<p>French SMEs within the medical technology industry follow an internationalization pattern which cannot completely be explained by traditional internationalization models. Going abroad is not a strategy to overcome challenges inherent to the medical technology industry. Instead, it is the positive consequence of their merge with internationalized firms, or an opportunity offered by their network.</p>

French SMEs within the medical technology industry follow an internationalization pattern which cannot completely be explained by traditional internationalization models. Going abroad is not a strategy to overcome challenges inherent to the medical technology industry. Instead, it is the positive consequence of their merge with internationalized firms, or an opportunity offered by their network.

Increased interest in small business (SME) and entrepreneurship, foster researchers to discuss about methodology of this object and to look for possible ways of development of this sector. In spite of that interest, there is a lack of common, unified methodology, accepted in all countries. Absence of systematic research of entrepreneurship process- is relevant scientific problem, which should be solved. Author describes term “entrepreneurship process” and it’s main elements. Also is presented a broad analysis of terms “entrepreneurship” and “entrepreneur” in different economical schools. Is analyzed impact of small and medium seized business on economy and it’s place in entrepreneurship process. Business environment is changing radically and one of the main tasks for organizations – to become entrepreneurial. Research model of Lithuanian entrepreneurship process is composed. According this model, level of entrepreneurship process researches, implemented in Lithuania, is identified. Varies factors, influencing entrepreneurship process, are described and presented in dissertation. In order to solve identified problems, model of formation enterprising business in SME is presented. Activities of entrepreneur are formulated in order to implement enterprising culture in organization and to foster entrepreneurial behavior of such organization. / Išaugęs susidomėjimas smulkiu ir vidutiniu verslu ir jo reikšme pasaulio ekonomikai ir visam verslininkystės procesui, skatina mokslininkus diskutuoti apie šio objekto tyrimo metodologija. Nors ir visuotinai pripažįstama, kad verslininkystė yra vienas iš svarbiausių veiksniu, įtakojantis pokyčius ekonomikoje, reikia pastebėti, kad nėra nusistovėjusios vienos visoms šalims priimtinos metodikos. Tad nepakankamai ištirtas verslininkystės procesas – yra aktuali mokslinė problema. Disertacijoje atskleidžiamas šiuolaikinis požiūris į verslininkystės reiškinį ir jo reikšmę. Pateikiama išsami „verslininkystės“ ir „verslininko“ sampratų analizė skirtingose ekonominėse mokyklose. Taip pat pristatomas smulkaus ir vidutinio verslo vaidmuo šalies ekonominiuose procesuose. Analizuojama verslininkystės proceso samprata. Nagrinėjamas antrepreneriškumo reiškimasis versle ir antrepreneriškos organizacijos samprata. Parengiamas Lietuvos verslininkystės proceso tyrimo modelis. Remiantis juo, identifikuojamas Lietuvos smulkaus ir vidutinio verslo ir verslininkystės proceso ištirtumo lygį. Išryškinami veiksniai, įtakojantys Lietuvos smulkaus ir vidutinio verslo būklę ir vystymosi galimybes. Taip pat išryškinamos probleminės sritys, trukdančios verslininkystės proceso raidai. Siekiant spręsti tyrimo metu išaiškėjusias problemas, pateikiamas antrepreneriškos verslininkystės formavimo modelis smulkiame ir vidutiniame versle.

