Narrow Results

This study examines the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and innovation on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) export likelihood using a two-stage instrumental variable logistic estimator in 6,844 ASEAN SMEs. Adopting ICT technologies allows SMEs to overcome the constraints faced when exporting, while innovation allows SMEs to gain a competitive advantage. Meanwhile, the ASEAN economies are committed toward regional integration and have implemented policies to develop the SME and ICT sector. Results indicate that both ICT technologies and innovation contribute positively to export likelihood, albeit the magnitude of ICT technologies on export likelihood is greater. Furthermore, the results show that ICT technologies can overcome the constraints faced by marginalized businesses in terms of exporting, and can also enhance export likelihood in the manufacturing industry. Policy implications are discussed.

Violation of Lorentz invariance and CPT symmetry is a predicted phenomenon of Planck-scale physics. Various types of data are analyzed to search for Lorentz violation under the Standard Model Extension (SME) framework, including neutrino oscillation data. MiniBooNE is a short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment at Fermilab. The measured excesses from MiniBooNE cannot be reconciled within the neutrino Standard Model (νSM); thus it might be a signal of new physics, such as Lorentz violation. We have analyzed the sidereal time-dependence of MiniBooNE data for signals of the possible breakdown of Lorentz invariance in neutrinos. In this brief review, we introduce Lorentz violation, the neutrino sector of the SME and the analysis of short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. We then present the results of the search for Lorentz violation in MiniBooNE data. This review is based on the published result.

This paper provides a critical overview of a recent attempt to create an independent statutory "voice" for small enterprises within the formal government bureaucracy in one Australian jurisdiction. It discusses the creation and eighteen months of activity of the Small Business Commissioner of the Australian Capital Territory.

In 2003 the ACT government foreshadowed that, as part of its strategy to create the most small-business-friendly location in Australia, it would establish a Small Business Commissioner as a statutory appointment. The Legislative Assembly passed the Small Business Commissioner Act in 2004 and activity began in March 2005.

The key activities of the Commissioner have been to examine small business complaints about ACT government agencies; to promote the use of mediation and/or other alternative dispute resolution tools for the settlement of disputes between small enterprises and other businesses; to provide independent advice to the Territory government about laws, regulations and policies that may affect small firms; to oversee the introduction of small business service charters within government agencies; and to establish a more "business friendly" service culture within ACT government agencies.

On one hand, it is clear that a Commissioner role has a potentially significant strategic importance for small and medium-sized enterprises, principally through the provision of independent commentary, pushing for red tape and regulatory reduction, and by providing mediation services and investigative functions. However, there are also some current problems with the role. These include potential overlap with other regulatory and investigative bodies; lack of formal compulsive powers; its dependence on political support for its effectiveness; insufficient resources; and the nature of the relationship it has with other government entities.

This paper investigates how Chinese SMEs configure marketing, cost-control, and innovation strategies in order to attain better organizational effectiveness. Rather than the more standard approach of suggesting that SMEs focus exclusively on one strategy, we hypothesize that when a strategy configuration is composed of multiple prioritized and related strategies, organizational effectiveness will be improved. Data collected from 133 small and medium-sized Chinese SMEs verified our hypotheses. The implications of our study for Chinese SMEs, China's policy makers, and overseas investors are discussed.

The entrepreneurship literature teaches us that the aspirations and competence of SME owner-managers as well as their strategic management behaviour can influence both the development and performance of their firm. However the research issues that surround the owner-manager's business venturing mode, that is, whether he or she has created a new firm, acquired an already existing firm, or acceded to a family firm's leadership and ownership by succession and/or inheritance, have rarely been addressed in an integrated manner. Now, founders, acquirers and successors may have fundamentally different strategic profiles, that is, in terms of the strategic capabilities they aim to develop and the type of performance they seek for their firm. In aiming to identify individual correlates and organizational effects of the entrepreneur's business venturing mode, an empirical study of 357 Canadian and French SMEs was thus undertaken. The results reveal significant differences between the three groups of owner-managers, that is, between the 196 founders, 96 acquirers and 65 successors with regard to their competence and motivations and with regard to the strategic capabilities and business performance of their firm. The results also reveal the owner-manager's business venturing mode to be a significant predictor of the firm's market and HR capabilities as well as its growth, productivity and profitability.

