No description available.

The importance of small firms in a country’s development cannot be over-emphasized. In particular, it is important for them to grow in order to sustain their contributions to a country’s economy. Studies have shown how firms achieve growth using the traditional model of decision making (causation) in which planning, market research and forecasting are used to gain relevant information about the firm’s market/industry. This planning enables the firms to compete favourably with other existing firms in the market. Effectuation as an alternative theory involves decision-making processes under conditions of uncertainty where there is no adequate knowledge of the market due to its latent and emerging nature. Effectuation has been used to examine various concepts in entrepreneurship, but there has been no real effort to apply it to the growth of small knowledge-intensive firms (SKIFs). This study, based on in-depth interviews with six SKIFs, highlights how effectuation can be applied to the growth of SKIFs and it examines how the four underlying principles of contingencies, affordable loss, strategic relationships and adaptation contribute to SKIF growth. In addition, elements of causation are also shown to be relevant, leading to the conclusion that the two models can be used jointly to achieve growth of SKIFs.

Aim: The aim of this study is to gain deep understanding on how organizational changes are managed and implemented in small firms.   Method: The data for this study is collected by doing an extensive literature study and by conducting semi-structured face-to-face interviews with respondents from one single case company. This data was then sorted by topic and analyzed accordingly. The management’s perspective is presented by statements and quotes and the employee’s perspective is presented in summarized essay form.    Result & Conclusions: The study showed that change is an ever-present future of the small firm business environment and must be seen as an ongoing process. Firms have to take a thorough approach when implementing change, where gaining enough support for a change initiative is essential for its success.  Suggestions for future research: Since this study is only focused on a single case, the suggested framework needs more validation. Also the author recommends further research on the topic of change implementation at small firms in general.  Contribution of the thesis: More case studies are needed to further validate the research outcomes since this study was a first attempt to discover the field of change implementation in small organizations.

This thesis adds to the literature on strategy and enterprise discourses by analysing how they are used in interviews with small-firm owner-managers. The literature describes features of strategy and enterprise discourses and their shaping by historical developments. There is much work on the operation of these two discourses at societal and large-organisation levels. Much less researched is how these discourses are used by small-firm managers or how these discourses interact in use. This work characterises a particular discourse-analytical approach to the research interview as suitable for advancing the literature. Small, young publishing firms producing business magazines in late ‘Celtic Tiger’ Ireland are argued as an apposite context. Detailed analysis of three selected interviews illustrates the relevance of enterprise and strategy discourses in the particular ways these owner-managers talk. Drawing on the notion of ideological dilemmas, this work gives an explicit account of how strategy and enterprise discourses are used and interrelated in a manner described here as a ‘dichotomous unity’. This unity depends not only on the discourses’ commonalities but also on the dilemmatic tensions between them. These tensions allow creative and subtle uses of the unified discourse. Yet these same dilemmas also constrain the discourse within the bounds marked out by them. The persistence and creativity, noted by the literature, in the use of enterprise and strategy discourses is explained by the interpretation offered here. This work also stresses the need to research these discourses as two aspects of the same phenomenon. The interview method used reveals the wholeness of a discourse that other methods might show as fractured. Discourse analysts generally recognise that people both shape, and are shaped by discourses. By explicating how strategy and enterprise discourses operate, this work adds to human agency. Small-firm managers may become more aware of the constraints otherwise implicit in enterprise-strategy discourse. Policymakers may gain an appreciation of the discursive balance that the promotion of enterprise and strategy demands of small-business managers, along with the kind of costs such balancing might entail.

