Assessing Factors Influencing Solar Energy Adoption among Small and Medium Enterprises in Mzuzu City, Malawi

One of the many renewable energy sources that offer advantages is solar energy, which also lowers energy prices and promotes environmental sustainability and energy security. Despite these advantages, various barriers, such as installation costs, have prevented small and medium-sized enterprises from investigating this invention. Malawi has a significant energy shortfall such that most businesses have been hindered from their profit maximization goals. The “Photovoltaic systems” (PV) that transform sunlight into electricity are the subject of this study. This type of solar energy system is situated on the building’s roof and generally produces electricity for businesses and even homes. Solar energy offers a great impact to small and medium enterprises in Mzuzu city with a cost-effective and dependable alternative to energy that has the potential to change the game. Therefore the aim of the study was to identify factors that encourage the adoption of solar energy among small medium enterprises in the city of Mzuzu city. And to identify some of barriers faced when adopting solar energy among small and medium enterprises in the city of Mzuzu. The research approach employed in the study was a survey. A survey is a type of research methodology in which primary data is gathered from a sample using a questionnaire. When information is to be gathered from a wider sample, a survey is employed. A bigger sample size was needed in this study in order to facilitate hypothesis testing. It is advised to apply a logical approach while using the survey. The survey utilized a five-point Likert scale. The study used convenience sampling to select study participants. The sample size in this study was determined using Cochran’s sample size formula. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel were used for statistical analysis. About 97.2% of the participants were aware of solar as a source of energy compared to 2.8 % who were unaware. The majority of participants use solar energy for lighting only, seconded by those who use electricity. The least number of participants use solar energy for cooling only. The majority of participants 21.5% indicated partnership and collaboration as the most motivating factor for the adoption of solar energy. This was followed by technical expertise 19.1 % the least number of participants 10.8% expressed that policy and regulatory frameworks were associated with the adoption of solar energy. This study found that there are no statistically significant factors influencing barriers to the adoption of solar energy. The price of solar energy adoption was identified as the least factor associated with the acceptance or rejection of solar energy. Nonetheless, the reasons given by the homes that had embraced solar technology aligned with the findings of other studies. This survey also found that although the public was aware of solar energy, and technology, there were still a number of factors that mattered, especially for non-adopters.

A Model of Cloud-Based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for Small and Medium Enterprise

Cloud Computing is an uprising technology in the rapid growing IT world. The adaptation of cloud computing is increasing in very large scale business organizations to small institutions rapidly due to many advanced features of cloud computing, such as SaaS, PaaS and IaaS service models. So, nowadays, many organizations are trying to implement Cloud Computing based ERP system to enjoy the benefits of cloud computing. To implement any ERP system, an organization usually faces many challenges. As a result, this research has introduced how easily this cloud system can be implemented in an organization. By using this ERP system, an organization can be benefited in many ways;especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can enjoy the highest possible benefits from this system.

Commercial Banks Responses toward Small and Medium Enterprises Survival in the Context of the COVID-19 in Africa

The African government has implemented measures to sustain an investable economic downturn as it navigates the fiscal effect of the viral spread of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Consequently,commercial banks in Africa have come hand in hand toward support of SMEs activities by increasing their borrowing power and reducing interest rates.Despite all these measures the general performance of small and medium enterprises(SMEs)across Africa as pertains to revenues and profits has gone down.This paper provides a theoretical analysis of the measures undertaken by commercial banks to ensure proper running and continuity of activities in the SMEs sector in Africa.The research is founded on the theories of innovation diffusion and resource-based theory.This study will use a mixed research design,which will include descriptive and explanatory research.The proposed target population will be Africa’s thriving commercial banks.The primary and secondary data will be used from commercial bank reports and the central bureau of statistics reports across Africa.The data will be analyzed using a multiple linear regression model.The finding indicated that commercial banks in Africa have brought in solutions and measures to adapt to the crisis being implicated on the SMEs by the COVID-19 pandemic.Based on the findings of the desktop reviews,the study concludes that commercial banks have a significant influence on SMEs during this period of COVID-19,and with the assistance of the government,they have implemented more policies to support the activities of SMEs.

