Business Commons^™

Customer Service And Satisfaction: Competitive Advantage And Beyond, Stanley Bazan

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

This article examines how excellence in customer service and satisfaction can be a major source of competitive advantage and profits for small businesses. The costs and causes of poor service and satisfaction are discussed and special emphasis is given to the value of the lifelong customer. Methods to pursue the goal of completely satisfying customers 100 percent of the time are examined. Leadership, aggressive problem solving, problem-solving teams, and assessment of customer service are among the topics reviewed.

Redefining Loyalty: Motivational Strategies And Employee Loyalty In An Era Of Downsizing, Sandra Obilade

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

Retaining employee loyalty after restructuring is a problem for all types of businesses. The major issue concerns how management and employees can establish a new, mutually acceptable "psychological contract" which ensures employee loyalty but not lifelong employment. Eighteen small businesses in Fairfield County, Connecticut were surveyed to investigate loyalty and motivation after downsizing. A significant correlation was found between loyalty and motivation. Furthermore, several motivational techniques employed were inconsistent with employee needs. Suggestions are offered on how to retain employee loyalty.

Paint-Your-Own Pottery Case Study, Lisa Morin

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

There are currently more than seventy paint-your-own pottery shops in the United States. Although the concept of such studios is fairly new in New England, they have been in existence on the West Coast for years.

New England Journal Of Entrepreneurship, Summer 1998

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship

No abstract provided.

New Product Development And Technology Acquisition In Small And Medium Sized Manufacturing Firms In Ireland, David Cullen

Masters

This thesis aims to provide an insight into the practices of firms in Ireland in relation to both new product development and technology acquisition, and the interface between the two areas. This research operates on a number of levels and involves great deal of both primary and secondary research. In order to provide a suitable backdrop to the research and to enable the development of a suitable knowledge base for the author, the results of an extensive literature review is detailed. This concerns itself with the two key areas under investigation; new product development and technology transfer. In addition to …

Helping And Servicing Regional Small Businesses: An Evaluation Of The Business Grow Program In The South West Region Of Western Australia, Xueli Huang, Alan Brown, Robyn Morris, Barry Chapman

Research outputs pre 2011

In October 1997 the Edith Cowan University was invited to evaluate the performance of the Business Grow Program. The program commenced on July 1, 1995, and its evaluation, scheduled to be completed by April 1998, has been undertaken to assess the performance of the Program since its instigation.

The evaluation team has relied substantially on information provided by small business owners, local government representatives, industry associations, and the manager of the Program. The evaluation team would like to thank Kate Loughton for her assistance in facilitating the administration of this project.

The evaluation was undertaken by Small and Medium Enterprise …

Performance Evaluation Of Small-Medium Enterprises (Smes) In Nigeria., B S. Adebusuyi

Bullion

This paper attempts to evaluate the performance of the SME sub-sector in view of both the general and specific government developmental strategies and policies channelled to the sub-sector. The paper is structured into five sections. The first section reviews the definition, characteristics and roles of the SMEs. section II discusses government policies for the promotion of SMEs, and an evaluation of the performance of the sub-sector is undertaken in section III. The outstanding problems of the SMEs are outlined in section IV, while section V summarises and concludes the paper.

No. 130 1997 November

International Journal for Business Education

SIEC Historical Documents

Editorial, N Balasubramanian

IIMB Management Review

Compliments of the season. As we go through the 50th year of India's independence, may 1998 be the harbinger of success and well-being to the country, and indeed, to the world at large. Small and Medium Enterprises have been the engines of growth in several economies. India is no exception. SMEs help to add customer value in ways that larger organisations may not always be able to replicate. There are, of course, aberrations, as, for example, when categorisation into SMEs is dependent not upon their inherent economic competencies and capabilities, but on the need to subserve political or other societal …

Industrial Clusters And Ssi Development, Mukesh Gulati

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

High Technology Entrepreneurship And Development In Bangalore, James Heitzman

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Re-Thinking Reservation Of Goods In Ssis, H R Jairam

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Is Strategy Important For Small Companies?, Rishikesha T Krishnan

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Institutional Framework For Ssi Support, V B Nanda Gopal

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Ssis And Technology Management, Ganesh Prabhu

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Small Industries Policy, S Shiva Ramu

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Promoting Entrepreneurship: Future Policy Directions, S Sundararajan

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Helping Ssis Grow-Policy Across Asia And Italy, B N Sampathkumaran

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Financing Ssis: Two Perspectives, Ashok Thampy, P S Kulkarni

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Ssis: Simplifying Rules And Procedures, M Mahabala

