According to the Howard government and some 'small business' organisations, the changes made to Australian industrial relations arrangements by the 2005 'Work Choices' Act will be of particular importance to small and medium sized establishments (SMEs). Specifically, the dilution of the...

In pursuing sustainable competitive advantage, firms undertake a range of strategic initiatives such as innovation, customer relationship management, entering new markets overseas, and competitive actions within current marketplaces. Studies that examine these initiatives generally study the...

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are constantly confronting formidable and competitive challenges. In their midst, to stay abreast of larger firms or international markets, a small number is still able to insulate themselves from the pervasive effects of competition, technology advancement...

As small films have limited resources, they cannot out-muscle larger competitors, so they have to do something different - be innovative and leverage know-how and collaborate with others to increase the scale and scope of what they can offer to be globally competitive. This paper describes an...

Many small manufacturing firms are becoming dislinked from their traditional client connections as those larger manufacturing clients strive to reduce costs by either moving production to lower cost countries or working with fewer, more capable suppliers. This paper explores learnings from a...

This thesis examines the sources for generating financial and social capital for ethnic small business owners, particularly for Sri Lankan ethnic small businesses in Australia. The results further our understanding of raising capital by introducing a model by generating capital for ethnic small...

The purpose of the research undertaken for this thesis was to examine management practices relating to new product development processes in small to medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMEs). The thesis topic has its origins in a European Community funded research project carried out during 1997-9...

Collaborative R&D networks in Australia are explored through a comparison of case studies of seven such ?clubs?. The paper addresses the research question: what are the conditions and mechanisms that facilitate the engagement of entrepreneurial SMEs with R&D and innovation? A typology of these...

Small- and medium-sized businesses make a significant contribution to the economies of Western countries. Government, industry, and educators commonly train business managers to improve their skills and knowledge in order to improve the performance of these firms. Owner-manager financial skill...

This article describes the development, modification and testing of a tool designed to assist small firms in making more appropriate decisions regarding information and communication technology (ICT) selection and implementation. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, a...