This paper provides a large scale analysis of the influence of location on the extent of use and impact of external advice and collaboration on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Britain. The analysis indicates that for private sector advisors (accountants, consultants etc) and...

This paper uses cross-sectional surveys of 1991 and 1997, and a panel survey of firms surviving between 1991 and 1997, to compare the levels of use by SMEs of external business advice. The analysis demonstrates only modest changes over time in aggregate use, and these are not statistically...

This paper seeks to assess advice and information support for firms provided by the Small Business Service (SBS) Business Link. It uses a new survey of client use, satisfaction and experience of service fees. The general level of satisfaction with, and use of, the service is high: 28% of all...

BENNETT R. J. and ROBSON P. J. A. (2003) Changing use of external business advice and government supports by SMEs in the 1990s, Reg. Studies 37 , 795-811. This paper uses cross-sectional surveys of 1991 and 1997, a panel survey of firms surviving between 1991 and 1997 and comparison with a...

This paper investigates the relationship between the type of business advisors used by SMEs and the level of impact and satisfaction a SME receives. The role of other influences, such as the intensity and cost of the service, and the level of commitment to an advisor by the client are also...

As Africa’s major oil exporter and factor driven stage country, Nigeria has made some progress in socioeconomic terms in recent years. However, large pockets of Nigeria’s population still live in poverty without adequate access to basic services. Currently, Nigeria is capturing just as small...

We discuss and evaluate the incentives for vertical expansion and vertical mergers in the payments systems industry paying particular attention to the implications of the existence of network effects in this industry. We assess the incentives of large merchants to extend vertically into payments...

In this paper, we study the effects of a self-regulatory effort, orchestrated by the European Commission, that aims to reduce advertising revenues for publishers of copyright infringing content. Historical data lets us follow how the third-party advertising and tracking services associated with...

Industrial policy has been largely overlooked in the Western Balkans for the past three decades. However, the region's economic struggles and the adoption of smart specialisation strategies have led to renewed interest in the topic. Promising industrial sectors in the Western Balkans include...