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The article discusses a research paper, which focuses on issues in the adoption of new technology in small technology oriented firms, based on surveys of small information and communication technologies (ICT) oriented firms in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. It explores issues which smaller firms face with the adoption of new technologies. It reveals how pressure to adopt new technologies largely emanates from within the small firms and shows what can happen where an owner-manager is or is not willing to listen, learn and provide appropriate resources to ensure the smooth adoption and implementation of new technologies.

The article discusses a research paper which focuses on development of a collaborative learning environment through technology enhanced education (TE3) support. It reports on the development of a knowledge transfer project, part funded through TE3, designed to encourage innovation and improve the capability of SMEs in the West Midlands region of the UK. It outlines a proposal for a collaborative learning environment which will provide value to designers of virtual learning environments and funded support providers. Findings reveals that firms that efficiently tap into all relevant sources of knowledge are likely to thrive and those which cannot may struggle.

The article discusses a research paper, which focuses on financial education in small ethnic minority businesses in Great Britain, based on portal survey of owner/managers in 64 ethnic minority small-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and a control sample of 23 non-ethnic SMEs of United Kingdom. It evaluates the financial education needs of ethnic minority SMEs in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. It makes an empirically rigorous contribution to a relatively under researched aspect of SME research. Results of research are discussed which show that owner/managers of micro-businesses have lower educational achievements as well as higher financial education needs than their counterparts in small and medium-sized firms.

The article discusses a research paper, which focuses on training needs for women-owned SMEs in England, based on quantitative data collected through 108 on-line questionnaires. It investigates needs and preferences for training among growth-oriented women-owned SMEs in East of England. It offers original primary research into contributory growth factors for women-owned enterprises in a representative area of Britain, identifies key issues, maps survival and success factors, and assesses women entrepreneurs' training needs and preferences. Findings of research are discussed which reveal that one fourth of respondents received growth-oriented training in the previous two years, with an average duration of 3-5 days per year. The result is limited to service sectors and sole proprietorships.