Communication and information exchange among SMEs and their local environment

Abstract

In this article the results from a Swedish pilot study in the project Arena for Sustainable Innovative Development of small and medium-sized enterprises is presented. The project in a whole aims to create and test a model for collaboration and sustainable development among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in local areas. The research question in this article is delimited to issues concerning use of ICT, information exchange and communication among the interested parties. The pilot study was accomplished in a qualitative and explorative way with semi-structured interviews. As a result of the study some questions are identified as urgent to further investigate.     

Lottery Funding and Changing Organizational Identity in the UK Voluntary Sector

This paper focuses upon ways in which National Lottery funding impacts upon aspects of identity for small- to medium-sized organizations in the United Kingdom, and highlights some of the less-anticipated difficulties that groups may experience after receipt of a grant. A large Lottery grant can facilitate rapid expansion and may necessitate a degree of organizational learning for which groups are often unprepared. The paper suggests that a Lottery grant may lead to changes in the ways in which an organization identifies itself, or is identified by stakeholders. However, these changes may not be accompanied by a corresponding change in the organization's capacity or underlying cultural ethos. On the basis of the primary research carried out in 2003, the paper examines the implications of these changes for individual organizations and for the sector more widely.     

The institutional antecedent to firms’ interorganizational network portfolios: Evidence from China

Although the amount of research on interorganizational networks has increased significantly in recent years, few studies have examined the antecedents to interorganizational network portfolios—organizations’ configuration of their relationship networks with other organizations. To address this gap, this study examines how firms’ interorganizational network portfolios vary across three types of ownership structures (i.e., state-owned, private, and multinational enterprises) in China. Cluster analysis of the data on 212 leading firms operating in China revealed two types of network portfolios firms maintain. Specifically, firms maintaining robust cross-sector portfolios had more extensive networks with organizations in the nonprofit and public sectors than firms maintaining limited cross-sector portfolios. Moreover, regression results suggested that firms across different ownership structures had distinct numbers and types of organizational partners, particularly nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners. Theoretical and practical implications are derived from the findings.     

国际金融危机背景下完善中小企业技术创新扶持制度的立法思考——以江苏为例的研究

中小企业是我国社会主义市场经济的主体,为我国国民经济的快速发展作出了巨大贡献,而江苏的中小企业在江苏的经济发展中更是扮演着重要角色。然而,在当前国际金融危机背景下,江苏中小企业的生存与发展面临着严峻的挑战,企业缺少技术创新的痼疾暴露无疑,同时江苏中小企业技术创新的法律缺位也日益突显。本文认为,应变国际金融危机为契机,完善中小企业技术创新扶持制度,使中小企业在未来发展中显现更强的竞争力和生命力。     

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND THE UTILIZATION OF MINORITY‐ AND WOMEN‐OWNED BUSINESSES IN HIGHWAY PROCUREMENT

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) mandates states' use of affirmative action when awarding federally funded road construction projects. Here I document the effectiveness of this program in increasing purchases from disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs). Higher goals for the utilization of DBEs, both across states over time and across projects within California, is associated with a greater share of contract dollars awarded to DBEs. This effect is concentrated among minority‐owned firms and is stronger when goals are more likely to be binding and in states with an apparently stricter enforcement regime. (JEL J15, H57)     

The Sociology of Innovation: Organizational,Environmental, and Relative Perspectives

Innovation is risky. New products and firms are subject to high failure rates. To minimize the risk associated with innovation, most scholars agree that firms should engage simultaneously in two types of activities: exploring new alternatives and exploiting existing competencies. Firms that simultaneously engage in explorative and exploitative activities are called ambidextrous organizations. Research on ambidextrous organizations, however, inadequately considers the importance of the environment in which organizations operate for innovation success. The sociological view of innovation fills this gap by emphasizing the importance of social context for explaining innovative outcomes. The sociology of innovation highlights, first, the structural arrangements – characteristics of social networks, organizations, and institutions – that influence innovation and, second, the relative nature of innovation – whether an object is considered novel depends on one's vantage point. Drawing on the relative view of innovation, I develop a typology that outlines several paths to innovation with respect to two vantage points: the organization and the environment. I argue that minimizing the risks associated with innovation is most likely to occur when firms follow the path of innovation that consists of generating novel solutions that simultaneously exploit knowledge and resources that are both available to the firm and in the firm's environment.     

