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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Small and medium enterprises (SME)'

Author: Grafiati
Published: 4 June 2021
Last updated: 28 May 2022

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1

Magad, Ahmad Mohamed. "Strategic planning in SMEs in Singapore : SME multi-agency alliance, environmental impact and SME performance." Thesis, Henley Business School, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.274792.

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2

Buleje, Miguel. "The Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems on Small and Medium Enterprises." NSUWorks, 2014. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/108.

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Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are considered the price of entry in today's business environment, and the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) retiring legacy systems in favor of ERP systems is increasing exponentially. However, there is a lack of knowledge and awareness of ERP systems and their potential benefit and effect on performance, and overall value to SMEs. While ERP adoption costs and potential benefits are high, it is not apparent whether the end result will translate into higher productivity for SMEs. The goal of this study is to evaluate the benefits that accrue to a firm on adoption of an ERP system. In the context of SME, a production function approach is used to assess benefits over short and long term. In addition to the production function approach, a variety of related methods such as those based on stock market valuation and Tobin's Q are examined. Data were collected using the well-known CRSP datasets for SMEs. Analysis of data suggests that ERP implementation has no effect on firm's performance as measured by profit margins, Tobin's Q ratio and Labor productivity. In fact, ERP investments do not yield noticeable improvements on the performance measures even four years after implementation. Weaknesses in data suggest that the conclusion may be seen as tentative. The results of this research study, added value to the academic knowledge base by helping to understand the effects ERPs have on SMEs overall performance.
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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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4

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 &
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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 &
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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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Cakmak, Aslihan. "Internationalization Strategies of Service Sector Small and Medium Enterprises in Turkey." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4717.

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Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have a significant role in most emerging and developing economies. To increase the probability of survival of their SMEs and achieve sustainable growth, some SME leaders expand their business operations beyond national borders by implementing internationalization strategies. Internationalization is crucial to SME survival. The conceptual framework of this study consisted of a multitheory model including stage model, network theory, and new venture theory. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies that Turkish information communication technology (ICT) SME leaders used to internationalize their business operations. Ten SME leaders, who led a variety of high-tech service SMEs operating in the ICT service sector in Turkey, served as participants for this study. The company documents, reports, and government documents were used to triangulate the interview data. Yin's 5-step method to data analysis resulted in the development of 5 themes: Turkish SME leaders have an active role in internationalization, geographical distance and culture are the 2 main factors of consideration when developing internationalization strategies, managerial attitude supports internationalization, Turkish SME leaders choose low commitment entry methods when entering foreign markets, and relationships is the main source the SME leaders rely on when internationalizing. The findings of this study may help SME leaders to implement successful internationalization strategies to their business operations and achieve sustainable growth of their SMEs, which may contribute to social change by improving both local and host country economies and the well-being of their citizens.
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Peters, Yvette Julianne. "Exploring Leadership Skills for the Sustainability of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6854.

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute to the stability and growth of economies by creating employment in rural and urban areas. More than 60% of SMEs do not survive for longer than 5 years; a lack of leadership skills is among the key problems. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the leadership skills owners-managers used to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. Research participants were 4 owners-managers of SMEs from the manufacturing industry in Trinidad and Tobago that sustained their businesses for at least 5 years. The contingency leadership model and the skill-based leadership model formed the conceptual lens for this study. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and direct observations. Data were analyzed using Miles and Huberman's analytical strategies and Morse's cognitive process of coding, pattern matching, interpreting, and summarizing the data. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: leadership skills, leadership values, development of leadership skills, leadership challenges, and improvement in leadership skills. The findings from this study could influence positive social change by providing insights on leadership skills SME leaders could use to sustain their operations for the longer term, resulting in reduced failure of SMEs. A decrease in the failure rate of SMEs might contribute to improved economic conditions, leading to the reduction of poverty in families and communities.
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7

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: &
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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.
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8

Tomás, Rafael da Fonseca. "Export intensity and financial performance of Portuguese Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/8723.

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Mestrado em Finanças
O objectivo desta investigação é estudar a intensidade exportadora das Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PME) em Portugal. A relação entre a intensidade exportadora e o desempenho financeiro é analisado em detalhe. A análise empírica é baseada na amostra das PME da indústria transformadora obtida através dos dados contabilísticos do Sistema de Contas Integradas das Empresas (SCIE). São analisados dois modelos de intensidade exportadora das PME, linear e probit, tendo em conta dois tipos de variáveis dependentes: (i) a percentagem das vendas no mercado externo (considerando-se; e (ii) uma variável binária que mede a predominância exportadora (valor 1 para percentagens de vendas externas superiores a 50%). Como variáveis explicativas foram testadas variáveis relacionadas com as características das empresas (por exemplo, dimensão, nível tecnológico, custos salariais) e com o desempenho financeiro (por exemplo, endividamento, autonomia financeira). Os resultados são mistos dependendo do modelo e da amostra estudada, no entanto, no geral, o retorno sobre os activos, a produtividade, o resultado líquido e o rácio da dívida têm uma relação positiva com a intensidade exportadora. A dimensão e o nível tecnológico também têm um impacto positivo. O salário médio por trabalhador tem um efeito negativo na intensidade exportadora, sugerindo uma competitividade internacional baseada nos custos.
The purpose of this investigation is to explain the export intensity of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) in Portugal. The relation between export intensity and financial performance is analyzed in detail. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of SME firms from the manufacturing sector obtained from the firm-level accounting data Sistema de Contas Integradas das Empresas (SCIE). Two models of export intensity of SMEs are analyzed, linear and probit, considering two kinds of dependent variables: (i) the percentage of foreign sales (considering; and (ii) a binary variable that measures the predominance (value 1 for percentages of foreign sales higher than 50%). As explanatory variables are tested variables related to company characteristics (e.g. size, technological level, wage costs) and to financial performance (e.g. debt, financial autonomy). Results are mixed depending on the model or sample studied, however, in general, return on assets, productivity, net result and debt-to-equity ratio have a positive relationship with the export intensity. Size and technological level also impacted positively. Average wage has a negative effect on export intensity, suggesting an international competitiveness based on costs.
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9

Watse, Dije Umaru. "Sources of Financing for Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4690.

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Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which account for 96% of businesses in Nigeria are often forced to close because they lack access to funds. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the sources of funds available for the development and growth of SMEs in Nigeria. The conceptual framework guiding this study was the pecking order theory. Data were gathered from company documents and through semistructured interviews of a target population of 3 leaders of 3 SMEs from the oil and gas industry in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos in Nigeria, with a capitalization of between N5 million to N500 million. Data were compiled and organized, disassembled into fragments, reassembled into a sequence of groups, and interpreted for meaning. Member checking and triangulation of sources between the interviews and company documents added to the trustworthiness of the findings. Two themes morphed from the study: sources of business finance for SMEs and constraints of sourcing of finance for business. The implications for positive social change include the potential to create employment opportunities for youths in the communities by enabling SMEs in Nigeria to succeed and expand through the identification of sources of funding.
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10

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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11

Palacios-Rodriguez, Roberto. "A systemic approach to understanding SME development : applying TSI in the Mexican context." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.263957.

