scholarly journals Verification of the UR5 robot’s properties after a crash caused by a fall of a transferred load from a crane

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 172988142090420
Author(s):  
Jan Semjon ◽  
Rudolf Janos ◽  
Marek Sukop ◽  
Peter Tuleja ◽  
Mikulas Hajduk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Production Quality ◽  
Previous Operation ◽  
Human Labour

Installing robots in small businesses is primarily dependent on the ratio of money spent to achieve profit. In addition, from consumer pressure on the production, quality and low cost, the increasing cost of human labour leads to robot deployment. With falling prices of robots, their use is becoming increasingly common, which leads to small firms trying to implement robots that are not new. They try to buy a cheaper older robot or a robot that was damaged during its previous operation. It is necessary to eliminate the risk that arises from more serious damage to the robot, therefore, the requirements for verification of the robot’s resultant parameters after its repair performed in own interest. Based on such a requirement, the solution was to verify the parameters of the UR5 robot to confirm the possibility of its further use. After replacing the damaged parts, the robot was subjected to its parameter verification according to standard ISO 9283:2012. For measurement purposes, a measuring cube was designed and manufactured, as well as a measuring nest for Heidenhain sensors.

scholarly journals The Impact of Coercive Pressures on Sustainability Practices of Small Businesses in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reginald Masocha ◽  
Olawale Fatoki
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Isomorphic Pressures

The study sought to examine the role that coercive isomorphic pressures play in the sustainable development practices by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The survey research approach was utilised in the research through 222 self-administered questionnaires distributed to SME owners and managers. The structural equation modelling (SEM) method was utilised to analyse the data through the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method in Amos Version 24 software. Major findings in this study are that coercive isomorphic pressures have a significant impact on all the three dimensions of sustainable development which are economic, environmental and social. The implications are that government, environmental pressure groups and other stakeholders need to take into consideration the coercive pressures such as laws and regulations in pressuring small businesses to enhance sustainability practices. The research contributes by unearthing the extent to which coercive pressures impact the behaviour and practices of SMEs in sustainability practices. The study indicates that eventually small firms are expected to behave the same when it comes to adopting sustainability practices due to coercive isomorphism. The findings of this study further contribute toward understanding the concept of sustainable development in practice and theory.

Standardization Efforts in Small Businesses

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 53-67
Author(s):  
Ying Yan Tan
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Service Experiences

Services are products or ways businesses differentiate from others to attract customers. Characteristics of service, which include intangibility, perishability, and dependence on individuals who perform the services, make it valuable asset and competitive advantage to firm when well-managed. It is crucial for quality services to be preserved through standardization though there are different individuals who bring customers through service experiences. Service standardization involves consistency in work processes, attitudes, and ability to create similar experiences to customers who patronage the firm. The author believes that standardization of manpower quality is a way to service standardization. Standardization efforts can be found in many flexible practices in small enterprises, which are thought to be peculiar ways small firms survive competition. The conceptual paper covered questions from the author about service standardization, which will lead to future studies to go behind the scene of service standardization efforts in SMEs and their impacts on Malaysian small firms.

Confronting the unprecedented: micro and small businesses in the age of coronavirus disease 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Bressan ◽  
Abel Duarte Alonso ◽  
Seng Kiat Kok
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Theory Of Planned Behaviour ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Wine Industry ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Stakeholders

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand how micro and small firms are navigating through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) threat, and the alternatives they are implementing to coexist with the ongoing crisis. To this end, Italy's socioeconomically and traditionally significant wine industry is examined. The study considers insights of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and develops a theoretical framework, which proposes various emerging theoretical dimensions, including proactiveness, support-reliance and resourcefulness.Design/methodology/approachWinery owners–managers were contacted and invited to partake in the study completing an online questionnaire. Overall, 167 useable responses were collected.FindingsWhile facing the loss of vital income through decreasing demand and exports, participants resort to exploiting various initiatives, including “reinventing” their firms. Their observations also recognise the vital supporting role of various key stakeholders, first and foremost family members, as well as clients and staff. Concerning how owners-managers envision managing their firm post-COVID-19, two predominant groups are identified, one strongly favouring modern-day alternatives, and the second committing to the firm's traditional business model. Overall, the different predictors of the TPB, namely attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control emerged.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first that empirically analyses micro and small firms in a socioeconomically and traditionally significant industry during an unprecedented event. In addition, the proposed theoretical framework provides a roadmap and guide to examine, understand and assimilate the entrepreneurial journey through a devastating event.

