European Business

Johnson, Debra; Turner, Colin

doi:10.4324/9780203982679

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…For practical reasons within this study SMEs were defined by their staff count and annual turnover. This approach has been adopted in many previous empirical studies (Johnson and Turner, 2000; Hudson et al ., 2001; Gray and Mabey, 2005; McAdam et al ., 2005).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Smesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Project management tools and techniques in high‐technology SMEs

Murphy

Ledwith

2007

Management Research News

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PurposeThis paper aims to examine the use of project management practices in small high‐technology firms and to identify what contributes to project success.Design/methodology/approachThe results presented in this paper are based on a survey of Irish high‐technology small‐to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). A questionnaire was distributed to over 200 organisations via e‐mail and a response rate of 20 per cent was achieved.FindingsResults suggest that the existence of a project manager and the use of project planning significantly contribute to project success. Control for projects resides primarily with owner‐managers and achieving quality standards is a significant success criterion. Additionally, having clear goals/objectives and top management support are identified as the most important success factors in the firms surveyed.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper presents the findings of an initial investigation into the management of projects within SMEs. The study has been limited by the number of respondents and also by the use of a survey as a research instrument. Further research to develop a deeper understanding of how projects are managed in SMEs and how project success can be improved would require a more varied research methodology.Practical implicationsFindings suggest that project management tools and techniques are being used to a limited extent by high‐technology SMEs. Analysis suggests that the employment of a project manager and the implementation of project planning techniques are likely to contribute to the overall success of projects. SMEs also strongly believe that past experiences are a vital factor in implementing effective management procedures and determining future success.Originality/valueWhile most research into the use of project management has concentrated on practices within large firms, there has been a lack of investigation into project management in small firms as addressed by this paper.

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Section: Characteristics Of Smesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Project management tools and techniques in high‐technology SMEs

Murphy

Ledwith

2007

Management Research News

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“…A study by Barker and Kaynack (1992) identified the major perceived barriers to entry for non-exporting SMEs as follows: too much red tape, trade barriers, transportation difficulties, lack of trained personnel, lack of export incentives, lack of coordinated assistance, unfavourable conditions overseas, slow payment by buyers, lack of competitive products, payment defaults, and language / cultural barriers. While Johnson and Turner (2006) argued that it is imperative for a country's economic growth that its indigenous firms develop a strong sense of export activity, the barriers highlighted above offer a daunting challenge to international business, particularly for inexperienced and lesser resourced SMEs. Interestingly, Johnson and Turner noted that it is the intangible barriers, such as language and culture, which frequently pose the greatest challenge to exporting and thus highlighted the critical need for enabling owner-managers to understand that their fears are primarily caused by a lack of information.…”

Section: Cultural Distance As a Barrier To Exportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, the failure to take differences of national cultures into account has been the cause of many business failures that are well documented in the literature on international marketing (Ricks, 1993). Johnson and Turner (2006) were clear that one of the biggest barriers facing SMEs was a lack of knowledge, which is influenced not only by an entrepreneur's level of education and experience, but also by their cultural unfamiliarity with target markets. Swift and Lawrence (2003) commented that understanding the culture of the target market was an essential prerequisite of business success -an issue that had already been extensively examined by a number of practitioners and academics: Terpstra (1978), Hallén and Wiedersheim-Paul (1984), Domsch and Lichtenberger (1991), Howe et al (1990), Feldman and Thompson (1993), Meschi and Roger (1994), Randlesome and Myers (1995), Schneider and Barsoux (1997), and Conway and Swift (2000).…”

Section: Cultural Distance As a Barrier To Exportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting value creation by reducing cultural distance as a barrier to exporting

Cooney¹,

Ratcliffe²,

Silver

2009

IJEV

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Value creation at the level of the organisation involves balancing the interests of several different stakeholders, with exporting occasionally viewed as a broad-based strategy capable of achieving such equilibrium. However, while much has been written concerning the logistical and economic challenges faced by SMEs wishing to avail of market opportunities abroad, there remains a dearth of information offering solutions to overcoming cultural distance as a barrier to exporting. An EU project entitled 'Passport to Trade' sought to provide greater insight into business culture by collating the customs and subjective norms of all member states within the EU and making the information gathered available through a dedicated website. This practice-orientated paper offers insight into the practical development of this webbased information tool that supports value creation by reducing cultural distance as a barrier to exporting.

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Problems of Technology and Motivation in the Use of Renewable Energy

Leshchenko

2012

Sustainable Manufacturing

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European Business

Cited by 5 publications

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Project management tools and techniques in high‐technology SMEs

Project management tools and techniques in high‐technology SMEs

Supporting value creation by reducing cultural distance as a barrier to exporting

Problems of Technology and Motivation in the Use of Renewable Energy

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