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12

Pownall, Ian Edward. "The application of EU small firm policy in peripheral regions : competitiveness and regional development in the Mid West of Ireland." Thesis, Staffordshire University, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.342576.

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13

Rutter, Kenneth Alan. "Strategic issue interpretation among managing directors of UK boat building companies." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.310461.

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14

Havrilenko, N. G. "The Social Responsibility in the Development Entrepreneurship SME (SMALL and MEDIUM BUSINESS)." Thesis, Київський національний університет технологій та дизайну, 2017. https://er.knutd.edu.ua/handle/123456789/8453.

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15

Blake, Hugh Anthony. "Strategies to Sustain Small and Medium-size Manufacturing Enterprises in Jamaica." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6172.

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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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Hung, Pui-ling Elsa. "Government support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs)." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2003. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B31967206.

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Liu, Mengdi Mandy. "Financial and non-financial information transfer and communication within small and medium enterprises." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Commerce, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/10346.

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This participant-observation study explores the process of gathering and evaluating both financial and non-financial information and communication and transfer of that information within a medium-size Electrical Company in Christchurch, New Zealand. The previous literature has established the importance and the main characteristics of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), mainly studying manufacturing companies. However, there has been little research done in New Zealand on the overall communication process and the financial and non-financial information usage in a small-medium enterprise. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with all the office employees and two partners, along with a ten month participant-observation in the Electrical Company in order to understand how financial and non-financial information is communicated and processed in an SME. Also, research in an SME that has overcome the 2008 economic depression and several major earthquakes allows a deep understanding of lessons learned and what is valued by the Electrical Company. The research has found characteristics of this SME similar to those that have been mentioned in previous literature. However, the partners of the Electrical Company understand the importance of financial management and use financial information extensively to ensure the business expenses are under control. Moreover, the partners use more than just financial information to manage the company. They gather non-financial information through talking to their accountant, their customers and people in the same industry and they keenly follow the news on the rebuilding of Christchurch.
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Gäck, Madeleine, and Mahmutovic Emma Rijalda. "Belöningsystem i Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) : Vilken påverkan har belöningar på medarbetarnas motivation i SME företag?" Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-45205.

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Sammanfattning Titel: Belöningssystem i Small and Medium- Sized Enterprises (SME) - Hur påverkarbelöningar medarbetarnas motivation? Ämne: Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi - inriktning verksamhetsstyrning, 15 HP Författare: Madeleine Gäck & Emma Rijalda Mahmutovic Nyckelord: Motivation, motivationsteorier, SME, Belöning. Problemformulering: Vilken påverkan har belöningar på medarbetarnas motivation i SMEföretag? Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att få en djupare förståelse för hur belöningar används i SME företagför att anställda ska känna motivation i sitt arbete samt undersöka för- och nackdelarna som uppstår när belöningar används för att motivera sina anställda. Vi vill undersöka hur medarbetarna upplever motivation kopplat till belöningarnas utformning och om det är någonskillnad på om belöningarna är finansiella eller icke finansiella. Metod: Studien utgår från en abduktiv forskningsansats och en kvalitativundersökningsmetod genom intervjuer med anställda från tre företag som verkar i olikabranscher, för att skapa en djupare förståelse hur belöning påverkar anställdas motivation. Slutsats: Det som tydligt har framkommit med vår studie är att icke finansiella belöningar ärdet som påverkar anställdas inre motivation på en längre sikt. Det har framkommit attfinansiella belöningar som lön även skulle kunna uppfattas som en icke finansiell belöning,eftersom de anställda upplever lön som ett bevis på uppskattning.
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Kajtazi, Ariana. "A case study of InterAdria; regarding security strategy of a SME." Thesis, Växjö University, School of Mathematics and Systems Engineering, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:vxu:diva-2266.

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Today, security strategy has a crucial role in society, which does not imply only to large companies, but also and especially to Small Medium Enterprises (SME’s).

The intention of this thesis is to provide instructions and help enterprises that need assistance in applying proper security strategy. This thesis comprises the most crucial areas of security within an enterprise. Its aim is to study more deeply the situation of the current security strategy, of a telecom and a software development enterprise, by which the enterprise can extract enough information to provide a proper system. The purpose is to study, analyze, explore and bring some conclusions with new ideas on how to improve and propose a new security strategy that can fit and that can be appropriate for this enterprise.

Regarding the exploration and research for the enterprise, “fragile assets” are the target to be taken in consideration such as “software”, “databases” and “important data”.

The method which is used in this thesis, is the case study method, which has best suited the purpose of this thesis by covering the logic of design, data collection techniques and data analysis. As a theory the OCTAVE-sm approach was applied. This approach has three phases which each contains its own processes. These processes were followed and used for the evaluation of the current state in one Small Medium Enterprise (SME) called InterAdria. The use of OCTAVE-sm approach in this thesis can be a guide to all other Small Medium Enterprises (SME’s) that struggle with their security strategy same as the enterprise mentioned above. The conclusion was based on the entire data gathering that was done by following the steps of the Octave-sm approach.

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20

Eriksson, Johan, and Muyu Li. "Success factors of entrepreneurial small and medium sized enterprises in the Gnosjö municipality." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-18277.

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Date of final Seminar: June 8th, 2012 Title: Success factors of entrepreneurial small and medium sized enterprises in Gnosjö municipality Authors:    Johan Eriksson and Muyu Li Group Number: 2898 Supervisor: Michaël Le Duc Examiner: Ole Liljefors Research Question: What important factors affect the success of entrepreneurial SMEs in the Gnosjö municipality? Background: With the economic crisis and recession, the world has begun to take notice of SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises). With an unemployment rate of just 1% and about 1500 companies - most of them successful by almost any definition and with a population of 9500, if there is such a thing as an SME region in Sweden, the Gnosjö municipality is it. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyze some of the factors that influence the success of companies with a special focus on entrepreneurial SMEs in the Gnosjö municipality. Method: The main method of this study is to use primary data in the form of interviews with local company owners or executives, with the interview questions being based on theories generated from the critical literature review. The authors are able to distinguish successful SMEs with an entrepreneurial focus among companies located in the Gnosjö municipality. By utilizing the method of semi-structured interviews, the authors gathered data from a sample of 20 top performing companies. With the theory generated from literature, the authors analyze the primary data, thus being able to find the answer to the research question. Conclusion: There is a relationship between general company success factors and factors driving success for companies in Gnosjö. However, compared to best-in-class, there is definite room for improvement, with regards to company operations as well as to the external factors that affect companies in Gnosjö. Keywords: Gnosjö, definition of entrepreneur, definition of success, success factors.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank our kind and dedicated supervisor Michaël Le Duc for his aid and assistance in the process of authoring this thesis.

