A unique business opportunity has been presented to me. I have been invited to create a small business that would initially offer mechanical design services to two main customer segments: automotive and biomedical device companies. My main responsibility is to help frame the small business and act as an investor partner. I will act as a silent partner once the day to day operations begin. My main focus of this paper is to provide practical information to answer many specific questions about starting this small business. A Net Present Value (NPV) and Profitability Index (PI) analysis will help me determine whether the required initial investment capital will be a good investment for all the parties involved. The legal aspect of managing people in a small business with less than 15 employees will be also reviewed. The conclusions from the Human Capital Framework and the main components of a business plan will be used in the future development of an operating procedure. A business structure will be selected as part of this analysis. Finally, the business values and strategic goals that are most important to all participating parties will be mentioned. / text

Global sourcing is an important strategy for Swedish businesses since it is a mean to gain competitive advantage which is important on the global market Swedish businesses act on. Consequently it is interesting to investigate the importance of the perceived benefits and challenges with global sourcing since these factors affect the global sourcing decision. Thus, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate how Swedish large businesses perceive the benefits and challenges with global sourcing. To be able to fulfil the purpose primary data was used which was collected through an Internet based questionnaire where the respondents were asked to rank and rate the importance of the benefits and challenges with global sourcing. The data collected was in a quantifiable form and thus quantitative tools were used to analyse the collected data. The result of the study regarding the benefits was that price clearly was perceived as the most important benefit, while counter-trade obligations were seen as the least important benefit. Regarding the challenges, longer lead times and cultural issues were seen as the most challenging aspects, while customs regulations, tariffs and quotas and discrimination from the supplier were perceived as the least important challenges. However since too few responses of the questionnaire were obtained, these results is not generalizable on other Swedish businesses than those that are represented in the sample.

Submitted in fulfilment of part of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Technology in the Faculty of Management Sciences at Durban University of Technology, 2007 / The South African small business sector, particularly the manufacturing industries, such as textile, clothing, and automotive industries, are not considered internationally competitive. This shortcoming is seen in the context of liberalizing and transforming the South African economy, and the threat of foreign competition such as China. This study takes a systems view of the problems that are facing small businesses in South Africa, drawing on historical, theoretical and empirical sources within a proposed framework for small business international learning. The various elements in the framework include international competitiveness challenges facing small businesses, which, the author argues, create tension for survival within small businesses; the limited role of the small business support regime in South Africa; and the role of Foreign Direct Investment through Transnational Corporations (TNCs). Therefore, this study investigates the international learning processes of small businesses and develops a new theoretical model to illustrate and elucidate interventions to strengthen international learning processes of these small businesses. Methodology The manufacturing sector was chosen as the ideal sector for this study since it contributes significantly to the GDP and levels of employment of a country, and is at the receiving end of new production methodologies and technologies and other competition dynamics. This sector, at a small business level, is currently experiencing international competitiveness challenges in South Africa. The methodology followed an initial exploratory, qualitative approach followed by a formal, empirical, quantitative approach. The research questionnaire met the quality criteria as established through content validity, criterion related validity, and reliability criteria. This questionnaire was administered to a sample of 300 out of a population of 800 manufacturing small firms in Durban, using an unrestricted random probability sampling method. A total of 255 completed questionnaires were returned, and the results were expressed at the 95% confidence level with a confidence interval of 0.05. Results and Discussions From the correlation analysis of the level of importance and extent of implementation of international learning processes, four international learning processes, whose implementation can be enhanced by an improvement in the importance of international competitiveness challenges and support, were extracted. These international learning processes include increased learning activities on management, sales and marketing, finance, and also the image of small businesses. Through the consolidation of the results of the correlation analysis, a theoretical model for the identification and development of international learning processes was created. Conclusion From the small business practice and policy point of view, this study s findings suggest that the international learning processes of small businesses confronted by international competitiveness challenges in transforming developing economies can be strengthened by applying the theoretical model developed in this study. From the government, TNCs, and small businesses perspective, this study s findings also suggest that the establishment of linkage programmes and enhancement of learning activities, which revolve around the identified international learning processes as established in the theoretical model, will enable the attainment of international competitiveness of small businesses. This study, therefore, proposes the implementation, in the short-term, of information and linkage support at sector level that addresses the enhancement of the identified international learning processes; and the implementation, in the longterm, of a grand-scale small businesses and TNCs linkage programme in line with the premise provided in the theoretical model.

