As interações e transbordamentos de conhecimento (spillovers) são elementos essenciais nos processos de aprendizagem, geração de inovações e competitividade da empresa. Para as pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs), esses elementos adquirem importância devido às dificuldades competitivas que lhes são características. Surge então a necessidade de verificar como as PMEs aprendem e adquirem novas competências e novos conhecimentos e de conhecer quais os elementos relevantes para esses processos. O principal objetivo deste trabalho é descrever e analisar as interações e transbordamentos de conhecimentos chaves, que conduzem as PMEs a processos de aprendizagem. Para alcançar esse objetivo foram estudadas PMEs que participam e participaram de programas de apoio à competitividade. As atividades de inovação e exportação, atividades estratégicas para a competitividade de grandes empresas, transnacionais e cadeias globais, ajudaram na escolha dos programas de apoio investigados: incubadoras de base tecnológica e consórcios de exportação. Os objetivos desses programas que delimitaram o estudo foram aumentar a competitividade de empreendimentos inovadores para o desenvolvimento de produtos igualmente inovadores, no caso das incubadoras, e aumentar a competitividade das PMEs e sua participação em mercados externos, no caso dos consórcios de exportação. Dessa forma, a pesquisa foi delimitada as PMEs inseridas no CIETEC, a maior incubadora de base tecnológica do Brasil; as PMEs que participam do Programa Setorial Integrado . PSI, e dos consórcios de exportação, programas da APEX-Brasil. Foi feita ainda uma última delimitação, se escolheram dois casos representativos desses programas, em um mesmo setor e que já apresentassem resultados para análise, o PSI Calçados de Jaú e o consórcio de exportação APEMEBI-Brazon de Birigui. O estudo é uma abordagem qualitativa com aplicação direta de questionários desenvolvidos especialmente para cada tipo de empresa pesquisada, incubada e consorciada. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com diretores de entidades públicas e de apoio, pesquisadores e professores de universidades, centros de pesquisa e institutos de ensino. Os resultados do trabalho apontam que o CIETEC, o PSI Calçados e o consórcio de exportação promovem interações chaves para os processos de aprendizagem, geração e difusão de novos conhecimentos nas PMEs. No caso de empresas incubadas ressalta-se a importância da interação Universidade-Empresa para o desenvolvimento de produtos inovadores, e a capacitação tecnológica das PMEs. No caso do PSI e do consórcio de exportação, observa-se que as interações com clientes e fornecedores (principalmente internacionais) capacita tecnologicamente e prepara as PMEs para exportar. Os resultados da pesquisa também mostram que os transbordamentos de conhecimento são elementos essenciais, nos processos de aprendizagem das PMEs, devido a que possibilitam o acesso a conhecimentos externos. Finalmente, se conclui que os transbordamentos de conhecimento e as interações das PMEs com outros agentes podem ser definidos como elementos dinamizadores nos processos de aprendizagem dessas empresas, especialmente quando inseridos em ambientes nos quais há possibilidades aumentadas de inetrações e existem conhecimentos inerentes ao local. / The interactions and spillovers of knowledge are essential elements in the learning process for the generation of innovations and the competitiveness of firms. Those factors acquire a great importance for Small and Medium Enterprises . SME.s, because of the competitive difficulties which characterize them. Then arises the need to verify how SME.s learn and acquire new skills and knowledge; and what are the relevant elements to these processes. The main purpose of the thesis was to describe and analyze the key interactions and spillovers of knowledge that leading to the learning process of SME.s. To achieve this goal, SME.s involved in support programs to competitiveness were studied. The activities of innovation and export, strategic activities for competitiveness of large enterprises, transnational and global chains, helped in the choice of the researched support programs: technology-based incubators and consortia exports. The goals of these programs that delimited the study were: to increase the competitiveness of innovative entrepreneurships to the development of innovative products, in the case of incubators; and increasing the competitiveness of SME.s and their participation in the foreign markets, in the case of consortia export. Thus the search was bounded to the SME.s included in the CIETEC, the largest technology based incubator of Brazil; the SME.s participating in the Integrated Sector Program - ISP, and the export consortia, which are programs of APEX-Brazil. It was also made a final demarcation; from those programs in the same sector, two representative cases were chosen, which already produced results for the analysis: the ISP footwear of Jaú and consortium of export APEMEBI of Birigui. This work is a qualitative approach with direct application of questionnaires developed especially for each type of surveyed companies: incubated and consortium. There were also conducted interviews with directors of public agencies and support, researchers and professors of universities, teaching and research institutions. The main results of the work indicate that the CIETEC, the ISP footwear, and export consortia promote key interactions to the process of learning, generation and dissemination of the new knowledge in SME.s. In the case of incubated companies it is emphasized the importance of university-industry interaction to the development of innovative products, and technology training of SME.s. In the case of ISP and the consortia export, it was observed that the interactions with customers and suppliers (mainly international) train technologically the SME.s and prepare them to export. The results of the research indicate too that the spillovers of knowledge are essential elements to the process of learning of SME.s because possibility to access to external knowledge. Finally, the spillovers of knowledge and interactions of SME.s with others agents can be defined as dynamical elements in learning processes of these companies, especially when placed in environments in which there are increased possibilities of interactions and the are knowledge inherent to the local.

