If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamic nature in building and losing trust in business to consumer (B2C) eBusiness in an effort to better understand the casual nature of trust. Design/methodology/approach -The paper uses system dynamics as a lens to interpret and understand the dynamic nature of building and losing trust in B2C eBusiness and reflect the structure of the trust building systems. Findings -This paper provides a four element model and then suggests the cycle of management actions the company must consider if potential customers progressing to purchases is unsatisfactory. Research limitations/implications -This paper provides a new insight into the dynamic nature trust in a B2C eBusiness. However, the intention of this paper is not to present yet another model, but to suggest how to move from the information and knowledge those models provide into a better understanding of the problem of trust in B2C. Future work will involve the validating of this model in practical situations, the main validation metric being the extent to which managers believe that working with it improves their understanding of the dynamics of building and maintaining trust. Originality/value -This paper will provide a new insight into the development of B2C eBusiness for practitioners when considering possible strategy formulations for developing and understanding consumer trust in B2C eBusiness.

Many, if not most, small-medium enterprises (SMEs) are subject to the impacts of and when they have to venture into the world-trade system, this adds another dimension of challenge to their already difficult environments. A recent project undertaken by Polish, Italian, Norwegian and UK collaborators examined eight case studies of disparate smaller companies with international operations, two in each of the countries represented. This article draws together a number of common features surrounding the process of going global, and the challenges experienced by those firms. These include the stretching of capabilities in supporting customers in unfamiliar markets, the internal competition for funds in pursuing multiple international markets, the importance of word-of-mouth marketing, and the pressures on SMEs' R&D functions. It also highlights the critical importance of balance in smaller enterprises where resources are likely to be tightly constrained, and observes that while some of the challenges apply to many firms and other contexts, they are especially critical in SMEs. Yet awareness of them by those directly involved at the time may be low.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to frame the potential benefits of lean dynamic performance management (PM) systems for small and micro-enterprises. Such systems may exploit the entrepreneur’s tacit knowledge and build on managerial competencies, by incorporating individual attributes into organisational routines. Design/methodology/approach The paper suggests the use of insight models based on the combination of lean PM tools and system dynamics (SD) modelling. Based on a number of exemplary cases, the paper discusses the potential benefits of these models, in respect to four specific contexts: artisan, new company start-up, established firm and micro-giant company. Related to such contexts, the research identifies: needs or priorities, and obstacles or impediments to pursuing business survival and development. Findings The conceptual framework discussed in the paper discloses a quite original empirical basis to outline lean dynamic PM systems that may provide entrepreneurs with a set of key-performance drivers that help them to prioritise action, in each of the four analysed contexts. Originality/value Growing interest in adopting lean PM models in small and micro-firms appears in the recent PM literature with research highlighting strengths and shortcomings. However, few attempts have been produced to overcome such limitations, while the adoption of SD is relatively new in supporting lean PM system design.

Manufacturing technologies, appropriately implemented, provide competitive advantage to manufacturers. The use of manufacturing technologies across countries is di cult to compare. One such comparison has been provided in the literature with a study of US and Japanese practices in advanced manufacturing technology use using a common questionnaire. The present study compares the use of 17 di erent technologies in similar industries in the USA (nˆ1025) and UK (nˆ166) using a common questionnaire. Largely, there are remarkable similarities between the two countries. This may partly correlate with the heavy tra c in foreign direct investment between the two nations. Notable di erences are (1) across-the-board, US manufacturers are ahead of the UK ®rms in computerized integration with units inside and outside manufacturing organizations;(2) US manufacturers show higher labour productivity, which is consistent with macro-economic data, and (3) more UK manufacturers report the use of soft technologies such as just-in-time, total quality manufacturing and manufacturing cells. Hypotheses for future investigation are proposed.

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