The knowledge and theories of strategic planning derive mainly from studies of big companies. Only exceptionally have studies been carried out to examine the conditions of planning in small and medium-sized firms. In view of this, the main purpose of this work is to contribute to the development of know­ledge of the phenomenon of planning in small and medium-sized firms, using theoretical and empirical studies. The research process has been a continuous interaction between theory and empirical data. Through teoretical studies we have penetrated environmental and strategic issues of importance for the planning process, and this section concludes with a developed frame of reference which rests on three main com­ponents, the task environment, the firm viewed as a planning system and the planning process. Together these components are said to produce plans which have the ultimate purpose of creating better conditions for the firm to interact with its environment. A multimethodological approach (triangulation) is used in the empirical phase of the study. Via a comprehensive questionnaire, primarily quantitative data of structural conditions and relationships were gathered. Eurthermore, nine case studies were executed in order to increase the know­ledge and understanding of the interaction of structure and process and, finally, a single company was studied over a period of several years with an intimate action reseach strategy. In this study we have found that formal and comprehensive strategic planning only takes place in a minority of the firms studied. Instead their planning is usually based on more informal and spontaneous processes. This should not be interpreted as implying a unified way of creating strategic planning. On the contrary, there are a variety of different planning styles, each based on specific conditions. This indicates that the planning process is contingent upon a number of factors and in this study we have found that there is a normal agreement between the environmental situation, the organizational characteristics and the planning style. An analysis of these dimensions shows that they represent forces which strive towards harmony with each other in order to make the firm successful. Three natural planning-archetypes have been found where there is a corres­pondence between the enviroment, intrinsical structure and planning style. The first of these is given the ideograph "programming" and is recognized by a plan­ning process where the "primus motor" is derived from the existing operations. The second archetype is called "arranging", based on the fact that these organi­zations, by minor and frequent adjustments, are trying to find exploitable niches. The third category we distinguished is termed "creative". All their future-orientated actions are based on the significant actors and their capa­bility to visualize the future, expressing certain goals and how to achieve them. / <p>retroaktiv registrering</p> / digitalisering@umu

This dissertation is concerned with how the social capital of corporate insiders is associated with the governance and performance of publicly listed small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada. The premise of social capital theory is that relationships matter and that network structures have implications for outcomes. Encouraging SME growth and performance is an important part of economic policy. In Canada, going public is one way innovative SMEs can access capital for growth. This research considers the network of relationships between directors, owners and senior officers in a public corporation – i.e. the social capital of corporate insiders – to better understand corporate governance. Family-run firms, large corporate ownership and professional relationships between directors have been the subject of numerous corporate governance studies. They can also be considered networks. In this research, I assume that these various networks act to unite corporate insiders into coalitions with similar interests. I consider the implications of social capital on firm performance in terms of effective control, director independence, CEO ownership, and family control of the firm. The hypotheses, generated from the theory of internal social capital of the firm, are tested using fixed and random effects regression models on a panel of Canadian industrial SMEs that had an initial public offering between 2000 and 2010. SME performance is measured by Tobin’s Q. I find support for the idea that the structure of social capital within the firm is related to corporate governance and associated with performance. My results indicate that having multiple coalitions in the firm, as well as more independent directors, are both positively associated with performance. There are also indirect effects related to the social capital of the firm. After controlling for the structure of social capital in the firm, CEO ownership is found to have no association with firm performance, except in a few cases where the CEO owns in excess of 40 percent of the firm. Once these cases are omitted from the sample there does not appear to be a significant relationship between CEO ownership and performance. These few cases suggest the role of CEO may be important to performance outcomes in highly controlled firms. Further case-study research into this finding may be merited. Finally, I find no evidence that family-run firms have valuations that differ from other firms. The theory of internal social capital of a firm contributes to the corporate gov- ernance literature by considering how the network of relationships within the firm affects outcomes. There are also useful methodological contributions from this re- search. Theoretically grounded network measures determine: (i) a scale of effective control of a firm when there are multiple coalitions of owners, and (ii) a way to iden- tify truly independent directors. Entrepreneurs, directors and managers will find this research useful because it outlines how the structure of relationships within an SME is associated with firm valuation.