Os estudos sobre gestão de pessoas em pequenas empresas no Brasil mostram-se incipientes, considerando a importância destas organizações para a economia do país. Este trabalho busca analisar a adoção do modelo de gestão de pessoas baseado em competências por organizações que se caracterizem como pequena empresa, identificando benefícios e dificuldades, bem como a percepção dos profissionais que trabalham com gestão de pessoas nestas organizações. Para tanto, optou-se pela abordagem multimétodo. Inicialmente realizou-se a implantação do modelo de gestão por competências em duas organizações, através do método da pesquisa-ação. Posteriormente, analisou-se a percepção dos profissionais que trabalham com gestão de pessoas em pequenas empresas sobre as dinâmicas do conceito de competência como orientador da gestão de pessoas nestas organizações, através de survey. Trata-se gestão por competências como uma inovação radical em modelo de gestão para este tipo de organização, justificando através de revisão teórica tal concepção. Os resultados da pesquisa-ação indicam que a implantação de gestão de pessoas por competências demanda muito dos recursos, já escassos, das pequenas empresas e, portanto, faz-se necessário alto comprometimento da gestão destas empresas, bem como preparação para as mudanças necessárias. Foi possível inferir que as práticas vigentes nas PEs ainda remetem ao modelo de departamento pessoal, como advertido pelos teóricos. Há, todavia, percepção da necessidade de mudança. Os profissionais que responderam à survey, em sua maioria, possuem ensino superior, ocupam cargos de gestão nas PEs e declararam estarem familiarizados com o conceito de gestão de pessoas por competências. Foi possível classificar o conhecimento destes profissionais a respeito do conceito de competência em três níveis, sendo que houve prevalência de profissionais que possuem pouco conhecimento sobre o conceito e pouca presença de desconhecedores. Destaca-se que tanto os benefícios quanto as dificuldades previstas na literatura foram encontrados por meio da intervenção e percebidos pelos respondentes quando da survey. A relação custo-benefício da adoção foi positivamente avaliada em ambas as fases do estudo. Os resultados dos testes das hipóteses levantadas apontam para a intenção de adoção e percepção positiva da viabilidade de adotar o modelo de gestão por competências pelas pequenas empresas / Studies about people management in small companies in Brazil are incipient, considering the importance of these organizations to the economy. The study seeks to analyze the application of the competence-based management model in small enterprises (SEs, identifying the benefits and the difficulties as well as the perception of the professionals that work with people management in these organizations. Therefore, with a multi-method approach, competence-based management models were implemented in two SEs through action research method. Subsequently, the perceptions of the professionals that work with people management in SEs about the dynamics of the concept of competence as the guide for people management in these organizations was analyzed through survey. Competence-based management is understood as a radical innovation in management model for this type of organization, and this concept is justified through theoretical review. It was possible to infer that the practices in SEs still refer to the personnel department model, as advised by theorists. However, there is awareness of the need for change. Professionals who responded to the survey, in most cases, have higher education, occupy management positions and declared to be familiar with the concept of competence-based management. It was possible to classify the knowledge of these professionals in three levels and there was prevalence of professionals who have little knowledge about the concept and low presence of those who have no knowledge. It is noteworthy that both the benefits and the difficulties set out in the literature were found through the intervention and perceived by respondents on the survey. The cost-benefit ratio of the adoption was positively evaluated in both phases of the study. The hypotheses test results point to the intention of adoption and to a positive perception of the feasibility of adoption of the competence-based model by small enterprises.

