Advances in Production Engineering & Management 5 (2010) 4, 217-224 ISSN 1854-6250 Scientific paper SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE: PROVIDING EFFECTIVE PRODUCTION AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION Young, M.*, Flores, I.B.*, Bradley, D.** *The University of Texas at Tyler Department of Management and Marketing 3900 University Dr. Tyler, TX 75799 **The University of Central Arkansas Executive Director, Small Business Advancement National Center 201 Donaghey Ave. Conway, AR E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of university counselors to provide necessary technical assistance to small businesses in the production and technical areas. Data was collected through a telephone survey to 20 university small business counselors; i.e., SBDC and others. Major findings were that agencies were providing assistance in raising, capital, star-up, marketing, and marketing research but less information and assistance to the manufacturing sector. Few counselors provided information on manufacturing and technical assistance but did refer small businesses to state and federal agencies, websites, inventor’s associations, and others. Future research could be undertaken to determine specific manufacturing sources and data bases used by many universities in several states to provide a model for effective manufacturing assistance and information. Implications include an increased collaboration with local and regional programs to provide assistance and information in technical and manufacturing assistance. Previous studies referred to overall assistance and effectiveness of small business programs. This study shows the emphasis on small businesses as a vital part of our economy and the need to provide manufacturing and technical information to this sector. Key Words:...
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