ABSTRACT
Members of the public who patronise small firms when they call their insurance broker, collect dry cleaning or seek the help of a computer consultant and buy a manufactured product through the mail, rarely pause to think about the abstractions examined in this book. Small firms are just there as part of life – as, indeed, are the big firms that assemble aircraft, supply soft drinks or manage multiple retailers. Small businesses are visible on the high street and at the roadside, but they are not all exposed to contact with the public at large: many supply only other firms, and even more are home-based.