Para competir em um mercado global as organizações precisam, além de formular e implementar estratégias, adotar ferramentas de gestão para monitorar e controlar o desempenho do negócio e comunicar suas ações junto aos seus stakeholders. Diante disso, nos últimos 20 anos, os pesquisadores passaram a examinar e propor sistemas de mensuração de desempenho, considerando os parâmetros financeiros e não financeiros, para auxiliar os gestores na implemtação de planejamento estratégico, na tomada de decisão e no controle das ações. Mas, causa surpresa, os poucos trabalhos dirigidos às Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PMEs), sobre esse tema. Sabe-se que as PMEs têm características organizacionais e de desempenho que as tornam diferentes das grandes empresas, porém não se pode negligenciar o importante papel dos sistemas de mensuração de desempenho para qualquer tipo de empresa ou forma de gestão. Com isso em mente, a intenção desta tese foi responder a duas perguntas importantes, a saber: as Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PMEs) empregam indicadores de mensuração de desempenho? As características organizacionais influenciam no emprego de indicadores de mensuração de desempenho? As questões principais podem ser subdivididas nos seguintes questionamentos: Quais tipos de indicadores de desempenho são adotados pelas PMEs? Os indicadores são financeiros ou não financeiros? Quais dimensões não financeiras dos sistemas de mensuração de desempenho são aplicadas nas PMEs? Quais as motivações para empregar medidas de desempenho? Empresas que adotam práticas de gestão estratégicas e de pessoas, também adotam sistema de mensuração de desempenho? Para melhor compreender essas questões, em um primeiro momento realizou-se um levantamento dos referenciais teóricos sobre sistemas de mensuração de desempenho e as características das PMEs. Na sequência, aplicou-se uma pesquisa de campo com uma amostra não probabilística por conveniência com 87 empresas do setor calçadista de Santa Catarina. O método privilegiado foi o quantitativo, para a coleta dos dados utilizou-se a survey autoadministrada enviada por internet para a análise dos dados aplicou-se técnicas estatísticas (frequência, média, cruzamentos e correlações\\associações) com o auxílio do SPSS. Os resultados revelam que as empresas pesquisadas adotam indicadores financeiros e não financeiros, porém os indicadores financeiros são mais utilizados que os não financeiros. Dentre os não financeiros, os mais utilizados são os de processos seguidos pelos de pessoas. Os menos utilizados são os sociais. A pesquisa indica que existe relação entre práticas organizacionais e emprego de indicadores. Empresas que utilizam poucas práticas organizacionais utilizam poucos indicadores financeiros e não financeiros e empresas que empregam mais práticas organizacionais tendem a utilizar um número maior de indicadores financeiros e não financeiros e empresas com maior número de empregados tendem a empregar mais indicadores financeiros e não financeiros. / In order to compete in a global market, besides formulating and implementing strategies, corporations need to adopt management tools to monitor and control the business performance and communicate their actions to their stakeholders. Facing that, in the last 20 years, researchers began to examine and propose performance measurement systems, considering the financial and non-financial parameters to assist managers implementing strategic planning, decision making, and actions controlling. However, it is surprising the small number of studies concerning Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on that topic. It is known that SMEs have management and performance features that make them different from large companies; however one cannot neglect the important role of performance measurement systems for any kind of company, or type of management. Having that in mind, the intent of this thesis was to answer two important questions, namely: Do Small and Medium Enterprises employ indicators to measure performance? Do the organizational characteristics influence the use of indicators to measure performance? The main issues can be divided into the following questions: What kind of performance indicators are adopted by SMEs? Are the indicators financial or non-financial? What non-financial dimensions of performance measurement systems are implemented in SMEs? What are the motivations to use performance measures? Do companies that adopt people and practices strategic management, also adopt performance measurement system? In order to better understand these issues, a study and compilation of theoretical frameworks was carried out related to the performance measurement systems and the characteristics of SMEs. Following that, an applied field research with a non-probabilistic sample by convenience with 87 companies from the footwear industry in Santa Catarina was done. The chosen method was the quantitative one, for the data collection it was used the self-administered survey sent by the Internet and for the data analysis statistical techniques were applied (frequency, average, crossings and correlations\\associations) with the aid of SPSS. The results reveal that the companies surveyed have adopted financial and non-financial indicators, but the financial indicators are more used than the non-financial ones. Among non-financial, the most used are the processes followed by people. The least used are the social ones. The research indicates that there is a relationship between organizational practices and indicators employment. Companies using few management practices use fewer non-financial and financial indicators, and, companies that use more organizational practices tend to use a greater number of financial and non-financial indicators, and companies with a larger number of employees tend to employ more financial end non-financial indicators.

