Search results

The purpose of this (qualitative, multiple-case) study is to determine how small-to medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders in Nigeria use information and communication technology (ICT) adoption as a business strategy to increase profitability and compete globally.

The participants for this study consisted of executive-level SME leaders who had the authority to approve ICT implementation within their respective organizations. Individual interviews were undertaken with participants to gain an understanding of their experience of determining the merits of and implementing ICT. The technology acceptance model, which specifies the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward computer use and intention to use technology, was applied as a framework to explain the Nigerian SME’s ICT adoption strategies.

Four major themes emerged from the data analysis: ICT adoption factors, ICT roles and benefits, role of government and SME success factors. The findings of this study may help SME leaders and government leaders address many of the factors inhibiting the adoption of ICT in SMEs in Nigeria.

This study may ensure that SMEs are successful and able to create jobs, which in turn may help to promote socioeconomic development through adoption of ICT.

The findings from this study contribute to the knowledge base regarding factors that affect ICT adoption by SME leaders as a business strategy to increase profitability and compete globally, particularly within SMEs in Lagos, Nigeria. It further addressed the gap in existing literature regarding other factors such as the influence of culture on ICT adoption, cost of ICT implementation, available ICT skills, infrastructure and ICT knowledge gap as the primary impeding factors of ICT adoption in Nigerian SMEs.

The purpose of this paper is to address the current deficit in the literature on social media adoption within a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) context. The authors adopt an action research methodology and through in-depth case analysis of eight SME cases aim to develop a theoretical model through which more effective social media adoption by SMEs can be better understood.

In this study a deep and enduring engagement between the research team and eight small to medium-sized firms over a period of two years, from 2009-2011, informed the emergence and development of a theoretical model. In this research, using an action research methodology, the authors examine the nature and character of the challenges being faced by SME owner/managers as they consider adopting and utilising social media for commercial advantage and the evolution of the model through this engagement.

The insights gained from the case companies indicated a variety of different approaches to social media adoption which often varied by organisational context and staff competency level. A universally common motivator for thinking about social media adoption was that the case companies shared an anxiety were they not to adopt what was perceived to be a new essential tool for business growth. Little evidence was found in the cases of such adoption behaviour being driven by a purposeful or thoughtful agenda through which value could be added to the customer experience.

Implications cluster around issues of customer orientation in the case companies under study and the extent to which owner/managers are seduced by the capability of new technology without thinking through the way in which such new technology might add value to customers. This raises an imperative for further research in the specific area of social media adoption behaviours in SMEs and more generally at the marketing/technology interface. Limitations of this study include the relatively small sample and the locus of the study being confined to Ireland.

At the level of practice there are significant implications for decision makers in small firms to become more attuned to how technology can meaningfully add value to the customer experience. For educators, trainers and consultants there are implications for a more questioning and critical perspective to be undertaken when advising owner/managers on the merits of new technology adoption.

The paper adds to the growing literature in social media adoption but is distinctive given the longitudinal nature of the study and the evolution of a model that identifies and describes the issues uncovered in the world of the SME practitioner with respect to the new world of social media.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Owner-managed businesses were once the backbone of successful industry in the UK. However in the post-Second World War decades “big business” became the preferred model, with industries developing around new technologies. Today, as large industry is increasingly moving to countries with lower human-resource costs, the small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) is becoming the business model of choice for UK entrepreneurs. Understanding what makes a SME succeed or fail can provide guidance to both individual business owners and government agencies tasked with promoting economic growth.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The adoption of integrated computer‐based manufacturing and management techniques by small, traditional engineering companies often represents an unaffordable and high risk investment strategy in technology that is often not well understood by its recipients. Paradoxically, the opportunity for complete success in a small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) is greater than in a large company which very often is incapable of full integration due to the divisions and inertia implicit in a large hierarchical organization. To derive full benefits from such an investment the company must possess a meticulous understanding of its market, fiscal environment, operations management, engineering and technological skills, manufacturing facilities and product range. It must adopt an appropriate implementation of CIM that does not debase previous ad hoc investments in what are often termed islands‐of‐automation or information technology. For success a well‐planned stepwise approach is vital. Reports on the approach adopted by a small to medium‐sized Scottish engineering company specializing in the production of mechanical actuation systems. Over a three‐year period the company embarked on a low‐cost, phased implementation of software and hardware systems that exploit a database to integrate its design, manufacturing the business operations. A major element in these systems is the distributed Command, Communication and Control (C₃) environment which has transformed the effectiveness of operations. The company′s investments were based on a prudent assessment of its current and planned product range, existing and planned manufacturing facilities, the scale of its operations and business objectives.

