Cover -- Strategies for growth in SMEs: The role of information and information systems -- Contents -- Dedication -- Foreword -- 1 Introduction -- Why research strategic information systems in SMEs -- Researching SMEs -- Background to the research -- Case studies: primary research approach -- Data collection -- Problems of case research -- Case background -- Structure of the book -- Chapters -- Part 1 Concept of the SME -- 2 Background to SMEs -- Introduction -- Defining SMEs -- Influences on SMEs -- Market -- Independence -- Personal -- Flexibility and innovation -- Birth, death and growth -- Entrepreneur -- Strategy -- Firm -- Growing the business -- Organizing and managing SMEs -- Systems implications in managing SMEs -- Conclusions -- 3 Information and IS in SMEs -- Introduction -- Nature, role and value of information -- Importance of management IS -- IS strategy and planning in SMEs -- Owner's role in introducing IS -- Sourcing IT -- IS adoption issues -- Introduction of management IS in SMEs -- Conclusions on IS investment in SMEs -- 4 Flexibility in IS -- Introduction -- Flexibility issues -- SMEs and flexibility -- Planning for flexibility through IS -- IS and IT -- Understanding flexibility in SMEs: the cases -- IS in the SMEs -- Organization of IS in the SMEs -- IS development in the SMEs -- Influence of customers on IS -- Flexibility: the SME response -- Discussion -- Implications for managers -- Implications for research -- Conclusions -- 5 Evaluating IS in SMEs -- Introduction -- Evaluation of IS and IT -- Approaches to evaluation -- Evaluation practice -- SMEs and evaluation: the issues -- Business and IS/IT strategy -- Limited access to capital -- Emphasis on efficiency -- Influence of major customers -- Limited IS skills -- Effects on evaluation practice: SMEs and large firms -- Discussion -- Capital resources.

Opportunities from an organizational approach to evaluation -- Investment issues in SMEs -- Conclusions -- Part 2 Issues of IS strategy planning -- 6 Understanding IS strategy in SMEs -- Introduction -- Nature of ISS -- Strategic IS frameworks -- Background to the cases -- Framework analysis -- Awareness frameworks -- Conclusions on use of awareness frameworks -- Opportunity frameworks -- Use of opportunity frameworks -- Positioning frameworks -- Towards a framework of frameworks for ISS in SMEs -- Conclusions -- 7 An organizational approach to IS strategy -- Introduction -- ISS in SMEs -- Approaches to ISS -- A multi-paradigm approach to ISS -- A multi-paradigm model for ISS in SMEs -- Business context -- Business processes -- Strategic content -- Background to the case SMEs -- Outcomes from the ISS -- Operational focus to IS -- Competitiveness -- Owners -- Organizational culture -- Resources -- Review of the ISS approach -- Conclusions -- 8 Case example of ISS: Heath Springs -- Introduction -- Case background -- Business context -- Market -- Customers -- Suppliers -- Substitutes and entry barriers -- Other competitive issues -- Cost leadership -- Differentiation -- Focus -- Achieving business strategy -- Business process -- Information needs of managers -- Existing IS and IT -- Attitudes and organization of IS -- Recommendations -- Discussion -- Conclusions -- Part 3 Strategic resource: attitudes to information -- 9 Strategic context of IS investment -- Introduction -- Developing the focus-dominance model -- Management IS in SMEs -- SMEs and competitiveness -- Focus-dominance model -- Efficiency quadrant -- Co-ordination quadrant -- Collaboration quadrant -- Repositioning quadrant -- Exploring the focus-dominance model -- Non-strategic IS -- Implications for research -- Implications for managers -- Conclusions -- 10 Strategic IS dynamics.

