate previous findings and studies on team effectiveness and spousal relationships into a comprehensive conceptual model. After conducting a comprehensive literature study, as well as examining the different teamwork models proposed and the study by Farrington (2009), it became clear that successful teams have validated their proficiency with regard to two types of factors, namely, relational-based and organisational-based factors. Within these two categories of factors, 14 independent variables were identified and hypothesised to influence the measures of effectiveness of copreneurships, namely the dependent variable Perceived success; and the intervening variable Financial performance. All of the factors in this study were clearly defined and operationalised. Reliable and valid items sourced from Farrington’s (2009) measuring instrument, as well as several measuring instruments used in other studies, were used in the operationalisation of these factors. In addition, several items were self-generated from secondary sources. Respondents were identified using the convenience snowball sampling technique, and a structured questionnaire was made available to them. The data gathered from the 380 usable questionnaires was subjected to various statistical analyses. The validity and reliability of the measuring instrument was confirmed by means of an exploratory factor analysis, and Cronbach-alpha coefficients were calculated for this purpose. The original intervening variable Financial performance could not be confirmed as originally intended in the conceptual model. Instead, Financial performance split into v two separate variables which were named Financial performance and Growth performance. The original dependent variable Perceived success was confirmed by the factor analyses. The relational- and organisational-based factors could not be confirmed as originally intended in the conceptual model. Instead, seven new relational- and seven new organisational-based factors emerged, and where necessary these factors were renamed. The primary statistical procedure used to test the significance of the relationships hypothesised between the independent and dependent variables in this study, was Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Owing to the sample-size restrictions, the conceptual model could not be subjected to SEM as a whole. Instead, seven submodels were identified and subjected to further analysis. The following independent variables were identified as influencing the dependent and intervening variables in this study: • Spousal relationship • Commitment to spouse • Equal status • Commitment to the business • Emotional attachment • Non-family involvement • Personal needs alignment • Leadership • Competencies • Internal context In order to investigate the influence of the various demographic variables on the intervening and dependent variables, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Multiple Linear Regression analysis and t-tests were performed. How leadership occurs in a copreneurial business, the tenure of the business, the location of the business, the status of the copreneurship, the level of spousal involvement in the business and the vi number of employees were found to have an influence on the intervening and dependent variables of this study. By empirically investigating copreneurships, this study has added to the limited amount of family business literature on these complex partnerships. By way of the conceptual models developed in this study a significant contribution has been made towards understanding the factors influencing the success of copreneurships. As a result, this study presents recommendations and suggestions to assist couples in managing their copreneurships in such a way as to nurture their marriage relationships and at the same time enhance the performance of their businesses.
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Burkhardt, Robert. "Reputation management in small and medium-sized enterprises analysis and evaluation of the use of reputation management ; a survey of small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany". Hamburg Diplomica-Verl, 2007. http://d-nb.info/988193612/04.
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Burkhardt, Robert. "Reputation management in small and medium-sized enterprises : analysis and evaluation of the use of reputation management ; a survey of small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany /". Hamburg : Diplomica Verl, 2008. http://www.diplom.de/katalog/arbeit/10825.
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Safak, Cigdem. "Development Of A Database Management System For Small And Medium Sized Enterprises". Master's thesis, METU, 2005. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12606049/index.pdf.
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Databases and database technology have become an essential component of everyday life in modern society. As databases are widely used in every organization with a computer system, control of data resources and management of data are very important. Database Management System (DBMS) is the most significant tool developed to serve multiple users in a database environment consisting of programs that enable users to create and maintain a database. Windows Distributed Internet Applications (DNA) architecture describes a framework of building software technologies together in an integrated web and client-server model of computing.
This thesis focuses on development of a general database management system, for small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises, by using Windows DNA technology. Defining, constructing and manipulating institutional, commercial and operational data of the company is the main frame of the work. And also by integrating &ldquoOptimization&rdquo
and &ldquo
Agent&rdquo
system components which were previously developed in Middle East Technical University, Mechanical Engineering Department, Computer Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory (METUCIM) into the SME DBMS, a unified information system is developed. &ldquo
Optimization&rdquo
system was developed in order to calculate optimum cutting conditions for turning and milling operations. &ldquo
Agent&rdquo
system was implemented to control and send work orders to the available manufacturing cell in METUCIM. The components of these systems are redesigned to share a unique database together with the newly developed &ldquo
SME Information System&rdquo
application program in order to control data redundancy and to provide data sharing and data integrity.