Doing Business in Paradise

2011 ◽  
pp. 221-243
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Kaars-Brown ◽  
Chingning Wang
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
British West Indies ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Doing Business ◽  
Transfer Of Technology

This chapter presents findings from a case study of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in the British West Indies area of the Caribbean. TCI is a tax haven that has worked to attract offshore financial firms such as trust, insurance, and financial management companies. All of these firms, which qualify as “information intensive,” are small in size (average 11 employees), engage in business on a global basis, and yet must compete while dealing with local infrastructure challenges. TCI is presented as the developmental context in which small businesses (largely owned or managed by foreigners from other cultures) must interpret and cope with national infrastructure challenges in this very small, young, rapidly growing island nation. Not surprisingly, we found that these firms share similar challenges with those in other developing countries; however, the perceptions of these challenges and how these small firms cope provide insights into the importance of small firms, small-scale foreign investment, and cross-national transfer of technology expectations.

Management's Contribution to Internet Commerce Benefit - Experiences of Online Small Businesses

2011 ◽  
pp. 277-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simpson Poon
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Internet Commerce ◽  
Is Success ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Specialist Knowledge ◽  
It Success ◽  
Management Involvement

The importance of management and Information Technology (IT) success had been repeatedly identified in small business IT studies (for example, DeLone, 1988). When measuring information satisfaction among small firms, top management involvement was found to be one of the most important factors (Montazemi, 1988). The quest for the role of management involvement in Information Systems (IS) success in small firms continued into the 1990s. For example, Yap, Soh, and Raman (1992) studied a group of Singaporean small firms using earlier findings and discovered that CEO involvement was positively related to IS success. CEO involvement such as attending project meetings, involvement in information requirement needs analysis, reviewing consultants’ recommendations and project monitoring are important to IS success. Thong, Yap and Raman (1996) pointed out that although management support was important, in cases where internal IS expertise was lacking, specialist knowledge (for example, engaging IT consultants in projects) was important to success. An in-depth study on motivators and inhibitors for small firms to adopt computing identified managerial enthusiasm as a key motivator (Cragg, 1998). The overseeing role of management during system implementation was found to be important to success. Management support was also found to be an important factor for IT success in the case of personal computing acceptance (Igbaria, Zinatelli, Craig, & Cavaye, 1997). All of these studies suggested that management involvement was critical to IS success regardless of cultural background.

WHAT’S THE RECIPE TO INNOVATE? AN ANALYSIS OF THE DETERMINANTS OF THE DEGREE OF INNOVATION IN THE GASTRONOMY SEGMENT

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
pp. 2050005 ◽  
Author(s):  
RENATA BRAGA BERENGUER DE VASCONCELOS ◽  
RICARDO SÉRGIO GOMES VIEIRA ◽  
DENIS SILVA DA SILVEIRA
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Data Compilation ◽  
Northeastern State ◽  
State Capital ◽  
Degree Of Innovation

