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Small Firms (small + firm)
Selected AbstractsInternationalization, Strategic Behavior, and the Small Firm: A Comparative InvestigationJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2004Christos Kalantaridis Previous research on the internationalization of the small firm explored the relationship between the adoption of a global orientation and strategic thinking. However, there was difference in opinion between those arguing that there is a positive relationship between the two variables and others who contended that small firms may internationalize by adopting a passive or reactive approach to the external environment. Within this context, this study sets out to further the discussion by comparing the experience of small enterprises with their medium and large-scale counterparts. In doing so, it draws upon the findings of survey of 1,000 internationalized enterprises located in the main urban conurbations of England. The results suggest that overall there is little disparity in strategy development among internationalized enterprises of different sizes. However, whereas the incidence of strategic behavior among medium and large businesses increases with the complexity of international operations, this is not the case for small firms. [source] Researching Small Firms and Entrepreneurship in the U.K.: Developments and DistinctivenessENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2008Robert A. Blackburn This article charts the development of research on small firms and entrepreneurship in the U.K. over the last 30 years or so and identifies distinctive characteristics of the current orientation of the research field. The paper analyses the rapid increase in the number of researchers contributing to the field over the period, together with its growing legitimacy and institutionalization. One of the key underlying themes is the rich diversity of approaches, reflecting the origins and development path, with clusters of researchers ranging from those with normative objectives to those who view the phenomenon as an object of study. Specific features of the U.K. research field identified include its policy orientation; a rich empirical tradition, with methodological diversity; an emphasis on small firms, and entrepreneurship as a subject for study, rather than an object for promotion; aspects of the boundaries and language of small business and entrepreneurship research; and pre-paradigmatic and middle range theory development i.e., somewhere between grand theory and empirical findings. [source] Capital Assistance for Small Firms: Some Implications for Regional Economic WelfareGEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS, Issue 1 2000Daniel Felsenstein This paper analyzes the role of finance capital in regional economic development. A cost-benefit approach is invoked in order to estimate the welfare impacts of a regional loan and guarantee program for small firms in Israel. Program-created employment is treated as a benefit and an employment account that separates net from gross employment, is presented. An estimate of net wage benefits is then derived. This involves adjusting wages across different earnings classes in order to account for the variation in opportunity costs of labor at different levels. The estimation of costs includes the opportunity costs of capital, administration, default, and tax-raising costs. Results point to substantial regional welfare effects. We stress the need to account for changing regional economic structure in this kind of evaluation framework. [source] Trade Credit Terms Offered by Small Firms: Survey Evidence and Empirical AnalysisJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 3-4 2002Nicholas Wilson Trade credit has been shown to be an important source of short-term finance for smaller firms but small firms are also suppliers of trade credit. There is little empirical evidence on the credit granting decisions of small firms. Previous empirical work (Petersen and Rajan, 1997; and Ng, Smith and Smith, 1999) has focused on credit granting and investment in accounts receivable in larger firms. In this paper we look at the influences on credit granting for the smallest firms, using a sample of firms with an average of 10 employees. As in previous studies we find that product and demand characteristics influence credit terms. Moreover, we find evidence that firm size affects credit extension choices directly by setting limits on the possibilities for economies of scale, but it also impacts indirectly by affecting the firm's access to finance and its bargaining strength vis-à-vis suppliers. The dominant position of larger customers in bargaining with small suppliers constrains the impact of other factors on the firm's choice of credit terms. Small firms are also under pressure to conform to industry norms, although lack of resources can be a limiting factor. Constrained firms may make use of two-part terms in an attempt to improve their cashflow. [source] Why Does Employment Legislation Not Damage Small Firms?JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 2 2004Paul Edwards Business rhetoric and conventional theory expect that employment regulations will have negative effects on small firms. Prior research has shown that effects are quite rare, but has not explained why. Case studies of 18 firms from three sectors identified four explanations. (1) Perceptions of effects tend to be broad and general, rather than reflections of concrete experience. (2) ,The law' is not uniform, with older laws being largely taken for granted. (3) Effects depend on competitive conditions, which are more important influences on firms than are regulations; where conditions are benign, regulations can be absorbed, but in other circumstances employment regulations can exacerbate competitive pressures. (4) A degree