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Recently the government has recognized and appreciated small and medium size hospitality enterprises (SMHEs) as a socio-economic tool for the development especially in terms of GDP, social upliftment and employment generation in the country. However, globalization has created both opportunities and threats for the local entrepreneurs. Many multi-level transformations were needed, so they will be able to adapt in the new technological era. Indeed, the COVID-19 is the most demoralizing one and still damaging the world and has also forced organizations to change business models. In most cases these transformations had several difficulties to be accepted by Indian SMHEs. The aim of this paper is to investigate and report the importance and usage of E-HRM in Indian small and medium hospitality enterprises and to identify the major barriers that are experienced by Indian SMEs in the hospitality industry in their efforts to adopt E-HRM practices in their businesses. Empirical data were collected through a structured questionnaire over 385 Indian small and medium hospitality enterprises. The findings suggested that e-HRM practices have a great impact on different firm's aspects especially on cost reduction and service quality improvement. Further results indicate the major obstacles for application of e-HRM practices in Indian SMHEs relating to ownership & size characteristics and extensive high cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper aims to propose a new hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework with spherical fuzzy numbers (SFNs). We extend two recently developed algorithms such as level-based weight assessment (LBWA) and MULTIMOOSRAL in spherical fuzzy (SF) domain. We present a case study on six MSME units belonging to engineering cluster for examining their leanness. MSMEs form the backbone of the socioeconomic growth and therefore garner attention of the policy makers. Lean manufacturing (LM) has been a key enabler for the last three decades which help the organizations to achieve business growth. We consider the criteria like leadership, supplier focus, customer focus, process management, waste, culture, human resource focus, technology use and communication, and awareness to compare leanness of the MSMEs using expert opinions. We find that committed leadership, waste reduction, and customer value are given more weightage by the experts for achieving leanness in SMEs. Furthermore, the results show that medium and small units with focused product line score high in terms of leanness. We validate the results obtained by our proposed method by comparing with the same derived by using another widely used approach such as Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). We carry out sensitivity analysis for examining the stability in the solution with the changes in the given condition such as variations in the criteria weights. Our results using SF-LBWA-MULTIMOOSRAL show reasonable accuracy and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essential characteristic of firm size distribution patterns in developing countries including India, is a bimodal distribution with a "missing middle", which is widely accepted in development economics. We analyse data from the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI), National Sample Survey (NSS) and Economic Census to assess the firm size structure of the whole non-farm sector. The contribution of the paper is that for the first time a comprehensive database is constructed to enable analysis of the size structure of India's non-farm enterprises. The second contribution is that we find a deep distortion in India, with even a "small"-scale sector being very small, relatively. We examine briefly the policy-related causes that make India an outlier even among Asian economies in respect of size structure of enterprises. Finally, we argue that the historically policy-induced informality of enterprises is being entrenched by the current hiatus in state policy in even recognising the true nature of the problem of micro, small & medium enterprises (MSMEs), which holds back both their growth and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge management (KM) research has focused more on large firms. Lately, there is increasing realization of need and significance of KM for sustainable competitiveness for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Potential competitive advantage of KM may be more profound in a small firm. Information Technology (IT) has a crucial role in KM. IT is the facilitator, the enabler. The IT requirements of SMEs are different from that of big firms. Most of the research on role of IT in KM has focused on big firms. The purpose of this research paper is to look at IT for KM in SMEs particularly, in Indian context. The paper consists of five sections of introduction, literature review, research methodology, research findings and conclusion. IT tools are more in use in international auto components manufacturers (ACMs) as compared to Indian ACMs. The major problems faced by ACM vary among international and Indian ACMs. Internet is used by every organization under study followed by intranet. IT has just grown over time in the organizations under study. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to trace the scope and dimensions of global opportunities that emerge in the era of globalization through the rapid growth of transnational corporations (TNCs), which Indian small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could exploit. The backdrop to the discussion is the growth of small-scale industries (SSIs) in the era of globalization relative to the pre-globalization era, with a particular focus on their export performance. Design/methodology/approach - Based on secondary data, the growth of SSIs is analyzed and the scope of global opportunities for Indian SMEs is explored. Findings - Although the growth of the SSIs segment of the SME sector in India has slowed in terms of the number of enterprises, level of people employed and production, SSI export performance has been impressive in the globalization period. The SSI sector has grown more towards the international market than the domestic market in the globalization era. Globalization has offered new markets to SMEs primarily through two major developments: the adoption of a complex integration strategy by TNCs for their production