Competitive Information In Small Businesses

This book is about using information in small businesses to compete; it is about strategy and information systems. It examines problems that these businesses face and suggests some solutions. It looks at how strategie planning takes place and how information systems should be designed and developed in line with strategy, from a business rather than a purely technical point ofview. The main contribution made is proposing an approach to crafting strategy, designing new business processes and information systems planning that could realistically be used by the average small business, that is one without great knowledge of strategy or information systems, and one that cannot afford to buy in this knowledge. The approach differs from others suggested in the literature in that it emphasises the important role of creativity in the process of creating strategy and in information system design and illustrates where this creativity may come from, it emphasises the importance of getting staff involved and it attempts to lessen the communication problems that exists between business people and information system developers, something that historically has caused problems.

A new analytical approach to small firms' cases, which * Uses rich primary source data on modern small businesses * Combines business strategy and industrial organization * Presents detailed Profiles on diverse small businesses * Shows how successful small businesses achieve competitive advantage * Considers both extended rivalry and financial structure * Shows how to `ground' small business theory in reality Profiles in Small Businesses has a companion volume Small Business Enterprise by Gavin Reid (also published by Routledge, Hb: 0-415-05681-0: £45.00) which contains a full analysis (ranging from econometrics to the ethics of competition) of the larger sample of small businesses from which the Profiles are drawn.

Fed-up with theory and theories about competitive intelligence? Looking for practical and clear strategies synthetically exposed, step by step? Lacking the necessary budget to set up a competitive intelligence unit but still feeling the need for your business? This book aims at delivering successful and clear steps to take your business ahead. It is compiling best practices about practical tools used by competitive intelligence professionals from top companies and adapting them to small business structures that have specific needs and very restricted budgets and HR. All compiled in brief points that are easily implemented in a small business.

Well structured and coherent, this book examines Information Technology as a strategic asset; covering first principles, reviewing existing theories and methods and testing selected theories using empirical data.

Now with SAGE Publishing, Timothy S. Hatten’s Seventh Edition of Small Business Management equips students with the tools they need to navigate the important financial, legal, marketing, managerial, and operational decisions to help them create and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in small business. Strong emphasis is placed on application with Experiential Learning Activities and application of technology and social media throughout. New cases, real-world examples, and illuminating features spotlight the diverse, innovative contributions of small business owners to the economy. Whether students dream of launching a new venture, purchasing a franchise, managing a lifestyle business, or joining the family company, they will learn important best practices for competing in the modern business world. This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package.

Companies operating in countries with volatile economies face an environment subject to turbulence. It is important to understand how these companies can overcome adversity, establish competitive advantage, and achieve superior performance. The selection of competitive drivers can help to improve the ability to capture, process, and manage information that can generate knowledge and innovation in products and processes, as well as increase strategic capacity and organizational performance. Strategy and Superior Performance of Micro and Small Businesses in Volatile Economies focuses on the ways that organizations capture information and disseminate it in their work teams, transforming this knowledge into innovative products and services that establish competitive advantage. It will improve the understanding of the role of strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the effort to reduce poverty levels in societies with volatile economies and which are subject to serious social disparities. Highlighting topics such as economic development, market performance, and network economy, this publication is designed for managers, entrepreneurs, business professionals, academicians, researchers, and students.