Building a better business : A flexibly delivered SME skills program
- Braun, Patrice, Hollick, Mary
- Authors: Braun, Patrice , Hollick, Mary
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at the 12th Annual International High-Technology Small Firms Conference, University of Twente, Netherlands : 24th - 25th May, 2004
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper discusses a recently funded tourism industry capacity building pilot for micro tourism businesses in regional Australia. Skills augmentation, building destination relationships and linkages and industry-wide benchmarking are internationally recognised as leading economic drivers for economic growth in general, and the tourism industry in particular. Small and micro tourism enterprises (SME) face enormous difficulty competing with their larger counterparts. To make matters worse, many SME are often located in peripheral regions where access to skills support is limited. To date self-regulation efforts in the tourism sector have resulted in little evidence that the industry is capable of capacity building without external planning and intervention. With increasing ICT literacy of prospective customers, consumer expectations on product information are rising. In light of this development there is general agreement that SME managers of the future will need to have both business acumen and skills in information and communication technologies (ICT) if they want to exploit its full potential. SME will be lost in the marketplace unless they are assisted in the usage of the tools necessary to participate in the digital economy.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000780
- Authors: Braun, Patrice , Hollick, Mary
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at the 12th Annual International High-Technology Small Firms Conference, University of Twente, Netherlands : 24th - 25th May, 2004
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper discusses a recently funded tourism industry capacity building pilot for micro tourism businesses in regional Australia. Skills augmentation, building destination relationships and linkages and industry-wide benchmarking are internationally recognised as leading economic drivers for economic growth in general, and the tourism industry in particular. Small and micro tourism enterprises (SME) face enormous difficulty competing with their larger counterparts. To make matters worse, many SME are often located in peripheral regions where access to skills support is limited. To date self-regulation efforts in the tourism sector have resulted in little evidence that the industry is capable of capacity building without external planning and intervention. With increasing ICT literacy of prospective customers, consumer expectations on product information are rising. In light of this development there is general agreement that SME managers of the future will need to have both business acumen and skills in information and communication technologies (ICT) if they want to exploit its full potential. SME will be lost in the marketplace unless they are assisted in the usage of the tools necessary to participate in the digital economy.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000780
Understanding and measuring the effect of social capital on knowledge transfer within clusters of SMEs
- Whittaker, Jay, Van Beveren, John, Burns, Michelle
- Authors: Whittaker, Jay , Van Beveren, John , Burns, Michelle
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at the 16th Annual SEAANZ Conference, Ballarat, Australia : 28th September - 1st October, 2003
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In today’s globalised economy, Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are facing ever increasing competitive pressures. They need to gain new market information and knowledge to remain competitive. A common strategy is to develop clusters of networks with other SMEs. Clustering enables the development of informal social networks through which knowledge can flow and be used. This paper aims to investigate the mechanisms of informal social networks that promote knowledge transfer. Finally, some issues relating to the measurement of the intellectual value created are explored.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000590
- Authors: Whittaker, Jay , Van Beveren, John , Burns, Michelle
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at the 16th Annual SEAANZ Conference, Ballarat, Australia : 28th September - 1st October, 2003
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In today’s globalised economy, Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are facing ever increasing competitive pressures. They need to gain new market information and knowledge to remain competitive. A common strategy is to develop clusters of networks with other SMEs. Clustering enables the development of informal social networks through which knowledge can flow and be used. This paper aims to investigate the mechanisms of informal social networks that promote knowledge transfer. Finally, some issues relating to the measurement of the intellectual value created are explored.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000590
Tourism clusters : Uncovering destination value chains
- Hollick, Mary, Braun, Patrice
- Authors: Hollick, Mary , Braun, Patrice
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at CAUTHE 2006 conference - to the city and beyond, Melbourne, Victoria : 6th February, 2006 p. 476-485
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper discusses the role of tourism networks, clustering and destination value chains for micro and small and medium size tourism enterprises (SMEs) in freely assembled destinations. In discussing destination benefits and barriers surrounding SME clustering, SME positioning and performance are highlighted. It is proposed in this paper that SME clustering and value are not always naturally established. Successful destination clusters may be created by upgrading SME performance, analysing local value chains and matching both tangible and intangible sources of value, such as systems, leadership, relationships and brands with demand-side value segmentation.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003001808
- Authors: Hollick, Mary , Braun, Patrice
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at CAUTHE 2006 conference - to the city and beyond, Melbourne, Victoria : 6th February, 2006 p. 476-485
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper discusses the role of tourism networks, clustering and destination value chains for micro and small and medium size tourism enterprises (SMEs) in freely assembled destinations. In discussing destination benefits and barriers surrounding SME clustering, SME positioning and performance are highlighted. It is proposed in this paper that SME clustering and value are not always naturally established. Successful destination clusters may be created by upgrading SME performance, analysing local value chains and matching both tangible and intangible sources of value, such as systems, leadership, relationships and brands with demand-side value segmentation.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003001808
