Small Business Collaboration Through Electronic Marketplaces

2009 ◽  
pp. 992-1001
Author(s):  
Yin Leng Tan ◽  
Linda Macaulay
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
National Economies ◽  
Data Design ◽  
Business Framework

It is widely recognized that small businesses with less than 50 employees make significant contributions to the prosperity of local, regional, and national economies. They are a major source of job creation and a driving force of economic growth for developed countries like the USA (Headd, 2005; SBA, 2005), the UK (Dixon, Thompson, & McAllister, 2002; SBS, 2005), Europe (European Commission, 2003), and developing countries such as China (Bo, 2005). The economic potential is further strengthened when firms collaborate with each other; for example, formation of a supply chain, strategic alliances, or sharing of information and resources (Horvath, 2001; O’Donnell, Cilmore, Cummins, & Carson, 2001; MacGregor, 2004; Todeva & Knoke, 2005). Owing to heterogeneous aspects of small businesses, such as firm size and business sector, a single e-business solution is unlikely to be suitable for all firms (Dixon et al., 2002; Taylor & Murphy, 2004a); however, collaboration requires individual firms to adopt standardized, simplified solutions based on open architectures and data design (Horvath, 2001). The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual e-business framework and a generic e-catalogue, which enables small businesses to collaborate through the creation of an e-marketplace. To assist with the task, analysis of data from 6,000 small businesses situated within a locality of Greater Manchester, England within the context of an e-business portal is incorporated within this study.

Small Business Collaboration Through Electronic Marketplaces

2011 ◽  
pp. 569-576
Author(s):  
Yin Leng Tan ◽  
Linda Macaulay
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
National Economies ◽  
Data Design ◽  
Business Framework

It is widely recognized that small businesses with less than 50 employees make significant contributions to the prosperity of local, regional, and national economies. They are a major source of job creation and a driving force of economic growth for developed countries like the USA (Headd, 2005; SBA, 2005), the UK (Dixon, Thompson, & McAllister, 2002; SBS, 2005), Europe (European Commission, 2003), and developing countries such as China (Bo, 2005). The economic potential is further strengthened when firms collaborate with each other; for example, formation of a supply chain, strategic alliances, or sharing of information and resources (Horvath, 2001; O’Donnell, Cilmore, Cummins, & Carson, 2001; MacGregor, 2004; Todeva & Knoke, 2005). Owing to heterogeneous aspects of small businesses, such as firm size and business sector, a single e-business solution is unlikely to be suitable for all firms (Dixon et al., 2002; Taylor & Murphy, 2004a); however, collaboration requires individual firms to adopt standardized, simplified solutions based on open architectures and data design (Horvath, 2001). The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual e-business framework and a generic e-catalogue, which enables small businesses to collaborate through the creation of an e-marketplace. To assist with the task, analysis of data from 6,000 small businesses situated within a locality of Greater Manchester, England within the context of an e-business portal is incorporated within this study.

scholarly journals Impact of Ownership Structure on Bank Profitability in Nigeria

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-183
Author(s):  
Uhomoibhi Aburime Toni
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Bank Profitability ◽  
Limited Applicability ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Finance Theory ◽  
Political Economic

Ownership structure is considered an important factor that affects a firm’s health. If ownership structure affects a firm’s health, it is possible then to use the ownership structure to predict firm profitability. Against this backdrop, this paper analyzes the relationship between ownership structure and bank profitability in Nigeria. There are two motivations for this paper. Firstly, midway into the banks consolidation exercise in Nigeria, the CBN identified the need for a determination of the most appropriate composition of bank capitalization that would enhance the individual and systemic profitability and efficiency of banks in Nigeria post-consolidation. Hence, it decided to minimize state governments’ investment in banks during the exercise and also issued a December 2007 ultimatum to all tiers of governments that have stakes in banks to dilute their investments to a maximum of 10 per cent. Unfortunately, the CBN did not state any econometrically-based rationale giving credence to its directives. Secondly, the effect of ownership structure and concentration on a firm’s performance is an important issue in the literature of finance theory. However, no researcher has studied this important aspect of finance theory in the Nigerian context. It is worth noting that most research on ownership structure and firm performance has been dominated by studies conducted in developed countries. However, there is an increasing awareness that theories originating from developed countries such as the USA and the UK may have limited applicability to emerging markets. Emerging markets have different characteristics such as different political, economic and institutional conditions, which limit the application of developed markets’ empirical models.