Small businesses are critical to improving economic development in rural areas of South Africa. However, rural entrepreneurs are still faced with challenges and problems which make the success of small businesses, especially in rural areas, uncertain. This paper investigates business environmental, financial and infrastructural factors that influence the success or otherwise of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas. Primary data was collected in five rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) from a sample of 374 business owners/managers, with respondents completing a questionnaire. Access to finance and skills shortages were the factors that most significantly differentiated between more successful and less successful rural businesses in KZN. The majority of respondents indicated that poor roads/transport and access to electricity were major problems.

Business transfers are linked to both the beginning and the end of entrepreneurial processes. A person can become an entrepreneur by acquiring an existing business instead of starting one, and exit from entrepreneurship can occur through selling the business. Business transfers are gradually becoming more common among small businesses, largely due to entrepreneurs’ aging, and thus deserve attention from entrepreneurship scholars. In particular, the issue of why and how business transfer negotiations fail without achieving a transfer has received little research attention. The purpose of this paper is to explore this phenomenon from potential buyers’ and sellers’ perspectives. The findings are based on a sample of 156 responses. The results suggest that the problems occurring in unfinished business transfers are quite numerous and the gaps between the views of the two negotiating parties are wider than in cases where business transfer negotiations are concluded successfully, indicating that the initial negotiation positions can be crucial. This research proposes some key elements to consider when planning an exit by business transfer and highlight the importance of unfinished small business transfers as an essential element of a dynamic business transfer market; a substantial proportion of the potential buyers and sellers are satisfied with the outcome even though the transfer did not occur.

Developing new services is vital for a service-based company to succeed in the long run. This requires both innovation capability and understanding customer needs. Previous research has shown that if a firm wishes to develop an innovation superior to the competition, it must have both a strong technology orientation and a strong market orientation. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of market orientation and technology orientation on service innovation capability in SMEs operating in the field of social and health care. In addition, this study examined the obstacles to using digitalization and new technologies in service innovations. Mixed methods design was applied so both quantitative and qualitative data was used. The results from the quantitative part of this study show that both technology orientation and market orientation have a positive and statistically significant effect on service innovation capability in SMEs operating in the field of social and health care. Furthermore, market orientation is the most important variable in the model. The results from the qualitative element again show that some of the hindering factors of using digitalization and new technologies arise from practices and attitudes of social and health care actors but others arise from the digitalization and new technologies themselves.

Web 2.0 as a contemporary phenomenon receives considerable attention by IS scholars due to its perceived transformational impact on businesses. This paper critically elaborates on the value creation potential of Web 2.0 for small and medium enterprises (SME). By conducting an inductive study we reveal that SMEs can effectively use Web 2.0 as a means to support customer acquisition, alleviate resource limitations and to maintain customer enthusiasm associated with the customer purchasing process. In case that a high customer convenience is required which is based on the involvement of different parties or on personal service support, there is hardly any Web 2.0 value creation potential. This research contributes to the domain of business modeling by assessing the notion of value in a Web 2.0 setting. It also contributes to IS research on Web 2.0 adoption.

Knowledge management success is a hot issue in SMEs. It is obvious that several important factors must be considered for successful implementation, but most small and medium firms have no idea what factors should be considered most heavily. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to expand the base of knowledge in that area, and empirically test the relationship between personal capabilities within SMEs and knowledge management system success. Six factors related to personal capabilities were measured: ambition, skills, behaviour, tools and techniques, time management and personal knowledge. The results of the study indicate that there is a significant relationship between these factors and knowledge management system success.

With a wide diversity of available technologies, it is extremely problematic for SMEs to identify, plan, prioritize and use the correct strategy. Electronic-manufacturing has been evolving for some time, but currently an effective planning framework to assist managers with implementing electronic-manufacturing planning is still lacking. A framework, built around three elements: the Balanced Scorecard, Quality Function Deployment and Value Chain Analysis, is proposed here to assist SMEs in managing complexity in e-manufacturing planning. A case study, carried out in Singapore, demonstrates the practicality and utility of the framework in the context of a real business environment.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been leading innovation processes, where the upsurge of digital technology has overpowering implications on competitive positioning, firm’s value chains and overall business model. Value creation facilitated by emerging digital technologies alters costs, as well as process performance. Due to field research and in-depth interviews with owners and managers of SMEs in North-East Italy area, we combine and analyze evidence of the contingent challenges companies face while trying to redesign their business model. Our results point out that being able to accumulate and put into action external ideas can be vital in supplementing internal knowledge base and therefore crucial in escaping technological lock-ins; thus, imposing efforts toward digital transformation offers favorable outcoes.

