Published Article / 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.

Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs, hereafter) are important drivers of the global economic development. For the SMEs, to establish and growth, having access to the sources of finance is of great importance. Anecdotal evidence suggeststhat while the importance of having access for the SMEs is apparent, they have been disadvantageous in many different ways. The disadvantage position of the SMEs can even be worse when they are younger (e.g., The World bank, 2001, p. 6-7). Prior research documents many factors that affect the financial constraints of SMEs. In this study, we investigate the association between SMEs age and financial constraints. In addition, we test the moderating effect of collectivism on SMEs’ financial constraints, as collectivism is documented to have an effect on bank corruption. We first hypothesize that there is a negative association between SMEs’ age and financial constraints. We further propose that the negative association between SMEs’ age and financial constraints decreases as collectivism (at the country level) increases. Using a World Bank’s sample of 31422 firms across 38 countries, we find that younger firms, compared to the older firms, experience higher level of financial constraints.Further, we observe an insignificant results regarding the moderating effect of collectivism on the proposed association.We offer contribution to the existing empirical evidence onfactors that affect financial constraints. Providing such an evidence may be found relevant to the economic institutions such as the World Bank and regulatory bodies, as they are allocating resources and making macro level decisions regarding the economicdevelopment through SMEs around the world.

Position of small and medium companies in the information technology sector plays important role in the functioning on any state's economy. Focusing on a specific local market and using the Czech Republic as a case study, one has to state that most Czech firms face difficulties when trying to achieve economic success. Based on this fact, small and medium enterprise rating seems to be appropriate approach to determine factors that influence their performance and thus the possibility to help with their situation. Aim of this Master thesis is to determine these factors and construct econometric success rate models. Questionnaire research among ICT enterprises, and further statistical analysis showed that the earnings- employee ratio, average revenues and the R&D importance ratio plays the most important role in their success. Both, financial and non-financial indicators perform significantly in these predictions. Bibliographic record Krejčí, M. (2013): Factors that influence the success of small and medium enterprises. Case study of ICT sector in the Czech Republic. Master thesis (Mgr.), Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies. Supervisor: PhDr. Wadim Strielkowski, Ph.D. JEL Classification C13, C51, C81, D02, L86 Keywords Success rate, ICT sector,...

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The researcher attempted to assess the effectiveness of Bank of Agriculture (BOA) microloan scheme on job creation among micro and small enterprises. This is in view of the unprecedented rise in the unemployment rate in Nigeria and the widely perceived belief that among other policies, harnessing the financial capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) may possibly dictate the pace of the country’s achievement of job creation. Despite a wide array of studies on MSME growth, only a handful of rigorous studies are available to provide evidence of the effect of finance on labour market outcomes in the sector, as well as on the use of more relevant assessment techniques on the performance of public policies and interventions related to MSME financing. Through the use of mixed methods including questionnaire administration, key informant interviews, focused group discussions and desk research, this research undertook a theory of change-based assessment of Bank of Agriculture microfinance scheme, to assess the extent to which the scheme is effective in contributing to the achievement of the MSME Policy’s fundamental objective of job creation. Descriptive statistics using frequency tables and graphs as well as OECD COTE (Coherence, Objectives, Targets and Evaluation) Framework for policy formulation were applied as methods of analysis. The findings show a fundamental flaw in relation to the lack of strategic alignment of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) operations with the MSME Policy. The Bank is seen to be operating in a silo as the strategic direction the MSME tilt does not seem to derive from the overall MSME Policy. BOA is also not seen to be positioned to engage the practice of performance measurement and reporting generally and in particular of the fundamental objective of job creation, as stipulated in the MSME Financing Policy of government. It was also revealed that a majority of enterprises that took BOA microloans loans were not able to create jobs as many of them were operating as “survivalists”. Although the BOA microloan scheme is potentially capable of supporting targeted growth-oriented microenterprises in specific trades to create jobs, given the attractive concessional terms, the Bank is not achieving this objective in its present state and form neither is it seen to be positioned to do so due to several supply and demand side factors. An ongoing reform process in the Bank during this research period may be able to address part of this concern if more strategic steps are taken to surmount the constraints. Furthermore, BOA does not have a functional performance measurement framework and monitoring and evaluation system that can be used as the basis for measuring goal attainment such as the goal of job creation, especially in relation to the outcomes of the provision of financial services to the MSME sector. For BOA to be successful and truly developmental in focus especially in relation to its contribution to the strategic objective of job creation, the study therefore recommended the key thrust of a new framework for addressing the current unemployment situation to include an effective alignment of macro, meso (sectoral) and micro policies. At the (micro) institutional level, it is recommended that BOA should: • improve its governance and management system as well as the integration of development impact considerations and measurement; • create innovative financing products for growth-oriented microenterprises especially through cluster financing and cluster-based development; • increase wholesale lending through the provision of on-lending products to performing microfinance institutions (MFIs); • engage the services of BDS organisations to source for credible clients and build clients’ entrepreneurial capacity including assisting them to access markets. In line with the need to integrate development impact considerations and measurement into its entire operations, the researcher designed a monitoring and evaluation framework that can enhance the tracking of the attainment of job creation policy goal in BOA microloan scheme. In this vein, the institution is to adopt formal “lessons learnt” mechanisms to integrate evaluation findings into future activities and “put development back into development banking” (Smallridge, 2017). At the meso level in the study context, horizontal cooperation is recommended where all relevant institutions are aligned and the impact of various policy measures on entrepreneurship and job creation are taken into account. Lastly, an employment – sensitive macro-economic framework must pursue: the relaxation of monetary and credit conditions that are supportive of employment creation in the economy; fiscal prudence in the context of exploiting fiscal space to accommodate investments with high employment potentials; use of legislative mechanisms for ensuring full and effective implementation of annual budgets, program and projects at all levels and development and effective use of computerised Labour Market Information System (LMIS) for Nigeria.

