Factors Resulting in Successes and Failures for Small Businesses in the Small Business Institute Program at Syracuse University
During the 1970s the U.S. Congress inaugurated a program of managerial assistance to meld the talents and needs of local small-business communities, nearby educational institutions of higher business learning, and the U.S. Small Business Administration. This program was known as the Small Business Institute. The authors analyzed the experience of Syracuse University with the program from 1973 to 1997 and found that some problems faced by small businesses persisted over time, although there were significant shifts in other problems as the economic environment changed. We also found that the chances for survival of our client firms varied by industry, with manufacturing, retailing, and professional and nonprofessional service firms most likely to survive.
From Adoption to Action: Mapping Technology Adoption Constructs For the Small to Medium Enterprise Innovation Success
This paper proposes an action learning centered interpretation of technology adoption variables as they relate to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Action learning has a long history of successful leadership and executive development as part of a change management effort. Change in organizations today often involves technology innovation adoption. For the SME, technological change is uniquely impactful due to limitations in expertise, short process cycles, and limited resources in general. Information and communication technologies (ICT) can provide a competitive advantage for SMEs if the adoption process is effectively managed. Action learning focuses on aligning the individual with organizational goals in a way that creates a culture of ongoing learning, reflection, and realignment if necessary. Tthe hypothesis of this proposal is that the psychometric constructs used to predict adoption success can be mapped to four actionable change management categories, thus providing a plan for a successful change. Since this hypothesis does not lend itself at this stage to precise analytical techniques a Delphi technique is proposed using a sample of 25 senior managers from information intensive SMEs. The results will be analyzed to provide a philosophical foundation. The technology adoption constructs chosen for this research are from the eight most widely cited technology adoption theories. The effectiveness of these theories to explain adoption of technology is widely established in prior research.
How to interpret surveys in medical research: A practical approach
Surveys are being used increasingly in health-care research to answer questions that may be difficult to answer using other methods. While surveys depend on data that may be influenced by self-report bias, they can be powerful tools as physicians seek to enhance the quality of care delivered or the health care systems they work in. The purpose of this article is to provide readers with a basic framework for understanding survey research, with a goal of creating well-informed consumers. The importance of validation, including pretesting surveys before launch, will be discussed. Highlights from published surveys are offered as supplementary material. Was the survey well designed? Was the sample appropriate and the response rate adequate? And do the data support the conclusions?