Describes how small businesses involved in e-commerce may benchmark their performance against a number of critical success factors (CSFs). The proposed approach is based on a series of interviews carried out amongst small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) whose activities were judged to represent best practice in e-commerce. Encourages an SME to analyse its own strengths and weaknesses on a continuing basis and to compare them with those of its competitors. The first step in this process is to identify the company's attitude to growth. Next, the SME should establish a suitable generic strategy and decide on a set of objectives that support it. Finally, it should identify a set of relevant CSFs. Analysis of the KITE interviews identified 11 CSFs relevant to the competitive performance of SMEs entering the e-commerce market. Further research currently being undertaken as part of a follow-up study will be used to validate this approach.The research register for this journal is available at

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As part of the ESPRIT project KITE, the authors carried out a qualitative study of 27 SMEs that were actively engaged in E‐commerce and whose activities were judged to represent best practice in this field. As the most successful SMEs grow rapidly, they will become increasingly aware of the need to improve and extend their existing processes. Based on our analysis of the best‐practice SMEs, we make 15 recommendations for ways in which SMEs can ensure that they can support high‐volume E‐commerce activity by adopting best practices for process improvement, partnership and integration. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The objective of this chapter is to evaluate the use of e-commerce across the value chains of several companies. In order to fulfil this objective, two different types of supply chain are analysed: the first type consists of buyer groups in the consumer goods sector; the second is dynamic networks in the manufacturing sector. Having identified what value activities are automated, the chapter examines the level of ICT and how value activity interactions between organisations are supported with e-commerce. Building on the analysis of e-commerce technology usage, the development of virtual structures is examined and the roles that SMEs can play in these. The chapter seeks to demonstrate that, with the introduction of ecommerce technologies in value activities across companies, the role of the current players is changing. Finally, the extent to which the traditional supply chain tiers change into more virtual value chain structures is evaluated.

A 2-yr study was conducted at Black Belt Research and Extension Center in Marion Junction, AL, to evaluate the effect of nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rate on forage production characteristics, nutritive value, and animal performance of beef heifers grazing a mixture of native warm-season grasses (NWSG) including big bluestem, little bluestem, and indiangrass. Six, two-hectare plots were randomly assigned to one of two treatments (0 or 67 kg N ha-1 applied in early April; n = 3 replications per treatment). Paddocks were continuously stocked with four weaned Angus × Simmental beef heifers (initial BW 288 ± 7 kg) from late May/early June through mid-to-late August during 2018 (73 grazing d) and 2019 (70 grazing d), respectively. Put-and-take cattle were used to manage forage to a target of 38 cm. Forage mass and canopy heights were collected every two weeks during the trial. Visual ground cover ratings, canopy light interception, and botanical composition were measured at the beginning and end of the trial in each year. Hand-plucked samples were collected every two weeks during the grazing trial to determine forage nutritional value. Data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedure in SAS 9.4, and differences were declared significant when P ≤ 0.05. Nitrogen fertilized NWSG had greater crude protein (P < 0.0001), sward heights (P = 0.0003), and canopy light interception at the beginning of the season (P = 0.0049) compared to non-fertilized paddocks. However, there were no differences (P ≥ 0.05) among N-fertility treatments for mean forage mass, heifer ADG, or BCS across the 2-yr study. Botanical composition data indicated that indiangrass decreased from 64% to 61% (P = 0.0022) and weed pressure increased from 11% to 15% (P = 0.0064) across the summer grazing season. Canopy light interception decreased by 51% from early June to August in fertilized NWSG and 26% in unfertilized paddocks, respectively. These data illustrate that NWSG systems may provide a viable grazing system in the summer months under reduced N inputs.