network, and the global procurement strategies and global expansion of TNC supermarket chains. Practical implications - The paper prescribes a dual strategy of vertical integration of local SMEs with global TNCs for the production of intermediate goods and horizontal cooperation through networking among local SMEs to link up with global TNCs for the production and marketing of consumer goods. The role of Indian policymakers as a facilitator in the process is emphasized. Originality/value - This paper throws light on recent growth performance of small-scale enterprises in India and provides insight on the emerging global opportunities to Indian SMEs, which need to be given due consideration by Indian policymakers for exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Resource Management (HRM) effects on firm performance can be examined at the systems architecture (i.e., guiding principles or philosophy), the policy, or practices levels. This paper suggests that, at least for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries, it is the guiding principles that affect a firm's performance. Using a unique dataset of 44 SMEs in Tamil-Nadu, India, this paper presents a regression analysis of the relationship between HRM philosophies and measures of firm performance. It is shown that the attitude of the firm's owner(s) towards its employees is a major determinant of the firm's profitability. The effect of HRM philosophy on productivity is smaller, albeit still highly significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find out whether and how Indian small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are benefiting because of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation, through survey-based research. This will help other SMEs take appropriate decisions about ERP implementation. Design/methodology/approach – The research is exploratory in nature, a survey methodology is used for study and it is cross-checked with the personal interviews of the key personnel in the SMEs and the ERP vendors. A structured questionnaire was developed to get the information. Findings – The survey of 130 SMEs in one of the industrially advanced cities reveals that most of them have implemented ERP to integrate the existing information system and found ERP implementation mainly beneficial in reducing inventory, improving customer services and improving communications. Top management support, and user involvement and participation are found to be the major contributors of ERP success. Research limitations/implications – The research is targeted on SMEs in one part of India and hence it has limitations in terms of scope. However, the results are quite encouraging with very good response from the SMEs, though the industry-institute interactions are not so strong. Other SMEs, planning to implement ERP in the near future, will be highly benefited from the performance evaluation of ERP in Indian SMEs. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates how Indian SMEs have benefited from ERP implementation. The findings will encourage Indian SMEs to implement ERP when facing challenges of the competitive market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous empirical and conceptual studies describe waste minimisation as a key environmental performance indicator for industry. ISO 14001certification in this regard is widely considered the tool of choice for driving waste minimisation efforts. To this day, however, the evidence remains mixed as it pertains to the effectiveness of ISO 14001 in helping firms reduce waste, especially in developing countries. This paper explores the waste minimisation efforts among Indian small and medium enterprises. Specifically, improvements in waste minimisation are analysed from small and medium enterprises operating in the cities of Delhi and Noida. Our proposed model is tested for a model-fit, and the hypotheses are tested through regression coefficient (β) scores to determine the influence of ISO 14001 on the degree of waste minimisation among certified and non-certified companies. The data reveal that ISO 14001 certification alone helped account for a 25% increase in waste minimisation in certified companies after controlling for other critical factors (correlated to the variable ‘waste minimisation’) that may influence this relationship. The analytical tools described in this paper lend themselves to be applied to similar research problems in future studies. The study provides baseline data for further research into ISO 14001 effectiveness in the Indian SME context – a field with still only limited research insights – and offers policy prompts for targeted environmental management improvements in Indian firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After liberalization and globalization of the economies in modern world, survival of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have become very difficult. SMEs faces cut throat competition from bigger giants of market. To face tough competition of open global markets, SMEs must have effective Supply Chain Management (SCM) to have consistent value addition. SCM becomes becomes more effective when supply chain is coordinated and responsive. A well coordinated supply chain increases the supply chain profitability. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India and other developing countries face problems in SCM implementation due to lack of resources and improper directions. In this paper, authors have tried to discuss SCM implementation in an auto part manufacturing Indian SME. A Situation-Actor-Process (SAP)-Learning-Action-Performance (LAP) model has been applied for this case study. The situation represents the present scenario of the organization. Actors are the participants, influencing the situation to evolve different business processes. Based on SAP, various learning issues have been analyzed which will help in identifying suitable action for improving the performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian economy is expected to grow by over 8 per cent per annum until 2020 and can become the second largest in the world, ahead of the United States, by 2050, and the third largest after China and the United States by 2032. The turnaround in manufacturing and other sectors, which has occurred in the face of increased global competition, is due to improved efficiency following the various policy reforms in recent years. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) constitute 6 per cent of GDP, 34 per cent of national exports and account for the employment of more than 30 million people. SMEs have improved their performance and presence through industrial cluster approaches. In this paper, we present the experiences of three auto clusters in three major locations in India. We also highlight some of the important issues that SMEs face and conclude by suggesting suitable cluster interventions for enhancing competitiveness and sustainability of the SME sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of Bank of Baroda, one of the largest commercial banks in the public sector in India, into a highly customer centric, technology driven and an innovative entity in retail and SME (small and medium enterprises) segments represents one of India's most remarkable success stories and one of the quickest turnarounds ever in public sector banking. Known as an important player in commercial banking with international operations for several decades, the bank was gradually declining in recent years. In an environment of competition within the public sector as also due to entry of private banks with latest technology and young staff, the bank plunged into an unprecedented spiral of failing to innovate and adopt new technology. Drastic action was required to regain its leadership position in the public sector space. Over the next one and a half years, the bank was back in reckoning and was firing on all cylinders. It retained its core business on track with a bang, restored its image as the most vibrant player among public sector banks (PSBs) through wide-ranging initiatives such as a logo change, hiring a cricketing icon as brand ambassador, heightened credit growth, improving the work culture, initiating many customer-centric initiatives and restoring the customer base, derisking the treasury portfolio, and winning several accolades and awards. Today, Bank of Baroda has embarked upon more wide-ranging changes and a new vision to change the bank from a 'vanilla banking' entity to a 'multi-specialist bank'. The author, who joined the bank as a HR specialist and eventually rose to become CEO of the bank, extensively used his HRD knowledge and academic background to initiate changes to harness energy in the bank's 40,000 staff to drive organization change. Achieving a successful outcome seems to be far more difficult for a public sector bank with a legacy culture, high degree of unionization, poor compensation and aging staff. In spite of these constraining factors, the paper argues that it is through mobilizing the passion of people that leadership can transform organizations and put them on high growth trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ongoing debate in employment policy is whether promoting small and medium enterprises creates jobs. We use the elimination of small-scale industry (SSI) promotion in India to address this question. For 60 years, SSI promotion in India focused on reserving certain products for manufacture by small and medium enterprises. We identify the consequences for employment growth, investment, output, productivity, and wages of dismantling India's SSI reservations. We exploit variation in the timing of de-reservation across products and also measure the long-run impact of national SSI policy changes using variation in pretreatment exposure at the district level. Districts more exposed to de-reservation experienced higher employment and output growth. Entrants into the de-reserved product spaces and incumbents that were previously constrained by the size restrictions drove the increase in growth. The results suggest that dismantling India's SSI policies encouraged overall employment growth. (JEL E24, L25, L53, L60, O14, O25) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than subsidies, the poor need access to credit. Absence of formal employment makes them non 'bankable '. This forces them to borrow from local money lenders at exorbitant rates. Many innovative institutional mechanisms have been developed across the world to extend the credit facility to the underprivileged, even in the absence of a formal mortgage. Microfinance is to supply micro credit to people living in utter poverty and have no reach to the conservative and formal financial product. The present paper intends to look into the regional penetration of microfinance and its relation with the literacy rate. The study reveals that microfinance in India has helped a lot to bring a number of people above poverty line, but the coverage is uneven (region wise) with a large number of people in rural areas still remaining deprived of these services. This is mostly due to the population living in rural areas being illiterate and having a low awareness about microfinance services. Secondly, the study also depicts that, female literacy as compared to male literacy plays a vital role for the development of the society. Therefore a special campaign should be stared to familiarise the poor about microfinance services through female literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the 2004-2005 India Human Development Survey data, we estimate and decompose the earnings of household businesses owned by historically marginalized social groups known as Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SCSTs) and non-SCSTs across the earnings distribution. We find clear differences in characteristics between the two types of businesses with the former faring significantly worse. The mean decomposition reveals that as much as 55 % of the caste earnings gap could be attributed to the unexplained component. Quantile regressions suggest that gaps are higher at lower deciles, providing some evidence of a sticky floor. Finally, quantile decompositions reveal that the unexplained component is greater at the lower and middle deciles than higher, suggesting that SCST-owned businesses at the lower and middle end of the conditional earnings distribution face greater discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the key factors, which offer to explain the demand for credit in the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India. The study uses survey data of five industries such as apparel, footwear, textile, sports goods, and furniture with sample size 320 firms based on purposive sampling techniques. The probit regression model analyzed the factors of the demand for credit by MSMEs and