The Smaller Independent Manufacturer: 12 Quebec Case Studies

Robert W. Sexty is a commerce professor at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland and author of Canadian Business: Issues and Stakeholders.

This book is an English version of the French edition published by Gaetan Morin (éditeur) in 1984. The authors, professors at Laval and Concordia universities, translated and updated the book in 1985-1986. The book’s purpose is to provide “realistic pedagogical materials” for the study of small business management.

There are five chapters, two appendices, and a supplementary reading section. The first four chapters are organized in identical manner, but cover four different industrial sectors, footwear, sporting goods, machinery and equipment, and aeronautics. Each chapter contains an introduction to the sector and three case studies. Chapter 5 contains five readings, mostly written by the authors, on small business topics, including day-to-day managerial problems, university graduates as entrepreneurs, budgeting, and the life cycle for small enterprises. Appendix 1 has “useful ratios for financial analysis” of a small business with comparable data for the industries examined. Appendix 2 provides examples of government assistance available to small business.

The book is oriented to Quebec industry but would provide insights to entrepreneurs and students elsewhere. It is written with an applied rather than a theoretical focus. Because the format includes cases and focuses less on the public policy perspective, this work is a departure from other Institute publications.