This dissertation is concerned with how the social capital of corporate insiders is associated with the governance and performance of publicly listed small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) in Canada. The premise of social capital theory is that relationships matter and that network structures have implications for outcomes. Encouraging SME growth and performance is an important part of economic policy. In Canada, going public is one way innovative SMEs can access capital for growth. This research considers the network of relationships between directors, owners and senior officers in a public corporation – i.e. the social capital of corporate insiders – to better understand corporate governance. Family-run firms, large corporate ownership and professional relationships between directors have been the subject of numerous corporate governance studies. They can also be considered networks. In this research, I assume that these various networks act to unite corporate insiders into coalitions with similar interests. I consider the implications of social capital on firm performance in terms of effective control, director independence, CEO ownership, and family control of the firm. The hypotheses, generated from the theory of internal social capital of the firm, are tested using fixed and random effects regression models on a panel of Canadian industrial SMEs that had an initial public offering between 2000 and 2010. SME performance is measured by Tobin’s Q. I find support for the idea that the structure of social capital within the firm is related to corporate governance and associated with performance. My results indicate that having multiple coalitions in the firm, as well as more independent directors, are both positively associated with performance. There are also indirect effects related to the social capital of the firm. After controlling for the structure of social capital in the firm, CEO ownership is found to have no association with firm performance, except in a few cases where the CEO owns in excess of 40 percent of the firm. Once these cases are omitted from the sample there does not appear to be a significant relationship between CEO ownership and performance. These few cases suggest the role of CEO may be important to performance outcomes in highly controlled firms. Further case-study research into this finding may be merited. Finally, I find no evidence that family-run firms have valuations that differ from other firms. The theory of internal social capital of a firm contributes to the corporate gov- ernance literature by considering how the network of relationships within the firm affects outcomes. There are also useful methodological contributions from this re- search. Theoretically grounded network measures determine: (i) a scale of effective control of a firm when there are multiple coalitions of owners, and (ii) a way to iden- tify truly independent directors. Entrepreneurs, directors and managers will find this research useful because it outlines how the structure of relationships within an SME is associated with firm valuation.

Pequenas e médias empresas têm grande importância na geração de emprego e renda, o que as qualifica como agentes capazes de impulsionar o crescimento e desenvolvimento econômico. O constante processo de mudança tecnológica tem imposto desafios que, ao menos parcialmente, têm sido enfrentados pelas firmas de pequeno e médio porte. Em resposta a esse processo, esta dissertação tem como referencial teórico a abordagem neoschumpeteriana da tecnologia e da mudança econômica, que propõe o processo inovativo e a “destruição criativa” como centrais ao desenvolvimento da atividade econômica. Considera-se a hipótese de que há relevante discrepância entre os resultados, esforços e atividades inovativas de pequenas, médias e grandes empresas, em países com sistemas nacionais de inovação e estruturas produtivas distintas, como Brasil e países da Comunidade Europeia. O objetivo geral é identificar as particularidades das atividades inovativas em empresas de pequeno porte, assim como comparar as diferenças dos esforços e resultados inovativos entre os países selecionados. Para tanto, é apresentado um conjunto de indicadores formulados a partir de dados extraídos da Pesquisa de Inovação Tecnológica (PINTEC), edições de 2008 e 2011, e da Community Innovation Survey (CIS), edições CIS6 e CIS8. Os resultados indicam que quando comparadas com as grandes firmas, as pequenas e médias empresas têm menor taxa de