The difficult relationship between the consultancy market and SMEs: inspiring insights from the case of Drôme

Elisa Salvador, Hassan El Asraoui and Mylene Akbaraly
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Hassan El Asraoui: IESEG School of Management Lille
Mylene Akbaraly: IESEG School of Management Lille

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Abstract: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the economy, but their specific status brings several difficulties that large firms do not have to face. Among others, the literature underlines a market gap in SME consultancy services, with a weak demand from SME managers. The aim of this article is to understand actual SMEs' "practices and perceptions" of the consultancy market and thus to provide some recommendations about how external consultants could adapt their services to foster, meet, and maintain the demand of SMEs. The research focuses on actors located in the department of Drôme, France. Descriptive statistics from a questionnaire and a cluster analysis highlight the role played by a long-lasting relationship and a specialisation in the sector of activity of the SME. Trust, experience and expertise seem to be the keywords. Consultants have to be able to provide unique and creative solutions that are strictly linked to the consultants' commitment of gaining SMEs' trust and building strong ties and networking in order to overcome the distrust and autonomy propensity of SMEs.

Keywords: SMEs; consultancy market; trust; questionnaire; cluster analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-sbm
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Published in Revue de l'Entrepreneuriat, 2019, 18 (4)

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