Suchergebnisse

Das Dossier untersucht die volkswirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Klein- und Mittelbetrieben in den AKP-Staaten, vor allem in Afrika. Probleme gibt es bei der Definition des Sektors, den mangelhaften Statistiken und allgemein der Vernachlässigung des Sektors durch die Regierungen. In Einzelbeiträgen wird nach folgenden Aspekten gefragt: Unternehmerinitiative; Entwicklungsinitiative und Kreditsystem; Mobilisierung von Ersparnissen für die ländliche Entwicklung; Ausbildungsformen in Kleinunternehmen; schließlich eine Fallstudie über Entwicklungsförderung für Kleinbetriebe in Malawi. (DÜI-Wsl)

The Kingdom of Denmark is one of the most prosperous countries in the European Union. Denmark is leading the rankings on both the standard of living of the citizens, as well as the rankings of the best economies and most business-friendly countries. It is therefore a country that more attention should be devoted and we should draw experiences that can be implemented in Poland. The purpose of this article is to discuss the sector of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Denmark, with a particular focus on the strengths of the SME sector as well as barriers to its development. ; Królestwo Danii jest jednym z najbardziej prosperujących krajów w Unii Europejskiej. Dania przoduje w rankingach, dotyczących zarówno standardu życia obywateli tego kraju, jak również w rankingach najlepszych gospodarek czy państw najbardziej przyjaznych dla biznesu. Jest to zatem kraj, któremu warto poświęcić więcej uwagi i czerpać doświadczenia, które mogą zostać wdrożone w Polsce. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest omówienie sektora mikro, małych i średnich przedsiębiorstw działających na terenie Danii, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem mocnych stron sektora MSP, jak i barier w jego rozwoju.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are one of the key development factors of the economy in many countries. They stimulate competitiveness and innovativeness, contribute to the growth of employment and also have an impact on improving the overall economic situation in the country. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a transition country that has still not adequately organized the development concept of small and medium-sized enterprises. In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) there is an entrepreneurial initiative but without significant government support in the realization of business ideas of potential entrepreneurs or the implementation of innovative ideas, although their personal success generates and benefits the whole society. The central research hypothesis reads: Innovation has a positive impact on the growth and development of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises in BiH. The authors seek to present the current state of innovativeness in the SME sector in BiH with a review of the situation in the countries of the region and to propose certain measures to accelerate their development. This paper uses the Global Innovation Index Reports, followed by the World Bank Report on Business Ease, which measures the degree of national competitiveness and innovation of the economy, as well as the results of primary research on a sample of 200 manufacturing SMEs in BiH. The general objective of the research in this paper is to consider and review the effects of innovations in the operations of emerging SMEs and their impact on the growth of market share and increase of the total revenue.

AbstractThis paper explores whether Moroccan family small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) are more or less likely to be socially responsible than nonfamily firms of comparable size. Basing on 20 qualitative case studies, we collected qualitative data during semi‐structured interviews with SME managers in charge of corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues. We then performed a content analysis. Our study provides consistent support for the stewardship perspective and shows that family SMEs are more likely to be socially responsible than nonfamily SMEs. We therefore posit that familySMEs hold distinctive perspectives on socially responsible business behavior as a result of their involvement in both their business and their community. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Tourism is one of the world's major industries responsible for economic growth, foreign exchange earnings, employment opportunities and regional balances in individual countries and across regions. This industry generates over 5% of the European Union (EU) gross domestic product and has strong linkages with other economic sectors. In fact, tourism triggers infrastructural developments that are related to the industry such as airports, seaports, parks, roads and rails. Within the EU alone, the tourism sector consists of about 1.8 million businesses. Most of these tourism businesses are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that employ 5.2% of the total European workforce that translates to approximately 9.7 million jobs, with a significant proportion of young people (EU, 2010). This chapter considers relevant academic literature that differentiates SMEs from their larger counterparts. It maintains that small businesses are often constrained by their size and limited resources. Arguably, the accessibility to finance is one of the most critical factors for the SMEs' inception and growth. These entities are often viewed by financial institutions as relatively risky when compared to enterprises from other industries. Therefore, this chapter contends that tourism SMEs may easily find themselves in an 'equity gap' where it may prove very difficult to raise capital for further investment. Consequently, national governments and other regulatory stakeholders are increasingly stepping in to support micro and small enterprises in many contexts. In this light, the European Union (EU) has reaffirmed its commitment for SMEs. As a matter of fact, the EU has drafted the 'Small Business Act' in 2008 and refined it again in 2011. The EU's commitment is quite evident from their frequent calls for research and training schemes in the subject areas of "SMEs" and "tourism"; where grants are frequently issued under 'Marie Curie' and 'Cordis FP7' programmes. Therefore, this chapter identifies specific policies and initiatives that are aimed at fostering a climate for job creation and competitiveness for SMEs in Europe. By the end of the chapter you should be able to: • Define small and medium sized enterprises in the European Union context; • Distinguish the differences between small and medium sized enterprises and large firms; • Learn about the European Union measures that are currently supporting the financing needs of small and medium sized enterprises; • Be knowledgeable of crowd-funding as an alternative form of financing. ; peer-reviewed

The EU's Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency obliges Member States to develop programmes to encourage small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve energy efficiency by implementing energy audits and the recommendations that stem from these audits. This study looks at the barriers that SMEs face and the existing policy instruments in more detail and analyses which practices are working. The study concludes that SMEs cannot be effectively targeted with solely uniform solutions even within the same country and even though many of them face similar barriers. More emphasis is needed on sharing information and best practices and guiding SMEs to implement energy efficiency improvements after having identified the opportunities. The good news is that many good practices already exist and there is potential to improve. Now it is just a question of taking action.

Examining the effect widening access to the global marketplace has had on the international legal landscape, this book presents the first comprehensive analysis of the interaction between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and international economic law