Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the success of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Palestine, and thus to contribute to the existing knowledge on the critical success factors (CSFs) of SMEs in the Palestinian context, especially in the West Bank. Design/methodology/approach The study is comprised a survey of a convenience sample of 370 SMEs operating in the West Bank, Palestine. It uses a multiple regression analysis to examine the effect of a set of CSFs, namely, reputation of the brand, excellence of customer services, reliable delivery and product innovation on the success of SMEs. Findings The results show that brand reputation, excellence of customer of services and reliable delivery strongly influence SME success, while innovation is weakly associated with SME success. These results imply that success is tied to customers and competition more than to production, structures or finance. That is, reputable brands, excellent customer service and reliable delivery are means to success according to the results of this research. Practical implications The study emphasizes the need for Palestinian SMEs to maintain and develop their brand reputation, institutionalize customer service and develop its logistical systems and practices. Generally, the study suggests that there are specific investment areas for SMEs that can contribute to achieving success. Specifically, excellence in customer service was found to be the factor most linked to the success of SMEs, followed by reliable delivery and then by brand reputation and innovation. Originality/value While plenty of research has been done on what contributes to the failure or success of SMEs, research on CSFs for SMEs is limited. The study combines four CSFs not previously used in combination to model the successful performance of SMEs in general and in the Palestinian context in particular. Only some specific factors are critical to the success of SMEs and should be the focal point of SMEs’ efforts as long as they are consistent with their nature as small economic entities competing with big companies in small markets. Thus, instead of using general factors of SME success, the study explains how success becomes more possible through specifying areas for decision-making or activities for the entrepreneurs to undertake, keeping in mind that there is a mechanism by which these factors work together toward the success of the SME.
This study aimed at explaining the role of customers' information management in improving organizational performance and competitive advantage for Palestinian corporations listed in Palestine Securities Exchange. Customers' information management included three dimensions; customers' information acquisition, information quality, and information utilization. Organizational performance was operationalized in terms of market share, sales growth and profit margin compared to previous year. While competitive advantage was operationalized in terms of some competitive indicators relative to competitors. This study was based on two main hypotheses related to the potential effect and relationship of customers' information management on organizational performance and competitive advantage. The study population included all corporations listed in the Palestine Securities Exchange. A representative simple random sample of (33) corporations was selected. The study concluded the followings: - A strong and statistically significant relationship was found between customers information management and the dimensions of organizational performance, collectively, and individually with the exception of sales growth dimension, a significant correlation with the efforts of customers information management was not found, while there was a strong influence of customer information management on the growth of market share, and profit margin for the Palestinian Corporations. - An important and statistically significant relationship was found between information management and organizational competitive advantage. - Companies were not likely to make a good use of customers' information as compared with their efforts of acquiring and ensuring the quality of this information. The study made some recommendations aiming at increasing the awareness of corporations regarding management of customer information as an organizational asset. هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى تفسير دور إدارة معلومات العملاء في تحسين الأداء المؤسسي، والميزة التنافسية لدى الشركات المساهمة العامة المدرجة في سوق فلسطين للأوراق المالية. وقد اشتملت إدارة معلومات العملاء على ثلاثة أبعاد، هي: الحصول على معلومات العملاء، وضمان جودتها، والاستفادة منها. وتم تجسيد الأداء المؤسسي من خلال نمو المبيعات، والحصة السوقية، وهامش الربح مقارنة مع العام السابق. أما الميزة التنافسية، فتم تجسيدها من خلال المقارنة مع المنافسين باعتماد عدد من المؤشرات التنافسية. واعتمدت الدراسة على فرضيتين رئيسيتين تمحورتا حول مدى تأثير إدارة معلومات العملاء وعلاقتها في الأداء المؤسسي، والميزة التنافسية للشركات المساهمة العامة. وقد تكوّن مجتمع الدراسة من الشركات المساهمة العامة المدرجة في سوق فلسطين للأوراق المالية، وتم اختيار عينه عشوائية بسيطة ممثلة من مجتمع الدراسة تكونت من (33) شركة. وقد توصلت الدراسة إلى النتائج التالية: - وجود علاقة معنوية ذات دلالة إحصائية بين إدارة معلومات العملاء، وتحقيق مستويات أعلى من الأداء المؤسسي بأبعاده الثلاثة مجتمعة، ومنفردة، باستثناء بعد نمو المبيعات، حيث لم يرتبط بعلاقة معنوية مع جهود إدارة معلومات العملاء، بينما كان هناك تأثير قوي لإدارة معلومات العملاء في نمو الحصة السوقية، ثم في نمو الهامش الربحي للشركات الفلسطينية. - وجود تأثير مهم ومعنوي لإدارة معلومات العملاء في تحقيق مستويات أعلى من الميزة التنافسية لدى الشركات الفلسطينية. - إن الشركات لا تستفيد من المعلومات التي تجمعها حول عملائها بنفس مقدار الجهود التي تبذلها في عملية جمع هذه المعلومات، والعمل على ضمان جودتها. وقدمت الدراسة مجموعة من التوصيات الهادفة إلى زيادة اهتمام إدارات الشركات بمعلومات العملاء كأصل من أصول المؤسسة.
Recently, the level of interest in marketing expenditures and evaluating its productivity has been increased as well as the interest in marketing accountability. Although various efforts have been made for this purpose but still needed to investigate the relationship between marketing expenditures and institutional financial performance. This study aimed to test the relationship between marketing expenditures and the financial performance of banks and insurance companies listed on the Palestine Securities Exchange. A sample of historical data was chosen from the data of all banks and insurance companies listed on the Palestine Securities Exchange. Five banks and four insurance companies were chosen while three banks and two insurance companies were excluded because either recently established or recently included in the Palestine Securities Exchange. The study hypotheses were tested using simple linear regression analysis. The study concludes a strong positive relationship between marketing expenditures, total revenue and net profits of companies. A model from which to predict the net profits of companies and their revenues has been developed, it was also found that the impact of marketing expenditures on the revenues and profits of the banks is higher than the impact on profits and revenues of insurance companies. تزايدت في الآونة الأخيرة درجة الاهتمام بالإنفاق التسويقي وتقييم إنتاجيته، إلى جانب الاهتمام بالمحاسبة التسويقية. وبالرغم من الجهود المختلفة التي بذلت لأجل هذا لغرض إلا أن الحاجة لا تزال قائمة لدراسة العلاقة بين الإنفاق التسويقي والأداء المؤسسي المالي. هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى اختبار علاقة الإنفاق التسويقي بالأداء المالي للبنوك وشركات التأمين المدرجة في سوق فلسطين للأوراق المالية. واعتمدت الدراسة على عينة من البيانات التاريخية لكل البنوك وشركات التأمين المدرجة في سوق فلسطين للأوراق المالية فتم اختيار خمسة بنوك وأربع شركات تأمين وتم استبعاد ثلاثة بنوك وشركتي تأمين نظراً لحداثة عملها أو حداثة إدراجها في سوق فلسطين للأوراق المالية. وتم اختبار فرضيات الدراسة باستخدام تحليل الانحدار الخطي البسيط. وقد توصلت الدراسة إلى وجود علاقة طردية قوية بين مصاريف التسويق ومجموع الإيرادات، وصافي أرباح الشركات، وتم تطوير نموذج يمكن من خلاله التنبؤ بإيرادات الشركات وأرباحها، كما تم التوصل أيضا إلى أن تأثير مصاريف التسويق في إيرادات البنوك وأرباحها هو أعلى من تأثيرها في إيرادات شركات التأمين وأرباحها.
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