Hasil untuk "Small and medium-sized businesses, artisans, handicrafts, trades"

Merve Güngördü-Arıoğlu, Deniz Tuncalp

PurposeThis paper aims to explore and analyze effective methods for measuring the impact of social ventures. By examining existing frameworks such as Social Return on Investment (SROI) and Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS) and through qualitative case studies of Turkish social ventures, the study aims to identify the limitations and adaptability of these methodologies. The goal is to provide actionable recommendations for social entrepreneurs, policymakers, and stakeholders to enhance the accuracy and relevance of impact assessments, thereby contributing to the sustainability and effectiveness of social ventures.Design/methodology/approachThis research employs a qualitative methodology, focusing on in-depth case studies of Turkish social ventures. Data collection involves a combination of direct interviews with social entrepreneurs, analysis of organizational reports, and review of relevant literature. The study examines existing impact assessment frameworks, such as Social Return on Investment (SROI) and Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS), assessing their applicability and limitations within the Turkish context. The research aims to identify context-specific challenges and innovative practices by analysing these case studies, offering insights into more effective and tailored impact assessment methodologies for social ventures.FindingsThe study reveals that while global impact assessment frameworks like Social Return on Investment (SROI) and Impact Reporting and Investment Standards (IRIS) are helpful, they often require adaptation to fit Turkey’s unique socioeconomic conditions. Key findings highlight the need for context-specific, resource-efficient, and participatory impact assessment tools. The case studies illustrate innovative practices in Turkey, such as integrating local cultural factors and leveraging technology for data collection. These insights underscore the importance of developing tailored methodologies that accurately capture social ventures' diverse impacts on varied regional contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by its focus on a few case studies, which may not fully represent the diversity of social ventures across Turkey. Additionally, the reliance on qualitative data may introduce subjective biases. The dynamic nature of social issues and the evolving socioeconomic landscape in Turkey further complicate the development of standardized assessment tools. Despite these limitations, the study offers valuable insights into context-specific challenges and innovative practices, highlighting the need for adaptable and responsive impact assessment methodologies. Future research should expand the scope of case studies and explore quantitative approaches to complement the qualitative findings.Practical implicationsThis study provides practical recommendations for social entrepreneurs, policymakers, and stakeholders to improve impact assessment practices in Turkey. It offers strategies to tailor global frameworks like SROI and IRIS to local conditions by emphasizing the need for context-specific, resource-efficient, and participatory tools. Social ventures can adopt these insights to enhance the accuracy and relevance of their impact assessments, ultimately improving their effectiveness and sustainability. Policymakers can use these findings to create supportive environments and policies that foster social entrepreneurship. At the same time, investors can better evaluate the social return on their investments by aligning their portfolios with their social objectives.Social implicationsThe study underscores the importance of accurate and context-specific impact assessment in enhancing the effectiveness of social ventures in Turkey. By providing tailored methodologies, social ventures can better address local socioeconomic challenges, leading to more meaningful and sustainable social change. Improved impact assessment practices enable ventures to demonstrate their value more convincingly, attracting better stakeholder support from investors, policymakers, and the community. This can lead to increased funding, better policy support, and more robust community engagement, ultimately fostering a more vibrant and impactful social entrepreneurship ecosystem that drives positive societal transformation.Originality/valueThis paper offers original insights into the challenges and opportunities of measuring the impact of social ventures in Turkey, a context that has received limited attention in the existing literature. By analyzing these case studies, the research highlights innovative, context-specific practices that can be adapted to other regions with similar socioeconomic dynamics. The studys value lies in its practical recommendations for developing resource-efficient and participatory impact assessment tools that address the unique needs of social ventures. These findings contribute to the broader discourse on social impact assessment and offer valuable guidance for social entrepreneurs, policymakers, and investors.

Maka Sosanidze, Nanuli Kokashvili, Leila Mamulashvili et al.

