Eco‐innovation and firm growth in the circular economy: Evidence from European small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises

As the circular economy (CE) concept gains growing popularity among consumers and producers, small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly look for ways to reorganize their offering and operations to integrate into the CE. This study examines the impact of (a) circular eco‐innovations and (b) external funding available for CE activities on the growth of European SMEs using a data set of 5,100 SMEs across 28 European countries in 2016. Findings reveal that a significant threshold investment (i.e., higher than 10% of revenues) into circular eco‐innovations is required for SMEs to benefit from investing into the CE. Moreover, the majority of circular eco‐innovations fail to boost the growth rates of SMEs, with the exception of investments into eco‐design innovations. Although traditional forms of debt and grant finance targeted to CE activities are found to have no or negative impact on the growth of SMEs, equity finance (i.e., angel and venture capital investments) contributes positively to their growth. The study offers insights into the lower levels of SME engagement in the CE as well as policy implications for improving engagement.     

Coaching SME managers: business development or personal therapy? A mixed methods study

While a growing number of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are making use of coaching, little is known about the impact such coaching has within this sector. This study sought to identify the factors that influence managers' decision to engage with coaching, their perceptions of the coaching ‘journey’ and the kinds of benefits accruing from coaching: organisational, personal or both. As part of a mixed methods approach, a survey tool was developed based upon a range of relevant management competencies from the UK's Management Occupational Standards and responses analysed using importance-performance analysis, an approach first used in the marketing sector to evaluate customer satisfaction. Results indicate that coaching had a significant impact on personal attributes such as ‘Managing Self-Cognition’ and ‘Managing Self-Emotional’, whereas the impact on business-oriented attributes was weaker. Managers' choice of coaches with psychotherapeutic rather than non-psychotherapeutic backgrounds was also statistically significant. We conclude that even in the competitive business environment of SMEs, coaching was used as a largely personal, therapeutic intervention rather than to build business-oriented competencies.     

中小企业探索性创新和开发性创新的理论构建及假设

随着资源环境的压力和竞争的日趋激烈,创新对于我国中小企业的生存和发展尤为重要。探索性创新和开发性创新作为创新的两种方式,对企业维持现有的经营和未来的发展起到至关重要的作用。我国中小企业应通过变革组织结构、营造组织文化、建立合理的奖励制度、积极进行工业升级来激发企业的探索性创新和开发性创新能力。在此过程中,企业既要注重新产品开发创新,又要注重市场创新,发挥二元创新的效力,才能在激烈的竞争中求得生存和发展。     

我国中小企业技术创新与风险市场融资分析

近年来,我国中小企业在经济发展和结构调整中发挥着越来越重要的作用,而中小企业的生存和发展往往又离不开技术创新的支持。本文主要通过借鉴国内外中小企业的技术创新与风险融资市场的发展状况,对我国中小企业技术创新与风险市场投融资的特点及其运作模式进行分析,认为风险市场投融资与技术创新之间存在着一定的联系,强调风险投资市场对中小企业技术创新的重要作用,并讨论了培育和发展我国风险投资市场,促进中小企业技术创新的做法,最后给出了解决我国中小企业技术创新与风险投资市场融合困境的相应对策。     

中小企业ERP实施的建议与对策

为了适应我国加入WTO和经济全球化、管理信息化发展趋势的要求,广大中小企业必须建立高效、动态的快速反应系统,而实施ERP是中小企业的必然选择,也是提升广大中小企业竞争力的利器和手段。文章深入分析广大中小企业实施ERP面临的问题,并针对这些问题提出相应解决办法及建议。     

基于TRM方法的创新孵化网络生成路径规划——面向集群中小企业

创新是企业持续发展的源动力,在理解创新孵化网络概念性结构的基础上,利用技术路径规划法(TRM)对创新孵化网络生成路径进行研究,界定出创新孵化网络形成的4个阶段,即雏形网络阶段、高速发展阶段、成熟稳定阶段和升级更新阶段,以及各阶段的孵化重点与目标,绘制出创新孵化网络生成路径规划图,指出关键性路径节点,并以大连市双D港创新孵化网络的生成及成功运行为例,提出了在大连市孵化器间创建创新孵化网络的构想,对进一步推进区域经济发展具有指导意义。     

辅助性金融机构发展与中小企业融资改善：台湾地区的经验与借鉴

我国台湾地区通过发展中小企业信用保证基金、农业信用保证基金、华侨贷款信用保证基金等辅助性金融机构,对改善中小企业融资发挥了较好的作用。中国大陆中小企业信用担保体系目前还存在着机构规模小、资金实力不足、相关制度缺位等不足之处。可借鉴台湾地区辅助性金融机构的经验,由国家财政和金融机构捐资,根据不同类型的中小企业设立全国性的专项担保基金,分别为不同类型的中小企业贷款提供信用保证。     

垄断型信贷市场融资担保问题分析--以民营中小企业融资为例

民营中小企业在转型经济条件下的垄断型信贷市场中很容易受到信贷歧视,商业银行对此类企业的"惜贷"乃至拒贷不仅反映出非公有制经济主体差强人意的融资地位,而且从一个侧面折射出计划金融体制对于商业银行市场化改革的种种束缚作用以及在金融改革滞后的情况下商业银行信贷行为的严重不合理性.本文试图通过建立一个垄断型信贷市场融资担保模型来分析市场垄断和利率管制对民营中小企业融资的不利影响,担保对于缓解民营中小企业融资难问题所能发挥的积极作用,以此说明改革我国金融体制、开放信贷市场和实行利率自由化的必要性.