Capability Configuration in Software Industry SMEs: The CAO Model of Ordinary Capabilities

Ordinary capabilities contribute to firm core competencies and are prominent drivers of firm performance. However, our understanding of ordinary capabilities, and how they are leveraged to advance performance in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), remains unclear. We review prior literature and introduce the Customer‐Alignment‐Operational (CAO) model of ordinary capabilities, which identifies three types of ordinary capabilities: customer, alignment, and operational capabilities. Using data collected from software industry SMEs, we find that CAO capabilities are configured in previously undiscovered ways to enhance firm performance. The findings advance our understanding of ordinary capability types and offer insight into how ordinary capabilities are configured to generate firm value.     

The Performance Advantages for SMEs of Product Innovation and Marketing Resource–Capability Complementarity in Emerging Economies

This study argues that small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) must possess both resources and capabilities at a superior level, and those resources and capabilities must be complementary with one another to achieve superior financial performance. The resources and capabilities of interest are product innovation and marketing. Using data from manufacturing SMEs, the results suggest that product innovation resource–capability complementarity, marketing resource–capability complementarity, and their interaction are positively related to financial performance through product innovation and customer performance. The findings suggest that some SMEs may outperform others not only because they possess a specific individual resource–capability complementarity but also because they create synergy and asset interconnectedness.     

Innovation Capability and Performance Of Manufacturing SMEs: The Paradoxical Effect of IT Integration

In theory, IT integration through applications such as enterprise resource planning, manufacturing resource planning, and electronic data interchange provides an organization with the ability to exploit innovation capabilities. Based on survey data obtained from 309 Canadian manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this study aims to identify the enabling effect of IT integration on the innovation capability of manufacturing SMEs—in terms of growth and productivity outcomes—and to verify if this effect is subject to industry influences. While the firm's innovation capability was found, as expected, to be positively related to the growth and productivity of manufacturing SMEs, the results underline paradoxical effects of IT integration in this regard. While IT integration was not seen to enable the innovation capability of manufacturing SMEs in terms of growth, it was seen to have a disabling effect on this same capability with regard to productivity.     

中小企业技术创新能力与成长性关系的实证研究

以深圳证券交易所中小企业板上市公司为样本,采用2005—2008年的年度报表数据,运用因子分析和逐步回归分析的研究方法,探寻中小企业技术创新能力和企业成长性之间的相关关系。研究结果表明,中小企业技术创新(技改)产品销售收入比重与企业的规模扩张能力呈显著正相关关系,而研发(技改)费用比重与企业的盈利能力呈显著负相关关系。     

中小企业发展逆向物流的对策

逆向物流指在整个产品生命周期中对产品和物资完整、有效、高度利用过程的协调.发展逆向物流有利于企业改善品质管理,根除产品不良隐患;有利于提升顾客信任度,增加企业竞争优势;有利于环境保护,塑造企业形象.目前我国逆向物流发展尚处于起步阶段,特别是中小企业受自身规模的限制,逆向物流发展落后,对逆向物流的认识还存在误区;逆向物流管理缺乏有效性;逆向物流与整个供应链缺乏协调性.文章提出,为更好地发展逆向物流,中小企业应树立现代逆向物流理念,引入第三方逆向物流管理;建立逆向物流信息系统,完善逆向物流管理体系;重视逆向物流通道建设,提高供应链整合能力.     

A comparative study of the export problems of small computer software exporters in Finland, Ireland and Norway

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study into the export problems of small computer software firms in Finland, Ireland and Norway. The study suggests that finance-related problems present exporters with the greatest difficulties and that these problems often intensify with increased international exposure. It also reveals that marketing-related factors tend to decline as firms become more active in export markets. The paper concludes that export policy-makers should seek to address these problems by improvements in training—particularly, in the area of export finance—and by providing a better financial infrastructure, in order to improve the international capabilities of small software firms.     

