• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.5-13
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• 2019

Purpose - The potential for small businesses in the distribution sector to contribute to socio-economic development remains largely inert due to a litany of challenges that they face. Incubators have emerged as the 'silver bullet' for most of the problems but the extent to which they are effectively helping small business overcome their challenges remains debatable. This study seeks to determine the core reasons why respondents enrolled in an incubator, the essence of the incubator and the extent to which the incubator performance is satisfactory. Research design, data, and methodology - A positivist philosophical approach was adopted for the study. This quantitative study used a survey method to collect data from incubatees in a cross-sectional manner. The data were subsequently analysed to generate necessary insights. Results - Results reveal that the gender composition of incubatees is severely skewed in favour of males. Also, most incubatees enrolled in the incubators with a hope that it would ease their pathway to big businesses, financiers and business registration institutions, and it is not. Conclusion - Incubators are mostly inward-looking and are adept at offering training interventions. To improve the effectiveness of incubators, it is necessary to invest efforts in attracting more females and building networks with key external stakeholders that could possibly assist the incubatees establish and grow their businesses.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.1-10
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• 2015

ISO 9001, quality management system, is widely known as advancing internal efficiency and productivity in various industry. As a result, the number of companies that have adopted ISO 9001's certification have been increasing continuously year by year since ISO 9000' family standard was published in 1987s. This fact shows that a lot of businesses are trying to get the accreditation for improving the competitiveness of quality. The purpose of this study is to present that ISO 9001's certification motives affect to the requirement's implementation and show that the execution of requirements influences on management performance in the small manufacturer. In order to carry out this research, we obtained 96 survey sheets and inspected twenty assumptions based on the reliability, validity of the questionnaires. The results of regression analysis are summarized as follows; First, the factors of certification motive influence on the requirement's implementation except resources management. Second, the two elements of ISO 9001 requirement, resources management and product realization, have an important effect on the operational performance and financial performance considerably in the companies that choose the internal motive. Finally, the two requisites of ISO 9001 requirement, resources management and measurement, analysis and improvement, affect to the operational performance and financial performance significantly in the businesses that select the external motive. Based on the results, the companies that choose the internal motive have a good performance to execute the ISO 9001 requirements. Also, to implement the requirements of ISO 9001 is helpful for the companies to produce the operational and financial performance.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.384-388
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• 2021

Currently, whether in a domestic or international sphere, many small businesses are suffering due to COVID-19. The grim reality is that several businesses are shutting down. While the national disaster relief grant was used to contain the damages by encouraging consumer spending, it has become difficult to prevent closures of small businesses. As of September 2020, more than 20,000 stores have closed in Seoul due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There has also been an increase in the number of people with depression caused by the COVID-19 blues. This issue is not only confined to Seoul in the Republic of Korea, but is influencing all other areas affected by the pandemic. As the number of COVID-19 patients increase, the number of open stores is decreasing steadily. The analysis of the correlation coefficient of Pearson, Spearman, and Kendall suggests a negative correlation between the number of COVID-19 patients and the number of stores in business.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of company characteristics and individual characteristics perceived by employees of small businesses on job satisfaction and especially to seek activation of the organization by extending from previous studies to examine the intermediary role of company innovation and applying management measures focusing on the environment of changing global society where CEOs of small businesses cause job satisfaction of organizational members and present the direction for the improvement of management and institutional development. This study was carried out for about 2 months targeting employees of small businesses and the results of empirical analysis are as follows: First, company characteristics and individual characteristics perceived by employees of small businesses turned out to have a positive (+)effect on job satisfaction but the hypothesis that job stress affects job satisfaction was not significant. Second, of the effects of company characteristics and individual characteristics perceived by employees of small businesses on company innovation, organization flexibility and CEO's leadership, company communication and degree of cooperation between departments, individuals, challenge of individuals perceived individual characteristics were found to affect company innovation but the hypothesis that job stress affects it was not significant. Third, company innovation was found to have a positive (+)effect on job satisfaction and fourth, in the intermediary effect verification of company innovation between company characteristics and individual characteristics perceived by employees and job satisfaction, organization flexibility and communication, collaboration turned out to perform partial intermediation and CEO's leadership to perform full intermediation and individual challenge performance to perform full intermediation and the intermediary effect of job stress was not proven. These results are company characteristics and individual characteristics that is the perception of the independent variables in SME employees is not only a direct relationship with job satisfaction, suggesting that also has an indirect effect is mediated depending on the innovation of the company. Therefore, it can be seen that even for the innovation performance of enterprises is important to increase the job satisfaction of employees of SMEs. In particular, the conductivity of the leadership and individual parameters so completely over the innovativeness of the company is the result of job satisfaction itgetda can be said that the innovation efforts of the organization is effective at the same time be pursued.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.759-766
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• 2021