The authors would also like to thank not only our thesis group colleagues who have provided us with valuable insights and good advice but also the participating companies in the Gnosjö municipality for their kind contributions to the interviews that form the basis of this thesis.

Finally, the authors would like to thank our beloved family members for their great support throughout the creation of this thesis.

Without all of you, this thesis could not have been done.

Thank you all very much!

Johan Eriksson and Muyu Li

June 20, 2012

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21

Kashim, Abdul Rashid. "Exploring the Strategies for Accessing Microloans Used by Small and Medium Enterprises." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5359.

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The inability of small and medium enterprises to access microloans from microfinance banks is a major concern in business growth and development in Nigeria. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore strategies for accessing microloans from microfinance banks by owners of small and medium enterprises for business growth and survival. Using the conceptual framework on social capital theory, I selected 20 small and medium enterprises owners who have accessed microloans from microfinance banks and have operated their businesses beyond 5 years with significant growth were interviewed using face-to-face semistructured interviews. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviews of company documents. The use of member checking strengthened the trustworthiness of the interpretation of the participants' responses. A phenomenological approach was used for the qualitative interview with data analysis using a descriptive method. Nine themes emerged from this study: Obtaining a saving account before accessing microloans, group members serving as collateral, business social networks, business sustainability strategies, historical financial health, maintaining loan repayment deadlines, archiving business documents, use of competent guarantors, and strength and weakness analyses. The findings of the study may contribute to positive social change to create awareness among SMEs leaders in federal and state government, and individuals on how to gain access to microloans, thereby improving profitability, generating employment, reducing poverty, and enhancing standards of living among SME owners in Nigeria.
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熊佩玲 and Pui-ling Elsa Hung. "Government support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs)." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2003. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31967206.

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Alfaadhel, Saud. "An empirical study of critical sucess factors for small and medium enterprises in Saudi Arabia : challenges and opportunities." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/4909.

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Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are considered to be a most efficient tool which is able to push economic and social development to experience significant progress and development as they offer useful services to consumers, and provide much needed employment. With this in consideration, they are useful for training, acquiring experience and technical and managerial skills. The objectives of this research are to identify the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for SMEs in Saudi Arabia. Based on the literature review, 20 factors have been identified and subsequently structured into three groups, namely entrepreneurial, enterprise and environmental factors. The study also focuses on the SMEs Support Programme by identifying the current situation and accordingly providing recommendations based on those made by the support providers. Data have been collected by utilising a mixed method approach: first, 146 postal questionnaires with SME owners/managers have been analysed by using SPSS; second, in order to gain further understanding of the situation and particular challenges, 15 in-depth interviews with support providers have been conducted; and third, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been used to analyse the pairwise comparison of the factors. The main findings of this study are that, for the CSFs for SMEs in Saudi Arabia, three factors are deemed to be important both for owners/managers and support providers. These factors are quality of the product and service, customer satisfaction, and business planning. The findings also indicate that there are many 'important support gaps' which show that existing support needs to be addressed in order to improve and develop the support structure.
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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'internationalisation
In 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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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.
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Chambers, Donald G. "Cultural Factors: Entrepreneurial Orientation or Not-Here Comes Innovation in Small to Medium Sized Enterprises." Case Western Reserve University Doctor of Management / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=casedm1568628001000225.

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Dlodlo, N., and C. Mafini. "Internet marketing benefits for South African SME owner-managers." Journal for New Generation Sciences, Vol 12, Issue 1: Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/651.

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With the recent explosion of global marketing strategies, business enterprises have to contend with severe and escalating competition. To sustain competitiveness, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa should produce high-quality, customised goods and services efficiently. Adoption of Internet marketing technologies is fundamental towards meeting this challenge. However, the adoption and diffusion of technologies in marketing practices is the outcome of purposeful processes emanating from the realisation by SMEs that adoption of these technologies yields significant paybacks. The purpose of this study was to establish the managers' perceptions of the benefits of Internet marketing adoption in small and medium enterprises. Using a quantitative approach, a questionnaire was administered to owner-managers of small and medium enterprises in the Vaal Triangle in South Africa. A total of 269 questionnaires were completed, returned and considered useful for the survey. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and factor analysis in order to establish the factors considered to be the salient Internet marketing benefits. Four underlying factors were extracted namely: customer relationship building, information gathering, promotion and enhanced productivity. The mean scores indicated that information gathering was perceived as most important, but after sturdier tests for association were applied to the data set, customer relationship management demonstrated the most significant and positive correlation with SME productivity. As such, there is need for the small and medium enterprises to develop strategies to expand and sustain the identified benefits of Internet marketing.
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Salah, Kabanda. "E-commerce and small and medium enterprises (SME) in least developed countries : the case of Tanzania." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5646.

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Includes bibliographical references.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the E-Commerce phenomena in Tanzania with the goal of understanding how E-Commerce is typically made sense of by Tanzanian SMEs and how the sense making is produced, sustained and affected by environmental and organisational conditions. Structuration theory was used as a theoretical lens from which the social construction of the E-Commerce phenomena could be understood. The study primarily adopted a subjective interpretive stance. A preliminary quantitative study using questionnaires and interviews was done to gain an initial understanding of the E-Commerce status quo in Tanzania. The main study was qualitative in nature and used interviews with 33 Tanzanian SMEs as the data collection method.
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von, Axelson Jens. "Transfer of pruduction knowledge to small and medium-size enterprises : a suggested model." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Production Engineering, 2005. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-290.

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Petrovski, Viktor, and Yinjie Shi. "A Cross-Country Case Study : Comparison of the Internationalization Processes Between Swedish and Chinese Small and Medium Enterprises." Thesis, Halmstad University, School of Business and Engineering (SET), 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-2500.

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Due to the globalization trend, the internationalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has become a common practice in the last decades. The previous literature suggested that there are many different determinants of the internationalization process. However, in this research study, we focused on only three determinants – institutions, networks, and entrepreneur and their influence on the internationalization process. More specifically, we identified the significance of the three determinants and tested their influence on the internationalization process and compared the similarities and differences between the SMEs in Sweden and China.

A qualitative study was carried out to help determine the purpose of the paper, where data was collected through four case studies – two from each country, within the toy industry. The primary data was collected through personal phone-interviews with the CEOs of the four toy companies, complemented with secondary data collected from the companies’ web sites.

The empirical findings and analysis brought some interesting conclusions. The three determinants – institutions, networks and entrepreneur influence the internationalization process in one way or another. Firstly, institutions influence both networks and entrepreneur, but there is no evidence showing that networks and entrepreneur influence institutions. The institutions are also the key determinants of the internationalization process of Chinese SMEs. Secondly, networks and entrepreneur are interrelated to each other and play a key role in the internationalization process of Swedish SMEs, and somewhat influence the Chinese SMEs as well.

