To stay at the forefront of new technology, small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) can be assisted through Internet and Web sites providing innovation and technology support services. The cost of the latest technology, including hardware, training and personnel, however, can be...

Purpose – This paper proposes that owner‐managers of growth firms are more likely to have developed or acquired managerial practices that facilitate such expansion. The paper, therefore, examines how growth oriented firms in Wales have adopted management practices to build the necessary...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the entrepreneurial activity, attitudes and social connections of four groups of ethnic minority females in the UK, with the aim of examining the extent of gender and ethnic background effects on nascent start‐up activities and the attitudes...

The recent rejection of British Aerospace's (BAe) application for 25m in Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) for its Broughton facility in North Wales, and subsequent granting of 19·5m in other aid packages, has highlighted an important policy issue now facing development areas across the UK....

During the last 25 years there have been some fundamental changes to the international political economy. The decline of Fordism, globalization and technical innovations have altered the ways in which firms operate and interact with each other and other economic agents. Corporate strategy and...

Drawing on extensive academic research concerning clusters and networks, this paper seeks to create a framework capable of reviewing and monitoring different aspects of clusters and networks on an ongoing basis. The nine-element framework allows evaluation of the structures and processes for the...

This article examines competitive bidding among development agencies. Some commentators argue that English regions are at a disadvantage compared with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The authors look at the evidence on the attraction of FDI to...

This book focuses on the adoption of e-commerce applications that optimize potential opportunities presented to organizations. With expert international contributions, this advanced publication provides a comprehensive account of developments in the new and exciting area of research and...