The trends of export activities development of small and medium enterprises: world experience and russian practice

The article analyzes the peculiarities of export activities of small and medium-sized businesses, shows the high involvement of companies belonging to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the high-tech sector. The contribution of SMEs to the creation of the value of a product/service through the introduction of innovations and their adaptation to different contexts by providing new or niche products that meet the diverse needs of customers is noted. Based on the analysis of the world practice of export activities of SMEs, the author concludes that SMEs can contribute to economic diversification and economic sustainability. This is especially true for resource-rich countries that are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in raw material prices. The emphasis is placed on the analysis of the export activity of Russian SMEs, an insignificant share of SMEs in the total volume of exports in comparison with other countries is highlighted. It is concluded that Russian small and medium-sized businesses are in the process of formation, which makes them vulnerable to the influence of both external and internal threats. It is shown what impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on SMEs. It was emphasized that the main problems for such companies were non-fulfillment of contractual obligations and a sharp decline in demand.

An Iterative Design Method from Products to Product Service Systems—Combining Acceptability and Sustainability for Manufacturing SMEs

Manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in the economic development and resource consumption of most regions. Conceptually, a product-service system (PSS) can be an effective way to improve the sustainability of manufacturing SMEs. However, the construction of PSSs requires enterprises to integrate a large number of product and service resources. Moreover, current PSS design methods mostly construct a new set of highly service-oriented PSS solutions based on customer needs while seldom considering the combination of acceptability and sustainability for manufacturing SMEs at the initial stage of design, which may lead to the difficulties in applying PSS solutions beyond enterprise integration capacity or result in the waste of existing product resources. Instead of constructing a new PSS solution, this paper proposes the treatment of existing product modules as the original system. The PSS solution is iteratively constructed with the upgrade of the original system in a gradual way, which is driven by systematic performance (this process can be suspended and repeated). Phased iterative design solutions can be applied by manufacturing SMEs according to their development needs. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP), Lean Design-for-X (LDfX), design structure matrix (DSM), and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) are combined in an iterative design process from customer needs and system performances to PSS solutions. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified through the iterative design case from electric pallet trucks to warehousing systems. It is proved that this method is more sustainable and easier to be accepted by manufacturing SMEs than existing PSS design methods through in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs.

Upcycling Systems Design, Developing a Methodology through Design

Design has an important role in shaping the modes of production, consumption and disposal. Decisions made early in the product, service and system development influence the majority of the environmental impact and social consequences. With sustainability emerging as the major challenge of our times, the creation of novel methodologies, economic models and innovative materials is critical. In this paper, we put forward a new methodology that aims to bridge the ecomodernist business-focused circular economy models with the expressive material driven design (MDD) approach. The ‘design out waste methodology’ (DOWM) bridges existing concepts, methods and practices, creating an innovative design and production process that redefines waste and sets it up as a subject of creative study. The purpose of this process is to help designers understand the importance of evaluating the entire life cycle of a product; it also enables local ‘degrowth’ by shifting our modes of production towards a human scale with local makers exchanging knowledge and expressing themselves through upcycled materials, while simultaneously eradicating the very concept of waste. The methodology has been developed in an iterative research-through-design process that combines experiential and tacit knowledge from local case studies with desk research of emerging case studies in MDD.

Fostering Circular Economy in Urban Areas

The 21st century is an urban world. Strategies that aim to tackle the urban material challenge and promote circular economy are necessary to achieve sustainable development. Having established the importance of circular economy towards sustainable development, this study presents applicable strategies to reduce consumption and promote circularity specifically in urban centers. Main strategies may be categorized into three areas: reducing material use through better design, efficient manufacturing and processing, and more intensive recycling. For materials use reduction, dematerialization, appropriate design based on product service lifetime, design for X principles and extended producer responsibility are identified as prominent design approaches or policies. For effective manufacturing and processing, the implementation of best available technologies and additive manufacturing were identified to have potential significant impact. For end-of-life phase management, differences between upcycling, recycling, and downcycling require targeted industry-specific policies.