The South African economy desperately requires an injection from small manufacturing enterprises that are productive and highly organized - hence the need to identify suitable productivity measurement approaches for use in these enterprises. The following research question was formulated: Which productivity approach( es) is (are) generally most suitable for small manufacturing enterprises in the steel and engineering industry of South Africa? The following directions of research were identified: (1) A literature search revealed 12 productivity measurement approaches. The theory of each is discussed in detail. (2) An empirical search was performed to establish the requirements of industry. This process is fully discussed. The results of both the literature and empirical searches were used to develop a list of criteria. These criteria were compared with each of the approaches, and only three were found to conform to these requirements. The results of this comparison provided the answer to the research question. / Department of Business Management / M.Com (Business Management)

The primary objective of this study was to examine how and to what extent entrepreneurial orientation, firm internal resources and capital structure decisions affect growth of small enterprises, following the resource- based view on determinants of growth and static trade-off theory of capital structure as theoretical frameworks. Regardless of the number of earlier study, there is no consensus among scholars on determinants of growth due to the existence of different theories and metrics of growth. Moreover, as the earlier studies were undertaken in developed countries, their research findings could not permit generalization on the effect of the explanatory variables on growth in less developed countries like Ethiopia. Therefore, this research tried to fill the gap in the existing body of knowledge on determinants of growth by contextualizing the association of growth with firm specific factors and EO from the Ethiopian context, more specifically from the context of Tigray Regional State. Besides, extra variables that were either not considered or might have been tested separately in earlier studies in Ethiopia were integrated into the regression model. In this mixed explanatory cross-sectional research, systematic random sampling techniques and structure questionnaire were applied to collect primary data from 333 small enterprises operating in five urban towns of Tigray region. Dependent variable of the study was growth of small enterprises, defined as logarithm of change in number of employees at the time of establishment and time of survey. The explanatory variables comprise of entrepreneurial orientation with three dimensions, tangible and intangible resources under the control of a given enterprises, capital structure decisions, external factors such as marketing related problems cost and accessibility of infrastructure, government policies and bureaucracy, business development services were also included in the regression model. Descriptive statistics, statistical difference tests, multiple regression analysis and Propensity Score Matching were applied for the purpose of data analysis with the help of Stata version 12 software. Majority of the small enterprises demonstrated moderate degree of entrepreneurial orientation and location nearer to major customers, entrepreneurial orientation, strong financial position, access to credit and leverage have statistically significant positive effect on growth of small enterprises which support the resource based view and static trade-off theory of capital structure as well as the perceived hypothesis. On the other hand, consistent to the hypothesis, age and size of small enterprises showed negative significant effect on growth, that supports Jovanovich’s learning model but against the Girbat’s law of proportionate effect. Moreover, the relationship between education and growth was found to be non-linear or volatile-growth of SEs tend to declined until certain level, reached a minimum level after which SEs with more educated owners tend to grow faster. This implies that unless owners’ years of education reach a very high level of schooling, a given increase in years of schooling could not necessarily result into higher growth rate. Based on the findings, the researcher suggests (i) in order to solve financial constraints of SEs, stakeholder need introduction of National Credit Guarantee Fund, Promotion of non-bank financial services, introduce Mandatory Minimum Bank Loan to small enterprises, establish specialized banking system that specifically support the small enterprise sector, (ii) provide working premises such as shades at concessional cost, (iii) facilitate establishment of small enterprise commercial centers, (iv) strengthen the clustering practices,(v) facilitate provision of adequate infrastructure at reasonable price, (vi) as TVET completed individuals outperform in growth rate, educational institutions in Ethiopia need to incorporate competence based training system and entrepreneurship into their syllabus by strengthening the industry university linkages / Business Management / DBL