Nas últimas décadas, o cenário empresarial mundial tem presenciado profundas modificações que afetam diretamente as empresas e definem novas formas de atuação no mercado. Por um lado, pode-se identificar a posição de destaque ocupada pelos consumidores, ávidos por produtos e serviços de alta qualidade e que de fato atendam às suas necessidades. Por outro, destaca-se o fenômeno da globalização dos mercados e seu reflexo na concorrência entre as empresas, que agora passa a ser mundial. Além disto, esta troca de paradigmas traz em seu bojo mudanças nos fatores definidores de competitividade para as empresas. Esta situação desfavorece, sobretudo, as micro e pequenas empresas (MPE\'s), que muitas vezes não contam com capacidade competitiva necessária para se adaptarem a esta nova era. Para sobreviver às condições impostas pela economia vigente, observa-se o surgimento de novas formas de organização industrial, com destaque às que estimulam a cooperação entre empresas de um mesmo setor ou de setores complementares, dentre os quais destacam-se os chamados aglomerados ou clusters. Pelas suas características, a presença em um cluster possibilita às MPE\'s incrementos em seus processos produtivos, tanto em termos de volume de produção quanto em termos de aumento de possibilidades tecnológicas, através do compartilhamento de meios produtivos e de investimentos na busca por melhores tecnologias, sejam elas de produto, de processo ou de gestão. De acordo com este cenário, o objetivo desta tese consiste em desenvolver uma análise da competitividade das MPE\'s do cluster alimentício do município de Marília/SP, possibilitando identificar ações a serem tomadas para aumento da competitividade deste conjunto de empresas. Para a realização desta análise foi elaborado um modelo geral adotado na pesquisa, considerando as particularidades do cluster em questão: a predominância de MPE\'s e as características da indústria alimentícia. / In the last decades, the managerial scenery in the world has been witnessing deep modifications that affect the companies directly and define its new forms of performance in the market. On one side, it can be verified the prominent position occupied by the consumers, avid for products and services of high quality and that in fact assist to their needs. On other side, it can be stand out the phenomenon of the globalization of the markets, enlarging the horizons of the companies for besides the national limits, increasing, with that, the competition among them. Besides this, this change of paradigms in its core some changes in the factors that define the competitiveness for a company. This situation disfavors, above all the small firms, that don\'t have necessary competitive capacity for adapt itself to this new era. Thus, to survive to the conditions imposed by the effective economy, these firms create new ways of industrial organization that stimulate cooperation among companies that belongs to the same sector or to the complementary sectors, which can be stand out as agglomerates or clusters. For its characteristics, the presence in a cluster facilitates to the MPE\'s increments in its productive processes, so much in terms of production volume as in terms of increase of technological possibilities, through the share alike of productive means and of investments in the search for better technologies, be them of product, of process or of administration. In agreement with this scenery, the objective of this consists of developing an analysis of the competitiveness of MPE\'s agroindustrial cluster in the municipal district of Marília/SP, facilitating to identify actions to be taken for the competitiveness increasing of this group of companies. For the accomplishment of this analysis a general model adopted in the research was elaborated, considering the particularities of the cluster in subject: the predominance of ) MPE\'s and the characteristics of the nutritious industry.

According to World Bank Report published in 2012, the rural population in Sweden is 15.3 %. Rural population is calculated as difference between total populations minus urban population. 15.3 % clearly shows how important rural areas are for Sweden’s future development. Entrepreneurship plays the integral role in rural area development. However, earlier research has shown only economic perspective of rural development. On the other hand, the new ways to discover the challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurs in small firms were needed.

This study examines the interactive effects of family and minority ownership on small business debt financing. On one hand, family involvement in ownership has an influence on small firms financial decision. On the other hand, racial disparities in small business ownership make these firms experience differently in credit markets. In the context of family and minority involvements, this study measures two dimensions of small business debt financing, one for its use, a financing issue directly related to the capital structure, and the other for its cost, an agency issue related to the firms ability to borrowing and repayment. By using the unique data from the 1993, 1998, and 2003 Survey of Small Business Finances, our empirical results show significant evidence that family involvement has an impact on both the use of debt and the cost of debt financing in small businesses. That is, family ownership are negatively related to both the use of debt and the cost of debt financing, and when the firms are all non-visible minority owned, family firms have a lower level of debt and pay a lower interest rate than non-family firms. The results also show that the firm owners visible minority are positively related to the cost of debt financing, and when these firms are all family owned, visible minority owned firms pay a higher interest rate than non-visible minority owned firms. These results of our study also have important implications for both small business and family business research. For small business owners, it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of family as well as minority involvements to finance their businesses. And for policymakers and institutional lenders, understanding the family and minority effects also assists small businesses in obtaining debt financing.

This study examines the interactive effects of family and minority ownership on small business debt financing. On one hand, family involvement in ownership has an influence on small firms financial decision. On the other hand, racial disparities in small business ownership make these firms experience differently in credit markets. In the context of family and minority involvements, this study measures two dimensions of small business debt financing, one for its use, a financing issue directly related to the capital structure, and the other for its cost, an agency issue related to the firms ability to borrowing and repayment. By using the unique data from the 1993, 1998, and 2003 Survey of Small Business Finances, our empirical results show significant evidence that family involvement has an impact on both the use of debt and the cost of debt financing in small businesses. That is, family ownership are negatively related to both the use of debt and the cost of debt financing, and when the firms are all non-visible minority owned, family firms have a lower level of debt and pay a lower interest rate than non-family firms. The results also show that the firm owners visible minority are positively related to the cost of debt financing, and when these firms are all family owned, visible minority owned firms pay a higher interest rate than non-visible minority owned firms. These results of our study also have important implications for both small business and family business research. For small business owners, it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of family as well as minority involvements to finance their businesses. And for policymakers and institutional lenders, understanding the family and minority effects also assists small businesses in obtaining debt financing.