of informality in small firms further eases responses. By the same token, however, hopes that regulation will stimulate modernization are rarely realized. [source] The Role of Human and Financial Capital in the Profitability and Growth of Women-Owned Small FirmsJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2007Susan Coleman This paper examines the relationship between human and financial capital and firm performance for women- and men-owned small firms in the service and retail sectors. Results indicate that human capital variables, including education and experience, had a positive impact on the profitability of women-owned firms, whereas measures of financial capital had a greater impact of the profitability of men-owned firms. The ability to secure financial capital also had a positive impact on the growth rate of men-owned firms, but did not appear to affect the growth rate of women-owned firms. These findings suggest that the growth aspirations for women-owned firms may be driven by factors other than human capital or the ability to secure external capital. [source] On Lending to Small FirmsJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2007Elijah Brewer III Lending to small firms is difficult because of the problems of information asymmetry. Innovative ways to address these problems have the potential to increase credit availability to these firms. The papers in this section provide a discussion of two different innovations in small business financing: increased usage of credit scoring technology and the introduction of microfinance lending institutions. Though these two approaches make use of different technologies, they provide a valuable picture of how lending to small firms is evolving over time. [source] Loan Officer Turnover and Credit Availability for Small FirmsJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2006Jonathan A. Scott This paper presents empirical evidence on the role loan officers play in facilitating small firm access to commercial bank loans. If loan officers use soft information (for example, assessments of character, information from customers and suppliers) to make lending decisions that would not otherwise be made on the basis of hard information (for example, tax returns or financial statements), then, frequent turnover in loan officers should be associated with an adverse effect on credit availability. This relationship is confirmed empirically using survey data of U.S. small firms in 1995 and 2001, where loan officer turnover is positively related to the turndown rate on the most recent loan application. Although loan officer turnover could be influenced by the turndown rate (for example, an owner changes banks and gets a new loan officer as a result of a recent turndown), its negative effect on credit availability persists under several different tests. [source] Environment,Flexibility Coalignment and Performance: An Analysis in Large versus Small FirmsJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2006Antonio J. Verdú-Jover This paper takes a wide-ranging transnational look, within the frame of he European Union, at the differences between large and small firms based on practices of flexibility. More specifically, the research aims to evaluate whether small firms form a homogeneous body in applying flexible practices as opposed to large firms, as well as observing the differential effects on performance when there are discrepancies in the coalignment levels between a firm's actual flexibility and that required by the environment. The hypotheses are tested using data from 417 European firms. The results reveal that (1) good coalignments between actual and required flexibility (flexibility fit) have a greater influence on business performance in the case of small firms; (2) there are significant differences between small and large firms as regards operative flexibility, strategic flexibility, financial flexibility (organizational slack), and performance. The large firms analyzed coalign their flexibility fit better in their various dimensions (structural, operative, and strategic); (3) the degree of metaflexibility can be greater among small firms, which represents a greater information processing capacity, thus enabling the flexibility fit to be constantly coaligned to changes in the environment. However, a greater metaflexibility is not immediately reflected in the flexibility fit; and (4) this greater flexibility fit among large firms can be favored by their greater financial flexibility. [source] Market Orientation, Innovativeness, Product Innovation, and Performance in Small FirmsJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2004Frans J. H. M. Verhees Most research on market orientation, innovation and performance is related to big enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this study a model is developed to investigate the combined effect of market orientation and innovativeness on product innovation and company performance, for small firms. A specific feature of our research is that we use an objective measure for product innovation in contrast to the self-reported measures commonly used in research on innovation. To test our model data from 152 rose growers were used. This study's results show that the owner's innovativeness permeates all variables in the model and has a positive influence on market orientation, innovation, and performance. An interesting research result is also that customer market intelligence influences product innovation positively or negatively, depending on whether the innovativeness of the owner in the new product domain is weak or strong. [source] Fit among Competitive Strategy, Administrative Mechanisms, and Performance: A Comparative Study of Small Firms in Mature and New IndustriesJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2003Henrik Barth At least two different administrative