Attracting Micro‐Enterprises To Learning

Micro‐enterprises, i.e. firms with less than 10 employees, are traditionally the hardest to engage in learning; they are also least likely to participate in such measures as business advice and guidance provision and initiatives to support information communication technology (ICT) adoption. Through a community‐based initiative initially targeting parents (unemployed or employed) to participate in ICT, 30 micro‐enterprises were attracted to learning for the first time. These companies had carefully avoided similar initiatives taking place locally, which emphasized business success and growth; they had only participated in this ICT skills training because of their children. The paper takes a case study approach to evaluate the reasons for participation, explores barriers and implications for those organizing similar activities, and calls for a more holistic view of owners and managers of small firms as fathers, mothers, etc. rather than just as ‘entrepreneurs’.     

Grazing,exploring and networking for sustainability-oriented innovations in learning-action networks: an SME perspective

With sustainability-oriented innovations (SOIs) small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can conquer niche markets, cut resource usage and improve the quality of life. SMEs follow different strategic orientations for SOIs. They are conditioned by their organizational structures, capabilities and interaction with the business, regulatory and knowledge network. Usually, SMEs find it easier to span their boundaries to the business network. This research explores, in a longitudinal multi-case study, how the interaction with the knowledge network can condition an SME's strategic orientation. In the analysis of a learning-action network established by a research institute, three network-patterns (grazer, explorer and networker) are observed which result from different SME boundary-spanning processes. A central role is played by the boundary spanners who influence to which degree the SME can build up exploratory and exploitative learning capabilities to further deploy, push forward or generically develop its strategic orientation for SOIs in interaction with the knowledge network.     

The Structure and Resources of NGOs in Estonia

The paper examines the present state of voluntary associations in Estonia—their resources and fields of activity. First, the paper discusses two possible functions of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the postsocialist social change: the opening up of participation channels complementary to those of representative democracy and the support to the state in fulfilling social welfare functions. A view stressing the latter function of the voluntary sector has hitherto dominated Estonian domestic political discussion. The actual capacity of Estonian NGOs is assessed on the basis of previous research and the results of a mail survey (779 responding organizations). The resources of the respondents are smaller than expected. Resources differ greatly between urban and rural associations, and between NGOs representing different fields of activity. The paper concludes with a discussion of the empirical findings and of the need for further research.     

Gender‐Related Effects of Information Technology Implementation

In investigating gender‐related effects of information technology implementation the contextual factors (e.g. job design, implementation management, external workload) need to be taken into account. In the Vienna Implementation Studies the effects of technology implementation on users' stress levels and satisfaction were investigated in longitudinal research designs. In our previous study, the 1st Vienna Implementation Study, negative effects of the technology implementations were shown in more women than men. It was argued that women due to their lower qualified jobs and due to the lack of participation, also experienced more negative consequences. In the 2nd Vienna Implementation Study effects of ‘continuous’ implementation of information technology on 212 clerical workers (n women: 142; n men: 70) were investigated. No gender‐related effects of information technology implementation were found, nor did women and men differ in job characteristics and in participation in the implementation process. It can be concluded from the two studies that potential differences between women and men are caused by differences in the contextual factors of job design and participation. Further, it emerged from our studies that women — at least in the field of clerical jobs — have benefited from the introduction of technology.     

Three Social Dilemmas of Workforce Diversity in Organizations: A Social Identity Perspective

This paper explores the relationship among threesocial dilemmas faced by organizations wishing to attainand maintain workforce diversity: the dilemmas oforganizational participation, managerial participation, and individual participation. Functional andsocial category diversity offer benefits fororganizations (creativity, adaptation and innovation,and access to external networks), but there are costswhich deter organizations from pursuing thesebenefits. The costs associated with organizationalparticipation in diversity initiatives arise becausemanagers and their employees perceive organizationalconflicts and organize their interactions along socialidentity lines, so that temporal traps and collectivefences surround diversity. Resolving the subordinatedilemmas of managerial and individual participation provides the key to resolving the dilemma oforganizational participation. Social identity theory isused to understand the dilemmas and to develop possibleresolutions, which should make the benefits of diversity more immediately accessible toorganizations and society.     

