SMEs and regional economic growth in Brazil

This paper examines the relationship between the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector and economic growth for an annual panel of Brazilian states for the period 1985–2004. We investigate the importance of the relative size of the SME sector measured by the share of SME employment in total formal employment and the level of human capital in SMEs measured by the average years of schooling of SME employees. The empirical results indicate that the relative importance of SMEs is negatively correlated with economic growth, a result that is consistent with previous studies examining developing countries. In addition, our results show that the human capital embodied in SMEs may be more important for economic growth than the relative size of the SME sector.     

Formal business networking and SME growth

This paper provides new empirical evidence on the impact of formal business networking on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) growth. Using a large, unbalanced panel data set of Flemish SMEs over the period 1992–2008, we examine whether participation in a government-supported program aimed at providing small business managers with structured formal networking contacts is associated with SME growth. Our results suggest that formal business networking is significantly positively correlated with net asset and added value growth.     

中小企业融资困境破解——以苏州为例

中小企业的迅猛发展已成为推动我国国民经济发展新的经济增长点。但同时,中小企业的融资困难也日益暴露出来,这一问题已经成为制约我国中小企业发展的＂瓶颈＂,并受到政府和理论界的普遍关注。通过对中小企业融资现状进行分析,指出中小企业间接融资方式单一、直接融资渠道缺乏、信用体系不健全、缺乏相应的法律、法规保障体系和为中小企业服务的金融机构是我国当前中小企业融资难的主要原因,并试图从政策体制、直接融资、间接融资等几个角度出发就如何改善中小企业融资现状,拓宽其融资渠道提出一些对策建议。     

SME Policy, Financial Structure and Firm Growth: Evidence From Japan

This paper investigates the effects of public policy and financial structure on the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Using a panel data set on SMEs in the Japanese manufacturing industry, we examine whether or not the SME Creative Business Promotion Law (CBPL) and financial structure affect firm growth. It is found that SMEs approved by prefectural governors under this law tend to increase assets. Further, we provide evidence that the CBPL and cash flow have an impact on the growth of younger SMEs.     

Promoting Small and Medium Enterprises with a Clustering Approach: A Policy Experience from Indonesia

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia are very important for employment creation and are important sources of economic growth and foreign currencies. It is therefore not a surprise that SMEs receive ample attention in Indonesia. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to development of SME clusters. The main aim of this paper is to review government policies on SMEs with a clustering approach, in Indonesia. The paper argues that in many cases, the development policy has not been so successful. In essence, most failures can be attributed to the fact that one or more critical factors for successful SME cluster development were either not existing or not addressed correctly. Neglecting cluster linkage to markets is one main reason for the failure. Prerequisite for successful cluster development is the cluster's potential to access growing markets, either domestic or abroad.     

A Panel Study of Firm Growth among SMEs in Networks

An underlying assumption in SME literature, as well as among policymakers, is that networks are good per se especially for SMEs. Through accessing and utilising external resources in the network, the SME can overcome some of the assumed disadvantages of limited size. Thus networking is assumed to enhance small firm performance and thereby small firm growth. This article investigates this assumption. Analysis of panel data ascertains that a substantial number of SMEs are actively networking and that the level of networking has been maintained over a five-year period. In spite of this there is no evidence of associated short-term benefits such as growth in employment or growth in total sales resulting from the networking activities. The analyses suggest, however, that networking is associated with high growth in the geographic extension of markets, which suggests that networking sustains long-term objectives of the firms.     

How SME Uniqueness Affects Capital Structure: Evidence From A 1994–1998 Spanish Data Panel

The principal aim of this paper is to test how firm characteristics affect Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) capital structure. We carry out an empirical analysis of panel data of 6482 non-financial Spanish SMEs during the five years period 1994–1998, modelling the leverage ratio as a function of firm specific attributes hypothesized by capital structure theory. Our results suggest that non-debt tax shields and profitability are both negatively related to SME leverage, while size, growth options and asset structure influence positively SME capital structure; they also confirm a maturity matching behaviour in this firm group.     

The Effect of Governance Mechanisms on Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprise Cash Holdings: Evidence from the United Kingdom

This paper investigates the impact of governance mechanisms on small and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) cash holdings from 2000 to 2009, employing static and dynamic panel data analyses. We find no evidence that firm governance index and insider ownership affect cash holdings. This might indicate that governance mechanisms in SMEs are relatively weak. We also report that chief executive officer compensation has a positive effect on cash holdings. Firm‐specific factors such as firm size, leverage, and liquidity negatively affect cash holdings, whereas the research and development ratio and operating risk are positively associated with them. Finally, SMEs have target cash holdings and adjust to these.     

