The Interface between Organizational Learning Capability,Entrepreneurial Orientation,and SME Growth

This paper investigates the interface between organizational learning capability, entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and small business performance. It reports on the findings from 350 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in North Cyprus operating in the services and retailing sectors. The findings indicate a positive relationship between EO and sales and market share growth, but not between EO and employment growth. There is also a positive relationship between organizational learning capability and EO. This paper contributes to the small business management literature by providing a holistic analysis of the interface between organizational learning capability, EO, and growth.     

International Growth Orientation of Knowledge-Intensive SMES

As a response to the increasing interest in the internationalisation of knowledge-intensive firms, a measure for analysing their international growth orientation was developed. This measure was applied in empirical setting of Finnish information and communication technology companies. The development of the measure as well as the empirical findings are described in detail, and the validity and the reliability of the measure was secured in various ways. The measure seems both viable and valid, and also the findings appear to be logical, and they give a good basis for further research on the topic.     

The Impact of Collaboration Between Industry and Academia on SME Growth

One important aspect in the small firm sector is the increased provision of training available to encourage small businesses to expand and develop their knowledge base. In the belief that new small firms can generate a number of new jobs at a time of high unemployment, the UK government in the early 1980s developed public policy to encourage small firm formation and growth. Measures have been enacted to assist small firms in the UK in areas of taxation, education, funding and placement schemes. (Cross 1983). Although Curran (1986) describes this as a 'heading plunge' into a policy of discrimination in favour of the small enterprise, and is critical of the effectiveness of many of these actions, the measures are a clear indication that public policy and funds are firmly committed to support the small firm sector (Marlow 1992). Since then local support agencies, such as The Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs), and Local Enterprise Councils (LECs) in Scotland, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry and European Union offer professional consultancy advice and training to small firms and their owners. Such agencies offer help in the form of business start-up support and training, management skills and any aspect, which can aid growth in the small firm. However, the indications from the agency consultants have found that not enough owner/managers are utilising this enterprise network to assist business growth (Marlow 1992, Choueke and Armstrong 1998).     

出口增长对我国环境影响的实证分析——以CO_2排放量为例

通过实证分析我国出口扩大对环境(CO_2)的影响,指出随着时间的推移,出口的增长并没有带来人均CO_2排放量的大量增加,相反,在一定程度上却减少了人均CO_2的排放。由此可以推断,如果在贸易自由化的同时实施更严格的环境管制,可以实现贸易与环境协调发展。     

Linking Processes and Dynamic Capabilities of International SMEs: The Mediating Effect of International Entrepreneurial Orientation

Previous research on the internationalization of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) has highlighted the role of knowledge and learning about foreign markets. However, empirical results on the performance implications of foreign market scanning and planning have been mixed. Following the dynamic capability perspective, we argue that SMEs can capitalize on scanning and planning processes because of their international entrepreneurial orientation. We test our hypotheses with a sample of 604 established SMEs and find that entrepreneurial orientation completely mediates the relationship between scanning and planning and international performance. Moreover, the results implicate a bidirectional relationship between processes and international entrepreneurial orientation.     

Determinants of SME International Marketing Communications

ABSTRACT

This research article discusses the factors affecting international marketing communications in small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). International commitment and brand adaptation in overseas markets were found significantly influencing the effectiveness of international marketing communications. The results suggest that international marketers need to have resources input, such as human and financial, to drive international marketing communications. Brand adaptation also needs to be performed in order to achieve a better international marketing communications. There are two factors affecting international marketing communications suggesting international marketers of SMEs need to be concerned with both internal resource and external factors in international ventures.     

中小企业融资问题探讨及国际借鉴

中小企业在我国经济发展中发挥着重要作用。当前,中小企业融资难是困扰中小型企业发展的主要障碍。出现融资难有诚信等极差、资产规模小等内部因素,也有银行怕出现融资风险等外在原因。中小企业融资难问题不能尽快缓解,将增加就业矛盾,影响经济增长和社会稳定。我国各级政府应借鉴国外相关经验,进一步落实支持中小企业发展的各项措施和解决融资难的各项要求;中小企业应增强内源融资能力,加强自身信用建设,实现融资结构的优化,增强可持续发展的内生动力。     

基于顾客忠诚的中小企业客户关系管理实证分析

中小企业与大企业在资金、人员以及组织机构等方面的不同 ,因此实施客户关系管理的过程与大企业也有所差别。本文是在对浙江中小企业客户关系管理实施状况长达一年多调查的基础上 ,详细分析了其现状及存在问题 ,阐述了供中小企业参考的基于顾客忠诚的客户关系管理实现策略。     

市场导向与出口绩效关系的研究

市场导向由顾客导向、竞争者导向和部门协作所组成,每一部分都包含对信息的获取、共享、认知和响应四个步骤。本文通过对浙江中小出口企业的实证分析,发现市场导向对出口绩效(除财务绩效)有着积极的促进作用,企业内部因素对市场导向的程度有着较高的相关性。从管理角度看。市场导向程度可以作为企业的标杆基准来识别企业的瓶颈和检验战略的有效性。     

