1 The stages of the small firm life cycle are taken here to
represent-Inception, Survival, Growth, Maturity and Decline. This conception of
stages is general and is not attributable to any one source. Firms were classified
as being in the Survival and Maturity stage on the basis of: size of turnover,
number of years trading, and number of workers.
2.
2 “Outsiders” refer to those agencies, whether in the
public or private sector, providing information and advice services to small
firms-public sector: small firm agencies, government departments and statutory
bodies, educational and training bodies; private sector: small firm agencies,
intermediaries (financial institutions, accountants, solicitors and other consultants).
3.
3 The study focused on the types of information which the literature
indicates are important areas of information search for small firms-these are
information about the market, about finance, premises and employment of staff.
4.
4
P Armstrong
,
A Baker
,
J Johnson
,
Formal and Informal Sources of Support in the Small Business Sector-An
Inter-Ethnic Comparison
, paper presented to the Ninth National Small Firm Policy
& Research Conference, Gleneagles, 1986.
5.
5
C Monck
,
The Provision of Business Support Services for Small Firms-Can They Be Improved?
,paper presented to the Ninth National Small Firm Policy &
Research Conference, Gleneagles, 1985.
6.
6
S Kaish
&
B Gilad
,
Characteristics of Opportunities Search of Entrepreneurs versus Executives:
Sources, Interests, General Alertness
, Journal of Business Venturing6(1), Jan 1991.
7.
7
PGP Walters
,
Information Sources
-
A Study of Their Usage and Utility
,International Marketing Review, 1, Winter 1983.
