The development of the new economy through the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web has created many threats and opportunities for firms in general and small businesses in particular. There appears to be an inextricable linkage among the new economy, new enterprise, and the new...

This article sets out to critically evaluate the impact that higher education institution (HEI)‐based consultancy can have upon the adoption and use of e‐commerce by businesses units operating in the small business sector of the British economy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that “new”...

Drawing on existing research on e‐business and the smaller firm, this paper presents a review of the literature and the formulation of a conceptual framework of adopting an e‐business approach. Macro‐factors, industry sector, firm and managerial motivations and attitudes are examined, and...

This article starts with definitions of e‐business and a summary of what it means for businesses. This is followed by a quick description of a model of e‐business adoption. It then argues that modelling has reached a secure enough state for us to be able to predict benefits of adoption with...

This paper first considers the role and characteristics of the small firm and its collective, the small business sector. A brief examination of the small firm discourse and research agenda is provided. The following section undertakes a critical examination of the small firm management context....

The past two decades have witnessed little, if any, growth in the numbers of small firms with employees in the UK. At the same time, a substantial growth in the numbers of self‐employed without employees as a component of the UK national labour force has been witnessed. The current article...

A number of recent studies have suggested that, for small businesses to compete with their larger counterparts in the electronic commerce environment, many are collaborating in a network arrangement. This study examines whether factors such as business size, business age, business sector or...

In the two decades prior to 2000, the UK franchise industry showed substantial growth. Subsequently, however, this growth appears to have reached a plateau, with growth of less than 1 per cent. Franchisors suggest that the biggest barrier to growth is a lack of suitable franchisees. One possible...

Looks at the relationship between small business and entrepreneurship and also the differences between the two. Stresses that both are important separately and, in addition, notes where they overlap. Posits that in the early part of the last century small businesses were both vehicles for...

Discussion and analysis of small businesses tends to work on generalised, popularised understanding and knowledge of what their motivations are and how they behave in a business environment. The need to explore below these generalisations into the submerged variables and relationships is argued...