Number Of Small Businesses Research Articles

THE ROLE OF SMALL BUSINESS IN US EXPORTS

The article analyzes small business exports trends; the obstacles in the field of the exports promotion in terms of both the number of small businesses that export and the value of existing small business exporters. The value of small business accounts for one-third of the US total exports, and units with less than 50 employees are leading in raising their exports. Special attention is paid for the influence of the digital engagement on small business’ exports, considering that digital tools make it possible to expand overseas. It is pointed out that there are more barriers for small businesses exporting, comparing with larger ones; and they need help in a wide range of tools to make their business global. Some small companies feel exporting too expensive, or too difficult to be involved in the export process. While D. Trump made some protectionist steps, small business administration is required to perform several functions to support small businesses in their way to engage in international trade. It is also pointed out that agencies involved in supporting small businesses in their export process need coordination on federal, state, local levels.

Evaluation of the implementation of entrepreneurial potential (on the example of the Republic of Tatarstan)

Increase in the number of small businesses and the lack of effectiveness of existing support at local and regional level have led to curb the development of entrepreneurial activity. The article presents the methodological tools for assessing the effectiveness, which allows to identify existing municipalities in the advantages and disadvantages for the implementation of entrepreneurial potential, including the effectiveness of state and municipal support measures, as well as calculate the degree of progress in the implementation of entrepreneurial potential. In order to evaluate the implementation of the business potential of the Republic of Tatarstan and the impact of their public support at the regional level was calculated indexes of business activity in the municipal districts (MD) of the republic. It should be noted that a major breakthrough in share of small and medium-sized businesses is important to the whole ecosystem. The method of evaluation of the implementation of entrepreneurial potential which is presented in this paper can be used by every competent organization to analyze and form the effective programs of the economic and finance development.

Researches of modern development of business environment in Ukraine

The article deals with concept of « business environment » . The views of scientists on its essence are analyzed and definition as an integrated set of objective and subjective various external and internal factors is suggested that mediate business relations and allow the entrepreneur to succeed in realization of objectives, in the implementation of business projects and contracts at a profit. Article describes the dynamics of basic indicators of business development in Ukraine (the number of small businesses, the number of employed in small business and the volume of sales). Conceptual provisions of development of entrepreneurial relations that are the basis of author's interpretation of essence, goals and functions of business management are presented.

Competition and Economic Regulation in Infrastructure Industries: Lessons from Economic History and Current UK Debates

This paper discusses the role of affordability in the economic regulation of the retail markets of network infrastructure industries – railways, electricity, water and telecommunications/ICT. The paper first considers the rise of these industries after 1800 from serving a small number of businesses and richer consumers and their transition to providing ‘necessity’ goods for the whole population. It also describes the evolution of these industries in the UK and USA over the period 1850-1970 from competitive supply to regulated vertically and horizontally integrated monopoly companies. From 1850 onwards, economic regulation developed to provide monopoly oversight and regulation that promoted affordable services with USOs. The paper then turns to more recent UK debates and, in particular, to the analysis and findings of two major recent reports (i) the 2015-16 Ofcom Strategic Review of Digital Communications and (ii) the 2015-16 CMA Energy Investigation. These reviews are discussed in the light of the economic history related in the first part of the paper. The paper concludes that affordability and related considerations has led in the UK to ‘regulation for competition’ replacing reliance solely on ex post competition policy for household and SME retail markets in these industries. General political economy concerns over the affordability of these goods as reflected in the economic history suggest that retail price controls will remain at least a significant threat and often a temporary or long-term actuality for household and SME retail markets for electricity and natural gas, water and sewerage as well as ICT services.

