bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
For an Effective Stimulation of Job Creation by the Creation of New Businesses
Authors: Ettinger Jean-Claude , Fromont Igor
Published: October 2007

Jean-Claude Ettinger, Commercial Engineer and Doctor in Applied Economics, is Professor at the Business School of the Universite Libre ae Bruxelles, Belgium. In addition to his teaching responsibilities in various university programmes, he is involved in the conception and co-ordination of continuing training activities for executives and business creators. His research interests are focused on business start-ups as well as the role of smalland medium-sized businesses in technological innovation.

Igor Fromont, Commercial Engineer from Universit6 Libre de Bruxelles, is interested in the development of advanced technologies within small- and medium- sized businesses.

Starting from a typology of the entrepreneur developed in earlier publications, the present paper proposes lines of action for policy stimulatory to the creation of businesses which will generate jobs. The orientations of such policy implies the valorisation of the entrepreneurial behaviour, capable of positively stimulating the creators of organisations.
Small Business in the Development Process of the Philippines
Authors: Konig Wolfgang , Peters Joachim
Published: October 2007

Dr. Wolfgang Kbnig and Joachim Peters lecture at the University of Gbttingen, Germany. The paper is the result of research on industrial co-operation between developed and developing countries and is partly based on field work done in the Philippines in 1984. It deals with the impact that business size has on the pattern of development of this country and specially evaluates the role of small-scale firms. Controversial issues boil down to two competing approaches as far as the further promotion of these units is concerned. One approach consists of taking a broad range of selective measures in order to compensate small business for discrimination suffered from macro-economic instruments and to enhance its prospects in this way. The other approach stresses the danger of market distortion and therefore recommends a policy of deregulation in order for market forces to mobilize the potential of small business. Consideration of the pros and cons of these approaches leads, among others, to the conclusion that assistance to institution building is important as long as it is backed by the will to self-help of the small business community in the Philippines.
Entrepreneurial Developoment Programmes: The Malaysian Experience
Authors: Lim Chee Peng
Published: October 2007

Dr. Chee Peng Lim is an associate professor in the Faculty of Economics and Administration at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Like many other developing countries Malaysia is trying to encourage a larger number of indigenous entrepreneurs to participate more actively in its economy. In line with this objective the government has spent more than US $100 million over the last ten years to create indigenous entrepreneurs on a massive scale. The major implementation agencies in the entrepreneurial development programmes in Malaysia are MARA, NPC, and MEDEC. These agencies have designed three levels of training programmes for indigenous entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, the programmes have not been very successful in creating new entrepreneurs. The various possible reasons for this are discussed in this paper and suggestions made for improving existing programmes.
Innovation, Creativity and Small Firm Organisation
Authors: Cannon Tom
Published: October 2007

Professor Tom Cannon is head of the Department of Business Studies at Stirling University and director of the Scottish Enterprise Foundation. This paper examines aspects of the ability of small firms to perform the type of role in industrial innovation often ascribed to them. All the firms in the study were in a constant process of adaption to their changing conditions and the corollary of these adaptations was innovation. Many innovations were not dramatic or major but the overall pace and scale was significant. In arriving at innovations relatively little use was made of external relationships, the sole exceptions being trading partners suppliers or buyers. The firms appeared to be highly adept at identifying internal innovations. The role adopted by the chief executive was critical in determining the nature of the organisational environment.
Financing of Start-Up and Growth of New Technology-Based Firms in West Germany
Authors: Hunsdiek Detlef
Published: October 2007

Detlef Hunsdiek is a research assistant at the Institut fur Mittelstandforschung, Bonn, West Germany. The paper examines the financing of start-up and growth of new technology-based firms in West Germany; it is based on a survey of 200 businesses drawn from a study of 504 business founders originally carried out in 1981 and which had looked at businesses which had started before 1980. The present study was carried out to learn about their development since then and their growth problems. The complexity of the start-up situation is illustrated by the fact that almost every area of business management is mentioned by respondents, acquisition, marketing and financing problems as well as personnel management. Financial problems are above all a reflection of the lack of a track record, an inadequate equity capital base, and the lack of sufficient collateral. Slow payments by customers are also a major problem in maintaining an adequate cash flow. The author concludes that if the business founder cannot finance the potential growth he will fail sooner or later and - as a paradox - will fail because he had a good business idea with a high growth potential.
A Survey of Chief Executive Officers of Small Firms That Have Recently Gone Public
Authors: Young John E.
Published: October 2007

