SME Partners Research Articles

The role of negative and positive forms of power in supporting CSR alignment and commitment between large firms and SMEs

Do large firms exert power to shape the CSR behavior of their SME partners?” We answer this question by proposing a model built on the stakeholder theory and the shareholder theory, and go on to explain how this impact influences the commitment of the SME towards their large partner. The model highlights the central role that different forms of power exercised by the large firm play in the process. A survey of 291 SMEs confirms the key hypotheses, including the mediating role of reward power. The effects of coercive power are noteworthy and they illustrate the complex and competing forces at play in influencing CSR behavioral change in SMEs. The research makes a novel contribution to practice by highlighting among other things, how power, as a negative force via coercion or positively through expert or reward benefits, support or becomes counterproductive to the change process.

Model Description Language (MDL): A Standard for Modeling and Simulation

Recent work on Model Informed Drug Discovery and Development (MID3) has noted the need for clarity in model description used in quantitative disciplines such as pharmacology and statistics. 1-3 Cur ...

Operationalizing urban resilience through a framework for adaptive co-management and design: Five experiments in urban planning practice and policy

The emergent discourse on social-ecological resilience can be understood as a response to the rapid pace of change and severe challenges facing urban areas. This paper reports on one strand of research being carried out as part of the EU FP7 TURAS project (Transitioning to Urban Resilience and Sustainability) that aims to gain insight into the implications of social-ecological resilience thinking on urban planning practice and policy by presenting a unique, trans-disciplinary perspective that has been developed collaboratively between academic, local government and SME partners. A framework for adaptive co-management and design is introduced as a basis for the operationalisation of urban resilience, highlighting the need to actively solve problems collaboratively by exercising imagination and creativity, and presenting a new and potentially fertile source for innovation. Five experiments exploring urban planning practices relating to the framework are put forward as examples of urban resilience in practice: an online crowd-sourcing application for mapping underused spaces; an interactive timeline tool for identifying drivers of change over time; a guidance and signposting tool to help community projects overcome resource barriers; an epistemic network of citizens that exchanges knowledge and resources relating to underused spaces; and an online portal that provides visibility for community groups or projects, and facilitates horizontal networking. The paper describes each experiment, sets out the aims and theoretical contexts, records any initial findings, and reflects on the potential and limitations. Initial findings are discussed relating to the challenges of crowd-sourcing spatial or historical data, and the resource commitment required for the emerging practices. It is observed that the experiments attempt to address fundamental issues in urban planning practice and policy, and involve established and familiar activities. The paper concludes that the research provides insight into what urban resilience might mean in practice and that each experiment has the potential to make a tangible contribution to the transition to urban resilience and sustainability.

IbM Kelompok Usaha Produk Olahan Susu Segar Di Dusun Boyong Desa Hargobinangun, Sleman Yogyakarta

Micro, IBMs partner program (science and technology to the Community) are SMEs Heroine Boyong I (stick milk) and Heroine Boyong II (milk candy). Both are micro-scale industry based on fresh dairy product businesses.IBM program on SME partners focused on the aspects of production and management. All activities in the production aspect functioned to improve the capacity and quality of production and increase dairy product variants. While aspects of management consists of: marketing, financial administration and human resource capacity building functioned as a partner in running the business well.Outputs from the aspects of production activities are: lay out production in accordance with the concept of lean manufacturing, the addition of production capacity, increased efficiency of production of milk candy, increasing dairy product variants can be produced, the product is equipped with a production label and expiration date. In terms of management: managed to get a halal certificate from MUI, promotion of relevant equipment, attractive product design, wider marketing network, the use of social media for marketing, simple financial statements, bill of sale authorized, improved business mentality, and the ability of Partners in processing of fresh dairy products bertamba increased. Keywords: SMEs, science and technology transfer, production and management

ADI Lost-Foam: Synergy of Process and Material

A consortium of SME and RTD partners from Germany, Poland, Italy and Finland was established in the ambit of the fifth European framework programme for the development of a process that combined Lost-Foam with a high performance ADI – Austempered Ductile Iron Cast Iron. In the Lost-Foam process foam patterns are used as models for complex and near net shape castings. These models are coated with a special refractory paint. The models are surrounded by unbonded sand and then filled with liquid metal. As the alloyed ductile iron melt decomposes the foam, the coating material is of great importance for the effective extraction of the foam decomposition products. By means of a posterior special heat treatment it is possible to achieve tensile strengths ranging from 800 to 1600 MPa with elongations ranging from 1 % to 12 %. The main achievements of the performed investigations were the development of the alloy and respective heat treatment parameters for the base ductile iron as well as a suitable coating material. Moreover, these investigations showed that it is possible to produce ADI castings capable of achieving the same mechanical properties as forged steel crankshafts with a significant weight reduction. Additionally, the production of such castings through the Lost-Foam process have a yield of more than 87 % as opposed to the typical yield of the traditional green sand process which can reach 55 %.