In the past few decades, there has been increasing concern towards the potential effects of industrial pollutants on our eco-system. Each country has developed and enacted stringent environmental regulatory standards to address this concern. Several studies conducted in the general area of regulatory impact show significant direct impact of these regulations on organizations. Pharmaceutical industry in particular, due to the generation of variety of hazardous waste during operations, is one among the highly regulated industrial sector globally. The financial liabilities and resource shortages associated while incorporating abatement technologies and related procedural changes make Pharmaceutical Small and Medium Enterprises (PSMEs) highly vulnerable to these regulatory compliance standards. This study aims to investigate two aspects of environment regulation compliance in the PSMEs, namely To identify the nature and magnitude of vulnerabilities encountered by the PSMEs in India while complying with environmental regulations, and To explore and to analyze the adaptation mechanisms followed by the PSMEs in India, while complying with environmental regulations. Literature explorations in the area of environmental regulation, enforcement, compliance, pharmaceutical industry and SMEs, gave limited studies with focus on India. Hence a questionnaire based survey was administered online and face to face. The sampling design followed was stratified random and the total sample size taken for the final analysis was 71. The survey targeted the senior executive officers of pharmaceutical firms across India. Unstructured discussions and interactions with experts in the field were also carried out to understand the gravity of each concern. Data was analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for exploring and prioritizing vulnerability concerns, factor analysis for identifying the general adaptation mechanisms and systems practiced, and cluster analysis for assessing the underlying relationship among vulnerability concerns and adaptation patterns of firms under study. Findings of the analysis highlighted several significant drivers of the interaction between the PSMEs and the environment regulations. Some of them are as follows: One, conforming to literature finding, our study also found manufacturing related problems as the most significant concern for the PSMEs. However, unlike the Western countries, it was the poor quality of raw material available in the market that causes the main concern, and not the need for intensive capital investment in abatement technologies. Investigations revealed the steady global market decline for this sub-sector and the need for new innovations to meet the changing global trends. Two, marketing was a significantly higher concern for the PSMEs than regulator and regulatory management. Marketing has special relevance in the pharmaceutical industry as it deals with health and life saving issues for the people, and this got highlighted in our results. Three, the study found external management factors as the most followed coping / adaptation mechanism pursued by the PSMEs. Conforming to literature findings, our study also demonstrated smaller firms as significantly more vulnerable to adaptation in comparison with medium scale firms. The study also highlighted the attempt at balancing the local and global by the Indian PSMEs. While the process orientation was towards meeting international standards, the management of resources, marketing and regulatory requirements had a focus on the local pressures. The study provides some insight into the vulnerabilities and adaptation efforts of the Indian PSMEs and brings out the relevant strategic interventions needed from government, regulatory organizations and industry associations to develop a more sustainable business environment for the Indian PSMEs.