CSR disclosure in developing and developed countries: a comparative study

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aparna Bhatia ◽  
Binny Makkar
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Developed Nations ◽  
Developing And Developed Countries

Purpose This paper aims to examine and compare the nature and extent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting practices of companies in developing (BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa]) and developed (the USA and the UK) countries. Design/methodology/approach Content analysis is conducted on the annual reports and websites of 325 companies listed on stock exchanges of developing markets and of developed markets (Brazil – IBrX 100, 46 companies; Russia – Broad Market Index, 50 companies; India – BSE 100, 50 companies; China – SSE 180, 29 companies; South Africa – FTSE/JSE All Share index, 50 companies; the USA – NYSE 100, 50 companies; the UK – FTSE 100, 50 companies). Descriptives are used to calculate company wise and item wise scores. T-test analysis is applied to check for significant differences between mean scores of developing and developed countries. Findings The findings of the study reflect that developed countries have higher CSR disclosure scores than developing countries. Overall, mean CSR disclosure score of developed countries is 53.5%, followed by that of the developing countries at 49.4%. Developed countries take lead in CSR disclosure for all the five categories, namely, human resources, community, environment, customer and product and others. The results of independent sample T-test suggest that mean disclosure score of developing nations is significantly different from developed nations. Practical implications As suggested by the results, the gap in the CSR disclosure scores between developing and developed group of countries is not an alarming one. However, developing countries should practice CSR in spirit and not just in letter. Focus should not be on just filling the pages in black and white, rather the essence of CSR should be attained for balanced development of the country. For instance, though developing country like India has high score of CSR disclosure in contrast to each of the developed country taken in the sample, yet the country is still battling with several issues such as poverty, over-population, corruption, poor standard of working conditions for the employees and environmental conservation. Sustenance should focus upon renewable sources of energy; efforts of employees should be acknowledged offering flexible working hours; consumer trust should be built by communicating authentic and accurate information about the product. As developing countries encounter several social and environmental problems, companies must endeavor to build a healthy nation keeping in mind the welfare of all stakeholders by practicing CSR. Originality/value This study overcomes the limitations of prior cross-country studies by taking a better representative sample with greater number of countries belonging to identifiable group of “developing” and “developed” nations and thus attempts to improve generalization and authenticity of results.

Implications of online funding regulations for small businesses

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Yeoh
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Small Investors ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the implications of exemptions to facilitate small businesses’ access to crowdfunding (CF) schemes. The aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis and even now witnessed many small profits and non-profits encountering significant difficulties in accessing funding from the conventional sources and on many occasions have to turn to the newly emerging Internet-enabled donation or product compensation CF schemes. Access to securities-based CF schemes has, however, been seriously difficult due to securities laws obstacles. Regulatory authorities in the USA and the UK have responded with exemptions to facilitate small businesses’ access to CF. Design/methodology/approach – The paper driven by the qualitative doctrinal approach would rely extensively on primary data from the applicable regulations and secondary data from industry sources and other publicly available commentaries. Findings – Securities-based CF schemes hitherto heavily restricted in the USA and the UK are under current regulatory interventions-accorded exemption status, thereby enabling enhanced access for those small businesses seeking alternatives to conventional financing and enhanced investment opportunities for small investors. The paper’s preliminary analysis suggests that the proposed new regulatory rules in the USA and the UK are generally well-balanced with adequate small investors’ protection, while simultaneously not hampering the innovative growth of small businesses with excessive restrictions. Further, the preparedness of the regulators to fine-tune the proposed rules as the CF industry evolves would likely ensure its orderly growth, thereby helping to address various humanitarian and social challenges in these jurisdictions. Originality/value – The added value of the analysis lies in its substantive evaluation of the proposed rules in both jurisdictions to ascertain the feasibility of securities-based CF schemes as alternatives for small businesses in relation to traditional financing and enhanced investment opportunities for small unsophisticated investors.

Market Change, Distribution, and New Firm Formation and Growth: The Case of Real-Ale Breweries in the United Kingdom

1997 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
C M Mason ◽  
K N McNally
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Brewing Industry ◽  
Firm Formation ◽  
New Firm Formation ◽  
New Firm ◽  
The Uk

Many of the most influential accounts of the growth in the numbers of new businesses being started and the general increase in the economic significance of the small-business sector draw upon flexible specialisation theory, which explains such trends in terms of the breakup of the mass market for standardised goods and services and the consequent emergence of a variety of smaller niche markets capable of exploitation by new or small businesses. In this paper our purpose is to suggest that the opportunities for new firm formation and growth arising from such changes may be more circumscribed than have hitherto been acknowledged. Drawing upon evidence from the UK brewing industry, which has seen the creation of many hundreds of new breweries during the past twenty years, we highlight the role of distribution channels as a significant barrier to the growth of the small-business sector. Changes to the regulatory environment (the Beer Orders) in an attempt by government to improve the competitiveness of the UK brewing industry have, paradoxically, had the opposite effect to that intended, and so have failed to increase market opportunities for microbrewers. Future research must give greater attention to the role of distribution in order to achieve a better understanding of the changing structure and spatial organisation of production.

