The size, characteristics and structure of boards of directors have been claimed to be an important influence on the performance of large firms, but have been less examined in small firms. For larger firms the role of boards acts more as a substitute for the development of internal staff and...

Purpose – Aims to provide an assessment of the role of external business advice for small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), comparing “soft” outcomes (improved ability to manage, ability to cope), “hard” outcomes (profitability, turnover, reduced costs), and overall satisfaction...

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to assess an expectations‐based approach to service evaluation by small and medium sized companies (SMEs) of government advice services. These are often criticised for providing what politicians think SMEs need rather than what SMEs want. Little...

Focuses on Dancall A/S, a Danish telecommunications equipment manufacturer, which was acquired by Amstrad UK in September 1993 for £6.4 million. As an independent subsidiary of Amstrad UK, Dancall is in a position to develop its marketing strategy to a mass UK market. Suggests that heuristic...

This paper uses a large‐scale survey of SMEs (1,531 respondents) in the UK to assess the factors associated with their competitive conditions and their competitive advantage. Results appear to confirm that, as SME businesses grow, they develop their strategy to seek specialisation and...

This paper is aimed at association managers and market advisors. It explores how associations balance their provision of different services, the potential for associations to provide new services, and the relevance of service “bundling”. A new survey of small firm use of associations in...

Uses a large sample survey of businesses to demonstrate that a critical mass threshold exists for their use of business support organization services. This critical mass threshold is very marked for the two organizations examined: British case studies of chambers of commerce and...

Examines the impact of the 1989 Finance Act, imposing VAT on the construction sector. Concludes that there will be major discouragement to many development projects. Concludes that the worst‐hit elements are: financial sector tenants, weaker local property markets, large complex projects and...

Addresses the question of how TECs′ outputs can be accurately estimated and analysed so that a balanced evaluation of the effectiveness and cost‐efficiency of their programmes can be made. Proposes an approach involving comparisons between “model TECs”, “unreformed TECs” and...