mechanisms are available for the small business manager to develop and to pursue a competitive strategy. One refers to managerial skills needed to implement and to follow the competitive strategy chosen by the firm. The other refers to the design of organization structure,that is, how job tasks are divided, grouped, and coordinated. This paper argues that the fit among the competitive strategy followed by a firm, the utilization of the administrative mechanisms, and the performance of the firm is related to industry maturity. [source] Job Creation, Job Destruction and the Role of Small Firms: Firm-Level Evidence for the UK,OXFORD BULLETIN OF ECONOMICS & STATISTICS, Issue 5 2010Alexander Hijzen Abstract Evidence on job creation and destruction for the United Kingdom is limited, dated, and refers almost entirely to the manufacturing sector. We use firm-level data from 1997 to 2008 for almost all sectors, including services, and show that firms in the service sector exhibit much higher rates of job creation, but almost exactly the same rates of job destruction as those in manufacturing. ,Small' firms account for a disproportionately large fraction of job creation and destruction relative to their share of employment. Jobs created by small firms are no less likely to persist than those created by large firms. [source] The Impact of the National Minimum Wage in Small FirmsBRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 3 2003James Arrowsmith The introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) had potentially significant implications for small firms. Orthodox economic theory predicts adverse consequences, though institutional analysis points to potential efficiency as well as fairness effects. Using longitudinal data on 55 firms, this paper examines the impact of the NMW in small firms in clothing manufacture and hotel and catering. Different patterns of adjustment were observed, explained by both size and sector characteristics. Overall, the impact of the NMW was mediated by the informality of employment relations in the small firm. [source] International Activities in Small Firms: Examining Factors Influencing the Internationalization and Export Growth of Small FirmsCANADIAN JOURNAL OF ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES, Issue 1 2004Svante Andersson In this paper we explore internationalization and export growth over time in a sample of 135 small manufacturing firms. By using concepts and arguments from literature on international business and small firms, the paper identifies six situational, or contingency, factors that are expected to influence the international activities of small firms. Our results show that a dynamic and fast-changing environment may push small firms to go abroad, while it seems to be the experiences built up in the organization and a younger generation of CEOs that can explain why some small firms continue to expand their international activities. The findings suggest that the factors influencing small firms to go abroad and become international differ from the factors that influence them to continue and grow once they are on the international marketplace. The paper ends with a discussion of the findings, together with suggestions for further research. Résumé Dans cet article, nous analysons, à partir d'un échantillon de 135 petites firmes manufacturières, l'impact, au fil du temps, de l'internationalisation et de la croissance de l'exportation. Grâce à l'utilisation des concepts et d'arguments tirés de la littérature sur le commerce international et sur les petites entreprises, nous dégageons six facteurs situationnels et conjoncturels qui sont censés avoir un impact sur les activités internationales des petites entreprises. Nos résultats indiquent qu'un environnement dynamique et en mutation rapide peut être à l'origine de l'internationalisation des petites entreprises. Bien plus, les expériences acquises dans l'organisation et le rajeunissement des cadres expliqueraient pourquoi certaines petites entreprises continuent à étendre leurs activités internationales. Les résultats montrent aussi que les facteurs qui poussent les petites entreprises à s'exporter et à s'internationaliser sont différents de ceux qui les poussent à continuer à croître une fois qu'elles sont sur le marché international. Nous bouclons notre étude par une analyse des résultats et une proposition des pistes de recherche futures. [source] Bank Mergers and Small Firm Finance: Evidence from Lender LiabilityFINANCIAL MARKETS, INSTITUTIONS & INSTRUMENTS, Issue 2 2008James E. McNulty As a merger approaches, the value of repeat business for the target bank can drop sharply, so loan relationships between this bank and small businesses are often disrupted. Small firms sometimes experience serious value destruction as a consequence of this sudden lack of credit. This paper shows that lender liability may result from bank mergers and bankers involved in mergers often engage in aggressive, scorched-earth defense tactics to discourage further litigation. I summarize six lender liability cases to illustrate these points. Bank mergers have been shown to reduce credit availability in a number of studies. Since small firms depend on credit for their daily existence, owners of small firms do have a reason to fear a merger of their bank with a larger institution. Analyzing merger effects with survey data of firms obtained after a bank merger, an empirical strategy used in a number of studies, raises problems since the only firms considered are the ones that survived the bank merger. Suggesting that the problem will cure itself in the long run, an argument advanced in other studies, ignores small firms' daily dependence on credit. In the long run we are all dead. Bank examiners need to evaluate an institution's litigation experience and measure a bank's organizational architecture , its ethical climate. Banks which are repeatedly involved in lender liability lawsuits should be denied future mergers until there is a change in organizational architecture. To assist in evaluating organizational architecture, banks should be required to report their litigation expense on their call reports. Furthermore, regulators should seriously consider the recent suggestion of Carow, Kane and Narayanan (2006) that they take steps to ensure that participants in bank mergers preserve target bank relationships. Otherwise negative effects on small business lending and economic growth will continue as bank consolidation proceeds. [source] Small firms and internationalisation: learning to manage and managing to learnHUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2002Valerie Anderson Small firms contribute significantly to the UK economy, but most research into learning and work features the experience of large organisations. This article focuses on learning and work in small organisations. An interpretive framework relating to organisational learning is derived from the literature. Data on learning in small firms that internationalise are analysed to assess the extent to which models of organisational learning are applicable to the context and challenges they face. The article suggests that the large firm model of learning is inappropriate; the distinctive culture and communication systems of small organisations require different approaches to the acquisition, transmission and interpretation of knowledge. Tacit knowledge, developed through informal learning, is a priority and learning through local business networks is more important than participation in formal programmes. Advocacy of human resource development (HRD) practices based on conventional theories of organisational learning, therefore, may hinder rather than encourage performance in small organisations. [source] Trade Credit Terms Offered by Small Firms: Survey Evidence and Empirical AnalysisJOURNAL OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ACCOUNTING, Issue 3-4 2002Nicholas Wilson Trade credit has been shown to be an important source of short-term finance for smaller firms but small firms are also suppliers of trade credit. There is little empirical evidence on the credit granting decisions of small firms. Previous empirical work (Petersen and Rajan, 1997; and Ng, Smith and Smith, 1999) has focused on credit granting and investment in accounts receivable in larger firms. In this paper we look at the influences on credit granting for the smallest firms, using a sample of firms with an average of 10 employees. As in previous studies we find that product and demand characteristics influence credit terms. Moreover, we find evidence that firm size affects credit extension choices directly by setting limits on the possibilities for economies of scale, but it also impacts indirectly by affecting the firm's access to finance and its bargaining strength vis-à-vis suppliers. The dominant position of larger customers in bargaining with small suppliers constrains the impact of other factors on the firm's choice of credit terms. Small firms are also under pressure to conform to industry norms, although lack of resources can be a limiting factor. Constrained firms may make use of two-part terms in an attempt to improve their cashflow. [source] Barriers to Innovation among Spanish Manufacturing SMEsJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2009Antonia Madrid-Guijarro Innovation is widely recognized as a key factor in the competitiveness of nations and firms. Small firms that do not embrace innovation within their core business strategy run the risk of becoming uncompetitive because of obsolete products and processes. Innovative firms are a perquisite for a dynamic and competitive economy. This paper reports on the results of a study that examined barriers to firm innovation among a sample of 294 managers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Spain. The study examined the relation between (1) product, process, and management innovation and (2) 15 obstacles to innovation, which can limit a firm's ability to remain competitive and profitable. Findings of the study show that barriers have a differential impact on the various types of innovation; product, process, and management innovation are affected differently by the different barriers. The most significant barriers are associated with costs, whereas the least significant are associated with manager/employee resistance. Additionally, the results demonstrate that the costs associated with innovation have proportionately greater impact on small than on larger firms. The findings can be used in the development of public policy aimed at supporting and encouraging the innovation among SMEs in Spain. Government policies that encourage and support innovation among all firms, especially small firms, can help countries remain competitive in a global market. Public policy that encourages innovation can enable firms to remain competitive and survive, both of which have direct implications for employment and a country's economic viability. The results may also be insightful for managers who are attempting to encourage innovation. Understanding barriers can assist managers in fostering an innovative culture by supporting new ideas or by avoiding an attitude that creates resistance to new ideas. [source] The Impact of Regulations on Firms: A Case Study of the Biotech Industry,LAW & POLICY, Issue 3 2005FILIPPA CORNELIUSSEN Drawing on semi-structured interviews carried out with founders, managers, and senior scientists in start-up biotech firms, this paper illustrates that the socio-legal literature's characterization of small firms as less compliance oriented is too neat. Small firms do not necessarily have a limited knowledge and comprehension of the law. Nor do they necessarily