WHAT DID WE FIND
WHEN ENGAGING SMALL
AND MEDIUM SIZED
ENTERPRISES?
Insights on SMEs and intermediaries’
communication and their stakeholder
relations
Presentation
• Gertrud Latif Knudsen, PhD
• Research associate at the Centre for Corporate
Communication at Aarhus University
• Part of the Danish SME-DE research team
Insights from the SME-DE case studies:
The SMEs want to be engaged!
• ”I really respect the municipality for being part of this,
and when they reach out, we are more than willing to
participate” (DK)
• ”For the first time I realised that public and private
stakeholders can work together without being
completely detached: during normal conferences there
is such a distance that few results are achieved” (IT)
Insights from the SME-DE case studies:
The SMEs’ motivation to participate
•
•
•
•
•
The event deals with a problem faced by SMEs
Intermediary’s reputation
Possibility of learning something new
Networking
Personal knowledge of the organizers
Results from the SME-DE case studies:
The intermediaries working with SMEs
might have other plans
• Having locally central bodies for engagement of SMEs
are key players
• Intermediaries and their focus on climate issues?
• National professional trade organisations generally
cater to SMEs interests
• The problem of the word “Deliberative Engagement”
Results from the SME-DE case studies:
Experts’ advise on SME-engagement
1. Focus on direct and tangible business opportunities
for the SMEs
2. Address something that has a real, everyday
relevance to the SMEs
3. Draw on previous outputs for other SMEs
4. Use plain language
5. Involve independent (non-profit) organisations and
respected organisations
A best case scenario
• How to use your energy savings as a driver for growth?
• A ’catylist” organisation motivating an intermediary with
a need to engage SMEs
• Involve other respected (intermediary) organisations
with a stake in the objectives of the event
• Access to SMEs interested in participating
• Clear communication to SMEs focusing on what they
gain from participating
“The ripple effect”
Intermediary
Other wellrespected
organisations
SMEs
New network of SMEs?
“The ripple effect”
Catalyst
Intermediary
Other wellrespected
organisations
SMEs
intermediarry
Other wellrespected
organisations
SMEs
“The ripple effect”
Catalyst
Intermediary
Other wellrespected
organisations
SMEs
intermediarry
Other wellrespected
organisations
SMEs
Contact
Finn Frandsen
Professor, Director
Centre for Corporate Communication, AU
Tel: +45 8716 4848
e-maill: [email protected]
www: au.dk/[email protected]
Winni Johansen
Professor
Centre for Corporate Communication, AU
Tel.:+45 8716 5402
e-mail: [email protected]
www: au.dk/[email protected]
Gertrud Latif Knudsen
Research associate
Centre for Corporate Communication, AU
Tel.: +45 2670 1270
e-mail: [email protected]
www: au.dk/[email protected]
Thank you for your attention!
CENTRE FOR CORPORATE COMMUNICATION
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
AARHUS BSS
AARHUS UNIVERSITY
DENMARK
HTTP://BCOM.AU.DK
WWW. SME-ENGAGEMENT.EU
FACEBOOK.COM/ SMENGAGE
TWITTER.COM/ SMENGAGE
The SME-DE project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This presentation reflects the views only of the authors, and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information contained therein.