A heuristic method to schedule training programs for Small and Medium Enterprises

Abstract

During the life period of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in incubators they need some training programs to acquire the required knowledge in order to survive and succeed in the business environment. This paper presents a heuristic method based on an optimization model to schedule these programs at the most suitable times. Based on the proposed heuristic, each training program is implemented in a suitable time by considering the SMEs' requirements and some other logical constraints. The proposed heuristic is described in detail, and its implementation is demonstrated via a real-life numerical example. The numerical results of the heuristic are compared with other methods.

Advanced Manufacturing Technology Adoption in SMEs: an Integrative Model

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Research evolution in science parks and incubators: foundations and new trends

“…newness: level of investments and local support (McAdam and Marlow 2011; H. Zhang and Sonobe 2011), university support (Salvador and Rolfo 2011), local networking strategies (Sá and Lee 2012; Spithoven and Knockaert 2011), training programs(Rezaei et al 2012), and the development of an innovative community(Borgh et al 2012). …”