To date, relatively few studies have examined information and communication technologies (ICT) use in the subset of SMEs known as micro-enterprises. Even fewer have looked at agricultural micro firms. The study presented here compares ICT use among micro-enterprises and SMEs in the agricultural sector. Results indicate extensive use of computers and the Internet, especially for basic ICT functions like email, online purchasing and online business-related research, regardless of firm size. Website ownership is less widespread; larger SMEs are more likely than micro-enterprises to have a website. A number of other ICTs are used similarly by both groups. Among different sized micro-enterprise firms, larger micro-enterprises are more likely than smaller ones to have a website and to conduct financial activities online. However, growth does not result in different adoption rates among micro-enterprises for most internet ICTs. The study also investigates micro-enterprise use of emerging social technologies such as instant messaging, chat, blogging, etc. Perceptions of ICT benefits are also discussed.

This study explores the constraints on women entrepreneurs running SMEs in conflict zones. The research is carried out in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), a conflict affected province in Pakistan close to the border of Afghanistan. The findings reveal that women in the region are in a complex family situation exacerbated by terrorism, which has created stress, depression and fear of failure. Better understanding of their circumstances may aid those seeking to help such businesses in Pakistan and other regions beset by conflict.

The enforced lockdown and closure of businesses in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in economic crises across the globe, bringing the attention to entrepreneurship and its importance to economic recovery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on SME’s and the entrepreneurs’ policy preferences based on firm size and industry type. To achieve this, evidence from a Business Support Centre Kosovo’s (BSCK) survey involving 236 SME owners interviewed online is reported. Findings from SME survey suggest the problems with cash flow and reduction of customer demand, among others, are major problems faced by SME’s across all firm size groups and industry types. Findings from factor analysis clustered SME policy preferences into three groups: policy preferences related to financing and liquidity constraints, market related and tax preferences. This study discusses some policy and managerial implications urging the need for more nuanced and variegated understanding of the effect of coronavirus pandemic on SMEs.

We investigate the extent to which product innovation moderates the relationship between capabilities and competitive advantage among small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Using resource-based and capabilities theories, we examine capabilities as organisational routines, focusing on job rotation and multi-skilling. We examine competitive advantage by using logistic regression to assess the probability of top performance in productivity relative to most other firms in the same industry. Considering the path-dependence in developing capabilities and innovation, we use a longitudinal sample of 300 UK manufacturing SMEs in traditional and high-technology industries to evaluate the effects of innovating and using capabilities continuously over time. The results suggest that firms using job rotation or multi-skilling and introducing product innovations consistently from 2002 through 2004 are more likely to be top performers in 2004. The findings support a theoretical model according to which the association between capabilities and competitive advantage is moderated by innovation.

This paper deals with the practice and requirements of strategic foresight in biotechnology firms. Processes and the degree of method application of strategic foresight are less investigated in small- and medium-sized enterprises. Based on case study research of 30 biotechnology companies in Germany, six different approaches of strategic foresight are identified. The study shows how strategic foresight is organised, which methods for strategic foresight are implemented, who is responsible for strategic foresight, what the main characteristics of the different approaches are, and how the strengths and weaknesses of strategic foresight practice in biotechnology firms can be characterized. Furthermore, firms' requirements for suitable foresight processes and methods are identified within the scope of case study research.

The knowledge protection/sharing dilemma related to innovation activities is becoming known to all firms, even though it is generally more notable for SMEs: the small size of the firms inherently creates a need for inter-organizational collaboration, but it also makes dealing with the related contradictories more challenging. One factor behind this is that the needed tools — such as the protection mechanisms of intellectual assets — may be more limited. In line with this notion, we examine the protection available for and used by small firms in their innovation activities. We approach the issue by conducting a review on the relevant literature, and use a qualitative multiple case study conducted in eight small companies to empirically study the issue. Departing from prior research, we consider protection of innovations by distinguishing between the intangibles needed in innovation activities and the actual innovation outputs, and combine these considerations to the knowledge protection/sharing dilemma.

This paper uses a range of theories to compare the use of internal networks for seeking the next innovative idea by two countries experiencing different examined the effect of variation in macroeconomic conditions to determine motivational differences between SME owners/managers in Australia and Italy. The paper used interviews from SME owner/managers from Italy and Australia. The findings confirm a small generational cohort impact across the two countries in affecting how SMEs owner/managers perceive information from their employees. However, the strongest predictor of whether information from employees was perceived as a potential innovation is the norms of the SME owner/manager, irrespective of the country.

