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Large firms have traditionally commanded a competitive advantage in the marketplace over small firms by being able to use their financial strength to perform large‐scale market research studies, to design and implement wide reaching advertising campaigns, and to establish computer and information systems to communicate with their staff and suppliers. This empirical study of 192 large and small companies indicates that small firms are using new media technologies to level the competitive playing field. Cost‐effective new media technologies are making it easier for small firms to enjoy some of the benefits that previously were only available to large companies. Contributes to the scholarship because little relevant research currently exists on the marketing uses of new media technologies for small firms and their potential for altering the competitive advantages long enjoyed by larger firms.

To achieve a full understanding of the role of marketing from plan to profit requires a knowledge of the basic building blocks. This textbook introduces the key concepts in the art or science of marketing to practising managers. Understanding your customers and consumers, the 4 Ps (Product, Place, Price and Promotion) provides the basic tools for effective marketing. Deploying your resources and informing your managerial decision making is dealt with in Unit VII introducing marketing intelligence, competition, budgeting and organisational issues. The logical conclusion of this effort is achieving sales and the particular techniques involved are explored in the final section.

This paper aims to trace the evolution of industrial subcontracting in Japan, over a period of time. Subsequently, the transition in the spread and depth of subcontracting along with relative performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Japanese industry over a period of time are to be analyzed.

First, a historical over view of the evolution of industrial subcontracting in Japan is discussed based on literature and discussion with experts. Secondly, based on secondary data, the industry‐wise trends of subcontracting and performance of small, medium and large enterprises are analyzed.

Japanese industrial subcontracting and structure evolved over the period, particularly after World War II, represents integration and mutual coordination among small, medium and large enterprises across industries. Along with the growth of multi‐layered subcontracting, labour productivities of SMEs have improved as that of large though value added/value of output has remained more or less at the same level. Overall, there is reason to argue that SMEs have benefited from the system of subcontracting in Japanese manufacturing towards its overall competitiveness.

It would be worthwhile to promote multi‐layered industrial subcontracting, particularly with locally based/newly entered TNCs at the helm of the pyramid, in industrializing countries like India, to enhance the competitiveness of local SMEs.

This paper provides the reader with an understanding of evolution of industrial subcontracting in Japan since World War I and its recent trends and throws light on how SMEs have improved their performance over a period of time.

This study seeks to examine the impact of Australian equivalents to international financial reporting standards (A‐IFRS) on the accounts of small‐, medium‐ and large‐sized firms.

For 135 listed Australian entities, the half‐yearly accounts ended 30 June 2005 are examined to identify the effects of A‐IFRS. Data are gathered on the change in major balance sheet and income statement elements, the major reconciling items and earnings variability.

Findings show that more than half of small firms have no change in net income or equity from A‐IFRS, and that there is an increase in the number of adjustments to net income and equity with firm size. The study also finds that A‐IFRS has increased net income for small‐ and medium‐sized firms. Equity has increased (decreased) under A‐IFRS for small (large) firms. Small firms experience higher earnings variability than medium‐sized or large firms under A‐IFRS.

The sample is limited to 31 December reporting date firms and not all A‐IFRS must be complied with when firms restate their comparatives.

Analysts, auditors and other account users should be aware that the effects of A‐IFRS are correlated with firm size.

This is the first Australian empirical paper on the effects of A‐IFRS. It raises doubts about the contentions of some that A‐IFRS will have widespread adverse effects on firms' accounts.

Extending the work of Bayou (2001), we empirically investigate the relationship between firm size and resource productivity to assess whether the productivity of resources (value in use) and their underlying value at sale (value in sale) vary with firm’s size.

We use seemingly unrelated regression of revenues and equity values on assets and employees for a large sample over a wide time period and across all industries. We compare companies that are growing, declining, or continuing in size relative to their industry.

With some variability on growth, we find that smaller companies hold more productive resources based on their capacity to generate more revenues per unit of resources (assets) relative to large companies. Further, as predicted, a firm’s workforce has productive value in use, but limited value after a firm’s sale as measured by equity values.

Collectively, our findings suggest that firm size matters in influencing resource productivity, and a workforce has productive value in use, but low value in sale.

This paper presents new insights into the growth of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in vertical inter‐firm relationships. It adopts a processual and resource‐based perspective and focuses on the experiences of fresh produce businesses which have achieved high rates of growth while supplying the UK’s large multiple food retailers. The context in which these suppliers operate is shown to be a complex and dynamic supply chain, characterised by increasing structural concentration and close vertical linkages. The primary research investigates how certain SMEs have prospered in an apparently “hostile” environment. It includes a programme of matched‐depth interviews, conducted across the retailer‐supplier dyad. Content analysis of transcripts reveals six factors which appear to be strongly associated with the formation of “successful” relationships. In subsequent interactions, securing “developmental” supplier status appears to open the way to a self‐reinforcing cycle of Penrosian learning and reinvestment. This cycle contributes to growth in the supplier firm. The authors argue that, with certain crucial caveats, growth‐oriented SMEs can develop mutually beneficial relationships with much larger “customer” firms. The paper concludes by drawing out wider policy implications and indicating how this contextualised approach might be used in other contexts.