长途电话交换网网管系统的设计与实现

针对长途电话交换网交换机机型多、网管接口不统一的状况，采用两种不同的方法管理交换机，并建立了长途网网管模型。基于该网管模型，着重研究了网管系统中关键部分综合集中维护系统的软件实现。该软件采用模块化设计，定义了共用模块和专用模块之间的接口。实现了共用模块和若干专用模块。软件可扩展，方便引入新的类型交换机。     

CSR in SMEs: do SMEs matter for the CSR agenda?

In this paper we argue that the collective grandness of small business is often underestimated in CSR research and policy-making. We emphasize the importance of understanding the contexts and the ways in which small- and medium-sized companies engage in CSR and how they differ from multinational companies. We suggest that it might be that researchers and practitioners are asking the wrong questions in their ambitions to prove 'the business case for CSR'. Perhaps we should rather focus on the 'how' and the 'with what impact' questions to understand better the SME engagement in CSR.     

E-Business Adoption by SMEs--Prerequisites and Attitudes of SMEs in a Swedish Network

The context for this research is the transformation process of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from traditional (t-) businesses toward e-businesses and the accompanying development of the knowledge and competence among employees. SMEs constitute a great part of the Swedish industry and economy. This and the fact that they have special prerequisites concerning human and technology resources makes SMEs an interesting research focus when looking at the transformation process toward e-business. The aim of this research is to investigate SMEs with the purpose of designing, implementing, and evaluating information technology-supported activities that will allow SMEs to approach e-business. This article presents results from parts of an ongoing study, that involves seven SMEs. This study will be conducted in two main phases: first, informative and preparatory activities and second, business transformation and competence development activities. This article focuses on the first phase of the study, but an insight in its current status and further research is given. The underlying prerequisites for SMEs as well as the research approach are described. A working model is presented that illustrates stages of maturity for taking an enterprise toward e-business. The last sections present the research design, that is, planning, actions, observations, and reflections of the study up until now. New actions to take are discussed at the end of this article.     

中小企业如何走出财务困境

随着中小企业在我国国民经济发展中起到越来越重要的作用。研究中小企业经营中面临的问题,使之如何更好地解决财务困境问题,更好更快的发展,成为当今社会财务会计研究的一个重要课题。目前我国中小企业财务存在诸多困难,中美相关资料的比较说明了两国不同的处理方法。借鉴美国的经验,解决中小企业的财务困境问题,应从扩充企业筹资、融资渠道,提高中小企业的信用水平以及国家政府必要的支持等方面做起。     

中小企业电子商务的经营管理创新

中小企业电子商务在面临大量商机的同时,正改变着企业商务活动的方式.中小企业从组织结构上需打破过去较窄管理幅度的组织结构,向扁平化发展;突破以往利用经验模糊管理的模式,向清晰化演进;在技术上可通过构建企业内部网和有效的供应链管理,实现企业流程再造和企业资源计划,并借助ASP实现电子商务;在营销管理上,可通过直复式营销、整合营销、定制营销和软营销等方式创新管理模式.     

Addressing the Global Sustainability Challenge: The Potential and Pitfalls of Private Governance from the Perspective of Human Capabilities

Contemporary global politics is characterized by an increasing trend toward experimental forms of governance, with an emphasis on private governance. A plurality of private standards, codes of conduct and quality assurance schemes currently developed particularly, though not exclusively, by TNCs replace traditional intergovernmental regimes in addressing profound global environmental and socio-economic challenges ranging from forest deforestation, fisheries depletion, climate change, to labor and human rights concerns. While this trend has produced a heated debate in science and politics, surprisingly little attention has been paid on the effects of private governance on questions of distribution and justice. This is highly problematic. At the beginning of the twenty-first century global inequalities are greater than ever before, while rapid economic, social, political, and environmental changes threaten to further derail sustainable development and humanitarian objectives. If private governance creates or intensifies some of the pressing global inequalities (e.g., food security), and alleviates others (e.g., environmental degradation), from a business ethics perspective, we need to know which aspects need to be strengthened and where appropriate interventions are necessary and desirable. This paper proposes a framework to examine and classify the distributive outcomes of private governance institutions through the lenses of one particular approach to distributive justice, the capability approach. Empirically, it focuses on agrifood one area where the controversy regarding the distributive concerns of private governance are particularly pronounced.     