Innovation represents the search for the new that allows organisations to increase their competitiveness and face market competition. Although they have fewer resources and smaller capacities, small businesses have a number of advantages that enable the innovation process. Therefore, it is necessary to gain a greater understanding on the stage of innovation in small firms and on how the aspects of management influence their development and are useful for such organisations. In this sense, the present paper analyses the determinants of organisational management that influence the degree of innovation of small firms in the gastronomic segment. The sample of the study counted on data compilation of 67 small gastronomic firms of a northeastern state capital in Brazil collected during almost two years. The determinants of innovation were identified through the theoretical framework composed of leadership; strategies; customers; society; information and knowledge; people; processes and results. The degree of innovation was measured from the degree of sectorial innovation achieved by the innovation radar. The proposed relationships were analysed by means of multiple regression with panel data, in which the degree of innovation was the dependent variable of the model and the determinants of innovation were the independent variables. The results demonstrate that the degree of innovation is influenced mainly by the internal processes that the company develops and by the results that it achieves. On the contrary, it was verified that the regulatory aspects that the firms attend can inhibit the development of innovation. The results reinforce the importance of organisational management for the development of innovation in small business, presenting the facilities and the obstacles.

Design of Intelligent Winding Machine for Tassel Thread Based on Stepping Motor

2012 ◽  
Vol 189 ◽  
pp. 317-320
Author(s):  
Hong Shen ◽  
Feng Shao ◽  
Jun Peng Xu
Keyword(s):  
Simple Structure ◽  
Intelligent System ◽  
Rotation Speed ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Production Quality ◽  
Stepping Motor ◽  
Precise Control ◽  
Winding Machine ◽  
Thread Problem

On account of the end splitting and dropping thread problem for domestic winding machine during tassel thread production process at present, an intelligent system with subdivision driving module TB6560AHQ and SANYO stepping motor was designed, which adopted the ATMEL89S52 MCU as the core controller. The system achieved precise control of some parameters during the course of tassel thread winding such as torque, direction of rotation, speed, cycle laps, twist, etc. It also reduced the worker’s labour intensity and improved the production quality and efficiency of the tassel manufacturing, moreover, this winding machine has the advantages of simple structure, high torque, high reliability and low cost. It can meet the various control requirements for different tassel thread winding and have a considerable market prospect.

Prediction model of business success or failure for Palestinian small enterprises in the West Bank

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samir D. Baidoun ◽  
Robert N. Lussier ◽  
Maisa Burbar ◽  
Sawsan Awashra
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
West Bank ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Business Failure ◽  
Business Success ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Random Guessing

Purpose The aim of this study is to examine the factors that lead to success or failure of a small business in the West Bank of Palestine. Design/methodology/approach This study methodology is a survey research, testing the Lussier model of business success and failure with a sample of 246 small businesses (90 failed and 156 successful) to better understand the reasons of their success or failure using logistic regression statistical analysis. Findings The model is significant (p = 0.000); it will predict a group of businesses as successful or failed more accurately than random guessing 99 per cent of the time. The model will also predict a specific small firm as successful or failed 94 per cent of the time vs. 50 per cent for random guessing. The r-square is very high (r = 0.70), indicating that the model variables are, in fact, significant predictors of success or failure. Results indicate that having adequate capital, keeping good records with financial controls, making plans and getting professional advice on how to manage the firm are the most important factors for the viability and success of small businesses. Practical implications With the high rate of small business failure globally, results of this study provide a list of variables that contribute to the success of small firms. Firms that focus on these important factors will increase their odds of success. Thus, avoiding failure, firms better utilize resources that contribute to economic growth. Originality/value This is the first study that looks at success and failure of small businesses in Palestine. There is no one single accepted theory that may be applied to small businesses. This paper aims to further contribute to the global validity of Lussier success and failure model moving toward a theory to better understand why some businesses succeed and others fail.

The Informational Needs of the Small Firm Engaged in International Dealings

1983 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Seely ◽  
Harvey J. Iglarsh
Keyword(s):  
Data Acquisition ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Small Firm ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
International Market ◽  
Informational Needs ◽  
Foreign Markets ◽  
Trade Associations

The small firm considering international operations must devote substantial time and resources to collecting information about potential foreign markets. This article identifies the information needs of small businesses, examines sources of this information, including the Federal government, trade associations, and trading companies, and proposes strategies by which small firms can approach the problem of international market data acquisition.

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