Strategic Planning in the Small Business

Unit 3

the small firm

need not succumb

to competi-

tive pressures

from large

national chains and

franchises.

Small firms

must, however,

adapt to the changes

taking place

with new

strategies

rather than

conducting business

as

usual. Working

smart means staying

on top

HO 3-1 (continued)

of one's own

business as well

as what is

occurring

in the marketplace.

If this infor­

mation is

used to adjust and

"fine-tune" the

small

service business

to differentiate

it

from

others in the same

field, small firms

can

remain viable

and prosper.

Dr. Neil

is associate professor

of management

in the Graduate

School of Business

at Atlanta

University. He

is particularly interested

in human resource

management

in service businesses

and

in conducting

research on the impact

of technology

on job design and

management.

2 1'. J. Peters and

R. H. Waterman,

Jr. In Search of

Excellence. Harper

and Row, 1983.

3 T. Barker

and M. L. Gimpl.

"Differentiating

a Seriice Business:

Why and How."

Journal

of Small Business

Management

(April 1982), pp.

1-7.

4 Thomas Ervin.

Real Estate

Revolution: Who

Will Survive?

Chicago, IL: Real

Estate

Education Co.,

1980.

5 T. W.

Doolcy. Real Estate

Brokerage in

the 80s: Survival

Among the Giants.

Chicago, IL:

Real Estate

Education Co.,

1980.

6 J. D.
Vernon, J. Robionski,
and G.
P. Moschis. "Consumer
Expectations
f3r Broker

Service".

Real Estate Perspective

(March-April

1981), pp.

6-7.

279