The Small- to Medium- Sized Enterprise (SME) has attracted the attention of researchers and governments because of the increasingly important role it is playing in national and international economies. The current research is directed towards understanding the internationalisation of this important economic unit, specifically the internationalisation of SMEs in the East Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The research adopts a critical realist philosophy, used by researchers to explain the decision-making process, and applies it in a different context to provide insights into the internationalisation process of the SME. A critical realist approach is used as it enables an understanding of the roles of structures and the contingent environment in facilitating differing levels of SME internationalisation. These are factors that are believed to operate at a level below that of the observable. The study adopts a mixed methodology (a questionnaire survey and two company case studies) that identifies three main issues, including, the international orientation of the industry, previous international experience of management, and the age of the firm. The survey also identified two other issues, perceptions of competition levels, and technology. All of these factors heavily influenced the differing internationalisation levels seen. The two case study companies were used to illustrate the issues at a real level, highlighting the effect of the structures of the capitalist mode of production and the supply chain. The roles of these structures were shown as not deterministic, as the affect of structure was only exhibited under particular contingent conditions in the external and internal environments

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjama administracinės naštos smulkiajam ir vidutiniam verslui, vykdant mokestine prievoles, problema, atsiradimo priežastys, jų mažinimo galimybės. Pirmoje dalyje pateikiami teoriniai samprotavimai apie taip, kas yra administracinė našta, kas ją sukelia, kaip vertinama administracinės naštos problema Lietuvoje ir užsienio šalyse. Tai piltuvėlio principu sisteminta medžiaga: pradedama nuo administracinės naštos bei valstybinio reguliavimo apibrėžimų, tuomet pereinama prie informacinio įpareigojimo sąvokos, ją analizuojant kaip pagrindinę administracinės naštos atsiradimo priežastį ir tik galiausiai prieinama prie administracinės naštos mažinimo vertinimo problematikos. Tolimesnėje darbo eigoje seka Lietuvoje ir užsienio šalyse atliekamų administracinės naštos mažinimo analizė. Praktinėje dalyje vertinamas administracinės naštos smulkiajam ir vidutiniam verslui atsiradimas Kelmės rajone. Pagrindinis naudotas metodas apklausa raštu, kurios metu buvo apklausta 100 smulkaus ir vidutinio verslo atstovų, taip pat buvo atliekamas nestruktūruotas interviu su verslininkais, siekiant gauti papildomos informacijos atvejų analizei. Susisteminus apklausos raštu, interviu ir dokumentų analizės medžiagą pateikiamos išvados ir rekomendacijos. Norint efektyviai mažinti administracinės naštos problemą vykdant mokestines prievoles reikia sistemingai vertinti administracinės naštos sukeliamas laiko ir finansines sąnaudas, verslo subjektai turi patys parodyti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / My Bachelor thesis examines the problem of the administrative burden on small and medium businesses due to implementation of the tax obligations. This work also discusses the causes of this problem's occurrence and also the possibilities of their reduction. The first part presents the theoretical reasonings of what the administrative burden is, what factors cause it. This paper also reveals the way of how the problem of the administrative burden is seen in Lithuania and abroad countries. The material is organized according to the funnel principle: starting from the administrative burden and state regulatory definitions, then we come to a concept of the informative obligation which is analysed as a main cause of an administrative burden. The issue of the administrative burden reduction is discussed only at the end of a paper work. The further analysis of the thesis examines the reduction of an administrative burden in Lithuania and the foreign countries. Practical part presents the evaluation of the detailed analysis of the administrative burden on small and medium-sized business in Kelme district. The main method used was a written survey during which 100 representatives of small and medium-sized businesses have been questioned. Unstructured interviews have been also conducted with entrepreneurs in order to obtain an additional information of cases for analysis. Written survey, interviews, and document analysis material have been systemized in order to provide the conclusions... [to full text]

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [201]-216).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (M.C.R.P.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-72).

p. 1-89 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-03-25T17:32:48Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Capa dissertação.pdf: 113693 bytes, checksum: 11d2efe654adf5f22afbfa9df4d3d6ce (MD5) DISSERTAÇAO NOVISSIMA.pdf: 539428 bytes, checksum: 37fee9d8fdc5dd16c8d2c8a88081d037 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lima(tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2013-04-08T18:37:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Capa dissertação.pdf: 113693 bytes, checksum: 11d2efe654adf5f22afbfa9df4d3d6ce (MD5) DISSERTAÇAO NOVISSIMA.pdf: 539428 bytes, checksum: 37fee9d8fdc5dd16c8d2c8a88081d037 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-04-08T18:37:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Capa dissertação.pdf: 113693 bytes, checksum: 11d2efe654adf5f22afbfa9df4d3d6ce (MD5) DISSERTAÇAO NOVISSIMA.pdf: 539428 bytes, checksum: 37fee9d8fdc5dd16c8d2c8a88081d037 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003 / Esta investigação analisa a competitividade dos pequenos negócios através da concepção de um Tipo Ideal, com inspiração Weberiana, no segmento de produção industrial, centrado na capacidade empresarial e consubstanciado basicamente, em Michael Porter e Max Weber. A proposta foi validada por uma Amostra Intencional constituída por segmentos da comunidade, uma Representação Social. O modelo construído resultou da interseção dos aspectos econômico, social e político. A variável competência eco/empresarial refletiu-se através do poder de negociação dos fornecedores e compradores, proatividade na concorrência, preservação do meio ambiente, atenção aos novos entrantes, qualificação do trabalhador, investimentos em P&D e na utilização de recursos de terceiros. A variável Justiça Social objetivou-se na consciência da responsabilidade social, respeito aos direitos trabalhistas, pagamento do salário em dia e na manutenção do canal de comunicação aberto com os trabalhadores. A variável engajamento político traduziu-se na filiação à Associação Comercial de Itabuna (ACI), na contribuição às políticas de desenvolvimento regional, na filiação a cooperativas e à Associação de pequenas e micro empresas de Itabuna; na prática de trabalhos voluntários e na filiação a partido político. Desse modo construiu-se um conceito, um instrumento que materializa uma contribuição à tecnologia votada para o universo dos pequenos negócios acreditando na possibilidade de mudança através de melhores métodos organizacionais. Assim foi concebida uma contribuição que se traduziu como Para além da competitividade, subsídios para refletir os pequenos negócios na cidade de Itabuna-Ba. / Salvador