Do SMEs cluster around different types of innovation activities? Are there patterns of SME innovation activities? To investigate we develop a taxonomy of innovation activities in SMEs using a qualitative study, followed by a survey. First, based upon our qualitative research and literature review we develop a comprehensive list of innovation activities SMEs typically engage in. We then conduct a factor analysis to determine if these activities can be combined into factors. We identify three innovation activity factors: R&D activities, incremental innovation activities and cost innovation activities. We use these factors to identify three clusters of firms engaging in similar innovation activities: active innovators, incremental innovators and opportunistic innovators. The clusters are enriched by validating that they also exhibit significant internal similarities and external differences in their innovation skills, demographics, industry segments and family business ownership. This research contributes to innovation and SME theory and practice by identifying SME clusters based upon their innovation activities.

While it could be argued that globalisation would diminish the importance of a company’s location, research has shown that in an increasingly complex, knowledge-based and dynamic economy, regional collaboration has in fact become a critical aspect of enhancing competitiveness, locally as well as globally. Still, in order to create sustainable, innovative and successful clusters, interaction and collaboration among its members is necessary, which is not always easy to accomplish and requires actions that stimulate bottom-up activity rather than top-down directives.

Taking a practice-based perspective, this paper explores what cluster management do in their everyday activities to support collaboration among cluster members, based on a qualitative case study of 14 Swedish regional clusters and cluster initiatives. The paper contributes by outlining and discussing two distinct and essential practices–orchestrating and narrating.

We investigate the impact of management control mechanisms on the success of new product launches in high-technology small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We argue that internal management controls will alleviate problems associated with product newness. Using survey data from 76 SMEs we find newness to the firm to be negatively related to product launch success, while the use of informal and formal controls have positive effects. Furthermore, informal controls within the SME moderate the negative relationship between newness and launch success. The results add to the debate on the impact of control mechanisms on innovative activities in SMEs.

Achieving effective innovation is a complex task and during this process, firms [especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)] often face obstacles. However, research into obstacles to innovation focusing on SMEs is very scarce. In this study, we propose a theoretical framework for describing these obstacles to innovation and investigate their influence on the innovative performance of SMEs. Data were collected in 2013 through face-to-face interviews with executives of 49 technology SMEs from Germany. The semi-structured interviews were designed on the basis of scales for measuring innovativeness, financial/competitive performance and obstacles to innovation, next to purely open questions. We find that the internal obstacles, lack of know-how, capacity overloading, unclear roles and tasks as well as the external obstacle governmental bureaucracy negatively influence innovative performance of SMEs. However, in contrast to prior findings, this study shows that cooperation ties of firms might also negatively influence the innovative performance.

The main aim of this paper is to study the influence of the business environment on innovation strategy, innovative activity and performance in the SMEs. Business environment has been considered, taking into account its dynamism and its hostility. An empirical study is carried out on a sample composed by 302 Spanish firms. Results show that SMEs react in hostile and dynamic business environment by means of strengthening their innovation strategy. Innovation strategy allows firms to carry out higher levels of product and process innovations, which turn out into a positive effect on performance. Results offer important implications for SMEs, as such the relevance to reinforce the importance of developing an innovation strategy in the framework of their formal strategic planning.

Previous studies often assume that business model innovation (BMI) is reflected in an entrepreneurial business model design. We assume that business model reconfiguration (BMR) takes place in more nuanced types and does not always lead to (radical) BMI. By undertaking a mixed methods study with 213 respectively 16 SMEs from the electronic industry, we uncover six basically different types of BMRs and discuss their performance implications. By this, we shape the current understanding of BMR and shed light on variety and implications of different types of BMRs. Our configuration study indicates that firms achieve superior performance when implementing a radically new business model reflected in a new configuration of all three components of the business model: value creation, value proposition, and value capture. Second, BMR can take place in types where only some parts of the business model are extensively changed, while others are only slightly adapted.

Enriching the literature on innovation and knowledge management, this paper examines the impact of various types of innovation (product, process, marketing, and organization) on the knowledge sharing of SMEs through transformational leadership. A total of 437 samples were collected from SMEs owners/managers in the service sector of a developing economy through a quantitative method. The data were analyzed using a SMART PLS-SEM. The findings confirmed the hypotheses that innovation have a significant influence on knowledge sharing; whiles as transformational leadership had a non-moderating effect. Besides consolidating the existing theory on the importance of innovation for explaining a variation in knowledge sharing activities, the findings also inform SMEs and policymakers to be cautious of implementing transformational leadership style as it may have a non-moderating impact in today’s entrepreneurial activities. Finally, we believe that this study will provide researchers with some key aspects to explore in this area of study and encourage applications of objective and subjective measures to improve the validity of results.

