Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are constantly confronting formidable and competitive challenges. In their midst, to stay abreast of larger firms or international markets, a small number is still able to insulate themselves from the pervasive effects of competition, technology advancement...

As small films have limited resources, they cannot out-muscle larger competitors, so they have to do something different - be innovative and leverage know-how and collaborate with others to increase the scale and scope of what they can offer to be globally competitive. This paper describes an...

This paper explores qualitative research in general and the case study approach in particular as used in Operations Management (OM) theory-building research. It discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of qualitative approaches used in OM research as against their quantitative...

Collaborative R&D networks in Australia are explored through a comparison of case studies of seven such ?clubs?. The paper addresses the research question: what are the conditions and mechanisms that facilitate the engagement of entrepreneurial SMEs with R&D and innovation? A typology of these...

The rising interest in innovation studies as indicators of industry growth has resulted in the proliferation of research unpacking the elements that enable companies to learn and to innovate (Arthur De Little, 2001; Smith, 2000). In recent years the attention has been focused on knowledge-intensive...

The paper examines industrial relations in the shipping industries of two Liberal Market Economies (LMEs), Australia and the United States and in two Coordinated Market Economies (CMEs), Germany and Denmark. Hall and Soskice?s (2001) theory of Liberal versus Coordinated market economies has been...

Purpose ? Aims to test Walton and McKersie?s theory on labour negotiations, specifically in the case of German car manufacturers. Design/methodology/approach ? The research is based on interviews with industrial actors in Germany?s car industry ? an empirical case study. Findings ? The article...

The increasing acceptance of enterprise bargaining by both employers and trade unions in Australia calls into question not only the ongoing role of industrial tribunals, but also that of employer associations and their traditional role in the collective representation of individual employers in...