Assessment of SME?s and recruitment processes of SME?s in the 21st century

The most important fact of the current world is globalization. Globalization in the economic sense causes the commercial borders between countries to be removed and the world to turn into a unique market at a fast pace. Due to the Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008 prepared by World Economic Forum United States is the most competitive country of the world, followed by Switzerland and North European countries. Japan and Singapore are also ranking among the top ten. Turkey is ranked as the 53rd most competitive country of the world I this report, where the World Economic Forum assesses the performances of the countries from the point of view of efficiency and competitiveness. By reviewing the details of the report some reasons emerge underlying the success of those countries ranking at the top. These countries prominent regarding competitiveness possess well functioning fundamental organizations and they regard innovation and technical development of utmost importance. However another common distinctive feature of these countries being leaders in competitiveness attracts attention. This common distinctive feature emerges when we review their labor market, namely the high qualification of their manpower. Nowadays it can be clearly seen, that the countries prominent in the competitiveness consider qualified manpower as an important phenomenon and utilize it as an advantage to step forward in the global competition.Currently the factors providing a competitive edge to an enterprise has already changed. The key factors which have provided a competitive advantage in the past like machinery, plants and technology are evolved to be easily accessible and affordable. Nowadays the most important component which generates superiority in competition is the qualified manpower. It is the manpower of the enterprise which are going to develop the strategies and projects leading it to success and to implement them.In line with these developments occurring in business world the importance paid to qualified human resources is increasing, and hence the qualities of the human resources needed become an important topic, as well as the methods and techniques to measure them.Another significant subject is the SME?s of the 21st century. SME?s are one of the leading and dynamic components of Turkish economy as well as of world economy and have the utmost significance with respect to socio-economic development of the country. SME?s regarded as the driving force of the economic development provide 76,7 % of the total employment in Turkey, and are strongly affected by the stiffening competition environment due to globalization in the last ten years. Therefore the efficiency and competitiveness of SME?s are very significant with respect to current and future conditions of Turkish economy. In order to turn into efficient and competitive enterprises in a world of globalization SME?s have to restructure themselves according to the current circumstances. At the very beginning of this restructuring process they should start to generate the manpower suitable to the conditions imposed by the global competition. SME?s should work with those people who are going to provide them a competitive advantage in the international market by creating a difference in competition. As a consequence of all these points mentioned, it is a prominent topic how the human resource profile should look like possessing the qualifications which a SME will need in the 21st century SME?s in order to be successful in the international arena and how the recruitment processes are managed at these SME?s to reach those qualified people.These two points mentioned, namely SME?s in the 21st century and the qualifications required in current procurement processes of SME?s as well as the review of those processes will constitute the main scope of this study.