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Supported Employment Enterprises (SEEs) are a unique sector of small and medium‐sized enterprises that provide meaningful, gainful employment, training and development opportunities for people with a disability. SEEs are run specifically to provide employment but are also commercial enterprises trading with other businesses. Many of these SEEs are not profitable and work under severe financial and operational constraints despite help from local authorities and the Supported Employment Procurement and Consultancy Service (SEPACS). This paper examines the effectiveness of the marketing strategies, plans and tactics of SEEs. The methodology used a national survey questionnaire sent to 96 SEEs listed in a directory of products and services produced by the Employment Service. The response rate was 45 per cent. The results showed that there is a general weakness of marketing strategies and plans in these organisations and highlighted the dysfunctional impact of local authority policies and practices. Marketing mix techniques were generally well understood by most SEEs managers.

Supported employment enterprises (SEEs) are commercial enterprises that provide meaningful, gainful employment, training and development opportunities for people with a disability. Hence, SEEs are run specifically to provide employment. SEEs, with the exception of Remploy, represent a unique sector of SMEs owned and run by local authorities and charities. The Supported Employment Procurement and Consultancy Service (SEPACS) provides SEEs with per capita funding for disabled employees, capital grants for premises and equipment, grants for marketing research, business advice and performance monitoring. SEPACS is part of the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE). This paper presents some case studies of SEEs in the Yorkshire area. The work explains the complex dificulties facing these organisations and illustrates the different approaches used to cope with these situations. Many SEEs are under threat of closure or radical change in their function as employers of disabled people. This work investigates these issues through selected illustrative case studies. The general weakness of marketing strategies and plans in these organisations is highlighted and related to the impact of SEPACS and local authority policies and practices. This work establishes the important role that marketing strategies and plans could have in ensuring the future survival and growth of these companies.

The purpose of this study is to develop an academic theoretical framework relating success and performance in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) so that future research could be carried out to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for SMEs.

The research used a literature review, in‐depth interviews with owner‐managers of SMEs and a knowledge elicitation exercise was carried out based on the experience of the researchers and on the interviews with owner‐managers.

A new academic conceptual model was developed linking CSFs, definitions of success and performance to the characteristics of the business environment, the characteristics of the owner‐manager and the characteristics of the business. The relatively new idea that feedback on performance in the model could modify the strategic/tactical behaviour of the SME owner‐managers was introduced.

The many research problems posed by performance studies aimed at establishing CSFs in SMEs are still present in the current framework but a longitudinal research methodology could be employed to avoid these problems in future research.

The theoretical framework offers a different way forward for both practitioners and business advisors in thinking about those factors that may be critical for success in SMEs.

This is a new framework that can be used to inform thinking and research design in the area of performance measurement and success.