have low levels of motivation to improve and maintain health and safety standards. In fact, the opposite may be true. Small firms may approach the regulatory ideal where the routines, procedures, and precautionary measures prescribed by regulations permeate the organizations. [source] Small firms and information and communication technologies (ICTs): toward a typology of ICTs usageNEW TECHNOLOGY, WORK AND EMPLOYMENT, Issue 2 2000Alan Southern Despite government support for a number of initiatives to encourage more small firms to adopt information and communication technologies (ICTs) implementation of ICTs has been a slow and very diverse development. This article examines the relationship between small firms and ICTs and highlights a number of typical, but often negated, characteristics that show how small firms use the technology. [source] Small firm networks: a successful approach to innovation?R & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2002Victoria Hanna This paper considers the increasing trend of inter,working among small firms. Networks of small firms co,operate in certain activities, such as marketing, purchasing, R&D, training or manufacturing. But does co,operation lead to innovation? To answer this question published evaluations of small firms co,operating for mutual benefit are reappraised. Inter,working among small firms is then investigated further by interviewing three network brokers. The brokers were funded by regional governments and they facilitated co,operation between small firms. These semi,structured discussions explored the key characteristics of successful networks, the responsibilities of the broker and the level of innovation occurring. Networking is primarily a competitive response. It needs to evolve into a mechanism to enable small firms to develop innovative products and processes jointly. Small firms may have to rethink their approach to co,operation, and their motives for initiating inter,working if they are to benefit fully from co,operation. [source] Job Creation, Job Destruction and the Role of Small Firms: Firm-Level Evidence for the UK,OXFORD BULLETIN OF ECONOMICS & STATISTICS, Issue 5 2010Alexander Hijzen Abstract Evidence on job creation and destruction for the United Kingdom is limited, dated, and refers almost entirely to the manufacturing sector. We use firm-level data from 1997 to 2008 for almost all sectors, including services, and show that firms in the service sector exhibit much higher rates of job creation, but almost exactly the same rates of job destruction as those in manufacturing. ,Small' firms account for a disproportionately large fraction of job creation and destruction relative to their share of employment. Jobs created by small firms are no less likely to persist than those created by large firms. [source] The Role of Education in Self,Employment Success in FinlandGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2002Aki Kangasharju This paper analyzes the effect of self,employed persons' education on the success of their firms during the economic downturn and upturn of the 1990's. It is found that the business cycle affects the relative closure rates of firms run by self,employed with any level of education. Exit probability is lower for the highly educated during bust, but higher in boom. This is accounted for by two facts. First, running a small firm is argued to be a less attractive choice to wage work, particularly for the highly educated, due to lower earning prospects, less stable stream of earnings, and the cultural tradition of working in large corporations. Second, the highly educated faced a higher outside demand for their labor than did the less educated during economic upturn. Finally, it was found that regardless of the state of aggregate economy, firms run by the highly educated have higher growth probabilities than those run by less educated persons. [source] Management development in small firmsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS, Issue 3 2006Nerys Fuller-Love This paper is a review of the literature concerning management development in small firms. It looks at the benefits in terms of growing a small firm and whether the lack of management skills contributes to their failure. In addition, this paper looks at some of the barriers to management development, including the attitudes and characteristics of the entrepreneur, and also looks at learning models that may be appropriate for small firms. The paper also looks at the authors' views on the effectiveness of management development for small firms, the barriers to learning as well as the skills required. Management development programmes are now widely accepted as a means of improving the competitiveness of firms and the economy as a whole. Although management education and training has, in the past, been designed mainly for larger firms, there is a growing awareness of the requirements of small businesses. Government initiatives designed to encourage start-ups and to boost the growth of small firms have emphasized the importance of management development. This review of the literature shows that, on balance, management development programmes are effective for small firms. The main benefits appear to be survival and growth, reduction in failure and improvement in performance. The skills required include leadership and management, developing management systems and techniques and team building. Other skills include planning, delegation and financial management. The paper concludes that there is a need for further research into the effectiveness of management development programmes, the skills required and the barriers to learning in small firms and, also, whether they have an impact on the survival, growth and profitability of small firms. [source] Toward a capabilities perspective of the small firmINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS, Issue 