-
The financial viability of business development services
01.06.1999
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES(BDS) is the term used to cover a broadarray of services, excluding finance, which are offered to smallbusinesses and microenterprises in order to improve their management,production, or marketing functions. This article and the research onwhich it is based focus specifically on microenterprises, defined asenterprises with fewer than 10 employees. The major service areas whichwill be discussed are training, information, technical assistance (in theform of consultancies or business counselling), legal and accountingservices, marketing, and technology access (making available the use ofmachines to microenterprises). These services are analysed for tworeasons: to reflect current practice in the field; and to explore whichservices are financially viable when offered to small businesses andmicroenterprises.