Dr. John E. Yong is assistant professor of small business and policy at the College of Business Administration, University of Colorado, Denver, United States of America. His research interests currently focus around small firm strategic-making and all aspects of venture capital financing. The present empirical study investigates small firm intitial public offerings from four perspectives. Specifically the perceptions of chief executive officers regarding the public offering process, underlying motives for initiating public offerings, consequences of completing the process and attributes contributing towards success during the offering process are examined.
The Turkish Economy in West Berlin
Authors: Blaschke Jochen , Ersoz Ahmet
Published: October 2007

Jochen Blaschke is on the staff of the Political Science Department in the Free University of Berlin. Ahmet Ersbz is a research officer working within the research programme "The Turkish economy in Berlin". Turkish immigration to Berlin originally took the form of 'guestworkers' taking posts in industry as contract labour but not families are settled there. Up to 3,000 businesses have emerged within the community, mostly in retailing and catering but also in crafts and services. The study focuses on a small area within Kreuzberg and on the food distribution trade. Those starting in business have to give evidence of a long period of residence and proficiency in the trade they wish to practise. Much of the start-up capital and almost all employees come from within the community. The labour of wives and children gives flexibility to the business at low cost. Few firms are run by women. Children brought up in Berlin but with little relevant training are taking increasing responsibility. Turkish firms have largely served the needs of the Turkish community but are providing cheaper and more novel goods to the German population too. Competition is mainly with other ethnic firms. There is little previous experience of business. Small business provides financial independence for Turks marginalised by economic restructuring. The Turkish economy is seen as a transitional phenomenon. Future prospects are uncertain.
Job Generation Research: A Reply to Storey and Johnson
Authors: Gallagher C. C. , Doyle J.
Published: October 2007

C.C. Gallagher and J. Doyle ar with the Department of industrial managment at the university of Newcasste upon Tyne, England. In this paper the autors areply to criticism made in the previous paper by storey and johnson, in particular the implict argument that small firms do not create as many jobs as has been supposed. they consier most of the criticism to be over-simplifications, at the worst misleading or factually incorrect.They belive that,despite its problems the Dun and Bradstree database is still one of the best sources there is with which to study job generation in Britin whole economy. They see no reason arising out of the critisisms to reverse their orignial conclusion that small firms are important generators of jobs.
Need for Achievement and Locus of Control of Australian Small Business Owner-Managers and Super-Entrepreneurs
Authors: Perry Chad , Macarthur Ross , Meredith Geoffrey , Cunnington Bert
Published: October 2007

Chand Perry lecturer at the Queensland institute of Technology, Brisbane, Australia; Rooss macarthur is an insurance broker in Sydeny Australia;Geoffery Meredith is profesor, univeristy of New England Armidnale, New sourth wales, Bert cunningotn lecture sat Grifth university, Brisbane, Austrlaia. The paper describes research into need for achievement and tlocil of control among highely successful "super-enterprise", or other small business owner-manger and the general population. Ranking for need for achievement, internal locus of contorl and chlance of contorl are expected, but result for poeeful other locus of control are unexpected. the relationship between need for achievement and locus of control is discussed.
Network Strategies: Management Technology for Entrepreneurship and Change
Authors: Johannisson Bengt
Published: October 2007

Dr. Bengt Johannisson is with the Small Business Centre at Vaxjo University, Sweden. Entrepreneurs in owner-managed firms have to supplement internal resources in order to adapt to increasingly turbulent environments. The personal network of the entrepreneur supplies resources on conditions which do not conflict with the small business' need for flexibility. Networks vary in terms of their constituent elements and how they carry out their roles as suppost systems. Network nodes and linkages often cluster into "organising contexts". The local community is a very important organising context in Scandinavian countries. The role and functions of the local community is discussed conceptually and empirically in this paper. The network metaphor suggests varying ingredients for entrepreneurial strategies, substituting networking competencies for traditional planning systems and financial resources.
Capital Structure of Growing Small Firms: A 12-Country Study on Becoming Bankable
Authors: Peterson Rein , Shulman Joel
Published: October 2007

Rein Peterson is Magna International Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada, and is currently on sabbatical leave as a senior research fellow at the National Centre for Management Research and Development at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Joel Shulman is Assistant Professor of Finance at Babson College, Massachusetts, USA. In this paper they examine financing problems reported in 4,400 interviews conducted in 12 countries-six developed and six developing. The data was originally collected for the 1984 International Small Business Congress in Amsterdam by SKIM Industries Market Research of Rotterdam, Netherlands. The results of the study indicate that a 'finance gap' may indeed exist among many firms in the less developed countries and in fact may be quite severe. The gap seems to exist, albeit to a lesser extent, among young/small firms in developed countries. It seems apparent that while asymmetric information and agency cost theories help describe part of the results, firms in less economically developed countries also suffer from other more fundamental problems.
New Entrepreneurship and Labour Market Conditions
Authors: Donckels Rik , Dupont Betty
Published: October 2007