found that exports and government scheme have positive impact on demand for credits, whereas high interest rate, high collateral rate, unfavorable terms, and conditions of bank loans and lengthy and intricate process in applying for bank loans have negative impact on the demand for credit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Despite growing interest in, and government support for, ISO14001 certification across Asia in recent years, little is known about issues surrounding the uptake and the effectiveness of environmental management systems in this region. There is a particular void of academic work in relation to ISO certification in India and the country's large number of small and medium enterprises; a field of inquiry this paper seeks to advance. Specifically, as a means of providing a basis for classification of firms for an analysis of the state of ISO14001 in India we test the adequacy of critical factors such as nature of business, size, year of establishment and internationalisation among small and medium enterprises and industry best companies. An analysis is presented of secondary data derived from the websites of a sample of ISO14001 certified firms located in the cities of Delhi and Noida. The data show that in the area of manufacturing the highest number of ISO14001 certifications can be recorded and that established small and medium enterprises with high turnover are more likely to adopt ISO14001 certification compared to low turnover firms. The findings inform the status of environmental management systems in India and have implications for government policy intended to foster ISO14001 uptake by Indian firms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An important part of the Indian economy comprises micro, small, and medium enterprise businesses, which contribute a great deal to industrial output, exports, employment, manufacturing for home and foreign markets, and other factors. Small Medium Enterprises in the service industry are the focus of this study, which examines the current marketing options accessible to them and the potential of online marketing. It has been divided into two parts. The evaluations focused on the sorts of service organizations in the Small Medium Enterprise sector that use SME marketing and social media platforms to sell themselves online. According to the study's findings, small Medium Enterprise service providers have been shown to represent a niche market in their respective industries. For small and medium enterprise businesses, online media has grown in relevance over time, and it might be a great platform for marketing success. Online marketing and social media facilitate the acquisition, nurturing, and consolidation of leads based on recommendations and reviews, allowing companies to better interact with customers. Research has proven that internet marketing is cost-effective to establish and retain client lists for small and medium enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical work on micro and small firms focuses on developed countries, while existing work on developing countries is all too often based on small samples taken from ad hoc questionnaires. The census data we analyze here are fairly representative of small business structure in India. Consistent with findings from prior research on developed countries, size and age have a negative impact on firm growth in the majority of specifications. Enterprises managed by women have lower expected growth rates. Proprietary firms face lower growth on the whole, especially if they are young firms. Exporting has a positive effect on firm growth, especially for young firms and for female-owned firms. Although some small firms are able to convert know-how into commercial success, we find that many others are unable to translate it into superior growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small, informal enterprises play an important role in shaping the growth of a developing economy undergoing a process of structural reforms. The informal sector as defined in the resolution of the 15th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS), January 1993, consists of unincorporated household enterprises which differ from formal enterprises in terms of technology, economies of scale, use of labor intensive processes, and virtual absence of well maintained accounts. Although the informal sector has been characterized as above, no clear-cut operational definition of informal sector is available for the purpose of data collection. In India and in other developing countries in Asia and the Pacific, however, the 'unorganized' segment of the economy closely approximates the ICLS concept of the informal sector. The unorganized segment is labor intensive and provides employment to a sizable section of the population. This paper examines the problems of measuring the unorganized sector and explains the approach taken by the Indian Central Statistical Office. The size of the informal sector is examined in terms of the employment it generates and its contribution to value added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to examine the association between the Corporate Leverage (cl) and the Dividend Policy (dp) of firms across industries in India in respect of Size of Corporate Firms. The investigation is conducted on a panel sample of 73 firms across industries [Cement, Chemical and Fertilizer, it, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceutical, Shipping, and Textiles], which listed their shares in National Stock Exchange (nse) in India for the period 1996-2007. The impacts of Capital Structure (cs) variables (leverage) on dp measures - dividend payout (Net dividend paid/net income) in the presence of some basic fundamental variables are considered to be the determinants of dp, using the Multiple Regression Technique (ols method). The results of the cross-sectional ols Model for the selected sample firms under various sectors show that there is a significant effect of selected independent variables, dpoα+β1dpot-1 +β2pat+β3tde+β4cf+β5size+β6inv+ β1ltd + β8std + e. Therefore, this study proves that the dp of Small Size, Medium Size, Large Size, and Overall Corporate Firms across industries in India is dependent on the level of debt in cs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an abstract of the study "Analysing Organizational Performance in Village Co-Operatives," by Dehi Prasad Mishra and Tushaar Shah.

