The field of research study is Swedish SMEs that belong to plastic industry. In the time ofglobalization and high competition on the global market, the issues of innovationimplementation and processes that can increase effectiveness of innovative activities are oftendiscussed. The issue is essentially important for small and medium businesses, which due totheir size and specifications are more flexible and can easily implement innovations. Due tothe fact, that Swedish market is filled with small and medium enterprises and innovativeactivities are among the most current and attractive for discussion, the research on the matterof innovation is seen as important contribution and necessary study for the modern market.The study focuses on importance of communicative processes between managers andemployees on the matter of innovation and innovative activities. The general researchquestion focuses on studying whether managers and employees can influence innovations andinnovative activities through communication. The research focuses on studying SwedishSMEs, on the case of plastic industry. SMEs in Sweden are well known for innovativeactivities, however, the research attempts to discover whether such activities are effective andwhether communication between managers and employees “makes or breaks innovativeecosystem” (Estrin, 2009). The motivation behind this research is to find how communicativeactivities in Swedish SMEs influence innovative processes and find whether managers andemployees can influence effectively innovations through communication for the benefit of theorganization.

La littérature a porté une attention croissante à la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises (RSE) et à la gestion de la chaîne logistique (GCL). Cependant, peu de recherches ont été menées de la perspective de la PME. Ainsi, l’objectif de cette recherche est de mieux comprendre l’engagement de la PME dans des pratiques de responsabilité sociale au sein de sa chaîne logistique. Cette thèse, à travers trois articles, examine la question suivante : Comment la PME adopte-t-elle des pratiques RSE sous la pression des clients et des fournisseurs, et étend-t-elle ses pratiques RSE dans sa chaîne logistique ? Dans le premier chapitre, nous montrons en utilisant une approche de modélisation par équation structurelle et des données recueillies auprès de 273 PME, que les pressions institutionnelles exercées par les partenaires de la chaîne logistique influencent différemment le niveau de pratiques de RSE dans les PME. L’étude démontre notamment que les pressions coercitives n’ont pas d’influence significative sur les pratiques RSE, alors que les pressions mimétiques et normatives influencent de manière positive et significative le niveau des pratiques RSE. Par ailleurs, l’influence positive des pressions normatives sur les pratiques RSE est plus forte pour les PME situées en aval de leur chaîne logistique tandis que les PME situées en amont sont sensibles aux pressions mimétiques sur leurs pratiques environnementales, de ressources humaines et commerciales. Dans le deuxième chapitre, notre étude révèle à travers des études de cas de six triades de PME, que les PME utilisent des capacités de « co-évolution » ou de «contrôle réflexif» pour étendre la RSE au fournisseur de premier rang, tandis qu’elles utilisent la «délégation active», les capacités de «re-conceptualisation de la chaîne logistique» ou l'approche «don’t bother» pour étendre la RSE au fournisseur de second-rang. Enfin, le troisième chapitre indique à travers une revue systématique de la littérature que les PME peuvent jouer quatre rôles dans la mise en place de pratiques RSE dans la chaîne logistique : adoptant, bloqueur, générateur ou transmetteur. Nous avons également identifié les caractéristiques des PME et les facteurs de contingence liés aux différents rôles des PME. Par cette thèse, nous enrichissons la littérature en montrant la diversité des pressions auxquelles sont soumises les PME dans leur chaîne logistique, les mécanismes qu’elles utilisent pour étendre leurs pratiques RSE au-delà du fournisseur de premier-rang, et le rôle crucial qu’elles jouent dans la mise en place d’une chaîne logistique durable. / Recent years have seen a considerable increase in the literature concerning the separate areas of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Supply Chain Management (SCM). However, little scholarly attention has been paid on the link between the two from a small and-medium sized enterprise (SME) perspective Therefore, this research aims to provide a better understanding of the engagement of SMEs in CSR practices in their supply chains. This thesis, through three articles, investigates the following research question : How does the SME adopt CSR practices through suppliers and customers pressures and extend its practices in the supply chain ?In the first chapter, using a structural equation modeling approach and data collected from 273 SMEs, our findings indicate that institutional pressures exerted by supply chain partners influence differently the level of CSR practices in SMEs. Notably, the study demonstrates that coercive pressures have no significant influence on CSR practices, whereas mimetic and normative pressures influence positively and significantly the level of CSR practices. Furthermore, the positive influence of normative pressures on CSR practices is stronger for SMEs situated downstream in their supply chain, whereas SMEs in further upstream positions are those which are sensitive to mimetic pressures for their environmental, human resources and marketplace practices.In the second chapter, based on a multiple-case study examining six triadic relationships, our study reveals that SMEs use “co-evolving” or “reflexive control” capabilities to extend CSR to the SME first-tier supplier. The findings reveal that, in contrast, SMEs use “active delegation”, “supply chain re-conceptualization” capabilities or a “don’t bother” approach to extend CSR to the SME second-tier supplier.Finally, the third chapter indicates using a systematic literature review that SMEs can undertake four roles in implementing CSR in the supply chain. We also identify the SMEs characteristics and the contingency factors that are related to the different roles of SMEs.This thesis contributes to fill the gap in literature by demonstrating the variety of pressures SMEs face in their supply chain, the mechanisms they use to extend CSR beyond the first-tier supplier, and the crucial role they play in the development of a sustainable supply chain.

