External Environmental Analysis For Small And Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) face unique challenges in the business environment.  SMEs need to successfully deal with the prevalent forces for change if they are to survive and grow and meet the expectations to create investment and employment opportunities.  Successfully adapting to change from technological advances, customer expectations, supplier requirements, the regulatory environment and increasing competition requires successful implementation of organizational change. The ‘Degrees of Turbulence’ Model is proposed as a self assessment tool to aid SMEs in their environmental scan and to assist in assessing the potential impact and adjusting to the impending changes in the external environment to ensure continued viability. &nbsp

High performance management practices in owner-managed SMEs

Objectives: While there is extensive management and academic literature on the topic area of high performance management practices (HPPs) internationally, research on HPPs in the Australian context is limited. Furthermore, research on HPPs has focused predominantly on large organisations and is largely a new direction for research in SMEs. This study attempts to fill some of the gaps in existing studies by considering a wide range of HPPs in Australian SMEs, with particular focus on owner managed SMEs. The objective of this paper is to examine the extent and nature of HPPs in owner managed Australian SMEs and the impact of certain organisational characteristics on these practices. The research questions under examination include: What is the prevalence of HPPs in owner managed Australian SMEs?; and what is the impact of firm size, the presence of a HR manager, and the existence of a strategic plan on HPPs in SMEs? Prior work: Undertaking this research is justified on the basis of: there is a gap in the theory relating to HPPs in SMEs and in particular owner managed SMEs, owing to the fact that most studies on HPPs are based in large organisations; globalisation and the pace of economic change are forces that are driving the need for greater understanding of HPPs (Burke 2002); and there are high expectations for growth and performance of SMEs in the economic growth and development plans for the Asia Pacific and Australian region (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 2002). Approach: A survey questionnaire was sent out to 4000 Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (35% response rate). A Dun and Bradstreet database was used and a stratified sample employed. A chi-square analysis was employed to determine whether there were significant differences in relation to high performance practices in small vs. medium organisations, SMEs with and without a HR manager; and organisations with and without a strategic plan. Results: The results of this study indicate that the overall picture regarding the incidence of high performance practices in Australian owner managed SMEs looks quite bleak. Significant positive relationships were found between demographic variables and HPPs in SMEs. Implications: Large firm solutions may not be appropriate. A more balanced approach to prescribing and researching management solutions in SMEs is needed; an approach with a greater emphasis on the SME sector. Value: This paper will provide an improved understanding of HPPs in Australian SMEs which will help the sector to better meet performance expectations

Predicting sleep disordered breathing in outpatients with suspected OSA

Objective To validate the utilities of Berlin, STOP and STOP-BANG Questionnaires, other patient characteristics, comorbidities, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and blood markers for the prediction of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) on limited polygraphy. Setting North Glasgow Sleep Service (a tertiary referral centre). Participants 129 consecutive patients, aged ≥16 years, referred to the sleep clinic for assessment of possible obstructive sleep apnoea. Interventions We selected cut-points of apnoea hypopnoea index (AHI) of ≥5 and ≥15/h from their home polygraphy and determined associations of these with individual symptoms, questionnaire scores and other results. Receiver operating characteristic analysis and univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to explore these. Primary and secondary outcomes measures Primary: The utility of STOP, STOP-BANG and Berlin Questionnaires for prediction of SDB. Secondary: The utility of other measures for prediction of SDB. Results AHI was ≥5 in 97 patients and ≥15 in 56 patients. STOP and STOP-BANG scores were associated with both AHI cut-points but results with ESS and Berlin Questionnaire scores were negative. STOP-BANG had a negative predictive value 1.00 (0.77–1.00) for an AHI ≥15 with a score ≥3 predicting AHI ≥5 with sensitivity 0.93 (95% CI 0.84 to 0.98) and accuracy 79%, while a score ≥6 predicted AHI ≥15 with specificity 0.78 (0.65 to 0.88) and accuracy 72%. Neck circumference ≥17 inch and presence of witnessed apnoeas were independent predictors of SDB. Conclusions STOP and STOP-BANG Questionnaires have utility for the prediction of SDB in the sleep clinic population. Modification of the STOP-BANG Questionnaire merits further study in this and other patient groups.</p

Is the current situation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) conducive to attaining their economic expectations?