Professor Rik Donckels and Betty Dupont are with the Small Business Research Institute, UFSAL, Brussels, Belgium. This paper is based on the first stage of research into new entrepreneurship in Belgium. The results confirm similar findings in this sector in other countries, suggesting, for example, that small firms generate more new entrepreneurs than large firms and that such entrepreneurs often have an entrepreneurial family background. It was also found that in recent years there has been a substantial increase in the number of unemployed starting their own businesses. Start-up capital was mostly low and government support hardly had any importance at all. Almost half of the new entrepreneurs were employed in private industry before starting on their own.
Entrepreneurship: Environmental Forces Which Are Creating Opportunities in China
Authors: Dandridge Thomas C. , Flynn David M.
Published: October 2007

Thomas C.Dandridge is with the department of mangment at the state university of New york at Albany, USA, and David M.Flynn is with the Department of Managment, Hofstra Univerisity, New York State, USA. Recongnising that much of the focus of writing has been on the individual and his or her characteristics which contribute to enterpreneurship, this paper draws attention to the forces which are in the enviornment, and are espcially prevalent in china ad the emergence of private enterprise there. sponsorship, social infrasture, and foreign investment are described as threee major influences. Changes in decision control have permitted new perspectives within sponspership schools and science technology are parts of the social infrastructure which have changed; types of foreign investment are described and the potentials change they foster are noted.

Furthermore, these forces for change in the enviornemnt are discussed relative tothe basic conflict between cultural values and enviornemental remains.
Can Entrepreneurship Be Institutionalised? The Case of Worker Co-Operatives
Authors: Cornforth Chris
Published: October 2007

CHRIS CORNFORTH is with the Co-operatives Research Unit of the Open University in the United Kingdom. Although the last ten years has seen a revival in the worker co-operatives sector in the UK it remains relatively small and economically weak. The primary aim of this paper is to consider how the sector might be strengthened and the implications this has for policy aimed at supporting co-operatives, and more generally small businesses. It is argued that the lack of appeal of co-operatives to potential entrepreneurs, the position of co-operatives in the economy and various constraints on growth are important barriers to the development of the sector. The paper examines the successful Mondragon co-operatives in Spain to see what lessons can be learned about how these barriers might be overcome. It is argued that the Mondragon experience challenges the dominant model of co-operatives and small business promotion in the UK. It argues that more resources need to be concentrated on assisting small businesses and co-operatives with the potential for growth and encouraging collaborative links between them. It is suggested that in order to achieve these ends the entrepreneurial process will need to be further institutionalised in the organisations that support co-operatives and small businesses.
Determinants of Organisational Structure of Small Business Enterprises: Evidence in a Rapidly Developing Country
Authors: Yi Hong , Kim Linsu
Published: October 2007

HYONG YI is a doctoral candidate in management science at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Seoul, Korea, and Linsu Kim is Professor of Management, College of Business Administration, Korea University, Seoul. This paper examines both contextual and managers' personal variables in identifying the determinants of structure in small business organisations in a rapidly developing country - Korea. The results support hypotheses derived deductively from literature in advanced countries that a manager's personal variables are stronger predictors of centralisation and formalisation than contextual variables and that contextual variables are stronger predictors of specialisation that a manager's personal variables. The paper discusses the implications of the findings and concludes that the determinants of structure appear to be significantly different between small and large organisations and that hypotheses deductively derived from literature in advanced countries are supported in a rapidly developing country.
Education and Training for Enterprise: Problems of Classification, Evaluation, Policy and Research
Authors: Curran James , Stanworth John
Published: October 2007

JAMES CURRAN is Midland Bank Professor of Small Business Studies and head of the Small Business Research Unit at Kingston Polytechnic, England, and John Stanworth is Professor and director of the Future of Work Research Group at the London Management Centre, Polytechnic of Central London, England. Small business education and training has grown rapidly in importance as 'enterprise' has assumed a key role in the main political initiatives towards economic restructuring in Britain and elsewhere. This development has, however, been essentially ad hoc and there is now a need to identify more clearly the major forms of enterprise and training education, their target populations and their resource effectiveness. 'Entrepreneurial education' or 'training for entrepreneurship' are widely used phrases, often intended to take on a generic meaning. However, most small business educational activities have little to do with promoting 'entrepreneurship' in any strict sense. To clarify the analysis and disaggregate the main forms of education and training activities linked to the small business, the authors have distinguished four distinct types-entrepreneurial education for small business and self-employment, continuing small business education, and small business awareness education. They conclude that in research terms there is a considerable need for a great deal of further study in all four dimensions for each of the forms of education. In policy terms the most resource effective form currently is probably education for small business ownership but they say that the greatest need is probably for more continuing small business education although this may be expensive in resource terms.
Research Strategies for Small Business: A Case Study Approach
Authors: Romano Claudio A.
Published: October 2007