Postharvest losses and waste in developed and less developed countries: opportunities to improve resource use

2010 ◽  
Vol 149 (S1) ◽  
pp. 37-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. HODGES ◽  
J. C. BUZBY ◽  
B. BENNETT
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Less Developed Countries ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Food Losses ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Uk

SUMMARYThis review compares and contrasts postharvest food losses (PHLs) and waste in developed countries (especially the USA and the UK) with those in less developed countries (LDCs), especially the case of cereals in sub-Saharan Africa. Reducing food losses offers an important way of increasing food availability without requiring additional production resources, and in LDCs it can contribute to rural development and poverty reduction by improving agribusiness livelihoods. The critical factors governing PHLs and food waste are mostly after the farm gate in developed countries but before the farm gate in LDCs. In the foreseeable future (e.g. up to 2030), the main drivers for reducing PHLs differ: in the developed world, they include consumer education campaigns, carefully targeted taxation and private and public sector partnerships sharing the responsibility for loss reduction. The LDCs’ drivers include more widespread education of farmers in the causes of PHLs; better infrastructure to connect smallholders to markets; more effective value chains that provide sufficient financial incentives at the producer level; opportunities to adopt collective marketing and better technologies supported by access to microcredit; and the public and private sectors sharing the investment costs and risks in market-orientated interventions.

scholarly journals The effects of volatility and changes in conditional correlations in the stock markets of Russia and developed countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (227) ◽  
pp. 67-94
Author(s):  
Oleg Salmanov ◽  
Natalia Babina ◽  
Marina Samoshkina ◽  
Irina Drachena ◽  
Irina Salmanova
Keyword(s):  
Stock Markets ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Russian Market ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
International Portfolios ◽  
Russian Stock Market ◽  
The Uk

The aim of this article is to identify patterns of profitability volatility and to establish the degree of dynamic conditional correlation between the stock markets of developed countries and those of Russia. This issue is important for investment strategies and the international diversification of investments. We use the BEKK-GARCH, CCC-GARCH, and DCCGARCH models and show that the correlation between the Russian stock market and the markets of the USA, UK, Germany, and France has decreased significantly in recent years. We find that while the correlation between the Russian market and the mature European markets is bidirectional, the relationship between the US market and the Russian market is unidirectional. An assessment of the transfer of volatility from all of the mature markets to the Russian market establishes its statistical significance and shows that feedback from the Russian market to the UK and German markets is insignificant. Diversification of international portfolios in the Russian market is recommended.

Security and privacy of adolescents in social applications and networks: legislative aspects and legal practice of countering cyberbullying on example of developed and developing countries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Ghandour ◽  
Viktor Shestak ◽  
Konstantin Sokolovskiy
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Developed Countries ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Social Applications

Purpose This paper aims to study the developed countries’ experience on the cyberbullying legal regulation among adolescents, to identify existing shortcomings in the developing countries’ laws and to develop recommendations for regulatory framework improvement. Design/methodology/approach The authors have studied the state regulatory practice of the UK, the USA, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, UAE and analyzed the statistics of 2018 on the cyberbullying manifestation among adolescents in these countries. Findings The study results can encourage countries to create separate cyberbullying legislation and periodically review and modify already existing legislation. Originality/value The study provides a list of the recommendations to regulate cybercrime in developing countries and prevent it as well. The results may contribute to creating laws related to the regulation of cyberbullying in countries where such legislation does not exist yet or existing regulatory legal acts do not bring the expected results, namely, in Post-Soviet countries and other developing countries of the world.

scholarly journals Health benefits of cereal fibre: a review of clinical trials

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caren E. Smith ◽  
Katherine L. Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Food Additives ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Additional Research ◽  
Whole Grain ◽  
Dietary Recommendations ◽  
Nutrition Research ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Intervention Trials ◽  
The Uk

Cereal fibre and whole-grain intakes have been consistently associated in the epidemiological literature with reduced mortality and risk of chronic disease including obesity, CVD and type 2 diabetes. The present review focuses on intervention trials with three primary aims: (1) understanding the mechanisms through which fibre consumption improves health (for example, examination of intermediate endpoints reflecting improved lipid, glucose and energy metabolism); (2) close evaluation of qualitative factors which modify fibre's effectiveness including physiochemical properties (for example, solubility, fermentability and viscosity), fibre extract molecular weight, fibre particle size and botanical structure of the fibre source grain; and (3) identification of areas in which additional research is needed. The first two aims typify the goals of nutrition research, in that improved understanding of the specific factors which determine fibre's health benefits has critical implications for dietary recommendations as well as improving understanding of physiological mechanisms. The third aim acknowledges the substantial gap between recommended and actual fibre intakes in many developed countries including the USA and the UK. In recognition of this deficit in total fibre intake, food manufacturing processes increasingly utilise fibre extracts and concentrates as food additives. However, whether fibre extracts provide similar health benefits to the fibre supplied in the constituents of whole grain is largely unexplored. The relative benefits of fibre extracts compared with whole-grain fibre sources therefore represent a critical area in which additional research is needed.

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