A longitudinal study on competitive priorities within manufacturing SMEs: 2000-2017

Sainidis, Eustathios and Robson, Andrew (2018) A longitudinal study on competitive priorities within manufacturing SMEs: 2000-2017. In: ISBE 2018 - 41st Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference, 7th - 8th November 2018, Birmingham, UK.

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Abstract

Topic: A longitudinal study on competitive priorities within manufacturing SMEs: 2000-2017.

Conference theme: Business creation, early stage development and business closure.

Aim: The paper aims at evaluating the competitive priorities of UK-based manufacturing SMEs over two decades 2000-2017.

Methodology: A longitudinal study based on a mixed methods research approach covering two decades from 2000 until 2017. The mixed data consists of two sets of quantitative data and one set of qualitative data, primary data covering the timeline from 2000 until 2017.

Contribution: The study suggests a shift in the competitive priorities of manufacturing SMEs from delivery performance and quality in the early years of 2000s to productivity, efficiency and process flexibility in the second part of 2010s. Pivotal in the change of strategic direction is the 2008-09 Great Recession which acted a structural break in the SMEs business environment.

Practical implications: The study offers an insight to manufacturing SME managers on the change of direction of their competitive environment and acts as a call for repositioning their competitive priorities.

Policy implications: The study draws upon the successive UK government industrial strategies since 2000 and compares these to the practices of manufacturing SMEs.

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