CLAUDIO A. ROMANO is with the Department of Accounting and Business Law at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is currently undertaking a large small business research project which is considering the role of formal planning and control systems in the growth of 50 small manufacturing firms. A mixed qualitative/quantitative methodological approach is used. In conducting small business research, researchers should be prepared to consider a much wider range of research processes. Current small business research favours the scientific mode of research, an approach which has disadvantaged researchers in obtaining intimate small business knowledge. The methodological structure stresses the need to adopt a mixed methodological approach in understanding small business. Although the suggestions prresented are not conclusive, they tend to imply an alternative approach which is lacking in the literature. A case study approach is advanced as an alternative.
The Predictability of Small Enterprise Failures: Evidence and Issues
Authors: Shailer Gregory
Published: October 2007

Gregory E. P. Shailer is a lecturer in accounting and finance at The Flinders University of South Australia. Small enterprise failures have stimulated much research. However, emphasis has tended to be on analysis of failure rates, speculation on causes, and policy matters. There have been few attempts at anticipating failures. Failure prediction models have received much attention in large corporation research, but this cannot be directly applied to the small enterprise sector. This paper discusses several attempts at redressing this deficiency (which provide some evidence of the feasibility of failure models for small enterprises),. and the limitations of such research.
Success and Failure in New Business Start-Ups
Authors: Smalibone David
Published: October 2007

DAVID SMALIBONE IS A SENIOR LECTURER IN the school of Geography and planning at Middlsex Polytechnic, Engalnad,with urrentresearch interest in enterprise agaencies, new business and adjusttment processes in nature small frims. this paer aims to ccontribute to knowlede of the charctersitics nd problems of new firms through a lngtudiinal study of a group ofo new business helped tostart by a loca lenterpriise eagency, a unique British organisatiion which provides free or low-cost advice andsupport to young firm and which are themselves funded by laarge local business and local authorities. The characteristics of survving andfaled businesses are described, together wiith theproblems faced in the itnitial trading periodl. the role of external agencies n provding continued support aftr start upsi also discussed breifly. Apart from contributing to a more informed assesment of the recent grwth in the number of new business and self-employed, the paer outlines smeimplcation of the findings for improving the qualty of new business starts.
The Small Firm Information Cycle: A Reappraisal
Authors: Holmes Scott , Kelly Gary , Cunningham Ross
Published: October 2007

DR. SCOTT HOLMES IS PROFESSOR OF Accounting at the University of Arizona, Tucson, United States, and was previously at the University of Queensland, Australia. Cary Kelly is a lecturer in the department adn Ross Cunningham a senior lecturer in the Departmet of Statistic at the Australian National University. Prior research has identified various stages in the lfie of a small enterprise. These states are commonly combined to produce a business life cycle. This paper proposed that small enterprise consists of a serios f interrelated cycles and as such, the presentation of an overall life cycle provides and over-simplified view of the firm. the concept of the information sub-cycle is introduced, which in itself can take many forms. Logistics regression modelling techniques incorporating those variables which appera to be significant in infulecing the level of accounting information prepared or acquired are applied to the development of an information cycle. The result obtained indicate that the acquistion and /or preparation of a relatively detailed level of accounting information is dependent on firm age, size, industry membership and level of owner-manger education. the pattern which emerges from these results supports the revision of traditional life cycle concepts. in particular, the need to segment the firm into severl sun-cycle is recommended.
Factors Associated with Insolvency amongst Small Firms
Authors: Hall Graham , Young Barbara
Published: October 2007

GRAHAM HALL AND BARBARA YOUNG lecturer at Manchester Business School, Manchester University, England. This study represetns at attempt to add to the state of knowledge on why failure takes palce among small firms by drawing on the information contained in the reports of the offical receiver, all on cases of compulsory liquidation. The author say it is unlikely that the characteristics of the companies sufering compulsory liquidation will difer markedly from those experencing creditors's voluntary liquidation. the study's three samples, each of 100 reports at five year intervals, were drawn from involunatary liquidations in the London area. The authors conclude that governemnt initiatives to provide subsidised consultancy in marketing and planning should be extended to include adivce on operational management and suggest that closer attention shold be paid by leader to the emphasis which both owner and offical receivers put on under-capitalisation as a cause of failure.
An Empirical Investigation into the Distinctions between Male and Female Entrepreneurs and Managers
Authors: Carland Jo Ann C. , Carland James W.
Published: October 2007