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are a firm pillar of a country's economic system, playing a significant role in both job creation and strengthening regional development. In Georgia, SMEs account for more than 95% of all registered companies, although their share of the gross domestic product is still limited. The reason for this is a number of systemic and economic challenges that threaten the economic security of SMEs. This paper analyzes the main security problems of small and medium-sized businesses, such as difficulty in accessing finance, inflationary processes, instability of the regulatory environment, vulnerability to economic shocks, and technological backwardness.

Anže Mihelič, Simon Vrhovec, Blaž Markelj et al.

K. L. Neopulo

The proposed study is devoted to the study of the problems of the development of state support for small business in the light of the National Project «Small and medium5sized entrepreneurship and support for individual entrepreneurial initiative» being implemented in the Russian Federation. The methods of induction and deduction, system analysis, and comparison were used as a methodological basis. The subject of the study is the subsystems of the mechanism of state support for small and medium–sized businesses, which most effectively influence the activation of such a significant sector of the economy in the period 2018–2024. The coronavirus pandemic has revolutionized the transformation of small companies, accelerated digitalization, changed business models, organizational structure and thinking of owners, and influenced the number and demographic characteristics of employees. The timely response of the Government and the measures of large–scale state support introduced have significantly offset the possible devastating consequences for the entire segment of small and medium–sized enterprises. The Government’s operational efforts have not been in vain and small businesses have mostly stayed afloat. As a result of the study, conclusions were drawn: there was no further timely «reversal» caused by the special operation; the existing «availability» of financing does not allow achieving the target indicators laid down in the National Project (32.5% of GDP in 2024).Consequently, there is a need to revise government support measures and the need for adjustments to the system and tools aimed at the qualitative transformation of SMEs.

Mark Clague

Written as a concise guide for students and working professionals, this article examines and critiques the “portfolio career” in arts professional development to offer an alternative conceptual strategy to forge a sustainable life. Eight modes of arts work are explored (performing, teaching, creating, writing, healing, manufacturing, distributing, and administering). The “Platform Career” is proposed as an extension of and possible solution to the shortcomings of the portfolio career. In the platform model, one professional activity serves as a financial base for the artist’s panoply of creative work, providing health insurance and other employment benefits plus additional financial stability to reduce financial and emotional precarity.

Juan Bernardino Arellano-Rodríguez

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Latin America demonstrate productivity levels of 32% and 43%, respectively, when compared to large companies. This lower productivity places them at a disadvantage in accessing the global value chain. According to the OECD/ECLAC (2012), factors that help SMEs improve their business performance include access to knowledge and information (from customers and suppliers) and the implementation of managerial systems, such as supply chain integration (SCI). This research examines the relationship between SCI and the business performance of metal-mechanics manufacturing SMEs in the metropolitan zone of Guadalajara (ZMG), Jalisco, Mexico. The findings indicate that supplier integration, internal integration, and customer integration have a positive and significant impact on business performance.

Ximeng Chen

Purpose – The concept of diaspora philanthropy contains the following two components: diasporas, who are individuals who live outside of their homelands but maintain a sense of identity with their home countries, and charitable giving provided by these diasporas to causes related to their hometowns. Often diaspora philanthropy happens through intermediary organizations such as hometown associations, internet-based philanthropic platforms and faith-based groups. Little research explores immigrant-owned small businesses as intermediary organizations for diaspora philanthropy. In the literature of social entrepreneurship, the theory of opportunity recognition provides insights on how do businesses identify opportunities for fulfilling social missions. However, it is uncertain whether this major theory can be applied to a specific context such as immigrant-owned small businesses. In this research, I aim to understand immigrant-owned small businesses' participation in social entrepreneurship through diaspora philanthropy, especially in responding to natural disasters. Specifically, three research questions were proposed: What role do small businesses play? What mechanisms do they use to partake in diaspora philanthropy? Moreover, what motivates them to participate? Design/methodology/approach – This research uses an in-depth case study that focuses on a specific diaspora philanthropy behavior in responding to a natural disaster in the diaspora's hometown. The subject of this work is a small business owned by an immigrant in New York City, the US. To collect data on this case, the author utilized a mixed-methods design, which involves two types of qualitative data: document analysis and interview. Giving the purpose of this study, the author used thematic coding for both newspaper article data and interview data following a deductive approach. Findings – The result shows that small businesses have an inherent advantage in building close interpersonal relationships with their customers and serve as the connector between their customers and larger philanthropic organizations. Because of their limitations on resources, small businesses collaborate with larger nonprofit organizations to do complicated philanthropic work for improved capacity. When diaspora philanthropy happens due to natural disasters in homelands, diasporas experience some level of guilt since they are not there with the people of their homeland in solidarity facing the difficulties. This guilt, which is related to cultural influences, is one of the motivations that make diasporas give to their homelands. The findings also show that the opportunity recognition theory fits well into explaining the altruistic behaviors of small businesses owned by immigrants. Originality/value – A lot remains unknown about immigrant-owned small businesses, including their altruistic behaviors and participation in social entrepreneurship. This research expands the current knowledge on diaspora philanthropy by identifying the roles of small businesses, the mechanisms used by small businesses and the motivations of giving during natural disasters. This research also validates the opportunity recognition theory of social entrepreneurship in a specific context.

