Environmental Innovations in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

Supporting and accelerating the adoption and diffusion of environmental innovations amongst small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is a major challenge to environmental policy makers. Research suggests that whilst SMEs possess high flexibility, their innovative capacity may be limited to incremental changes within their existing technology system and network. Twenty case studies examining the innovation adoption process in SMEs in four sectors and in five countries within the ENVIS project (commissioned by the EU) revealed great variety in factors driving this process. Findings indicate that this variation can be attributed to the character of the environmental innovation, the specific business opportunity, the regulatory setting and pressure experienced by the sector. Based on these findings an analytical framework is suggested, whereby the environmental innovative capability of SMEs is conceived as the result of an interplay between the competencies, the network relations and the strategic orientation of the company (the 'dynamic triangle'). This indicates that policy to support SME's adoption of environmental innovations has to take an integrated form, i.e. addressing and developing competence, networks and strategic orientation of SMEs simultaneously whilst remaining systemic and context sensitive.     

Environmental Innovations in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

Supporting and accelerating the adoption and diffusion of environmental innovations amongst small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is a major challenge to environmental policy makers. Research suggests that whilst SMEs possess high flexibility, their innovative capacity may be limited to incremental changes within their existing technology system and network. Twenty case studies examining the innovation adoption process in SMEs in four sectors and in five countries within the ENVIS project (commissioned by the EU) revealed great variety in factors driving this process. Findings indicate that this variation can be attributed to the character of the environmental innovation, the specific business opportunity, the regulatory setting and pressure experienced by the sector. Based on these findings an analytical framework is suggested, whereby the environmental innovative capability of SMEs is conceived as the result of an interplay between the competencies, the network relations and the strategic orientation of the company (the 'dynamic triangle'). This indicates that policy to support SME's adoption of environmental innovations has to take an integrated form, i.e. addressing and developing competence, networks and strategic orientation of SMEs simultaneously whilst remaining systemic and context sensitive.     

银行业结构对中小企业融资的影响*

本文结合世界银行关于中国中小企业的调查数据和中国银监会发布的银行业分布数据,分析了银行业结构与中小企业融资的关系。本文发现：银行业结构与中小企业受到信贷配给的概率呈现“U型”关系,即存在最优水平的银行业集中度使中小企业受到信贷约束的概率最低。根据本文研究,我国银行业集中度总体上高于最优水平,但不同地区又有所差异。本文还发现,考察银行业集中度不能只关注国有大型商业银行比重的下降,大型股份制商业银行比重的替代性上升也没有有效解决中小企业融资难的问题。因此,鼓励发展中小金融机构,才是支持中小企业融资的有效途径。     

The Development of The Local Area Network Market As Determined By User Needs

Using an original survey sample of 103 unquoted Belgian technology-based small firms (TBSFs), we examine the capital structure of start-up companies during their consecutive development stages. We find that internal funds, either alone as personal savings or in combination with family and friends, to be the primary source of financing. Personal funds of the founders are used to finance the start of 82% of TBSFs. Commercial bank and government funds are the most important sources of external finance for TBSFs subsequent to start-up. Most founders agreed that business angels and venture capitalists play a greater role at later stages. However, once granted, more substantial amounts of funding come from venture capitalists. There is also evidence that suggests a change in the mix of internal and external sources of finance. Finally, our findings based on founders’ scores in raising external funds suggest a call for urgent policy action to improve access to and availability of early-stage entrepreneurial finance in Belgium. We discuss our findings in light of the capital structure of small firms relating to TBSFs.     

Commercial complexity and entrepreneurial finance

This paper shows that the probability of small business firms obtaining outside financing to support their research and development projects is greater given more complex commercial opportunities – defined as a greater number of different potential applications for a project’s anticipated results – for their innovations. The effects on the probability of outside finance found for other factors are consistent with the earlier findings in the literature about innovative entrepreneurial firms.     

创新型中小企业与商业银行的演化博弈及信贷稳定策略研究

创新型中小企业融资难由来已久,特别是在以间接融资为主的金融环境下如何明晰银企关系,形成与之匹配的信贷策略,是化解企业融资约束的关键。本文首先建立银企演化博弈的理论框架,对创新型中小企业与商业银行的信贷行为演化过程及演化稳定性标准进行探讨,并从创新风险与监管奖惩两个维度构建银企演化博弈模型,分析两类群体在长期信贷博弈中的演化稳定策略。结果表明,银企双方均对高收益策略有模仿倾向,但创新型中小企业在与银行的长期合作中会对少数企业的违约行为具有抵御性;研发创业期企业所受融资约束最高,当且仅当创新成功率高于最小下限时,商业银行才考虑与企业发生信贷关系;政府、信用担保等外部力量与内生要素的相互制衡对实现银企信贷稳定状态具有重要作用。     

Financing R&D in Chinese private firms: Business associations or political connection?