DRS. JO ANN C. CARIAND AND JAMES W. Carland lecture at the School of Business, Western Carolina University, USA. This paper describes an empirical investigation into the difference between male and female entrepreneurs and managers as to their preferences for innovation, risk taking propensities, need for achievement and cognitive styles. The survey covered 848 individuals: 82 male entrepreneurs, 32 female entrepreneurs, 303 male managers, 88 female managers, 239 male small business owners, and 104 female small business owners. The study focused on entrepreneurs and managers. The results support the existence of a definitive difference between preference for innovation, propensity for risk taking and need for achievement between entrepreneurs and managers. Both male and female entrepreneurs show stronger personality traits than their management counterparts although there are no significant differences between entpreneurs by sex with regard to these characteristics. The findings are consistent with the classic portrait of an entrepreneur but also demonstrate that the traditional traits apply equally to females. There is support for the idea that corporate life is unsatisfying for some females in the personality trait differences which exist between male and female managers.
High Technology Small Firms: Their Potential for Rapid Industrial Growth
Authors: Oakey Ray
Published: October 2007

DR. RAY OAKEY IS A SENIOR LECTURER at Heriot-Watt University Business School, Edinburgh, Scotland. He is currently conducting wide ranging research into the problems of industrial innovation and growth in large and small firms in the United Kingdom and hungary. This paper examines the growth performance of British high-technology small firms throughout the 1980s. The analysis is divided between a consideration of employment growth, and of the extent ot which firms rely on self-financed growth, in samples of firms in the electronics, scientific instruments and boitechnologh sectors. It is noted that the observed growth, in both individual firms and in aggregate, has been unimpressive. It is argued that a generally high livel of observed introspection with regard to funding in survey firms is likely to be partly caused by a poor external industrial environment for the encouragement of small firm innovation. consequently, the paper concludes by arguing for a more 0proactive government approach to the encouragement of high-technology small firms.
Skill Supply, Training and Development in the Small-Medium Enterprise
Authors: Hendry Chris , Jones Alan , Arthur Michael
Published: October 2007

Dr. Chris Hendry is a Principal Research Fellow in the Centre for Corporate Strategy and Change, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, and Mr. Alan Jones and Dr. Michael Arthur are Senior Research Fellows. The authors have recently completed a study of human resource development in small-medium enterprises for the UK Department of Employment.
The Take-up of Business Growth Training Schemes by Ethnic Minority-owned: Small Firms in Britain
Authors: Marlow Susan
Published: October 2007

SUSAN MARLOW IS A SENIOR LECTURER in the Leicester Polytechnic Business School, England. A feature of the growth of the small business sector in Britain has been the emergence of the ethnic minority-owned enterprise but ethnic-owned firms do not appear to be benefiting from or even using professional advice. This research takes the example of a business development scheme sponsored by a government advice agency, using it as a test case to assess what level of interest exists in such programmes from minority group business owners. The evidence indicates that minority group entrepreneurs and white small firm owners with a substantial proportion of their employees from ethnic minorities have a genuine and considerable interest in developing their businesses through the use of formal business growth training and professional advice.
The Rise and Role of Small Service Firms in the United Kingdom
Authors: Keeble David , Bryson John , Wood Peter
Published: October 2007

Dr. David Keeble and Dr. Johan Bryson are lecturer and research associate respectvely in the deaprtment of geography and small business research Center, Cambrige University, England, and peter Wood is senior lecturer in the department of Geography, University of College, London. Since at leeast the early 1980s turnover, employment and the stock of firms in a range of inforatmion intensive business service in the United kingodm have all grown at an explosive rate. Yet the role of small firms in this remarkable growth of business service has received surprisingly little attention from acedmic research.The review is focussed on two key information intensive business service sectors, managment counsultancy and market research. The autors find that small firm prolifiration in these sector appears chiefly to reflect 'pull'not 'push' factors recession and redunacy have generated some 'unwillingly' enterpreneurship but only in a mionrity of business, in cotrast with manufacturing. They find that the ability of small firms to complete effectively with large firms reflects two key advatages. One is the professional expertise, reputation and network of personal contacts embodied in the founder and greter flexiblity in terms of widespread access to associates and complementary expertise and frequent networkingbetween small firms and individual professionals.
Strategies for Expanding the Informal Venture Capital Market
Authors: Mason Colin , Harrison Richard
Published: October 2007

