Hiba, Juan Carlos Capacitación empresarial para mejorar las condiciones y medios de trabajo de pequeñas y medianas empresas. (Entrepreneurial training to improve working conditions and means of small and medium-sized enterprises). Inter-american technical bulletin on vocational training, Montevideo Cinterfor/ILO. N° 138, 1997.
This article develops the strategies and results of the application of the ILO's methodology "Higher productivity and a better workplace" in the countries of the region. It is an active entrepreneurial training method earmarked to make SMEs more efficient and improve the quality of their labour life. This method is adapted to local conditions and prioritises practical activities; its efficiency - confirmed in hundreds of enterprises - benefits workers as well.

Karin Büchter Rules to detect qualification needs in enterprises. Inter-american technical bulletin on vocational training, Montevideo Cinterfor/ILO. N° 154, 2003.
The author tackles in this article the issue of detecting qualification needs of enterprises. The emphasis is placed on the fact that such activity is a process of social construction where all the actors of productive units must play an active role. In particular, she focuses on the importance of detecting qualification needs of SMEs for their survival and competitiveness as well as of the improvement in communication and cooperation among SMEs and training providers; a fundamental premise to cater for the detected needs and suit the qualification interests of the enterprises.

Labarca, G. (Coord.) Economic Reforms and Training. Montevideo: Cinterfor, 2003 (Tools for change, 20)
This publication tackles the analysis of some particularly important sectors and enterprises which allow to view human resources training in contexts representing important trends for the future. In addition, it introduces a series of studies about Mexico inquiring about training in the sugar-growing industry, the articulation between training in the in bond industry in the northern border and the development of labour competencies in biotechnology, electronics and telecommunications. One study deals with the development of information and communication technologies in Brazil from its beginning in the seventies until today. The growth of occupations in the labour market which do not correspond to the traditional categorization of employment in terms of dependence in the productive centre inspires a study on atypical employment in Chile and, especially, on work at home. Finally, there is an analysis based on a group of innovative enterprises in Dominican Republic which were awarded a prize for their excellence and their contribution to human resources training.

Medeiros, José Adelino. Incubadoras de empresas: lecciones de la experiencia internacional. (Business incubators: lessons from international experience). Inter-american technical bulletin on vocational training, Montevideo Cinterfor/ILO. N°143, 1998.
This article intended for the "XIX Simposio de Gestión de la Innovación Tecnológica" (XIX Symposium of Management of Technological Innovation) is based on the research and work done by the author with the support of UNDP, the OAS, SEBRAE-RS and CNPq. It summarises the main qualitative results of the research on enterprise incubators coordinated in 1995 by the UNDP.

Patrone, Alessandro. Metodología de formación flexible para pequeños empresarios latinoamericanos (Flexible training methodology for small Latin American entrepreneurs). Montevideo: CINTERFOR, 1997 (Technical office papers 3).
The transformations having taken place in the economic, social and labour spheres of countries of the region have resulted in a dynamic training offer, particularly in sectors which, owing to their importance for the growth of production and employment, more urgently require the adequate training of their manpower. Perhaps the most critical group in that respect are small enterprises, of great diversity and weight in the productive process. The research effort concerning this sector in Latin America and the Caribbean as recorded in this paper (one more instance of the collaboration of the Turin Centre with Cinterfor/ILO) realistically shows that the road to incorporate small employers into productive processes is paved with difficulties. Such hitches are clearly described in this study, that is basically a report on the flexible training project for small and medium-sized concerns.

SENAI. Incubadoras de base tecnológica, embriones de nuevas empresas. (Technology-based incubators, embryos of new enterprises). Inter-american technical bulletin on vocational training, Montevideo Cinterfor/ILO. N°143,1998.
From the beginning of the 80s, the opening of Brazilian internal market allowed for the restructuring of science and technology investors, oriented to local, regional and national economic development. One of the several growing strategies was setting up technological poles, enterprises' associations and technology-based incubators of enterprises. This article gathers information that appeared in SENAI publications which show the commitment assumed by the institution in the implementation of incubators and technological parks in Brazil.