A Model to Analyze Small and Medium Enterprises＇ Training Needs Related to the Internationalization

Formal training can play a particularly important role in supporting the internationalization of small and medium enterprises （SMEs）. However, the demand for education services by the latter still appears limited. This is due to known structural and cultural limits that are found widely in this type of business and to the fact that the provision of training---especially that which is funded^oes not seem to address adequately SMEs＇ needs; in many cases, such training is not stimulating, because it is perceived as too general. In fact, SMEs do not constitute a single homogeneous group and therefore assistance needs vary among the different types of firms. So, especially in relation to internationalization, it is clear that there are important differences to consider due to the variety of approaches and ways of developing this process. In order to optimize the resources to invest in the promotion of training, there is a need to find a proper balance between providing ＂viable solutions for all businesses＂ and offering ＂targeted responses and tailored services＂. In such a context, the main objective of this paper is to identify and systematize the variables that most influence the SMEs＇ training needs related to internationalization by taking into account the differences among them. To this end, an empirical analysis was developed involving a significant number of Italian SMEs by using a combination of qualitative research methods. The results show the critical issues faced by the investigated firms during their internationalization process and highlight some important variables that affect their training needs： export involvement, characteristics of the product/market, characteristics of the company, exporting strategy, and human resources. Based on these variables, the writers identified clusters of firms characterized by similar needs and problems to be faced.

Competition in Marketing： Survival Yardstick for Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs） in Nigeria

The topic investigated competition in marketing as a survival yardstick for small and medium enterprises （SMEs） in Nigeria. The objectives addressed by this study were： （1） identifying different types and intensity of competition that SMEs are exposed to along the life-cycle portfolio in Nigeria; （2） quantifying the strength of SMEs vis-a-vis some foreign enterprises in terms of market competition; and （3） proffering solutions on how best they could match competitively these foreign enterprises. Relevant models and theories were employed in literature to evolve detailed analysis of issues relating to the variables used in terms of competition in marketing and survival of juice-producing SMEs. Two hypotheses were investigated through the survey of 20 prominent Ikeja based SMEs using Cluster sampling, 5-points Likert summated rating scale was adopted, while Yard＇s formula with 95% confidence level and 5% error tolerance was used. Alternative form validity of the instrument was measured at 0.63 while its reliability was measured at Cronbach＇s alpha of 0.70. Pearson＇s product-moment correlation was used in testing hypothesis 1 while standard multiple regressions were used to test hypothesis 2. Findings revealed that there was strong relationship between survival of juice-producing SMEs with forms of competition on a firm＇s life-cycle; while competition had positive effects on survival components for the enterprises. It was concluded that since competition subsists in any firm＇s life-cycle, strategies to support operations for survival must be adopted. It was recommended that operators of SMEs have to monitor and manage competition as it affects their businesses positively and/or negatively.

The Requirements for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Croatia and the European Union

Small and medium enterprises are the main institutional medium of the European economy. This is also recognized by the government of the Republic of Croatia, which emphasizes their importance and values their dynamism and capability for revitalizing the Croatian economy, and supports this by ways of subsidies. But, for all the effort, the economic position of small and medium enterprises in the terms of globalization is becoming more complex and uncertain, limited by time and more demanding. This does not correspond with the thesis which states that in the environment and conditions of the modem market economy, which is dynamised by progress in science, technology, information and communication, entrepreneurship has manifested a progressive dimension with the character and needs of all economic activity, as well as a tendency to achieve set objectives and generate change. Recently, after the repeated recession, which was encumbered by the effects of the one before, the conditions of doing business and survival for small and medium enterprises have changed significantly in a negative sense. So, there is a justified cause for questioning earlier stances about small and medium enterprises and their capability to be a motor of development of the Croatian economy, as well as to reevaluate their influence in the context of GDP growth, to focus on the importance and prevalence of certain sectors of the economy, to critically evaluate economic measures which do not lead to a reduction in unemployment and to define the requirements for future development of the small and medium enterprises, which implicates the increased economic efficiency, quality and living standards.