There are high expectations for growth and performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the current economic environment. SMEs are expected to play a significant role in the development plans for Asia Pacific, Canada, British Columbia and the Okanagan region (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 2002, Canadian Federation of Independent Business et al, 2002, and Economic Development Commission 2002). While these expectations have been clearly articulated in national and international circles, very little has been heard from the SMEs themselves. This study attempts to listen to the SMEs in the Regional District of the Central Okanagan (RDCO) to determine whether they are confident that they can meet the economic expectations to provide employment growth and investment opportunities. The results show that while SMEs confidently predict increases in sales revenues and have plans to increase the numbers of employees, they have less confidence about their ability overall to meet these economic expectations. This is largely due to the highly changing regional, national and international environment in which they operate

Organisational change in small and medium sized enterprises - a regional study

The viability of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) (defined as having 20 to 200 employees for this research) is vital to economic stability and growth in the Regional District of the Central Okanagan (RDCO). An important factor in the survival and growth of these enterprises is their ability to implement effective organisational change. This research has been defined by the research objective, to examine the nature of organisational change experienced by SMEs in the RDCO and considers research questions in relation to the prevalence of organisational change practices, the types of strategic changes and the external and internal factors influencing organisational change as well as changes in the structure of the work force. The objectives pursued with the introduction of change initiatives, and the extent to which the objectives were achieved was also considered. The impact of selected demographic variables (size, presence of a human resources manager and existence of planning) on the introduction of organisational change practices and strategic changes was analysed and presented. The ability of regional SMEs to meet the economic expectations placed upon them and their uniqueness compared with large organisations was investigated. Examination of the relevance of existing models of organisational change to SMEs leads to the development and presentation of a new conceptual framework. Information analysed quantitatively was obtained from a questionnaire distributed by e-mail or regular mail to approximately 400 businesses and that to be analysed qualitatively from in-depth interviews and a focus group involving a smaller sample of these same organisations. SMEs in the RDCO are experiencing changes in management, changes in products and services, changes in equipment and technology as well as work force growth and the restructuring of work practices. Objectives sought by the introduction of these changes include improving labour productivity, reducing labour costs, increasing competitiveness, as well as improvements in internal communications, decision making, business processes, and customer service. The majority of SMEs report that they achieved these objectives to a major or minor extent. The perspectives of managers and/or owners in SMEs relative to their first hand experiences and their reflections on organisational change are presented. The uniqueness of SMEs, the relevance of regional context and the pace and scope of change are considered. Insightful commentary has been summarized and a number of interesting themes emerge. The proposed new model for Organisational Change in SMEs has been refined and validated

Organizational change in small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

This study fills some of the gaps in existing studies on organisational change in SMEs by reporting the introduction of a wide range of organisational change practices and strategic changes in Australian SMEs (N=1435). It further examines the triggers for organisational change in Australian SMEs and the impact of certain demographic factors upon organisational change practices and strategic changes. Owing to the dearth of national data on organisational change in SMEs, the results of this study are used to determine whether Australian SMEs could be characterised as “stagnating” or “transforming”. The results reveal a moderate adoption of organisational change practices and strategic changes. The findings by themselves do not support a “stagnating” scenario; however the lack of negotiated agreement in the introduction of strategic changes is not supportive of a “transforming” scenario either

Australian small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs): a study of high performance management practices

While there is extensive management and academic literature on the topic area of high performance management internationally, research on high performance management practices in the Australian context is limited. Furthermore, research on high performance management practices has focused predominantly on large organisations and is largely a new direction for research in SMEs. This study attempts to fill some of the gaps in existing studies by considering a wide range of high performance management practices in Australian SMEs. Owing to the dearth of national data on high performance management in Australian SMEs, the results of this study are used to determine whether there is any evidence of a ‘high performing' scenario in relation to management practices in Australian SMEs. The results, reporting a national study (N = 1435) on employee management in Australian SMEs, reveal a moderate take-up of high performance management practices. The findings by themselves do not support a ‘high' performing scenario in relation to management practices in SMEs; however the low application of participative practices in the context of low unionization, and a low incidence of collective relations, indicates that many SMEs need a make-over if they are to meet the demands of competition. It is evident from the findings in this study that high performance practices in SMEs stand to benefit from modernisation and improvement