Download or read book Business Practices in Small Firms in Developing Countries written by David J. McKenzie and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 41 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Management has a large effect on the productivity of large firms. But does management matter in micro and small firms, where the majority of the labor force in developing countries works? We develop 26 questions that measure business practices in marketing, stock-keeping, record-keeping, and financial planning. These questions have been administered in surveys in Bangladesh, Chile, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria and Sri Lanka. We show that variation in business practices explains as much of the variation in outcomes - sales, profits and labor productivity and TFP - in microenterprises as in larger enterprises. Panel data from three countries indicate that better business practices predict higher survival rates and faster sales growth. The effect of business practices is robust to including numerous measures of the owner's human capital. We find that owners with higher human capital, children of entrepreneurs, and firms with employees employ better business practices. Competition has less robust effects.

Download or read book Business Practices in Small Firms in Developing Countries written by David J. McKenzie and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Management has a large effect on the productivity of large firms. But does management matter in micro and small firms, where the majority of the labor force in developing countries works? This study developed 26 questions that measure business practices in marketing, stock-keeping, record-keeping, and financial planning. These questions have been administered in surveys in Bangladesh, Chile, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka. This paper shows that variation in business practices explains as much of the variation in outcomes ? sales, profits, and labor productivity and total factor productivity ? in microenterprises as in larger enterprises. Panel data from three countries indicate that better business practices predict higher survival rates and faster sales growth. The effect of business practices is robust to including many measures of the owner?s human capital. The analysis finds that owners with higher human capital, children of entrepreneurs, and firms with employees employ better business practices. Competition has less robust effects.

Download or read book Making It Big written by Andrea Ciani and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2020-10-08 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economic and social progress requires a diverse ecosystem of firms that play complementary roles. Making It Big: Why Developing Countries Need More Large Firms constitutes one of the most up-to-date assessments of how large firms are created in low- and middle-income countries and their role in development. It argues that large firms advance a range of development objectives in ways that other firms do not: large firms are more likely to innovate, export, and offer training and are more likely to adopt international standards of quality, among other contributions. Their particularities are closely associated with productivity advantages and translate into improved outcomes not only for their owners but also for their workers and for smaller enterprises in their value chains. The challenge for economic development, however, is that production does not reach economic scale in low- and middle-income countries. Why are large firms scarcer in developing countries? Drawing on a rare set of data from public and private sources, as well as proprietary data from the International Finance Corporation and case studies, this book shows that large firms are often born large—or with the attributes of largeness. In other words, what is distinct about them is often in place from day one of their operations. To fill the “missing top†? of the firm-size distribution with additional large firms, governments should support the creation of such firms by opening markets to greater competition. In low-income countries, this objective can be achieved through simple policy reorientation, such as breaking oligopolies, removing unnecessary restrictions to international trade and investment, and establishing strong rules to prevent the abuse of market power. Governments should also strive to ensure that private actors have the skills, technology, intelligence, infrastructure, and finance they need to create large ventures. Additionally, they should actively work to spread the benefits from production at scale across the largest possible number of market participants. This book seeks to bring frontier thinking and evidence on the role and origins of large firms to a wide range of readers, including academics, development practitioners and policy makers.

Download or read book Small Business Management in Cross Cultural Environments written by Per Lind and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Products and services created by small and medium sized organizations account for the vast majority of economic activity across the globe. These organizations will prove vitally important to the emerging and developing economies that will shape future decades. Small Business Management in Cross-Cultural Environments is one of very few books to take the cross-cultural context as an opportunity to analyse and discuss the key concepts of small firm management in different parts of the world. This textbook covers important topics, such as: the global economic development process entrepreneurship the role of government SME growth and collaborations in a global context. By explaining how culture shapes and conditions the reality of small businesses and how organizational theories and models fail as management tools, this book fills a significant gap. Supplemented by a compendium of compelling case studies, drawn from across the world, and based upon 25 years of international research by the author, Small Business Management in Cross-Cultural Environments is a useful guide for students and practitioners of SME and International Management

Download or read book Small Firms and Economic Development in Developed and Transition Economies written by David A. Kirby and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-22 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title was first published in 2003. Since the late 1970s there has been considerable interest in the role of small firms in economic development in general and employment generation in particular. Throughout the developed world, governments have introduced a range of measures to encourage small firm growth and development in an attempt to stimulate economic growth, generate employment and foster innovation. Though not all measures have been successful many policies have transferred to the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe where, since 1989, small firm growth and development has achieved considerable importance in economic restructuring. Accordingly, this volume presents the leading research on the role of small firms in economic development and employment generation in both transition and developed countries. Setting itself in a wider theoretical context, the book also considers the implications for both policy and theory and suggests directions for future research.

