The Application of Knowledge Management(KM)by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises(SME)in Manufacturing Industry

To accelerate the digital transformation of small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises(SMEs),this study delves into the primary challenges encountered in adopting knowledge management(KM)within these organizations and identifies the essential methods for successful implementation.The objective is to provide practical recommendations for the effective adoption of KM.This research suggests that enterprises should promote knowledge management through three key approaches:enhancing employees’cognitive understanding,standardizing knowledge systems,and tailoring business scenarios to meet diverse needs.These findings offer valuable insights into the digital transformation of SMEs in the manufacturing sector,ultimately helping these businesses to remain competitive and innovative in a rapidly changing market.By addressing the specific needs and challenges faced by SMEs,this study aims to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how knowledge management can be leveraged to drive digital transformation and improve overall business performance.

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.

Competitive Advantages and Clustering of SMEs： An Analysis of Clustering Effect on Competition in Small-Scale Enterprises in Istanbul

According to Michael Porter＇s Diamond Model, a business cluster is defined as geographic concentration of inter-connected companies and institutions working in a common industry. In addition, clusters encompass an array of collaborating and competing services and providers that create a specialized infrastructure, which supports the cluster＇s industry. The economic cluster model, represents a synergy, a dynamic relationship and a network between not only the companies that comprise a cluster but also the successful partnering of the stakeholders. Today in all over the world, successful clusters have established a greater competitive advantage and wealth creation for their regions when compared to companies not in a cluster. Given this success more policy makers and regions are considering fostering cluster development as building blocks of regional economies. Research is planned and performed for understanding the clustering in SMEs （small and medium enterprises） industrial estate in Istanbul if it gives a competitive advantage to the cluster members or not. It is performed to determine and satisfy the lack of knowledge about the small and medium enterprises＇ issues, technologic systems, production quality standards, capacity usage ratios, interactions with other firms, habits of following the technologic improvements and clustering effects on the members.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises （SMEs） in Personal Services

Entrepreneurship has become an attribute of the current growth without business activities. Entrepreneurship is a global world. It is not possible to think about economic driving force of technological development and scientific research. It materializes knowledge and involvement of people and society. Expansion of business activities is a source of individual country＇s economic performance. It contributes to the development of people＇s living standards. In every market economy, it represents an irreplaceable role for small and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs）. A strong representation of＂micro-enterprises＂ can be found in the field of personal services. Companies within the course of their existence go through particular stages of their development--from their foundation through the stage of steady development. After this stage, there comes their decline that can develop even into their termination. We indicate this process as a company life cycle. The aim of the submitted project is to map the life cycle of particularly chosen companies providing accommodation and catering services and to find a mutual relation among observed quantities and their stable economic positions in the market. The analysis is based on the data of macro-economic character, the data about development of receipts in the sector, development of inflation, tempo of economic growth, and development of consumer prices. Out of a company, non-financial factors will also be considered. The core of the analysis is the stage of sustainable stability of the assessed companies. The point of the findings is revelation of the causes of risks of possible transition into the stage of termination due to the decline of services volume, decline of profitability, and long-lasting payment insolvency. The contribution of the project is to draw our attention to possible risks of critical situation development and to propose how to avoid them so that the company will not occur in financial straits. Achieved information could assist the company management to make relevant decisions.

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.

Evaluation of a software positioning tool to support SMEs in adoption of big data analytics

Big data analytics has been widely adopted by large companies to achieve measurable benefits including increased profitability,customer demand forecasting,cheaper development of products,and improved stock control.Small and medium sized enterprises(SMEs)are the backbone of the global economy,comprising of 90%of businesses worldwide.However,only 10%SMEs have adopted big data analytics despite the competitive advantage they could achieve.Previous research has analysed the barriers to adoption and a strategic framework has been developed to help SMEs adopt big data analytics.The framework was converted into a scoring tool which has been applied to multiple case studies of SMEs in the UK.This paper documents the process of evaluating the framework based on the structured feedback from a focus group composed of experienced practitioners.The results of the evaluation are presented with a discussion on the results,and the paper concludes with recommendations to improve the scoring tool based on the proposed framework.The research demonstrates that this positioning tool is beneficial for SMEs to achieve competitive advantages by increasing the application of business intelligence and big data analytics.

