INFORMATION FOR ENTERPRISE - THE SCOTTISH ENTERPRISE NETWORK AND THE PROVISION OF BUSINESS INFORMATION

Scottish Enterprise was established by the Secretary of State for Scotland on 1 April 1991 by bringing together the functions of the Scottish Development Agency and the Training Agency. Its overall role is to encourage and aid economic development on behalf of the Scottish Office. Part of this role is the provision of business information and advice services to companies in Scotland, particularly smaller companies. This paper aims firstly, to examine the structure of the Scottish Enterprise network; looking at the roles played by Local Enterprise Companies (LECs) and Local Enterprise Trusts (LETs). It then goes on to look at how Enterprise provides information for businesses in two distinctly different areas of Scotland - Grampian and Ayrshire. The paper concludes with an overview of current and possible future developments, such as One Stop Shops, and their impact on the provision and uptake of business information.