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UNE student wins award at international conference

July 12, 2006

BerniceJane.thumb.JPGNaruanard Sarapaivanich, a postgraduate student from The University of New England, has won the prize for “best Australasian paper” at an international conference of more than 400 delegates in Melbourne.

Ms Sarapaivanich (“Jane” to her friends and teachers), comes from Thailand, and is in the final year of her PhD research in UNE's Faculty of Economics, Business and Law. She presented the prize-winning paper at the 51st International Council of Small Business World Conference last month. She and her UNE supervisor, Dr Bernice Kotey, are joint authors of the paper, titled “The effect of demand-side issues in accessing external funds on performance of small and medium enterprises in Thailand”. (Dr Kotey, a Senior Lecturer in UNE's New England Business School, is pictured here, at left, with Jane Sarapaivanich.)

The paper is based on the results of Jane’s research. Her work demonstrates that, in government policies on the external funding of small and medium enterprises, a greater emphasis on the preparedness of a business to receive funding would lead to a more competitive and efficient small business sector. “At the moment, such policies are focused more on issues of supply than of demand,” she said.

She has already sent a revised version of the paper to the international Journal of Enterprising Culture, and hopes that her findings will influence government policy in Thailand and other countries. “In fact, my research results apply to funding policies in developed as well as developing countries,” she said.

Dr Kotey added that a focus on supply issues had led to the protection of inefficient businesses. “This interferes with competitiveness,” she explained. “And the whole external funding process is more efficient if the recipients of funding are better prepared to receive and use it. Such preparedness, backed by high-quality information, enhances a company’s confidence in applying for funding.”

Jane pointed out that greater emphasis on the “demand side” would boost national economies by encouraging the survival of the most efficient companies. “Those will be the companies that want to get information to help them perform better,” she said. “Healthy small businesses contribute to economic growth.”

Posted by Jim Scanlan at July 12, 2006 11:51 AM