The aim of this study is to present venture creation as an alternative form of alleviating poverty and contributing positively to the economic growth of every African government. This study draws to the attention of policy-makers, the importance of venture creation in emerging economies. The author goes on further to highlights the challenges with the current models used for financing/funding new ventures, in an emerging African economy. The objective of this paper is to also highlight what needs to be done by policy-makers, to create a thriving economic environment for emerging entrepreneurs. This study seeks to highlight some of the prospects, as well as some of the impediments, experienced by the venture capital industry and start-up enterprises. The environment in which the creation of new ventures operates under in emerging African markets is reviewed, and the exit of those enterprises when they mature and graduate from a small, private company, to a publicly held company - through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) process, is examined. The benefits of exiting these ventures through an IPO, versus the more aptly applied private placement exit method, are also discussed. The impact that the behaviour and psychology of investing have on the investment trends in African economies is also discussed. The author used the qualitative research methodology to achieve the results presented in this paper. The outcomes of the study are outlined in chapter four of this paper. The respondents to the survey indicated the importance of the venture capital sector and the critical role that policy makers should be playing. There were no clear responses around the human behaviour in determining the suitable exit platform. What came out clearly in this study; was that each region in the African economy will use a different exit platform driven mainly by the economic environment. The author goes on further to conclude on the outcomes of the study and suggest further research on the topic on venture capital and initial public offerings. The participants who responded to the survey agreed with the literature reviewed, in particular around the adequate form of financing for starting up new enterprises.

Countries with high levels of growth-fostering business deregulation for domestic small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) appear to attract more FDI inflows than countries with low levels of business deregulation. This may be because SMEs in such deregulated countries attract ample cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As), which are a major conduit of FDI inflows. This study therefore investigates the relationship between FDI inflow and business deregulation. The study employs a triangulation of quantitative research methodologies and a panel data of 154 countries to analyze the relationship between FDI and deregulation. Results from the study generally show that there are statistically significant and inversely proportional relationships between inbound FDI and the deregulation of: (i) starting a business, (ii) paying taxes, and (iii) export trading, by a country‘s domestic SMEs. The study also documents positive correlations between cross-border M&As and inbound FDI. Thus, countries are likely to attract more FDI inflows, especially through cross-border M&As, as they deregulate the: starting of businesses, payment of taxes and exportation of products for their domestic SMEs. Therefore, on policy front, it is recommended that in order to enhance FDI inflows, countries ought to deregulate these areas of infringement to efficient running of SMEs; this finding provides a complementary and/or substitute policy to the popular outward-looking incentive programs for attracting FDIs.

<p>Date June 04, 2008</p><p>Level Master Thesis EFO705, 10 points (15 credits)</p><p>Authors Pornratchanee Sethakaset Tanawan Santimataneedol</p><p>Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok Thailand</p><p>Date of Birth: 28 October 1982 Date of Birth: 5 March 1984</p><p>Title The Application of Human Resource Management in Thai SMEs –</p><p>A Case Study of Albatross Company Limited</p><p>Supervisor Mona Andersson</p><p>Problems : How can the entrepreneur of SMEs manage their human resources?</p><p>Can previous research and studies about HRM in SMEs be applied in the Thai entrepreneurial SME?</p><p>Does the HRM in the company change and transform over time?</p><p>Purposes : The purposes of this study are to review the relevant studies and research about HRM in SMEs in order to investigate how human resources are managed in SMEs and to determine if the previous studies are applicable to Thai entrepreneurial SMEs.</p><p>Methodology : This master’s thesis is based on a qualitative approach in order to investigate HRM in SMEs and easier to understand the behavior in a certain case. The main secondary data is also collected from website which is the utilizing material for this thesis.</p><p>Conclusion : In this study, it was concluded that this Thai SME manages its human resource in a mixture between informal and formal way. HRM is used and practiced more as the company grows which the entrepreneur plays a central role in the Human Resource Management in SMEs.</p>

