DOES RURAL LOCATION MATTER? THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A RURAL SETTING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEFFREY F. SHIELDS
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
The United States ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Rural Context

Rural settings in the United States have characteristics that present a unique context for small business, often portrayed as adverse. Studies of rural entrepreneurs and small businesses, however, frequently fail to provide data on the rural context and its potential relationship to small business, taking for granted presumed attributes and adverse effects. To develop a better understanding of a rural setting's importance, this research investigated effects of rural geo-demographic and socio-cultural features on 76 small businesses. Results demonstrate that rural geo-demography adversely affects marketability of products and services although there is little adversity for small businesses due to constrained resources (financing, technology, and transportation) or labor issues. Business owners manage their businesses consistent with rural socio-cultural values by relying on strong social ties and word of mouth reputation. However, women-owned businesses experience little adversity due to gender stereotypes. The rural setting considered in the study has varying implications for different types of businesses and for business owners according to how long they have lived in the community. Its effects are neither adverse in all respects nor universal for all small businesses.

scholarly journals The Best of Both Worlds - How Māori Small Businesses Engage with Their Pākehā and Māori Values

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Philip Graham Best
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Business Culture ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
New Business

<p>Māori small business owners must work in two cultures; their own Māori culture and the Pākehā culture which frames much of the legal and commercial imperatives of their business. Some Māori business leaders have commented on the need to develop a new business model for Māori owned and operated businesses that allow Māori to bring their own cultural values to a business whilst operating in a Pākehā environment. This research sheds some light on what some of the ingredients of that business model may be. Respondents owning small businesses commercialising traditional knowledge were interviewed about the cultural values they used in their business. Interviews comprised a face to face oral interview providing qualitative information followed by a written questionnaire providing frequency of use for both Māori and Pākehā concepts. This research shows how Māori small business owners commercialising traditional knowledge have been able to take appropriate parts of both their Māori and Pākehā cultures to develop and operate a business that builds on the best of both worlds. Using the ambicultural approach (Chen and Miller, 2010, 2011) it has been possible to analyse the relationships between aspects of Māori and Pākehā business culture. Māori respondents told of how they felt about the financial aspects of their business compared to the cultural and social aspects which were all important elements of their business. Respondents described how they balanced their cultural and social objectives with the financial objectives which enabled the business to remain sustainable. Social and cultural outputs are often found in other non-western businesses and some features of these are discussed leading to the conclusion that Māori businesses are more similar to those in some Asian and Middle Eastern localities than to the western environment in which they operate. The ambicultural approach has already been used by Chen and Miller to describe the success of some Asian based businesses. Applying an ambicultural relational approach to Māori small business has made it possible to explain how Māori small business owners are able to intertwine their cultures to develop a new operating culture for their business which provides the cultural, environmental, financial and social outputs they are searching for.</p>

scholarly journals The Best of Both Worlds - How Māori Small Businesses Engage with Their Pākehā and Māori Values

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Philip Graham Best
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Business Culture ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
New Business

<p>Māori small business owners must work in two cultures; their own Māori culture and the Pākehā culture which frames much of the legal and commercial imperatives of their business. Some Māori business leaders have commented on the need to develop a new business model for Māori owned and operated businesses that allow Māori to bring their own cultural values to a business whilst operating in a Pākehā environment. This research sheds some light on what some of the ingredients of that business model may be. Respondents owning small businesses commercialising traditional knowledge were interviewed about the cultural values they used in their business. Interviews comprised a face to face oral interview providing qualitative information followed by a written questionnaire providing frequency of use for both Māori and Pākehā concepts. This research shows how Māori small business owners commercialising traditional knowledge have been able to take appropriate parts of both their Māori and Pākehā cultures to develop and operate a business that builds on the best of both worlds. Using the ambicultural approach (Chen and Miller, 2010, 2011) it has been possible to analyse the relationships between aspects of Māori and Pākehā business culture. Māori respondents told of how they felt about the financial aspects of their business compared to the cultural and social aspects which were all important elements of their business. Respondents described how they balanced their cultural and social objectives with the financial objectives which enabled the business to remain sustainable. Social and cultural outputs are often found in other non-western businesses and some features of these are discussed leading to the conclusion that Māori businesses are more similar to those in some Asian and Middle Eastern localities than to the western environment in which they operate. The ambicultural approach has already been used by Chen and Miller to describe the success of some Asian based businesses. Applying an ambicultural relational approach to Māori small business has made it possible to explain how Māori small business owners are able to intertwine their cultures to develop a new operating culture for their business which provides the cultural, environmental, financial and social outputs they are searching for.</p>

scholarly journals Small Business Owners’ Perception of Balanced Scorecard for Business Survival and Growth

