scholarly journals Is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor an Opportunity or a Threat for Small and Micro-Entrepreneurs? Empirical Evidence from Northern Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saranjam Baig ◽  
Mir Qasim ◽  
Li Xuemei ◽  
Khalid Mehmood Alam
Keyword(s):  
Small Firms ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Large Firms ◽  
Northern Pakistan ◽  
Academic Scholarship ◽  
Rural Economies ◽  
Micro And Small Enterprises ◽  
Gilgit Baltistan

Are the mega-projects an opportunity or threat for micro and small firms? This question has rarely been examined in the literature. Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) have always been at the forefront, playing an important role in the development of rural economies in developing countries like Pakistan. Since the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project has been initiated, northern Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan) has witnessed a huge tourist inflow. As a result, the mushrooming of businesses along the CPEC route is a new phenomenon. The increasing trends in tourism inflow on one side offer new opportunities for MSEs while, on the other side, it increases the competition level among the firms. In the background, this research aims at contributing to existing academic scholarship on whether increasing competition is healthy for the growth and sustainability of MSEs or it might challenge their future progress. To examine this question, we carried out field surveys. Through questionnaires, we collected data for 280 micro and small firms operating in the tourism sector along the CPEC route. The study investigates current and future prospects of micro and small enterprises in the region, given that the CPEC is fostering tourism, which has its effects on the allied industries as well. The study relies on the Jovanovic (1982) model of firm growth and theory of market participation for its theoretical foundation and uses a logistic regression model as the estimation strategy. The findings suggest that the CPEC is not the only opportunity for tourism-related micro and small enterprises but also helpful for the growth of medium and large firms. The implications are that if MSEs could not prepare themselves to compete, there is a chance that medium and large firms would replace them. Growth of MSEs is conditional on easy access to finance and borrowings.

The World of Small Business: A Suggested Typology

1977 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee E. Preston
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Large Firms ◽  
Industrial Activities ◽  
The World ◽  
New Business ◽  
Post Industrial

Detailed study of a sample of more than 200 originally-small firms in a single major industrial area, plus an examination of new business successes as identified by Fortune, reveals five major types of small enterprises, only a minority of which can be described as successful “post-industrial” activities based on new areas of knowledge and new sources of demand. By far the overwhelming portion of the firms studied were found to be operating within traditional “small business industries”, in highly specialized activities with very small total demand, and in satellite roles to major industries or large firms.

Experiments and Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Quinn ◽  
Christopher Woodruff
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Individual Decision ◽  
Managerial Training ◽  
Growth Experiments ◽  
Insight Into

We discuss the value of experiments in illuminating constraints on the growth of firms in developing countries. Experiments have provided insight into both the value and the difficulty of alleviating capital constraints in small firms. They suggest that urban, low-skilled labor markets appear to work reasonably well for firms, although there is a suggestion that frictions in markets for skilled workers may have more effect on firms. While observational data suggest that managerial training is important, experiments have shown that the traditional methods of delivering this training to small enterprises, at least, are not effective. Finally, while most work has focused on alleviating supply constraints, recent experiments have shown that positive demand shocks can be sufficient to generate firm growth. Experiments have been particularly illuminating in uncovering patterns in individual decision making, showing how agents respond to the specific changes in circumstances or incentives generated by the experiment. They are most valuable when they complement insight driven by theory.

Industrial Research and Firm Size, Survival, and Growth in American Manufacturing, 1921–1946: An Assessment

1983 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 953-980 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Mowery
Keyword(s):  
Firm Size ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Industrial Research ◽  
Large Firms ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The literature on the development of American industrial research suggests that during the twentieth century large firms “dominated” industrial research, and reaped the majority of the benefits from such activity. This paper utilizes new data to analyze both the relationship between firm size and research employment and the impact of research activity on firm growth and survival during 1921–1946. The results suggest that large firms were no more research-intensive than were small firms during the 1921–1946 period. Research activity significantly enhanced the probability of firms' survival among the ranks of the 200 largest manufacturing firms during 1921–1946. Research employment also improved the growth performance of both large and small firms during 1933–1946.