Investigating a neglected part of Schumpeter’s creative army: what drives new-to-the-market innovation in micro-enterprises?

This paper tests a theoretical model to evaluate e-business capability and value in the fast growth small-to-medium enterprise (SME) context. We propose that e-business value depends on how fast growth SMEs deploy IT resources, strategic planning, culture, and business partnerships to develop e-business capability and business process competence which help these companies to achieve outstanding business performance. Structural equation modelling is employed to test our theoretical conceptualization on a cohort of 310 Australian fast growth SMEs across different industrial sectors. The results show that IT resources, strategic IT alignment, market orientation, and business partnerships do contribute significantly and indirectly to SME performance through the development of e-business capability and business process competence. Our study provides an initial empirical evidence to understand the relationship between IT and entrepreneurial SME performance. These findings have important implications for research and business practices.     

中小企业分布形态及其融资模式差异分析

中小企业具有共生、集群、离散三种分布形态,不同分布形态决定了中小企业具有不同的融资需求特性。本文有别于制度安排、金融服务体系构建的一般研究视角,而是从企业分布形态差异的独特视角对中小企业融资难症结进行了分析梳理,针对性地提出中小企业分布形态应向以龙头企业为主导的垂直整合型产业集群方向转变,同时要以培育优化供应链融资环境和创新融资担保模式来疏解不同分布形态的中小企业融资瓶颈。     

中小企业集群与民间资本对接提升了融资效率吗?——基于长三角数据的检验

本文以长三角地区中小企业作为集群样本, 构建面板数据模型, 探讨中小企业集群与民间资本对接对企业融资效率的影响. 研究结果表明: 中小企业集群与民间资本对接提升了企业融资效率. 分样本的实证结果显示: 中小企业集群与民间资本对接能有效提升非国有企业的融资效率, 而对国有企业的融资效率的影响并不显著. 此外, 浙江省中小企业集群与民间资本对接对企业融资效率影响显著, 而江苏与上海地区的影响并不显著. 本文的研究结果为提高我国中小企业融资效率提供了理论依据和现实基础.     

Modelling the Extent of Financial Reporting Practices amongst Australian Manufacturing SMEs

This paper describes an exploratory study of financial reporting practices amongst small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in manufacturing in Australia. Non-linear principal components analysis is employed in empirical derivation of an overall measure of the comprehensiveness of financial reporting practices undertaken in the SMEs investigated. Non-linear principal components analysis is also used in empirically capturing the business context in terms of enterprise and financial management characteristics. Polytomous logistic regression modelling reveals development orientation, extent of owner-management, technological complexity, degree of reliance upon external financial advice, and the financial reporting climate to be the most significant influences on the extent of financial reporting practices in the SMEs under study. Of the business context factors identified, development orientation and financial reporting climate seem to have greatest impact. The study appears to reinforce the impression that SME growth is a key driver towards more sophisticated financial reporting practices. Alternately, better financial reporting may be viewed as an important enabling factor in realising the growth aspirations of such concerns.     

Small and Medium Enterprises in Korea: Achievements,Constraints and Policy Issues

This paper provides an overview of the evolution of the small and medium enterprise sector in Korea during the past quarter century. It shows how the industrial structure of Korea has changed dramatically over this period reflecting much greater shares in employment and value added by SMEs. It reviews the evidence on SME dynamism showing that SMEs have contributed to the enormous transformations that have taken place in the Korean economy since 1975, especially with regard to exports, foreign investment and productivity performance. It discusses the role of subcontracting as well as that of government and non-governmental institutions in supporting SME development. Finally, it examines the link between variations in the economic importance of SMEs, as measured by their shares in employment, and aspects of growth and inequality to assess whether SMEs function as business cycle shock absorbers and inequality-reducing mechanisms.     

Financing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana

Abstract

Issues of finance and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries have dominated the research agenda at various policy levels. However, very little empirical analysis, that is, hypothesis testing has been carried out to ascertain the relationship between finance and enterprise performance. Although a few studies have attempted to examine this relationship, yet there remain large gaps in our knowledge concerning the relationship between finance and SME development. This paper attempts to fill this gap by providing information on the relationship between finance and enterprise growth in Ghana.     

