Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate whether technological developments can be used in call centre environments to build trust and hence lasting customer relationships beyond the usual focus on efficiency gains through automation. Design/methodology/approach – Draws upon depth...

In spite of its infinite expectation value, the St. Petersburg game is not only a gamble without supply in the real world, but also one without demand at apparently very reasonable asking prices. We offer a rationalizing explanation of why the St. Petersburg bargain is unattractive on both sides...

Many thousands of business related pages have been established on the World Wide Web (The Web) in the last five years. Some of the organisations that have published such pages have seen the Web as a medium of massive potential in the future. Despite this, actual direct sales from the web are...

The vineyards of the United Kingdom are small, few in number and struggling against a mass of foreign imports. In order to survive, the owners need a market that does not put them in direct competition with these imports. The thousands of tourists that visit rural areas of the UK could...

While much attention has recently been focused on the problems facing Internet start‐ups, the challenge of e‐business affects a much broader constituency of organisations. For established companies, the key challenge is one of change. Such companies must rethink fundamental aspects of...

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the characteristics and impact of “gifted amateurs” who are maximising the potential of Web 2.0 technologies to grow their businesses creatively and in a cost‐effective manner. They are “punching above their weight” in their...

Purpose – This paper aims to draw upon the findings of a research project which investigated networking styles by owner/managers of small businesses. The authors' specific objective was to analyse the impact of such networking activities on business growth to develop a taxonomy of networking...

Purpose – The paper aims to report on an exploratory study into how small businesses use Web 2.0 information and communication technologies (ICT) to work collaboratively with other small businesses. The study had two aims: to investigate the benefits available from the use of Web 2.0 in small...

Examines whether business really is undergoing a revolution or just the latest in a series of incremental changes with the universal and seemingly exponential spread of Internet technology. While it is tempting to regard the Internet as a unique challenge through its dual role as a driver of...