Segmentation and Job Mobility in the Indian Labour Market

The extent of mobility of the workers among different segments of a labour market plays a crucial role in the overall levels of poverty and inequality in the economy. Theoretical conceptualizations of the degree of mobility in the labour market have broadly been polarized into a segmented vs. integrated labour market debate. Within the segmented model frame-work the informal economy is considered an unfavorable sector and the informal workers queuing for better jobs in the formal economy. This view is countered by the legalist school who view the choice to be informal to be voluntary. Due to the importance of labour mobility equitable growth and poverty reduction and its significance in understanding the nature of the labour market, the present study analysis the patterns and consequences of labour mobility in India using the novel IHDS panel data. Our study finds significant mobility across sectors in the economy. We also find certain individual attributes being associated with movement into certain labour market segments. Finally, our study finds evidence of significant earnings differentials across paid work statuses. The study finds evidence of segmentation with regard to regular (or formal) vis-a-vis casual (or informal) wage employment. We also notice large-scale distress driven movements of works, especially from OAW and cultivation work into casual work. In contrast we also notice a large number of small businesses which have seen growth over the period. Given the results of our study suitable policy recommendations have been made.

APLIKASI REMOTE SENSING UNTUK PEMETAAN SEBARAN KEMISKINAN (STUDI KASUS: KELURAHAN KLEDUNGKRADENAN, KECAMATAN BANYUURIP, KABUPATEN PURWOREJO, PROVINSI JAWA TENGAH)

Creativity and innovation is a topic that is relevant not only for the entrepreneurs who are just starting, but also for business activities in general. The concept of entrepreneurial marketing is a scientific discipline that studies about the value, capabilities and a person's behavior in dealing with various issues related to business opportunities in an effort to get done. The purpose of this study are: first, to determine and analyze creativity and innovation have a significant effect simultaneously on entrepreneurial marketing. Second, to identify and analyze creativity and innovation have a significant effect partially towards entrepreneurial marketing. Third, to identify and analyze between creativity and innovation are the dominant influence on entrepreneurial marketing. The research location is determined at small business centers Ceramic Dinoyo Malang. The number of small businesses as respondents: 34 business units. Data analysis tool used is multiple linear regression using the F test and T test. Based on the results of data analysis using multiple linear regression, the results of the study are as follows: First, creativity and innovation have a significant effect simultaneously on entrepreneurial marketing. Second, creativity and innovation have a significant effect partially towards entrepreneurial marketing. Third, creativity is the dominant influence on entrepreneurial marketing. Keywords: Creativity, innovation entrepreneurial marketing

Assessment of diversification in the regional economy (Case study of subjects of the Siberian Federal District)

The article deals with the problem of assessing economic diversification at the level of individual federal subjects. Diversification is one of the strategic goals for development of Siberia. Assessing the progress in furthering this goal requires its consideration at the level of measurable indicators. In world practice, measurement and evaluation of the level of diversification of the regional economy are based on a variety of indicators reflecting individual characteristics of diversification processes. This paper presents a comparative analysis of diversification in subjects of the Siberian Federal District over the period of 2008–2013. In assessing diversification, we used the Herfindahl–Hirschman indices (gross value added and number of employees by economic activity, the structure of shipped products in manufacturing, the export commodity structure) and the proportion of manufacturing, share of single-industry towns resident in the regional population, and the number of small businesses (enterprises) per 10000 people. Discrepancies in the estimates of various indicators and contradictory trends are shown in the development of diversification processes in individual subjects of the Siberian Federal District. Correlation analysis showed no strong relationship between diversification and the growth rate of the regional economy or the existence of a strong link between economic diversification and its stability. The regions are grouped according to the level of their stability.

An Evaluation of Entrepreneurial Potential in the Republic of Tatarstan

Abstract Increase in the number of small businesses and the meager effectiveness of existing support at local and regional level have led to curb the development of entrepreneurial activity. The article presents the methodological tools for assessing the effectiveness, which allows to identify existing municipalities in the advantages and disadvantages for the implementation of entrepreneurial potential, including the effectiveness of state and municipal support measures, as well as calculate the degree of progress in the implementation of entrepreneurial potential.