The internationalization of SMEs has been recognized as one of the important paths to growth in SMEs. However, internationalization is also a resource and competence-demanding process. This is especially true for smaller-sized SMEs – the small and micro-sized firms – which have a large resource constraint, making internationalization even more challenging. Although this group of small firms counts for an average of over 98% of the total population of enterprises in EU countries, extant research on the internationalization of this group is still limited. Therefore, the main purpose of this dissertation is to contribute to a better understanding of evolving patterns of internationalization in the smaller-sized SMEs. The study uses emerging market entry along the internationalization of small firms as a context to probe the dynamics of perceived risk (uncertainty) and perceived opportunity in different foreign markets which influence the important decisions of small firms during their internationalization. The main study takes a longitudinal approach and uses mixed methods to investigate the features in both the initial period and the continued period of internationalization. It mainly builds on a multiple-case study of 12 Swedish firms, which have/had emerging market entry experience and/or involvement. This study illustrates influences from the environmental, organizational and individual levels on evolving patterns of internationalization in the investigated firms. This dissertation concludes that critical decisions and actions taken in the internationalization process depend on interactions among the influence and resources from the three levels. Such interactions form a conditional preference on perceived risk (uncertainty) and perceived opportunity during the internationalization of small firms. The study further proposes that the dynamics in the internationalization process are caused by a prospect-guided change mechanism. This dissertation contributes to the literature by: differentiating patterns of internationalization; enriching the study of “born global” in the continued period of internationalization; introducing a new perspective on the interpretation of dynamics in the internationalization; and increasing the understanding on the interactions of resources from three levels on the internationalization of small firms.

Nas últimas décadas, o cenário empresarial mundial tem presenciado profundas modificações que afetam diretamente as empresas e definem novas formas de atuação no mercado. Por um lado, pode-se identificar a posição de destaque ocupada pelos consumidores, ávidos por produtos e serviços de alta qualidade e que de fato atendam às suas necessidades. Por outro, destaca-se o fenômeno da globalização dos mercados e seu reflexo na concorrência entre as empresas, que agora passa a ser mundial. Além disto, esta troca de paradigmas traz em seu bojo mudanças nos fatores definidores de competitividade para as empresas. Esta situação desfavorece, sobretudo, as micro e pequenas empresas (MPE\'s), que muitas vezes não contam com capacidade competitiva necessária para se adaptarem a esta nova era. Para sobreviver às condições impostas pela economia vigente, observa-se o surgimento de novas formas de organização industrial, com destaque às que estimulam a cooperação entre empresas de um mesmo setor ou de setores complementares, dentre os quais destacam-se os chamados aglomerados ou clusters. Pelas suas características, a presença em um cluster possibilita às MPE\'s incrementos em seus processos produtivos, tanto em termos de volume de produção quanto em termos de aumento de possibilidades tecnológicas, através do compartilhamento de meios produtivos e de investimentos na busca por melhores tecnologias, sejam elas de produto, de processo ou de gestão. De acordo com este cenário, o objetivo desta tese consiste em desenvolver uma análise da competitividade das MPE\'s do cluster alimentício do município de Marília/SP, possibilitando identificar ações a serem tomadas para aumento da competitividade deste conjunto de empresas. Para a realização desta análise foi elaborado um modelo geral adotado na pesquisa, considerando as particularidades do cluster em questão: a predominância de MPE\'s e as características da indústria alimentícia. / In the last decades, the managerial scenery in the world has been witnessing deep modifications that affect the companies directly and define its new forms of performance in the market. On one side, it can be verified the prominent position occupied by the consumers, avid for products and services of high quality and that in fact assist to their needs. On other side, it can be stand out the phenomenon of the globalization of the markets, enlarging the horizons of the companies for besides the national limits, increasing, with that, the competition among them. Besides this, this change of paradigms in its core some changes in the factors that define the competitiveness for a company. This situation disfavors, above all the small firms, that don\'t have necessary competitive capacity for adapt itself to this new era. Thus, to survive to the conditions imposed by the effective economy, these firms create new ways of industrial organization that stimulate cooperation among companies that belongs to the same sector or to the complementary sectors, which can be stand out as agglomerates or clusters. For its characteristics, the presence in a cluster facilitates to the MPE\'s increments in its productive processes, so much in terms of production volume as in terms of increase of technological possibilities, through the share alike of productive means and of investments in the search for better technologies, be them of product, of process or of administration. In agreement with this scenery, the objective of this consists of developing an analysis of the competitiveness of MPE\'s agroindustrial cluster in the municipal district of Marília/SP, facilitating to identify actions to be taken for the competitiveness increasing of this group of companies. For the accomplishment of this analysis a general model adopted in the research was elaborated, considering the particularities of the cluster in subject: the predominance of ) MPE\'s and the characteristics of the nutritious industry.