OBSERVATORY ON EUROPEAN RESEARCH FOR CRAFTS AND SMEs

Issued by Academy Avignon of Crafts and SMEs in Europe

The Observatory on the European Research for Crafts and SMEs was set up by the Academy Avignon of Crafts and SMEs in Europe, based in Brussels. Its mission is to monitor the results of research on Craft and SMEs carried out in Europe by several bodies e.g. research centres, universities, the EC agencies. The Observatory diffuses the results to Crafts and SME organizations and the other relevant stakeholders.

NEWSLETTER
MAIN CONTENTS IN THIS ISSUE

JUNE 2012/N.39

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Effectiveness and Efficiency of SME Innovation Policy Normes en ressources humaines et responsabilit sociale des entreprises L'hyper-croissance dans la PME : de l'hyper performance l'hyper fragilit FDI in Business Services has general TFP effects: evidence from Italy Beyond the leaky pipeline Challenges for research on gender and science

EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF SME INNOVATION POLICY

Author(s): Summary (EN)

Foreman-Peck James (Cardiff Business School).

This paper assesses UK innovation policy impact on a large, population weighted, sample of both service and manufacturing SMEs. By focussing on self-reported innovation the study achieves a wider coverage of the effects of SME innovation policy than possible with more traditional indicators. Propensity score matching indicates that SMEs receiving UK state support for innovation were more likely to innovate than unsupported comparable enterprises. Innovating enterprises are shown to have grown significantly faster over the years 2002-4 when other growth influences are appropriately controlled. Combining these two results and comparing the outlays on SME innovation policy with the estimated effects suggests that policy was efficient as well as effective. There is evidence that SME tax credits were expensive compared with earlier support instruments. But the overall high returns estimated suggest that, even in times of public spending cuts, persisting with SME innovation policy would be prudent.

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NORMES EN RESSOURCES HUMAINES ET RESPONSABILIT SOCIALE DES ENTREPRISES

Olivier Charpateau (DRM MOST - Universit Paris IX - Paris Dauphine) and Thierry Wiedemann-Goiran (GREGOR - Groupe de Recherche en Gestion des Organisations )
Author(s): Summary (F)

L'extension de la normalisation la gestion des Ressources Humaines et la Responsabilit Sociale des Entreprises s'acclre avec simultanment la multiplication des rfrentiels normatifs produits et l'internationalisation des entreprises. Deux principaux types de normes existent. Les normes juridiques sont fondes essentiellement sur le droit national et international. Les normes techniques sont issues d'organismes dont la finalit est de produire des rfrentiels non juridiques et de la promouvoir auprs plus grand nombre possible d'organisations. Dans le cadre des RH et de la RSE, il existe plus de 130 normes techniques. Les thmatiques abordes sont aussi varies que la dfinition de la RSE, les mthodes de reporting ou la matrise des risques professionnels dans l'industrie du jouet en Asie. Malgr cette multiplication des normes, les champs de la RH et de la RSE ne sont pas couverts mais les redondances sont nombreuses. Pour certaines d'entre-elles, la diffusion devient si forte qu'elle pose la question de la lgitimit tendre des pratiques, des valeurs, des concepts dont l'universalit est loin d'tre acquise ou mme reconnue.

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L'HYPER-CROISSANCE DANS LA PME : DE L'HYPER PERFORMANCE L'HYPER FRAGILIT

Author(s): Christine Teyssier, Joy Courault and Muriel Perez (COACTIS - Universit Lumire - Lyon II Universit Jean Monnet - Saint-Etienne) Summary (F)

L'hyper-croissance est un phnomne perturbateur pour la PME : les exigences de rentabilit sont fortes et les quilibres financiers sont fragiles. Malgr les potentiels de croissance, les sources de dfaillance sont nombreuses. Une analyse comparative d'indicateurs financiers nous permet de mettre en vidence des diffrences significatives entre les PME en hyper-croissance dfaillantes et les PME en hyper-croissance prennes. Les premires se dveloppent plus vite, mais elles sont moins rentables, dgagent des marges plus faibles et sont plus faiblement capitalises. Les authors discutent des rsultats obtenus en les situant dans le cadre plus gnral des recherches sur les liens entre la croissance de l'entreprise et le slack de ressources financires.

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FDI IN BUSINESS SERVICES HAS GENERAL TFP EFFECTS: EVIDENCE FROM ITALY
Author(s): Summary (EN)

M. Armenise, G. Giovannetti e G. Santoni (Fondazione Masi)

This paper studies the effect of FDI in business services on Total Factor Productivity of Italian manufacturinging firms, over the period 2003-2008. More precisely, the paper tests the impact of forward inter industry linkages at local level. The results, robust to different specifications, show that foreign capital inows improve the performance of domestic manufacturing firms. This relationship is particularly strong in the case of high tech sectors, such as mechanics and machinery. Traditional sectors, on the other hand, seem to be less sensitive to the availability of foreign business services in the same location.

