E-commerce and management of channel conflict: evidence from small manufacturing firms in the UK

The management of "channel conflict" is perceived as one of the main barriers to the adoption of e-commerce by small firms. A great deal of research has been carried out on channel management in large firms but the issues and findings do not necessarily apply to the small firm context. This paper presents some new evidence, based on ten case studies (two referred to in depth), on how small manufacturing firms in the UK manage the potential conflict of channel distributions when adopting e-commerce. Some good practices are also identified.