An Investigation into the Current Success Factors for Small and Medium Essay

An Investigation into the Current Success Factors for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand - Essay Example The type of businesses involved in this study is small and medium business enterprises (SMEs), which are characterized by being relatively smaller than larger enterprises (LEs) in terms of the number of employees or amount of fixed assets. The geographical region in focus is the country of Thailand in South East Asia. A range of different types of SMEs will be included from various sectors so that the findings are representative of Thai SMEs in general. Thus, it includes the production, wholesale and retail sectors. We shall adopt the classification of SMEs as defined by the Thai Institute for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (ISMED, 2010) as follows: Enterprises in the production/service sectors: no more than 200 employees or no more than Baht 200 million in fixed assets. Enterprises in the wholesale trading sectors: no more than 50 employees or no more than Baht 100 million in fixed assets. Enterprises in the retail sectors: no more than 30 employees or no more than Baht 60 million in fixed assets. Similarly, the study will not be confined to SMEs in a particular area of Thailand because that would not necessarily be representative of Thai SMEs. ... These are primarily related to the areas of administration, management, finance, technology, human resources, and marketing (Garengo, and Bernardi, 2007). For example, the problem of gaining access to sources of funding is very common. Often, SMEs are unaware of potential sources of finance, lack the management skills to satisfy lenders, and are unable to meet lenders’ rigorous assessment criteria and screening process (Atrill, 2006). Even then, SMEs are often not able to receive sufficient access to credit, as do LEs. The nature of this particular problem however is not unique to Thai SMEs as it is a similar situation with SMEs elsewhere, even in developed countries such as Europe (European Commission, 2006). Other problems include lack of employee-training (Thassanabanjong et al., 2009), especially in family-owned SMEs (De Lema and Durendez, 2007) an informal approach if not negligible regard to human resource management (HRM), and consequently low productivity (Huang, 2003) . SMEs seeking to grow are often unable to cope with globalization and e-commerce challenges (Tiessen et al., 2001) and in addition have difficulty gaining access to international markets (Worthington & Britton, 2009) and in developing successful growth models to expand regionally or globally (Li & Tan, 2004). Global SMEs looking to expand into Thailand often have difficulty in establishing ties with local networks (McNamara, 2005). Managers of SMEs typically have full responsibility for the organization, so management issues tend to be more acute in SMEs than in LEs where there are typically several tiers of management. In addition, as Kotey (2005) noted, management practices in SMEs tend to be â€Å"informal, unstructured and seldom focus on strategic

Nosocomial Infections and Intervention Strategies Assignment

Nosocomial Infections and Intervention Strategies - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that Good Health Hospital has proved to be among the best hospitals in the region since its inception. The medical professionals and all members of staff are always committed to ensuring delivery of quality services to patients. The hospital has had a good reputation for excellent staff, good patient relations, and top quality services. In the recent past, several cases of E. coli have been reported at Good Health Hospital. E. coli exists in a variety of types but most varieties a less harmful to human health. Research by medical professionals has shown that E. coli bacteria live in the intestines, for both people and animals. Symptoms of E. coli infection include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. E. coli emanates from taking contaminated food and water. E. coli may lead to death or permanent health problems if appropriate measures are taken on time. Nosocomial diseases can be termed as an infection that a person gets while attending to in a health institution. The goal of this task is to explore the nosocomial infections, intervention strategies, and recommendations on how to control and manage the various types of nosocomial infections. Records of Good Health Hospital show that a number of nosocomial diseases have been reported. Among the commonest nosocomial infections at Good Health Hospital includes surgical site infection, pneumonia infection, and unitary tract infection among others. It is crustal for medical professionals and other people involved in providing health care to understand the different types of nosocomial infections and how to prevent them. The period between 2009 and 2011 recorded about 10,000 cases of skin and soft-tissue infection. The people surveyed were African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. The patients included both males and females of the age between 5-18 years, 50-65 years and those above the age of 65 years.