IASME: Information Security Management Evolution for SMEs

Most of the research in information risk and risk management has focused on the needs of larger organisations. In the area of standards accreditation, the ISO/IEC 27001 Information Risk Management standard has continued to grow in acceptance and popularity with such organisations, although not to a significant extent with SMEs. An interesting product recently developed for ENISA (European Nations Information Security Association) based on the Carnegie-Mellon maturity model and aimed at SMEs has not so far filled the gap. In this paper, a researcher and two practitioners from the UK discuss an innovative development in the UK for addressing the information assurance needs of smaller organisations. They also share their perceptions about the security of national information infrastructures, and concerns that SMEs do not get the priority that their position in the supply chain would suggest they should have. The authors also explore the development and roll out of IASME (Information Assurance for SMEs), which they have developed in the context of a tight market, where spare cash is in short supply, and many SMEs are still in survival mode. The question for the business is therefore not seen as “can we afford to spend on information security” but “can we afford not to spend…” As well as the effect on being able to do business at all of having an SMEs systems compromised, there are also matters of reputation, and the growing threat of fines as a result of not complying with laws and regulations. The paper concludes with achievements of real businesses using the IASME process to cost-effectively achieve information assurance levels appropriate for themselves

European experience and Ukrainian realities in the policy of financial support entrepreneurial sector

Aim/purpose – We want to provide recommendations to bridge the gap in access to financing of the entrepreneurial sector in Ukraine based on the analysis of European experience, EBF approaches, financial funds for SMEs and the current state of the credit market in Ukraine. Design/methodology/approach – We used the general scientific methods of knowledge, conceptual tenets of the theory of market economy, abstract logical analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, historical (to determine the nature and causes of bank investment in SMEs, refine categories and terms); formalization, systems analysis (to determine factors of investment banking, institutional and legal environment); statistical, retrospective analysis. The results of surveys conducted by the EBF on the issues of support and development of SMEs are used, own research of 120 Ukrainian SMEs, which was conducted during the period from January to July 2016. The nature of the research questions was reinforced by the decision to survey only SMEs. Independent reporting (from entrepreneurs or CEOs) was used to account for both business activity and the external sources of information. Findings – Policy initiatives should primarily be developed at the national level in the field of lending to SMEs based on the European experience and Ukrainian realities; it is necessary to develop an understanding of the need for access to certain types of information; SMEs are the main providers and the most valuable source of credit information. Research implications/limitations – When using the methods of calculation creditworthiness perhaps to take into account the methods for assessing the quality of management, the image of the enterprise, ISO certificates. Originality/value/contribution – Based on the cross-country comparison of the EU and Ukraine, highlight the necessity of focusing on some legal unification of SME lending procedures for the development of a culture of sustainable entrepreneurship on the European continent

ADB–OECD Study on Enhancing Financial Accessibility for SMEs: Lessons from Recent Crises

During the era of global financial uncertainty, stable access to appropriate funding sources has been much harder for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The global financial crisis impacted SMEs and entrepreneurs disproportionately, exacerbating their traditional financing constraints. The financial conditions of many SMEs were weakened by the drop in demand for goods and services and the credit tightening. The sovereign debt crisis that hit several European countries contributed to further deterioration in bank lending activities, which negatively affected private sector development. The global regulatory response to financial crises, such as the Basel Capital Accord, while designed to reduce systemic risks may also constrain bank lending to SMEs. In particular, Basel III requires banks to have tighter risk management as well as greater capital and liquidity. Resulting asset preference and deleveraging of banks, particularly European banks with significant presence in Asia, could limit the availability of funding for SMEs in Asia and the Pacific. Lessons from the recent financial crises have motivated many countries to consider SME access to finance beyond conventional bank credit and to diversify their national financial system. Improving SME access to finance is a policy priority at the country and global level. Poor access to finance is a critical inhibiting factor to the survival and growth potential of SMEs. Financial inclusion is thus key to the development of the SME sector, which is a driver of job creation and social cohesion and takes a pivotal role in scaling up national economies. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have recognized that it is crucial to develop a comprehensive range of policy options on SME finance, including innovative financing models. With this in mind, sharing Asian and OECD experiences on SME financing would result in insightful discussions on improving SME access to finance at a time of global financial uncertainty. Based on intensive discussions in two workshops organized by ADB in Manila on 6–7 March 2013 and by OECD in Paris on 21 October 2013, the two organizations together compiled this study report on enhancing financial accessibility for SMEs, especially focusing on lessons from the past and recent crises in Asia and OECD countries. The report takes a comparative look at ADB and OECD experiences, and aims to identify promising policy solutions for creating an SME base that is resilient to crisis, from a viewpoint of access to finance, and which can help drive growth and development