DR. COLIN MASON IS SENIOR LECTURER IN economic geography at the University of Southampton, England, and Richard Harrison is professor of management development in the Ulster Business School, Northern Ireland. Research in a number of countries has established that informal venture capital is a major source of risk capital for entrepreneurial companies, substantially exceeding the size of the formal venture capital market. The informal venture capital market comprises individuals - commonly termed 'business angels' - who provide risk capital directly to entrepreneurial businesses. Demand for informal venture capital is increasing in Britain as a result of the tightening in lending to small businesses by banks and the shift of institutional venture capital funds even further away from start-up and early stage investments. This paper argues that there is considerable scope to expand the supply of informal venture capital. First, most active informal investors are unable to find sufficient investment oportunities. As a result, they have substantial uncommitted sums available for informal investments. Second, active investors represent only a fraction of self-made, high net worth individuals. The establishment of business introduction services can play a key role in enabling active investors to identify appropriate investment opportunities and also provide 'virgin angels' with a source of investment opportunities, thereby removing a major constraint to their participation in the informal venture capital market. However, business introduction services are still at the experimental stage and have had only a limited impact on the flow of informal venture capital. Key determinants in the success of business introduction services appear to be marketing effort to build a critical mass of investors and businesses, financial resources to allow ongoing marketing, and pro-active matching strategies.
Doing Business in a Single European Currency
Authors: Bennett Roger
Published: October 2007

DR. ROGER BENNETT IS WITH THE LONDON Guildhall University, England. Discussion concerning the probable consequences of the formation of a single European currency has focused mainly on macroeconomic issues relating to the need for a European Central Bank and common monetary policies applicable throughout the European Union; on the effects on regional development within particular nations and on the issue of whether Western Europe is, or ever can be, an optimum currency area. Little has been written, however, about the consequeces of common currency trading for the individual small and medium-sized business operating within the proposed common currency area or for small firms in nations that do most of their foreign trade with the core economies of the EU but which, nevertheless are not themselves members of the single currency system. (The latter situation will apply, for example, to small firms in the United Kingdom and Denmark if these countries decide to exercise the opt-outs from the single European currency available to them in consequence of the Maastricht negotiations.) This paper briefly explores the many implications of common currency trading for small to mediumsized commercial enterprises both within and outside the common currency area.
The Channel Integration Decision for Small-to Medium-Sized Manufacturing Exporters
Authors: Osborne Kerm
Published: October 2007

KERRI OSBORNE IS A LECTURER IN international and strategic marketing at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. The main purpose of this paper is to use the qualitative method on a small sample to determine the key factors that influence the degree and nature of channel integration in the smallto medium-sized manufacturing exporting environment. The main theoretical model used was transaction cost analysis (TCA) first postulated by Williamson (1975) and later developed in the exporting literature by Anderson and Coughlan (1987), Klein, Frazier and Roth (1990) and Kim and Daniels (1991) but only in the multi-national environment. This exploratory research attempts to validate the TCA model in the small-to medium-sized exporting environment and suggests additional variables outside the TCA framework that determine the decision to channel integrate. This research confirms the role of TCA factors in the channel integration decision but suggests that sales volume, market characteristics and strategic factors play a large part in the decision to integrate the distribution channel. Management implications of the findings are provided and further empirical work is suggested for future research.
Enhancing Technology and Skills in Small-and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms: Problems and Prospects
Authors: Scott Peter , Jones Bryn , Bramley Alan , Bolton Brian
Published: October 2007

DR. PETER SCOTT IS CURRENTLY A researcher at the University of Cardiff, Wales, Dr. Bryn Jones, Professor Alan Bramley and Dr. Brian Bolton are all with the University of Bath, England. This paper discusses the results of, and issues arising from, an interdisciplinary study of technology management expertise in a sample of smalland medium-sized manufacturing establishments in South-west England. Many mature companies suffer from an unrecognised deficiency in high-level technological skills. Although examples of good practice are identified and enabling factors discussed, the stimuli to improvement both within, and external to, the firm are weak overall. Changes in the practices of SMEs themselves, and of external agencies, will be necessary to facilitate progress.
The Evaluation Criteria used by Venture Capitalists: Evidence from a UK Venture Fund
Authors: Boocock Grahame , Woods Margaret
Published: October 2007

