No / In most countries, statistics show that 99% of businesses are classified as ?small businesses?. In the UK alone, 99.8% of businesses employ less than 250 staff and these companies contribute more than a half of the UK's turnover. This new textbook goes where other strategic management texts have not and focuses on these small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), rather than focussing on large corporations and the actions of their CEOs. The authors consider how managers of small firms perceive the processes associated with strategic management, what decisions and actions they adopt to ensure competitive advantage, how business strategies are formulated and implemented in SMEs, and what the strategic role of entrepreneurship within small businesses is. They also discuss how SMEs should act for maximum competitive advantage, and consider the ?gap? between ideal theory and practice. This unique textbook will be essential for students on Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise modules at undergraduate and Masters level, and will also be useful on core modules in Strategy, Business Policy and Strategic Management at all levels.

No / This paper investigates the international entrepreneurial behaviour of Mittelstand firms (German small and medium sized enterprises). Analysis of a survey of the international marketing strategies of Mittelstand firms revealed three clusters of firms, two that had below and one above average international activities. None of the clusters displayed born global type of internationalisation processes. However, this does not mean that they adopt passive approaches to internationalisation. The results suggest that Mittelstand firms engage in entrepreneurial behaviour that is proactive and innovative but which is cautious, sequential, and risk adverse. The implications of this analysis for future research in the area of international entrepreneurship are considered.

Yes / Entrepreneurship in small- and medium-sized enterprises are significant contributors to economic development. The purpose of this research is to examine the extent and motives for the use of informal training in Chinese SMEs. Using case studies, we found that informal training is widely used and generally accepted in Chinese SMEs. We also uncovered three separate categories on the motives for SMEs in adopting informal training based on the financial and time constraints they face, the perceived outcomes of training activities in terms of organisational performance, employee turnover, and the development of guanxi and positive team cohesion, as well as the attitudinal aspects of both managers and employees that influence their intentions in adopting a specific training approach. Our study contributes to the literature of HRM in Asia, and has important implications for the government and institutions in emerging countries to support entrepreneurship and SMEs.

This Master Thesis is focused on the topic of internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The main goal of this thesis was to find out if the czech SMEs are able to participate in international trade, how can they achieve that and if the provided support of SMEs is sufficient. The theoretical part describes the term small and medium-sized enterprises, its specifics, significance and the evolution of the SME sector in Czech Republic. The theoretical part further deals with particular aspects of internationalization and with the quality of the provided support of SMEs in Czech Republic. The practical part was realized in the form of semistructured interview with a owner of Simplejohn, inc and the main goal of it was to verify the conclusions reached in the theoretical part.

The restaurant industry plays an essential role in the U.S. economy. Approximately 26% of small- and medium-sized enterprise restaurants fail during their first year of business operation and 60% cannot sustain beyond 3 years. The objective of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that small- and medium-sized restaurant owners used to financially sustain business beyond 5 years. The purposive sample consisted of 4 successful restaurant owners who have been in operation for at least 5 years in the southern region of the United States. The general systems theory was the conceptual framework of this study. The data were collected from semistructured interviews, cash flow statement, and profit and loss statements. Member checking and transcript review were used to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness. The 3 themes that emerged from methodological triangulation after completing the Yin's 5 steps of data analysis were market research, great customer service, and having passion. The findings of this study might serve as a guide for current and future SME restaurant owners to financially sustain business beyond 5 years. The findings of the study may contribute to social change as successful small- and medium-sized enterprise restaurant owners would help address unemployment issues by generating additional jobs and building wealth for themselves, their employees, communities, and the local economy.

Master thesis deals with the application of international financial reporting standard for small and medium-sized enterprises. The object of this thesis is to define the conceptual framework for financial reporting under IFRS for SMEs, to analyze the differences between CZ GAAP and reporting under IFRS for SME and then apply the acquired knowledge within practical part of master thesis along with the definition of the costs and benefits associated with the transition to IFRS for SMEs.

The Swedish fashion industry is one of the fastest growing export industries and in recent years the Swedish fashion companies have been praised for their international expansion. For companies with niche products in smaller markets like Sweden internationalization is important but since the industry is constantly changing the internationalization process is quite challenging. Previous studies show that internationalization can be profitable for fashion companies but there is no unified view among researchers as to which way is the right way for the companies to internationalize. Most studies come to the general conclusion that companies seem to follow different paths. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge development of internationalization for small and medium-sized Swedish fashion companies based on established theories of internationalization. A qualitative study has been conducted based on a multiple case study design with 12 participating Swedish fashion companies. The study has a deductive approach since it has its starting point is from a well-established theoretical model: The Business Network Internationalization Process Model which has also worked as a foundation for the study’s analytical model. The analysis is however partly inductive since findings in the result have been fed back into a modified theoretical model, suitable and applicable for Swedish fashion companies’ internationalization processes. In conclusion the findings indicate that there are several important knowledge-bases for the fashion companies that motivate them to start an internationalization process, mainly their design-driven vision of becoming an international brand and the management’s risk-taking business mindset, founded in their entrepreneurial skills and previous knowledge. The result also shows that relationships with different industry actors are of high importance for the companies and in many cases the only way to internationalize. In addition the results show not only that the established theoretical model on internationalization is applicable to Swedish fashion companies but that there also are tendencies that show that the Swedish companies follow a more chronological path in their processes.

