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What are the results of practicing business development in SMEs in Germany?

Korth, Nele (2016) What are the results of practicing business development in SMEs in Germany?

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Abstract:The term business development is widely used, however many people do not know what exactly it does mean. In the current dynamic environment it is essential to have a clear picture of business development in order to monitor actions and to arrive at targeted goals. Small and medium-sized enterprises play a great role in the present economy, thus it is interesting to investigate what the results of their business development actions are. To gain this knowledge semi-structured interviews were held with 14 SMEs in Germany. The literature as well as the data collection provides evidence that the result of business development can be defined as growth or the better performance of an enterprise. Yet, it is not strategically planned with performance measures nor with detailed objectives how to reach the growth. Furthermore, this research reveals that the sampled SMEs focus on secondary value-capturing, meaning the results of practicing business development are most likely the introduction of a new service or product and/or the supply of a new customer need. Next to that, it was found that the improvement of internal processes is the second foci, which results in growth through the improvement of the performance. Additionally, it has been found that the environment in which SMEs operate in, does influence the outcome of business development positively and/or negatively, as well as it can be the starting point.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:International Business Administration BSc (50952)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/70016
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