Using a new and unique dataset of Chinese private firms, this paper explores how private firms access bank loans to finance innovative activities. The results reveal that political connection, rather than membership in a government-controlled business association, largely determines private firms' innovations by providing access to bank loans. Furthermore, the “grease-the-wheels” mechanism of political connection is stronger if the firms are more constrained financially, located in regions with low levels of financial development, or located in regions with relatively under-developed institutional environments. Finally, cash flow, used to measure internal financing, and trade credit, used to measure informal financing, are important alternative financing channels and support firms' R&D investments. Our paper implies that China's government needs to continue fostering a good financing environment and supporting innovation activities.     

创新利器：法国“中小企业协约”

科技型中小企业在国家创新体系中发挥着重要作用，政府应开发适应其不同发展阶段的高影响力政策，优化科技型中小企业的生存环境。我国目前实施的政策多是着眼于税收减免、融资、政府采购等。法国“中小企业协约”围绕中小型企业的客户这一关键环节，为科技型中小企业与“大型机构”开展合作提供了一个新的政策工具，为我国建设创新型国家、完善创新体系具有借鉴意义。     

我国中小企业污染防治的投融资支持机制分析

20世纪90年代以来,我国环境问题日益突出。国家环保总局对我国污染负荷的估算表明,40%～50%的污染负荷来自国内中小企业。中小企业污染问题已经成为我国面临的主要治污课题之一,而尽快解决中小企业治污融资问题成为解决这一问题的关键。文章从规模经济和政府监管等角度分析中小企业污染治理面临的经济困难,并从投融资渠道的角度探讨了解决这一难题的主要途径。     

Inbound open innovation in SMEs: indicators,non-financial outcomes and entry-timing

This study contributes to the literature on inbound open innovation in three ways. Firstly, it verifies the suitability of three groups of innovation activities (external information sources, cooperation and acquisition of machinery, knowledge or R&D) as indicators of open innovation, by modelling their relationship with the openness of the development of new products. Secondly, it relates these activities to three non-financial product-oriented outcomes of small and medium enterprises (SMEs): quality, product range and market share. When significant, the signs of the relationships are always positive. Thirdly, it is the first to link two streams of the literature on innovation within SMEs: open innovation and entry-timing. We distinguish between pioneers (the first to introduce innovations onto the market) and followers and find that most open innovation activities relate to the pioneering behaviour. This should be taken into consideration when designing public policies supporting innovation. Data include Spanish innovative SMEs from the Community Innovation Survey.     

中小企业应对融资困难的财务策略

中小企业融资困难很大程度是受企业自身发展的影响,其财务不规范、信息不透明是影响企业融资的主要障碍。因此,提出加强企业内外部融资的财务策略,以改善企业的融资困境。     

Impediments to innovation faced by Canadian manufacturing firms

Using the findings of the 1999 Survey of Innovation in the Canadian manufacturing sector, we analyse the impediments, i.e. the problems and obstacles, that firms in the sector face when they innovate. In particular, we assess the factors which inhibit innovation, especially with regard to by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). First we try to establish the relationship between the impediments to innovation and various firm characteristics. Then we assess whether these impediments actually prevent firms from innovating or whether firms are able to overcome them.

We find that the perception of impediments to innovation vary according to firm characteristics. For example, large firms are more likely to report the high cost of developing innovation and organizational rigidities as impediments than small firms. However, they seem to have less difficulty with regard to financing innovation projects compared to SMEs. Our results also show that firms seem to be able to overcome most of the obstacles to innovation. Therefore, the impediments featured in innovation survey(s) should not be interpreted as impenetrable barriers that prevent innovation. The sole exception is organizational rigidities. Firms facing organizational rigidities are less likely to become innovative, whether they are small, medium, or large. From our results, we conclude that small firms do not face particular impediments which prevent them from becoming innovative.     

Financial structure and diversification of European firms

Small and medium enterprises have been shown to rely mainly on banks for funding and, unlike larger firms, rarely have direct access to capital markets. This article looks at the extent to which SMEs avail of a wider range of funding options and how their use differs across firms and countries. Across all countries, we find that firms are currently using two or three sources of finance to fund their operations and have had previous experience of other types of funding. There are some noticeable differences across countries with peripheral economies generally being less diversified. Differences across firm size and age groups are more marked than cross-country variation, with smaller and younger firms significantly more reliant on a limited set of finance types and older, larger firms having more diversified financial structures. Looking at individual sources of financing, we find that trade credit and informal sources of finance are extremely prevalent across all countries, with Irish firms being particularly likely to use them as sources of funding.     