Tolentino, Arturo  Formación y desarrollo de empresarios-gerentes de pequeñas empresas. (Training and development of entrepreneur-managers of small enterprises). Montevideo: CINTERFOR, 1998   (Technical office papers 5)
This document has the basic purpose of providing trainers and consultants with a concise reference material on training and development of entrepreneur-managers of small enterprises. It summarises the lessons learned by several organisations and specialists engaged in the development of the small enterprise.

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ILO

Reaching out to SMEs. An electronic toolkit for employers' organizations. 2005. (CD-Rom)
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) makeup more than 90 per cent of enterprises in most countries around the world, yet often employers' organizations do not fully represent them. This electronic toolkit addresses this situation by offering an array of materials highlighting the particular concerns and interests of SMEs and how employers' organizations can better assist them.
It offers useful case studies demonstrating ways employers' organizations can reach out to SMEs as well as detailed guidance on providing services, seeking board approval, and strengthening representation and advocating for SMEs. Providing services to SMEs poses certain challenges for organizations, and this CD-ROM covers the many of the key issues and proposes practical strategies.

Boosting Employment through Small Enterprise Development Brochure.

Humprey, John   Opportunities for SMEs in developing countries to update in a global economy. Geneva: ILO , 2003. (Working Paper, 43).
This paper considers the implications for policy formulation of the situation where developing country clusters are integrated into the global economy in a variety of ways. The development of global value chains does not undermine the possibility of local development policy. However, recognising the different ways in which small firm clusters in developing countries can be inserted into global value chains does have implications for the nature and scope of local development strategies. The ways in which firms (inside and outside of clusters) can be inserted into global value chains has an impact on the formulation of strategies for private sector development. While a number of these areas of policy have, in the past, been referred to as "industry policy", it is important to recognize both that many policies also apply to agriculture and service export and that a wide range of policies have an impact on private sector, export-oriented development. In the final section, this paper considers four different areas of policy for SMEs: the overall goal of an export development strategy; generic policies for promoting private sector development and exports; the targeting of support for exporters; and firm-level growth and export
strategies.

ILO. Guarantee Funds for Small Enterprises. A manual for guarantee fund managers. Geneva, 2004.
Guarantee funds for small enterprises can make bank finance more accessible for small entrepreneurs. Many viable projects do not get funded because there is no or not enough collateral. As a result no investment is undertaken, and no jobs are created. Guarantee funds can help here. They offer risk-sharing and seek to motivate financial institutions to explore new market segments. The success of guarantee funds depends largely on their design, i.e. how incentives and sanctions are set and how the fund is governed. Critical are, notably, risk sharing arrangements, eligibility criteria, staffing and internal reporting and control systems.

ILO. New ILO Study: How the right environment can create good jobs in micro- and small-enterprises.

ILO. Gender issues in micro-enterprise development.

ILO. PROMICRO. The microenterprise in Central America. San José, Costa Rica, 2000.

 ILO.  Job quality and small enterprise development. Geneva: ILO, 2000. (InFocus Programme on Boosting Employment through Small Enterprise Development (IFP/SED).

Redfern, Andy; Snedker, Paul  Creating market opportunities for small enterprises: experiences of the Fair Trade Movement. Geneva: ILO, 2002. (Working Paper, 30).
The Working Paper gives an objective and informed perspective on the successes and lessons learned in Fair Trade to date; it lso indicates some of the current trends, and links the Movement as a whole to other, related topics, including for example social development, corporate social responsibility and business development services.

Reinecke, Gerhard   Small enterprises, big challenges. A literature review on the impact of the policy environment on the creation and improvement of jobs within small enterprises.  Geneva: ILO, 2002  (Working Paper, 23).
This Working Paper is the first in the series on “Conducive policy environment for small enterprise employment” by the ILO’s InFocus Programme on Boosting Employment through Small Enterprise Development (IFP/SEED).
The review summarizes current research on the impact of the policy and regulatory environment on employment in small enterprises. Schematic tables provide a quick overview on existing studies.