Management accounting use in micro and small enterprises

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonatiuh Najera Ruiz ◽  
Pablo Collazzo
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relevant Implication ◽  
Micro And Small Enterprises

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore if and how micro and small firms apply management accounting (MA) techniques. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on 36 semistructured interviews with micro and small firm owners/managers in Mexico. Content analysis is used to identify how these enterprises use MA tools. Findings Micro and small firms consistently use MA tools. Most of them have some sort of planning, set objectives, have a costing system – even if budgeting is unusual – and use one or two metrics to monitor performance. Research limitations/implications This is exploratory research with a limited and nonrandom sample. Only a limited number of MA tools were studied. Practical implications Micro and small firms’ use of MA tools. This is arguably important because these enterprises use these techniques in a way that is different from the traditional approach used in bigger corporations. A relevant implication emerging from the findings, as a contribution to practice would be the need to include MA for micro and small businesses in formal training and textbooks. Originality/value On top of providing and assessing empirical evidence on a debate that has been so far largely theoretical, and on the back of the relative weight of micro and small enterprises in any given economy, this paper aims at reinforcing awareness on the need to further the study of the decision-making process in such firms.

Environmental management training for micro and small enterprises: the missing link?

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Cassells ◽  
Kate V. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Exposure Effect ◽  
Parametric Testing ◽  
Micro And Small Enterprises

Purpose Micro and small enterprises face growing expectations from stakeholders to behave responsibly in respect of environmental management. However, many continue to exhibit patterns of relative disengagement with both environmental management and associated training. The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitudes and experiences that underpin both. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on survey data from 148 owner-managers of micro and small firms in New Zealand’s manufacturing sector. Binary logit regression and non-parametric testing were employed to examine influences on engagement with both environmental management and environmental training. Findings There is a lack of knowledge of, and participation in, training related to environmental management. Awareness tends to be from firms already engaged in training; signalling a potential circularity of exposure effect. A distinct division in attitude exists between those who identify with personal responsibility and autonomy as the pathway to responsibility in respect of their firm’s environmental impact and those who cede to the collective actions of other communities to dictate engagement (i.e. industry associations and government). Research limitations/implications The survey is based on the perceptions of the respondents to the survey statements and as such it is a self-assessment. Originality/value The paper is one of few that investigate the challenge of securing engagement with training and development in environmental management by micro and small enterprises in the New Zealand context.

To be independent or balance interdependence?

IMP Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Ratajczak-Mrozek ◽  
Magdalena Herbeć
Keyword(s):  
Small Firms ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Foreign Companies ◽  
Micro And Small Enterprises ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Technology Industries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify in what way micro and small firms from low-technology industries which are dependent on foreign companies can ensure that they derive benefits from these relationships and what is more, in what way government policy should support this. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal study of a furniture company has been used. The company’s relationship with its large foreign customer is analysed from the perspective of the market-oriented power dependence and the IMP interdependence concept. Additionally the secondary sources of information about Polish furniture industry have been used in order to present its international specificity. Findings – The analysis shows that micro and small firms may derive benefits from their relationships with foreign entities due to their flexibility and the creation of heavy resources based on the standards of cooperation. Policies supporting exports and internationalisation cannot be isolated activities which end with the creation of foreign contacts and initiating transactions. Policy makers should concentrate on the support of the knowledge and experience exchange in terms of maintaining contacts with foreign entities as well as creation of a favourable framework of conditions for companies. Practical implications – The recommendations may be applied to design a policy supporting micro and small enterprises representing low-technology industries from economies with a limited internal market. Originality/value – The paper compares the perspective of a market-orientated power-dependency concept with the IMP interdependency approach. This sheds a light by adding an analysis of how to best utilise interdependencies on both sides of the supplier-customer interface. Both opportunities and hindrances resulting from the relationship between small firms and larger foreign companies are highlighted. Thanks to this approach a discussion is conducted in order to illustrate the policy implications of supporting micro and small enterprises from low-technology industries.