How Entrepreneurs' Knowledge and Network Ties Relate to the Number of Employees in New SMEs

Knowledge is central to entrepreneurship when explaining successful venturing. However, little is known about how a founder's knowledge and their network ties relate to the number of workers in early‐stage small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). This study draws on the knowledge‐based view and social network theory to examine 174 new SME founders. Findings suggest a positive relationship between the comprehensiveness of an entrepreneur's knowledge set and the number of workers. In addition, the number of network ties positively moderates the relationship between the entrepreneur's knowledge set and the number of employees. Network tie knowledge heterogeneity was not significantly related to the number of employees in new SMEs.     

Managerial Perceptions of SMEs in the Wood Industry Supply Chain on Corporate Responsibility and Competitive Advantage: Evidence from China and Finland

Our comparative study investigates the Chinese and Finnish managers' perceptions of corporate responsibility (CR) and how CR engagement can benefit small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the mechanical wood processing industry. Based on the semi‐structured interviews with 23 line managers between December 2009 and December 2010, our study provides evidence that with a focused stakeholder approach, managers in wood industry SMEs adopt informal corporate social responsibility strategies and tools to meet the specific expectations of their key stakeholders. Legal aspects were the key drivers of CR, whereas advanced production technology, efficient wood procurement, customer focus, and a competent workforce formed the four principal cornerstones in their pursuit of competitive advantage. Despite the two vastly different cultural and operational settings, the importance and the role of CR were found to follow a fairly similar logic in how CR was understood and implemented in the wood industry SMEs seeking for competitive advantage.     

Managing Network Resource and Organizational Capabilities to Create Competitive Advantage for SMEs in a Volatile Environment

By considering embedded opportunities and threats in today's dynamic business environment, this study proposes that small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) can exploit the ties of interfirm networks to access external resources and information, thus enhancing their organizational agility and absorptive capacity in a variable business environment and enabling superior organizational performance. This study enables SMEs to combine the external resources embedded in strategic networks with internal organizational capabilities including organizational agility and absorptive capacity to create an idiosyncratic competitive advantage in a chaotic business environment.     

智能网WAC业务的实现

介绍了智能网ＷＡＣ业务的概念及呼叫流程，详细说明了通过智能网实现ＷＡＣ业务的具体方法，并总结了在实现过程中交换侧、智能网端应注意的问题以及目前ＷＡＣ业务还存在的不足。     

Control Aversion and The Search for External Financing in Swedish SMEs

The discussion on growth (see Storey, 1997) and control aversion (Cressy, 1995; Chittenden et al., 1996; Cressy and Olofsson, 1996) in small and medium sized firms has been attracting an increasing amount of attention. Our purpose in this article is to identify under what circumstances small and medium sized firms are prepared to accept outside control in the business firm in order to grow. In the article it is argued that technology development, financial strength, size and perceived need to grow, change firms attitudes towards external financiers. The change in attitude towards more openness eventually leads to an actual behaviour where the principals choose to apply for external finance in the form of bank loans. A linear structural equation modelling program, LISREL, is used to analyse a sample of 281 Swedish firms. The firms all have less than 200 employees, and the sample includes both manufacturing and service firms. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

校园网的路由策略选择及实现

校园网出口带宽不足已成为众多高校面临的严重问题，为了解决问题，我们提出了增加一条接入链路和一台路由器的方案，利用基于策略路由、静态路由选择和网络地址翻译（NAT）等技术，有效解决了网络瓶颈问题，在合理利用现有CERNET网络资源的同时，还可使用当地网络服务提供商（ISP）提供的带宽高速安全地上网。     

发达国家中小企业税收政策对我国的启示

发达国家非常重视中小企业,采取种种税收鼓励措施扶持其发展。我国没有建立起规范的中小企业税收制度,政策优惠力度不足,增值税制不完善,需要进一步建立与完善有利于中小企业发展的税收政策体系,提高税法级次,调整现行政策,加大对中小企业的税收支持力度,促进中小企业的快速发展。