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 14-33
Author(s):  
Dr. Emad Ahmed ◽  
Dr. Medhat Alsafadi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
The United States ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Business Growth ◽  
Business Survival ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) defines Small Business Enterprises (SMEs) business establishments that are independently owned managed or operated. Small business organization indicates that some of them have found the Balanced Scorecard to be very significant in boosting general performance in two key perspectives: higher complexity and management capability and drives change and enhance rapid growth. However, in the recent past, there has been increased study on the adoption of BSC in small organizations. The objective of this study was to determine the how small business owners in the United States perceive the aspects of balance score card in regard to business survivability, growth and competitiveness. Hypotheses that were to be answered include H1: Small business owners’ perceive learning and growth as the most significant perspective for their business survival, growth, and competitiveness beside the financial perspective. H2: Small business owners’ perceive customers as the most significant perspective for business growth, survival, and competitiveness. H3: Small businesses owners perceive internal business processes as the most significant perspective for their business growth, survival, and competitiveness. The philosophy adopted is positivist with explanatory and descriptive strategies. The approach of the research is quantitative using ANOVA analysis. The 100 sample companies were selected from the Best 100 small business in the SBA website and survey questionnaire sent online to this selected companies. The result of the research indicated that the most significant Balanced Scorecard perspective is the customer. At the end of the research, it was deciphered that all initiatives that the small business listed in SBA undertake when applying the BSC, customer focus is always the guiding force. Therefore, it can be stated overly that there a significant positive perception of the Balanced Scorecard as a tool to enhance growth and survivability among small businesses.

THE CONTINUUM OF CAPITAL FOR SMALL AND MICRO ENTERPRISES

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (03) ◽  
pp. 301-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
LISA J. SERVON ◽  
M. ANNE VISSER ◽  
ROBERT W. FAIRLIE
Keyword(s):  
Small Businesses ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Specific Capital ◽  
The Continuum

Since the 1990s, interest in the role of small and microenterprises (SMMEs) in economic development has garnered considerable attention throughout academic and practioner circles. Widely known for their potential to help stimulate economic growth and as a potential avenue for poverty alleviation, the purpose and promise of small businesses have been widely publicized. However, to date, little research exists that adequately documents the specific capital needs of very small businesses (those with less than 20 employees) and microenterprises (those with less than 5 employees) and their owners at specific points in a business's development and growth. Using data from the 1992 Characteristics of Business Owners Survey, the 2002 Survey of Business Owners and the 2003 Survey of Small Business Finances, we analyze the different types of firms in the United States, the amount of capital used by firms of different size and the sources of capital used by firms of different sizes to assess how capital needs and sources differ for those businesses with less than 20 employees. Paying particular attention to businesses owned by women and minorities, we argue that the path of SMMEs differs substantially from the typical path of larger small businesses. In addition, we highlight the implications of our findings and provide our policy recommendations to address them.

Measuring Success in Family Businesses: The Concept of Configurational Fit

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Hienerth ◽  
Alexander Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Border Region ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Comparable Data ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Success Measurement ◽  
Success Evaluation ◽  
As Effects

The problems associated with measuring success in small businesses are primarily caused by a lack of comparable data due to the ambiguity of “success” and by subjective biases. Success evaluation is dominated by the estimates of business owners, who tend to overestimate overall success and internal strengths. However, reliable success measurement instruments would be useful for small business owners/managers as well as small business policymakers. The main purposes of this article are to compare various measures of success, to explore the differences in their outcomes, and to analyze whether a model of success measurement using configurational fit can be used to overcome subjective biases. The study is based on a recent survey of 103 small family-owned businesses in the eastern Austrian border region. Our analysis of the data confirmed the existence of the measurement problems mentioned above. Although some individual indicators show significant biases as well as effects due to company age, size, and industry, the aggregated indicator based on the concept of configurational fit seems to be an appropriate means of overcoming most of these drawbacks.

scholarly journals Small Business Policy Index Traction And Movement In Rankings Of States Update: 2000 To 2016

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 259-264
Author(s):  
P. K. Shukla ◽  
Monica P. Shukla
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Term Limits ◽  
Business Growth ◽  
Business Policy ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities

Given the volatile economic climate faced in the United States and globally since 2015, there is a desire by politicians in 2016 to increase state economic and business growth.  As small businesses are the main driver of business growth in state economies, focus is placed upon the policy environment of a state to encourage state level growth in entrepreneurial activities aimed at small business creation and survival.The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council an advocacy and research organization dedicated to protecting small business and promoting entrepreneurship has annually prepared a “Small Business Policy Index” that ranks states according to some of the major government-imposed or government-related costs affecting investment, entrepreneurship and business.  This study presents updated results to 2016 from an original 2013 analysis of the rankings of states on the Small Business Policy Index (SBPI) from 2000 to 2016 that focuses upon three categories of states: overall ranking gainer states, those states that are stable in ranking, and overall ranking decliner states, the percentage in each category, and conclusions.  The paper also includes a rank correlation analysis of periods of time to measure the extent of traction and mobility in the SBPI state rankings. As states vary by governor length of years in their governor term and also by term limits or not on governor terms allowed there is an analysis of impact of governor years of term on changes in SBPI ranking and an analysis of impact of governor term limits on changes in SBPI ranking.

scholarly journals The perception of sponsorship usefulness among South African small business owners

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-488
Author(s):  
Catherine Mpolokeng Sephapo ◽  
Johannes Arnoldus Wiid ◽  
Michael Colin Cant
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Small Business ◽  
South African ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Marketing Tool ◽  
Marketing Budgets