3 2001Tony Fu-Lai Yu This paper attempts to explain the competitive advantages of the small firm in the capabilities perspective. It begins by identifying the kinds of strategic assets possessed by small firms. It argues that entrepreneurship and a simple capital structure are the sources of dynamism for small firms. The relationship between the small firm's resources and its capabilities are then critically examined. In particular, the analysis focuses on the influences of strategic assets on the organizational flexibility , a significant source of competitive advantage enjoyed by small firms. The competitive attributes of small firms are further discussed in terms of firm's internal and external capabilities. Finally, the relationship between the small firm's capabilities and the choice of technology strategies is examined. [source] Internationalization, Strategic Behavior, and the Small Firm: A Comparative InvestigationJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2004Christos Kalantaridis Previous research on the internationalization of the small firm explored the relationship between the adoption of a global orientation and strategic thinking. However, there was difference in opinion between those arguing that there is a positive relationship between the two variables and others who contended that small firms may internationalize by adopting a passive or reactive approach to the external environment. Within this context, this study sets out to further the discussion by comparing the experience of small enterprises with their medium and large-scale counterparts. In doing so, it draws upon the findings of survey of 1,000 internationalized enterprises located in the main urban conurbations of England. The results suggest that overall there is little disparity in strategy development among internationalized enterprises of different sizes. However, whereas the incidence of strategic behavior among medium and large businesses increases with the complexity of international operations, this is not the case for small firms. [source] Radical innovation in a small firm: a hybrid electric vehicle development project at Volvo CarsR & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2010Hans Pohl The potential paradigmatic shift in technology from the internal combustion engine to electric propulsion via hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) has been addressed by most automakers, and has produced very different outcomes. This paper uses the framework of core capabilities to discuss how the small automaker, Volvo Cars, made substantial progress in its HEV development using an approach based on limited resources and a low risk. A comparison with Toyota's successful but very resource-demanding Prius project reveals some factors contributing towards rapid development in a context of limited resources, including focused project objectives, tight collaboration with suppliers of the new technologies, reuse of existing technologies and an unaggressive, bottom-up approach to change the firm's values and norms and other core capability dimensions. This paper provides an empirical illustration of how a small company in a mature industry worked with radical innovation in a development project drawing on the combination of organizational slack, entrepreneurial employees and an extensive use of external (knowledge) suppliers. [source] The Impact of the National Minimum Wage in Small FirmsBRITISH JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 3 2003James Arrowsmith The introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) had potentially significant implications for small firms. Orthodox economic theory predicts adverse consequences, though institutional analysis points to potential efficiency as well as fairness effects. Using longitudinal data on 55 firms, this paper examines the impact of the NMW in small firms in clothing manufacture and hotel and catering. Different patterns of adjustment were observed, explained by both size and sector characteristics. Overall, the impact of the NMW was mediated by the informality of employment relations in the small firm. [source] UK environmental policy and the small firm: broadening the focusBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 1 2003Andrea Revell The poor environmental performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK has been attributed to a wide range of barriers, both internal and external to the firm. However, the debate has seldom considered the interplay of factors beyond ,the firm'. In order for the debate to progress we emphasize the importance of situating the environmental practices of small firms within a context of national policy arrangements. A lack of institutional enfranchisement for SMEs in the UK is a key factor in understanding why environmental policies have yet to be successful in encouraging more environmentally proactive behaviour within this sector. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment. [source] A Theory of Consumer Boycotts under Symmetric Information and Imperfect Competition,THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 511 2006Robert Innes This article models strategic interactions between non-identical duopolistic firms and a public interest/environmental organisation (EO) that promotes ,green' production practices by threatening consumer boycotts against ,brown' producers. The article describes when boycotts are deterred by prior firm commitments to be ,green' and, also when a boycott arises in equilibrium, despite symmetric information. When a boycott arises, it is either a small persistent boycott against the ,small firm' in the industry, or a large transitory boycott against the ,large firm' in the industry that prompts the target firm to accede to the boycott demands quickly. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||