The categories of adopters show that small businesses which adopt an innovation independently are
innovators (Tassopoulos and Papachroni, 1998). Early research studies aimed at defining the characteristics
of adopters found that early adopters relied to a greater extent on impersonal sources of information
from wider and more sources (Rogers, 1962). They used sources in close contact with the origin of
new ideas including technical journals. Small firms that are early adopters will tend to be “technically
progressive” and will be close to the best that can be achieved in the practice of applying technology
(Carter and Williams, 1957). On this assumption a progressive small company will take a wide range
of authoritative technical journals, will have a variety of contacts with sources of technology including
similar small businesses, and will assess ideas from these sources. It is expected that communication
within the small firm will be well organised and co-ordinates and there will be a willingness to share
knowledge with other small companies in its network. A progressive small business will set its standards
by reference to best practice in other small firms.