Multiplier elements of innovation: towards an innovation model in the Mexican micro and small business

Innovation is a fundamental strategy to generate and maintain a competitive position in the market, however, the companies’ ability to generate innovations is not an easy task, as there are different factors that influence it. Although several innovation models have been developed, no ad hoc models have been proposed to the conditions of micro and small enterprise, nor the structural conditions in developing countries. Therefore, the objective of this research is to identify and analyze the most relevant management factors that drive innovation in Mexican micro and small business. To this end, 594 micro and small businesses from the Laja-Bajío region belonging to the commercial sector, service and manufacture, were surveyed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify their needs on innovation generation. The results show that technology management, marketing strategies and human resources management are the key elements to drive innovation in the MSEs (Micro and Small enterprises).

Gender-based characteristics of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in an emerging country: is this a man’s world?

Purpose Worldwide, Ecuador is one of the countries with the most entrepreneurial activity from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). However, the effect of adopting the US dollar (dollarization), over which the central bank has no control, combined with being mainly an exporter of primary products, as well as strategic currency devaluation by neighboring economies, has created a difficult situation, especially for Ecuadorian women’s MSMEs. This paper aims to study the relationship between female ownership and Ecuadorian MSMEs’ financial, economic and social outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The authors compile a near-population panel of 617,804 firm-year observations representing an unbalanced panel of 112,917 MSMEs during the 2007–2016 sampling window. Panel (fixed effects) regression is used to test the hypotheses concerning the antecedents to firm financial performance, economic and social outcomes. Cox proportional hazards modeling is used to assess the impact of antecedents on firm survival. Findings First, firms providing more social benefits (e.g. employment and higher wages) have higher survival rates. Second, female ownership is negatively related with microenterprise financial performance, but positively associated with small-enterprise financial performance. Third, female-owned enterprises tend to provide higher wages per employee for all firm sizes. Fourth, although female-owned microenterprises are less efficient, they tend to provide more for their employees and possibly communities, through the economic stimulus they provide, in terms of the size of the financial outcomes. Originality/value This paper shows that, although this is a “man’s world,” women are learning earlier, developing faster professionally and overcoming stereotypes to focus on activities that generate both economic performance and social outcomes. Governmental policies that have contributed to MSMEs’ growth and women’s participation are identified. The findings suggest ways to improve and support both the creation of more women-owned MSMEs in emerging countries, such as Ecuador, and the survival of existing male- and female-owned MSMEs.

Financial inclusion and small enterprise growth in Africa: emerging perspectives and research agenda

PurposeThe purposes of the paper are to review the stream of studies that link financial inclusion to small enterprise growth in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) to identify the research gaps they provide and to prepare an agenda for future research in the field.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs systematic literature search method to identify relevant literature from journals. The study then adopts a narrative approach for the review, highlighting the findings from the prior studies and gaps requiring research attention.FindingsThe discussions reveal that there is a need for future studies that can unpack small enterprise growth determinants, identify growth-enabling entrepreneurial characteristics and examine the contextual variabilities that shape their effectiveness.Originality/valueThere is currently no comprehensive/integrated review exploring the link between financial inclusion and small enterprise growth in SSA. The review, therefore, provides insights that contribute to the development of this stream of research.

AN ANALYSIS ON INDIA’S MILITARY DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESS OVER THE YEARS

India has signed agreement with Philippines BrahMos and now India is going to sign deal with Korean next Gen gunship. India is emerging as an alternative to China in export of defense items .India’s Made in India programme has led to the development of indigenous products with both Public and Private sector involved and also start-ups and small enterprise have entered, Today, India has the largest ground force in the world and the 4th largest army, it has world’s finest weapons, aircrafts and submarine. Since Independence India has advanced its defence sector with research and development , along with making India a nuclear state and production of dangerous weapons , along with that Indian has around 120-130 warheads and have exported artillery to UAE , missiles and aircrafts to Maurities and Myanmar , in the upcoming years it is going to amplify its export market. With upcoming threats from China and Pakistan, India has also strengthened its nuclear weapons. India has signed agreement with 20 countries for the transfer of technology and use of dual use technology. Keywords: Indian, defence, indigenous product, artillery export, China, Pakistan, nuclear weapons, ground force.