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BEYOND THE LEAKY PIPELINE CHALLENGES FOR RESEARCH ON GENDER AND SCIENCE
Author(s): Summary (EN)

Maria Caprile, Danile Meulders, Sle O'Dorchai, Nuria Valls (IBW and CIREM)

This special issue on gender and science, brings together 10 articles that present some of the results of the study Meta-analysis of gender and science research and its final conference Beyond the leaky pipeline: Challenges for research on gender and science, held in Brussels in October 2010. The meta-analysis study was a project of the 7th RTD Framework Programme of the European Union, coordinated by Maria Caprile at the CIREM Foundation. Its main objective was to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the last thirty years of European research on horizontal and vertical gender segregation in science with a view to steering policy-making and to defining future research priorities in this field. For the purposes of the study, science was understood in its broadest meaning, including social sciences and humanities as well as research and technological development. Link

Newspapers:
SMEs in the euro zone are struggling to get bank funding
By European Commission Small and medium sized companies in the euro zone are struggling to get bank funding, with banks increasingly turning down loan applications. The results of a new European Central Bank (ECB) survey show, that access to bank loans continued to deteriorate.

Pmi soffocate da Basilea 3

5/05/2012, il Sole24Ore By Giuseppe Chiellino La preoccupazione che, proprio mentre la Commissione impegnata a individuare misure per far ripartire l'economia reale, la nuova direttiva (Capital requirement directive) che recepisce le regole prudenziali di Basilea 3, produca un effetto negativo sull'economia e in particolare sulle Pmi. Barnier e Tajani chiedono che la questione sia analizzata non solo da un punto di vista micro-economico sulla probabilit di default delle Pmi, ma anche dal punto di vista macro, per verificare l'esistenza o meno di un effetto sistemico del rischio Pmi Giuseppe Chiellino

Events:
Cloud Computing Summit 2012 Il 19 giugno 2012 a Milano,

presso il Mercedes Benz Center, si terr la terza edizione della Mostra-Convegno Cloud Computing Summit, organizzato da IIR Istituto Internazionale di Ricerca. Si discuter di Cloud Computing in tutte le sue declinazioni: ultime tendenze di mercato, best practices in azienda, soluzioni tecnologiche innovative, strategie e modelli di compliance in ambito privacy, security, data protection, licencing e accountability. Larea espositiva a ingresso gratuito, consentir infine di fruire di un confronto diretto con i fornitori di tecnologia Cloud. Per conoscere le ultime novit e incontrare gli operatori del settore, possibile fissare un appuntamento dal sito ufficiale dellevento alla sezione Area Espositiva. INFO ED ISCRIZIONI

THE LIST OF SOURCES IN THIS ISSUE. Jean Monnet University :is a French public university, based in Saint-tienne. It is under the Academy of
Lyon.

Cardiff Business School: The University first opened its doors on October 24, 1883. The new institution was formally established by Royal Charter in 1884, and named at the time University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire. Small premises on Newport Road housed 13 academic staff in 12 departments, 102 full-time degree students and 49 part-time students. CIREM has a collection of documents with over 1700 entries specialised in topics specific to the work of its researchers: the labour market, local development, professional and occupational training, political science, economics, etc. The collection consists of a wide range of document types: monographs, statistics, documents not commercially available, periodical indexing, legislation, European documentation, etc. University of Urbino: The University of Urbino dates back to 1506 when Duke Guidobaldo I founded the Collegio
dei Dottori, and from its inception, it continued to grow and develop. While the student body and faculties gradually increased and developed over time, it was under the long and fruitful presidency of Senator for Life, Carlo Bo, that the University enjoyed unprecedented growth in size and prestige, prompting the former President of the European Community Commission, Roy Jenkins, to state that the University of Urbino is an incisive presence in contemporary thought, contributing in original ways to the cultural and intellectual life of Europe.

Fondazione Manlio Masi: The Manlio Masis Foundation is a "National Observatory for Internationalisation and trade". Their aim is to promote and to develop analytical processes and strategies of internationalization of trade and national economic system. GREGOR: is the research laboratory of the IAE of Paris (EA2474) and the research team for the research masters degree in Applied Organisation. Created in 1992, it currently comprises 93 members, including nine professors, two senior lecturers qualified to direct research (HDR) (11 directors of research in total), seven senior lecturers not yet qualified to direct research, five PhDs, one teacher qualified for Higher Education (PRAG), five part-time teacher/professionals (PAST) and 53 doctoral students. The present edition of the Newsletter for the Academy Avignon was edited by Maura Albanesi
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