Sponsorship is a powerful marketing tool that organisations in South Africa are embracing. From the evaluation of the sponsorship growth over the years, the industry in South Africa has developed from a R63 million industry in 1985 to the value of just under R7 billion in 2011 (City Press, 2012). Small businesses in South Africa are faced with the challenge of effectively reaching target segments. These small businesses are restricted in terms of limited marketing budgets and therefore need alternative ways of improving their brands in the eyes of the consumer. Theoretically, sponsorship is considered to improve the brand image of an organisation and ultimately improve sales. However, the question that this study aims to answer is whether small business owners perceive sponsorship to be a useful tool that even they can utilise. The study made use of a quantitative approach whereby a web-based questionnaire was distributed to small business owners. The findings indicated that the general attitude towards sponsorship as a marketing tool is positive. The correlation between sponsor sincerity and sponsorship usefulness was found positive; however, average in strength. Although sponsorship is seen as a useful tool, 15.4% of the respondents indicated that they would not consider using this marketing tool. This response may provide an opportunity for further research to be conducted which may shed some light on the strategies small business owners perceive to be most effective for their unique circumstances

scholarly journals The Determinants Of Primary Employment In U.S. States

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Halil Dincer Kaya
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Safety Regulations ◽  
Zoning Regulations ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Main Components ◽  
And Training

We examine the relationship between `primary employment` and `business friendliness` of U.S. states. Do states with a low score in `business friendliness` worry small business owners too much and hence force them to run their business as their primary job? We look at several main components of `business friendliness` including `Ease of start`, `Ease of hire`, `Overall regulations`, and `Training and networking`. We also look at subcomponents including the different types of regulations and technology use. How does each of these factors affect a business owner’s decision to focus mainly on his/her business? We use the `United States Small Business Friendliness Survey` done by Kauffman Foundation and Thumptack.com in 2013 and converted the letter scores ranging from A+ to F in the survey to numerical scores ranging from 12 to 1 (i.e. 1 being the lowest score which corresponds to F). Therefore, after the conversion, each state has a numerical score on each business-friendliness category. The survey also asks business owners if they use the internet when starting a business, when paying their taxes, or when licensing. For each state, we compute the percentage of owners in each state using the internet when starting a business, when paying their taxes, or when licensing. We call these three percentage numbers for each state their `Internetstart`, `Internettax`, and `Internetlicensing` scores. Then, using the mean score for all states for each type of regulation or internet score, we divide the states into two groups: the `high-score states` and the `low-score states`. In our analysis, we use non-parametric tests to compare the `high-score states` to the `low-score states`. Our non-parametric tests show that although none of the main components (i.e. `Ease of start`, `Ease of hire`, `Overall regulations`, and `Training and networking`) seem to affect `primary employment`, the overall business friendliness score of a state significantly affects `primary employment`. When we examine the different types of regulations, we find that `Health and safety regulations`, `Licensing regulations`, and `Zoning regulations` affect `primary employment`. `Employment regulations`, `Tax code`, or `Environmental regulations` does not have a significant impact. These findings may indicate that business owners are more worried with regard to Health and safety regulations, Licensing regulations, and Zoning regulations, therefore more of them choose to take matters into their own hands. Another possible explanation may be the relative complexity of the tasks associated with these regulations. Finally, our results show that technology use in the entrepreneurial process does not affect `Primary employment`.

Growth and Development of Small Business Through Microfinance Activities in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-34
Author(s):  
Chandra Prasad Dhakal
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Economic Activities

Small businesses play important role for economic development and stability. It develops access in financial services through enhancing economic activities. The study analyzes the growth and development of small businesses that enhance through the support of micro finance in Nepal. Descriptive and inferential were used to collected data and collected data were analyzed through using multiple linear regression analysis. Only 124 small business owners were selected for this study. The study helps to find out the growth of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and small businesses in emerging economy in Nepal. It also assists MFIs to assess the effectiveness of their services and help to efficient utilization of available resources in the economy of Nepal.

Introduction

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Courtney Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Justice Movements ◽  
The Impact

This introduction describes how encouraging a diversity of small businesses can help support a Native Nation’s long-term economic stability, but goes further to demonstrate this uniquely through the eyes of the small-business owners themselves along with an in-depth examination of their local, national, and international contexts. In doing so, it describes how this book also addresses the ways in which Native Nations, by supporting small business resilience, are responding in politically and socioeconomically meaningful ways to settler-colonial economic subjugations. This introduction further describes how the book unpacks the layers of small-business complications specific to Native Nations and American Indian business owners while speaking to larger theoretical questions regarding the impact of small businesses in a global indigenous context. Debates regarding economic sovereignty versus economic power, measures of autonomy, land status, economic identity, fluctuating relationships with settler-colonial society, and the growth of neoliberalism (along with its accompanying “structural adjustment” policies) meet with specific practices, such as the implementation of guaranteed annual incomes, cultural revitalization actions, environmental justice movements, and the potentially precarious choices of economic development—issues that are exacerbated during times of economic precarity, such as the Great Recession.

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