The small enterprise has become a major sphere of interest for policy makers and donors. Despite the institutional and policy support, these enterprises have fallen short of expectations. This study is intended to fill the gap by exploring the challenges and prospects of the entrepreneurs in the small enterprise in general and specifically rate the challenges across each sector in Mekelle and Adigrat, Tigray Regional State of Ethiopia. Generally, 154 samples of the small enterprise were selected using a stratified proportional random sampling technique, from which the required data were generated and analysed employing the descriptive and exploratory research design. In the first part, the characteristics and prospects of the entrepreneurs and the small enterprise are presented. The finding reveals that the gender of the entrepreneurs is dominated by and is in favour of male entrepreneurs when compared to that of their female counterparts. The majority of respondents lack the relevant experiences and operate as sole proprietors. Furthermore, business plan is found out to be used only to meet the requirements of the financial institutions. The result also revealed that small enterprises are operated mainly by the owners of the business themselves and hence their contributions to employment and income generation for others is very limited. Financial constraint is found out as a general challenge to entrepreneurs of the small enterprises. In addition, different constraints such as training, access to finance, market opportunities, policy and legal measures are examined and rated across different business types where each factors are found to affect small enterprises at a different rates. What is severe problem for one sector is found out to be not a problem when compared to other sectors. These imply that policies and support programs need to take in to account the heterogeneous nature of enterprises and entrepreneurs. Overall, the result discloses a high failure rate of the small enterprises in the study sites and one can conclude that there is a lack of innovation from the side of entrepreneurs and a weak support from the government and other supporting institutions. In view of these, the researcher recommends an innovative support schemes to ameliorate and accelerate the growth of the small enterprises. / Development Studies / D. Phil. (Development Studies)

Social responsibility (SR) is a business management concept that originated in the early 1930s after the Wall Street crash of 1929 exposed corporate irresponsibility in large organizations. Whilst the initial interpretation of SR has been modified and refined since it was first used, the significance of this multidimensional concept for the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector has continued to be overshadowed by its application to large and multinational organizations. The knowledge of social activities in the SME sector, particularly in South Africa, has remained unexplored due to relatively little attention being given until recent years. In cognizance of the above mentioned, this study wishes to expand the body of knowledge in respect of the social responsibility of small businesses. This study presented a qualitative content analysis of annual reports from 2008 to 2012 of companies listed on the JSE ALT exchange to explore small business social responsibility practices using NVIVO to analyze data. Findings from this study support the view that small businesses are not always profit driven and that they are therefore fundamentally distinct from large organizations. South African small businesses are however not yet strategic about SR. Creating and maintaining their reputation as good corporate citizens through relationships with stakeholders is their primary motivation for participating in social activities. The study results show that SR in small businesses is still evolving and that year after year there is an increase in involvement and interest in SR issues. The findings of this study, and confirmation of the new knowledge gained will assist policy makers and practitioners in designing plans and policies that will increase socially responsible behaviour of small businesses and develop a comprehensive theory of SR in small businesses in South Africa. This can potentially enhance inclusive economic growth while simultaneously dealing with the country’s socio economic problems. Future studies can be extended to include other SMEs in South Africa, specifically micro enterprises and comparisons formed by a larger population may demonstrate and explain trends more clearly. The results of this study can also be compared with large companies listed on the JSE and to other African economies. A longitudinal study investigating SMEs’ participation in SR in different economic conditions could test the fact that a change has occurred in the attitudes of small businesses from 2008 to 2012 towards social responsibility / Business Management / D.B.L