Thus, these three determinants are extremely important for the internationalization process and they have to be taken into consideration during the international expansion.

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31

Jensen, Joan, and n/a. "Electronic Commerce and Small and Medium Business Enterprises." University of Canberra. n/a, 2005. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20070517.130605.

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The aim of this research was to discover the issues influencing the adoption of e-commerce by small and medium business enterprises (SMEs) in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The demand aspect of the theory of diffusion of innovation enabled the formulation of a number of research propositions which formed the focus for this research. Seventy-five randomly-selected SMEs within the ACT were interviewed. Of these seventy five, fifty had adopted e-commerce and twenty-five had not. Findings complemented results from other studies, but also added to them. Factors from the demand aspect of the theory of time, resources (personnel, financial, technological), business organisation, size, return on investment, push by outside agencies or clients, and communication channels were found to be of little importance. Of greater importance were characteristics of the SME operators themselves (such as their innovativeness, their relative youth and educational level), the size of their business, the number of years it had been operating, and marketing issues. A prime consideration was that of attaining and maintaining a competitive edge over their competitors. Security and privacy issues were of little consideration prior to the adoption process, but became of much greater importance once SMEs had adopted e-commerce. Some things discovered by this research that have not appeared in the reporting of other studies included: � The importance of tertiary education for the primary decision-makers in the organisation; � The role banks played in the adoption process; � The high cost and difficulty of compliance with government regulations, especially regarding the employment of staff; and � The lack of use of specifically established communication channels, set up by government bodies or associated industry organisations to educate and inform SMEs about the potential and process of e-commerce. Results of this research have implications for a large number of associated stakeholders � government, educational institutions, and trade, industry and professional associations � and as such deserve to be widely disseminated.
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Okundaye, Kessington Enaye. "Adoption of Information and Communication Technology in Nigerian Small- to Medium-Size Enterprises." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2679.

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Small- to medium-size enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in a dynamic economy through job creation, poverty alleviation, and socioeconomic development in developed and developing countries. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how SME leaders in Lagos, Nigeria, adopted information and communication technology (ICT) as a business strategy to increase profitability and compete globally. Organizational leaders have adopted ICT so that their organizations can become more efficient, effective, innovative, and globally competitive. This study involved 4 SMEs that had successfully implemented ICT. The participants included 5 SME leaders from each of the SMEs. The data collection method included in-person semistructured interviews of participants and review of existing company data. Data were analyzed using inductive data analysis, which included member checking to ensure trustworthiness of interpretations and occurred until theoretical saturation had occurred. The technology acceptance model (TAM), 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. The findings of this study may positively affect social change by ensuring that SMEs are successful and able to create jobs, which in turn may help to alleviate poverty and promote socioeconomic development through adoption of ICT.
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Vorel, Lukáš. "Internet marketing in SME." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2009. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-18169.

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This thesis aims to explore concrete ways of application of internet marketing for promotion of a small service oriented business-to-business (B2B) company in broader context of the so-called new economy. To support the validity of the presented applications the thesis first draws on well-established theory of marketing concepts. In the second part of the paper, the role of internet marketing in business strategy of small and medium sized enterprises is explored. The thesis then continues with detailed description of particular tools of internet marketing and discusses their relevance and most appropriate application in the chosen field. In the application part of this thesis, the tools of Google Search Engine Marketing, which are perceived as the most efficient agent of small business promotion, are field-tested in a real small business promotion campaign. Finally, the thesis concludes with discussion of possibilities of future development in the field of internet marketing and sums up the overall findings of this paper. Throughout this thesis, the examined new technologies are regarded through the lenses of practical experience reported by their users and, at the same time, with consideration to established theoretical framework.
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Bača, Slavomír. "Comparative analysis of business environment conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises within V4 countries." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2013. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-198434.

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The main aim of the master's thesis is to clarify the problematic of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), analyse relevancy and historical development of selected ratios influencing business environment conditions for SMEs, and determine the best country within V4 region in terms of favourableness of selected business environment conditions for 2014. Theoretical part of the thesis discusses the problematic of SMEs from different points of view emphasizing on the approach of European Union. Based on literature relevant indicators are selected and presented for each V4 country individually. Analytical part of the thesis analyses external environment conditions for SMEs within V4 region in 2014 through five groups of indicators: Taxation, Labour Cost, Demand, Corruption and Law Enforcement, and Easy of Doing Business. The whole analysis is conducted based on secondary data and method of indexes. All of the five groups of indicators are analysed separately and based on these results the final ranking is created. The results of the study show relatively similar business conditions for SMEs within V4 area with Poland having the best SMEs business environment in 2014.
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35

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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36

Perkins, Graham Michael. "Factors external to the individual encouraging idea generation in SME contexts." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/3039.

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This thesis sets out to explore factors external to the individual that encourage creative idea generation in SME environments, understanding their importance in a variety of organisational contexts. The original contribution to knowledge made by this thesis is the creation of a framework which aids understanding by splitting the various factors into those responsible for initiating and sustaining idea generation. Literature concerning creative idea generation is continuously developing and contains a broad spectrum of topics and understandings. Key amongst these are leadership, the nature of creative idea generation, theories such as the ‘strength of weak ties’, collective creativity and the concept of ‘flow’. Fieldwork followed a primarily qualitative, inductive approach, using exploratory surveys, semi-structured interviews and participant observation to develop rich narrative ‘stories’ of idea generation for ten different organisations. Data was analysed in accordance with the principles of grounded theory and resulted in numerous novel findings such as the importance of internal organisational contacts to the development of ideas, the notion that organisational visions can be used to guide idea generation and the effect that physical distance has on the development of interpersonal ties. Leadership also featured heavily within the analysis process with it being found that a combination of transformational and servant qualities best enables idea generation in SME contexts. These and other findings were reflected in the final framework produced by this thesis. From a practical perspective findings from this study arguably have implications for both organisational and leadership development in SME contexts, although overall generalisability is hindered by the chosen sample. Future studies could potentially focus on applying quantitative methodologies to verify the final framework or extend understandings by interlinking organisational factors discussed by this thesis with individual characteristics, mental process and/or experiences that are also known to drive creative idea production.
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Jonas, Julia, and Stefan Eriksson. "Sustainable Business at Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) : The Case of Coffee Queen AB." Thesis, Karlstad University, Service Research Center, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-1149.

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Society demands more and more that corporations take over responsibility on the effects of their business actions in a stakeholder view. Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance are catchwords in this context that stand for a management view there one focuses on more than profits and quality. In corporate responsibility management one takes a stakeholder view and integrates also issues such as supplier relations, supply chain management, environmental practices and sustainability as well as labor standards and human rights into the management view. The integration and balance between economic, environmental and social issues going above legal requirements is called triple bottom line thinking.

