The purpose of the 'Microfinance Handbook' is to bring together in a single source guiding principles and tools that will promote sustainable microfinance and create viable institutions.

In 2011 the World Bank—with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—launched the Global Findex database, the world's most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Drawing on survey data collected in collaboration with Gallup, Inc., the Global Findex database covers more than 140 economies around the world. The initial survey round was followed by a second one in 2014 and by a third in 2017. Compiled using nationally representative surveys of more than 150,000 adults age 15 and above in over 140 economies, The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and the Fintech Revolution includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. It has additional data on the use of financial technology (or fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the Internet to conduct financial transactions. The data reveal opportunities to expand access to financial services among people who do not have an account—the unbanked—as well as to promote greater use of digital financial services among those who do have an account. The Global Findex database has become a mainstay of global efforts to promote financial inclusion. In addition to being widely cited by scholars and development practitioners, Global Findex data are used to track progress toward the World Bank goal of Universal Financial Access by 2020 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The database, the full text of the report, and the underlying country-level data for all figures—along with the questionnaire, the survey methodology, and other relevant materials—are available at www.worldbank.org/globalfindex.

This book's prime audience is government policy-makers. It provides a policy framework for governments to increase micro, small and medium enterprises' access to financial services?one which is based on empirical evidence from around the world. Financial sector policies in many developing countries often work against the ability of commercial financial institutions to serve this market segment, albeit, often unintentionally. The framework guides governments on how to best focus scarce resources on three things: ? developing an inclusive financial sector policy; ? building healthy financial ins

These books provides an overall account of small and medium enterprises in selected Asia-Pacific countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, China, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Canada. All of these countries have given high policy agenda on the development of small and medium enterprises since SMEs contribute significantly to the respective national economic development. The books therefore provides various experiences on SMEs, issues and challenges, incentive and policies adopted by various governments and, more significantly, prospects for growth and development potential of SMEs in the new millennium.

Featuring over 1900 references, drawings, and tables and drawing on disciplines as diverse as political economics, public management, and urban affairs, this versatile text offers comprehensive information on major policy and managerial issues important to local and national economic development. Pulling together the work of over 40 researchers, the book examines the role of government in economic advances and reform, provides a complete, up-to-date survey of the literature on local and national economic development, details local and regional economic progress in the US, adopts an innovative interdisciplinary approach to the study of economic expansion, and more.

Inhaltsangabe:Introduction: Total Quality Management (TQM) has already made its mark in history. Big players in major industries, such as Ford and Siemens, have already aligned their business and production processes to this holistic management concept. Over the past three decades there are more medium-sized companies applying TQM principles to their business. Quality has been important in helping companies gaining a competitive edge in globalized markets. TQM with its extensive set of methods aims to embed quality awareness among all departments of a company where work affects the quality of the products. There are thousands of articles and books written on how large and medium sized companies have successfully implemented of TQM. An extensive literature review and interviews of experts and owners of very small businesses (micro-businesses) indicate that this is the only industry where TQM systems have not yet been implemented. Although micro-businesses are pressured by their customers to achieve high levels of quality in their products, there is not enough research that addresses the issues of implementing TQM practices for micro-businesses. Scientific literature does not provide answers to crucial questions such as: - What methods of quality management are currently being in use in micro-businesses? - How could a TQM system be tailored to meet the needs in a micro-business environment? This thesis is part of a large-scale field study that recently has been launched by the Howe School of Technology Management at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ. The study aims to reveal answers to the questions listed above. This thesis forms the foundation for the subsequent field study. The main goals is to deploy a systematic TQM framework for micro-businesses that will be help micro-businesses understand how the quality management culture has an impact on a company s success. Additionally, this thesis aims to develop a questionnaire that will examine the validity of the framework and serve as basis for the field study. The focus is on very small manufacturers. First breakthroughs in quality management have been taken place in this industry. Thus we can dispose of more than 100 years of research results in this field. Furthermore it is the manufacturer who is used to the first-movers role in new quality management models another good reason for choosing this industry. Layout of This Thesis: After an exposure of the problem in [...]

Clusters of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have to adapt continually to a fast changing environment. This new book, containing contributions on countries ranging from Italy and Mexico to China and India, recognises the disparity between conditions in these countries and poses some interesting questions about what might be termed post clu

In most developing countries, financial services are only available to a minority of the population. The majority have no savings accounts, do not receive credit from formal financial institutions and have no insurance policies. They seldom make or receive payments through financial institutions. The limited use of financial services in developing countries has become an international policy concern. The reason for concern about widespread financial "exclusion" in developing countries is straightforward: access to a well-functioning financial system can economically and socially empower individuals, in particular poor people, allowing them to better integrate into the economy of their countries, actively contribute to their development and protect themselves against economic shocks. The central question asked by this book is how to bring access to these fundamental services to all people in developing countries and thus accelerate their economic development and that of their countries. Inclusive finance - safe savings, appropriately designed loans for poor and low-income households and for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, and appropriate insurance and payments services - can help people help themselves to increase incomes, acquire capital, manage risk and work their way out of poverty.

Microenterprises - very small businesses consisting of a single self-employed person, a family, or at the most a few employees - are the main source of livelihood of up to half of the population of most developing countries. In the past this vital sector, often referred to also as the informal sector, has received inadequate attention, but increasingly multilateral and bilateral agencies and non-governmental organizations are searching for ways to help improve the effectiveness of these microenterprise operations and to enable them to make a greater contribution to the development of the third world and to the general efforts to enhance incomes and raise living standards.This collection of sixteen papers by experts with considerable experience in the field emanates from the International Conference on Microenterprises held in Washington DC, USA, sponsored by the Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development on 6-9 June 1988. It is organized according to the major issues relating to the subject: the structure of the microenterprise sector, government policies towards microenterprises, informal credit markets, financial and technical services, institutional aspects and a review of the experience of assistance projects. This publication should be of great interest and value to all concerned in increasing assistance to the development of microenterprises in developing countries.