How do SME owners management information in the Tshwane area, South Africa

The high failure rates of SMEs, due to lack of managerial skills, motivated the lecturers of the Department Marketing & Retail, CEMS, Unisa to initiate training workshops at municipalities in their region. The Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) skills development community engagement project SME skills transfer workshops are being presented on a monthly basis with Prof Louise van Scheers as one of the project leaders. The aim of this project is to improve managerial skills of small business owners of the formal and informal sectors in the Tshwane municipality area. In South Africa there has been an increase in the number of small businesses starting up which increase competition amongst businesses. Advertising has been seen as a means to aid these small businesses to differentiate them from the competition. Quantitative was used in the form of survay with managers and owners of small businesses participating in the workshops. The most successful advertising medium used by small businesses in the area according to the conducted research is wall painting. With an increase of tourist to the area, the Internet should be considered a more popular form of advertising. The conducted research established that information management of SME owners are below the normal business standards. The research also indicated that information management, managerial skills and access to finance are the biggest hindrances to growing and managing their businesses better. Unfortunately, the basic structural information that smaller entities like SMEs struggle with together with lack of resources hinder their information management. The conducted research recommends that tailor made business management workshops on information management should be designed, and appoint appropriate and accountable organisations with specific outcome targets.

Success in Hosted Accommodation: Does Owner Age Matter?

Recent studies of mature entrepreneurs in Europe, the UK, and North America suggest that, contrary to popular perception, the growing number of small businesses created and operated by mature entrepreneurs have a longer life span and are generally more successful. The literature primarily attributes this perceived success to various age-related advantages, such as the ability to accrue greater commercial experience, more personal networks and experience, and greater personal financial resources that can be used to fund the venture. In order to investigate the age-related success of small tourism businesses, this study analyzes 167 responses from a survey of 655 hosted accommodation owner-operators in Western Australia. The relative success of each business venture was evaluated using a number of criteria: longevity of the enterprise, consumer demand (measured via occupancy rate), and two measures of self-perceived levels of success. The results show that while businesses operated by mature entrepreneurs have a longer life span, every other indicator of success—both objective and subjective—suggests that these owner-operators are actually less successful than expected. These results contradict the emerging body of evidence elsewhere, and suggest that firms run by older entrepreneurs may in fact be more marginal than has previously been supposed.

The growth of micro, small, and medium-sized hotel enterprises: the roles of the state.

The tourism sector has been described with the active participation of multinational corporations and large locally based business establishments. However, there is still a place for smaller businesses, as the literature holds that the sector is dominated by a huge number of small businesses. This article aims to elucidate the factors that shape the development of these small businesses, beginning with an understanding of the state's roles in such ventures. Secondary data, together with first-hand information from in-depth interviews with policy makers and practitioners, form the basis of the authors’ arguments. Findings suggest that tourism is viewed as a progressive and important industry by both central and local governments. Policies such as the extension of capital, marketing or promotion, and the provision of training programs help to nurture the growth of micro, small, and medium-sized hotels. Nevertheless, some of these provisions and the ways in which they were implemented need to be re-evaluated...

The Responsive Raid

The article investigates an instance of responsive regulation as a team of inspectors conducts an unannounced raid. The raid takes place in Denmark and its aim is to judge and regulate tax compliance in a number of small businesses. The article argues that different ‘logics of generalization’ is at play as inspectors as well as business owners value the state-­of-­affairs in the businesses. Furthermore, the article discusses how the inspectors are responsive in the raid. It argues that they are responsive – not primarily towards the behaviour of the taxpayers – but towards a general public. The article hereby engages in the debate concerning what responsive regulation is and how it is played out in practice as the state regulates citizens and businesses. The overall analytical framework is inspired by Helen Verran’s notion of ‘relational empiricism’, and the analysis is an example of how this analytic can be used as a heuristic to analyze ethnographic data.

European Microfinance Institutions and Information and Communication Technologies

The development of microfinance programs in Europe has increased due to the establishment of a large number of small businesses, increase in unemployment, high inflation rates and an impoverished population, which all constitute stimulating conditions of microfinance development. In addition, technological factors consisting of advances in information and communication technologies have contributed to the expansion of microfinance institution (MFI) activities among European citizens. They have facilitated the access to MFI products while also enhancing performance through cost reduction and better services to clients. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to map state of the art Microfinance Institutions products distribution, its evolution in Europe and exploring how ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) contribute to this evolution while helping European MFI commercialize their products. The authors’ developments are illustrated through examples that include interviews conducted with MFI professionals and clients in France. The interviewees remark on the importance of such products to reduce social differences and foster economic development and the contribution of ICT to facilitate their distribution to reach larger clients.

