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Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

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Customer Knowledge Management

Abstract

This chapter outlines the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The first focus is on the nature and importance of SMEs in Europe. The categorization of SMEs in the 1990s as well as today’s classification will be explained. This is followed by a detailed table of the new thresholds determined for SMEs within the European Union (EU). After that, both the necessity and the benefit of the new definition of SMEs will be pointed out. With reference to their pivotal role, some hard facts concerning SMEs and their aims will be revealed. Definitions of SMEs in Germany have been provided by the Institut fuer Mittelstandsforschung Bonn (IfM Bonn) and by the Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau (KfW). After introducing NEWCO International GmbH, the case study of this survey, it will be shown how it links to the definition of SMEs in Germany. At last, the difficulties faced by SMEs as well as the advantages of SMEs will be explained before a final summary is given.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Cf. ‘The European Observatory for SMEs’ (1994), p. 1.

  2. 2.

    Cf. Bates, P. J., Furminger, M., Haldane, A. (1995), p. 3.

  3. 3.

    Cf. ‘Observatory of European SMEs’ (2003b), p. 4.

  4. 4.

    Cf. http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/enterprise_policy/sme_definition/index_en.htm; ‘The new SME definition’ (2005), p. 14.

  5. 5.

    Cf. ‘The new SME definition’ (2005), p. 15.

  6. 6.

    Cf. ‘Commission recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises’ (2003a), p. 36.

  7. 7.

    Cf. ‘SME consultation 2007/2008’ (2008), p. 1; ‘The new SME definition,’ op cit., p. 5.

  8. 8.

    Verheugen, G. (2005), p. 3.

  9. 9.

    Cf. Alzaga Etxeita, A., Goyarrola Ugaalde, J. (2003), p. 2.

  10. 10.

    Cf. ‘Mittelstand: Leistung durch Vielfalt’ (2009), p. 3; ‘SMEs in focus’ (2002), p. 4.

  11. 11.

    Cf. ‘Der Mittelstand in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Eine volkswirtschaftliche Bestandsaufnahme – Dokumentation Nr. 561’ (2007), p. 9; ‘Die volkswirtschaftliche Bedeutung der Familienunternehmen’ (2007), p. 3.

  12. 12.

    Cf. http://www.ifm-bonn.org/index.php?id=89.

  13. 13.

    Cf. ‘Der Mittelstand in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Eine volkswirtschaftliche Bestandsaufnahme – Dokumentation Nr. 561,’ op cit., p. 9.

  14. 14.

    Cf. ‘Arbeitsbericht 2008’ (2009), p. 11; All companies with more than 17.500 Euros taxable annual turnover resp. companies with minimum one employee subject to social insurance contribution are considered.

  15. 15.

    Cf. ‘Mittelstand: Leistung durch Vielfalt,’ op cit., p. 7.

  16. 16.

    Cf. ‘Der Mittelstand in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Eine volkswirtschaftliche Bestandsaufnahme – Dokumentation Nr. 561,’ op cit., p. 9.

  17. 17.

    http://www.bwmd.de/Mittelstand/Definition/.

  18. 18.

    Data taken from internal company profile: ‘Firmenpräsentation 20090525.pdf’ (2009), p. 2.

  19. 19.

    Data taken from internal company profile: ‘Firmenpräsentation 20090525.pdf,’ op cit., p. 4.

  20. 20.

    Cf. Alzaga Etxeita, A., Goyarrola Ugaalde, J., op cit., p. 3.

  21. 21.

    Cf. ‘Firmenpräsentation 20090525.pdf’, op cit., p. 2; http://www.ifm-bonn.org/index.php?id=89.

  22. 22.

    Cf. ‘Firmenpräsentation 20090525.pdf’, op cit.; http://www.bwmd.de/Mittelstand/Definition/.

  23. 23.

    Cf. http://www.manager-magazin.de/unternehmen/flexindex/0,2828,650275,00.html; ‘The new SME definition’ (2005), p. 5.

  24. 24.

    Cf. ‘The new SME definition’ (2005), p. 5.

  25. 25.

    Cf. Coviello, A. et al. (2002), p. 14.

  26. 26.

    Cf. ‘SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook’ (2005), p. 124; ‘SMEs in focus’ (2002), p. 9.

  27. 27.

    Cf. Beijerse, R. (2000), p. 162.

  28. 28.

    Cf. ‘SMEs in focus’ (2002), p. 8; ‘Working to Ensure Benefits from the GATS for Members’ Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs)’ (2005), p. 1.

  29. 29.

    Cf. ‘SMEs in focus’ (2002), p. 8.

  30. 30.

    Cf. Bryson, J. R., Daniels, P. W. (2007), p. 302; Hmelnitchi, C., Neamtu, I. (2009), p. 3.

  31. 31.

    Cf. Coviello, A. et al. (2002), p. 14.

  32. 32.

    Cf. Verheugen, G., op cit., p. 3.

  33. 33.

    Cf. Menkhoff, T., Wah, C. Y., Loh, B. (2004), p. 6.

  34. 34.

    Cf. Coviello, A. et al., op cit., p. 14.

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    Silvio Wilde

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Wilde, S. (2011). Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. In: Customer Knowledge Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16475-0_2

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