产业企业主导的供应链金融如何助力中小企业融资*——一个多案例对比研究

近年来,鉴于降低信息不对称方面的优势,基于供应链网络产业企业主导的供应链金融开始兴起。本文通过选取三组案例,对商业银行的供应链金融与产业企业主导的供应链金融进行了详细对比。本文发现,与商业银行主导的供应链金融相比,产业企业发起的供应链金融可以更有效地降低事前与事后信息不对称,提升中小企业融资绩效。本文在丰富和拓展供应链金融相关理论的同时,对产业企业开展供应链金融的实践也具有有益启示。     

供应链金融视角下科技型中小企业融资约束及其缓解研究

企业融资约束问题的解决有赖于金融创新。在对融资约束与信息不对称、供应链金融与信息不对称、供应链金融与融资约束关系进行理论分析的基础上,运用深市中小板科技型企业样本数据对供应链金融缓解融资约束的效应进行了检验。结果表明：科技型中小企业融资约束程度与信息不对称程度正相关;供应链金融能够有效缓解融资约束,并且其缓解效应作用强度与信息不对称程度正相关。该结论可为改进科技型中小企业的融资决策提供经验依据。     

民间金融与中小企业发展:对温州的实证分析

本文以温州为例对中小企业发展与民间金融互动关系问题进行了实证分析。温州中小企业 (尤其是规模居中的中小企业 )对于民间金融有着较为明显的需求。在民间金融供给方面 ,我们对温州介入中小企业信贷的民间金融规模及运作方式进行了分析。本文认为 ,政府需要建立多元化的中小企业融资服务体系 ,引导民间金融组织逐步演化为规范化运作的、定位于中小企业融资服务的民营金融机构 ,才能从根本上解决中小企业融资问题     

中国中小企业融资新渠道探究

政府出台的一系列支持、促进中小企业融资的政策和法规,为中小企业融资提供了更好的经济环境和制度保障。中小企业融资应从中小企业板市场、应收账款融资、资产支持商业票据及利用国际金融资源四方面开辟新途径。推进中小企业信用体系建设、信用担保体系建设和成立中小企业政策性银行是政府对中小企业融资有力的政策保障。     

Top management team social capital,exploration-based innovation,and exploitation-based innovation in SMEs

Despite increasing interest in ambidextrous innovations, mainstream literature has excluded discussions on developing and combining exploratory innovation (ERI) and exploitative innovation (EII) in the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. This issue from the SME perspective is worth addressing. Recent studies have conceptually argued the importance of the top management team (TMT) in managing ambidextrous innovations. Building on this argument, we explore how the top manager external social relationships foster ambidextrous innovations and whether internal social relationships among senior executives can be used to integrate such innovations. The results show that (a) distinct external managerial relationships cause differential innovations for SMEs, and (b) internal social capital among top managers could be used effectively to manage ambidextrous innovations. This research indicates that SMEs engaging in both high ERI and EII perform better when they focus on the balancing benefits of TMT internal social capital and the bridging benefits of TMT external social capital.     

科技型中小企业创新影响实证研究——以河北省为研究对象

本文旨在评估1999年实施科技型中小企业创新基金以来,受到过基金支持并成功通过验收的河北省科技型中小企业创新影响因素和创新绩效的关系。数据来自河北省的174家科技型中小企业,调查不同属性及创新因素影响下创新绩效的差异,探讨提高科技型中小企业创新绩效的因素组合,为政府制定更有针对性的扶持企业发展的创新政策提供决策参考。事实证明,科技型中小企业的创新活动局限于国内范围,主要目的在于改进质量、提高产量和技术水平。研究发现,河北省科技型中小企业技术主要从外部购买;自主研发技术(以下简称自有技术)企业的创新绩效并不好于购买技术的;创新战略与企业所处的竞争环境相适应的企业,总体而言绩效更好,它们具有更好的对环境判断和适应的能力,能够自主研发和创新,从而适应了新的市场经济。     

法国多项举措扶持中小企业发展

中小企业在法国经济和就业中占据重要的位置。法国政府不仅通过政策倾斜、税收优惠、协助融资、科技扶持等多种资助手段,为中小企业发展创造条件,同时也引导社会力量,通过开展咨询服务、专业培训、投资等活动,解决中小企业发展中存在的实际问题。其具体举措有:推动各项资金向中小企业流动,简化中小企业行政审批手续,减轻中小企业税费负担,帮助中小企业开拓海外市场,积极开展企业风险评估,以及通过技术移转工作站、技术资源中心及伙伴研究计划等支撑中小企业发展。法国扶持中小企业发展的举措值得我国借鉴。