ICT for eco-sustainability: an assessment of the capability of the Australian ICT sector

Executive summary As eco-sustainability issues become increasingly important to most, if not all, Australian organisations, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry is expected to provide solutions that reduce material consumption (dematerialise), emissions (decarbonise), and energy use and waste production (demobilise) in both the ICT infrastructure and the business processes and practices of industries. The term \u27Green ICT\u27 represents this eco- sustainability enabling role of the ICT industry. The School of Business Information Technology and Logistics, RMIT University in collaboration with the Australian Information Industries Association (AIIA) surveyed all members and affiliates of the AIIA at the beginning of 2010 to understand Australian ICT firms\u27 capability to enhance the eco-sustainability of other industries. Based on data collected from 133 ICT firms, this report constitutes the first comprehensive study that exclusively focuses on the Australian ICT industry

Collaborative improvement as an inspiration for supply chain collaboration

The battlefield of competition is today moving from the level of\ud individual firms to the one of the extended enterprises, that is, networks of customers and their suppliers. This paper discusses how learning and continuous improvement today take place in processes based on daily collaboration at intercompany level, i.e. Extended Manufacturing Enterprises (EMEs). The purpose of the paper is to present a preliminary theory on Collaborative Improvement (CoI), i.e. continuous improvement at the EME level. Based on a literature review on Supply Networks, and Continuous Improvement and on evidence from two explorative case studies, the paper proposes a model for Collaborative Improvement in EMEs and discusses a research approach based on Action Research and Action Learning to further develop preliminary theory and actionable knowledge on how to foster and sustain CoI in EMEs

ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks: a literature review

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is a complex and vibrant process, one that involves a combination of technological and organizational interactions. Often an ERP implementation project is the single largest IT project that an organization has ever launched and requires a mutual fit of system and organization. Also the concept of an ERP implementation supporting business processes across many different departments is not a generic, rigid and uniform concept and depends on variety of factors. As a result, the issues addressing the ERP implementation process have been one of the major concerns in industry. Therefore ERP implementation receives attention from practitioners and scholars and both, business as well as academic literature is abundant and not always very conclusive or coherent. However, research on ERP systems so far has been mainly focused on diffusion, use and impact issues. Less attention has been given to the methods used during the configuration and the implementation of ERP systems, even though they are commonly used in practice, they still remain largely unexplored and undocumented in Information Systems research. So, the academic relevance of this research is the contribution to the existing body of scientific knowledge. An annotated brief literature review is done in order to evaluate the current state of the existing academic literature. The purpose is to present a systematic overview of relevant ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks as a desire for achieving a better taxonomy of ERP implementation methodologies. This paper is useful to researchers who are interested in ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Results will serve as an input for a classification of the existing ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Also, this paper aims also at the professional ERP community involved in the process of ERP implementation by promoting a better understanding of ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks, its variety and history

Blended Value Investing: Capital Opportunities for Social and Environmental Impact