There can be no doubt that the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) plays a pivotal role in most if not all economies, and that social policy makers have an interest in ensuring the viability of this sector of the economy, which plays a crucial role in the contract culture of national and international competitiveness. Quite apart from the essential symbiosis between the large multinationals and public limited companies and this sector, the sustainability of unemployment benefit payouts would be jeopardised should the sector experience a significant downturn. There are already worldwide concerns about the ability to continue to finance state pensions at anything like the present scale, and any loss of viability of the SME sector will simply exacerbate this situation. There are also useful reciprocations to be achieved by comparisons across sectors, including in significant areas such as internal control (Vinten, Lane, Hayes, 1996). The recent flurry of activity has included initiatives of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales 1996) and the information needs of owners (Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales 1996a), an Auditing Practices Board (1996) Practice Note, and a Department of Trade and Industry Consultation Document (DTI 1996).

This book is a policy proposal aimed at the democratic left. It is concerned with gradual but radical reform of the socio‐economic system. An integrated policy of industrial and economic democracy, which centres around the establishment of a new sector of employee‐controlled enterprises, is presented. The proposal would retain the mix‐ed economy, but transform it into a much better “mixture”, with increased employee‐power in all sectors. While there is much of enduring value in our liberal western way of life, gross inequalities of wealth and power persist in our society.

Despite the increasing numbers of research studies about social media business, the concept of social media agility is still an emerging topic that has been understudied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social media agility on business performance by using a sample of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand. Moreover, this study explored whether the effect of social media agility on business performance could be moderated by the characteristic of firm in terms of size, as well as the characteristic of market environment in terms of environmental dynamism.

The sample of 337 firms was obtained from the business directory using the simple random sampling method, and the model assessment was performed by using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The data analysis indicated that social media agility positively affected the business performance of SMEs. Moreover, the moderating effect analysis showed that smaller firms tended to gain higher business performance from social media agility than larger firms. In addition, social media agility positively affected business performance to a greater extent when firms operated under low environmental dynamism than when they operated under high environmental dynamism.

Because SMEs are the key driving of economic development and economic growth, the recommendations from this study could be helpful for the government sector responsible for the competency development of SMEs to offer a development program that might enable entrepreneurial firms to develop social media marketing competencies and enhance their potential to be successful in the digital transformation.

The authors found new evidence showing that the degree to which social media agility affected business performance depended significantly on the firm characteristics in terms of firm size, as well as the environmental factor in terms of environmental dynamism. These findings provide valuable contributions to the existing literature that still lacks evidence about the moderating conditions that could increase or reduce the benefits that firms obtain from social media agility.

Firm size is an important contingency variable in macro-organizational studies. Several questions arise in relation to knowledge management and organizational size that is critical to both public and private organizations. Unfortunately, despite its significance, all or most of the studies that examined the effects of organizational size’ on knowledge management have been in the private sector. This paper aims to empirically study the effects of organizational size on the key knowledge management processes and subsequent operational efficiency derived from its implementation in the public sector.

A structured country-wide survey of United Arab Emirates public sector organizations was conducted. The 383 completed responses obtained were then analysed to assess the hypothesized differences in the implementation of knowledge management processes (knowledge acquisition, knowledge creation, knowledge capture, knowledge storage and retrieval, knowledge sharing, knowledge utilization) and its impact on the operational efficiency across small and medium, large and very large public sector organizations.

The results revealed that the extent of implementation of all six knowledge management processes and operational efficiency followed an inverted “V” pattern, in which, both knowledge management processes and operational efficiency was found to increase while transitioning from small and medium entities to large entities, but was found to decrease while transitioning from large to very large entities. In terms of relationships, while all knowledge management processes had a significant positive impact on the operational efficiency of the public sector, the ability to derive operational efficiency from knowledge management processes was found to be the highest for very large public sector organizations.

The novel findings are useful for practitioners and policymakers, especially those overseeing a country’s knowledge management initiatives to devise strategies, policies and support mechanisms to ensure public sector organizations, regardless of their size, can implement efficient and effective knowledge management processes to improve their operational efficiency.

The study is arguably the first comprehensive attempt to understand the impact of organizational size on knowledge management in the public sector.