Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and the Global Economy
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and the Global Economy

Author: Gerald I. Susman

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Published: 2007-01-01

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 1847204430

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Globalization has jarred the traditional role and competitiveness of small- and medium-sized enterprises. This masterful volume comprises leading scholars, policy makers and business leaders who have new insights and strategies for SMEs creating opportunities rather than being victims of globalization. The result is a breakthrough in our understanding of entrepreneurship in the global context. David B. Audretsch, Indiana University, Bloomington, US and WHU, Germany Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often have difficulty competing in the global economy unless they collaborate with domestic or foreign partners or with public sector organizations. This book addresses the resource leverage and innovation challenges that increased global trade represents for SMEs. In doing so, it explores how SMEs can become more competitive at home and in foreign markets as stand-alone firms or as members of supplier and customer networks. SMEs are turning increasingly to innovation as a source of competitive advantage in order to protect their home markets and participate in expanding foreign markets. The contributors to this volume leading experts in entrepreneurship, innovation, and international business provide in-depth coverage of the most compelling issues facing SMEs. These include: innovation as a competitive strategy, network dynamics, ways to leverage technology, internationalization, and the role of the public sector in helping SMEs to overcome resource deficiencies. This comprehensive look at SMEs in the global marketplace will be of great interest to academics who study entrepreneurship, innovation, or international business, officials from public sector agencies with responsibility for helping SMEs to internationalize and become more innovative, and senior executives of SMEs or executives of larger companies who are considering collaboration with SMEs.

Small and Medium Enterprises
Small and Medium Enterprises

Author: Information Resources Management Association

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2013-04-30

Total Pages: 2031

ISBN-13: 1466638877

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"This book provides a comprehensive collection of research on current technological developments and organizational perspectives on the scale of small and medium enterprises"--Provided by publisher.

Entrepreneurship in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Entrepreneurship in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Author: Andreas Masouras

Publisher:

Published: 2019-08-27

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 9781536159226

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This book focuses on three key questions and three assumptions, which tackle entrepreneurship and competitiveness through the pillars of young entrepreneurship and innovation in SMEs, always under the lens of the institutional approach. More specifically, the research questions of this study are the following: How do institutions and, in general, institutional processes affect entrepreneurship on the SME level and, hence, competitiveness on the country level, how can the analysis of young entrepreneurship promote our understanding of the overall web of entrepreneurship from an institutional point of view and to what degree do SMEs respond to innovative applications and activities? Moreover, the study takes on the following three research assumptions: The quality of institutions affects the development of entrepreneurship and, hence, a country's competitive position, small- and medium-sized enterprises are affected by the quality of institutions and institutional inefficiency leads to innovation fatigue. The methodology is based on specific data collection techniques that will answer the questions and assumptions of this study by using both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Industry 4.0 in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
Industry 4.0 in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Author: Ketan Kotecha

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2022-03-27

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1000548945

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Focusing on the broader areas of Industry 4.0 as it applies to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this book offers a smooth adoption of techniques and technologies and presents advances, challenges, and opportunities for implementation. It will also enhance the role of academia by training new engineers on Industry 4.0 and digital transformation. Industry 4.0 in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): Opportunities, Challenges, and Solutions presents concepts of predictive maintenance, digital factory, digital twin, additive manufacturing, and machining for sustainable development. It discusses the challenges faced by adopting Industry 4.0 including new security and privacy measures in the whole smart manufacturing setup while also explaining the impact of Industry 4.0 on Lean production systems. Implementation recommendations in the form of case studies, research studies, and the role academia can play are also provided. Practitioners, research scholars, academicians, and those studying or working in the Industry 4.0 sector will find this book of interest.

Information Systems for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Information Systems for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Author: Jan Devos

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-10-04

Total Pages: 429

ISBN-13: 3642382444

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This book establishes and explores existing and emerging theories on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and the adoption of IT/IS. It presents the latest empirical research findings in that area of IS research and explores new technologies and practices. The book is written for researchers and professionals working in the field of IS research or the research of SMEs. Moreover, the book will be a reference for researchers, professionals and students in management information systems science and related fields.