FARIAS, Demóstenes Moreira de. O crédito oficial e o emprego: uma avaliação quali-quantitativa em micro e pequenas empresas de Fortaleza-CE. 2008. 149f. – Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Programa de Pós-graduação em Avaliação de Políticas Públicas, Fortaleza (CE), 2008. / Submitted by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2013-09-26T17:26:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2008-DIS-DMFARIAS.pdf: 720358 bytes, checksum: 62cef6b45d2994135bf96153c08c8ac1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo(marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2013-09-26T17:26:53Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2008-DIS-DMFARIAS.pdf: 720358 bytes, checksum: 62cef6b45d2994135bf96153c08c8ac1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-09-26T17:26:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2008-DIS-DMFARIAS.pdf: 720358 bytes, checksum: 62cef6b45d2994135bf96153c08c8ac1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / This research aims at contributing to the knowledge and comprehension of the work characteristics generated by the micro and small enterprises (MSEs), formalized from the debate under the relevance of the segment to generate jobs. Especially considering that formal work is the one that guarantees the social benefits to the workers. The focused MSEs are formalized enterprises located in Fortaleza-CE that had access to credit in a federal financial institution, more specifically the Northeast Bank of Brazil (BNB). It has been utilized the quali-quantitative methodological approach, aiming, through mix methods, to establish a complementarity among the given information – by one side, through the secondary data and theoretical inputs and, by the other side, the different points of view of the actors involved – internally or on the environment of the MSEs. There have been applied non-participant observation techniques and deep evaluation on the gathering and analysis of the representations by the actors involved in the segment’s enterprises. Therefore, there has been searched a contribution to understand the credit relations, the kind of jobs generated by the MSEs, workers´s life conditions, as well as other related phenomena. / Este trabalho procura contribuir para se conhecer e compreender as características do emprego gerado no âmbito das micro e pequenas empresas (MPEs) formalizadas, a partir do debate posto em torno da geração de empregos pelo segmento. As empresas formalizadas interessam ao estudo, de forma especial, pelo fato de ser a modalidade formal considerada pela literatura como a que garante os benefícios sociais ao trabalhador. As MPEs enfocadas são, portanto, empresas formalizadas, localizadas em Fortaleza-CE, que tiveram acesso ao crédito até dois anos antes do estudo, em uma instituição financeira federal, mais especificamente o Banco do Nordeste do Brasil S.A., cuja missão preconiza o desenvolvimento da região Nordeste. Por via da mixagem de técnicas (mix methods), foi utilizado o enfoque metodológico quali-quantitativo, objetivando-se estabelecer a complementaridade entre as informações proporcionadas - por um lado, pelos dados secundários e aportes teóricos e - por outro lado, as visões dos atores envolvidos, seja internamente, seja no entorno das MPEs. Foram aplicados questionários e realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas na pesquisa de campo, assim como as ferramentas aplicadas à coleta das representações dos atores envolvidos nas empresas do segmento abriram amplas possibilidades da aplicação da avaliação em profundidade em trabalhos futuros. Buscou-se, assim, apresentar uma contribuição para se conhecer e compreender que tipo do emprego que as MPEs propiciam; as visões e as condições de vida dos empregados do segmento, assim como outros fenômenos afins que o cercam.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3548.pdf: 1510159 bytes, checksum: 572ee5774de3a26299eb1fd44a190bc9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-19 / The purpose of this study is to analyze factors that contribute and hinders the implementation of a world-class business model for micro and small enterprises. Micro and small enterprises represent a significant portion of Brazil economy and its competitiveness, and ultimately, your success is the interest of all. The success of any business is related to its business model. For this study the Modelo de Excelência da Gestão ®, developed by the Fundação Nacional da Qualidade, has been adopted as a reference. This business model has been used in Prêmio MPE Brasil. This model combines the management best practices implemented in organizations around the world, derived from the total quality management. A case study research was conducted with finalists from the state step Sao Paulo Prêmio MPE Brasil. Based on the case study evidence the entrepreneurs competences and attitudes are critical for the business model implementation success, in particular: management knowledge, commitment to the business model, focus, persistence and constancy of purpose. / O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar fatores críticos para a implementação de um modelo de gestão de classe mundial em micro e pequenas empresas. Estas empresas representam uma parcela significativa da economia do país e a sua competividade, e em última análise, o