Download or read book Are Small Firms Important Their Role and Impact written by Stephen Ackermann and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are Small Firms Important? Their Role and Impact proposes and supports the claim that small firms make two indispensable contributions to the economy. First, they are an integral part of the renewal process that pervades market economies. New and small firms play a crucial role in experimentation and innovation that leads to technological change, productivity and economic growth. Second, small firms are the essential mechanism by which millions enter the economic and social mainstream of American society. The public policy implications for sustained economic growth and social well-being is the continued high-level creation of new and small firms by all segments of society. It should be the role of government policy to facilitate that process by eliminating entry barriers, lowering transaction costs, and minimizing regulation.

Download or read book Small Enterprise Development written by Philip A. Neck and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book International Differences in the Business Practices and Productivity of Firms written by Richard B. Freeman and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2009-10-15 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, globalization and the expansion of information technologies have reshaped managerial practices, forcing multinational firms to adjust business practices to different environments and domestic companies to adjust to their foreign competitors. In International Differences in the Business Practices and Productivity of Firms, a distinguished group of contributors examines the phenomenon of widespread differences in managerial practices across firms, establishments within firms, and countries. This volume brings together eight studies that combine qualitative and quantitative insider analysis of business practices such as the use of teams, incentive pay, lean manufacturing, and quality control, revealing the elements that determine which practices are adopted and why. International Differences in the Business Practices and Productivity of Firms offers a much-needed model for measuring the productivity and performance of international firms in a fast-paced global economy.

Download or read book Inclusive Global Value Chains written by Ana Paula Cusolito and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2016-08-23 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report's focus is making global value chains (GVCs) more inclusive. To achieve inclusiveness is by overcoming participation constraints for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and facilitation access for Low Income Developing Countries (LIDCs). The underlying assumption is that most firms in LIDCs are SMEs. Even larger firms in LIDCs are likely to face similar challenges to SMEs, including a less supportive domestic operating environment and weaker institutions that lead to higher fixed costs and challenges to compete on the international markets. The two major points of this report are (1) participation in GVCs is heterogeneous and uneven, across and within countries, and (2) available data and survey-based evidence suggest that SMEs’ participation in GVCs is mostly taking place through indirect contribution to exports, rather than through exporting directly. The report makes the case that policy action, at the national and multilateral level, can make a difference in achieving more inclusive GVCs through: a holistic approach to reform spanning trade, investment, and domestic policies countries and investments in expanding the statistical base and analysis of GVCs and in sharing knowledge on best practices on enabling policies and programs. The report elaborates on three broad areas of recommendations: (1) establishing a trade and investment action plan for inclusiveness defining clear and achievable objectives on trade and investment policy and identifying the necessary complementary domestic policy actions; (2) complementing trade, investment, and domestic policy actions by providing the needed political leadership and support to enhance collaboration across the sectors, and establishing global platforms for sharing best practices; and (3) providing political support for the establishment of a multi-year plan to expand and upgrade the statistical foundation necessary to increase the capacity of all countries to identify and implement policies that can contribute to stronger, more inclusive and sustainable growth and development, globally.

Download or read book Small Enterprise Development written by P. M. Mathew (Writer on business) and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Papers presented at an Internal Confernce on Small Enterprise Development at Cochin, held in 2000, organised by Institute of Small Enterprises and Development.

Download or read book Small Business Management in Developing Countries written by Luke Ike and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2018-06-13 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book aims at making a contribution to the promotion of small businesses in developing countries. It does so by helping to identify management problems encountered by small businesses in developing countries, with reference to policy environment, institutional framework, and UNIDO technical assistance. The result is aimed at providing a good information base on how small business management and performance in developing countries can be improved. This is for individuals who are already involved with small businesses and those interested in it.

Download or read book Small and Medium Size Enterprises in Economic Development Possibilities for Research and Policy written by Sidney Winter and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: September 1995 How (if at all) can the World Bank promote economic development by mobilizing resources organized as small and medium-size enterprises in developing countries? What lines of research about small and medium-size enterprises would help support the Bank's policymaking in this area? The World Bank's most important long-term advantage in promoting development, says Winter, may lie in opportunities to address related obstacles simultaneously. It could mount concurrent efforts to address the problems of small and medium-size enterprises in a particular sector, region, or economy, for example. It could address the conditions of founding new firms, providing finance or technical assistance, developing mutual support institutions, resolving disputes, and perhaps reducing counterproductive government interventions. Were the Bank to follow such a coordinated approach, programs could be designed to generate data to illuminate the impacts and interactions of various elements of policy. These data could be exploited, then, in research designs, or even the design of management information systems, shaped by program evaluation. Winter proposes four general issues for research (plus a series of topics for each issue): * Can Bank initiatives involving small and medium-size enterprises in developing countries facilitate the entry of these enterprises into similar learning relationships with other firms -- foreign firms, larger firms in their own countries, or each other? (Topics/actionable items: Identify large firms noted for their willingness to help improve their suppliers' operations; survey these firms' practices and the criteria they use to identify possible suppliers not currently in their system; consider how these and other sources define prevailing standards for small and medium-size enterprises.) * The economic significance of high turbulence (entry and exit rates) in small-firm populations is poorly understood. The fact of high turbulence is well-documented in industrial countries; it is not for developing countries, but available data suggest a broadly similar pattern. Are high failure rates for small businesses symptomatic of an important shortcoming in the system of economic organization itself? Or should the unit of analysis be the enterprise, the entrepreneur, or the entrepreneur's family? * Is the apparent trend favoring a larger economic role for smaller production units autonomous rather than induced by other changes? Does it depend on general operating factors such as the declining costs of communication and computation? * The rate of learning by a small firm may depend on the nature of its transacting partner. Certain multinational enterprises make good teachers, for example, but certain local labor markets or markets for consumer goods and services may not be well-positioned for relevant learning. They may learn well how to adjust to local circumstances but not to the international diffusion of technology and ways of organizing (the main source of hope for developing countries). Perhaps Bank policy should be more concerned with transaction patterns. This paper -- a product of the Finance and Private Sector Development Division, Policy Research Department -- is part of a larger effort in the department to study small and medium-size enterprises and their role in development.