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Sari, Burak. "Methodology Development For Small And Medium Sized Enterpise Sme) Based Virtual Enterprises". Phd thesis, METU, 2006. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12607308/index.pdf.
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This dissertation presents the results of a Ph.D. research entitled as methodology development for SME based virtual enterprises. The research addresses the preparation and set up of virtual enterprises and enterprise networks. A virtual enterprise (VE) can be perceived as a customer solution delivery system created by a temporary and re-configurable information and communications technology (ICT) enabled aggregation of competencies.
The main achievements of the research include:
•
Clarification and definition of the concept for virtual enterprises and enterprise networks including preparation of these. o A fast and efficient setup of virtual enterprises can be enabled through the establishment of an enterprise network in which an appropriate type and degree of work preparation can be established prior to the set up of virtual enterprises. &
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Development of a framework and a reference architecture for virtual enterprises named as Structured Methodology and ICT Reference Architecture respectively. o Structured Methodology structures the body of knowledge related to preparation, set up and operation of virtual enterprises and enterprise networks. o ICT reference architecture consists of three levels with seven layers to portray in a diagrammatic fashion how different enterprises may exchange and use information between their respective organizations&
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specific proprietary systems and a central server. &
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Development of a methodology for virtual enterprise named as Virtual Enterprise Methodology (VEM) o VEM consists of a set of guidelines, which systematically describes activities that enterprises should consider in relation to set up and preparation of own enterprise networks with the aim to set up virtual enterprises. &
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Testing and validation of the developed VEM with the realization of a virtual case study and establishment of a validation platform respectively. o Virtual case study demonstrates the application of the developed VE methodology with the illustration of the key activities related to setting up breeding environment, setting up &
operating VE and dissolution of VE. o The findings in the research can be validated through the various activities as meetings, conferences, presentations and publication of journals.
50
Ali, Madadi Jani Siavash. "The Role of Knowledge in Internationalization of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises". Thesis, Umeå universitet, Handelshögskolan vid Umeå universitet, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-45564.
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Internationalization is one of the most complicated elements in Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) expansion. Researchers seem to agree more and more that none of the theories in this field can solely explain the dynamics of the internationalization of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises particularly small knowledge- and service-intensive firms. There are different theories and approaches toward the SMEs‘ internationalization; however there is one predictor in common among them: Firm‟s knowledge resources (Yli-Renko, Autio, & Tontti, 2002).Since the value-adding processes of firms are increasingly based on the creation and exploitation of knowledge, the natural focus of attention shifts from the control of static, firm-specific resources to the acquisition, assimilation, and exploitation of firm-specific knowledge (Bettis & Hitt, 1995; Grant, 1996; J.Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998). In today‘s global competitive landscape, firms succeed not because they have control over scarce resources, but because they have the ability to gain the knowledge, learn and use this learning more efficiently than others. In comparison with big companies SMEs have relatively less resources, which make knowledge very vital for their survival and growth. (Mejri & Umemoto, 2010)There has not been much empirical research on knowledge resources and capabilities although the importance of knowledge-related process is widely acknowledged. There is a notable limitation in SME literature on influence of knowledge that can only offer limited insight into firm‘s foreign market operations. In other words, there is a gap in the literature about the different types of knowledge and their role in the internationalization process and therefor this research has set it goal to answer the aforementioned issues.This research has used qualitative approach and case study research design, and six semistructured interviews were conducted with small Swedish firms that involved in international activities. Since this is an exploratory study, the data from the six cases was quite managable. Analysis was conducted by coding the interviews and categorization of the codes. The codes were interpreted and three types of knowledge were extracted based on both the data and theories; Technological Knowledge, Business Knowledge and Market-specific Knowledge. The main characteristics of each company were put together with regard to the three types of knowledge. The next step in analysis was to find out if there were any differences or similarities between the companies when it came to internationalization process. By using the aforementioned results a farmework was developed. The framework presents the role of each Knowledge in the internationalization process and is the key finding of this research.The results from this study indicate the significant role of different types of knowledge as the main source of competitive advantage for SMEs to go to international markets. However the result of this study also designates that the role of knowledge in the internationalization process must be understood in the context of the industry, the company and the people involved.