Small businesses face multiple constraints on innovating that open innovation (OI) has potential to help overcome. The aim of this study is to examine the association between business group affiliation and the extent of OI engaged in by SMEs. Unlike independent SMEs, those that have affiliations might benefit from internal and also external networks to initiate partnerships to innovate. We analysed data collected from 711 French SMEs that engage in innovation to assess the association between business group affiliation and open innovation practices. We found that business group affiliation has no significant relationship with the degree of engagement in open innovation or with partnership openness. Nevertheless, we found that affiliation to an international group influences the geographical openness of SMEs’ innovation. These findings contribute to our understanding of open innovation among SMEs by acknowledging the geographical challenges of partnerships in open innovation.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the current landscape of digital maturity models for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the capabilities embedded in the models using a semi-systematic literature review and semi-structured interviews. Based on current knowledge, our research provides insights into the gaps in maturity model research for SMEs. Our primary findings show that digital maturity modelling, particular for SMEs, is currently a significant topic across several industries but remains limited by the lack of procedural properties and suitable SME-specific capabilities. This is supported by our literature review and initial interview findings. The paper offers a conceptual framework including defined criteria and essential properties. Furthermore, the paper outlines a transparency approach to empirical validation to increase the rigor of future maturity model research.

Exogenous shocks and environmental changes may force small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to change and innovate their business models. However, their readiness and ability to do so could depend on firm-level characteristics. This paper investigates how two firm-level factors—size and age—impact SMEs’ engagement in business model innovation in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Using World Bank Enterprise Survey data covering 2,115 SMEs from 12 countries, this study shows that the age of an SME is negatively associated with business model innovation. The finding also shows that, contrary to the hypothesis posed in this study, the size of an SME impacts business model innovation positively. The study contributes to the understanding of antecedents of business model innovation in times of environmental change and uncertainty.

This paper outlines a detailed and systematic method for revealing and mapping out the network mobilised in the development of a discrete innovation. This is termed a focal action-set. Important to the utility of this approach has been the development of a set of conventions for the graphical expression of the network and its components: actors, links and flows. It is argued that the network graphic provides a powerful, though under-utilised, tool for the representation of relational data. It may be employed, for example, to reveal variations in network configuration and to highlight key networking or boundary-spanning actors. The network mapping approach is illustrated through three cases of small firm innovation drawn from a wider investigation of award-winning technological innovations. A comparison between the network maps show a variation in the key boundary-spanning interactions, which is related to the organisational background of the entrepreneurial actor.

Networking, as a multidimensional concept, has been studied here from various angles. Vertical networking was found to be more important for innovation than the horizontal one. The study has shown that horizontal networking intensity, contrary to literature claims, is not correlated to innovativeness or performance and it is not significantly different across various manufacturing sectors. Cooperation among firms in the same sector in new product development was found to be very low and links to technology providers were also found to be weak. Some explanations for the findings are offered as well as suggestions for necessary managerial and policy actions. The findings are compared to stipulations of theoretical models e.g. the industrial district model.

The proliferation of global trade and commerce provides both challenges and opportunities for addressing transboundary pollution and furthering global sustainability. In addition to international policy instruments and legislation, standardised approaches to environmental management can improve environmental performance and reduce the escalating levels of pollution that are being experienced worldwide, and particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

In Hong Kong, 35 organisations have been certified to the ISO 14001 international environmental management system (EMS) standard, joining over 5000 more worldwide. While this trend is encouraging, Hong Kong's experience demonstrates that significant barriers exist for EMS to become a mainstream tool for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

As is it unlikely that certification will become mandatory at the international level, additional effort is therefore required to overcome these barriers, such as raising the awareness of all stakeholders to the benefits of the EMS and facilitating access to the necessary financial and technological assistance.

We investigate the extent to which product innovation moderates the relationship between capabilities and competitive advantage among small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Using resource-based and capabilities theories, we examine capabilities as organisational routines, focusing on job rotation and multi-skilling. We examine competitive advantage by using logistic regression to assess the probability of top performance in productivity relative to most other firms in the same industry. Considering the path-dependence in developing capabilities and innovation, we use a longitudinal sample of 300 UK manufacturing SMEs in traditional and high-technology industries to evaluate the effects of innovating and using capabilities continuously over time. The results suggest that firms using job rotation or multi-skilling and introducing product innovations consistently from 2002 through 2004 are more likely to be top performers in 2004. The findings support a theoretical model according to which the association between capabilities and competitive advantage is moderated by innovation.