SME Growth: The Relationship with Business Advice and External Collaboration

The paper presents multivariate analysis of the relationship of SME growth with the acquisition of external business advice, whilst controlling for the influence of SME characteristics of age, manufacturing/services, high technology, innovator, level of skill of the workforce, exporter and number of competitors. The relationship of external business advice with SME performance is statistically significant for only a small number of sources and fields. Obtaining external advice in fields such as business strategy and staff recruitment is associated with positive firm performance. The main positive relationships of advice and performance are dominated by private sector sources such as lawyers, suppliers, customers and business friends/relatives. Collaborative arrangements with suppliers nationally/internationally have a strong positive relationship with employment and turnover growth; collaboration with local suppliers has a strong positive relationship with growth in profitability. There is little evidence of statistically significant relationships between government-backed providers of business advice such as Business Link and firm performance. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Effect of Moral Philosophy and Ethnocentrism on Quality-of-Life Orientation in International Marketing: A Cross-Culturaal Comparison

This paper examines the effects of moral philosophy and ethnocentrism on quality of life orientation in international marketing. It also provides a cross-cultural comparison of ethical values between Koreans and Americans. International quality-of-life (IQOL) orientation refers to marketers' disposition to make decisions to enhance the well-being of consumers in foreign markets while preserving the well-being of other stakeholders. It is hypothesized that marketers' moral philosophy and ethnocentrism influence the development of marketers' IQOL. Specifically, the higher the IQOL orientation of international managers, the higher their moral idealism, the higher their moral relativism, and the lower their ethnocentrism. Also, it is hypothesized that American managers are likely to score higher on moral relativism but lower on moral idealism compared to their Korean counterparts. Also, Korean managers are expected to be more ethnocentric than American managers. Data were collected from business professionals who enrolled in professional MBA courses both from the U.S. and Korea. The results provided support for the hypothesized relationships. Managerial implications of these relationships are discussed.     

Entrepreneurial Orientation and International Performance: The Moderating Effect of Decision‐Making Rationality

This research examines how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) influences international performance (IP) of the firm taking into account the moderating effect of decision‐making rationality (DR) on the EO–IP association. Such an investigation is significant because it considers the interplay of strategic decision‐making processes supported by the bounded rationality concept in the entrepreneurship field. Drawing from a study on activities of 216 firms in the United States and United Kingdom, the evidence suggests that DR positively moderates the EO–IP association. The findings suggest that managers can improve IP by combining EO with rational (analytical) processes in their strategic decisions.     

对外贸易对我国经济增长作用的实证分析

进口和出口对我国经济增长作用的实证分析。已经屡见不鲜,本文构造了一个模型。利用有关数据。在实证分析的基础上探讨了进出口对我国经济增长的作用。并利用得到的结果,提出了一些建议。     

SME Performance and Public Support for International RJVs*

The objective of the present study is to analyze the impact of public support for international research joint ventures on SME performance considering two dimensions: technological and economic results. The research is also intended to examine the time pattern of this effect. For that purpose, we use a panel dataset containing information about Spanish participants in consortia supported by the SME‐specific measures of the sixth Framework Programme. Empirical evidence corroborates a direct and positive impact on technological assets of participants. On the part of the economic indicators, EBITDA per employee and labor productivity are positively influenced by the improvement of technological background. All those effects are effective three years after the end of the project, confirming that SMEs are involved in market‐oriented R&D projects.     

SME internationalization and performance: Growth vs. profitability

Lu and Beamish (2001) examined the effect of two internationalization strategies, exporting and foreign direct investment (FDI), on SME performance (ROA). We extend this research by examining the differential effects of these strategies on two other dimensions of SME performance: growth and ROS. We develop and test four sets of hypotheses using a sample of 164 Japanese SMEs. We find that exporting activity has a positive impact on growth, but negative impact on profitability. FDI activity has a positive relationship with growth, but a U curve relationship with profitability. Exporting activity has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between an SME’s FDI activity and firm growth, a negative moderating effect on the relationship between an SME’s FDI activity and firm profitability. An SME’s age when it starts to make FDIs has a negative moderating impact on the relationship between FDI and firm growth and profitability.     

The Effect of Market Orientation on Service Quality

Abstract

The authors explore the effect of market orientation on service quality based on a survey on Taiwanese security brokerage firms. The results indicate that market orientation and service quality have a positive relationship, but fail to support the proposition of a curvilinear, diminishing function. An ad hoc investigation on the effects of individual components revealed that, among the four market orientation components, only customer orientation and profit expectation have a more consistent and significant effect on overall service quality and the five service quality components. Important managerial and future research implications are offered.     

对外贸易对广东省经济增长作用的实证研究

本文在回顾了国内外关于对外贸易与经济增长之间关系的理论和文献的基础上,利用广东省1987-2002年的宏观经济系列数据,构建联立方程模型,对外贸促进广东省经济增长这一论断进行了实证研究,计算出历年对外贸易对广东省经济增长的实际贡献率和拉动度。分析表明,出口额每增长10.33%可以促进GDP增长约1%。     

Managerial Role Motivation and Role-related Ethical Orientation in Hong Kong

Journal of Business Ethics - Is there a relationship between the psychological construct of hierarchic managerial role motivation and the moral construct of role-related ethical orientation? In...