Search results for "Lever"
showing 10 items of 191 documents
Board of director attributes: effects on financial performance in SMEs
2021
This paper analyses the relationship between board of director (BoD) attributes and financial performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Although SMEs are the backbone of world economies, most studies on this relationship focused on large companies and did not consider many typical or recommended processes and activities carried out by SME BoDs. We monitored a set of variables related to BoD attributes such as composition, characteristics, structure and processes for 184 Italian SMEs along with their financials over a 4-year period (2014–2017). We controlled for enterprise-specific characteristics such as annual sales growth, assets value, sales turnover, leverage, com pany s…
Relevance of Big Data for Business and Management. Exploratory Insights (Part I)
2018
Abstract Over the last few decades Big Data has impetuously penetrated almost every domain of human interest/action and it has (more or less consciously) become a ubiquitous presence of day to day life. The main questions this exploratory paper seeks to address (throughout its two parts) are the following: What is the (actual) impact of Big Data on Business & Management and How can businesses (through their management) leverage the potential of Big Data to their benefit? A gradual, step by step approach (based on literature review and a variety of secondary data) will guide the paper in search for answers to the abovementioned questions: starting with a concise history of the topic Big …
Romania’s SMEs on the Way to EU’s Twin Transition to Digitalization and Sustainability
2021
Abstract European Commission’s six priorities for 2019-2024 are all in line with and leverage each other to support Europe’s twin transition to digitalization and sustainability; aiming to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Recovery Plan for Europe adds resilience as key dimension of EU’s progress, while reinforcing its commitment to the green and digital transformation. Counting for more than 99% of the enterprises, employing about two of three people, and generating more than a half of the value added - with similar weights as concerns Romania - EU’s SMEs are the engine of Europe's economy, therefore essential contributors to these transformative processes - as emp…
Analyzing Learned Representations of a Deep ASR Performance Prediction Model
2018
This paper addresses a relatively new task: prediction of ASR performance on unseen broadcast programs. In a previous paper, we presented an ASR performance prediction system using CNNs that encode both text (ASR transcript) and speech, in order to predict word error rate. This work is dedicated to the analysis of speech signal embeddings and text embeddings learnt by the CNN while training our prediction model. We try to better understand which information is captured by the deep model and its relation with different conditioning factors. It is shown that hidden layers convey a clear signal about speech style, accent and broadcast type. We then try to leverage these 3 types of information …
Effect of FRP strengthening on the flexural behaviour of calcarenite masonry walls
2017
The use of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) for structural strengthening has become increasingly popular in recent years. Several applications of FRP have been proposed and applied, depending on the target of the technique, kind and/or material of the structural member. In particular, because of their great tensile strength, FRP materials are commonly used to enhance the out-of-plane behaviour of masonry walls, allowing to increase their strength, ductility and improving safety against overturning. For these reasons, FRP laminates are often applied in vulnerable ancient buildings in seismic areas to reinforce façades and walls with poor structural features. However, some issues arise when a…
Pecking Order Versus Trade-off: An Empirical Approach to the Small and Medium Enterprise Capital Structure
2003
In this paper, we explore two of the most relevant theories that explain financial policy in small and medium enterprises (SMEs): pecking order theory and trade-off theory. Panel data methodology is used to test the empirical hypotheses over a sample of 6482 Spanish SMEs during the five-year period 1994?1998. The results suggest that both theoretical approaches contribute to explain capital structure in SMEs. However, while we find evidence that SMEs attempt to achieve a target or optimum leverage (trade-off model), there is less support for the view that SMEs adjust their leverage level to their financing requirements (pecking order model). En este trabajo, exploramos dos de las teorías má…
Effects of the degree of financial constraint and excessive indebtedness on firms’ investment decisions
2021
Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of the importance of financial variables in explaining differences in investment rates among firms. The main contributions of the study are twofold: the use of a variable that approximates the degree of financial constraint, and the effect of indebtedness on investment is allowed to be non-linear. The empirical application to the case of Spain is of interest because of the large proportion of SMEs among Spanish firms (SMEs being highly dependent on bank financing) and the drastic tightening of credit conditions in Spain during the banking crisis. The results provide evidence of the impact of financial constraints on firms’ inve…
Capital Structure and Financial Control: The Effect of Leverage on Project Management
2015
Amplification characteristics are leveraging financial system which has a small risk of capability. However, the efficiency of this ability is the two-ways result and will also pose a lot of risks. Therefore, taking positive measures to strengthen the management of the financial system leverage feature in project management becomes very important. This paper describes the financial system leverage to bring the main problem through the lever amplification (nature) analysis of the characteristics, bi-amplified comparative analysis of profit and loss and bi-amplification characteristics of the risk analysis. Based on the above analysis, we put forward countermeasures about the management of le…
Research and Science Today Supplement 1/2014
2014
In this supplement of Research and Science Today journal are included scientific articles which debate problems from social science fields, engineering sciences fields, legal sciences and medical sciences fields: Craiova hospitals, Wallachia, Moldova, diplomatic byzantin ceremonial, eurozone, human security, democratization, globalization, sociological research, appendicular peritonitis, hyperbilirubinemia, pleuro-pulmonary, tuberculosis surgery.hypothyroidism, epilepsy.Research and Science Today Journal is a publication founded in 2011 and it is dedicated to the students of all levels (license, master and doctoral) of faculties in the country and abroad. We want to offer the participants t…
Improving marine protected area governance through collaboration and co-production.
2020
Marine protected areas (MPAs) socio-ecological effectiveness depends on a number of management and governance elements, among which stakeholder engagement and community support play key roles. Collaborative conservation initiatives that engage stakeholders in action research and knowledge co-production processes can enhance management and governance of MPAs. To design effective strategies aimed at reconciling biodiversity conservation and management of sustainable human uses, it is key to assess how local communities respond to such initiatives and identify the set of contextual factors, institutional, local and individual, potentially affecting these responses. This paper presents the appr…