Empirical Research on the Credit Demand and Credit Behavior of Small and Micro Enterprises

This article uses discriminant sampling method to select 1062 small and micro enterprises from 25 provinces in China. Researches were conducted on their credit demand and credit behavior, with the Probit model to carry out metrologic tests on influential factors of these enterprises' credit demand and credit behavior.The metrologic analysis shows: Literacy level of leader, asset size, annual revenue of the enterprises have significantly positive effects on the credit demand of these small and micro enterprises. Annual revenue has significantly negative influence on overall credit behavior and the occurrence of informal financial behavior, but significantly positive influence on the occurrence of formal financial behavior. Literacy level of staff and asset size of enterprises have significantly positive influence on the occurrence of the overall credit behavior of small and micro enterprises.

The Importance of Cultural Intelligence for Leader to Communicate Effectively: Case Study in Micro Small Medium Enterprises

Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia play huge part of national economic development because MSMEs can reduce unemployment rate. But, it is not easy to manage MSMEs well so it can be sustainable. There are some reasons why MSMEs are difficult to sustain, i.e., good management people by communicate effectively. Authors believe that one of important ability that owners, as a leader, must have in order to communicate effectively is cultural intelligence. Even in MSMEs, cultural intelligence plays important part because employees in MSMEs are diverse. They come from different region (mean having different tradition) and have different level of education. Methodology that is used in this article is qualitative method, and techniques of data collection are interview and observation. Technique of choosing informant is purposive and convenience while data analysis is using content analysis. The result of this study shows that leaders in MSMEs already have cultural intelligence to communicate with their employee. Leaders who have cultural intelligence can choose right method to communicate effectively with their employee.

Measuring the Degree of Innovation in Retail and Services Micro and Small Enterprises

Micro and small enterprises （MSEs） are considered the most dynamic and flexible arrangement of activity. In the economy, the foundation and development of these features is important for the creation of the so-called ＂normal＂ economic environment. The main objective of this research is to present a research model of innovation in MSEs to analyse： first, the degree of innovation of MSEs, and second, how the innovation is handled by existing MSEs as a result of its business environment. The research made is based on a sample of 550 MSEs distributed over six cities across the Brazilian State of Piaui. The data were collected using the Innovation Radar application, which is owned by the SEBRAE Local Innovation Agents program. Statistical techniques of descriptive, exploratory, and inferential nature were used for corresponding data treatment and results validation. The results obtained suggest that MSEs have innovation capacity between the ＂Little Innovative＂ and ＂Occasional Innovative＂ range, and also that the average and the distribution of innovation levels are similar amongst MSEs analyzed.

Countermeasures of Financing Difficulties of Small and Micro Enterprises in China

Financing difficult problem has seriously restricted the further development of small and micro enterprises in our country. This paper analyzes and discusses the Countermeasures of the financing difficulties of small and micro enterprises in our country from two aspects of the external environment and internal self.

Research on the Influence Degree and Effect of Support on Innovation Incentives for R&D Personnel in Micro and Small Enterprises:An Empirical Study based on the China Micro and Small Enterprise Survey(CMES)

In this study,the influence degree and effect of support on innovation incentives for research and development(R&D)personnel in micro and small enterprises(MSEs)were explored based on the CMES data.We found that government support will increase the R&D wage and widen the gap between R&D wage and staff wage,especially for small,non-high-tech enterprises with strict financing constraints.Furthermore,taking the wage gap as a mediator,we concluded that support would widen the wage gap and increase management innovation rather than technological innovation in MSEs because the wage premium of R&D personnel is the main driver for the increase of management innovation.The findings of this study provide useful enlightenment for China to implement an innovation-driven strategy and build an innovative country.

Financing of small and micro enterprises based on P2B net loan mode

Small and micro enterprises play an extremely important role in the realization of employment, independent innovation,increasing taxes and so on, It is an important part of national economic development in China. Although the government has introduced a series of supportive policies, but small and micro enterprises arc still faced with many development problems, small and micro enterprises face an important problem is financing difficulty, which relates to its health, sustainable and stable development. This paper analyzes the financing problem of small and micro enterprises from the new net loan mode of P2B, hoping to benefit the development of small and micro enterprises.