The main purpose of this Diploma thesis is to customize product portfolio of Synergie s.r.o. to be more suitable for small and medium enterprises. Diploma thesis gives also an overview over personnel agencies market in Czech Republic.

Small and medium enterprises are very important for the european economy from the view of their quantity, creation of jobs and the added value.In the first part of my thesis I'm introducing the definition of the small and medium enterprises according to European Commission, their importance, strenghts and weaknesses. Another important issue is also the business environment in the Czech republic, which is the main attribute of the development of SME. The second part is about the main types of SME support of European Commission, like the finance and non-finance help, direct help and structural funds. In the third part I will present the impact of the current economic crisis on SME and the steps of European Commission and Czech government which are being taken to help SME. At last, I am introducing succesfull medium company named VARI, a.s. and external and internal factors which help the company to be successful on the Czech market.

This thesis is an useful resource for small-sized and medium-sized companies struggling with the problem of out-dated information systems. Every rapidly-growing company will, sooner or later, reach a point where its information system no longer suits its requirements. In the thesis I analyze the case of a small outfit trying to expand to foreign markets, showing the uneven development of the individual parts of its information system. In this particular case, rapid partial changes in the functionality of the system were always preferred over a more systematic and thorough development. Eventually, the company found itself in a situation where it was no longer possible to further develop its system, and did not know what to do next. In accordance with the primary goal of improving the effectiveness of distribution processes, the thesis describes the project of unification of two different e-commerce solutions and their integration into other applications. In the second part, the thesis discusses the problem of choosing a suitable application that would bring all optimized distribution processes under one umbrella, describing various ways how to approach the problem.

This diploma thesis covering HR solutions in small and mid-size companies, involving generic characteristics of human resource coordination and its development. In focus to software possibilities covering this topic, including SW assessment base on gathered informations about small and mid-size companies and their management processes. My study is composed into six major parts (introduction to the topic, current trends, description and presentation of researched sector, contemporary software implementations and abilities, analysis of highlighted application, case study). In the Chapter II, beginning of HR and its development as stand alone branch of economy science is explained, and pointed to it's current state. Next chapter features the whole scale of HR in relation to this research. The core of this research is covered in fourth, fifth and sixth chapter, where the assessment of HRIS is made according to demonstration company specifics. Final choice is based on analysis of gathered specifications of each HRIS, according to requirements stated by each company.

The topic of this thesis is the support of the small and medium enterprises. The theoretical part deals with the sector of small and medium enterprises, its deffinition, importance and the support of this sector and the development of this support. The practical part is devoted to the analysis of the possibilities of the company ALLEGRO, s. r. o., that manufactures and installates drywall plasterboards and supporting constructions, to obtain subsidy from the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovations.

The main goal of this master thesis is to introduce the reader to the "SIESTA café e vino" business plan that will be profitable and attractive when put in place. The thesis is divided into two sections, theoretical and practical. Theoretical part presents necessary information for the beginning entrepreneur and describes the structure of the business plan. Practical part is based on the theoretical part and contains actual business plan of the café. It also elaborates analysis of market environment, competitors, customers, financial plan, SWOT analysis and risk analysis. The practical part concludes overall assessment and evaluates real feasibility of this project.