This qualitative study aims to contribute to the research field on corporate sustainability (CS) in small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs), in hopes of helping policymakers better understand the circumstances for Swedish SMEs and how they work with CS. Empirical data about motivations behind working with CS, implementation of CS activities, and effects of CS work were collected through in-depth interviews with 18 company representatives. The major reason for motivation was found to be personal interest and commitment to these kind of practices, followed by strengthening the competitiveness, marketing, initiative from management and board, and profitability aspects. The implementation process is often informal in nature with concrete measures and activities rather than formal policies and strategies, although a few of the companies make use of tools such as environmental management systems. How the companies communicate their CS work differs and the response from stakeholders varies too. Lastly, profitability was found to be an important effect for some, while others more heavily emphasize the personal satisfaction from doing the right thing and being sustainable. The social effects were mostly improved working conditions and more engagement from stakeholders, while the environmental impact was understood to mostly concern a decrease in consumption of finite resources, and a more efficient use of material and energy. Suggestions for improving CS work in Swedish SMEs are increased support and encouragement from the government, and more education and information about what companies can do and how they can do it with appropriate tools. Concluding, CS in Swedish SMEs must be studied further to gain a more comprehensive picture of how to support those SMEs already working with CS and those in the path of transitioning towards a more sustainable development.

<p>Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries are reported to encounter difficulties in accessing to formal external financing resource. Banking systems in this category of countries are either under-developed or newly reformed. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether SME financing in China, measured by SMEs per capita, is affected by local bank competition, measured by number of banks per capita or share of foreign banks. Control variables such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), level of infrastructure and geographic location are also included in the regression models.</p><p>The main findings are that: when disregarding the ownership of banks, bank competition has positive impact on SME financing across Chinese provinces, although the relationship is non-linear; and foreign banks do not significantly influence SME bank financing in China. The first finding generally support the conventional theories of industrial organization and the second one offers the basis for further arguments about the role of foreign banks in financing SMEs in China.</p>

The purpose with this research is to increase the understanding of how important knowledge sharing is within companies. It is also important to examine the institutional environment within countries and how this can affect a small and medium sized enterprise. In order to research these aspects we formulated a research question that resulted in; How can the institutional environment in different markets affect the knowledge sharing within an SME?                                                                    In our literature review we define what knowledge is and how it can be shared within companies. To get the understanding of the institutional environment we used a model that defines the different aspects that can impact companies within the society. We also examine what categories small and medium sized enterprises (SME) compared to large firms. To gather our information for our research we used a qualitative method with an abductive approach. We conducted a case-study about Scandinavian Orthopedic Laboratory (SOL). In the empirical chapter the respondents answers were structured so that we in the analytic part could compare and analyze the answers compared to the theory.   The conclusion indicates that the institutional factors within the society do affect companies, some factors more than others. Being an SME has made the knowledge sharing easier but it also indicates that it is important that everyone is included in the decision-making. / Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att öka förståelsen om hur viktigt kunskapsöverföring är inom företag. Det är också viktigt att undersöka den institutionella miljön inom länder och hur den miljön kan påverka små till medelstora  företag. För att kunna undersöka dessa olika aspekter har vi formulerat en forskningsfråga; Hur kan den institutionella miljön inom olika marknader påverka kunskapsöverföring inom ett SME?   I vårt litteraturavsnitt definierar vi vad kunskap är och hur kunskap kan bli överfört inom företag. För att få en förståelse om den institutionella miljön använde vi oss av en modell som definierar olika aspekter som kan påverka företag inom samhället. Vi undersöker också vad som kategoriserar ett litet till medelstort företag (SME) jämfört med ett stort företag. För att få den informationen som vi behöver för vår undersökning har vi använt oss av en kvantitativ undersökningsmetod med en abduktiv ansats. Vi genomförde en fallstudie om Scandinavian Orthopedic Laboratory (SOL). I det empiriska kapitlet har intervjupersonerna svar blivit konstruerade så att vi i det analytiska kapitlet kunde jämföra och analysera svaren jämfört med teorin.   Slutsaten visar på att de institutionella faktorerna inom ett samhälle påverkar företag, vissa mer än andra. Att vara ett litet till medelstort företag har gjort kunskapsöverföringen enklare men det visar också på att alla inom företaget ska vara inkluderade i beslutsfattandet.