A Study on Improving the Financing Environment of Small and Micro Enterprises-Based on Taizhou Model

China’s small and micro enterprises have always had the typical characteristics of“five,six,seven,eight,nine,”which are important supports to expand employment and improve people’s livelihood.However,the current proportion of these enterprises in obtaining bank loans does not commensurate with the proportion of small,medium,and micro enterprises in the total economic aggregate.The financing dilemma of small and micro enterprises still exists.In consideration of the financing status of small and micro enterprises,this study analyzes the constraints of small and micro enterprises in financing,such as the difficulty in mortgage,difficulty in obtaining loans,and difficulty in guaranteeing.This study sorts out Taizhou’s practical experience and links its operation mechanism of“two platforms,one fund,and one index.”Finally,by learning from its successful experience,how to utilize the environment and the trend of big data will be further discussed,so as to form a scalable and sustainable financing method and path.This will provide a reference for improving the financing environment of small and micro enterprises.

Delivery Service Management System Using Google Maps for SMEs in Emerging Countries

This paper proposes a Delivery Service Management(DSM)system for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs)that own a delivery fleet of pickup trucks to manage Business-to-Business(B2B)delivery services.The proposed DSM system integrates four systems:Delivery Location Positioning(DLP),Delivery Route Planning(DRP),Arrival Time Prediction(ATP),and Communication and Data Sharing(CDS)systems.These systems are used to pinpoint the delivery locations of customers,plan the delivery route of each truck,predict arrival time(with an interval)at each delivery location,and communicate and share information among stakeholders,respectively.The DSM system deploys Google applications,a GPS tracking system,Google Map APIs,ATP algorithms(embedded in Excel Macros),Line,and Telegram as supporting tools.To improve the accuracy of the ATP system,three tech-niques are applied considering driver behaviors.The proposed DSM system has been implemented in a Thai SME.From the process perspective,the DSM system is a systematic procedure for end-to-end delivery services.It allows the interactions between planner-driver decisions and supporting tools.The supporting tools are simple,can be easily used with little training,and require low capital expenditure.The statistical analysis shows that the ATP algorithm with the three techniques provides high accuracy.Thus,the proposed DSM system is beneficial for practitioners to manage delivery services,especially for SMEs in emerging countries.

A Novel Lifecycle Model for Web-based Application Development in Small and Medium Enterprises

Software engineering＇s lifecycle models havc proven to be very important for traditional software development. However, can these models be applied to the development of Web-based applications as well？ In recent years, Web-based applications have become more and more complicated and a lot of efforts have been placed on introducing new technologies such as J2EE, PhP, and .NET, etc., which have been universally accepted as the development technologies for Web-based applications. However, there is no universally accepted process model for the development of Web-based applications. Moreover, shaping the process model for small medium-sized enterprises （SMEs）, which have limited resources, has been relatively neglected. Based on our previous work, this paper presents an expanded lifecycle process model for the development of Web-based applications in SMEs. It consists of three sets of processes, i.e., requirement processes, development processes, and evolution processes. Particularly, the post-delivery evolution processes are important to SMEs to develop and maintain quality web applications with limited resources and time.

Creativity of the Entrepreneur, Intrapreneurship, and the Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises： Evidence from China

Creativity is an element of the personality of entrepreneurs which can be important for the foundation, advance, and business performance of small and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs）. Intrapreneurship can be developed in small and medium-sized enterprises where entrepreneurs have a sufficient level of creativity and it can influence the growth of enterprises. Hypotheses are specified and empirically tested based on responses to a structured questionnaire on a sample of small and medium-sized enterprises from China. The research results indicate positive relationships between the creativity of the entrepreneur and intrapreneurship and growth of the enterprise.

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.

A Study of the Awareness Level of Takaful Products Among Micro Enterprises in Malaysia

The small- and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs） play a vital role in the development of the Malaysian economy through its contribution of 32% of the country＇s growth domestic product （GDP）. However, the recent global financial crisis has exposed these enterprises to plausible risks that have resulted in some businesses being shuttered. Such predicament shows how crucial it is for SMEs to be prepared with some form of protection or Takaful to mitigate impending risks. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which micro enterprises are aware of Takaful and the benefits of its products. The study was conducted on respondents who fall into micro enterprise category located in Johor, Malaysia, and the research process involves a case study method which is in-depth interviews. The results of the current study provide an insight into how Takaful is regarded among SMEs and the need for these enterprises to be protected.