ABSTRACT
The dynamism of an industrial economy is obviously dependent on the productivity of its businesses, both large and small. As Howard (1990) points out for the United States, small businesses make as great a contribution to national competitiveness as large corporations, because of the numerous links between the two levels, especially in the field of subcontracting. According to Womack, Jones and Ross (1990), the poor competitiveness of small US businesses in certain sectors, compared to their German and Japanese counterparts, explains the difficulties experienced by sectors such as the automobile industry, whereas the productivity of large US companies compares favourably with that of similar businesses in Germany and Japan.
