Title: Public-private partnerships from a business management perspective - risks and opportunities for SMEs in Europe

Authors: Giuseppe Festa; Maria Teresa Cuomo; Debora Tortora; Gerardino Metallo

Addresses: Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II - 132, 84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy ' Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II - 132, 84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy ' Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II - 132, 84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy ' Department of Business Studies and Researches - Management & Information Technology, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II - 132, 84084 Fisciano, Salerno, Italy

Abstract: This paper concerns project financing initiatives from a general perspective with a particular focus on small and medium enterprises, emphasising the importance of operational management for special purpose vehicles. In fact, this study, mainly from a theoretical point of view, focuses on business management as a strategic and operative flywheel for the successful functioning of project financing initiatives. In this way, small and medium enterprises can play an important role, even in public-private partnerships; although small and medium enterprises are usually not involved in public-private partnerships, they can be competitive in a different sense with respect to large enterprises simply by having more intense involvement in the management of special purpose vehicles. A focus on the role of small and medium enterprises in public-private partnerships in Europe, which are analysed through content analysis, shows evidence of significant opportunities, not only as subcontractors but also as attractors of innovative financing solutions.

Keywords: business management; entrepreneurship; equity; project financing; public-private partnerships; PPPs; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; risks; opportunities; Europe; financing initiatives; operational management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGSB.2016.080377

International Journal of Globalisation and Small Business, 2016 Vol.8 No.3, pp.239 - 250

Received: 08 Dec 2015
Accepted: 25 Jul 2016
Published online: 18 Nov 2016 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article