Chris Welter, Alex Scrimpshire, Dawn Tolonen et al.

Purpose – The goal of this research is to investigate the relationship between two different sets of practices, lean startup and business planning, and their relation to entrepreneurial performance. Design/methodology/approach – The authors collected data from 120 entrepreneurs across the US about a variety of new venture formation activities within the categories of lean startup or business planning. They use hierarchical regression to examine the relationship between these activities and new venture performance using both a subjective and objective measure of performance. Findings – The results show that talking to customers, collecting preorders and pivoting based on customer feedback are lean startup activities correlated with performance; writing a business plan is the sole business planning activity correlated with performance. Research limitations/implications – This research lays the foundation for understanding the components of both lean startup and business planning. Moreover, these results demonstrate that the separation of lean startup and business planning represents a false dichotomy. Practical implications – These findings suggest that entrepreneurs should engage in some lean startup activities and still write a business plan. Originality/value – This article offers the first quantitative, empirical comparison of lean startup activities and business planning. Furthermore, it provides support for the relationship between specific lean startup activities and firm performance.

Yasir Shah, Yumin Liu, Faiza Shah et al.

Relevance. Human health is essential to economic activity and social development. The rapid spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) all around the world can be particularly disastrous for low-income persons, which means that the pandemic poses a severe threat for developing countries. In Pakistan, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were hit especially hard by the pandemic and lockdown restrictions. This research focuses on the economic challenges faced by Pakistan in combatting the impacts of the pandemic.Research objective.The purpose of the article is to identify the difficulties faced by SMEs as a result of the coronavirus infectionData and methods. The methodological approach presents an analysis of statistical data to show the main problems of the SME sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used the data from the statistical report of the Ministry of Health of the Government of Pakistan (GOP), as well as the data from previous studies on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.Results. The study identified problems for SMEs during COVID-19, such as the lack of capital and the lack of satisfactory business plans. Moreover, poverty is one of the most serious problems in Pakistan, which is why SMEs cannot afford prolonged isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic and individual entrepreneurs have to risk their lives for their families. The government of Pakistan has adapted steps to control the epidemic, however, so far there is no policy for small business investors. The authorities are still working on the policies for small business units.Conclusions. Although Pakistan has adopted many protective measures, the situation regarding measures to support SMEs still leaves much to be desired.The lack of state support contributes to the general economic crisis the country has faced due to the pandemic.

Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, Neville Vakharia

What brings the two halves of our expanded, double issue together, other than rigorous scholarship and shared commitment to our growing field, is this moment of crisis and change. During our editorial process, the world went into quarantine, and like many art scholars we found ourselves asking how the journal’s field-building aims would contribute to the resilience of arts organizations facing an unparalleled crisis. This editorial gathers those voices and shares their message of both distress and hope.