Surviving Supply Chain Integration
Surviving Supply Chain Integration

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2000-03-23

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 0309173418

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The managed flow of goods and information from raw material to final sale also known as a "supply chain" affects everythingâ€"from the U.S. gross domestic product to where you can buy your jeans. The nature of a company's supply chain has a significant effect on its success or failureâ€"as in the success of Dell Computer's make-to-order system and the failure of General Motor's vertical integration during the 1998 United Auto Workers strike. Supply Chain Integration looks at this crucial component of business at a time when product design, manufacture, and delivery are changing radically and globally. This book explores the benefits of continuously improving the relationship between the firm, its suppliers, and its customers to ensure the highest added value. This book identifies the state-of-the-art developments that contribute to the success of vertical tiers of suppliers and relates these developments to the capabilities that small and medium-sized manufacturers must have to be viable participants in this system. Strategies for attaining these capabilities through manufacturing extension centers and other technical assistance providers at the national, state, and local level are suggested. This book identifies action steps for small and medium-sized manufacturersâ€"the "seed corn" of business start-up and developmentâ€"to improve supply chain management. The book examines supply chain models from consultant firms, universities, manufacturers, and associations. Topics include the roles of suppliers and other supply chain participants, the rise of outsourcing, the importance of information management, the natural tension between buyer and seller, sources of assistance to small and medium-sized firms, and a host of other issues. Supply Chain Integration will be of interest to industry policymakers, economists, researchers, business leaders, and forward-thinking executives.

The Management of Small and Medium Enterprises
The Management of Small and Medium Enterprises

Author: Matthias Fink

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2009-05-07

Total Pages: 406

ISBN-13: 1135227586

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Due to the vital importance of SMEs in developed economies worldwide, this book aims to provide a unique and much-needed investigation into the underlying mechanisms and practices of management within these companies by collecting a wide range of original conceptual and empirical research in the topical area of management in SMEs and new ventures. Collecting work from dozens of leading scholars in fields ranging from management and entrepeneurship to human resource management and strategy, this book aims to supply readers with an overview of the field of research in management of SMEs and new ventures as well as in depth knowledge on a variety of related topics. The essays collected here are focused and practical, offering a variety of explicit and pragmatic recommendations for action and developing new tools and strategies useful to scholars and students as well as practitioners working in the field of SME and new venture management and consulting.

Handbook of Research on Increasing the Competitiveness of SMEs
Handbook of Research on Increasing the Competitiveness of SMEs

Author: Perez-Uribe, Rafael

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2019-12-06

Total Pages: 712

ISBN-13: 1522594264

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Countries have been competing against each other in order to attract financial investment and human capital for decades. However, emerging economies have a long way to go before they achieve the same levels of competitiveness as a developed economy. Lack of firm institutions, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of trust in the legal system are urgent and unavoidable factors that emerging economies must address. The Handbook of Research on Increasing the Competitiveness of SMEs provides innovative insights on integrating, adapting, and building models and strategies compatible with the development of competitiveness in small and medium enterprises in emerging countries. The content within this publication examines quality management, organizational leadership, and digital security. It is designed for policymakers, entrepreneurs, managers, executives, business professionals, academicians, researchers, and students.

Managing Human Resources in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Managing Human Resources in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Author: Robert Wapshott

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-10-14

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 1317618262

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Well-managed employment relationships can be a secret to business success, yet this factor is relatively poorly understood when it comes to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s). Written by active researchers with teaching experience, this book brings together the fields of entrepreneurship and human resource management for the first time, providing entrepreneurship students with a solid grounding in HRM as well as a platform for further critical engagement with the research. The concise and authoritative style also enables the book to be used as a primer for researchers exploring this under-developed terrain. As the only student-focused specialist book on human resource management in entrepreneurial firms, this is vital reading for students and researchers in this area, as well as those interested in small business and management more generally.

Sustainability and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Sustainability and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Author: Aharon Factor

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-03-29

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0429760779

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Industrialisation has brought great benefits to humankind but now, after 200 years of fossil fuel use, land clearance and pollution, the planet’s boundaries are being stretched to their limits. Going beyond these confines would have severe consequences for humankind. To prevent this from happening, government, corporate and community initiatives must focus on reducing the environmental impact of approximately 400 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), given that they produce approximately 70% of the world’s pollution, 60% of carbon emissions and have a significant impact on land. To date, research shows that SMEs have been environmental laggards and more needs to be understood to improve sustainability in the SME sector. Broadening the researcher’s methodological focus, beyond traditional singular approaches, improves knowledge generation and better informs policy and practice. This book paves the way by showing the reader that a mixed method research design is able to provide a deep, diverse and holistic understanding of sustainability and SMEs. Importantly, the book also provides an in-depth mapping of mixed method sustainability and SME research at a regional level. As this book is about environmental sustainability framed in a business context, it will be of interest to researchers, academics, students and those in industry who are enquiring about the environmental sustainability of SMEs.