Purpose – The purpose of this research is to outline the preliminary results of an empirical investigation into access to finance and related issues, as experienced by SME owner/managers in the UK and in China. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed a telephone survey involving a...

This article draws on a three‐year comparative study of employee relations in small, medium‐sized and large organisations in Britain. It sets out to identify, record and analyse the nature and extent of employee relations in micro‐businesses. The preliminary results that emerged from the...

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the influence of primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholders on developing enterprising graduates in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach – Longitudinal telephone surveys were conducted annually over a ten‐year period...

Despite the growing significance afforded to small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in contemporary Britain, much of the industrial relations (IR) literature in this country is based on research undertaken in large organisations. The minority of IR studies that are focused on smaller firms...

This article sets out to critically evaluate the impact that higher education institution (HEI)‐based consultancy can have upon the adoption and use of e‐commerce by businesses units operating in the small business sector of the British economy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that “new”...

This article focuses upon six recent training initiatives in Britain, all of which included a small business training remit. It evaluates the training impact of these initiatives on a sample of 6,000 small businesses and measures their effectiveness in terms of awareness, understanding, interest...

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...