The specific needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been addressed by various initiatives in diverse areas of organizational management and development, including the context of performance management and measurement.
A model is a simplified representation of the world. According with The American Heritage Dictionary (2001), a model can have multiple significations, one of the most used being “a schematic description of a system, theory, or phenomenon, that accounts for its known or inferred properties and may be used for further study of its characteristics”.
Between March and May 2009, Business Application Research Center (BARC) an unbiased market analyst based in Germany, conducted a study regarding the maturity of organisational Performance Management processes. The study had 553 respondents from around the world, across a wide range industries, countries and organizations.
Google launched in the autumn of 2009 a new resource page called “Internet Stats” which “brings together the latest industry facts and insights” (Google Internet Stats, 2010).
“The World’s Most Innovative Companies 2010” report was recently published by Fast Company. It reports analyzes over 250 companies, including more than 75 non-U.S. businesses, and emphasizes the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies. In addition to the Top 50, Fast Company cited 59 Innovation All-stars, culled from past Top 50 honorees, plus ranked the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in 24 categories, including advertising and marketing, biotechnology, film and TV, media, music, and sports.