促进中小科技企业发明专利转化的扶持与服务措施研究

科技型中小企业是上海技术创新的主要载体和经济增长的重要推动力量,在促进科技成果转化和产业化、以创新带动就业、建设创新型城市等方面发挥着重要作用。上海中小企业转化发明专利,既受到内在因素制约,也面临外部环境障碍。上海应完善专利激励政策,提高专利质量,建立健全知识产权预警机制,组建专业服务机构支持科技金融创新,加快培养专利人才,培育发明专利转化的知识产权服务业,大力促进科技型中小企业技术创新和发明专利转化。     

Non-experts’ participation in processes of scientific knowledge creation: The case of Citizen Science

Public participation in science and technology, is currently being encouraged in order to fulfil the calls for a more engaging, transparent, and ethical way of governing technoscientific innovation. Several institutional documents argue for the need to enrol non-scientists into research programs; funding schemes devoted to public engagement seem to be paving the way for new baselines for knowledge creation and innovation paths that include the contributions of citizens. Citizen Science stands out as an opportune movement to lead non-scientists to contribute to scientific research projects and technological innovation, and it has given rise to a broad debate intersecting many sociological aspects linked to participation and community empowerment. However, the participation of non-scientists in data collection, analysis, and interpretation is not totally new; yet it has not had the same value across time, nor has it always been considered desirable. Indeed, volunteers' engagement and amateurs' contributions have been regulated differently compared to the current rhetoric of participation. This paper gives an account of the evolution of participation of non-experts through the lens of Science and Technology Studies, investigating its desirability, how it is governed, and whether it matches the promises of Citizen Science practitioners.     

Directions in a Post-aid World? South–South Development Cooperation and CSOs in Latin America

The architecture of international aid to developing and emerging economies is undergoing significant change. Post-aid world conditions will reshape relationships between international aid actors including donors, civil society organizations (CSOs), governments, and other institutions. These trends draw attention to South–South Development Cooperation (SSDC) as a promising direction in regions like Latin America. CSOs’ participation in SSDC might challenge and divert the dependency and power asymmetries in traditional North–South aid. As potential adaptive strategy for CSOs, SSDC diversifies the actors involved in aid and the resources exchanged, and produces different development discourses. The article outlines SSDC as an alternative development model and specifically considers the participation of CSOs. It provides a case of CSOs’ participation in SSDC in the region of Latin America. As research on CSOs in SSDC is limited, the article contributes to its further understanding and provides further avenues of research.     

The Logic of A Co‐Operative Economy and Democracy 2.0: Recovering the Possibilities for Autonomy,Creativity, Solidarity,and Common Purpose

Over the past 30 years, the collectivist‐democratic form of organization has presented a growing alternative to the bureaucratic form, and it has proliferated, here and around the world. This form is manifest, for example, within micro‐credit groups, workers’ co‐operatives, nongovernmental organizations, advocacy groups, self‐help groups, community and municipal initiatives, social movement organizations, and in many nonprofit groups in general. It is most visible in the civil society sector, but demands for deeper participation are also evident in communities and cities, and the search for more involving and less bureaucratic structures has spread into many for‐profit firms as well. Building on research on this form of organization, this article develops a model of the decisional processes utilized in such organizations and contrasts these “Democracy 2.0” standards for decision making from the Democracy 1.0 (representative and formal) standards that previously prevailed. Drawing on a new generation of research on these sorts of organizations, this article and this special section discuss: (a) how consensus decisional processes are being made more efficient; (b) how such organizations are now able to scale to fairly large size while still retaining their local and participatory basis; (c) how such organizations are cultivating a more diverse membership and using such diversity to build more democratic forms of governance; (d) how such organizations are combatting ethnoracial and gender inequalities that prevail in the surrounding society; and (e) how emotions are getting infused into the public conversations within these organizations and communities.     