A aplicação da Gestão do Conhecimento cresce a cada ano, especialmente em empresas de grande porte. Apesar de ser uma ferramenta capaz de oferecer vantagem competitiva, pequenas e médias empresas ainda tem dificuldade de aplica-la devido a falta de metodologias formais com ênfase em pequenas e médias empresas. Esse trabalho apresenta uma proposta de metodologia para guiar pequenas e médias empresas na realização de projetos de Gestão do Conhecimento. Por meio de um método sequencial e repetível a metodologia desenvolvida neste trabalho de pesquisa e denominada MAGCPME Metodologia de Análise para Gestão do Conhecimento em Pequenas e Médias Empresas, tem como foco a fase de análise e levantamento de requisitos para o desenvolvimento de Sistemas para Gestão do Conhecimento. Esse trabalho também apresenta um estudo de caso com o resultado da aplicação da metodologia MAGCPME em uma pequena empresa brasileira e a análise dos resultados obtidos desta aplicação. / Application of Knowledge Management is growing every year, especially in large companies. Despite all the benefits it can provide, small companies still have difficulty implementing it due to lack formal methodologies with an emphasis on small and medium enterprises. This work proposes a methodology to guide small and medium enterprises to start Knowledge Management projects. Through a sequential and repeatable method the methodology developed on this work called MAKMSME Methodology of Analysis for Knowledge Management in Small and Medium Enterprises, focuses on the phase of analysis and requirements gathering to support the development of a Knowledge Management System. This work also presents a case study with the results of the application of the methodology in a small Brazilian company and the analysis of results obtained in this application.

This thesis is focused on the analysis of business conditions of small and medium-sized enterprises in Belgium. First chapter involves the definition of these companies, describes their weaknesses and strengths and importance in the European Union. Next part includes short information about Belgium and contains also the description of the local business environment. Third chapter aims at the characteristics of small and medium-sized companies in Belgium considering the total number of active companies, employment and other measures and analyzes in detail the system of the public support at the european, national and regional level. The last part compares the sector of SMEs in Belgium with the same category of enterprises in the Czech Republic.

The subject of this dissertation thesis is human resource management in small and medium-sized enterprises, in the context of various internal and external conditions for their functioning. The main objective of this thesis is based on the identification and assessment of the current approaches of small and medium-sized enterprises to human resource management propose the model of human resource management in Czech small and medium-sized enterprises, including recommendations to improve the quality of human resource management.

A aplicação da Gestão do Conhecimento cresce a cada ano, especialmente em empresas de grande porte. Apesar de ser uma ferramenta capaz de oferecer vantagem competitiva, pequenas e médias empresas ainda tem dificuldade de aplica-la devido a falta de metodologias formais com ênfase em pequenas e médias empresas. Esse trabalho apresenta uma proposta de metodologia para guiar pequenas e médias empresas na realização de projetos de Gestão do Conhecimento. Por meio de um método sequencial e repetível a metodologia desenvolvida neste trabalho de pesquisa e denominada MAGCPME Metodologia de Análise para Gestão do Conhecimento em Pequenas e Médias Empresas, tem como foco a fase de análise e levantamento de requisitos para o desenvolvimento de Sistemas para Gestão do Conhecimento. Esse trabalho também apresenta um estudo de caso com o resultado da aplicação da metodologia MAGCPME em uma pequena empresa brasileira e a análise dos resultados obtidos desta aplicação. / Application of Knowledge Management is growing every year, especially in large companies. Despite all the benefits it can provide, small companies still have difficulty implementing it due to lack formal methodologies with an emphasis on small and medium enterprises. This work proposes a methodology to guide small and medium enterprises to start Knowledge Management projects. Through a sequential and repeatable method the methodology developed on this work called MAKMSME Methodology of Analysis for Knowledge Management in Small and Medium Enterprises, focuses on the phase of analysis and requirements gathering to support the development of a Knowledge Management System. This work also presents a case study with the results of the application of the methodology in a small Brazilian company and the analysis of results obtained in this application.