Voedseltuisnywerhede (hierna genoem tuisnywerhede) word in 'n toenemende mate van aktuele belang as gevolg van verskeie redes soos die veranderde rol van die hedendaagse vrou en omdat 'n sekere behoefte eie aan vandag vervul word. Bekostigbare voedsel van goeie gehalte is van die uiterste belang. Dit is belangrik om bestanddele van swak gehalte vroegtydig te ontdek voordat produkte van swak gehalte gelewer word en 'n markaandeel verloor word. Tuisnywerhede het 'n verantwoordelikheid teenoor kliente om produkte van goeie gehalte teen bekostigbare pryse te voorsien. Daar word toenemende druk op tuisnywerhede geplaas om produkte van gewenste gehalte te verskaf en om aan kliente se verwagtinge te voldoen. 'n Totalegehaltebestuurprojek kan tuisnywerhede help om hul totale stelsel te ondersoek en te verbeter. In die studie is aile dimensies van die bestuur van gehalte by tuisnywerhede in SuidAfrika ondersoek en geevalueer en 'n TQM model vir tuisnywerhede is ontwikkel. Die probleem is ontleed deur 'n literatuurstudie te doen waarop die empiriese ondersoek gebaseer is. Verskeie inligtingsbronne, in die vorm van artikels, referate en ander geskrewe literatuur oor TQM en tuisnywerhede, is geraadpleeg. 'n Proto-model vir totalegehaltebestuur by tuisnywerhede is uit die literatuur ontwikkel en na die ondersoek aangepas. Die empiriese ondersoek was tweeledig van aard, naamlik op makro- en mikrovlak. Empiriese data is deur middel van posvraelyste aan aile tuisnywerhede in Suid-Afrika verkry. Dieptestudie-ondersoeke deur middel van waarneming, onderhoude en gestruktureerde vraelyste aan tuisnywerheidbestuur, verskaffers en kliente van drie gekose tuisnywerhede is op mikrovlak uitgevoer om hul persepsies oor die gehalte van produkte en bestuur van totale gehalte in tuisnywerhede te ontleed. Die resultate wat uit hierdie studie voortspruit dui daarop dat: • tuisnywerhede wat as 'n handelsko6perasie bedryf word, die meeste voordele bied vir aile partye wat betrokke is. tuisnywerhede met 'n formele gehaltebestuursprogram sonder uitsondering beter resultate toon teenoor die wat nie formele gehaltebestuur toepas nie. • verskaffers se werksfasiliteite nog nooit op enige wyse ge"inspekteer is of vir higieniese praktyke getoets is nie. / Food home industries (hereafter referred to as home industries) are increasingly becoming more important in our society due to several reasons such as the changing role of the modern woman and because a specific need peculiar to today is met. Affordable, high quality food is of the utmost importance. It is essential to identify ingredients of a low standard in good time before poor quality products are supplied and market share is lost. It is the responsibility of home industries to provide the customer with affordable products of a high quality. Home industries are increasingly pressurised to measure up to the customers' expectations and to supply them with top quality products. A total quality management project can assist home industries in examining their total system and can identify areas for improvement. In this study all dimensions of management and quality in home industries were examined and evaluated. A TQM model for home industries was developed. The problem was analysed by means of a literature study on which the empirical investigation was based. Various sources of information such as articles, papers read at conferences and other written literature on TQM and home industries were consulted. A proto model for total quality management for home industries was developed from the literature and was adapted after the investigation. The empirical investigation was executed at both a macro- and a microlevel. Empirical data was obtained through questionnaires distributed to all managers of home industries in South Africa. In-depth studies by means of observation, interviews and structured questionnaires to home industry management, suppliers and customers of three selected home industries were done at microlevel in order to analyse the quality of products and the management of total quality in home industries. The results that emerge from this study indicate that • home industries which are run as trade co-operatives hold more advantages for all parties concerned. home industries which follow a formal quality management programme prove, without exception, to have better results than those which do not implement formal quality management. • the working facilities of suppliers have never been inspected or tested for hygienic practices in any way. / Business Management / DCOM (Sakebestuur)