Svitlana Nesterova, Veronika Kopcha, Halyna Myhalchinets

The subject of the research. The study focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of the problems facing State support for small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to identify the main destructive factors in the development of medium and small enterprises and to identify ways to overcome them. The methodological basis of the article is general scientific and special methods of scientific knowledge, such as dialectical method, analysis, grouping of data, problem-oriented approach. Results of work. The article discusses the special role of medium- and small-scale enterprises in generating GDP, creating jobs and improving the demographic situation. It is noted that a significant proportion of enterprises either operate in the shadow sector or do not take measures to improve profitability. It has been hypothesized that an important reason for this state of affairs is imperfect state support for small and medium-sized enterprises. First of all, there is a heavy tax burden, low wages in the sector, unstable legislation. The worldwide coronavirus pandemic has also been noted as an additional challenge, with most small and medium-sized businesses on the verge of survival through quarantine activities. The field of application of results. The materials, results and conclusions of the article may be used in the activities of various public organizations and local self-government bodies as an analytical basis for appeals about the need for State support for small and medium-sized enterprises, Training of specialists in secondary and higher education. Conclusions. Small and medium-sized businesses are the driving force behind the economy. It provides a large share of GDP, promotes the development of the middle class and has a positive impact on demographic indicators. The opportunity and ability of small and medium-sized enterprises to develop, even under difficult political and economic conditions, proves that it is these entities that support the economy in difficult times. Creating an enabling environment for doing business and developing small and medium-sized enterprises should therefore be a priority for the Government. To this end, support programs must be put in place: infotrmation, financial security and social support. Active and targeted support for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises contributes to the growth of GDP and the creation of new jobs.

SherRhonda Gibbs, Robert P. Singh, John S. Butler et al.

Johanna Taylor

In Creative Justice: Cultural Industries, Work and Inequality Mark Banks seeks to meet a need with a critical discourse of justice within the cultural industries that calls attention to pervasive injustices that need to be addressed. Throughout this tightly framed and argued book, Banks unpacks the depth of how systemic inequalities impact and are entangled in the cultural industries.

Jozef Kubás, Viktor Šoltés, Katarína Repková Štofková

Providing private security is considered a specific type of business service, primarily carried out by small- and medium-sized enterprises. This specific type of business complements the state services in the field of internal security. State institutions support the creation of small- and medium-sized enterprises through targeted subsidies. The principal goal of this paper is to describe the business environment within Slovakia, focusing on small and medium enterprises providing services of private security. The secondary aim of the paper is to explain the support available for such business through subsidies from public authorities. The number of enterprises that provide services of private security, along with the number of their employees, is relevant. The outputs of the paper can be used as part of the analysis of the competitive environment by subsidy applicants who plan to operate in this specific area.

Tom Borrup

The creative and cultural sector, including artists, creative entrepreneurs, cultural practitioners, and most nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, remain on the fringes of the larger enterprise of urban planning and city building. Only recently have limited forays demonstrated potentials that theorists and cultural planners called for 40 years ago. This article examines early ideas to bridge arts and culture with urban planning and explores why these two complementary practices have kept their distance. It surveys the history, theory, and practice of cultural planning and its relationship to urban planning. Meanwhile, increasing complexity and diversity of populations of cities creates greater urgency to bring the disciplines closer.  This article argues that a deeper appreciation of culture in cultural planning, and blending of the best of both practices can bring about a hybrid of Just Planning – a culturally informed approach to urban planning that promises greater civic engagement a move towards and social and economic equity. The emergence and evolution of cultural planning practice over the past four decades in the U.S. and many parts of the world has been steady but neither ascendant nor as impactful as scholars such as Bianchini (1999), Mercer (2006), Mills (2003), and Stevenson (2005) anticipated. Meanwhile, urban planning as practiced widely by towns and cities of all sizes fails to acknowledge dimensions of human culture that impact patterns of behavior, livelihood, settlement, social practice, recreation, and other activities.