The knowledge protection/sharing dilemma related to innovation activities is becoming known to all firms, even though it is generally more notable for SMEs: the small size of the firms inherently creates a need for inter-organizational collaboration, but it also makes dealing with the related contradictories more challenging. One factor behind this is that the needed tools — such as the protection mechanisms of intellectual assets — may be more limited. In line with this notion, we examine the protection available for and used by small firms in their innovation activities. We approach the issue by conducting a review on the relevant literature, and use a qualitative multiple case study conducted in eight small companies to empirically study the issue. Departing from prior research, we consider protection of innovations by distinguishing between the intangibles needed in innovation activities and the actual innovation outputs, and combine these considerations to the knowledge protection/sharing dilemma.

Do SMEs cluster around different types of innovation activities? Are there patterns of SME innovation activities? To investigate we develop a taxonomy of innovation activities in SMEs using a qualitative study, followed by a survey. First, based upon our qualitative research and literature review we develop a comprehensive list of innovation activities SMEs typically engage in. We then conduct a factor analysis to determine if these activities can be combined into factors. We identify three innovation activity factors: R&D activities, incremental innovation activities and cost innovation activities. We use these factors to identify three clusters of firms engaging in similar innovation activities: active innovators, incremental innovators and opportunistic innovators. The clusters are enriched by validating that they also exhibit significant internal similarities and external differences in their innovation skills, demographics, industry segments and family business ownership. This research contributes to innovation and SME theory and practice by identifying SME clusters based upon their innovation activities.

The knowledge protection/sharing dilemma related to innovation activities is becoming known to all firms, even though it is generally more notable for SMEs: the small size of the firms inherently creates a need for inter-organizational collaboration, but it also makes dealing with the related contradictories more challenging. One factor behind this is that the needed tools — such as the protection mechanisms of intellectual assets — may be more limited. In line with this notion, we examine the protection available for and used by small firms in their innovation activities. We approach the issue by conducting a review on the relevant literature, and use a qualitative multiple case study conducted in eight small companies to empirically study the issue. Departing from prior research, we consider protection of innovations by distinguishing between the intangibles needed in innovation activities and the actual innovation outputs, and combine these considerations to the knowledge protection/sharing dilemma.

As intellectual property (IP) rights are costly and difficult to acquire and enforce, it is often argued that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are disadvantaged in their ability to utilize IP rights (IPR). Semi-structured interviews are used to provide an understanding of the IPR use by private inventors and SMEs as compared to larger companies. Interviews show that, excluding large companies, the general knowledge of the global patent system and capabilities to operate with various IPRs is modest. Especially, private inventors have unjustified high expectations of economic benefits of patenting, and eventually, disappointment with IPR. Lack of knowledge and awareness in IP generation, protection, and utilization weakens the performance of SMEs with missing processes, lack of IP/IPR strategy, and poor management of complex patent information. A classification of companies based on their knowledgeability and experiences in IPR is proposed.

The most general theory of electrodynamics with linear field equations introduces a new geometry, the area metric, that regulates the propagation of light rays and massive particles instead of the usual Lorentzian metric. In the majority of the experimental situations, the area metric is expected to be a small perturbation around a metric background. In this perturbative case, two interesting results can be achieved. First, the dynamics of the area metric can be found explicitly. Second, the relative quantum theory of electrodynamics can be shown to be renormalizable and can be used to compute various fundamental processes.

I will show that, when one combines the results of quantum electrodynamics with the dynamics of an area-metric perturbation, the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron, the cross sections of Bhabha scattering, and the hyperfine splitting of the hydrogen pick up a dependence on the position. This way, measurements of the position dependence of these quantities provide a new channel to investigate area-metric deviations from a metric spacetime.

While entrepreneurial SMEs are known to explore their strategic options for acquiring the resources necessary for achieving competitiveness, relatively little research exists on how their entrepreneurial orientation affects the formation of strategic alliances. Using a unidimensional perspective of entrepreneurial orientation conceptualised by Covin and Slevin (1989), this study aims to determine how it affects the alliance formation tendencies of SMEs. Utilising a sample of 127 SMEs from the manufacturing sector in Goa, the study finds that entrepreneurial orientation positively affects alliance formation tendencies. Furthermore, size of the SME was also found to affect its alliance formation tendencies.