The academic team also had a number of concerns. This was an exercise in the gathering of SME specific data and was a challenge to get correct (Hills and LaForge, 1992). It was important to consider the opinionated and talkative nature
of the owner-manager (Niehouse, 1986) and to contain these opinions without curtailing the free flow of information from the owner-manager to the academic (and indeed the reverse flow, where applicable). Both sides invested time and
money in the exercise and it was important to strike a balance between creating a solid, reputable impression on the outside world and keeping the expenses at a reasonable level. The academic benefits are obvious with a great deal of
performance measure and decision scenario data gathered and theory gap analysis being carried out.