Yanay Farja, Eli Gimmon, Zeevik Greenberg

This research explores the influence of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on SMEs located at core and peripheral regions, by focusing on a single dimension of EO: proactiveness. We conducted a quantitative study of 626 Israeli SMEs. Business growth, as measured by the rate of change in number of employees, was found to be significantly higher in the core region. As expected, proactiveness was found to strongly affect SME growth as well as firm expansion to international markets. Our analysis shows that the difference in business growth between regions can be attributed also to a lower level of ownersʼ proactiveness in peripheral regions since it was found to mediate the effect of peripheral location on firm growth. Differences in proactiveness levels may be explained by the historical development of peripheral regions. Our results have useful implications for policies that aim to promote growth and development in peripheral regions.

Paula Alexander Becker

>Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. involves an action under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS). The case was brought in the United States, Southern District of New York, by the widow of Dr. Barinem Kiobel, a Nigerian activist and member of the Ogoni tribe, and others for human rights violations committed in the Niger River Delta. Defendants include Royal Dutch Petroleum, Shell Transport and Trading Co., and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria. Although the human rights violations including murder and torture were allegedly committed by the Nigerian military government, it is claimed that the Royal Dutch Petroleum defendants aided and abetted the Nigerian military in the human rights violations. The plaintiffs had engaged in protests about the environmental damage caused by the Royal Dutch Petroleum defendants in the area of the Niger Delta and the plight of the Ogoni people in Ogoniland. At the trial level, the court decided that certain claims involving violations of the Law of Nations could be heard by the court. However, the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided that there is a presumption against extraterritoriality in the application of the ATS, and that “mere presence” of a defendant corporation in the United States is insufficient for a court to assume jurisdiction. However, the question remains: What corporate presence would serve as a sufficient basis for a court to assume jurisdiction under the ATS? Given the possibility that corporations could, and perhaps in the future will, be found liable for human rights violations occurring in foreign locales even after Kiobel, prudent risk management behooves corporations and their counsel to monitor whether human rights violations are occurring in connection with their operations, even when those human rights violations are committed by foreign governments or their agents.

Shanan Gwaltney Gibson, William C. McDowell, Michael L. Harris

This exploratory study examines the financial performance satisfaction of small business owners at two time periods: (1) nearing the end of the Great Recession and (2) three years into economic recovery. In addition to considering small business owners in general, special attention has been paid to women and minority owners. Using independent samples t-tests, results indicate that business owners are more satisfied with their financial performance in 2012 than they were in 2009. However, results were not consistent for all subgroups of the population; differences exist between men and women owners and between Caucasian and minority owners. Whereas men mirrored the results for all business owners, women did not report increased satisfaction in any of the five areas of financial performance examined. Caucasian owners reported increases in four of the five areas of financial health and minority owners saw an increase in only three. The study also provides practical implications and areas for future research.

Elizabeth A. McCrea

Common pedagogical approaches to entrepreneurship education include business plan writing, case studies, consulting, and simulations. Yet, in effect, these learning vehicles are simply proxies for the venture launch process. Operating under the assumption that learning entrepreneurship is a complex endeavor best addressed by a portfolio of pedagogical techniques, some instructors have experimented with launching student businesses in addition to traditional approaches.The challenge is how to do this with inexperienced undergraduate students within the confines of a 15-week semester. Included in the article are an outline of the process, a qualitative assessment of student learning, and suggestions for further research.

Joseph Roberts

The demand for interdisciplinary and cross campus courses has increased substantially over the past few years resulting in increased program offerings and modifications to existing coursework in universities across the nation. This is very clearly evident in the arts realm. However, there is no clear agreement of knowledge, skills and abilities deemed important to the success of selfemployed artists and arts entrepreneurs. This essay presents qualitative data collected from personal conversations and other data collected over the past several years from students and faculty members engaged in lessons learned from The Coleman Foundation Faculty Fellows Program, a national initiative of The Coleman Foundation. Building upon the lessons learned from this initiative a framework is presented to embed entrepreneurship content across several arts subjects. Suggestions for conceiving and designing entrepreneurship course content are portrayed. The “modules” approach to the infusion of entrepreneurship within the arts and other disciplines are presented. Assessment methods to measure the impact of using such modules to infuse entrepreneurship are explained. Pedagogical constructs and pedagogical resources are presented. The implications for future research are postulated and suggested.