This paper is offered not as a fully comprehensive survey of the emerging area of blended value investing, but rather as a set of examples of how such investing practices are being developed and applied around the world. The paper's intent is not to provide a single answer for all investment challenges, but to demonstrate how groups of investors are mobilizing capital on new terms to meet the challenges of emerging investment opportunities, as well as the demands of investors seeking out new asset classes in which to place their capital.This paper presents innovations in capital finance that promise to bridge market-rate interests with strategic opportunities to create blended value that benefits shareholder and stakeholder alike. The following examples speak to an evolving capital convergence wherein mainstream capital markets and investing will increasingly become drivers of new solutions to historic problems. Blended value investing funds and instruments offer financing strategies a set of tools that go beyond traditional philanthropy or market rate investing and which complement the vision we all share of a world with greater equity and opportunity for its members.This paper also identifies several areas of research that would help advance the field of blended value investing. Finally, the paper concludes with words of caution that suggest a prudent approach to developing blended value capital markets. It offers a critique of the state of the markets, presents a strategic vision for the blended value capital markets, and suggests specific steps that participants might take in moving toward the ideal

通过商业模式选择机制克服工业企业数字化转型的障碍

The article describes the main barriers to digital transformation faced by industrial enterprises in various industries, such as: lack of appropriate funding, information security risks, insufficient digital skills of employees, insufficient maturity of current processes, internal resistance to change, insufficient awareness of managers, lack of certainty over the future of digital standards. To analyse the barriers, the author used a three-step approach, including a literature review, a primary research with representatives of the companies, and a qualitative comparative analysis that are based on the Kruskal – Wallis test and used to identify differences between groups of enterprises. To overcome the barriers identified by the author it was offered to use  a mechanism of a business model selection, which takes into account the assessment of obtained competitive advantages (improvement of operational, financial and technical efficiency), digital maturity (digital culture level, staff qualifications, the quality of business process organisation and access to digital infrastructure) and risks (non-receipt of expected income from business model implementation, information security, reputational and personnel). The novelty of the proposed business model selection mechanism for an industrial enterprise is to improve the classification and develop a multi-criteria mechanism for choosing a business model, which would be implemented using a knowledge-based system incorporating a fuzzy inference mechanism.В статье описаны основные барьеры цифровой трансформации, с которыми сталкиваются промышленные предприятия различных отраслей: отсутствие надлежащего финансирования, риски информационной безопасности, недостаточные цифровые навыки сотрудников, недостаточная зрелость текущих процессов, внутреннее сопротивление изменениям, недостаточная осведомленность руководителей, отсутствие определенности в отношении будущих цифровых стандартов. Для анализа барьеров автором был использован трехэтапный подход, включающий в себя литературный обзор, опрос представителей компаний и качественный сравнительный анализ с использованием критерия Краскела – Уоллиса для выявления различий между группами предприятий. В качестве инструмента преодоления выявленных барьеров автором предложен механизм выбора бизнес-модели с учетом оценки получаемых конкурентных преимуществ (улучшение операционной, финансовой и технической эффективности), цифровой зрелости (уровня цифровой культуры, компетенции кадров, качества организации бизнес-процессов и доступа к цифровой инфраструктуре) и рисков (неполучения ожидаемого дохода от внедрения бизнес-модели, информационной безопасности, репутационных и кадровых). Новизна предложенного механизма выбора бизнес-модели промышленного предприятия заключается в усовершенствовании классификации и разработке многокритериального механизма выбора бизнес-модели для промышленного предприятия, реализуемого с помощью системы, основанной на знаниях, с нечетким механизмом вывода.本文章介绍了不同行业的工业企业面临的数字化转型的主要障碍：缺乏足够的资助、 信息安全危险、员工的数字技能不足、目前的流程不够成熟性、变革的内部阻力、管理熟悉情况不足、对未来的数字标准缺乏确定性。为了进行障碍的分析，作者采用了一个三步法，包括：文学评论、公司代表者调查以及使用克鲁斯卡尔-沃利斯检验（Kruskal - Wallis test）进行定性比较分析，以确定各组企业之间的差异。作为克服所发现的障碍的工具，作者提出了一个考虑到对所获得的竞争优势（业务、财务和技术效率提高）的评估的选择商业模式的机制。该机制还考虑到了数字成熟度（数字文化、员工能力、业务流程组织的质量和数字基础设施的使用）和潜在风险（未能从商业模式的实施中获得预期收入、信息安全、声誉和人力资源风险）。提出的工业企业商业模式选择机制的新颖性在于改进了商业模式分类并开发了一个通过具有模糊推理机制的知识系统实现的多标准商业模式选择机制