Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is an underdeveloped region, but had seen significant economic growth before the global financial crisis. Due to the crisis economic growth has stopped or even decreased. In addition, several other aspects are expected to become worse, such as incomes, child mortality and access …

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 …

This study focuses on SME networks of design and high-tech companies in Southeast Netherland. By highlighting the personal networks of members across design and high-tech industries, the study attempts to identify the main brokers in this dynamic environment. In addition, we investigate whether specific characteristics …

This paper analyzes connectivity and efficiency of a SME network across two industries. These characteristics are likely to be different for networks of various industries. The concept of 'small worlds' is used to judge overall network efficiency. The actual network can be classified as one in which …

In April 2005, the report titled ‘Internationals for SMEs’ was published (Braaksma 2005). The authors aim to focus on the ‘international’ in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME), by giving an account of the professional profile of the more highly educated for international positions in SMEs. The …

A Chinese colleague of mine said to me the other day: “You’re an old man!” I was really hurt by this remark, because first of all do I not feel old and secondly, there are things that I would definitively not like to hear from a young woman. My colleague on her part probably wondered why my reaction …

Will multinational SMEs use internationalisation to achieve labour cost savings at the expense of employees both in their home country and abroad or will they transfer their existing employee-oriented practices to their foreign subsidiaries? This paper argues that the answer to this question is affected …

Innovation seems to be the most important element of activities of companies to stay vital in a very competitive international market. Innovation is the process of developing products or services in an organisation for a market. Especially small and medium-sized companies, for which it is difficult to …

Sustainable development will be a major driving force for new developments in businesses. Most companies are very much aware of that but find it difficult to translate this insight into concrete actions. An often observed obstacle is that most, particularly SME's, find it difficult to evaluate how sustainability …

With Fontys' new educational developments we became part of the project called 'BILOBA'. The principal outlines of this new education are based on developing competences, communication by ICT and setting up a major-minor educational system. Fontys has already developed 40 minors with topics related to …