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the foundation of Taiwan¡¦s corporate structures and the driving force behind Taiwan¡¦s economic development. The economic miracle in the past could be attributed to the high proportion (97.8%) of small enterprises in Taiwan (2005). Therefore, how small and medium enterprises use human resource management to obtain organizational competitive advantages is the motivation behind this research. High-performing and potential SMEs¡¦ practices of human resource management may be beneficial to the learning and referencing of domestic enterprises. Thus, this study focuses on enterprises which received the National SMEs Award from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and enterprises listed as ¡§small but beautiful, small but rich¡¨ on the Feb 2006 issue of CommonWealth Magazine. Through in-depth interviews, this study attempted to qualitatively induce and analyze the core practices involved in human resource management and the practices developed under and applied to various situations. Through literature review and interviews with six high-performing SMEs in Taiwan, the following results were obtained: 1.The analysis of the human resource management measures currently adopted by SMEs showed that human resource management and organizational competitive advantages are correlated. Human resource management measures are influential to human resource competence, organizational core competence, and organizational competitive advantages. 2.From a universalistic perspective, SMEs¡¦ core practices of human resource management include: sharing of operation results with employees, providing a strict recruitment procedure and valuing employees¡¦ cultural adaptation, offering highly-competitive salary, valuing cultivation of professional competence, integrating performance, salary, and development, and providing open communication channels. 3.From a contingency perspective, we probed into the SMEs¡¦ practices of human resource management developed under and applied to various contexts. The analysis of the outstanding SMEs showed that human resource management measures that enterprises have focused on to obtain competitive advantages may vary with practical contexts. Organizations can thus react and adapt to the dynamic environment and maintain or elevate their competitive advantages.

More than 90% of enterprises in Taiwan are small and medium enterprises. These flexible and efficient forces are one of the important foundations for economic development in Taiwan. How large is the number? Based on the data of ¡§The White book of Small and Medium Enterprises in Year 2011¡¨ from Ministry of Economic Affairs, the number is over one million and two hundred thousand! However; taking on strong competition in emerging markets and enterprise globalization, the small and medium enterprises in Taiwan face many challenges. For large enterprises and electronic industry, implement ERP to manage enterprise resources efficiently to respond to immediate changes is the core of enterprise information technology. With limited budget on information systems and specialties from small and medium enterprises, how should they implement ERP? How could they successfully implement ERP? Should they have change management when implementing ERP? Do they have the same key factors as ERP implementation in the large enterprises? Whether there is any particular attention they should pay on? This study conducted multiple case interviews using semi-structures on the objects of ERP-implemented small and medium enterprises to explore the derivation of the processes of each case, what problems and difficulties have they encountered? How to overcome the problems? By the case corporate practical experiences to assess the key factors of successful implementation, coping with the processes and problems of the implementation derivation, we expected to propose the improvement of core enterprise competition and success rate to the traditional small and medium enterprises that will implement ERP in the future. Keywords: Enterprise Resource Planning, KSF, Traditional Industries, Small and Medium Enterprises, BPR

In the internet era,many small-and-medium enterprises begin to engage in e-commerce field.There have been many legends of internet in many contries for the last decade. Traditional enterprises set up their websites and step in the e-commerce continuously. They try to create new entrepreneurial stories. In the past, only large corporations have the capability to perform global business and operate twenty-four hours a day. Because of the sufficient manpower and financial resources, they are proactive in the marketing and customer service. However the internet technology and e-commerce have transformed the traditional business model. Nowadays, small or median enterprises.also can reach global customers and perform the transactions through the internet for twenty-four hours a day. This thesis is about the small and median enterprises to start the e-commerce by joining the H company that is an ISP vendor in Taiwan. This is a multiple cases research containing six internet companies. The research method is the grounded theory. After the interviews and associated data collection, we analyzed the data according to the three steps of grounded theory; they are open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. The internet venture can be described as three stages: starting a business idea, the start-up process, and the internet venture performance. For those internet startups with satisfactory performance, the research summarizes the following characteristics. The entrepreneurs well understand the web skills for internet transaction. Therefore, they pay much attention to the e-business procedures so that they are able to well maintain their websites,and make the best use of the websites to promote their merchandises and to conduct long-term customer¡¦s relationship.On the other hand,for those internet ventures with worse performances, the entrepreneurs usually know little about the e-commerce. They hardly participate their e-shops and have no time to manage their websites. Because they also have low expectation of the e-commerce, they don¡¦t learn the management tactics of inernet venture. For one extreme case, the entrepreneur has never done anything on his website. In this research, it is found that the internet venture performance is positively correlated with the expectation level. The type of merchandise is not the most critical factor to succeed an internet venture. Whenever the entrepreneurs have the higher understanding of the internet technology and the more participation to conduct the e-commerce activities, the performances are always better. Usually, for those startups with proactive entrepreneurs, they have higher possibilities to gain satisfactory financial performance.