Research of E-commerce Application in Small and Medium Enterprises——A Case Study of Wenzhou

The paper analyzes the status quo of E-commerce application in Wenzhou＇s small and medium enterprises. This survey selects the 100 prominent small and medium enterprises covering chemical engineering, shoes, apparel, machinery, furniture, glasses, lighters, pen and pencil, electric and electronics as the investigating targets and issues the questionnaires to them. The result indicates that, the status quo of E-commerce application in Wenzhou＇s small and medium enterprises are worrisome, which is obviously way behind other cities. Based on that, the paper analyzes the reasons in combination with visiting them, and also proposes the corresponding strategies and predicts its prospect in the end.

ICT Service Platform Promotes Small and Medium Enterprise Informatization

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) service platform,combined with information technology,communication technology and corresponding applications,is essential for small and medium enterprises to realize their informatization. The broadband business platform put out by China Netcom provides new generation of integrated ICT services which focus on service and would be rented to customers. Broadband business platform could satisfy varieties of informatization demands made by small and medium enterprises such as low investment,fast reaction,individuation and security. It could effectively assist small and medium enterprises to achieve informatization.

Data Mining for Small and Medium Enterprises: A Conceptual Model for Adaptation

The following paper explored data mining issues in Small and Medium Enterprises’ (SMEs), firstly exploring the relationship between data mining and economic development. With SME’s contributing most employment prospects and output within any emerging economy such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Adopting technology will improve SME’s potential for effective decision making and efficient operations. Hence, it is important that SMEs have access to data mining techniques and implement the most suited into their business to improve their business intelligence (BI). The paper is aimed to critically review the existing literature on data mining in the field of SME to provide a theoretical underpinning for any future work. It has been found data mining to be complicated and fragmented with a multitude of options available for businesses from quite basic systems implemented within Excel or Access to more sophisticated cloud-based systems. For any business, data mining is trade-off between the need for data analysis, and intelligence against the cost and resource-use of the system put in place. Multiple challenges have been identified to data mining, most notably the resource-intensive nature of systems (both in terms of labor and capital) and the security issues of data collection, analysis and storage;with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) a key focus for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia businesses. With these challenges the paper suggests that any SME starts small with an internal data mining exercise to digitalize and analyze their customer data, scaling up over time as the business grows and acquires the resources needed to properly manage any system.

Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs） and Competitiveness： An Empirical Study

Globalisation and competitiveness affected the way of enterprises undertake innovation, particularly in the case of Small and Medium Enterprises （SMEs）. According with European Commission （2013） in Europe 99% of the enterprises is SMEs. SMEs all over the world are considered as the lifeblood of the economies. The importance of this research is justified by the predominance of SMEs that represents the majority of enterprises in Portugal. SMEs contribute to the creation of jobs, as well as to the competitiveness of the economies, specially, in crisis time. This study has two main objectives; firstly propose a literature review focused on competitiveness of SMEs. Secondly analysis a sample of 23 enterprises identified as leaders of Portuguese SMEs in 2012. The data considering a ranking list of the largest 1,000 Portuguese SMEs in 2012, published by Exame （2013）. This analysis considers some SMEs features such as, sales, market share, dimension, and sector. Additionally this research presents a SME case included in this database. Through the application of a questionnaire the study provides a complementary micro perspective of the factors that influences enterprises competitiveness. The questionnaire is divided into three parts： Part one refers to the characterization of the enterprise; Part two assesses the entrepreneurial competitiveness, considering nine questions to assess performance, six questions to assess internal processes and four questions to understand the relations with customers; and part three analyses the diffusion of innovation through three questions. Finally the study provides important clues relevant for the development of public policies that can support the innovation and competitiveness of SMEs. Moreover the discussions highlight some variables approached in literature review considered as pertinent in the case of innovative SME due to their contribution to exports and to economic growth.

The existing problems and countermeasures of financial management in small and medium enterprises

The small and medium enterprises have important status in national economy, and play loudly functions to Chinese economic development with social stability. But the deficiency of the financial administration of small and medium enterprises is the main obstacle for their further development. This text analyzes the current situation and existing problems of financial administration in small and medium enterprises, puts forward the countermeasures of improving the financial administration of small and medium enterprises.