Download or read book Handbook of Research on Small and Medium Enterprises in Developing Countries written by Ahmad, Noor Hazlina and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2017-02-10 with total page 502 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Smaller companies are abundant in the business realm and outnumber large companies by a wide margin. Understanding the inner workings of small businesses offers benefits to the consumers and the economy. The Handbook of Research on Small and Medium Enterprises in Developing Countries is an essential handbook for the latest research on the intentions, performance, and application models of independent firms. Featuring exhaustive coverage on a broad range of topics such as green IT, entrepreneurial ventures, and social capital, this publication is ideally designed for researchers, academicians, and practitioners seeking current research on the different opportunities and challenges in relation to this specific sector of business around the globe.

Download or read book Industrial Clusters and SME Promotion in Developing Countries written by Eileen Fischer and published by Commonwealth Secretariat. This book was released on 2000 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SME's make up the bulk of enterprises in developing countries and make a significant contribution to employment and economic growth. This paper takes stock of best practices in industrial clustering and SME promotion in Commonwealth developing countries. It provides examples of cluster formation, policies to stimulate cluster development and guidelines for business development services for SME's.

Download or read book A Market oriented Strategy for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises written by Kristin Hallberg and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2000 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper investigates the economic rationale for intervention in support of small and medium scale enterprises, on both theoretical and empirical grounds. It argues that the justification for SME interventions lies in market and institutional failures that bias the size distribution of firms, rather than on any inherent economic benefits provided by small firms. The role of the state is mainly to provide an enabling business environment that opens access to markets and reduces policy-induced biases against small firms. Governments can accelerate the development of markets for financial and non-financial services suited to SMEs by promoting innovation in products and delivery mechanisms, and by building institutional capacity. Improving the development impact of SME strategies will require much more attention to the monitoring and evaluation of intervention outcomes.

Download or read book Small Firms Global Markets written by Jerry Haar and published by Palgrave MacMillan. This book was released on 2008-01-15 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines the forces and factors that shape the global competitive environment for small firms, and identifies representative case examples of successful and unsuccessful responses to competition from around the world. Additionally this book addresses academic, policy, and business practice issues vis-a-vis small enterprise survival. The introduction to the volume lays out the principal, overarching argument that the challenge to, and responses by, small firms in the era of globalization can best be addressed and understood through taking a holistic approach - one in which political and economic, macro and micro, industry-level and firm-level interact symbiotically.

Download or read book Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries written by Zoltan Acs and published by Now Publishers Inc. This book was released on 2010 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries surveys the literature on entrepreneurship in developing countries, which covers a wide range of issues from culture and values, institutional barriers such as financial sector development, governance, and property rights, to the adequacy of education and technical skills. A broad literature has also developed on foreign direct investment and its positive and negative effects on technology transfer and entrepreneurship. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a number of studies examined the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises in transition economies. As these economies moved from centralized economies to market economies, enterprise and entrepreneurship became important. Other studies examine the effects of infrastructural development and the macroeconomy on entrepreneurship. With such a wide scope of issues, Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries offers a framework for synthesizing this growing literature. This study offers that the identification of the externalities which affect entrepreneurship provides a useful framework to examine the literature on entrepreneurship in developing countries. Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries: - Examines the evolution of development policy - beginning with the colonial period and the immediate post-colonial era. In both of these periods there were strong government intervention and a heavy emphasis on government planning for development. An important cornerstone of the post-colonial period was the use of import substitution programs. - Second, with the failure of import substitution, many developing countries then switched to export promotion. - Third, we set out a framework to explore the literature on entrepreneurship in developing countries based on the existence of network, knowledge and demonstration, and failure externalities. - Fourth, the authors identify the core policy issues to address these externalities and argue that internalizing these externalities by finding mechanisms to reward and encourage the firms and people which produce them, should increase the level of productive entrepreneurship in developing countries.