优势互补、共同发展——试论中国与海湾六国的经贸合作

海湾地区是世界最大能源基地之一,从战略和经济安全等方面与海湾六国进行长期合作,将对中国的发展至关重要。海湾各国虽有充裕的资金、大量的待合作项目和广阔的发展空间,但技术、装备、材料和人才奇缺。因此,中国企业进入海湾六国市场从宏观和微观上都有着重要现实意义。随着中国与海湾经贸合作新局面的逐步形成,中国企业将面临着如何更好地与海湾六国进行有效合作的严峻考验,为此,本文将提出几条建议。     

Private companies' engagement in the labour market integration of refugees: An exploratory study of the city of Stuttgart,Germany

Private companies of all sizes may engage in the integration of refugees into the labour market. Taking the case study of the highly industrialised German city of Stuttgart, this study explores the motivation of (a) private large-scale international enterprises including (automotive and high-tech companies) and (b) family-owned small- to medium-sized companies (private social enterprises, suppliers to the automotive industries, architecture, and engineering companies) to do so. The research further explores the companies' challenges, opportunities and the lessons learned throughout the process. Utilising the principles of Grounded Theory, a qualitative case study approach is applied with in-depth interviews with private companies, civil society, public private partnerships and experts. The findings show that the arrival of a large number of refugees during 2015/2016 has increased the engagement of the companies, increased their cooperation with other sectors, and has correspondingly led to some innovative initiatives in refugees' labour market integration and policy advocacy. The call for the engagement of the private sector and the existence of employment-related policies such as tolerated work permits (Ausbildungsduldung/Beschäftigungsduldung) were essential to create sufficient incentives for private companies to engage in the training and employment of refugees. However, the insecure residence permits and bureaucratic procedures in the public sector mostly discouraged their engagement. Our research shows that the two company types had different possibilities, different approaches towards refugees and faced different challenges while engaging in refugee labour market integration.     

Reflections on doing participatory research in health: participation,method and power

The author has reflected on her experience in facilitating three participatory research (PR) projects to identify key issues surrounding participation, method and power. The three PR projects in health, all undertaken in the same region in southeast Australia, assessed the needs of women who have experienced breast cancer, evaluated an Indigenous healthy lifestyle programme and developed and documented a model of coordinated care by a consumer group. In particular, the three participatory projects suggested that participants do not always want to maximise their own participation and may prefer external researcher involvement – relationships, confidentiality, anonymity and time‐impacted perspectives of participation. In one study, quantitative methods were selected and time and previous knowledge of research shaped participants' selection of method. In the projects, power relations were complex and issues of negotiation, inclusion, quality of research, agendas, roles and integrity are discussed. The lessons learned here are that participatory researchers can be open to differing levels of participation and methods while also comfortable with sharing decision‐making in research, even if it alters the research outcome.     

Strategic implications of the information age

conclusion The continued enhancements of information technologies facilitate and increase knowl-edge intensity in organizations. As such, knowledge and information technologies play critical roles in the development of competitive advantage by firms. For example, IT facilitates organizational learning and helps firms move into international markets by making it easier to coordinate geographically dispersed units and operations. Even entrepreneurial new venture firms are moving into international markets earlier in their life cycle (Oviatt and MacDougall, 1977; Zahra et al., 2000). IT has become especially important to smaller, entrepreneurial firms to facilitate their networking and coopera-tive ventures with other firms in order to compete more effectively with much larger firms for major projects. Furthermore, information technologies facilitate these firms’ technological learning, a critical element to their survival and long-term success (Zahra et al., 2000). IT has also helped firms from emerging markets (e.g., Korea, Mexico) compete more effectively against firms from developed markets that have more resources. Thus, IT has helped facilitate the increasing globalization of businesses.     

Interlocking directorates in canada: evidence from replacement patterns

Cross-sectional studies of interlocking directorates cannot adequately address the question of whether the network is primarily an accumulation of planned liaisons between specific pairs of firms or whether it reflects a more diffuse collective interest of the capitalist class. By examining the outcomes when ties are broken, it is possible to discover if ties between specific firms are usually replaced, as would occur if planned liaisons dominated the network. Replacement patterns are examined for interlocks among all firms ever among the one hundred largest Canadian firms between 1946 and 1977. About 30 percent of the broken ties are replaced by ties between the same pair of firms. Ties involving an executive of one of the firms (“insider ties”) are more likely to be replaced as are ties between firms with two or more interlocks. The findings suggest that interlocks serve both as vehicles of intercorporate control and liaison and as reflections of the class character of the group from which the directors of large firms are recruited.