O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi avaliar a existência de uma orientação do controle do desempenho utilizados nas pequenas e médias empresas hoteleiras e sua adequação aos fatores-chave de competitividade do setor. Essa pesquisa foi realizada na região central do Estado de São Paulo contemplando os circuitos Paulista da Chapada Guarani e Ecocaipira. A pesquisa fundamenta-se no vácuo existente entre a visão estratégica e visão operacional na gestão empresarial, ou seja, a falta de integração entre as diretrizes estratégicas e a operação das empresas. A medição de desempenho é uma atividade que visa melhorar gradativamente a atuação das empresas, fazendo com que elas se mantenham competitivas. O trabalho de campo foi dividido em três fases: a primeira e segunda fase concentrou-se na abordagem quantitativa. A primeira fase teve o propósito de identificar a quantidade de empresas hoteleiras na região central do Estado de São Paulo, considerando o mapeamento da equipe de pesquisadores do GEOPE da EESC - USP. A segunda fase teve o propósito de caracterizar a preocupação com o controle do desempenho e com as medidas de desempenho da organização. A terceira fase concentrou-se na abordagem qualitativa, na qual foi feito um estudo de caso com o propósito de verificar os indicadores utilizados pelas empresas e verificar se estão orientados para a competitividade. Como principal resultado, observou-se que os mecanismos de controle do desempenho são adequados as características do contexto social de cada organização e, como conseqüência, está relacionado à estratégia da empresa. Ainda, concluiu-se que os indicadores de desempenho das grandes e das pequenas empresas hoteleiras são semelhantes, a diferença está na formalização desses indicadores. / The general aim of this research is to evaluate the existence of an orientation of the organizational control utilized in small and medium sized hotels and its adequacy for the key competitivity factors of the sector. The research was conducted in the central region of São Paulo State comprising the Paulista Circuits of Chapada Guarani and Ecocaipira, based on the vacuum that exists between the strategic and operational visions in the entrepreneural management, i. e., the lack of integration between the strategic guidelines and the operation of the enterprises. The performance measurement is an activity that aims to gradually improve the action of enterprises, so that they keep themselves competitive, which is the basis in the strategic process. The field work was divided into three stages, of which the first and the second focused on the quantitative approach. In the first phase the aim was the identification and quantification of hotels in the central region of São Paulo state, considering the mapping of the research group of GEOPE at São Carlos Engineering School - USP. In the second phase, the concern about the performance control and measurement of the organization was characterized. Finally, the third phase focused on the qualitative approach, in which a case study was conducted in order to verify the indicators utilized by the enterprises and check that they are oriented towards competitiveness. As a main result, it was possible to observe that the performance control mechanisms are adequate for the characteristics of the social context of each organization and, therefore, related to the enterprise strategy. The performance indicators of large and small hotels are similar, differing only in their formalization.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2016-07-13T16:51:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniela Baggio_.pdf: 849327 bytes, checksum: d48578cbd16c06d4aaebc25cadeb3269 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-13T16:51:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniela Baggio_.pdf: 849327 bytes, checksum: d48578cbd16c06d4aaebc25cadeb3269 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-06 / Nenhuma / O presente estudo foi motivado por lacunas teóricas sobre a gestão de práticas colaborativas de pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D) no processo da inovação aberta (IA). As pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) são consideradas relevantes no contexto econômico brasileiro, entretanto, enfrentam diversas dificuldades para se desenvolver, crescer e inovar no mercado quando atuam de forma individualizada. Com base nessa contextualização, a pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar como PMEs brasileiras realizam a coordenação das práticas colaborativas de P&D no processo da IA. Como objetivos específicos deste estudo estão: identificar os motivos para a adoção de práticas colaborativas; as dificuldades encontradas em sua implementação no que se refere à coordenação dos projetos; identificar como ocorre a gestão através dos mecanismos de coordenação de Grandori e Soda (1995); e, analisar a importância x desempenho dos mecanismos na coordenação nos projetos. Para tanto, foi realizado um levantamento teórico que enfocou tópicos referentes ao processo da IA, colaboração e os mecanismos de coordenação. Como estratégia investigativa optou-se por uma pesquisa qualitativa, através de um estudo de quatro casos em que ocorreram práticas colaborativas entre: empresa-fornecedor (P1); empresa-empresa (P2); empresa-cliente (P3), e, empresa-universidade-usuários (P4). Os dados foram obtidos através de entrevistas em profundidade e dados secundários. Como resultado da pesquisa conclui-se que os principais motivos para a adoção das práticas colaborativas estão vinculados a fatores motivacionais de caráter individual em complemento com fatores relacionados por motivações organizacionais e estratégicas. Entre as dificuldades encontradas em relação à coordenação dos projetos colaborativos foram identificados os seguintes: sistemas de informação, suporte público e infraestrutura; negociações; e, sistema de controle e planejamento. Quanto aos mecanismos de coordenação utilizados nos projetos colaborativos, foram identificados os seguintes: comunicação, decisão e negociação; sistema de controle e planejamento; equipe comum; coordenação e controle social; e, interação interunidades. E, como ponto crucial desta pesquisa, percebeu-se que a utilização dos mecanismos de coordenação dependeu das particularidades e especificidades de cada projeto, influenciando na coordenação dos projetos colaborativos. Além disso, as evidências empíricas demonstram que, quanto maior a complexidade do projeto, os mecanismos de coordenação utilizados em sua gestão tendem a ser mais específicos e formais. / This study was motivated by theoretical gaps on the management of collaborative practices of research and development (R&D) in the open innovation process (OI). Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered relevant in the Brazilian economic context, however, they face a lot of difficulties to develop, grow and innovate themselves in the market when they act individually. Based on this context, the research aimed to analyze how Brazilian SMEs realize the coordination of collaborative practices of R&D in the OI process. The specific objectives of this study are: identify the reasons for the adoption of collaborative practices; the difficulties found in the implementation of collaborative practices of R&D regarding the coordination of projects; identifying how the management of collaborative practices of R&D occurs in the OI, through Grandori and Soda (1995) mechanisms of coordination; and, analyze the importance x mechanisms performance when coordinating the projects. Therefore, a theoretical study was conducted focusing on topics related to the closed innovation process to the OI, cooperation and the coordination mechanisms. As the research strategy, was chosen a qualitative research, through a study of four cases in which collaborative practices occurred between: company-supplier (P1); company-company (P2); company-client (P3), and, company-university-users (P4). The data were collected through depth interviews and secondary data. As a result of the research it is concluded that the main reasons for the adoption of collaborative practices are linked to motivational factors of individual character in addition to factors related to organizational and strategic motivations. Among the difficulties found as regards the coordination of collaborative projects, the following ones have been identified: information systems, public support and infrastructure, negotiations, and control system and planning. Regarding the coordination mechanisms used in collaborative projects, the following ones have been identified: communications, decision and negotiation; controlling and planning system; common staff; coordination and social control; and inter-unit interaction. And, as a crucial point of this research, it was noticed that the use of the coordination mechanisms depended on the particularities and specificities of each project, influencing the coordination of collaborative projects. Moreover, empirical evidences show that the greater the complexity of the project, the coordination mechanisms used in its management tend to be more specific and formal.

