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\"The book explores the socio-economic and cultural relationships that make life for small entrepreneurs in Makassar, on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi, so distinctive. The application of this new framework for research reveals the diversity of labour flexibility, networking and cluster styles among the enterprises studied, and the constraints they face for growth. Applied in the context of Makassar, it allows us to gain an in-depth understanding of what life is like for the small-scale entrepreneurs who operate in the city. The analysis begins with an examination of the internal dynamics of the enterprise studies, concentrating on their history, production processes and labour flexibility. It then moves to explore inter-firm dynamics, focusing upon the networks, trust and clusters that have evolved amongst the enterprises, and also with other local economic factors. These insights give us a clear understanding of the constraints that small-scale entrepreneurs face in trying to attain their own versions of 'success'.\"--BOOK JACKET.

The change from old to new technologies has fundamentally changed the relationship between the consumer and the firm. This book is at the frontier of behavioural research into how these new commercial realities are borne out in practice, examining the adoption of e-commerce by small firms and the transactional phenomenon that entails access to the Internet. In analyzing the process of e-commerce adoption and why e-commerce actors behave as they do, its coverage includes the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) by small firms; the use of ICT applications to support marketing and sales transactions; and the factors that influence consumers' online purchasing decisions.

Despite the seemingly relentless march of the multinationals, small businesses continue to thrive across the globe and form a vital part of all successful economies. The Economics and Management of Small Business provides an international perspective on this important topic, and includes many useful pedagogical features such as questions for discussion, international case-studies and empirical research. Graham Bannock's accessible writing style is key to the reader gaining a good understanding of this important area, and students of small business and entrepreneurship courses will find this book extremely useful. 1. Small Business: A profile 2. Why Small Firms Matter 3. Problems 4. Finance 5. The Cost of Government 6. Government Policy 7. Small Firms in Developing Countries 8. Conclusion

THIS BOOK tackles a largely neglected topic: small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their environmental impact. Over 90% of all firms are SMEs. Their importance to the health of national and international economies is recognised. But what of their environmental impact? Individually, this may be small but, collectively, they pose a huge and largely unregulated threat to national and indeed the global environment. There have been many failed attempts to engage SMEs in environmental stewardship. Why is this? And where are the success stories needed to set best-practice examples? Environmental protection is widely touted as being a win–win scenario for business with economic spin-offs in terms of energy and waste reduction quickly producing payback for capital expenditures. Why is the ‘good environmental management equals good business management’ message not getting through? In Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Environment Dr Ruth Hillary brings together an outstanding international collection of experts from government, international and national support agencies, academics and the business community to present arguments about the key environmental business imperatives facing the small-firm sector. The book is divided into four sections: Attitudes and Perceptions of Small Firms to the Environment and Sustainability Environmental Management in the Smaller Firm Practical Strategies for Reaching SMEs Case Studies from around the World In these sections, the book examines the threats—such as trade, supply chain issues and legislative compliance—but is also solution-oriented, with considerable discussion of the management tools smaller firms can use to improve their environmental performance. It aims to provide practical strategies for smaller firms and to that end includes a range of informative case studies from around the world Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and the Environment is the most comprehensive book on the subject available and will prove invaluable not only to SMEs themselves, seeking to understand a rapidly changing world, but to consultants and small-business advisors, local and central government and to all those in academia looking for ways to improve the environmental performance of small businesses. “In SMEs and the Environment, the complexities of how to engage small businesses in environmental stewardship are addressed by contributions from an international set of authors from academia, multilateral organisations and business. The book provides an excellent résumé of the issues and is peppered with practical ideas on how to achieve success.” Chris Fay, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment (ACBE), UK

This publication deals with the impact of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) on small businesses and consumers. Its coverage includes the adoption of ICT by small firms; the use of ICT applications to support marketing and sales transactions; and the factors that influence consumers' online purchasing decisions.

Microfinance is not simply banking; it is a development tool. It has been estimated that there are 500 million economically active poor people in the world operating microenterprises and small businesses. Most of them do not have access to adequate financial services. The purpose of this Handbook is to bring together in a single source guiding principles and tools that will promote sustainable microfinance and create viable institutions. The Handbook takes a global perspective, drawing on lessons learned from the experiences of microfinance practitioners, donors, and others throughout the world.This volume covers extensively matters pertaining to the regulatory and policy framework and the essential components of institutional capacity building, such as product design, performance measuring and monitoring, and management of microfinance institutions.The handbook has three parts. 'Issues in Microfinance Provision' - Part I, takes a macroeconomic perspective toward general microfinance issues and is primarily nontechnical. 'Designing and Monitoring Financial Products and Services' - Part II, narrows its focus to the provision of financial intermediation, taking a more technical approach and moving progressively toward more specific (or micro) issues. 'Measuring Performance and Managing Viability' - Part III, is the most technical part of the handbook, focusing primarily on assessing the viability of microfinance institutions.

In the context of Makassar, on the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the book explores the socioeconomic and cultural relationships that make life for small entrepreneurs in Makassar so distinctive. Using a new framework for the study of small enterprises - the 'small enterprise integrative framework' - this book gives us a greater understanding of the organization and operations of small enterprises in developing countries, at both the micro and macro levels. The application of this new framework for research reveals the diversity of labour flexibility, networking and cluster styles amon

Research material on quality definitions in the specific small business segment of culinary restaurants is scarce. Defining quality in culinary restaurant small businesses deserves increased attention in order to further develop professionalism within this segment. For this research nine Dutch senior key-stakeholders were interviewed. The stakeholders held different viewpoints about quality but shared certain elements. Most important determinants of quality were 'product quality' and 'service quality'. Offering information to potential customers about these two factors are very important in customer decision-making. This research will stimulate discourse on quality in the relatively underexplored sector of culinary restaurant small businesses.