Understanding the divergence between output and employment in the UK construction industry

This article examines recent divergence between output and employment in the UK construction industry. It looks at the construction labour market and highlights how its flexibility (in relation to other industries) may have contributed to the observed divergence. It also looks at structural changes in the UK economy that may have contributed to the observed divergence between employment and output. Notably, it considers the measurement of migrant workers in the construction sector and the growth in the number of small businesses. The article concludes that, although construction statistics are well developed, the construction industry's unique characteristics still present significant challenges in the measurement methodology of output and employment.

SME Performance – Results from a Longitudinal Study

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have become the backbone of industrialized economies. This trend is also evident in South Africa, where, however, there are more closures than expansions: it is believed that only around 1% of the micro-enterprises started with fewer than five employees grow to employ up to 10 people. Consequently, these businesses contribute little to the taxation base of the economy, thus depriving the country of potential and much needed tax revenue. The rhetoric about the importance of SMEs in relation to the sustainability of jobs and poverty alleviation is current in South Africa, as elsewhere. Yet no studies have been conducted in the country to confirm that SMEs do have the desired effects. This study was therefore undertaken to ascertain whether SMEs do indeed contribute to and/or are able to sustain jobs over time. Performance data on SMEs were collected over a three-year period. During this period, a very small number of businesses closed due to failure; others simply disappeared or ceased business operations without formally de-registering the business.

Does Liability Affect Small Business?

The authors assess the impact of liability on various small-business firms, using caps on non-economic damages as a measure of liability pressure, comparing the number of small businesses before and after supreme court decisions to strike down caps.

Gathering perceptions of Soweto small business owners on advertising in black townships in South Africa

As more money is invested in the redevelopment of Soweto, a black urban residential area in South Africa there has been a growth in the number of small businesses starting up in the area. This increase in small businesses has seen an increase in competition amongst businesses. Advertising has been seen as a means to aid these small businesses to differentiate them from the competition. Results from this investigation revealed new ways in which small businesses operating in changing the Soweto business environment can advertise and which advertising mediums are most effective.

Towards a simplified tax system for small businesses in transition countries

With the move to a market economy the number of small businesses has grown substantially in most transition countries. However, complicated tax laws and the lack of a culture of voluntary compliance provide strong incentives to operate outside the formal economy. This article gives an overview of the development and key design features of simplified, presumptive tax systems designed to encourage the number of small businesses registered for taxation in the region. It also attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of these systems, and finds that though the numbers of businesses registered for these systems has increased, the tax revenue deriving from them is very small as a proportion of total tax revenue. Nevertheless, these results are preliminary in nature, since in many transition countries the process of developing a stable tax system and a culture of voluntary compliance has not yet been completed.

Small business owner-managers as latent informal investors in Japan: Evidence from a country with a bank-based financial system

Start-up support by small business owner-managers looks extremely promising for the formation of a pool of latent informal investors in countries like Japan with a bank-based financial system and small-scale informal investing. First, small business owner-managers have superior potential in regard to the hands-on capacity to provide management know-how. Second, there are a large number of small businesses in Japan. Third, small businesses exist not only in financial centres and new venture clustering areas, but also in all regional areas. This paper demonstrates the activities of small business owner-managers acting as financial and non-financial supporters of business start-ups in Japan, by using two data sets both surveyed in 1999 by the National Life Finance Corporation. The empirical results showed that owner-managers who are younger, from larger small businesses, or who had received support when their own businesses were starting tended to provide start-up support. It was shown that there was a clear tendency to provide financial support to business types 'different' from the managers' own businesses. One way of increasing the pool of informal investors would be to attract managers in various positions to make informal investments and expand their businesses and entrepreneurial skills.

Are Slovene Small Firms Using Information Technology Strategically?

The extent to which information technology (IT) is used strategically is measured in a sample of 147 small Slovene firms. Slovenia is interesting from a small business perspective because from 1990, when the transformation of its economy started, the number of small businesses has increased almost six times (from almost 6500 to nearly 35000 in 1999). The results indicate that IT industry leadership and also IT's role in a firm are strong predictors of the strategic usage of IT. IT is particularly well utilized in firms emphasizing innovation and, to a lesser degree, an efficiency strategy. Firms pursuing a low-cost strategy were the least likely to utilize IT strategically.