Today, corporate responsibility is no more only an issue for large international corporations but also for SMEs with limited resources and less market power. The purpose of this thesis is to describe and understand how a sustainable business approach can develop and be maintained in SMEs. By examining the case Coffee Queen, we want to find out about driving forces for development of corporate responsibility.

To receive nuanced information and deeper insight into the corporate responsibility of a company, a single case study with a qualitative research approach was chosen. The empirical material for this case was collected during a visit of Coffee Queens’ plant in Arvika and three open personal interviews.

Based on a literature review and narratives from the empirical material it was found that driving forces for the development towards sustainable business are strongly related to leadership by values. The engagement of one or more organization members that are supported by the top management and a values base that gives a framework for corporate behavior and supports the reputation of the company were found to be important variables to reach an ISO 14000 certification for Coffee Queen. From the management side, the corporate responsibility can be seen as a market requirement and used as a marketing tool for competitive advantage. A strategic approach to corporate responsibility was appeared to be helpful as it increases the accountability of positions, and demanded in SMEs.

Total quality management according to ISO 9000 and 14000 was in this context found as additional driver for sustainable development. On a basis of continuous improvement companies have to forward their positions step-by-step towards an integrated sustainability approach. This idea of corporate responsibility development is demonstrated by a model showing the steps towards an integrated triple bottom line.

With these findings, this study provides insight into corporate responsibility in a SME and links values-based management and quality management to the process of developing a sustainable business approach.

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Afshar, Faranak. "Investigating the Determinants of Disaster Recovery Technology Investment Choice in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises." NSUWorks, 2014. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/7.

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Due to the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as drivers of economic growth, it is essential to explore the security issues impacting SMEs' success and failure. One of the main security risks that could significantly impair the operability of the organizations is the permanent loss of data due to man-made and/or natural disasters and interruptions. Research has shown that SMEs are not taking disaster preparedness for their computer and networking systems as seriously as they should. This dissertation is an attempt to explain the process of a risky choice, specifically the decision maker's choice of not investing in disaster recovery technologies (DRT) to protect the firm. This study applied a revised model of determinants of risky decision-making behavior suggested by Sitkin and Weingart (1995) to a context of DRT investment in the real world. The model was empirically tested using survey data collected from a list of technology investment decision makers of SMEs located in the northeastern United States. Analysis and results of the collected survey data suggest the revised model can be applied to the real world context. The executive's characteristics, experience, and traits such as positive outcome history, risk propensity, risk perception, and decision framing influence the decision to invest in data protective technologies in SMEs. Specifically, the results of the analysis indicated that risk propensity is affected by outcome history and risk perception is affected by decision framing. In addition, risk propensity affected risk perception and risk perception affected the choice of DRT investment. Furthermore, decision framing had moderate effect on DRT investment
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Lai, Yat Yin. "Lifecycle greenhouse gas & water resource inventory modelling for Swedish small and medium enterprises." Thesis, KTH, Hållbar utveckling, miljövetenskap och teknik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-280473.

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Traditionally, environmental related work is not commonly practised by the Swedish small and medium enterprises (SME). This can be attributed to the non-inclusive Swedish sustainability reporting legislation, which is primarily targeted at the large corporations, but also due to shortage of resources, demands, prioritization and competences in the SME. The study is aimed to simulate the SME’s interest and confidence in taking the first step in incorporating sustainability into their business strategies by means of environmental inventory. Through the development of an easy-to-use inventory model in MS Excel and automatically generated inventory reports, the study provides the SME with a tool to account for lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water resource utilization. The availability of Snacksbolaget, a wholesaling actor, as a case study company refines the research scope to put focus on the wholesale and retail trading sector. Carrying out in two phases, the study begins with developing a generic theoretical model to portray typical GHG emissions and water resource utilization in the wholesale and retail trading sector, which is followed by applying the theoretical model to Snacksbolaget as a case study. The application involves system boundary definitions in the company and product levels, data collections, calculations, inventory model building and verification by Snacksbolaget. The usability of the inventory model is verified by Snacksbolaget and the company is satisfied with the information the overarching inventory reports provided. The inventory results based on Snacksbolaget’s data demonstrate that Scope 3, indirect GHG emissions, contributes to the majority of the company’s overall emissions. Within Scope 3, the largest contributions are originated from purchased products cradle-to-gate stages and their upstream transportation, while sensitivity analysis proves that the energy production mix applied to the manufacturing of product and the modes of goods transport could play a vital role in GHG reduction. Correspondingly, indirect water use in electricity generation, particularly in the product manufacturing stage, is shown to be the largest water input and output source of the studied products. Recommendations to Snacksbolaget are provided in the report, aiming at potentially minimizing indirect GHG emitted and water withdrawn or discharged by the products and services they purchase. To reach a larger SME audience, it is recommended to further develop the current customized spreadsheet model into sector specific inventory models. The interest and uptake of the models will likely increase if they are well developed and maintained by expertise independent of the SME and made readily available to the use of the SME.
Jämfört med de större företagen är det i Sverige inte lika vanligt att små och medelstora företag (SME) jobbar med miljöfrågor. Detta beror delvis på att hållberhetsredovisningskraven inte gäller SME, men också på grund av att SME saknar resurser, tid, pengar, kompetens samt att kunderna inte alltid ställer krav kring att driva de frågorna. Genom att utveckla modeller kring hur man beräknar och redovisar växthusgasutsläpp (GHG) och vattenanvändning för ett företag är tanken att examensarbetet ska underlätta SME:s miljöarbete och locka flera SME till att adressera de miljörelaterade utmaningarna. Examensarbetet är uppdelat i två sektioner. Först tas en teoretisk modell fram med inriktning mot parti- och detaljhandelssektorn, där avgränsningarna är dragna i enlighet med GHG protokollstandarden och redovisningsprinciper för vattenanvändning. Modellen implementeras sedan som verktyg i MS Excel, med inbyggda beräknings- och rapporteringsfunktioner. Verifiering av modellen görs genom tillämpning av verktyget på Snacksbolaget, ett fallstudieföretag som har en grossistverksamhet inom hotell, restaurang och cateringbranschen. Inventeringsresultatet visar att Scope 3 GHG-utsläppen är störst i Snacksbolagets totala utsläppsprofil 2019, vilken är ganska typisk för partihandeln. Av Scope 3 utsläppen är materialutvinning och produkttillverkningsfaserna av de köpta produkterna det som bidrar till största delen, samtidigt som utsläppen från transport-kategorier sådan som Scope 1, Scope 3.4 och Scope 3.9 också är signifikanta. Inventeringen av vattenanvändning visar att produkttillverkningsfasen kräver den högsta vattenvolymen, där en relativ stor del är indirekt vatten som användas i elproduktionen. Inventeringsresultatet och känslighetsanalysen visar de potentiella åtgärder företaget kan implementera för att påverka storleken av Scope 3 emissionen och indirekta vattenanvändningen. Företaget rekommenderas att överväga sina produktval genom att utvärdera miljöprestationen genom att analysera flera miljöparametrar / miljödimensioner. Dessutom bör de inskaffa den underliggande produktinformation från leverantörerna för att säkerställa att man tar hänsyn till en korrekt produktlivscykel och validera de miljöfördelar som framhävs av leverantören. Det är också viktigt att välja produkter där materialet utvinns i, och produktens tillverkning sker i, länder eller regioner som utnyttjar förnybar energi och samtidigt inte är drabbat av vattenbrist. Företaget kan även motivera leverantören att frakta varorna med gröna transportalternativ. Sist men inte minst kan företaget uppmuntra till mindre konsumtion genom att erbjuda tjänster som uthyrning och återanvändning av produkter. Vidareutveckling av modellen inom parti- och detaljhandelssektorn kommer att kräva ytterligare data, tid och kompentens. Medan utvidgning av modellen för att omfatta andra affärssektor kan uppnås genom att utveckla separata modeller med likande tillvägagångssätt som beskrivs för den nuvarande modellen. Datakvaliteten kan förbättras under tiden genom regelbunden underhållning och uppdatering. För att kunna locka till sig fler små och medelstora företag, bör anpassande modeller utvecklas och underhålls av externa miljöexperter och göras tillgängliga för användning av SME.
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Bernroider, Edward, and Michel J. Leseure. "Enterprise resource planning (ERP) diffusion and characteristics according to the system's lifecycle. A comparative view of small-to-medium sized and large enterprises." Institut für Informationsverarbeitung und Informationswirtschaft, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, 2005. http://epub.wu.ac.at/1354/1/document.pdf.