Investigating CSR communication in SMEs: a case study among Danish middle managers

This paper seeks to analyse small‐ and medium‐sized enterprise (SME) managers' representations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and CSR communication in a corporate communication perspective. The basic question is: how strategic is CSR communication in SMEs? Corporate communication and CSR theories are used to establish an ideal typology of CSR concepts informing an analysis of qualitative data in the form of interviews with three middle managers in two Danish SMEs. A CSR communication model published earlier by the authors is challenged from a SME perspective. Results from an Internet‐based questionnaire survey of 1071 SMEs pave the way for the analysis. Our analysis shows that SME managers clearly have an inside‐out approach to CSR, with a strong emphasis on the internal (corporate culture) dimension. However, SMEs and/or SME managers tend not to communicate externally about the CSR activities of the company. Based on these findings, the paper argues that CSR communication in SMEs is challenged by the global economy and is under revision. The contribution of the paper is to provide an insight into SMEs' present stage in relation to a possible future approach to strategic CSR communication. The paper also reminds us that SMEs have no interest in turning their local and authentic practice into a forced marketing and branding exercise, leaving them with an artificial picture of who they are and strive to be in the future. They should keep on acting locally but force themselves to think globally.     

Adjusting for risk in comparing the performances of male- and female-controlled SMEs

Small and medium enterprise (SME) research has typically found that female-owned SMEs underperform male-owned SMEs. Further, this underperformance usually persists after controlling for variables such as industry, age of business, and size of business. However, previous studies have normally limited their assessment of performance to sales or profit (or growth in sales or profit) without controlling for differences in risk. Our results indicate that although profits are significantly higher for male-controlled SMEs, so is the variation in profits (risk). After adjusting for risk, we find no significant difference between the performances of male- and female-controlled SMEs.     

Assessing the Effects of Employee Turnover on the Performance of Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises in Nigeria

The significant role small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) plays in growth and development is acknowledged universally. As a group, they generate more new jobs and introduce innovative ideas, products, and business methods. However, this important group is incapacitated by numerous factors militating against their growth, particularly in Third World countries such as Nigeria. In this study the authors identified major factors that affect the productivity of SMEs thereby hindering their growth. Their findings relate factors such as the dearth of skills, absence of managerial talents, and employee turnover to enterprise performance, productivity, and growth ability. Employee turnover is found to have a significant and negative correlation with SME performance. This indicates that the lower the employee turnover, the higher the performance of SMEs, and vice versa.     

Financial Challenges Facing Urban SMEs under Financial Sector Liberalization in Ghana

The paper examines the impact of financial sector liberalization (FSL) policies on the financial management of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Ghana, using six case studies. Its findings, which confirm and extend the conclusions of previous studies, are integrated into a framework that explains the impact of FSL and the factors at work. The main financial challenge facing SMEs is access to affordable credit over a reasonable period. This is determined by the financing needs of SMEs and the action of investors. SME financing needs reflect their operational requirements, while the action of investors depends on their risk perception and the attractiveness of alternative investment (which affects their willingness to invest). Government borrowing, the general economic climate, availability of collateral, quality of SME record keeping, and SME investor relations skills affect the way in which this challenge is managed. The impact of the activities and potential of enterprise development agencies are also discussed.     

Tax effect on Spanish SME optimum debt maturity structure

This paper analyzes the influence of the tax effect on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) debt maturity structure. This study builds a dynamic adjustment model which endogenizes optimum structure and assumes the existence of adjustment costs. Using Spanish data, the model is estimated using a system-GMM regression to a complete panel (11,028 firms) covering 1997-2004. SMEs adjust to their target at a speed of about 37% annually, the equivalent of employing about 20 months to cover only half of the existing gap. This rate is lower than those reported in other similar papers studying large companies with publicly tradable equity.     

产业集群视阈下的中小企业融资模式研究

国内外中小企业都因融资困难而制约了其发展,这也引起了国内外经济界和理论界的高度关注。国外主要从企业融资来源、结构、优序与质量、中小企业融资缺口及成因、产业集群视阈下的中小企业融资优势和模式等方面开展研究,但以中小企业集群融资为对象的深入理论和实践研究还较少。国内产业集群视阈下的中小企业融资研究,主要集中在产业集群给集群企业带来的融资效应和优势、产业集群内中小企业融资的实证分析、解决集群内中小企业融资难问题的对策分析三个方面。但国内在影响中小企业融资来源、结构、顺序、质量等因素的研究方面和在适合我国集群中小企业的有效融资模式探讨方面还不够深入。这些都需要今后进一步加强。