Call for Papers: Management in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) from Nordic and Comparative Perspectives
Guest Editors:
Simon Fietze, Martin Senderovitz, & Jesper Raalskov, University of Southern Denmark
Special Issue
SMEs play a significant role in economic development. They stimulate competition and create jobs by developing new technologies and products. However, SMEs’ are often prevented from realizing their potential due to internal and external constraints. To deal with these constraints, on the one hand, international, national and regional policies support a number of initiatives to assist SMEs’ growth and development. On the other hand, the dynamic competitive landscape of the twenty-first century is highlighting an increased need for SMEs to emphasize the managerialization of their organizational structure and processes as well as the professionalization of individuals involved in the organization to ensure long-term survival and growth.
Research on managerialization has shown, that SMEs are characterized by a lower adoption of managerial processes, because of the strong linkages between manager and company. In addition, there is a lack of management knowledge at different levels. It is commonly highlighted that the management in these firms is characterized by some degree of informality and that individual and social control systems are more suited to these enterprises, due to common shared values and languages, informal relationships, etc.
In addition, decisions in SMEs are also determined by the institutional and contextual factors and in consequence how much of their potential is realized (e.g. innovation). The Nordic context and their countries’ business systems have during the last few years served as exemplary models for practitioners from business, politics, and research. The Northern European countries are among the most competitive economies, have a well-developed welfare system and a large public sector. These qualities have raised an increased interest both among practitioners and scholars alike to understand the “success” mechanisms of the Nordic business systems.
Based on these considerations, the purpose of this special issue of management revue – Socio-Economic Studies is to enhance our understanding of management practices in SMEs from a Nordic and comparative perspective. Topics may include, but are not limited to the following issues:
- What institutional conditions determine management practices in SMEs?
- What is the role of managerial mechanisms and professional managers in SMEs and family firms’ development and growth?
- How do social- and environmental considerations influence management practices in SMEs in a Nordic context?
- What is the role of HR in developing management practices in SMEs?
- How does talent management impact SMEs‘ development and growth?
This is not an exhaustive list.
management revue – Socio-Economic Studies
management revue – Socio-Economic Studies is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary European journal publishing both qualitative and quantitative work, as well as purely theoretical papers that advance the study of management, organization, and industrial relations. Management Revue publishes articles that contribute to theory from a number of disciplines, including business and public administration, organizational behavior, economics, sociology, and psychology. Reviews of books relevant to management and organization studies are a regular feature.
Deadline
Full papers for this special issue must be submitted by 30 September 2020. All contributions will be subject to double-blind reviews. Papers invited to a ‘revise and resubmit’ are due March 31st, 2021. The publication is scheduled for the issue 3/2022. Please submit your papers electronically via the online submission system using ‘SI Management in SMEs’ as article section.
Submission Guidelines
Manuscript length should not exceed 10,000 words (excluding references) and the norm should be 30 pages in double-spaced type with margins of about 2.5 cm on each side of the page. Further, please follow the guidelines on the journal’s homepage.
Hoping to hear from you!
Simon Fietze (simonf@sam.sdu.dk)
Martin Senderovitz
Jesper Raalskov