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This report represents the next step of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)related research at the Department of Information Business at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Adminstration following previous work on the selection process. Based on 209 datasets originating from a primary, national and industry independent survey, it provides a descriptive oriented overview of main characteristics of ERP in all stages of the system's lifecycle, emphasising differences between small-to-medium sized and large enterprises (SMEs and LEs). The given research topics in particular comprise software diffusion, resources allocated, strategic project guidance, investment drivers, considered and chosen solutions, team structures, selection criteria, information gathering, methodical support, implementation approaches, acompanying business strategies, implementation problems, perceived utilisation of ERP benefits, firm level ERP impact, and the role of ERP systems as technology enabler. Future work based on the gathered data will document analytical projects undertaken in particular focusing on ERP success, enterprise integration, organisational fit of ERP, and BPR/BPI related questions.
Series: Working Papers on Information Systems, Information Business and Operations
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41

Andrew, Sean Khaya. "Sustainability decision-making in small-to-medium enterprises: A study of SME managers' experience of sustainability tensions." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25644.

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Due to competing strategic demands and limited resources, small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME) managers struggle to integrate sustainability comprehensively into their firms' strategy, while increasingly being targeted as significant contributors of unsustainable practices that compromise environmental services and societal wellbeing. Studies on why managers struggle to integrate sustainability strategies into their firms suggest managers face interrelated yet competing demands that surface a diversity of sustainability tensions that go beyond the traditional triad of economic, social and environmental agendas. The literature has primarily focused on the conscious cognitive sensemaking processes of managers in larger corporations as they face sustainability tensions. This lens does not surface the range of other inner experiences like emotions, values, and intuition that influence individuals' sensemaking process. The resulting research question for this study asks how SME managers' experience of strategic sustainability tensions influences their sustainability decision-making process. This research aimed to surface the full range of conscious and unconscious inner experiences managers had during their sustainability sensemaking processes. SMEs were a favourable research context in which to delve into the significance of managers' internal experiences because managers have a high degree of decision-making control in their firms, and there is scarce empirical evidence on what leads SME managers to make sustainability decisions. Over a one-year period in an inductive qualitative and exploratory research process, I interviewed twelve SME managers from the Western Cape's metals and manufacturing sector twice through two rounds of interviews. This study finds that SME managers undergo a range of emotions that influence their sustainability sensemaking experience. Conflicting emotional sustainability triggers cause unconscious internal sustainability tensions for managers between their personal values and managerial responsibilities. The SME resource-constrained context causes managers to instinctually prioritise managerial responsibilities to keep their firm afloat and maintain their pride through the legacy of the company. This study contributes to the literature by unearthing and legitimising the range of experiences and tensions that influence SME managers' sustainability sensemaking processes. It prompts further examination into managers' experience of sustainability tensions in the SME context and what experiences lead to integrative sustainability decisionmaking in highly volatile SME environments.
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Tomusange, Robert Lumbuye. "Factoring as a Financing Alternative for African Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1578.

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the main drivers of economic growth and employment. African SMEs are constrained by a lack of access to finance. In line with the pecking order theory, capital-constrained SMEs are expected to seek external finance. However, due to credit rationing, African SMEs have limited success raising finance. Factoring could enable African SMEs to gain access to finance, as underwriters mainly place the risk on the receivables as opposed to the firm itself. Despite its benefits, factoring has not taken root in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the obstacles and prospects to stimulating awareness, availability, acceptance, and utilization of factoring in Africa. Data on the lived experiences of 22 executives providing or promoting factoring in 16 African countries were collected through semistructured interviews; these data were analyzed using the Braun and Clarke thematic approach. Four themes emerged: supply-side conditions, demand-side conditions, business environment conditions, and facilitating institutions and industries. Results suggest high factoring prospects, legal and regulatory impediments, low awareness levels, reluctance of banks to avail factoring, high entry barriers for nonbank factors, a lack of credit insurance, and a lack of an open account trade culture. A framework was recommended, based on these findings, along with actions for factoring development in Africa. Implications for positive social change include increased awareness which may boost factoring availability, acceptance, and utilization. Improved financing options may yield improved African SME competitiveness, which in turn, may result in improved job opportunities, household incomes, quality of life, and more broadly, Africa's economic growth.
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Shin, Joonho. "Micro Multinational Enterprises and the Internationalization of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: Contextual and Organizational Factors." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Ramon Llull, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/461712.