IIMB Management Review

Since Independence, Small Scale Industries (SSIs), have been playing a stellar role in the economic development of the country. SSIs account for more than a third of the total manufacturing output and generate almost 35 per cent of the country's exports. Importantly, they provide employment to more than ten million Indians. With the onset of economic liberalisation in the country-since 1991- even SSIs have been trying to redefine their role and adapt effectively to the changing macro-economic environment, where market forces are calling the tune. The Abid Hussain Committee, which was constituted to re-define the role of SSIs in the …

Are Salaries In The National Hockey League Related To Nationality?, William (Bill) H. Williams, David A. Williams

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Franchisor Environmental Liability For Previously Contaminated Property, Patrick J. Kaufmann, William S. Vincent

Faculty Articles

Environmental legislation has created potential liability for retailing franchisees that purchase previously contaminated land. Faced with a decision to distance itself from the site selection process or incur the added costs and potential pricing impacts of greater involvement in the process, franchisors have strong incentives to reduce franchisee support. This reduction in support has detrimental implications for both franchise policy and environmental policy. A paper reports the results of an empirical study that links franchisors' concerns about potential environmental liability to actions to distance themselves from the site selection process or, alternatively, formally to require franchisee environmental investigation of all …

The Quarterly Speaker - August 1997, Nova Southeastern University

The Quarterly Speaker

No abstract provided.

Entrepreneurship On The Threshold Of 21st Century, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

With this issue we would have joined the world in watching Hong Kong, reknown as an entrepreneurial economy, move across the threshold to mainland Chinese control. In Hong Kong, entrepreneurship moves across a threshold to another environment the conditions of which may be different. There are opposing views whether the situation will be restrictive to entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs operating in Hong Kong would have made alternative plans and strategies. Only time will tell how the events will unfold, suffice to be prepared for the transition is far better than not to have been.

No. 129 1997 April

International Journal for Business Education

SIEC Historical Documents

Research Note Perceptions Are Reality: How Family Meetings Lead To Collective Action, Timothy G. Habbershon, Joseph H. Astrachan

Faculty Articles

Family meetings develop family unity through the creation of perceived shared beliefs. The article presents a model with strategic implications showing how shared beliefs lead to collective action, which leads to outcomes and then the reassessment of the shared beliefs. Finally, the article reports on initial research on the reliability of instruments developed to explore one aspect of this model: The creation of shared beliefs through family meetings. The initial results suggest that perceptions of shared beliefs may be an important stimulant of collective family activity.

Entrepreneurial Decisions And Liquidity Constraints, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, David Joulfaian, Harvey S. Rosen

Economics - All Scholarship

This paper analyzes the role of liquidity constraints in the formation of new entrepreneurial enterprises. The basic empirical strategy is to determine whether an individual's wealth affects the probability of becoming an entrepreneur, and the conditional amounts of depreciable assets and interest deductions, ceteris paribus. If so, liquidity constraints are likely to be present. To be successful, such a research strategy requires a measure of asset variation that is both precisely measured and exogenous to the entrepreneurial decision. Our data are uniquely well-suited for this purpose. The sample consists of the 1981 and 1985 federal tax returns of a group …

“We Have Raffeled For The Elephant & Won!”: The Wool Industry At South Union, Kentucky, Donna C. Parker, Jonathan J. Jeffrey

SCL Faculty and Staff Publications

Wool, next to cotton, is perhaps the most important of all textile fibers. Like most of their contemporaries, the Shakers of South Union, Kentucky, recognized the ease with which wool fibers were spun into yarn and the advantages of sturdy wool clothing. South Union’s textile industry grew from a simple carding mill to a full-fledged woolen factory with a 240-spindle spinning jack and 4 power looms. From its genesis in 1815 to its abrupt demised in 1868, the sect’s woolen industry provides a paradigm for the study of the United States’ textile industrialization.

Indian Software Industry: A Diagnostic Analysis, Premchander

IIMB Management Review

With the introduction of stringent requirements relating to foreign ownership of businesses in India in the early seventies, the information technology boom began in the country with alert entrepreneurs capitalising quickly on this development. Aided by the international demand for software and among other things, the low-cost availability of skilled workforce, the Indian software industry grew rapidly. But today, several of the earlier competitive advantages are being eroded. A profile of the industry has been drawn up assessing its vulnerability through its strengths and weaknesses, the threats and opportunities it faces, and the value drivers in the industry.

Succeeding As A Managerical Entrepreneur, Nina Jacob

IIMB Management Review

The recent liberalisation has spawned a new breed of independent enterpreneur-managers who are prepared to break new ground in management styles. Kiran Mazumdar, founder and CEO of Biocon India, a company that has taken large strides in the field of biotechnology, discusses a number of issues such as challenges to entrepreneurs in India, especially woman entrepreneurs that prevailing business environment and the management philosophy and pragmatism responsible for the growth of Biocon.