Defence Related Sme's : Analysis and Description of Current Conditions

Today, there are big changes and differences between countries in matters of national defence. Gone are the huge engines of military industrial might, and struggling in their wake are networks upon networks of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's), groping with the harsh reality of survival in this new world. For the first time, many if not most of them, are being forced to deal with new issues such as product development, marketing to a civilian world, private-sector financing and adopting competitive business practices and generally living outside the shadow of the defence business. Crucial at this juncture is to provide forms of assistance to guide them over new ground. Most observers agree that most businesses are small or medium in size, in the sense that they are not large corporations. These businesses are the lynchpin of stable economic conditions and ultimately provide essential products and services to users. The failure of SME's to convert successfully to civilian markets would cause a devastating blow to national economies. Accordingly, the need and importance of dealing with these defence conversion issues cannot be overstated. This book presents a collection of papers on the topic of defence-related small and medium enterprises and their challenge of readjustment in the 21st century. Table of Content Technology-Based Economic Development - Richard A. Bendis Strategy of Small Defence Oriented Enterprises in a Time of Defence Budget Downsizing - Croatian Case Study - Kresimir Cosic Small and Medium Enterprises in Central and Eastern Europe: from Absence to Emerging Dynamics - Heinz Fiedler The Effect of Military Downsizing on SME's in the Republic of Belarus - Gennadi Gaiko Emerging Role of SME's in Russian R&D Conversion - Natalia Kovaleva System of State and Government Support of SME's in Russia - Andrey A. Krutko The Power of Partnership - Ian McFarlane Support to Small and Medium Business and Development of Innovation in Lithuania - Pranas B. Milius Utilisation of Left-Over Military Sites in Hungary - Péter Mogyorósi, Márton Vilmányi and Balázs Révész The Threats and Opportunities of the Changing Supply Chain in the Aeronautics Sector - Brian Morris The Relationship Between SME's and Prime Contractors - Guy Servolle Dual Technologies - Basis of Innovation Development of the DIC Enterprises of Russia - Vladimir Shabarov Cooperation Among NATO and Partner SME's in Concept Experimentation and Advanced Technology Demonstrations - Velizar Shalamanov and Irena Mladenova The New World of Defence-Dependent SME's - Thomas F. Shea The "Economic Missionaries" - A Possible Solution for Global Integration of SME's from Central and Eastern Europe - Mircea Slanina Offsets as an Alternative Tool to Support Innovation and Institutional Development in the SME's - João P. Taborda From Downsizing to Modernising Defence in C&E Europe: Opportunities for SME's - Todor Tagarev Defence-related SME's: Analysis and Description of Current Conditions; The Challenge of Re-Adjustment in the 21st Century - Trevor Taylor From the Soviet Research System to European and International Research Cooperation - Estonian Case - Rene Tõnnisson Description of Military Downsizing in Slovakia and Development of New Mechanisms of Cooperation Between NATO and Partner SME's - Stefan Vratny The Third Power - Han Willems The Survival Power of SME's in an SMC: the Turkish Case - Faruk A. Yarman