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From the Editor
Fry, Fred L
Journal of Small Business Strategy; Spring/Summer 2006; 17, 1; ABI/INFORM Complete
pg. 0_6

From the Editor 

The articles in this issue can be divided along two dimensions. The first is the 
conceptual vs. applications dimension. The Mitchell/Cohen and Morris et. al. 
articles fall near the conceptual end of the continuum, while the remainder are nearer 
the applications end. The second dimension is the overall small business focus vs. an 
industry-specific focus. The first three articles are very much strategy-oriented 
works that apply across the board, while the last three are much more industry-
focused articles. 

The Mitchell and Cohen article won the JSBS Editor's Choice Best Conceptual Paper 
Award at the 2006 USASBE/SBI meeting in Tucson. The Journal of Small Business 
Strategy gives two Editor's Choice awards - the Best Conceptual paper and the Best 
Empirical paper - at USASBE/SBI conferences. We were pleased that the Mitchell/ 
Cohen article was of very high quality. The best empirical article will be in the Fall/ 
Winter issue. 

Morris, Schindehutte, Richardson, and Allen have an excellent article on business models, 
looking at them from conceptual, theoretical, and empirical perspectives. This is a very strong 
article, and I am happy to publish this extension of their research stream on business models. 

Moving somewhat from theory to practice, but staying within the strategy area, Allred and 
Addams looked at Inc. 500 firms to assess CEO perspectives on the importance of business 
plans. In addition, their article looks at which components of the plans are most useful for 
financial acquisition and for operational use. 

The remaining three articles form a rather serendipitous mini-theme on restaurants. I did not 
plan for this, as the Journal of Small Business Strategy does not do theme issues. Yet, three 
different papers dealing with the restaurant industry happened to be approved by the review 
board during the same time frame. So it made sense to present them together. 

Arora and Singer looked at fine dining restaurants. The fine dining sector is a significant part 
of the $51 l billion restaurant industry. Arora and Singer's interest was in what makes a good 
dining experience. They make conclusions on determinants of satisfaction, post-consumption 
attitudes, and intentions. 

Wu, Kloppenborg, and Walsh studied the supply chain of a single company - Honey Baked 
Ham, Inc. Using HBH as their case study, they looked at determinants of inefficiencies in 
distribution at a mid-sized restaurant chain. Their conclusions certainly should be applicable 
to other restaurants and restaurant chains as well as outside the restaurant industry. This is the 
type of case study that is a nice fit for the Journal of Small Business Strategy. It is a theory-
based look at issues dealing with a particular company or type of company. 

Finally, Shields extends his work on revenue management (see JSBS Vol. 16-2) to the 
restaurant industry. Just as airlines use variable pricing strategies to maximize their revenues 
per flight, restaurants can maximize revenue by adjusting their customer service strategies 
based on expected volume at different times. 

I hope you enjoy these articles. Let me know. Fred L. Fry, Editor