GRAHAM BOOCOCK AND MARGARET WOODS are Lecturers in Banking and Finance, and Financial Management, respectively, at Loughborough University Business School, England. The paper examines how venture fund managers select their investee companies, by exploring the evaluation criteria and the decision-making process adopted at one United Kingdom regional venture fund (henceforth referred to as the Fund). The analysis confirms that relatively consistent evaluation criteria are applied across the industry and corroborates previous models which suggest that the venture capitalist's decision-making consists of several stages. With the benefit of access to the Fund's internal records, however, this paper adds to the current literature by differentiating the evaluation criteria used at each successive stage of the decision-making process. The paper presents a model of the Fund's activities which demonstrates that the relative importance attached to the evaluation criteria changes as applications are systematically processed. Proposals have to satsfy different criteria at each stage of the decision-making process before they receive funding. In the vast majority of cases, applications are rejected by the fund managers. In addition, the length of time taken by the fund managers in appraising propositions can lead to withdrawal of applications at an advanced stage.
On-Line Databases in Mexico
Authors: Molino Enzo
Published: October 2007

The use of on-line bibliographic databases in Mexico is provided through SECOBI (Servicio de Consulta a Bancos de Información), a public service which provides information retrieval, document delivery, translation, technical support and training services. Institutional users may receive subsidized services through special contractual arrangements. The technical infrastructure is based on the public packet-switching network (TELEPAC). High priority has been given to the development of National Information Banks. The use of satellite communications is being studied.
Maintaining Local Newspaper Collections in Nigerian Libraries
Authors: Okorafor E.E.
Published: October 2007

Federal Government economic control measures resulted in a reduction in pagination, restriction of circulation and closure of newspapers. Some State Governments closed down their newspapers temporarily. Publishers did not publish daily and what was published was sometimes lost through inefficient distribution systems and maladministration in libraries. Libraries owed vendors, who in turn suspended their supplies. The loopholes that caused gaps in the past must be avoided in the future. A library has to fill gaps with the cooperation of publishers, vendors, other libraries, patriotic individuals and organizations.
Informatics in Brazil
Authors: Figueiredo Nice
Published: October 2007

Describes the main events that led to the establishment of the National Policy for Informatics in Brazil. Summarizes the national debates and controversies surrounding this policy. The role of the Special Secretariat of Informatics (SEI) as the coordinating agency of this field and its rules, regulations and normative acts are described. The position taken by the American government against the market reservation in respect of microcomputers is discussed. Some limitations are still hampering the full development of this industry in Brazil.
The World Wide Web: an introduction
Authors: Higgins Peter
Published: October 2007

There is more to the Internet than hype; the World Wide Web brings a new dimension to information transfer and new challenges for information professionals.
Labor Force Attachment and the Evolving Wage Gap Between White, Black, and Hispanic Young Women
Authors: Alon Sigal , Haberfeld Yitchak
Published: October 2007

In this article, the authors examine the role of labor force attachment (LFA) in shaping the diverging wage trajectories of White, Black, and Hispanic women during their first postschooling decade. The authors take advantage of the longitudinal aspects of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth work history data by constructing detailed annual and cumulative measures of LFA and use them to examine women's wage profiles. The findings show constant racial and ethnic wage gaps among women with college education and a widening race gap among women with no college degree. The latter pattern emphasizes the importance of market-related processes in generating wage inequality among unskilled women. The authors document substantial racial and ethnic gaps within this group in the accumulation of LFA, especially immediately after the transition from school to work. This deficit in labor market experience plays a critical role in creating the diverse wage trajectories of White, Black, and Hispanic women with no college education.
Effect of Aerobic and Anaerobic Sludge Stabilization On the Content of Indigenous Viruses†
Authors: Lydholm Birgit , Nielsen Anne L.
Published: October 2007

Enteric viruses were regularly detected in raw and digested sludges from three Danish treatment plants in the period from April through November 1980. The isolates were identified as poliovirus 1, 2 and 3; coxsackievirus A 16 and B2, 3, 5 and 6; echovirus 5, 6, 7, 11, 19, 21 and 24; adenovirus 1, 2 and 5 and a number of unidentified types or mixtures.
Assessment of Stack Gas Emitted Trace Metals From Incineration: Determination of Filter Collection Efficiency By Condensational Enlargement of Penetrating Submicron Particles
Authors: Søby F. , Mosbæk H.
Published: October 2007

A method for collection of trace metals on the surface of submicron particles as well as metal vapour is described. The method and the proposed device are based on particle enlargement by condensation of acidic vapour and subsequent collection by an impactor. The device is intended for use as calibration standard for testing high load sampling systems in stack gas emission measurements. As an example, the collection efficiency of coarse quarts fibre filters towards Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu has been assessed during stack gas sampling from waste incinerators. The filter penetration is discussed in relation to sampling precision, and requirements in the selection of trace metal sampling systems are considered. Less than 13% (in average) of emitted Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu penetrates the commonly used quarts fibre filters.
Significance of Biogas Production in Waste Tips
Authors: Hoeks J.
Published: October 2007

In a waste tip methane fermentation should be promoted as much as possible in order to minimize contamination of leachate and groundwater. In this paper the production of biogas is mathematically described as a first-order process. The degradable organic fraction of municipal refuse is subdivided into three fractions with different half-lifes (1,5 and 15 years). If other categories of waste are present (e.g. industrial refuse or demolition waste) one should know the organic matter content per category and if possible some information on the degradability of the organic fractions. Field tests can also give information, e.g. the pressure lowering in and around an extraction well may be used to calculate the gas production rate and the radius of influence.

