?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Virtual+R%26D+teams+in+small+and+medium+enterprises%3A+a+literature+review&rft.creator=Ale+Ebrahim%2C+Nader&rft.creator=Ahmed%2C+S.&rft.creator=Taha%2C+Zahari&rft.subject=JOURNALS&rft.subject=Human+Computer+Interaction&rft.subject=Peer+Review&rft.description=Small+and+medium+enterprises+(SMEs)+are+the+driving+engine+behind+economic+growth.+While+SMEs+play+a+critical+role+in+generating+employment+and+supporting+trade%2C+they+face+numerous+challenges%2C+the+prominent+among+them+are+the+need+to+respond+to+fasting+time-to-market%2C+low-cost+and+rapid+solutions+to+complex+organizational+problems.+Towards+that+end%2C+research+and+development+(R+%26+D)+aspect+deserves+particular+attention+to+promote+and+facilitate+the+operations+of+SMEs.+Virtual+R+%26+D+team+could+be+a+viable+option.+However%2C+literature+shows+that+virtual+R+%26+D+teaming+in+SMEs+is+still+at+its+infancy.+This+article+provides+a+comprehensive+literature+review+on+different+aspects+of+virtual+R+%26+D+teams+collected+from+the+reputed+publications.+The+purpose+of+the+state-of-the-art+literature+review+is+to+provide+an+overview+on+the+structure+and+dynamics+of+R+%26+D+collaboration+in+SMEs.+Specifying+the+foundation+and+importance+of+virtual+teams%2C+the+relationship+between+virtual+R+%26+D+team+and+SMEs+has+been+examined.+It+concludes+with+the+identification+of+the+gaps+in+the+existing+literature's+and+calls+for+future+research.+It+is+argued+that+setting-up+an+infrastructure+for+virtual+R+%26+D+team+in+SMEs+still+requires+a+large+amount+of+engineering+efforts+and+deserves+consideration+at+top+level+management.&rft.publisher=Academic+Journals&rft.date=2009-12&rft.type=Journal+(Paginated)&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F7804%2F1%2FMPRA_paper_26989.pdf&rft.identifier=++Ale+Ebrahim%2C+Nader+and+Ahmed%2C+S.+and+Taha%2C+Zahari++(2009)+Virtual+R%26D+teams+in+small+and+medium+enterprises%3A+a+literature+review.++%5BJournal+(Paginated)%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F7804%2F