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Les principals teories de negocis internacionals afirmen que hi ha una relació positiva entre el grau d'internacionalització d'una empresa i el seu acompliment, atès que la internacionalització ofereix a les empreses l'oportunitat de créixer i millorar la seva competitivitat. Tot i les limitacions de recursos per expandir-se geogràficament, les PIMES han mostrat una alta i creixent propensió a internacionalitzar-se, demostrant que les empreses no han de ser grans per tenir èxit en els mercats estrangers. La pregunta general de recerca que aquesta tesi pretén respondre és: ¿quins factors contextuals i organitzacionals permeten a les PIMES internacionalitzar-se, superant les limitacions degudes a la seva reduïda grandària, adoptar modalitats d'entrada que requereixen un alt compromís de recursos, i maximitzar el rendiment? La tesi examina diferents factors contextuals i organitzacionals que incideixen en la relació entre el grau d'internacionalització i l'acompliment en el context específic de les PIMES i d'un subgrup de PIMES particularment interessant, les micro-multinacionals. Els estudis previs sobre la relació internacionalització-rendiment (I-R) s'han centrat en les grans empreses multinacionals, mentre que la internacionalització de les pimes que utilitzen modes d'entrada de major compromís ha rebut molt escassa atenció. La tesi proporciona una explicació teòrica i empírica de l'efecte moderador de diversos factors contextuals i organitzacionals en la relació I-R en diferents nivells d'internacionalització. Per a això, s'integren en el marc teòric de la tesi la literatura sobre la relació I-R amb les literatures relacionades amb les variables moderadores de tipus contextual (sector d’activitat) i organitzacionals (tipus de propietat, estratègies de diversificació geogràfica). Els resultats obtinguts confirmen que la relació I-R és específica al context i contingent en relació amb les característiques organitzatives i contextuals estudiades.
Las principales teorías de negocios internacionales afirman que existe una relación positiva entre el grado de internacionalización de una empresa y su desempeño, dado que la internacionalización ofrece a las empresas la oportunidad de crecer y mejorar su competitividad. A pesar de las limitaciones de recursos para expandirse geográficamente, las PYMES han mostrado una alta y creciente propensión a internacionalizarse, demostrando que las empresas no tienen que ser grandes para tener éxito en los mercados extranjeros. La pregunta general de investigación que esta tesis pretende responder es: ¿qué factores contextuales y organizacionales permiten a las PYMES internacionalizarse, superando sus limitaciones de tamaño, adoptar modos de entrada que requieren un alto compromiso de recursos, y maximizar el rendimiento? La tesis examina diferentes factores contextuales y organizacionales que inciden en la relación entre el grado de internacionalización y el desempeño en el contexto específico de las PYMES y de un subgrupo de PYMES particularmente interesante, las micro-multinacionales. Los estudios previos sobre la relación internacionalización-desempeño (I-P) se han centrado en las grandes empresas multinacionales, mientras que la internacionalización de las pymes que utilizan modos de entrada de mayor compromiso ha recibido muy escasa atención. La tesis proporciona una explicación teórica y empírica del efecto moderador de varios factores contextuales y organizacionales en la relación I-P en diferentes niveles de internacionalización. Para ello, se integran en el marco teórico de la tesis la literatura sobre la relación I-P con las literaturas relacionadas con las variables moderadoras de tipo contextual (sector de actividad) y organizacionales (tipos de propiedad, estrategias de diversificación geográfica). Nuestros hallazgos confirman que la relación I-P es específica al contexto y contingente en relación con las características organizativas y contextuales estudiadas.
Core international business theory asserts that there is a positive relationship between a firm’s degree of internationalization and its performance, given that internationalization offers firms the opportunity to grow and enhance their competitiveness, Despite resource constraints to expand geographically, SMEs have shown a high and growing propensity to internationalize, demonstrating that firms do not have to be large to be successful in foreign markets. The overarching research question this thesis aims to respond is: what contextual and organizational factors allow internationalizing SMEs overcome their size constraints, adopt higher commitment entry modes, and maximize performance? The thesis examines different contextual and organizational factors that influence the relationship between the degree of internationalization and performance in the specific context of SMEs and a particularly interesting subgroup among them, micro multinationals. Previous studies on the internationalization-performance (I-P) relationship have focused on large MNEs while very little attention has been paid to internationalizing SMEs using higher commitment entry modes. The thesis provides a theoretical and empirical explanation of the moderating effect of several contextual and organizational factors on the I-P relationship at different levels of internationalization. To do so, the theoretical framework of the thesis integrates the literature on internationalization/ multinationality research with the corresponding literatures related to the contextual (industry) and organizational (ownership types, geographical diversification strategies). Our findings confirm that the I-P relationship is context-specific and it is contingent on the studied organizational and industry characteristics.
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44

Wilkinson, James Edward. "Credit Strategies for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Within a Changing Environment." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2909.

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Access to credit in the changing environment is the primary challenge to survival for many small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners. The purpose of this multicase study was to understand how seasoned small business leaders in wholesaling and manufacturing in Northwest Arkansas strategically adapted to obtaining access to credit in an environment of bank mergers and acquisitions, disruptive information technology, federal and state regulations, and globalization. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was adaptive leadership and change management. Although, small business leaders prefer to obtain credit from community banks through relationship financing, leaders of SMEs can adapt to the challenges of the changing environment. The data collection process involved face-to-face, onsite, semistructured interviews of 5 participant SME owners selected via purposive sampling throughout the Northwest Arkansas region. Analysis of the transcripts involved coding data into groups using keyword identification and regrouping the data into themes. Themes that emerged from the study included the importance of formalizing a capital strategy, utilizing alternative forms of financing, and responding and adapting to change. Also, small business owners use financial software to provide technical, financial reports, and pro forma statements with variance analysis. Positive social change from the findings of this study may develop through SMEs' potential to increase job provision thereby benefiting workers' families with better employment opportunities, enhancing public infrastructure through greater tax revenues, and generating a long-term, viable, sustainable future to the region's public education through an increased tax base.
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45

Brower, Marlon. "Phases of sustainable development in small and medium enterprise (SME) retail outlets." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018506.

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SMEs play a vital role in the country. For the purpose of the study the focus was on SMEs in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Jurisdiction. Businesses which met the SME criteria (refer to Chapter 1, Section 1.7.1), (Du Plessis, 1996: 162; Marx et al., 1998: 728) were included in this study. The study is formed around the aspects of business which contribute to the growth of the business in the long term. A specific study was conducted on the ethnic entrepreneur and the aspects that influence business growth. There are many factors which influence the growth of the business; for the purpose of this study, a specific focus was placed on: (1) knowledge with regard to business; (2) entrepreneurial culture; (3) brand management; (4) location of the business; (5) business relationships; and (6) cultural influences. These variables will determine how the growth of the business is ultimately influenced. The research can also discover from respondents what they view as important in their lives. The study then goes further to analyse whether the independent variables, as reacted to by the respondents, have a significant or non-significant effect on growth.
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46

Poole, Nicole Lesley. "Organisational change in Queensland small and medium size enterprises (SMEs)." University of Southern Queensland, Faculty of Business, 2009. http://eprints.usq.edu.au/archive/00006242/.

