Customers as Predictors of Rent Returns to Innovation and Small Firms – an exploratory study

Small to medium enterprises (SME) are frequently associated with high levels of innovation. However, it is difficult for such firms to fully assess the merits of a particular innovation. This study examined the risk-return profile of future investment in innovation by SME with respect to anticipated ‘rent' or financial returns. A survey of highly innovative SME was undertaken that examined management perceptions of the key strategic influences on rent returns. Regression analysis suggests that the firms' assessment of the rent returns from their innovation may be influenced by the value it is likely to deliver to the customer, the customer's expected use of the innovation to generate new sales and the ease of integrating the new innovation into existing technologies. The findings have implications for how entrepreneurs from early stage ventures are assisted.small business; entrepreneurship; innovation; risk assessment

Long distance teaching: The impact of offshore programs and information technology on academic work

Australia’s higher education system has become financially dependent on fee-paying international students and is constantly seeking ways to enhance its competitiveness in overseas markets. Offshore teaching programs have become an attractive strategy for institutions hoping to improve their profile and gain additional market share. Long distance teaching is also being undertaken via use of information technology. Academic staff are increasingly required to spend time teaching in offshore programs, and will be involved in greater use of information technology to deliver their services. These developments raise issues relating to quality control, curriculum development, increased workloads and job satisfaction. This paper overviews recent developments in these areas and discusses their implications for the future of academic work

The impact of the State Migration Centre on the current and future economic Well-Being of Western Australia - A Review.

The connection between immigration and skill shortages has a long and illustrious history. This report reviews the role and performance of the State Migration Centre (SMC) in meeting this need and develops a strategy for its future operations. The starting point is a conceptual overview of the economic case for the continuing need for trained and competent workers from abroad. The outcome of this overview is a list of factors and considerations relevant to assessing the SMC performance. The body of the report then provides an overview of the recent trends in business and skilled migration and goes on to analyse of the SMC's role and performance. Its role is clarified by reference to the current immigration policy and recent trends in skilled and business migration. This provides the setting for an analysis of its performance drawing on the indicators developed in the first section of the report. Looking ahead to the future, we than consider the likely future needs as indicated by the demand for skilled workers, the extent to which this demand is met by the resident workforce and the migration planning levels. This analysis provides the basis for a range of options that the SMC might pursue. The funding levels associated with these options are outlined and a series of recommendations are put forward

Mining cooperatives in Brazil: an overview

In the current literature, cooperatives are commonly linked to a network of contracts or coalition. This is particularly the case of producer owned cooperatives that operate in small business scale such as farmers or diggers which are members of the cooperative. Mining cooperatives wield significant influence over the mining sector. These organizations have been getting increasing importance as powerful actors to support diggers through initiatives and policies to improve small-scale mining activities. In spite of the importance of cooperatives to the local communities and small companies, scientific literature concerning their organization, benefits and barriers are still scarce. The objective of this research was to examine the actual scenario of mining cooperatives in Brazil analyzing how mining cooperatives could be used as a sustainable strategic network into the mining sector in Brazil.The authors would like to thank to CAPES and Science Without Borders scholarship, BEX Process 10.190-13-9 for providing financial support to this research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Organisational factors, anticipated rents and commercialisation in SMEs

The study investigates the relationship between organisational factors and the anticipated returns to the commercialisation of an innovation within small to medium enterprises (SMEs). Using a large multi-country sample, the analysis involved a structural equation model of seven organisational factors associated with the management of innovation, and their relationship with the anticipated volume of sales, profitability and lifecycle of the innovation. Significant relationships were found between the possession of an innovation strategy and formal commercialisation management, and optimism over sales volumes and lifecycle. The study provides new insights into the resource-based view and theory of entrepreneurial rents, strengthening SME owner-managers’ assessment on future investments in innovation and how to utilise their best capabilities. Policy makers also gain more insights into the commercialisation process within SMEs to foster the innovation orientation in both high and low tech sectors

Enhancing And Sustaining Organizational Innovative Performance Through Transformational Leadership

This paper reports the findings of a study examining the influence of leadership in enhancing and sustaining innovation performance among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). Data were collected from 87 respondents who are the top managers of the SMEs asking about their leadership styles, their firms’ strategic orientation and innovation performance. Partial Least Squares (PLS) Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were utilized to test the research framework. Transformational leadership was found to have a significant influence on the firms’ innovation performance. Subsequently, whilst the study found that product innovation was able to further enhance the firms’ innovation performance, prospector strategic orientation was found not to have similar influence on the firms’ innovation performance. The findings from this study provide a valuable insights and lessons on the importance of leadership, particularly transformational leadership and the tangible aspect of product innovation, in driving the firms’ innovative performance. Hence, it is crucial for managers of an innovation intensive SME operating in dedicated corridor like MSC to be aware of their leadership style and its impact of their firms’ survival

Employer and employee perspectives of HRM practices within SMEs

This paper examines the perspectives of employers and employees within nano, micro, small, medium, and large firms in relation to HRM practices. The study draws upon a large sample of respondents from firms of all size categories. An online questionnaire comprising established HRM measures was used to collect the data. A multivariate discriminant analysis procedure was used to identify the interrelationships between the employer and employee groups, across firms by size, and how they viewed the importance of the HRM measures. The study found a strong congruence between employers and employees across most constructs and provides insights into the role firm size plays in the formalization of HRM practices and the relative importance of such factors within SMEs

Atypical ductal hyperplasia: Our experience in the management and long term clinical follow-up in 71 patients

Abstract Introduction Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is a high-risk benign lesion found in approximately 1–10% of breast biopsies and associated with a variable incidence of carcinoma after surgical excision. The main goal of our study is to present our experience in the management and long-term follow-up of 71 patients with ADH diagnosed on breast biopsy. Materials and methods Results of 3808 breast biopsy specimens from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2005 were analyzed to identify all biopsies which resulted in a diagnosis of ADH. The histopathological results of the 45 patients who underwent surgery were analyzed. Long-term follow-up for the remaining patients was carried out. Results 45 of 71 (63.4%) patients with histological diagnosis of ADH on breast biopsy underwent surgery. Definitive histological results revealed invasive carcinoma in 7 cases (15.6%), high grade Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in 10 (22.2%) patients, Lobular Carcinoma in situ (LCIS) in 4 cases (8.9%) and benign findings in 24 cases (53.3%). 12 of 71 (16.9%) patients underwent only long term follow-up; one (8,3%) of these developed invasive breast carcinoma after 6 years. Conclusion Atypical ductal hyperplasia diagnosed on breast biopsy is associated with a relatively high incidence of invasive carcinoma and high grade ductal carcinoma in situ at the time of surgical excision. Certain radiological and cytological criteria can be used to help determine which patients should forgo surgery and be followed up with good results. Long term follow-up is always crucial for patients who have not undergone surgery