Introduction -- Stages of growth -- IS adoption and business growth -- Investigating IS adoption and growth -- Case analysis -- Strategic positions -- Current growth paths -- No change -- Efficiency to co-ordination -- Co-ordination to repositioning -- Efficiency to collaboration -- Collaboration to repositioning -- Efficiency to repositioning -- Long-term growth paths -- Structural differences on IS adoption -- Industry sector influences -- Industry clusters -- Strategic intent -- Informal network relations, sub-contracting and IS/IT suppliers -- Discussion -- Implications for research -- Implications for managers -- Conclusions -- 11 Exploring business transformation through IS -- Introduction -- Business transformation through IS -- Analysing business transformation -- Localized exploitation -- Moving to internal integration -- Moving to business process redesign -- Moving to business network redesign -- Moving to business scope redefinition -- Discussion -- Implications for research -- Implications for managers -- Conclusions -- 12 Strategic alignment -- Introduction -- Alignment issues -- Opportunities for strategic alignment -- Alignment paths in SMEs -- Alignment issues in cost-focused SMEs -- Efficiency alignment path -- Co-ordination alignment path -- Alignment issues in strategic focus SMEs -- Collaboration alignment path -- Repositioning alignment path -- Differences in alignment -- Implications for research -- Implications for management -- Conclusions -- Part 4 Knowledge and development of IS -- 13 IS role in co-opetition and knowledge sharing -- Introduction -- Defining knowledge -- Knowledge management in SMEs -- Towards a theory of knowledge exchange -- Managing knowledge in SMEs: role of IS -- Cost-focus on managing knowledge -- Value-added focus on managing knowledge -- Managing knowledge transfer -- Exploring knowledge transfers.

Analysis -- Knowledge sharing in efficiency-focused SMEs -- Knowledge sharing in co-ordination-focused SMEs -- Knowledge sharing in collaboration-focused SMEs -- Knowledge sharing in repositioning-focused SMEs -- Implications for research -- Implications for management -- Discussion and conclusions -- 14 Role of core competencies in developing ISS in knowledge-based SMEs -- Introduction -- SMEs, ISS -- Limitations of structural analysis -- IS and knowledge-based SMEs -- Tools for competence-based analysis for ISS -- Existing tools -- New tools -- Using IS/IT to support learning processes -- SISP process in Housing Consultancy -- Data gathering -- Core competence analysis -- SSM analysis in Housing Consultancy -- Relating core competences to business themes -- Matching information needs to business themes -- SISP recommendations -- Recommendations for IS/IT developments in Housing Consultancy -- Communications -- Control and planning -- Operations Management -- Marketing Support -- Knowledge Base -- Summary -- ISS implementation -- Operations Management -- Knowledge Base -- Marketing Support -- The Internet -- Discussion -- Limitations of value chain analysis -- Competence-based view of strategy -- Tools for competence-based SISP -- Role of SSM -- Business themes as competence leveraging/building -- Conclusions -- 15 Exploring business process re-engineering in SMEs -- Introduction -- Nature of BPR -- BPR framework for SMEs -- Culture -- Structure -- Resources -- IS and IT -- Research background -- Case analysis -- Culture -- Innovation -- Empowering employees -- Top management commitment -- Strategic perspective -- Structure -- Process -- Teams -- External relationships -- Resources -- Financial resources -- People skills -- Quality management -- Technology -- IS/IT infrastructure -- IS expertise -- IS investment.

Success and failure factors for case firms -- BPR as an ongoing effort towards a learning organization -- Implications for management -- Implications for research -- Conclusions -- Part 5 Future: Internet adoption and strategy -- 16 Exploring e-business in SMEs -- Introduction -- Defining e-business -- E-business and SMEs -- Influencing factors -- Research approach -- Growth, competitiveness and the Internet -- Business growth and the Internet -- Brochureware -- Business opportunity -- Business support -- Business network -- Discussion -- 17 Strategic intent and e-business -- Introduction -- SMEs and strategic intent -- Drivers and inhibitors of e-business in SMEs -- Research approach -- Data collection and analysis -- Dimensions of analysis -- Strategic intent patterns -- Current use of the Internet -- Importance of the Internet in achieving business growth -- Importance of e-business -- Drivers for e-business -- Inhibitors of e-business adoption -- Discussion and conclusions -- 18 E-business influencers -- Introduction -- Potential influences on Internet adoption -- Competitive environment -- Influence of government policies on SME Internet adoption -- Research approach -- Data collection -- Case analysis -- Expert network -- Industry support network -- Customer-led network -- ICT support network -- Novice network -- Discussion -- Conclusions -- 19 Managing IS: the future -- Introduction -- SMEs - a vibrant community -- IS and SMEs -- IS strategy - the way forward? -- Strategic perspective on IS in growing firms -- Business transformation -- Managing knowledge -- Are SMEs excited by the Internet? -- Lessons for SMEs and researchers -- References -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- V -- W.