Abstract
Is OR relevant in the small business sector? There are hardly any small business applications reported in the OR literature or at conferences. Yet small businesses would appear a very suitable field for the use of well-established models for stock control, distribution, production planning, and so on. There is often a single decision-maker; business systems are relatively simple; and the data is on-site and not complex. This article looks at how managers in selected small businesses make operational and strategic decisions. The focus is on areas in which traditional OR models might be applicable. The possible future role of OR in this sector is discussed.
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*Kit Harbottle is a Senior Lecturer in Operational Research in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Polytechnic South West, Plymouth, where she teaches on a number of Business Studies courses. She worked on OR in the Civil Service, and then as a systems analyst in industry, before moving to Devon.
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Harbottle, K. Decision-making in small businesses. OR Insight 3, 7–10 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1057/ori.1990.3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/ori.1990.3