Tolentino, Arturo  Guidelines for the analysis of policies and programmes for small and medium enterprise development.  Geneva: ILO, 1995.
The ILO has been playing an active role in entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprise (SME) promotion for several decades. Its unique tripartite structure and specific mandate within the United Nations system to cover the world of work, has provided it with special opportunities for spearheading international efforts in that area. Numerous resolutions have been adopted over the years by the International Labour Conference concerning the contribution of small and medium undertakings to economic and social progress and to the creation of employment, particularly in developing countries. Over the last 45 years or so of SME promotion, one of the major lessons learned by both the ILO and other international and development agencies, is the importance of the policy and regulatory environment for SME development. Not only does the economic and business environment encourage or discourage new enterprise creation, but it also has a crucial effect on the viability and sustainability of existing SMEs. The effectiveness and sustainability of SME development programmes depend entirely on the environment within which they are operating.

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OTHERS

Beck, Thorsten; Demirgüç- Kunt, Asli; Levin, Ross   Small and medium enterprises, growth, and poverty: Cross-Country evidence.  Washington : Banco Mundial, 2003. (Working Paper).
The authors explore the relationship between the relative size of the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, economic growth, and poverty using a new database on the share of SME labor in the total manufacturing labor force. Using a sample of 76 countries, they find a strong association between the importance of SMEs and GDP per capita growth. This relationship, however, is not robust to controlling for simultaneity bias. So, while a large SME sector is characteristic of successful economies, the data fail to support the hypothesis that SMEs exert a causal impact on growth. Furthermore, the authors find no evidence that SMEs reduce poverty. Finally, they find qualified evidence that the overall business environment facing both large and small firms-as measured by the ease of firm entry and exit, sound property rights, and contract enforcement-influences economic growth.

 IADB.  Enterprise development strategy. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. 1995.
Most countries in the region are undergoing reforms that are opening their economies to greater international competition. However, domestic factor markets are not adequately developed to ensure the successful adaptation of SMEs to this new competitive environment. Unlike larger firms, which can more easily absorb the transaction costs, SMEs are at a disadvantage and require specific compensatory assistance. This report presents the Bank's strategy for supporting the development of small and medium enterprise in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Harris, Michael   The current situation of small and medium-sized industrial enterprises in Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and St. Lucia.  Santiago de Chile: CEPAL, 2000.
This study analyses the period 1990 to 1996 of the current situation of the small and medium-sized industrial enterprises (SMIs) in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St. Lucia. It describes the evolution of SMIs, the country experiences regarding linkages amongst firms and the policy instruments aimed at promoting SMIs and their impact.

Kantis, Hugo; Pablo Angelelli and Virginia Moori Koenig. Hugo Kantis, with Pablo Angelelli and Virginia Moori Koenig
Developing Entrepreneurship. Experience in Latin America and Worldwide. 284 p. 2004
Entrepreneurial development is an essential tool for the design of innovative programmes intended to foster dynamic and succesful undertakings in the region. The most important aspects of the field work carried out in Latin America, Eastern Asia and Europe are presented here; and succesful programmes oriented to the promotion of new undertakings are examined. The sound conclusions at the end of the paper will no doubt serve as a platform to develop effective policies for the creation of enterprises, employment sources, economic growth and competitiveness.

Yoguel, Gabriel; Boscherini, Fabio   The environment in the development of firm's. Innovative capacities:Argentine industrial SMEs from different local systems. Copenhague: Instituto DRUID, 2000.  (Working Paper n. 00-12)
The main objective of this paper is to present a proxy indicator of the agents' potentiality to learn, create "competencies", transform generic knowledge into specific knowledge and, therefore, innovate. It aims at analyzing the knowledge of firms, specially, the way they acquire, organize, memorize and transfer information (technical, organizational, etc.) thus contributing to increase the knowledge base itself. For that purpose, this paper analyze the application of such indicator to a sample of 245 firms in Argentina, most of them small and medium sized firms, located in different areas with heterogeneous incidence of externalities. In that sense, we will try to determine the importance of the agent's size and environment to understand the existing differences in innovative capacities. Finally, the paper will evaluate whether those firms with larger innovative capacity have had a more dynamic performance in the market as from the start of the trade openness and structural reforms processes.