scholarly journals The Missing “Missing Middle”

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Tai Hsieh ◽  
Benjamin A. Olken
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
Bimodal Distribution ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Large Firms ◽  
Missing Middle

Although a large literature seeks to explain the “missing middle” of mid-sized firms in developing countries, there is surprisingly little empirical backing for existence of the missing middle. Using microdata on the full distribution of both formal and informal sector manufacturing firms in India, Indonesia, and Mexico, we document three facts. First, while there are a very large number of small firms, there is no “missing middle” in the sense of a bimodal distribution: mid-sized firms are missing, but large firms are missing too, and the fraction of firms of a given size is smoothly declining in firm size. Second, we show that the distribution of average products of capital and labor is unimodal, and that large firms, not small firms, have higher average products. This is inconsistent with many models explaining “the missing middle” in which small firms with high returns are constrained from expanding. Third, we examine regulatory and tax notches in India, Indonesia, and Mexico of the sort often thought to discourage firm growth and find no economically meaningful bunching of firms near the notch points. We show that existing beliefs about the missing middle are largely due to arbitrary transformations that were made to the data in previous studies.

The Co-Evolution of IT, Knowledge, and Agility in Micro and Small Enterprises

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (03) ◽  
pp. 1950027
Author(s):  
Yolande E. Chan ◽  
James S. Denford ◽  
Junjun Jane Wang
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Firm Resources ◽  
The Face ◽  
Resources And Capabilities ◽  
Micro And Small Enterprises ◽  
Knowledge Strategies

Small firms facing today’s turbulent business environment often fail early in their life if they do not develop the necessary capabilities to survive. The main goal of this study is to investigate how IT and knowledge co-evolve, influencing a firm’s agility, within the context of micro and small enterprises (MSEs). Applying the resource-based view of the firm and dynamic capabilities, a multiple case study of eight firms was used to explore links among business, IT and knowledge strategies, resources, and capabilities. Links among IT and knowledge capabilities and firm agility were also explored. The results demonstrate that an MSE’s business strategy shapes, and is also shaped by, the firm’s IT and knowledge strategies; and that both IT and knowledge capabilities shape, and are shaped by, the firm’s agility, coevolving with it. By highlighting the important antecedents of small firm agility and presenting crucial links among agility, IT capabilities, and knowledge capabilities in MSEs, we encourage practitioners to think carefully about their IT and knowledge strategies and to rethink their use of firm resources and capabilities to develop agility in the face of environmental uncertainty and change.

Pengembangan Kemitraan Koperasi, Usaha Mikro Dan Kecil (KUMK) Dengan Usaha Menengah/Besar Untuk Komoditi Unggulan Lokal

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dandan Irawan
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
The Other ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Business Partnerships ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Business Partnership ◽  
Structure Factors ◽  
Micro And Small Enterprises ◽  
Business Entities

Basically a natural partnership will achieve its goal if mutual requirements, mutual reinforcement, and mutual benefit can be maintained and made a strong fundamental commitment among partners. Nevertheless the development seems very slow. The cause is the presence of specific and different conditions and structure factors compared to other countries. Along with that, we still encounter various forms of gaps, such as inequality among regions, among income groups, between sectors, among economic actors, and so forth. The next problem is that in business entities including cooperatives and micro and small enterprises in running their business activities requires business partnerships with medium and large enterprises in order to improve business performance and business scale. While on the other hand our economic conditions and structures are not yet fully conducive to fostering partnerships based on purely business considerations or competitive market motivations but the business partnership of the foundation is strong enough in our country's constitution. Partnerships will work if partners are equally benefiting. Our concept of partnership is like that, although in the short term, there is a party or a party benefiting more from the other side.

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