Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development: Volume 5 Issue 2

Small firm success and the art of orienteering: the value of plans, planning, and strategic awareness in the competitive small firm

Paul D. Hannon, Andrew Atherton

There is an ongoing debate within the academic literature about the value of the business plan in the development of the small firm. On closer inspection of the research, there…

Are support providers meeting the export information requirements of ethnic minority‐owned SMEs?

Dave Crick, Shiv Chaudhry

Although the need for many ethnic minority‐owned firms to obtain information to enable them to “break‐out” of their cultural niches and enter mainstream markets has been proposed…

Owner‐manager relationships preceding and during start‐up: issues of help, harm, trust and morality

Lew Perren

This paper explores the relationship between 16 owner‐managers and other individuals preceding and during the start‐up of their businesses. Multiple sources of evidence are used…

Entrepreneurship and the changing structure of estate agency in the UK

Emily Boyle

In the 1970s estate agency in the UK was a highly fragmented industry. Small, locally based, independent businesses dominated the industry. This industry structure meant that…

New venture support: an analysis of mentoring support for new and early stage entrepreneurs

David Deakins, Linda Graham, Robert Sullivan, Geoff Whittam

There has been little research on the processes of providing support to new firm entrepreneurs, and little evaluation of the provision of support to existing small firm…

NFC: no longer functioning correctly?

Peter Curwen

NFC plc, as it is currently known, provides a unique case study because it embraces privatisation via a management and employee buy‐out (MEBO) as well as, until recently, majority…

Management development in SMEs: what needs to be done?

Alison Smith, John Whittaker

This paper examines the state of play regarding management development in SMEs. Additionally, it discusses government initiatives which seek to develop SME competitiveness through…