Considers an area of growing importance in marketing research. Small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) are continuing to play an increasing role in the development of western economies. Puts forward the argument that existing approaches to conducting marketing research in SMEs are rooted in the big firm mindset and, therefore, in positivist thinking, tending to focus mainly on survey methods. Examines the various orientations that predominate in and shape the SME context. Develops a research position with a syncretised qualitative research methodology outlined and applied to a research project carried out by one of the authors into 57 small firms in the UK. All of the orientations of the SMEs appeared rooted, to a large extent, in one or more highly influential individuals who fashion the culture and direction of these firms. Argues for an approach to research in SMEs that recognises the various influencing orientations including the impact on marketing research and the role of the entrepreneurial individual.

The purpose of this paper is to examine state promotion of private sector development in China, with particular emphasis on local configurations of support and service provision.

Via analysis of two cases, constraints on the development of small‐ to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) support and enabling environments and infrastructures are explored.

The cases highlight several fundamental constraints to state support for private sector development, including: an under‐developed market for business development and other support services; lack of budgetary facility in municipalities to resource publicly supported services to private SMEs; a lack of expertise within local government to develop mechanisms to engage with and support the development of privately owned enterprises.

The localised nature of implementation of the 2003 SME Promotion Law, at municipal and county level, appears to be a constraint on systematic development of comprehensive SME support systems, as mandated by this law.

First, the private sector has grown without emergence of a purposive infrastructure of direct state support to enable this development, which appears to be a positive outcome from reform. Second, future private sector growth may be constrained should local government not develop mechanisms to engage with the private sector to enable its continued growth and development.

The paper offers insight into current, and future, relations state promotion of enterprise in China.

The purpose of this paper is to share the successful lean implementation experience of a small to medium enterprise (SME) and the resultant performance improvement including the development of a quality management climate.

An action research (AR) approach was used with two successive rounds of interventions.

The results from this project show that the organization was indeed able to build a quality climate as measured by the total defect count. Results include a measurable reduction in non-conformances.

The study took place in a single organization and, as such, it is difficult to generalize the results of the research. However, the benefit of studying one organization is the depth at which the organization may be studied. The major takeaway is that any organization of any size or any industry can increase the quality climate of the organization by intensely focusing on a minimal number of high-impact factors.

The research fills a gap identified in the literature regarding the critical success factors for lean implementation in SMEs and practitioner/academic collaboration in research activities. Moreover, there are very few research studies in the lean literature that provide the practical insights that may be garnered from an AR approach. Thus, both the context and methodological approach contribute to the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to examine academic literature and business regulation for company formation in Estonia in relation to small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). It is an example of a country which is a new member of the expanded European Union (EU) and its regulation.

This exploratory paper makes use of World Bank Surveys, primary business law sources together with an interview from a business within the country assessed giving a grass‐roots perspective.

The investigation reaffirms the importance of SMEs within transitional economies from a Soviet background such as Estonia because of the Socialist black hole. It also emphasizes the correlation between SME development and business law and the significance and key aspects of company formation for an SME. Furthermore, transition economies like Estonia have complied with EU directives for company formation and advanced within the regulation process quickly. However, it is still more difficult for a person or entity from another EU Member State to form a company in Estonia.

This research demonstrates that compliance on EU regulation for company formation by a new EU member has been provided for within the regulation of the wording. It also indicates that for an entity from another EU state (other than Estonia) it is slightly more difficult to form a company. Unofficial costs, a legacy from the Soviet period are almost non‐existent within the Estonian company registration system. Some of the gaps within the World Bank Surveys are filled by the interview, although further evaluation is needed from other academics.

The research highlights the importance of company formation for SMEs, the compliance of a new EU Member State with EU directives, and the reality of company formation regulation for an SME in Estonia.

The purpose of this paper is to describe different concepts of valuable knowledge that are perceived to be lost when an older expert departs from a knowledge-intensive organisation.

A multiple case research methodology and semi-structured interviews involving 17 participants from five small-to-medium enterprises (SME).

Five concepts of valuable knowledge have emerged from the interviews: subject matter expertise; knowledge about business relationships and social networks; organisational knowledge and institutional memory; knowledge of business systems, processes and value chains; and knowledge of governance.

The scope of the research project is restricted to SMEs in New Zealand and this restriction limits the generalisation of the results to other contexts. This study may serve as a starting point for future investigations including larger organisations that may have a greater number of older experts.

By identifying the different types of older experts' knowledge, organisations are able to realise the potential of retaining that knowledge within the organisation.

This is one of the first investigations of the knowledge that older experts in the professional services industry possess within a small-to-medium enterprise context.

Examines the penetration of the small‐ to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) sector by the rapidly growing practice of benchmarking, hitherto more usually employed by large companies. The specific needs of this business type have to date been sadly neglected by both academic and governmental attempts at disseminating “best practice”. Following a survey of over 200 SMEs, which clearly identified a “performance information gap”, the author has undertaken extensive quantitative and qualitative interviews with 25 senior managers, and built a picture of both current usage and the perceived or actual barriers to greater use of the technique. Concludes that the practice of benchmarking in SMEs is embryonic, that little progress can be made by even enlightened managers until the barriers are understood, and that a range of tools and techniques which are capable of accommodating the idiosyncrasies of small businesses need to be developed and made accessible.