The adoption of social media (web 2.0) in the e-marketing strategy of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is not yet researched much. Research findings in bigger companies in the USA, Europe and the Netherlands suggest that the issue is high on the think list of marketers and entrepreneurs. But what are the drivers and barriers for small and medium enterprises to make, execute, and further develop their strategy on social media? This paper places the perceptions and actions of 10 SMEs in the Netherlands in the Stages of Growth for e-Business model (SOG-e model) which focuses on e-business maturity. Findings are that general expectations and customer wishes are important drivers and that, besides time and money, the fear of negative comments on the Internet are important barriers.
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In December of 2004 the Directorate General for Research and Technological Development (DG RTD) of the European Commission (EC) set up a High-Level Expert Group to propose a series of measures to stimulate the reporting of Intellectual Capital in research intensive Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The Expert Group has focused on enterprises that either perform Research and Development (R&D), or use the results of R&D to innovate and has also considered the implications for the specialist R&D units of larger enterprises, dedicated Research & Technology Organizations and Universities. In this report the Expert Group presents its findings, leading to six recommendations to stimulate the reporting of Intellectual Capital in SMEs by raising awareness, improving reporting competencies, promoting the use of IC Reporting and facilitating standardization.
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In cross-border e-commerce, electronic retailers (e-retailers) aim to extend their sales activities via the Internet beyond national borders. Unlike large companies, small and medium-sized enterprises are struggling with their international online expansion. This phenomenon is not limited to countries with a developed e-commerce market; e-retailers from emerging e-commerce markets, too, face the problem. This study investigates what the drivers are of business performance of SMEs in cross-border e-retailing, and how drivers differ between developed and emerging e-commerce markets in Europe. Structural equation modelling analyses with the lavaan package in R on a sample of 453 owners and directors of SMEs from 20 countries, show that foreign market orientation not only directly influences business performance in cross-border e-commerce, but also indirectly through communication efforts in foreign markets. These results hold for both developed and emerging markets, however, there are two interesting differences. First in the influence of foreign market orientation and communication efforts on business performance, and second in the impact of the number of years the electronic e-retailer is active in cross-border e-commerce.
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In Europe nearly 10% of the population suffers from diabetes and almost 1% from Rheumatoid Arthritis which can lead to serious problems with mobility and active participation, especially in the ageing population. Pedorthists deliver personalised designed and manufactured orthopaedic footwear or insoles for these patients. However, despite their often laborious efforts upfront, the industry has very little means to quantify how successful the fitting and function of a shoe is. They have to rely on subjective, qualitative measures such as client satisfaction and diminishing of complaints. Although valuable, the need for objective quantitative data in this field is growing. Foot plantar pressure and shear forces are considered major indicators of potential foot problems. Devices to measure plantar pressure slowly gain terrain as providers of objective quantitative data to guide orthotic design and manufacturing. For shear forces however, measuring devices are not yet commercial available. Although shear forces are considered as a major contributor to ulcer formation in diabetic feet, their exact role still requires elucidation and quantification. This project aims to develop a prototype of an in-shoe wearable device that measures both shear forces and pressure using state-of-the-art developments in sensor technologies, smart textiles and wireless data transfer. The collaboration of pedorthists’ small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)’s with medical device engineering companies, knowledge institutes,technical universities and universities of applied sciences in this project will bring together the different fields of expertise required to create an innovative device. It is expected that the tool will be beneficial to improve the quality of pedorthists’ services and potentially reduce health insurance costs. Furthermore, it can be used in new shear forces research and open new business potential. However, the eventual aim is to improve patient care and help maintain personal mobility and participation in society.
