The document discusses the importance of SMEs for economic stability and competitiveness. It introduces the Business Management System (BMS) as a model that can help SMEs build capabilities to design strategies, marketing, production, and manage resources. The BMS allows users to define their business, build viable strategies, assess resource and competency needs, and integrate all of these components. The BMS equips SMEs with the capabilities needed to become competitive and negotiate with customers. Many SME donor programs fail because they lack integrated systems to properly identify needs, select SMEs, and build resource utilization skills.

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’09 Newsletter
Business Management System
The importance of enterprises, particularly those labelled as SMEs, to the
economies of countries is well documented and debated. Most importantly, SMEs,
when they are competitive, are the most effective and efficient mechanisms to
distribute wealth in a country. Thus, the competitiveness of the SME sector is not
only vital for economic reasons but also is a rational requirement for political
stability and economic sustainability.
To become competitive, enterprises need efficient human resources, Information,
know how, physical asset and infrastructure; Financial resources, network strategic
alliance…. but before this, they need the competencies to design and implement
strategies, to build marketing and production capabilities, to manage export
transactions and to manage “e” applications.
Such a model should be based on an integrated and comprehensive paradigm that
1) all stakeholders (macro, meso, micro level institutions and individuals) can use
as a common approach and language; 2) is objective (measurable); 3) is
transparent; 4) can be explained on justifiable grounds; 5) can be applied with high
speed and at a low cost; and 6) can be adapted to national realities. Such a model
exists and is called the Business Management System.
The use of the BMS equips the user with a series of capabilities that are imperative
for designing any kind of programme to build competitiveness. These are the
capabilities to:
Focus an enterprise to a market with a positioned product through clearly defining
the business of the enterprise and by building viable strategies
Calculate the quantity and quality of resources needed to implement the strategy;
and
Assess the competencies required for the implementation of these strategies. All of
this is done in an integrated fashion using the same model. These capabilities are
also the ones that are needed 1) to select and screen SMEs for support, 2) to design
and develop support programmes to build competencies; and 3) to design and
develop programmes for resource provision….
However, all of these discrete components are integrated in a hierarchical system
making auto-coordination systematic.
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Experts Visions / 0008
‘Nous nous engageons sur des résultats opérationnels’

2. The company to-go for getting added value for your business
’09 Newsletter
Building competitiveness means building organizations that can dictate terms on
product, pricing, quality and delivery to their customers. Building an enterprise
with bargaining power requires resources and capabilities to use resources
effectively and efficiency.
Several SMEs donors’ programs seek three objectives:
1. Encourage new SME growth;
2. Deliver SME development programmes selectively.
3. Design and develop programmes to foster SME performance
Unfortunately most of them are unsuccessful because they lack integrated systems
where firstly needs are delineated from demand such that it is the needs that are
addressed, and secondly where SMEs that are “worth” receiving assistance can be
selected thus ensuring the most efficient allocation of resources. Resource
provision to SMEs without building resource utilization capabilities
(management) creates tremendous waste.
2 © experts@experts-visions.com
Experts Visions / 0009
‘Nous nous engageons sur des résultats opérationnels’