The Importance of Small and Medium Enterprise Development for Efficient Global Market Environment

Small and medium enterprises(SMEs)play an important role in the world economy.Modern trends in the development of small and medium enterprises imply a constant increase in their role in the total income of an economy.For such an approach,it is important to achieve quality organizational and managerial concepts of planning strategy development.In many countries,small businesses dominate in the production of a number of smaller products,higher consumption,and high quality of these products.The concept of a small economy consists of a group of companies that stand out in terms of their characteristics in relation to large companies.In relation to large companies as business systems,SMEs differ based on the concept of their own organization’s business,the volume of business,and the availability of resources.Research data show that the main obstacle to efficient continuous business of SMEs in the world is the procurement and maintenance of business resources.Ensuring continuity in production is often a problem of lack of resources,which primarily characterizes them in relation to large companies.Small business and entrepreneurship are the main backbone of today’s economic development,viewed globally.The purpose of the development of small and medium enterprises in the world is to enable the development of a successful and flexible entrepreneurial climate as an important organizational determinant,which is a prerequisite for progress in the modern world economy.The feature of SME development is the innovation of employees that needs to be constantly developed.In that way,conditions are provided for technological development,formation of flexible organizations,and new employment.In practice,small and medium enterprises are the engine of economic development.It is a sector that promotes private property and entrepreneurial skills.According to experts on economic issues,SMEs are today and in the future,not only in Serbia,the Region,but also in the world,a synonym for the private sector-for entrepreneurship.Comparative analysis shows the advantage of SMEs,especially in flexible business,where they can quickly adapt to change and can fully meet market demands.

Financing Alternatives for Chinese Small and Medium Enterprises: The Case for a Small and Medium Enterprise Stock Market

Financing alternatives for small and medium enterprises in China are discussed in the present study. In particular, we analyze the significant changes and developments m China＇s ＂second board＂ stock market. China ＇s extensive network of regional assets and equity exchanges, which were set up to facilitate private equity transfer, and non-performing loan transactions seem to partially fill the void for small and medium enterprises, which cannot easily obtain approval for listing on the stock exchanges. Foreign investors can identify investment opportunities in non-listed domestic state-owned and private businesses through these regional assets and equity exchanges. At the same time, foreign stock markets are now attracting the young Chinese enterprises to list their stocks on their exchanges.

The digitalization and public crisis responses of small and medium enterprises:Implications from a COVID-19 survey

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease(COVID-19)outbreak is a global crisis that has placed small and medium enterprises(SMEs)under huge pressure to survive,requiring them to respond effectively to the crisis.SMEs have adopted various digital tech no logies to cope with this crisis.Using a data set from a survey with 518 Chin ese SMEs,the study examines the relati on ship between SMEs'digitalizatio n and their public crisis responses.The empirical results show that digitalization has enabled SMEs to respond effectively to the public crisis by making use of their dynamic capabilities.In addition,digitalization can help improve SMEs'performance.We propose a theoretical framework ofdigitalization and crisis respohses for SMEs and present three avenues for future research.

Digital Transformation of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Production Manufacturing

Industry 4.0 concepts have brought about a wind of renewal in the organization of companies and their production methods. However, this integration is subject to obstacles when it comes to Small and Medium sized Enterprises—SMEs: the costs of new technologies to be acquired, the level of maturity of the company regarding its level of digitization and automation, human aspects such as training employees to master new technologies, reluctance to change, etc. This article provides a new framework and presents an intelligent support system to facilitate the digital transformation of SMEs. The digitalization is realized through physical, informational, and decisional points of view. To achieve the complete transformation of the company, the framework combines the triptych of performance criteria (cost, quality, time) with the notions of sustainability (with respect to social, societal, and environmental aspects) and digitization through tools to be integrated into the company’s processes. The new framework encompasses the formalisms developed in the literature on Industry 4.0 concepts, information systems and organizational methods as well as a global structure to support and assist operators in managing their operations. In the form of a web application, it will exploit reliable data obtained through information systems such as Enterprise Resources Planning—ERP, Manufacturing Execution System—MES, or Warehouse Management System—WMS and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (deep learning, multi-agent systems, expert systems), big data, Internet of things (IoT) that communicate with each other to assist operators during production processes. To illustrate and validate the concepts and developed tools, use cases of an electronic manufacturing SME have been solved with these concepts and tools, in order to succeed in this company’s digital transformation. Thus, a reference model of the electronics manufacturing companies is being developed for facilitating the future digital transformation of these domain companies. The realization of these use cases and the new reference model are growing up and their future exploitation will be presented as soon as possible.