seu sucesso, interessa a todos. Neste estudo foi adotado como referência de modelo de gestão o Modelo de Excelência da Gestão® disseminado pela Fundação Nacional da Qualidade, e que é usado no Prêmio MPE Brasil. Este modelo reúne as melhores práticas de gestão utilizadas por empresas do mundo todo, derivadas do movimento de qualidade total. As conclusões se basearam em um estudo de caso realizado com empresas finalistas da etapa estadual São Paulo do Prêmio MPE Brasil. De acordo com os empresários participantes, ficou evidenciada e importância das competências e atitudes do líder para o sucesso deste processo e, em especial, o conhecimento em gestão pela liderança, o comprometimento da liderança com o modelo de gestão, foco, persistência e constância de propósito. Outros fatores considerados importantes, de acordo com os resultados obtidos na pesquisa de campo, foram a participação da força de trabalho e o processo usado para conduzir a implementação de um modelo de gestão.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:52:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JosianaFVR_DISSERT.pdf: 4062433 bytes, checksum: 07efe5a289d33a87d6e4d3ebf39cb0e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-12-22 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The study examines the process of Knowledge Management and Technological Innovation in Small and Micro Enterprises (SME) in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, and proposes actions that can contribute to regional development and competitiveness of SME. Presents as technological innovation can help to make the SME entrepreneurial activities with innovative and competitive. Defines the phases and activities of the construction of knowledge in small organizations. Examines the process of Innovation, Research and Development (R & D) in SME. Identifies the use of knowledge management and technological innovation in management practices and social interaction to influence the competitiveness of SME. Covers the communities of practice as a diffuser of knowledge and learning. To obtain the data were used questionnaires with closed questions with multiple choice, direct observations and interviews with companies. The questionnaires and interviews covered the topics of Innovation, Knowledge Management and Competitive Intelligence on SME. The sample consisted of a total of 13 Small and Micro Enterprises Award winning MPE Brazil Competitiveness, sponsored by SEBRAE in the State of Rio Grande do Norte. The assessment questionnaires dealing with the Knowledge Management (KM Diagnostics - Model Bukowitz and Williams, 2002) and the process of Technological Innovation (Adaptation of ANPEI - National Association for Research, Development and Engineering of Innovative Companies). With the analysis, we concluded that the SME perceive knowledge management, but not formalized management practices so as to facilitate the dissemination of information. Soon, these companies need additional supports to direct them to the innovative activities that generate added value and competitiveness in the market / O estudo analisa o processo de Gest?o do Conhecimento e Inova??o Tecnol?gica nas Micro e Pequenas empresas no Rio Grande do Norte e prop?e a??es que possam contribuir para o desenvolvimento regional e a competitividade das MPEs. Apresenta como a Inova??o Tecnol?gica pode contribuir para tornar as MPEs empreendedoras com atividades inovadoras e competitivas. Define as fases e atividades do processo de constru??o do conhecimento nas organiza??es de pequeno porte. Examina o processo de Inova??o, Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (P&D) nas MPEs. Identifica o uso da Gest?o do Conhecimento e inova??o tecnol?gica nas pr?ticas administrativas e de intera??o social ao influenciar a competitividade das MPEs. Aborda as comunidades de pr?tica como difusoras do conhecimento e da aprendizagem. Para a obten??o dos dados foram utilizados question?rios com perguntas fechadas de m?ltipla escolha, entrevistas e observa??es diretas com as empresas. Os question?rios e as entrevistas abordaram os temas de Inova??o, Gest?o do Conhecimento e Intelig?ncia competitiva nas MPEs. A amostra constituiu-se por um total de 13 Micro e Pequenas empresas vencedoras do Pr?mio MPE Brasil de Competitividade, promovido pelo SEBRAE no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Os question?rios de avalia??o versam sobre a Gest?o do Conhecimento (Diagn?stico de GC - Modelo de Bukowitz e Williams, 2002) e o processo de Inova??o Tecnol?gica (Adapta??o da ANPEI Associa??o Nacional de Pesquisa, Desenvolvimento e Engenharia das empresas Inovadoras). Com a an?lise dos resultados, conclui-se que as MPEs percebem a gest?o do conhecimento, por?m n?o formalizam as pr?ticas gerenciais de forma que facilitem a dissemina??o das informa??es. Logo, estas empresas precisam de suportes adicionais que as direcionem para as atividades inovativas que gerem um valor agregado e competitividade no mercado

