The Transnational Activities of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

The Transnational Activities of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Author: Masataka Fujita
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1461556635

measure of the rate of innovation --research-and-development (R&D) expenditure per employee compared to new patents received per employee -- does not adequately capture a unique feature of SMEs, namely that owners and managers are often themselves innovators. For example, in Japan 52 per cent of SMEs' innovations reported in 1986 were created by employers, whereas in large firms 72 per cent of innovations were created by research technicians. Nevertheless, patchy evidence from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States indicates that SMEs at least hold their own in terms of innovation compared to large firms. Perhaps most significantly, a recent study indicates that, while the total number of innovations is positively related to R&D expenditures, skilled labour and the degree to which large firms comprise the industry, in innovative industries innovative activity tends to emanate more from SMEs than large firms. This is probably because in industries where large firms dominate, SMEs need to be innovative to survive. There is much information to suggest that in technologies such as micro-electronics, new materials and biotechnology SMEs tend to be in the vanguard of innovation. Small and medium-sized enterprises as exporters. The contribution of SMEs to a national economy from exporting is generally small; for example, in Japan SMEs accounted for only 13 per cent of merchandise exports in 1990.

Brazil

Brazil
Author: Ignacy Sachs
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
Total Pages: 393
Release: 2009-04-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807894117

Brazil, the largest of the Latin American nations, is fast becoming a potent international economic player as well as a regional power. This English translation of an acclaimed Brazilian anthology provides critical overviews of Brazilian life, history, and culture and insight into Brazil's development over the past century. The distinguished essayists, most of whom are Brazilian, provide expert perspectives on the social, economic, and cultural challenges that face Brazil as it seeks future directions in the age of globalization. All of the contributors connect past, present, and future Brazil. Their analyses converge on the observation that although Brazil has undergone radical changes during the past one hundred years, trenchant legacies of social and economic inequality remain to be addressed in the new century. A foreword by Jerry Davila highlights the volume's contributions for a new, English-reading audience. The contributors are Luiz Carlos Bresser Pereira, Cristovam Buarque, Aspasia Camargo, Gilberto Dupas, Celso Furtado, Afranio Garcia, Celso Lafer, Jose Seixas Lourenco, Renato Ortiz, Moacir Palmeira, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Ignacy Sachs, Paulo Singer, Herve Thery, and Jorge Wilheim.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Global Economy

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Global Economy
Author: Zoltan J. Acs
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2010-08-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0472027220

Entrepreneurship and globalization are two much-examined forces as we enter the new millennium--yet very little has been published on the intersection of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the global economy. To close the gap, this volume delves into the intricate roles and consequences of such businesses on both global and domestic economies. The first part of the volume provides an overview of the phenomenon of globalization, arguing that entrepreneurial discovery and technological change lead to globalization, which in turn leads to further opportunity for entrepreneurial discovery--no less for SMEs than for multinational corporations. In part two, the essays examine the role of SMEs in the global economy and why they are thriving. Part three reviews the roles of SMEs and innovators and examines their roles in direct foreign investment. Part four explores the role of technological diversity and knowledge spillovers as a way to explain the superior innovative performance of SMEs. Part five looks at the role of SMEs in technology transfer. Finally, part six examines the theoretical and policy implications of the international activities of SMEs, suggesting that policies should aim to reduce the costs in international expansion for SMEs. This volume will provide the foundation for further study in SMEs and globalization. It will appeal to scholars and students in both international business and economics. Zoltan J. Acs is Professor of Economics and Finance, University of Baltimore. Bernard Yin Yeung is Professor of International Business, University of Michigan.

International Handbook on Industrial Policy

International Handbook on Industrial Policy
Author: P. Bianchi
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2008-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1847201547

This timely and much-needed Handbook reconsiders an old topic from a fresh perspective, raising a number of new, interesting and worthwhile issues in the wake of ten years of globalization. This comprehensive analysis illustrates that old-style industrial policies whereby the government directly intervened in markets, and was often the producer itself, are no longer relevant. Structural changes occurring in economies summarized in the term globalization are triggering the definition and implementation of new industrial policies. The contributors, leading experts in their field, unite to evaluate this shift of over a decade ago. Employing various empirical and methodological approaches with a strong theoretical underpinning, this world-wide study of the state-of-the-art of industrial policy issues is an invaluable reference tool. It has been enthusiastically received by a wide-ranging audience including scholars, researchers and policy makers with an interest in industrial economics and policy, business studies and policies for growth, competitiveness and development.

Growth, Employment, and Equity

Growth, Employment, and Equity
Author: Barbara Stallings
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2010-12-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780815798293

A Brookings Institution Press and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) publication In the last ten to fifteen years, the Latin American and Caribbean region has undergone the most significant transformation of economic policy since World War II. Through a series of structural reforms, an increasing number of countries have moved from closed, state-dominated economies to ones that are more market oriented and open to the rest of the world. Policymakers expected that these changes, in conjunction with lower rates of inflation and increased spending in the social area, would speed up economic growth, increase productivity, and lead to the creation of more jobs and greater equality. Have those expectations been fulfilled? Analyzing the impact of the reforms in nine countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru), this study provides a detailed picture of progress to date. At the overall regional level, the book suggests, the reforms have had a surprisingly small impact: a small positive impact on investment and growth, and a small negative impact on employment and income distribution. But at the country, sectoral, and microeconomic levels, it finds evidence of strong effects, with some units doing very well and others falling behind.

Technology, Competitiveness and Radical Policy Change

Technology, Competitiveness and Radical Policy Change
Author: Jörg Meyer-Stamer
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2005-07-22
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1135777306

This volume investigates the limited effectiveness of technology policy in the inward-oriented industrialization model of the past. It looks at the political structures that compromise the transition to the development model, and the restructuring effort within Brazilian industrial firms.