In this digital age, all organizational environments force businesses to adopt Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) since these technologies have immense impact on such businesses' competitiveness and productivity. Nonetheless, the productivity and the competitiveness enjoyed by such firms vary depending on the size or the organizations, context of the country; developing or developed, and what kinds of technologies are adopted. This investigation focused on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of Eastern province of Sri Lanka where such studies are scanty. The adoption of social media (SM) by SMEs is inclined to change how organizations operate, this calls for an investigation of the elements that impact SMEs to adopt SM and such investigation. Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework was based to understand the factors. Research approach was quantitative approach using questionnaire survey. Data were collected using online form to see 285 valid responses. Structural Equation Modelling was deployed to evaluate the proposed model. Results revealed that Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Complexity, Observability, Competitive Intensity, Bandwagon Pressure, and Competitive Pressure were influencing, while Trialability, Top Management Support, CEO's Innovativeness did not show statistically significant influence on SMEs' social media adoption.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.149-160
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• 2022

The article considers the peculiarities of developing a marketing strategy for the adaptation of small businesses to quarantine restrictions in the field of commercial entrepreneurship. The importance of reformatting the existing marketing strategy in connection with the change of key conditions of trade activity with the introduction of quarantine restrictions due to the covid19 virus epidemic is substantiated. Quarantine restrictions and the temporary introduction of lockdown in various countries around the world, including Ukraine, have not only caused a crisis for small businesses. But they became a shock therapy and accelerated the digitalization of retail. Trends in digitalization and development of digital infrastructure allow both to adapt the structures of commercial entrepreneurship to the current conditions, and set directions for development in the long run. Particular attention in the article is paid to changing the business model and automation of sales processes based on the introduction of vending. The preconditions and existing experience of vending in Ukraine are analyzed. An outline of the business model of the project for the sale of goods through vending machines has been developed.

• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.81-92
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the determinants of store occupancy based on the rental characteristics of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) renting buildings across the country, and to analyze the satisfaction level after opening. Research design, data and methodology: The study conducted an empirical survey through questionnaires targeting individual business owners, corporate representatives, and executives and employees nationwide, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and other metropolitan areas and provincial cities. Results: In this study, the most important factor that SMEs consider when deciding whether to rent a commercial building or office is financial characteristics, followed by management characteristics, location characteristics, building characteristics, and facility characteristics. In addition, management characteristics were found to have the greatest impact on rental satisfaction of SMEs, followed by financial characteristics, building characteristics, and location characteristics in order. Conclusions: Since the lessor cannot immediately improve the location characteristics or building characteristics, in order to increase the rental satisfaction of small and medium-sized businesses in a relatively short period of time, it is necessary to improve managerial characteristics such as prompt civil complaint handling and clean management of the building. In addition, it is analyzed that if the factors that can reduce the burden on the tenants are found in advance and reflected in the financial characteristics, the satisfaction of the tenants can be increased.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.251-268
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• 2016