Recommendations on the implementation of the spatial potential of small enterprises as an instrument of regional economic policy

The spatial approach to the study of the development of small enterprises is an actual scientific direction. There are gaps in the effective practical implementation of the spatial capabilities of small enterprises, which consist in fine-tuningthe system of state and municipal development of the small enterprise sector. The purpose of this study is to form practical recommendations to the authorities on the implementation of the spatial potential of small enterprises on the example of the Samara Region. The article examines the set of small enterprises of the Samara Region, taking into account the principle of joint consideration of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs based on information obtained from the publications of Federal State Statistics Service and the Unified Register of Small and Medium-sized Businesses. General scientific methods are used: analysis, logical, synthesis, as well as special methods: content analysis, program-target. Proposals for the development of small enterprises in the multi-level economic space of the region and comments on the adjustment of the institutional framework of the regional economic management system are formed on the example of the Samara Region. The scientific significance of the results obtained is to increase the validity of the regional economic policy pursued by the authorities. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of applying the system of strategic planning documents at the regional and sub-regional levels in the development and adjustment of the system. The recommendations made are proposed to be taken into account as additions to the regional system of strategic documents of the Samara Region.

On the Relationship between Risk Sustainability and Economic Security in a Competitive Environment

The relevance of the chosen research topic is due to the fact that in modern conditions of economic instability and increasing competition, there is a high degree of uncertainty, both in the external and internal environment. All this forces business entities to constantly monitor the environment, look for alternative management solutions aimed at ensuring the risk resistance of the enterprise while maintaining the optimal level of profitability. Many obstacles exist in the conduct of business activities: information uncertainty, unstable economic environment, unpredictability of market conditions, prices, supply and demand, consumers’ ability to pay, low efficiency of the tax system. In this regard, an increasing number of enterprises are introducing risk assessment and analysis systems in their practice. However, due to the fact that each functioning enterprise differs in a number of specific features and, first of all, in economic activity, size, business processes, today there is no single methodological approach to risk management. In the scientific literature, there are many alternative methods for identifying risk factors and their assessment, but they are all considered through the prism of the specific characteristics of an economic entity. The purpose of the study is to develop theoretical foundations and methodological approaches to substantiate the relationship between risk resistance and economic security in order to ensure the strengthening of the competitiveness of the functioning of a small enterprise. Especially the authors of the article highlighted the review of scientific opinions of such concepts as “risk resistance”, “economic security of the enterprise”. The article is devoted to the consideration of such an important aspect of the life of an enterprise as ensuring its competitiveness. In this regard, the authors focus their attention on the relationship and impact on the economic security of the enterprise of its risk resistance. On a specific example, a model of the relationship between financial stability and economic security of a small enterprise is presented. The article examines the scientific positions and points of view of various researchers on this issue, formulates the authors’ opinion based on these observations, describes the main conclusions and recommendations.

Assessing Rainwater Harvesting Potential in Urban Areas: A Building Information Modelling (BIM) Approach

Water scarcity has become a major problem for many countries, resulting in declining water supply and creating a need to find alternative solutions. One potential solution is rainwater harvesting (RwH), which allows rainwater to be stored for human needs. This study develops an RwH assessment system through building information modeling (BIM). For this purpose, a hydrological study of Cfa-type climate cities is conducted with the example of Islamabad, Pakistan. The monthly rainfall data of three sites were assessed to determine the volume of the accumulated rainwater and its potential to meet human needs. The average number of people living in a house is taken as the household number. Household number or of the number of employees working at a small enterprise, roofing material, and rooftop area are used as the key parameters for pertinent assessment in the BIM. The data simulated by BIM highlight the RwH potential using five people per house as the occupancy and a 90 m2 rooftop area for residential buildings or small enterprises as parameters. The results show that the selected sites can collect as much as 8,190 L/yr of rainwater (48 L/person/day) to 103,300 L/yr of rainwater (56 L/person/day). This much water is enough to fulfill the daily demands of up to five people. Therefore, it is established that the study area has an RwH potential that is able to meet the expected demands. This study presents a baseline approach for RwH to address water scarcity issues for residential buildings and factories of the future.