A presente investigação científica discorre acerca da economia da inovação tendo como pano de fundo a moderna economia da empresa, explorando aspectos empíricos da Europa e um estudo de caso sobre a inovação nas micro e pequenas empresas de calçados dos vales do Sinos e do Paranhana. As bases deste estudo estão calcadas na teroria da inovação sob a ótica da teoria da firma. Para alcance dos objetivos foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica buscando identificar o atual estágio das empresas europeias em comparação com as empresas brasileiras. Já o estudo de campo buscou identificar como se dá o processo de inovação nas micro e pequenas indústrias calçadistas dos Vales do Sinos e do Paranhana. Como instrumento de análise se utilizou a ferramenta do radar da inovação, objetivando identificar diferenças e similaridades entre a realidade europeia e a realidade das micro e pequenas empresas. A base deste estudo de campo surgiu da oportunidade de utilizar a pesquisa desenvolvida pela FAPERGS em conjunto com o SEBRAE, em que o autor autou como pesquisador. As evidências mostram que, para se destacar, em inovação seria necessário um equilíbrio entre todos os indicadores e que este seria um dos pontos fracos dos líderes em inovação do Cluster formado pelos Vales do Sinos e do Paranhana. / This scientific research discusses about the innovation economics, having as background the company’s modern economy, exploring empirical aspects of Europe and a case study about the innovation in micro and small footwear enterprises of Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana. The basis of this study is grounded on the theory of innovation from the perspective of the theory of the firm. In order to reach the objectives, a bibliographical research was conducted, seeking to identify the current stage of European companies in comparison to Brazilian companies. On the other hand, the field work sought to identify how the process of innovation takes place in micro and small enterprises footwear of Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana. As an analysis tool, the innovation radar was used, aiming at identifying similarities and differences between the European reality and the reality of micro and small enterprises. The basis of this field work arose from de opportunity to use the research developed by FAPERGS together with SEBRAE, in which the author acted as a researcher. The evidences show that, in order to excel in innovation, it would be necessary to have a balance between all indicators and that this would be one of the weaknesses of the leaders in innovation cluster formed by Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana.

A presente investigação científica discorre acerca da economia da inovação tendo como pano de fundo a moderna economia da empresa, explorando aspectos empíricos da Europa e um estudo de caso sobre a inovação nas micro e pequenas empresas de calçados dos vales do Sinos e do Paranhana. As bases deste estudo estão calcadas na teroria da inovação sob a ótica da teoria da firma. Para alcance dos objetivos foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica buscando identificar o atual estágio das empresas europeias em comparação com as empresas brasileiras. Já o estudo de campo buscou identificar como se dá o processo de inovação nas micro e pequenas indústrias calçadistas dos Vales do Sinos e do Paranhana. Como instrumento de análise se utilizou a ferramenta do radar da inovação, objetivando identificar diferenças e similaridades entre a realidade europeia e a realidade das micro e pequenas empresas. A base deste estudo de campo surgiu da oportunidade de utilizar a pesquisa desenvolvida pela FAPERGS em conjunto com o SEBRAE, em que o autor autou como pesquisador. As evidências mostram que, para se destacar, em inovação seria necessário um equilíbrio entre todos os indicadores e que este seria um dos pontos fracos dos líderes em inovação do Cluster formado pelos Vales do Sinos e do Paranhana. / This scientific research discusses about the innovation economics, having as background the company’s modern economy, exploring empirical aspects of Europe and a case study about the innovation in micro and small footwear enterprises of Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana. The basis of this study is grounded on the theory of innovation from the perspective of the theory of the firm. In order to reach the objectives, a bibliographical research was conducted, seeking to identify the current stage of European companies in comparison to Brazilian companies. On the other hand, the field work sought to identify how the process of innovation takes place in micro and small enterprises footwear of Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana. As an analysis tool, the innovation radar was used, aiming at identifying similarities and differences between the European reality and the reality of micro and small enterprises. The basis of this field work arose from de opportunity to use the research developed by FAPERGS together with SEBRAE, in which the author acted as a researcher. The evidences show that, in order to excel in innovation, it would be necessary to have a balance between all indicators and that this would be one of the weaknesses of the leaders in innovation cluster formed by Vale do Sinos and Vale do Paranhana.

