Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Do Vietnamese Smes Perform? Technical Efficiency Of Smes In The Manufacturing Sector And Its Sub-Sectors, Cong Luyen Viet Le, Charles Harvie

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper evaluates the technical efficiency performance of Vietnamese manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) over the period 2002 to 2007. Using firm level data from three surveys in 2002, 2005 and 2007 with a total of 5,204 observations of domestic non-state manufacturing SMEs the paper assesses the technical efficiency level of SMEs for the aggregate manufacturing sector and separately for nine subsectors including: (i) Food and Beverages; (ii) Textiles, Garments and Footwear; (iii) Electrical and Electronic Equipment (iv) Wood and Furniture Products; (v) Chemical, Rubber and Plastic Products; (vi) Paper, Printing and Publishing; (vii) Metal Products; (viii) Non-metallic Products; …

Leadership Styles And Company Performance: The Experience Of Owner-Managers Of Smes, Palli Mulla K A Chandrakumara, Anura De Zoysa, Athula S. Manawaduge

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Leadership styles of owner-managers were explored in the context of a developingcountry in South Asia with a view to examining their impact on financial performanceof SMEs. It was justified that the study has both theoretical and contextualsignificance. Data were collected from 204 companies in Sri Lanka by adopting mixedmethodologies that consisted of both qualitative and qualitative approaches.Descriptive statistics and correlation coefficient were used in the analysis. The findingsrevealed that the existence of three main leadership styles in the sample, namely;entrepreneurial, managerial, and mix of both entrepreneurial and managerialleaderships. The analysis indicated that 60 percent of firms had increased financialperformance, while …

Regional Integration In Asia And The Contribution Of Smes: A Review Of The Key Issues And Policy Imperatives, Charles Harvie

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Over the past decade the economies of East Asia and APEC more generally have beenincreasingly opening up their markets, and in the process have achieved significantgains in exports and economic growth. In conjunction with this increased economicintegration, there has been increased recognition by regional governments of thepotential for a substantial increase in the participation by small businesses in thegeneration of regional income, employment, exports, investment and expandedeconomic growth. Advances in information and communications technology addcredence to this potential. In addition, developing economies are especially seeingsmall businesses as potential instruments for the alleviation of poverty and regionaldevelopment. While in developed economies …

Perceptions Of Business Challenges Facing Malaysian Smes: Some Preliminary Results, Ali S. Saleh, Peter Caputi, Charles Harvie

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper develops an instrument to measure perceptions of business barriers facing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based upon a sample of 138 Malaysian businesses. An exploratory factor analysis yields five key factors covering: perception of government policies; perception of human capital; perception of availability of infrastructure; perception of business competition; and perception of financial issues. Reliability and item analyses provide support for the internal consistency of the factors and the discriminatory power of items that constitute the factors. In particular, this study finds that perceptions of government policies and infrastructure availability have the highest mean scores, suggesting that …

Global Pipelines: Profiling Successful Sme Exporters Within The Australian Wine Industry, D. K. Aylward

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Increasingly, entire industry sectors and individual firms are re-orienting their business strategies to align with the demands of rapid globalization. Sustainable export mechanisms are becoming an integral component of these strategies. Small, medium and large firms are focusing more than ever on marketing goals, branding, distribution channels and production quality in order to address the growing opportunities and challenges of this globalization. An industry in which firms are responding effectively to these opportunities and challenges is the Australian wine industry. In terms of export growth, intensity, diversity and sustainability, this industry is increasingly seen as a template for others. Using …

Sme Innovation Within The Australian Wine Industry: A Cluster Analysis, David Aylward, John Glynn

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper assesses core innovation activity among SMEs within different levels of cluster development. The aim of the paper, using empirical data from the Australian wine industry, is to demonstrate that innovation levels and activity intensify as an industry cluster develops. By dividing wine clusters into ‘innovative’ (highly developed) and ‘organised’ (less developed) models, the paper uses selected core indicators of innovation activity to explore levels of integration within each model. This integration is examined in the context of Porter’s theory of ‘competitive advantage’, with implications for SMEs in particular, and lessons for industry clusters in general.

Case Studies Of E-Commerce Adoption In Indonesian Smes: The Evaluation Of Strategic Use, Mira Kartiwi

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The use of e-commerce in small medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has become an important topic in information systems research. At present, there is a large number of well-documented benefits derived from e-commerce for small-medium enterprises (SMEs) both in theoretical and practical literature. Despite the enormous attention given to encourage SMEs to adopt e-commerce both by academics as well as governments, little research has been carried out in identifying strategies of e-commerce adoption for SMEs in developing countries, especially Indonesia. It is, therefore, the aim of this paper to understand the factors and combinations of factors that SMEs need to be considered …

Electronic Commerce Adoption And Strategic Alliance Membership: A Study Of Regional Smes In Sweden, Robert C. Macgregor, Lejla Vrazalic

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The changes brought about by electronic commerce have had a profound effect on small to medium enterprises (SMEs). To manage these changes, SMEs have been encouraged to form strategic alliances. Yet despite the proclaimed advantages of such alliances, little research has been carried out to determine whether these structures have any impact on an SME’s decision to adopt e-commerce. There has also been a lack of research into comparing e-commerce adoption in those SMEs that are members of a strategic alliance to those that have opted to remain outside such arrangements. This paper aims to correct the situation by presenting …

An Exploratory Study Into The Giving Behaviour Of Small To Medium Enterprises (Smes): An Australian Experience, Gary I. Noble

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A constant growth in the number of non-profit organisations (NPOs) over the past decade has also meant an increase in competition between NPOs for ongoing support. In this environment and without the marketing resources of their national and international counterparts many smaller NPOs do not attract the same level of individual or corporate support as their larger NPO rivals. Evidence suggests an alternative source of support for these smaller NPOs is often small to medium enterprises (SMEs).

This paper argues that although there is a considerable body of literature on the giving behaviour of individuals, and to a lesser extent …

A Factor Analytic Study Of The Determinants Of Success In Manufacturing Smes, Hema Wijewardena, Anura De Zoysa

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Although there has been a sizeable amount of literature on the causes of failure as well as the determinants of success in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developed countries, empirical investigation into such factors in developing countries is extremely sparse. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine, through an empirical investigation, factors that would contribute to the success or growth of SMEs in a developing country. The data for the study were obtained from a questionnaire survey conducted on a sample of manufacturing SMEs in Sri Lanka.

Are The Standard Drivers For E-Commerce Adoption In Regional Smes Really Standard: A Comparison Of Australian, Swedish And Us Regional Smes, Robert C. Macgregor, Lejla Vrazalic, Deborah Bunker

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The sluggish pace of E-commerce diffusion in the SME sector is well documented. In response to this, one area that has given rise to continued research is the development of criteria (drivers) for Ecommerce adoption in the SME sector. This research has given rise to a 'standard' set of drivers that has become the basis upon which research into E-commerce adoption in SMEs is carried out. While a number of studies have attempted to develop models of E-commerce adoption, little has been done to discover whether, indeed, these criteria are universal to the sector. This paper presents the findings of …

On The Evolution Of Firm Organization, Smes And Economic Growth In The Usa And Japan, Elias Sanidas

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The evolution of the organization of firms throughout history has only recently been extensively analysed. This evolution, especially in countries like the USA and Japan, i is important to know and understand for many reasons, and in particular for its contribution to economic growth.