... local firms, and the same for export and other managers. Strong ties Small- to medium-sized enterprises Boundary-spanners Global supply chain management Small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector can face particular challenges when the external environment...

...Odd Jarl Borch; Bjørn Brastad This study examines the range of business strategies chosen among small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in their adaptation to increased market integration and higher competitive intensity. Longitudinal studies of SMEs in the Norwegian agro‐food industry show...

... of bandwidth capacity and incompatible IT systems are currently under investigation. A majority of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) have Internet access in Europe and, UK (70 per cent), and in the USA (80 per cent) (Hobley, 2001). Internet access does not, however, equate with e‐business practices...

... Electronic commerce Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises Internet marketing Market orientation Entrepreneurialism Australia The advent of the ubiquitous Internet has delivered a plethora of latent opportunities for small firms and/or entrepreneurs to creatively engage in new value creating...

...Elaine Ramsey; Pat Ibbotson; Jim Bell; Brendan Gray The Internet is causing fundamental changes in the economics of service industries as new, network‐based global e‐business models emerge, where small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) have been identified as key users of Internet commerce...

... the model proposed by Poon and Swatman, in the case of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK. Poon and Swatman propose that the model of business transformation enabled by traditional IT turns “inside out” when applied to the e‐commerce domain. Their model suggests a hierarchy of levels of e...

... for SMEs also creates tensions and problems. © MCB UP Limited 2003 Supply‐chain management Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises Management development Competences Customer relations There are a plethora of development opportunities available for SMEs. However, research has also...

... it to make not only “good” business decisions and to monitor how well the organisations is doing against its strategy, but to do so speedily. These general considerations are the context for an empirical study of a sample of business growth among small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This study...

.... In this model there has been a tendency for MEP to emphasise its public good elements and operate as an industrial extension programme – explicitly drawing upon best practice of agricultural extension. © MCB UP Limited 2003 Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises Private sector Public sector...

.... Lafuente and Salas, 1989). Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises Growth Enterprise resource planning Sweden The enterprise resource planning (ERP) industry consists of companies producing business systems software. The software is used to make business processes in, for example, manufacturing...

...Elizabeth Daniel; Hugh Wilson Small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly making use of e‐commerce. This study seeks to identify the reasons that are causing such businesses to adopt e‐commerce (adoption intentions); the benefits they are realising from their e‐commerce developments...

...Harry Matlay Despite the growing significance afforded to small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in contemporary Britain, much of the industrial relations (IR) literature in this country is based on research undertaken in large organisations. The minority of IR studies that are focused...

...Rick Holden; Stephanie Jameson In the context of a somewhat turbulent graduate labour market, attention is being focused on the employment of graduates in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper takes an initial “sounding” of our understanding about the transition of graduates...

... with expanding regulation led the majority of the case study companies to identify an investment in automation and labour‐saving equipment as a preferable long‐term option to the expansion of the workforce. Procedures Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises Legislation Regulations Costs...

..., to those who own, manage and/or work in SMEs. This paper suggests a number of directions that should be taken by researchers’ policy makers, to promote lifelong learning among SMEs. © MCB UP Limited 2002 Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises Employee development Training Workplace learning...

...Lester Lloyd‐Reason; Terry Mughan Based on the practical experiences of the authors through their work on a LEONARDO project, this paper focuses on the internationalisation process within small and medium sized enterprises and in particular, the key role of the attitudes and behaviour of the owner...

... of management education. © MCB UP Limited 2002 Manufacturing strategy Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises United Kingdom Research Manufacturing strategy formation cannot be adequately understood only as a top‐down planning process linked to a business planning regime. Incrementalism...

... report superior levels of performance than non‐exporting firms. © MCB UP Limited 2002 Small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises Performance Export Surveys Despite recent progress (Oviatt and McDougall, 1994; Coviello and McAuley, 1999), there remains considerable debate surrounding...

...Mike Simpson; Joanne Padmore; Nick Taylor Supported Employment Enterprises (SEEs) are a unique sector of small and medium‐sized enterprises that provide meaningful, gainful employment, training and development opportunities for people with a disability. SEEs are run specifically to provide...

...Richard K. Blundel; Martin Hingley This paper presents new insights into the growth of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in vertical inter‐firm relationships. It adopts a processual and resource‐based perspective and focuses on the experiences of fresh produce businesses which have...