Without recovery the gas escapes into the atmosphere and is (partly) oxidized by microbes in the soil cover. This may create anaerobic conditions in the soil cover causing injury to vegetation.
Assessing Detoxification and Degradation of Wood Preserving and Petroleum Wastes in Contaminated Soil
Authors: Aprill Wayne , Sims Ronald C. , Sims Judith L. , Matthews John E.
Published: October 2007

This study was undertaken to evaluate in-situ soil bioremediation processes, including degradation and detoxification, for two types of wood preserving wastes and two types of petroleum refining wastes at high concentrations in an unacclimated soil. The soil solid phase, water soluble fractions of the soil, and column leachates were evaluated. Two bioassays, a mutagenic potential asay (Ames assay) and an aqueous toxicity assay (Microtox™ assay) were used to evaluate detoxification; high performance liquid chromatography was used to evaluate chemical concentration and degradation for eight polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The group of non-carcinogenic PAHs studied demonstrated greater degradation, ranging from 54-90% of mass added for the four wastes; the carcinogenic group of PAHs studied exhibited degradation ranging from 24-53% of mass added. Although no mutagenicity was observed in waste/soil mixtures after one year of treatment, Microtox™ toxicity was observed in water soluble fractions and in leachate samples. An integration of information concerning degradation of hazardous constituents with bioassay information represents an approach for designing treatability studies and for evaluating the effectiveness of in-situ bioremediation of contaminated soil/waste systems. When combined with information from waste, site and soil characterization studies, the data generated in treatability studies may be used in predictive mathematical models to: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of use of on-site bioremediation for treatment of wastes in soil systems; (2) develop appropriate containment structures to prevent unacceptable waste transport from the treatment zone; and (3) design performance monitoring strategies.
Co-Disposal and Encapsulation
Authors: de Bruin Tom
Published: October 2007

Disposal of hazardous waste in the Cape Town area is designed to provide the maximum protection against environmental damage that can be achieved on a very limited budget. Wastes that are not expected to migrate from dry landfills, where the moisture content can be kept below 20%, are disposed of in trenches cut into filled domestic waste and resealed with clay. Other wastes, such as tetraethyl lead sludges, are blended into high strength concrete as part of road construction.
A Reactor Based Assessment of Co-Disposal
Authors: Knox K. , Gronow J.
Published: October 2007

The paper examines the role of domestic waste landfills as anaerobic bioreactors for industrial wastes. Data are given for phenols, cyanides, acids and heavy metals. Partially saturated containment sites are amenable to analysis as reactors and appear to allow process control for environmentally sound co-disposal.
Waste Streams in a Crewed Space Habitat
Authors: Wydeven T. , Golub M.A.
Published: October 2007

A compilation of generation rates and chemical compositions of potential waste streams in a typical crewed space habitat was made in connection with the waste-management aspect of NASA's Physical/Chemical Closed-Loop Life Support Program. Waste composition definitions are needed for the design of waste-processing technologies involved in closing major life support functions in future, long-duration, human space missions. Data for the constituents and chemical formulae of the following waste streams are presented and/or discussed: human urine, feces, hygiene (laundry and shower) water, cleansing agents, trash, humidity condensate, dried sweat, and trace contaminants. Data on dust generation are also presented and discussed.
Waste Management for Space Station Freedom
Authors: Huff Winston
Published: October 2007

Because of the tremendous task of designing, testing, building and maintaining the waste systems for Space Station Freedom, different methods of managing these systems are now being developed. This paper summarizes some of those methods. The first task for the design engineer is to develop systems and hardware to handle waste in the special conditions of the space station. Different closed and open loop systems, along with the development of new hardware in these loops, are being tested to meet this task. Some of the new hardware to be discussed are water and air monitors, hazardous material handling, and plumbing hardware such as commodes, showers and clothes washers. The second task is to develop methods to manage the process of developing these systems. Some of the areas to manage are testing information, materials, facilities, people, budgets, time, safety, legal responsibilities and testing standards. The last task is to incorporate the new technologies for other areas besides space stations. Other areas would include long-duration space missions, lunar stations and other non-space applications.