Following our previous reports on the total cost of administration to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and the impact of late payments, this study examines the issue of taxation on SMEs. For many new and small companies, profit margins can be very low, particularly when the cost of finance and building up stock is taken[…]
This report examines the issue of late payments, which can have significant impacts on smaller businesses. Based on a survey of around 3000 companies across 11 countries, our analysis indicates that 11.0% of all invoices issued by SMEs are paid late, equivalent to a total of USD 1.01 trillion per year. Worse, 7.5% of invoices[…]
Whilst discounted-cash-flow methods are prevalent for project appraisal within many firms, overall performance, influenced by market pressures and managements’ own self interests, is often focused on short-term measures such as quarterly earnings. In this Insight paper, we examine the efficacy of capital investment in the telco industry; by definition, ‘investment’ suggests a focus on the[…]
This report examines the impacts of administration – including that caused by regulation – on SMEs, particularly looking at how much effort and cost these companies have to spend to comply with requirements. Across the eleven countries studied, the the size of the administrative burden varies considerably, but, on average, requires around 120 man-days and[…]
Innovation is the lifeblood of companies, especially in the telecommunications and technology sectors, as a means to contribute directly to top line growth, healthy margins, and shareholder value, and will be crucial in bringing 5G to market. And yet in many cases, innovation is stifled or fails even to get off the ground. Why is[…]
Plum and Aegis advised the IDA on technical, pricing and other assignment approaches for addressing congestion issues in the 400 MHz and 800 MHz bands used to deploy trunked radio systems (TRS) and private mobile radio (PMR) networks in Singapore. The study examined the likely development of standards and availability of equipment for PMR and[…]
Over the past few years Plum has undertaken a series of projects for GO, Malta’s leading provider of communications services, to help it develop its investment strategy for the deployment of high-speed broadband infrastructure. The work was carried out in the following stages. Business case for fibre investment Plum carried out an assessment of[…]
Plum advised Batelco on the role it could play in building a nationwide fibre to the premises (FTTP) network in Bahrain. This study took place in the context of the Government of Bahrain’s forthcoming third national telecommunications plan, which was expected to include proposals for a nationwide FTTP network. Plum’s work comprised an assessment of[…]