Decision support systems in small businesses

Decision support systems (DSSs) are widely used in many organisations (Arslan et al., 2004; Belecheanu et al., 2003; Dey, 2001; Gopalakrishnan et al., 2004; Lau et al., 2001; Puente et al., 2002). However, there is a common tendency to apply experience and techniques gained from large organisations directly to small businesses, without recognising the different decision support needs of the small business. This article aims to address the issues related to the development and the implementation of DSSs in small business firms. Our arguments are based on evidence drawn from a large body of DSS literature and an empirical study conducted by the authors in the UK manufacturing sector.