The WeACT (Women Entrepreneurs Access Connect Transform) is a national level network of women entrepreneurs, where the interventions undertaken are executed in collaboration with Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad and Accenture Pvt. Ltd., along with many other partners. This has been providing the structured hand-holding support by skilling/upskilling/reskilling to women become successful as micro-entrepreneurs and variety of MSMEs (micro, small & medium enterprises), in ensuring to convert their business enterprises as profitable and sustainable. Till now, about 3,651 women Enterprises have been nurtured across 14 states in 3 core sectors, viz., Food & Agro-Based Enterprises, Handloom & Handicraft Enterprises and Household Supply Enterprises, and of which over 65% of the women enterprises are group-based and about 35% of women enterprises are individual-driven. This marketing linkage and digital support systems have enabled them to become profitable and sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing importance of Small and Medium Enterprises businesses in the development of the country's economy, it was critical to comprehend their views on business ethics. The purpose of this study is to assess the ethical issues and challenges faced by SMEs and to propose solutions to address ethical dilemmas in these organizations. The goal of this literature review is to determine the level of Business ethics incorporated in the SMEs of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play an important role in the economic development of any developing country due to their innate capability of transforming novel ideas into innovations and thus building profitable enterprises. Globalisation has necessitated smaller firms to target on Sustainable Oriented Innovation (SOI) practices, as an essential parameter for achieving competitive advantage. However, transforming MSMEs towards the incorporation of SOI practices is not an easy task for a developing country like India. For this, MSMEs will have to focus on significant innovation factors that would help them sustain global competition. This paper highlights essential Critical Factors (CFs) to implement SOI practices in MSMEs of the Delhi NCR region of India catering to sector which manufactures products. A novel multi-criteria decision-making technique called an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is employed in identifying the vital CFs amongst these. The AHP evaluation results' robustness is checked by performing a sensitivity analysis. Research results indicate that 'Top management support'; 'Government initiatives' and 'Financial resources' are the most important factors contributing significantly in implementing SOI practices. This research is useful for developing recommendation for companies, academic experts, and Governmental professionals. The authors believe that research outcomes would be helping India in contributing for the sustainable development of MSMEs. Image 1 • Factors influencing innovation practices towards sustainability are proposed. • The focus is on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), India. • The ranking framework of the identified factors is developed. • Sensitivity analysis is used to validate the developed ranking framework. • Policy implications are derived for sustainably oriented innovation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study is to develop a service quality scale by identifying the attributes of internal service quality delivered by small and medium manufacturing enterprises to their supplier units in order to ease their working and improve their delivery performance. 120 representatives from supplier units delivering materials and other supplies to small and medium manufacturing enterprises of North India responded to a questionnaire survey. Construct validation using exploratory factor analysis showed an interpretable latent structure consisting of four dimensions. Confirmatory factor analysis developed a valid and reliable service quality measurement scale with 16 items. It was observed that service quality of manufacturing units working towards suppliers comprises four dimensions, viz., assurance, communication, alignment and responsiveness. Snowball sampling was undertaken for this research. The scale developed in this research can be used by managers of small and medium manufacturing units in identification of opportunities for assuring service excellence to their suppliers to facilitate their working and improve performance, thereby mutually benefitting both partners as well as the whole supply chain. This research provides a framework to researchers to build more service quality scales in similar situations so that more concrete generalizations can be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study tries to identify the relationship between leadership styles and quality of work life of the employees of SMEs. The study was conducted in 30 SMEs of Kumoun region of Uttarakhand. The main tool used in this study was questionnaire. Two leadership styles i.e. transformational and transactional leadership and eight constraints of quality of work life i.e. salary structure, health and safety, developmental opportunities, job security, social cohesion, individual rights, social communication, and the work and overall living space are considered and analysed. The result shows that organisations needs to provide equal salary for same kind of work, must ensure job security of employees and provides more individual rights so that employees will be able to improve their work life balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article examines the competition for the products of small scale industrial (SSI) units in Tamil Nadu, India. It was discovered that SSI units in the country, which face competition from both imported articles and large-scale industrial units, face major problems. An important finding of the analysis is that the high-investment group of SSI feel they face stiffer competition from large- and medium-scale industrial units than from low- and medium-investment groups of small units. Also, the analysis found out that competition among SSI units is quite substantial.

Provides information on a study that examined the economic and institutional aspects of the Indian approach to the promotion of small enterprises and industrial subcontracting. Discussion on the role of small enterprises and subcontracting in increasing employment and economizing capital; Comparison to the capital/labor, capital/output and output/labor ratios noted in Japanese enterprises; Recommendations.