Market entry strategy into China by entrepreneurial new venture firms
- Authors: Wan, Stephen , Lowe, Julian
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 4th International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange : Regional Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2007, Brisbane Graduate School of Business, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland : 6th-9th February 2007
- Full Text:
- Description: Principal Topic: This paper examines the entry strategy and start-up of a technology based small firm entering the China market through the vehicle of a joint venture company. The research deals with two main issues: - The intersection of the entrepreneurship and internationalization literatures - The specific considerations pertinent to foreign companies operating in China The internationalization of entrepreneurship theory has been the subject of ’special issues’ in the journals Entrepreneurship in Theory and Practice (1996); and Academy of Management Journal (2000). It has its roots in the seminal work of McDougal and Oviatt (1996, 2005). Much of this literature identifies internationalization as an important determinant of performance in SMEs, and emphasizes the specific factors that link entrepreneurial perspectives and the processes of internationalization. Mode of entry choice is dominated by a number of complementary paradigms in the international business literature. These include the ’stage’ or sequential approach proposed by the Uppsala group (Johanson and Widersheim-Paul, 1975); network theory (Chen and Chen, 2002); transaction cost economics (Buckley and Casson 1976); and the resource based view (Peng, 2001). China as an international market, supplier and collaborator has changed radically since 1982, following the Deng reforms. It is now the third largest economy in the world but despite its promise has also proved a problematic partner for Western firms. Since its entry into the WTO there have been significant changes but the culture and practice of doing business in China has proved a problem. This research examines how an SME can participate in this market without incurring very high costs and risks. Methodology/Key Propositions: With some exceptions (Jolly, 1992) the issue of SME entry strategies has not received a great deal of attention in the literature. In addition Mcdougall and Oviatt, (2003) challenge the notion that the theories of market entry that dominate the international business literature are applicable to the smaller firm. Our research approach is two-fold: - An examination of Chinese government statistics to identify the distribution by industry and firm type of FDI by SMEs in China - A case study of a technology based SME that has established a successful joint venture in Northern China. We use the secondary data to examine the conventional (large firm) propositions of the international business literature; we use the case study to examine how the specific entrepreneurial and China element require a modified perspective. Results and Implications: Whilst some research has suggested that internationalization is a problematic strategy for SMEs we find that even in a high risk market like China, these companies have struck up effective but non - conventional organizational forms. The network theory of internationalization seems the dominant paradigm, although our case study introduces some specific considerations that the model had not previously acknowledged.
- Description: 2003005182
- Authors: Wan, Stephen , Lowe, Julian
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 4th International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange : Regional Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2007, Brisbane Graduate School of Business, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland : 6th-9th February 2007
- Full Text:
- Description: Principal Topic: This paper examines the entry strategy and start-up of a technology based small firm entering the China market through the vehicle of a joint venture company. The research deals with two main issues: - The intersection of the entrepreneurship and internationalization literatures - The specific considerations pertinent to foreign companies operating in China The internationalization of entrepreneurship theory has been the subject of ’special issues’ in the journals Entrepreneurship in Theory and Practice (1996); and Academy of Management Journal (2000). It has its roots in the seminal work of McDougal and Oviatt (1996, 2005). Much of this literature identifies internationalization as an important determinant of performance in SMEs, and emphasizes the specific factors that link entrepreneurial perspectives and the processes of internationalization. Mode of entry choice is dominated by a number of complementary paradigms in the international business literature. These include the ’stage’ or sequential approach proposed by the Uppsala group (Johanson and Widersheim-Paul, 1975); network theory (Chen and Chen, 2002); transaction cost economics (Buckley and Casson 1976); and the resource based view (Peng, 2001). China as an international market, supplier and collaborator has changed radically since 1982, following the Deng reforms. It is now the third largest economy in the world but despite its promise has also proved a problematic partner for Western firms. Since its entry into the WTO there have been significant changes but the culture and practice of doing business in China has proved a problem. This research examines how an SME can participate in this market without incurring very high costs and risks. Methodology/Key Propositions: With some exceptions (Jolly, 1992) the issue of SME entry strategies has not received a great deal of attention in the literature. In addition Mcdougall and Oviatt, (2003) challenge the notion that the theories of market entry that dominate the international business literature are applicable to the smaller firm. Our research approach is two-fold: - An examination of Chinese government statistics to identify the distribution by industry and firm type of FDI by SMEs in China - A case study of a technology based SME that has established a successful joint venture in Northern China. We use the secondary data to examine the conventional (large firm) propositions of the international business literature; we use the case study to examine how the specific entrepreneurial and China element require a modified perspective. Results and Implications: Whilst some research has suggested that internationalization is a problematic strategy for SMEs we find that even in a high risk market like China, these companies have struck up effective but non - conventional organizational forms. The network theory of internationalization seems the dominant paradigm, although our case study introduces some specific considerations that the model had not previously acknowledged.
- Description: 2003005182
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »