 Lower costs: driving SME business performanceNicholas O'Regan, Bruce Dixon and S. Jaseem Ahmad International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 2006, vol. 1, issue 4, 407-420 Abstract: This study examines the impact of cost on the performance of small and medium sized manufacturing firms. Two distinct types of firms were examined: those with lower than average costs for their market, and firms with above average costs. The overall drivers in both sets of firms are examined along with the resultant performance. The study sampled cost structures in SMEs in the engineering and electronics industries. The findings show differences in both sets of firms. Firms with lower than average costs have reduced their employee levels over the past three years, which is reflected in their reduced direct labour costs, arguably as a result of increased contracting out of activities. The lower than average costs translate into the ability to offer competitive pricing and increased market share. On the other hand, firms with above average costs in their market have experienced an increase in costs (other than direct and indirect labour) reduced turnover, have more management levels and tend to focus on specific markets. Keywords: cost reduction; SME performance; turnover; manufacturing SMEs; small and medium-sized enterprises; globalisation; small business; business performance; cost structures; engineering industry; electronics industry. (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijgsbu:v:1:y:2006:i:4:p:407-420 Access Statistics for this article More articles in International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.