Information system (IS), in other words computerised programs and application that a company uses is a central part in its organisation. Information technology (IT) is the hardware and infrastructure that an IS uses. IS and IT is then related to each other and several use the term IS/IT to describe the two words. Several small enterprises (10-49 employees) use IS/IT to a higher extent in order to work efficiently and many firms should not work without IS/IT. Because small enterprises are a major part in the economy for western world countries’ they find it important that these enterprises are efficient. A business plan is essential in order to make an enterprise work efficient. A business plan is important if the company should borrow money from bank or administer money from financiers. A business plan normally contains the company’s vision statement, mission statement, goals, business strategy and action items. In this thesis we only focus on strategies because we want to limit our research and because we have an interest of strategies in general. The business strategy is a roadmap which includes information about how the enterprise could fulfil its business plan’s goals. It is therefore impor-tant that the business plan and the business strategy are linked to each other, for example will the strategy suffer if the goals are poorly stated. To have this relation it is impor-tant to have a strategy that is explicit, this type of strategy is made through a planning process which is documented. The other type is called implicit and is made through activities for the different divisions of the enterprise, which is not documented. To make the right decisions and investments for IS/IT it is essential to have an IS/IT strategy, which could be used for the company to reach IS/IT-goals and objectives. The main question for this thesis is: How does IS/IT strategy influence business strategy within small service enterprises in Sweden and what factors can improve IT strategy’s impact on business strategy in small Swedish service enterprises? The purpose is to investigate how IS/IT strategy influences and improves business strategy in small Swed-ish service enterprises. We also aim to study how IS/IT strategy is applied in small Swedish service enterprises. We did our empirical research on six small service enterprises in Jönköping. Three of the respondents had a documented explicit business strategy and none of them had an explicit IS/IT strategy. All the respondents said that they did not prioritise to keep the strategy updated and that the day-to-day issues were more important. The result is that we did not find any factors in IS/IT strategy that improved the business strategy in small Swedish service enterprises. The characteristics that the enterprises do not work with these issues and is seldom applied. The enterprises are more interested in day-today issues, our result differs therefore from the literature in this subject. / Informationssystemet (IS) det vill säga datoriserade program och applikationer som ett företag använder sig av är en central del i verksamheten. Informationsteknologi (IT) är hårdvaran och infrastrukturen som IS använder sig av. I och med detta är IS och IT starkt relaterade till varandra och flera brukar benämna detta med IS/IT. Flera småföre-tag (10-49 anställda) använder sig i allt större utsträckning av IS/IT i deras verksamheter och många skulle inte kunna fungera utan IS/IT. Hit hör även att småföretag är en be-tydande del flera länders ekonomi. För att ett företag ska kunna fungera effektivt bör det finnas en affärsplan som är elementär då företaget ska ta lån av bank eller förvalta pengar från finansiärer. I en affärsplan finns vanligen en vision, affärsidé, mål, strategi, nätverk, Produkt/tjänst inklusive prissättning, marknadsplan (kunder, marknad, konkur-renter, marknadsundersökning), budgetar och tid- och aktivitetsplan. I denna uppsats inriktar vi oss endast på strategier eftersom vi vill begränsa uppsatsen och vi har ett stort intresse för strategier. En strategi är ett tillvägagångssätt för att uppfylla företagens uppsätta mål. Det finns dock en relation mellan de olika delarna i affärsplanen och de är inte helt skilda från varandra, exempelvis så blir strategin med största sannolikhet bristande om målen är dåligt utformade. För att ha denna relation är det vikigt att ha en explicit strategi. Denna typ av strategi är framtagen genom en planeringsprocess som är dokumenterad medan en implicit är utvecklad genom händelser inom företaget som inte är dokumenterade. För att fatta de rätta besluten och planera investeringar för IS/IT korrekt är det grund-läggande med en IS/IT-strategi, som kan användas för att nå målen för IS/IT. Vår huvudfråga är: Hur kan IS/IT-strategi påverka affärsstrategi hos svenska små tjänsteföretag och hur kan denna relation förbättras? Syftet är att undersöka hur IS/IT-strategi kan påverka och förbättra affärsstrategi i små svenska tjänsteföretag. Vi ämnar också studera hur IS/IT-strategi används i små svenska tjänsteföretag. Vi gjorde vår empiriska undersökning på sex små tjänsteföretag i Jönköping. Tre av fö-retagen hade en explicit affärsstrategi och ingen hade en explicit IS/IT strategi. Resultat är att små tjänsteföretag till största delen använder sig av implicita affärs- och IS/IT-strategier. Vi hittade ingenting som tyder på att IS/IT-strategi påverkar affärsstrategi i små svenska tjänsteföretag. Företagen är istället mer intresserade av händelser som är mer dagsaktuella, vilket skiljer sig från litteraturen inom detta område.