Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OPERATIONS & PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
Volume 22, Issue 12, Pages 1367-1388Publisher
EMERALD
DOI: 10.1108/01443570210452057
Keywords
small- to medium-sized enterprises; subcontracting; management; performance; empirical study
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The adoption and effectiveness of advanced management practices by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is becoming an emerging issue since the literature has recognised that a pure entrepreneurial attitude is no longer enough for the competitive success of these firms. This paper explores this issue by comparing the practice-performance links for two types of SMEs - i.e. subcontractors and small manufacturers - through the investigation of the management practices pertaining to the following three functional areas: general management, production management and product innovation management (only for manufacturers). Despite the fact that subcontracting is generally considered less appealing and profitable than manufacturing, empirical evidence shows that subcontractors are more effective in implementing advanced practices of production management whilst most small manufacturers - although quite advanced in developing practices of general management - experience difficulties in exploiting the potential of good product innovation practice.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available