There is a lack of attention and understanding of how smaller hotel businesses understand and engage with social responsibility. The lack of understanding has led to a situation where the knowledge of how hotel corporations operate regarding Corporate social responsibility unproblematically is applied across scales onto Small and medium sized hotels behaviour regarding social responsibility. This thesis examines this lack of understanding by analysing discourses related to social responsibility that can be found in online reviews written by former guests of SME hotels in Tällberg, Sweden. The results of the discourse analysis show that SME hotels mainly perform social responsibility through the performance of hospitality and by acting as cultural brokers allowing socialisation to happen. They suggest that the notion most SMEs have of hospitality links into social responsibility without them realising it. However, the unreflective conflation of knowledge across scales regarding social responsibility and the term Corporate social responsibility risk disrupting this performance, as it makes SME hotel owners and managers act counterproductively to this. Thus, this thesis suggests that the very use of the term CSR when talking about SMEs in the hotel sector is problematic. Furthermore, the findings also suggest that the creation and performance of social responsibility in hotel SMEs are mainly dialogic, unlike previously assumed, as it is created in the interaction between two persons.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Lebanon are at risk of failure because of the geoeconomic crisis. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that successful leaders of SMEs use to sustain their businesses during tenuous economic conditions. The target population for the research comprised 6 business leaders of SMEs in Beirut, Lebanon: 3 in the civil security field and 3 in the facilities management field. Kotter's change model theory provided the conceptual framework for this research. Data were gathered from company documents and interviews with SMEs leaders in Beirut. Data were analyzed using Yin's data analysis method, which included compiling the data, disassembling the data, reassembling the data, interpreting the meaning of the data, and concluding the data. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to add consistency and rigor to the findings. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) leaders of SMEs embedded change management in their organizations to sustain their businesses, (b) leaders of SMEs increased awareness in their organizations, (c) leaders of SMEs succeeded in creating solid organizational and financial structures to ensure a sustainable cash flow, and (d) leaders of SMEs formed niche markets to grow. Leaders of SMEs achieved their strategies by (a) establishing a sense of urgency, (b) forming a powerful guiding coalition by creating awareness in leaders' organizations, (c) empowering others to communicate both organizational and financial visions, and (d) generating short-term wins. The implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce unemployment rates and create new job opportunities by sustaining businesses of SMEs during tenuous economic conditions.