How SMEs use industrial property rights (IP) within SME value chains

Draft research proposal; 20 JAN 2013. Preliminary proposal for a 3 (max 4) year research project leading to a PhD. In preparation for the WION workshops on Advanced Purchasing Research and to be worked out in more detail as a PhD research proposal before MAY 2013. The research objective is to find out: How innovating SMEs can best use Industrial Property Rights (patents) within value chains with their (SME) suppliers and their (SME) customers, what are best practices and improvement areas, what is a suitable theoretical framework, how can enterprises, business researchers & practitioners benefit from applying this framework

Industrial policy for the medium to long-term

This report reviews the market failure and systems failure rationales for industrial policy and assesses the evidence on part experience of industrial policy in the UK. In the light of this, it reviews options for reshaping the design and delivery of industrial policy towards UK manufacturing. These options are intended to encourage a medium- to long-term perspective across government departments and to integrate science, innovation and industrial policy

Systematic Literature Review: the Sustainable Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Under the Trend of Globalization

Purpose: The development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often faces such problems as shortage of funds and backward technology. The systematic literature review on sustainable development (SD) of SMEs can help accelerate the pace of SMEs' information management construction and promote enterprises' development and growth. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted on empirical data on the sustainable development of small and medium-sized enterprises in China and abroad from 2000 to 2022.   Theoretical framework: Systematic review/meta-analysis refers to a research method that comprehensively collects all relevant studies, conducts rigorous evaluation and analysis one by one, and then uses quantitative or qualitative synthesis methods to process the data to reach comprehensive conclusions (Pansare et al., 2023).   Design/methodology/approach: This literature review covers 50 articles from peer-reviewed academic journals related to their theoretical area, research design, sampling/data collection methods, data analysis, and thematic areas. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statements were used to analyze this study’s systematic literature review.   Findings: The result illustrated that numerous research had been done during the past twenty years and new findings are involved with this topic area. SMEs attach more and more importance to the goal of SD and adopt systematic, structured, and formalized ways to promote the SD of enterprises.   Research, Practical & Social implications: Several pieces of literature can cover the aspects of ecological entrepreneurship, innovation, business, and environment, which are positively correlated with SD.   Originality/value: This paper summarizes existing research results, which can provide research references for the SD of SMEs

A Continuous Improvement Implementation Framework for Manufacturing Companies: a Delphi Study-Based Approach for Development and Validation

Purpose – Due to the absence of industry and region-specific implementation guides, change efforts, in particular Continuous Improvement implementations, continue to report high failure rates. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to present a finalised implementation framework specifically tailored for manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework derived from the existing literature is validated, through a Delphi study, by an expert panel to review its content and suitability for a practical application. Findings – This paper proposes a finalised framework tailored to the practical needs of users. The results of the Delphi approach offer a phased implementation framework that provides an overview of the implementation process of Continuous Improvement initiatives and the key activities involved. The framework is suitable for use by both business leaders and Continuous Improvement practitioners with varying degrees of previous implementation experience. Research limitations/implications – The research was carried out in the UK and is specifically focused on the manufacturing industry. It is therefore not clear the applicability of the framework presented to other regions and industries. The framework, although validated through several phases of research, still requires practical application and testing. Originality/value – Business leaders and Continuous Improvement practitioners will benefit from having the necessary content presented in a manner that will promote its practical application. It has also been demonstrated that the framework is robust in its content, incorporating the literature findings as well as the experience of an expert panel encompassing 20 people

A cloud adoption framework for South African SMEs

Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been touted as key enablers to the economic development of most countries. Despite growing evidence that most SMEs fail within their initial years, ICTs have been found to add substantial value in facilitating their success. However, in most developing countries, ICT adoption by SMEs has been plagued with a plethora of challenges ranging from poor electricity supply, high ICT costs, lack of ICT expertise to lack of government support. While this might seem problematic for SMEs, the adoption and the use of cloud services mitigates some of these challenges. The problem, however, is that a limited amount of literature has provided guidance with regard to how the cloud adoption process should be carried out by SMEs. The objective of this research, was therefore, to address this by developing a framework that can be used by SMEs to guide them through the cloud adoption process. To this end, thirteen (13) semi-structured interviews were conducted across nine (9) SMEs in the Eastern Cape. The resultant interview transcripts were analysed using an established thematic approach; the result of which allowed for the development of a rich interpretive narrative about SME cloud adoption. Combined with theory from extant literature, this culminated in the development of a framework for cloud services adoption for SMEs in the Eastern Cape

BASEL II: THE REVISED FRAMEWORK OF JUNE 2004

A major aim of Basel II has been to revise the rules of the 1988 Basel Capital Accord in such a way as to align banks´ regulatory capital more closely with their risks, taking account of progress in the measurement and management of risk and of the opportunities which these provide for strengthened supervision. Achievement of this aim has involved the incorporation in Basel II of methods for quantifying banking risks introduced since the late 1980s. The task of the designers of Basel II has been complicated by the way in which the BCBS´s rules for banks´ capital, originally intended for the internationally active banks of its member countries, have become a global standard widely applied in developing as well as developed countries. Acceptance of this role by the BCBS has entailed a global consultation process, whose results have been reflected in three consultative papers and the RF, and the different approaches and options for setting numerical capital requirements which are intended to accommodate banks and supervisors of different levels of sophistication. As well as providing a commentary on the main features of the RF this paper documents the response of the BCBS to some of the more important points which were raised during this consultation process, including the outcome of decisions taken at a meeting in Madrid in October 2003 following comments on the consultative paper of April 2003, and summarises the results of the most recent of the BCBS´s initiatives to estimate the quantitative impact of the Basel II rules on banks´ capital. This discussion includes a review of papers issued by the BCBS as part of the last stage of its work preceding the RF.