The Dynamics of SME Information Systems

The process by which small firms (SMEs) invest in and gain benefit from information systems (IS) is little understood. This paper analyses two alternative models of IS-based strategic change – the Focus-Dominance model (Levy et al., 2001) and stages of growth models as applied to SMEs. An analysis of the outcomes of IS strategy development undertaken for 43 SMEs maps their IS use over time. The analysis supports the Focus-Dominance model, some parts of the stages of growth model and extends the critique of the latter. Further variances are explained by the entrepreneur/owner's values and experience. One structural variable, namely, the industry sector may also explain the variances. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Coalition Formation: The Role of Procedure and Policy Flexibility

A spatial model of coalition formation is used together with data from Dutch elections and theoretical instances to study different procedures of coalition formation. The model shows that procedure plays an important role in reaching a coalition agreement and that political parties do not necessarily benefit from being a first-mover. Moreover, it is shown that a decrease in a party’s flexibility can be (dis)advantageous in coalition negotiations. Furthermore, certain power sharing tactics appear not always to lead to an agreement that is in a party’s advantage. The main message put forward is that the procedure of forming a coalition plays a more important role than is usually acknowledged in literature and practice.     

The Role of Social Mechanisms in Promoting Supplier Flexibility

Purpose: This study explores a conceptual framework for social mechanisms (trust and shared vision) to induce supplier flexibility (i.e., volume, mix, new product, and delivery flexibility).

Design/methodology/approach: The current study is based on marketing research reviews of social mechanisms and supply chain flexibility literature. To explore these issues, the authors developed and tested hypotheses with data from 162 members of the SMIT (Supply Management Institute, Taiwan).

Findings: The results show that trust has a direct impact on supplier's volume flexibility and delivery flexibility. Furthermore, the findings indicate that a shared vision has direct impact on supplier's mix, new product, and delivery flexibility. Finally, shared vision plays a mediating role among trust and mix, new product, and delivery flexibility.

Research limitations/implications: This research considers buyer's perspective in examining social mechanisms that enhance supplier flexibility. A clear understanding of social mechanisms effects could evaluate competence trust and risk of respective flexibility that may affect social mechanism effectiveness.

Practical implications: This article contributes to management guidelines on how to align suppliers to respond quickly to customer demands.

Originality/value: The study provides novel insights into social mechanism impact on suppliers' respective flexibility.     

Internationalizing the Information Systems Curriculum

This paper provides a systems model for curriculum developers who wish to add appropriate international content to the business curriculum. The major factors which determine the degree of internationalization and the method of effecting change are viewed as inputs to a subsystem; graduating students are the principal outputs. While the primary focus of the article is on the information systems function, the approach is applicable to other business disciplines as well. A guide to recent literature on international curriculum development is included.     

Information Systems Strategy

The paper depicts the current state of IS strategy research with the aim of identifying research needs as well as appropriate ways to study IS strategy in the future. To this end, the paper introduces the results of an extensive analysis of academic literature on IS-strategy. In addition, it sheds light on current practice as uncovered in case-study research and through in-depth interviews with IS strategy professionals. A comparison reveals that the issues prevalent in practice and the ones traditionally focused on in the academic debate on IS strategy often vary considerably. A conspicuous attempt to fill this is the so-called “Strategizing” framework put forward by Robert Galliers. This framework, which is receiving increasing attention in the current academic debate, calls for a practice turn in IS strategy research in that it treats strategy as something people or, more precisely, IS strategists do. In addition, by identifying the challenges and problems IS strategists are faced with, the framework intends to better reflect the new planning conditions which are often seen as characteristics of the information age. The framework distinguishes three general problem domains of IS strategizing: exploration, exploitation, as well as implementation and change management.     

The Information Use in a SME: Its Importance and Some Elements of Influence

The aim of this study is to gain some insights into the importance of the information use for the success of a SME. Consequently we examine some characteristics of the owner/manager and his firm which determine the extent of this use. The value of the model is examined for 208 Belgian SME owner/managers. Our data suggest there is a positive relation between the extent of information use and the performance of a SME. Moreover, we find that SME owner/managers with a greater strategic awareness, with less firm experience prior to the present position and with a greater desire for growth use more information. Also, smaller family ownership and intervention in strategic management, as well as greater delegation of decision making, lead to a higher information use.     