Analysis on the Dynamic Correlation Between the Growth Enterprise Market and Small and Medium Ente Based on Copula Theory rise Board Market

Investigation of the dynamic correlation between financial markets has important and realistic meaning for the market portfolio, but the dynamic correlation between financial markets often shows ＂nonlinear and asymmetrical ＂features, The Copula model can effectively solve these problems. This paper aims to study the dynamic correlation between the second board market and SME board market by building Copula models to the return series of the two boards＇ indexes and calculating the dynamic correlation coefficient between the two markets. The study results show as the following：（1） there is positive correlation between the second board market and SME board market and the correlation is very strong; （2） time-varying Copula model is better than constant correlation Copula model in describing the correlations among financial markets as it captures market return＇ s feature of time-varying; （3） The upper ant lower tail dependence coefficient between GEM and SME board market shows less linkage risk has been found; The upper tail dependence coefficient is bigger than the lower tail dependence coefficient, means that the linkage risk is asymmetric, that is to say the tail dependence coefficient is much stronger in the bear market; The upper tail dependence coefficient and lower tail dependence coefficients are both in the stable interval, the overall volatility is small.

Development Research of Zhejiang Small and Medium Enterprises＇ Management mode

Zhejiang Small and medium enterprises have had major achievements adapting to the trend of economic development and it encountered bottlenecks. During the development process, there are malpractices, such as the parent wind, system＇s lacking of science, epitaxial growth, excessive dependence on the international market, and ineffective management mode. Based on the central economic work conference, changing management and enterprise strategy adjustment are inevitable choices of Zhejiang small and medium-sized enterprises＂ management mode development.

Development Strategies of E-commerce for Small and Medium - sized Enterprises

In the economic structure of our country, small and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs） are the most important part of the backbone, with the continuous popularization of the Internet, e-commerce has gradually become a business model that the current small and medium enterprises must face and accept, The development of enterprises is of great signifi cance. In this context, the article first introduced the importance of the development of e-commerce SMEs, and then based on the actual operation of the community put forward and analyzed the current e-commerce development under the existing problems, and finally based on the actual lack of effective Development Strategy of E - commerce for Small and Medium - sized Enterprises.

The role of e-readiness assessment criteria in accepting e-commerce for small and medium size enterprisesmDevelopment of technology acceptance model

This paper develops Davis technology acceptance model by adding two criteria of e-readiness assessment. For small and medium size enterprises, the paper evaluates the credit of developed model in studying the efficient factors in internet technology acceptance, which is one of the most applicable communication tools in e-commerce. The added factors, taken from models and means of e-readiness assessment, are ＂existing information technology infrastructures＂ as well as ＂organization＇s training＂. The authors study 45 small and medium size enterprises in the city of Tehran, which are active in information technology products and services. Using Lisrel structural equation modelling, it is shown that there is a meaningful relationship between the added factors and the variables indicating internet network usage. Therefore, the better factors of e-readiness assessment lead to the higher acceptance level of electronic communication tools in e-commerce.

Barriers to the Growth of Small and Medium Scale Construction Enterprises in Ghana

The construction industry in most developing economies is dominated heavily by small and medium scale enterprises. These construction enterprises need to thrive in an extremely competitive business environment. Conversely, most of these small and medium scale construction enterprises (SMSCE) are fraught with a plethora of barriers that inhibit and threaten their growth and survival. This research sought to evaluate the critical barriers that affect the growth of SMSCEs in the Ghanaian Construction Industry. The quantitative research method was adopted using a structured questionnaire with variables that were identified through a comprehensive literature review. The survey questionnaire was administered to 400 respondents comprising 250 SMSCEs, 100 Local Authority Engineers, and 50 Consultants to elicit data based on the identified variables. The major findings established by the study as barriers to the growth of SMSCEs in Ghana are largely structured as financial/fiscal barriers, business development barriers, technical/technological barriers, corruption barriers, knowledge management barriers, project acquisition barriers. A guiding framework should be developed based on the barriers identified to aid the growth and survival of SMSCEs in Ghana.