[...]... competitive advantage, while the last two are essential for survival The chapter discusses flexibility issues and their relationship with IS investment in general and for SMEs in Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-02.qxd 18 9/15/04 09:18AM Page 18 Strategies for growth in SMEs particular Information systems flexibility in SMEs is largely unexplored The chapter presents... bargains when it comes to IT The danger for many SMEs is that they defer investment in IS until their businesses have outgrown existing systems These crises of growth Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-01.qxd 9/15/04 09:17AM Page 3 Introduction 3 require urgent action by the smaller business if it is to develop This book examines the reasons for the limited investment... “trundlers” (p 117) Trundlers may be in business for lifestyle advantages or they may have owners who want to control every aspect of the business In many cases these lifestyle firms are in business to Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-02.qxd 9/15/04 09:18AM 24 Page 24 Strategies for growth in SMEs provide owners with an adequate income from an activity that they... wholesaler Heating Maintenance Co Heating systems maintenance Bird Designs Design and manufacture of paper and wood goods Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-01.qxd 9/15/04 09:17AM Page 11 11 Introduction Table 1.2: Industry groups of case firms Industry groups Number of firms Business Services Information Technology Manufacturing Social Services and Public Administration... Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-01.qxd 9/15/04 09:17AM 12 Page 12 Strategies for growth in SMEs s Part 4 considers managing knowledge and the development of information strategies to achieve this The relevance of core competence theory to the development of IS strategies for SMEs is discussed The issue of managing knowledge in SMEs in general, and the need for business process change to do this,... support Internet adoption by SMEs in a number of countries including the UK, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore It considers, in detail, the drivers for adoption amongst UK SMEs and the in uence of the role of government Chapter 18 also reviews the current attitudes to investment in information and communication technologies, particularly the Internet, by SME It reflects on the need for change in today’s information... Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-01.qxd 9/15/04 09:17AM Page 16 Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-02.qxd 9/15/04 09:18AM Part 1 s Page 17 Concept of the SME The first part sets the scene for the research on information systems and small- and medium-sized enterprises that is presented in this book The text is designed for a... Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-01.qxd 9/15/04 09:17AM Page 5 Introduction 5 the importance of the SME owner in understanding the firm and, in particular, the reasons that they were in business Since 1995 we have developed a detailed set of 68 different cases in different industries and with different strategic objectives As we are investigating the strategic role of information... chapter reviews paths for growth and identifies some of the problems for SMEs in managing that growth This organizational issues that impact on management of small business are introduced By understanding these issues it is possible to consider the different ways that SMEs work and, thus, appreciate the background for the discussion in Chapter 3 on the role of IS in SMEs s Defining SMEs The SMEs, tend to be... need to investigate the issue within a real life context, drawing on the views of a number of sources (Yin, 1994) Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Chap-01.qxd 9/15/04 09:17AM Page 6 6 Strategies for growth in SMEs The focus of the research developed to consider the role of IS strategy and, as discussed in Chapter 6, the focus is on the strategic role of information . alt="" Strategies for growth in SMEs The role of information and information systems Prelims.qxd 9/14/04 16:14PM Page i Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG ELSEVIER. 9/14/04 16:14PM Page ii Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG Strategies for growth in SMEs The role of information and information systems Margi Levy and Philip. viii Butterworth.Heinemann .Strategies. for. Growth. in. SMEs. Nov.2004.eBook-LinG 1 Introduction ■ Why research strategic information systems in SMEs Information is transnational: like money, information has