The Role of Business Intelligence in Information-Intensive Small Businesses: Initial Results from an Interpretive Study

Small businesses have limited resources that need to be utilised for maximum return. Business intelligence (BI) systems can provide decision-makers, who in small businesses are predominantly the owner-managers, with access to data that enables them to make informed decisions on where to apply their limited resources. Given the dearth of literature on the role of BI in small businesses this research-in-progress paper documents the initial results from an interpretive qualitative study, the purpose of which is to explore the use of BI in information-intensive small businesses 1 to support strategic, tactical and operational decision-making that suggest BI can indeed play a role but that support and guidance can ensure that BI to fully exploit data for decision-making. The paper concludes with the next steps for the current research as well as future research.