The present study has the purpose of analyzing the relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and success factors of small-scale start-up founders as well as the relationship between success factors and performances of start-up businesses. It is also aimed in this study to determine the structural effects of start-up founders' characteristic upon their performances and by thus, to provide those who prepare for and/or have been operating start-up business with suggestions for stable and successful start-up as well operation. The study resulted in the following outcomes: First, the analysis of the relationship between characteristics and success factors of start-up business found that the empirical characteristics of small-scale start-up business founders might influence every factor for their success including the financial conditions as well as management of shops, products and service. Their psychological characteristics, however, turned out to have influence upon the management of products and service only, but not upon the financial conditions and management of shops, a result implying that the higher desire and creativity small-scale start-up business founders have, the more probable the start-up businesses become successful. Second it was learned from the analysis of the relationship between success factors and performances of start-up businesses that such success factors of start-ups as financial conditions as well as management of shops, products and service could exercise impact upon their performances, signifying that the exact decision making of small-scale start-up founders might affect the performances of small-scale start-up businesses. Third, the analysis of the relationship between entrepreneurial characteristics and performances of start-up founders revealed that both empirical and psychological characteristics of start-up founders might have influence upon the performances of start-up businesses, leading to the conclusion that small-scale start-up founders could achieve higher performances in their start-up when they are highly aware of empirical and psychological characteristics for start-up as part of entrepreneurial characteristics.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.131-146
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• 2005

The farming type in Korea is predominantly a small farm managed by family members. This study mainly examines the current usage of the website of family farms as a management tool for small farm business and discusses the strategies for effective utilization of the website. A county that currently employs governmental project of information system was purposely selected. Among all the websites operated by small farm businesses in that county, websites of which purpose is introduction of the business, advertisement, or e-business were included for analysis; it yielded total seven websites, The study was conducted with two phases; on-line website analysis and interview with business owners. The websites were analyzed based on four categories; content, interface, design, and site management. With regard to the content of the websites, the lack of connection between domain names and product names was found. Moreover, the problem relevant to site management was shown as low utilization of bulletin boards and delayed upload of new information. However, design and interface were comparatively well presented. Business owners reported that the motivation to initiate the websites was mostly supports from the governmental project for the agricultural information system. The barriers to effective management of websites were found i) business owner's misinterpretation of business website with e-business ii) very limited opportunity for website management education in small farm business, and iii) lack of regional infrastructure for information system. Based on the findings, this study suggests as followed; i) construction of infrastructure should be preceded to make effective management for websites; ii) education for website management should include small business management strategies as well as computer skills, iii) the education should be provided in diverse ways considering subject's characteristics iv) small farm business owners should be informed that their websites could play a role only to provide information about the products and hand over the practical load for e-business to retailing web sites such as portal shopping mall; and v) wives' participation should be encouraged.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.35-44
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present a plan to expand the employment of the elderly in Small business as one of the ways to solve the problem of the supply and demand of the company due to the aging population and the problem of the elderly poverty. Research design, data and methodology: The method of this study is a qualitative research method, and the researcher visited a small and medium-sized company directly and collected data by conducting an in-depth interview with a business owner. The interview period was conducted on a total of 15 business owners from November 5, 2013 to November 18, 2013. Results: First, the reason why companies hire the elderly is because they are suitable people, and the reason why they are not employed is because the elderly are not suitable. Second, it was found that the most recruiting paths continued to work after retirement. Third, the strengths of the elderly in their businesses were diligence, integrity, leadership, wisdom, warmth, and skill. Disadvantages the elderly in their businesses include wanting to be treated as an adult, poor productivity, poor accuracy, and health risks. Fourth, in case of hiring the elderly, they were considering convergence with young employees, and it was suggested that there are no difficulties in being an elderly because the companies hiring the elderly use the elderly according to the characteristics of the elderly. Fifth, It is realistic to actively utilize the employment system after retirement. Sixth, it was found that, unlike young people, it is not easy to recruit people on the Internet, so it is necessary to improve the system. Lastly, some industries clearly distinguished between the jobs of the elderly and the jobs of the young, but in many industries, it was desirable to create jobs for the elderly by harmonizing the main and secondary jobs. Conclusion: Ultimately, the work of the elderly in small and medium-sized enterprises should be reborn as a high-quality job that can solve the poverty of the elderly by working as a regular worker in the enterprise, rather than simply working for the elderly.