inovação, concentram seus esforços e gastos inovativos em poucas atividades inovativas, têm maior participação de inovações do tipo processo, além de cooperarem menos e com menor quantidade de parceiros. Esse padrão é verificado com mais intensidade no Brasil e em economias menos avançadas da Comunidade Europeia. Há forte presença de apoio do governo no Brasil, quando comparado com maioria dos demais países selecionados, havendo considerável melhora entre os períodos de análise. Esses resultados apontam para a necessidade de se ampliar políticas públicas com vistas a diminuir tais discrepâncias entre as pequenas e grandes empresas brasileiras. / Small and medium-sized firms have great impact in generating employment and income, which qualifies them as capable agents of boosting economic growth and development. The constant process of technological change presents a challenge that has been faced, at least partially, by small and medium-sized firms. In response to this process, this teses has as theoretical reference to the Neoschumpeterian approach of technology and economic change, which proposes the innovative process and "creative destruction" as central to the development of economic activity. It is considered the hypothesis that there is a significant discrepancy between the results, efforts and innovative activities of small, medium and large firms in countries with different national innovation systems and production structures, such as Brazil and European Community countries. The main issue is to identify the particularities of innovating in small enterprises, as well as compare the differences in innovative efforts and results among selected countries. To that, a set of indicators are formulated from data extracted from the Pesquisa de Inovação Tecnológica (PINTEC), editions of 2008 and 2011, and the Community Innovation Survey (CIS), editions CIS6 and CIS8. The results indicate that compared to large firms, small and medium enterprises have a lower rate of innovation, concentrate their efforts and innovative spending on few innovative activities, have a great participation in process type innovations, and cooperate less and with few partners. This standard is strongly verified in Brazil and in the less advanced economies of the European Community. There is a strong presence of government support in Brazil, when compared to most of the other selected countries, with considerable improvement between the periods of analysis. These results point to the need to expand public policies aimed at reducing such discrepancies between small and large Brazilian companies. / Dissertação (Mestrado)

企業的成長與規模擴大，能賦予企業許多優勢與利益，故一直是企業經營者關注的重點，也是策略與組織領域的學者所關注的議題。自從Penrose（1959）的企業內生成長理論提出多餘資源（尤其是管理資源）為企業成長的機制之後，後續的策略學者大多延續這樣的觀點，假設有多餘資源之後，才能進一步追求成長，並深入探討多餘資源的特性、成長策略的特性與成長率之間的關係。 然而，實務上卻發現擁有多餘資源未必能成長，而有些成功的企業反而是在資源不足之下而成長。Hamel and Prahalad（1993）即挑戰多餘資源的成長觀點，認為企業成長的動力其實是來自於經理人拉撐（stretch）其雄心與渴望水準，願意去追求既有資源與能力所無法達到的策略目標，透過善用資源而能在資源不足的情境下實踐成長，但其並未清楚說明拉撐的內涵與促進成長的機制。 本研究以Hamel and Prahalad（1993）所提出的拉撐概念為基礎，探討中小企業在資源有限、甚至不足的情境之下，如何透過拉撐其既有資源基礎，而能達成企業規模的成長。由於相關文獻不足，本研究採用Eisenhardt（1989）的探索性個案研究方法，以單一事業中小企業的規模成長現象為研究情境，總共研究了七個個案，發現了規模有所成長的中小企業所採行的拉撐式策略邏輯及形成拉撐情境的因素，從實務中歸納出五大類型拉撐資源的行動內涵，並發現了拉撐資源的行動為何能形成中小企業長期之下規模的成長。因此，本研究證實了拉撐的成長機制確實存在，Hamel and Prahalad（1993）所主張的拉撐邏輯，確實能夠促進中小企業的成長，有其獨特的成長邏輯。 中小企業為何經常處於拉撐的情境，主要因為資源不足、成長所造成的現象與長期採行拉撐式策略邏輯所致。而拉撐式策略邏輯為：追求較高的經營目標，因而使資源略顯不足，並在資源尚未完全到位時即著手進行，故必須透過拉撐、擠壓既有的資源基礎以彌補資源的缺口，克服困難而能掌握成長的機會，此外，為了避免風險，資源的投資採行精簡、小額與逐步的擴充，解決資源瓶頸而能使整體資源發揮更大的效用，並能穩健地擴充與成長。 本研究歸納出五大類型的拉撐資源行動，包括資源突破、資源重組、資源調度、資源提取與資源精簡，皆能擠壓既有的資源基礎而達到原先難以達成的目標，能增進生產績效並提昇企業的競爭力。資源突破與資源重組即為創業者的創新活動，前者針對資源本身進行創新突破；改善或增加系統中的關鍵因子，使整個系統的功能有所突破。資源重組即是將相同的人力與實體資源重新配置，改善流程或資源使用的方法，達到創新的效果並提昇生產的績效。資源調度是刻意發展資源的多功能性與通用性，能夠彈性地調度不同資源互相支援，以因應急需或降低產能的閒置。資源提取則是延長資源的使用時間，或使既有的人力資源願意與能夠提供更多、更好的服務。最後，資源精簡意指資源的投資盡量不足額，甚至延遲投資，以降低風險，並因而設法增加資源的使用效率。 為何拉撐資源的行動能使中小企業整體資源基礎得以擴充與成長？本研究發現主要是透過拉撐資源的短期與中長期效果綜合而達成。拉撐資源的短期效果為提昇既有資源的績效而能彌補資源的缺口，掌握成長的機會，因而帶來資金的挹注而能累積資本。拉撐資源的中長期效果即是短期效果的累積，包括不斷地掌握機會而持續創造出後續成長的踏腳石（亦即突破經營局面而帶來新的成長機會）；經常拉撐資源形成了獨特的、公司專屬的資源基礎與組織能力，能有效提昇公司的競爭力而增加經營的績效，進一步帶來資金的挹注；透過累積資本之後再謹慎地、精簡地擴充資源，增強資源基礎的內涵，企業內部的資源基礎因此逐步地擴充與成長。 / The growth and scale expansion of firms results in a lot of advantages and benefits for firms, therefore, it has been the focus of managerial attention and an important topic for scholars in fields of strategic management and organization theory. Most scholars follow Penrose (1959)’s internal growth theory of the firm to assume slack resources as the prerequisite of firm growth, and investigate the relationships among attributes of resources, growth strategies, and growth rates. In practice, however, firms with slack resources do not necessarily grow. Oppositely, there’re successful firms growing under resource shortage. Hamel and Prahalad (1993) had challenged the perspective of growing by slack resources and proposed that the real driver of firm growth comes from the stretching of managerial ambition and aspirations to pursue strategic goals beyond the firm’s existing resources and capabilities. Nonetheless, the authors didn’t explain clearly the contents and growth mechanisms of stretch. This study takes the view of stretch to investigate how small-and-medium-sized firms （thereafter SMEs） can achieve scale growth by stretching their limited or even infertile resource base. Due to the lack of related literature, this study adopts Eisenhardt (1989)’s explorative case study method, and choose the phenomenon of scale growth of the single-business SMEs as the research context. After investigating seven cases, this study finds the strategic discipline of stretch of SMEs, factors that result in condition of stretch, five categories of actions of resource stretching, and the relationship between resource stretching and long-term scale growth of SMEs. Hence, this study verifies that the concept of stretch proposed by Hamel and Prahalad (1993) do facilitate the scale growth of SMEs with its unique logic of growth. This study finds that SMEs are often in condition of stretch due to their insufficiencies of resources, the outcome of continued growth, and the results of running business by strategic discipline of stretch. The strategic discipline of stretch includes pursuing higher business goals by making existing resources slightly insufficient; proceeding without all resources needed so that SMEs have to stretch and squeeze the existing resource base to fill the resource gap and overcome difficulties so as to seize the opportunities for growth; and investing resources by small amount in a parsimonious way to solve the resource bottleneck so as to improve the effectiveness of the whole resource base and to make SMEs soundly expand and grow. Furthermore, this study concludes inductively with five categories of actions of resource stretching, including resource breakthrough, resource reconfiguration, resource mobilization, resource extraction, and resource parsimony, all of which can squeeze the existing resource base to achieve the unattainable goals and can improve productive performance and competitiveness of the SMEs. Resource breakthrough and resource reconfiguration are entrepreneurial activities of the entrepreneurs. The former is making innovative breakthrough to firm resources, and improving or adding critical elements in a system to make the function of the whole system upgraded. Resource reconfiguration is reconfiguring the same human and physical resources by improving the processes or methods of resource use so as to innovate and to improve productive performance. Resource mobilization is to develop the versatility and interchangeable use of resources deliberately so that all resources can be mobilized flexibly to support one another in order to response to emergent demands or to reduce the idle hours of all the resources. Resource extraction is to make longer use of resources, or to make employees willing and able to offer more and better services. Lastly, resource parsimony refers to make resource investments less than needed or even delayed, and by doing so, SMEs can reduce investment risks and are forced to raise the efficiency of their resource use. Why does resource stretching facilitate the expansion and growth of SMEs’ resource base (i.e. scale growth)? This study finds it is by the short-term and medium- and long-term effects of resource stretching. The former refers to the immediate outcomes of resource stretching, which fill the resource gap to help seize the opportunity of growth so as to obtain cash inflows for capital accumulation. The accumulation of short-term effects results in medium- and long-term effects of resource stretching, including continuously creating stepping stones for later growth by seizing opportunities; developing and accumulating distinctive and firm-specific resource base and organizational capabilities by constantly stretching resources so that SMEs improve their competitiveness and gain cash inflows; and prudently and parsimoniously expanding and enhancing resource base so that SMEs gradually expand and grow.