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[Abstract]A substantial amount of change management research exists internationally and in Australia in relation to the causes, processes and outcomes of organisational change in large organisations. However this does not reflect the change scenarios in SMEs. Furthermore, the academic and professional discipline of organisational change in Australia, while well-researched in some areas, remains embryonic when translatedto SMEs in a dynamic environment. Very few large scale state-wide and national surveys have been conducted in Australia. This study is filling the theoretical gap inrelation to the theory and practice relating to the nature, extent and characteristics of organisational change in Queensland Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs).The objective of this study was to examine the nature and extent of organisational change in Queensland SMEs. Five research questions were developed to inform thisresearch objective, including: What are the forces of change in Queensland SMEs?; To what extent does the main change driver (change agent) in SMEs possess effectivechange management skills?; What mental models do Queensland SME managers espouse in relation to the management of organisational change?; What is the natureand prevalence of change interventions for achieving organisational change in Queensland SMEs? ; and What is the impact of organisational size on the nature andprevalence of organisational change in Queensland SMEs? Eleven hypotheses in relation to the last research question were developed and tested.To answer the research questions, the study employed the use of quantitative data which was collected through a state-wide mail survey of 1000 Queensland SMEs. A34 percent response rate was achieved. The survey was adapted from a previous validated questionnaire measuring employee management and organisational change practices in Australian SMEs.The results indicate that by far the most important factor in the decision to introduce change in Queensland SMEs was customer expectations for quality. The survey results also show that, overall, the SMEs were able to achieve the objectives they pursued when implementing significant changes. The findings indicate that the main change drivers in Queensland SMEs possess a moderate profile in relation to change management skills. Furthermore, the findings reflect the view that managers tend tosupport forms of limited employee participation and consultation.Change practices are only moderately represented in Australian SMEs. Taken together with low participation of employees in the decision to employ these changes; low levels of union membership; a low presence of specialist HR managers in SMEs; and the fact that the majority of SMEs that do have written strategic plans do not use it to develop operational plans and drive day to day operations; a ‘transforming’ scenario in Queensland SMEs is unlikely. However, one very positive trend is the achievement by the majority of SMEs of change objectives pursued. Nevertheless, the fact that the mental models of Queensland SMEs favoured managerial prerogative is of more significance for the effectiveness of both the management of employees and the performance of SMEs.The findings show that organisational size is significant for the factors important in the introduction of organisational change, however size is not particularly significant in relation to the objectives pursued and achieved in the introduction of organisational change. Furthermore, size is also not significant in relation to the extent to which the main change driver (change agent) in SMEs possesses effective change management skills, and the mental models that Queensland SME managers espouse in relation to the management of organisational change. In contrast with these findings, the analysis suggests that organisational size is significant for the prevalence of change interventions/practices, with medium organisations employing change interventions to a significant greater extent. The thesis concludes with commentary on the practical implications for SME managers and policy and several directions for future research.
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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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48

Onions, Robert L. "Auditing in United Kingdom (UK) small and medium enterprises (SMEs)." Thesis, University of Salford, 2006. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/26846/.

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The research questions are: 1. Do most SMEs receive limited systems auditing attention? 2. Do auditors pay inadequate attention to aspects of Information Technology and Security? 3. Is unreported fraud widespread within SMEs and is it growing? 4. Are Directors keenly interested in reducing fraud if they can? 5. SMEs might favour an alternative, low cost, automated auditing process? The thesis begins with a comprehensive literature review including juridical issues, a brief history of auditing, and legal standards. There is a review of auditing standards and issues in Information Systems and an examination of fraud and its effects on business. Computer Assisted Audit Tools are examined and the use of technology to assist auditors is reviewed. There is a wide-ranging review of reported fraud and a discussion about new technologies in Continuous Auditing and Expert Systems. A research questionnaire with 147 questions was sent, with Department of Trade assistance, to 2000 SMEs and the research findings are analysed and related to the thesis hypotheses. The results are then extrapolated across the UK base of nearly 3.8 million SMEs. The perceived way forward in auditing using new technologies is examined and new paradigms are suggested. There is a contribution towards these new systems in the form of an Extensible Continuous Auditing Language (XCAL) which enables experts systems to recognise generic transactions in ERP and accounting systems. A case study of a large fraud and some smaller crimes looks at the way they could have been pinpointed as they were being perpetrated instead of months later and there is a review of future research into transaction patterns in auditing and their incorporation into future electronic auditing systems.
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Xu, Yun, and Gia Linh Thai. "Banking Market Competition and SME Financing in China : Case Study across Chinese Provinces." Thesis, Jönköping University, JIBS, Economics, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-9806.

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Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries are reported to encounter difficulties in accessing to formal external financing resource. Banking systems in this category of countries are either under-developed or newly reformed. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether SME financing in China, measured by SMEs per capita, is affected by local bank competition, measured by number of banks per capita or share of foreign banks. Control variables such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), level of infrastructure and geographic location are also included in the regression models.

The main findings are that: when disregarding the ownership of banks, bank competition has positive impact on SME financing across Chinese provinces, although the relationship is non-linear; and foreign banks do not significantly influence SME bank financing in China. The first finding generally support the conventional theories of industrial organization and the second one offers the basis for further arguments about the role of foreign banks in financing SMEs in China.

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Ratko, Zinaida, and Kaan Ulgen. "The Impact of Economic Crisis on Small and Medium Enterprises: in perspective of Swedish SMEs." Thesis, Jönköping University, JIBS, Business Administration, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-9357.

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Problem: Business world has met uncertainty, which settled everywhere: from global financial markets and national economies, to organizations and employees’ minds. As every crisis, this situation came unexpectedly, almost out of a clear blue sky. Sweden, being highly dependent on international development, has faced negative effects in all aspects of business life. SMEs have emerged as an engine of economic and social development throughout the world.  As well as more than 99 percent of all enterprises in Sweden are classified as SMEs, the impact of economic crisis may be more than significant.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of the current economic crisis and recession on the Small and Medium Enterprises in Sweden.

Method: In order to fulfill our purpose we combined both techniques – qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. We used a quantitative analysis tool – survey to collect primary data from the SMEs. In its turn, qualitative analysis was implemented to see how the data from earlier studies and our findings can be interconnected.

Results: It was found, that companies are facing mostly negative effects. The perception of currently facing economic challenges can be assessed as anxious, which means that companies see the further development in a tough way. Damaged business confidence can be also recognized in pessimistic forecasts for profitability in 2009. However, the crisis can be considered as a driver for change. On the positive way, every downturn and faced challenge, e.g. stressful situation, stimulate organisations to analyze, look for new effective solutions and make decisions in the way they would never thought about. It was found out that importance of crisis planning is distinctly risisng during current times of uncertainty. Futhermore, companies tend to react on the faced challenges by designing, following crisis plans and creating special crisis teams.

Our research may help the businesses to understand what difficulties the majority is facing, and thus not only to prevent same risks but also turn them into opportunities.

 

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