Crossing the Valley of Death for SMEs

Management Practices From China

Bibliographic Data

ID3352568
AuthorsYilong An (0000-0002-2401-6600, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, corresponding author), Yinghua Zhang (0000-0001-7292-3216, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics)
Year2021
Volume11
Issue3
Publication date2021-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSAGE Open (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2158-2440 • E-ISSN: 2158-2440
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/21582440211047581
OpenAlexW3203851625
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited38

The purpose of this article is to explain and solve the early stage of High-tech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) development issue in Tianjin, specifically the so-called Valley of Death. The Valley of Death is used as a metaphor to describe the relative lack of resources and expertise in the area of development. In this article, the resources and expertise mainly refer to the financing and loans required by high-tech SMEs in the early stage. Through the analysis of the actual situation of developing high-tech SMEs in Tianjin, the article illustrates organizations can bridge the Valley of Death through coordination and institutional support. The literature review and normative analysis methodology used in this study gathered data from literature and second-hand materials with extensive experience to construct the framework model of early stage development of Tianjin high-tech SMEs. Results indicate that institutional support has been very effective in addressing the Valley of Death. Implications of these findings suggest local government must understand the challenges in the valley, must facilitate the development of skills for the SMEs, and must supply the resources to SMEs

Business · China · High tech · Metaphor · Normative · Political science · Computer Science · Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences · Firm Innovation and Growth · Innovation and Knowledge Management · Marketing