Neo-Liberalism,SME Development and the Role of Business Support Centres in the Transition Economies of Central and Eastern Europe

Support for SME development was one of the most important policy interventions initiated by post-Communist governments in Central and Eastern Europe from 1990 onwards. Substantial financial support for this was forthcoming from both the international assistance agencies and western governments. One major result was the formation of networks of Business Support Centres (BSCs). The design of the BSCs was very much informed by the neo-liberal approach to business development which was still in the ascendancy in the late 1980s. As a consequence, the BSC networks were structured to be private sector-led, financially self-sustaining, to involve minimal local government participation, and essentially pressed into focusing upon support initiatives which were consonant with short run market imperatives. With several years of experience now behind them, it is possible to begin to make an assessment of their operations and impact upon the SME development process. Unfortunately, the BSC networks almost everywhere are failing to deliver upon the heady promises of both their domestic and international supporters, and the SME development process is beginning to falter. Crucially, they compare very badly with previous historical episodes of SME development facilitated and co-ordinated by the local state. A new SME discourse is called for which explicitly recognises that a "local developmental state" approach could have a much greater, if not a pivotal, role to play in SME development in the transition economies.     

Evolutionary Business Information Systems

This article reflects on existing and emerging future challenges arising in the area of “evolutionary business information systems”, a class of systems that demand an evolutionary software development process and which support secondary design of various conceptual layers. We place both existing contributions and future research opportunities in context by referring to an idealized, preliminary system architecture. Finally, we emphasize our pluralistic perspective on the research object and the resulting need for methodological flexibility in the sense of interdisciplinary configurations of research methods.     

中小企业融资难的困境与对策分析

目前,企业融资难问题已成为束缚我国小企业发展的最大瓶颈。导致我国中小企业融资难的原因主要有企业自身存在的问题、直接融资门槛过高、民间融资成本较大、缺乏有效的贷款担保和完善的信用评级体系以及相应的法律法规保障等。有效解决中小企业融资难,政府应加强企业内部控制制度建设,提高企业盈利能力;深化金融体制改革,完善金融体系和金融服务;加大政府扶持力度,健全相关的法律法规,以确保中小企业健康发展。     

我国中小企业融资障碍及对策分析

本文针对中小企业融资难的现状,系统地分析了中小企业融资难的主要原因。指出中小企业信用资源的不足、高比率的倒闭和违约、银企之间信息不对称和国内金融业自身的整合与贷款紧缩是我国当前中小企业融资的主要障碍,并从政策性融资、直接融资、间接融资三个角度出发就如何改善中小企业融资,拓宽其融资渠道提出一些政策性建议。     

浅析TRIZ理论在中小企业中的推广应用

结合TRIZ理论在企业内部推广应用的成效,阐明了其在中小企业中,能否顺利推行取得成效所需具备的条件;以及在推广过程中所面临的问题和采取的相应措施,探索推广方法。     

Method Support of Information Requirements Analysis for Analytical Information Systems

Due to specific characteristics of analytical information systems, their development varies significantly from transaction-oriented systems. Specific method support is particularly needed for requirements engineering and its information-related component, information requirements analysis. The paper at hand first evaluates the state of the art and identifies necessary method support extensions. On this basis, method support requirements for information requirements engineering are identified. The survey is structured along the five core activities of traditional requirements engineering. It reveals a need for further research especially on information requirements elicitation, validation, and management. It further contributes to a discussion of aspects that should be considered by any method support. Due to comparatively long life cycles of analytical information systems, the introduction of a process perspective is discussed in order to ensure the continuous elicitation, documentation, and management of information requirements.     

The Role of Marketing Research and Decision Systems in the Marketing Process

No abstract available for this article.     

Trade credit and SME profitability

Financial literature discusses the motives for trade credit provision by suppliers in depth. However, there is no empirical evidence of the effect of granting trade credit on the profitability of small and medium-sized firms. We examine the profitability implications of providing financing to customers for a sample of 11,337 Spanish manufacturing SMEs during the 2000–2007 period. This article also examines the differences in the profitability of trade credit according to financial, operational, and commercial motives. The findings suggest that managers can improve firm profitability by increasing their investment in receivables and that the effect is greater for financially unconstrained firms (larger and more liquid firms), for firms with volatile demand, and for firms with bigger market shares.