Book Synopsis
Issues in owning and managing a small business in developing and poor countries.
Excerpt:
Everyone is talking about small businesses. In 1993, when it was allowed in Developing countries, more than 90,000 new firms were registered by individuals. Now, less than three years later, official figures show that only 40,000 of them still pay their dues and present annual financial statements. These firms are called “active” – but this is a misrepresentation. Only a very small fraction really does business and produces income.
Why this reversal? Why were people so enthusiastic to register companies – and then became too desperate to operate them?
Small business is more than a fashion or a buzzword. In the USA, only small businesses create new jobs. The big dinosaur firms (the “blue-chips”) create negative employment – they fire people. This trend has a glitzy name: downsizing.
