Imitation without Interaction: How Firms Identify with Clusters

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udo Staber
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Shared Identity ◽  
South West ◽  
Using Data

Although shared identity occupies a central place in theorizing about regional business clusters, there has been little research on the processes by which identity is constructed. In particular, little is known about the role of imitation and its relationship to social interaction in managers’ identification with the cluster in which the firm is located. Drawing on economic and socio-economic approaches, I develop hypotheses concerning the effect of frequency-based and trait-based imitation on the strength of identification with the cluster. Using data on 146 small business owners in five mature textile clusters in south-west Germany, I find that both imitation modes strengthen identification, though to varying degrees. Contrary to much research on clusters, the regression results indicate that identification can be sustained even in the absence of cooperative social interaction.

Keep it Oakland: e-commerce meets social justice

2021 ◽  
pp. 016344372110483
Author(s):  
Tamara Kneese
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Business Transactions ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Racial Hierarchies

This article examines the labor involved with the upkeep of social media accounts for Oakland-based brick-and-mortar boutiques and their digital storefronts, particularly as businesses move their wares online during shelter-in-place amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Focusing on independent shops in Oakland, California, particularly those which are part of Oakland’s Indie Alliance – a coalition of independent small business owners – this article explores the role of shop workers in producing the authentic aesthetics of themselves and store accounts as a replacement for brick-and-mortar shops. How do small-scale shop owners and clerks make platforms, which were not designed with their needs in mind, work for them? How does sellers’ performance of the local interface with a global digital marketplace and platform infrastructures? In what ways do existing racial hierarchies and structural inequalities affect shop personnel’s experiences of platforms and apps meant to facilitate business transactions? I focus on the Oakland Indie Alliance’s Covid Recovery and Repair funds, which employ social media and crowdfunding platforms or payment apps to provide assistance to local businesses, particularly those which are BIPOC and/or immigrant owned, connecting commercial and social justice oriented goals.

Barriers to E-Commerce Adoption in SMEs

2011 ◽  
pp. 256-276
Author(s):  
Robert C. MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Slow Growth ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Developed Economies ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Research Studies

It has long been known that small businesses have realised enhanced profits through the adoption of ecommerce. However, a number of recent studies have suggested that it is the larger businesses that are reaping the rewards of e-commerce rather than the smaller businesses. This slow growth of e-commerce adoption in SMEs has been attributed to various adoption barriers that are faced by small business owners/managers. These barriers have been well documented in numerous research studies. However, the relationship between these barriers has not been fully examined, particularly in developing countries. Of particular concern is the fact that the conclusions concerning the nature and role of barriers to e-commerce adoption have simply been transferred from studies in developed economies to those in developing ones. 96 non-adopting SMEs in Indonesia are compared to 129 in Sweden to determine whether the perception of importance of barriers differs between the two locations. The data is also analysed to determine whether the underlying factors of these barriers differs across the two locations.

Perception of Barriers to E-Commerce Adoption in SMEs in a Developed and Developing Country

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. MacGregor ◽  
Mira Kartiwi
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Slow Growth ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Developing Economy ◽  
Developed Economies

Despite the proven potential of e-commerce in the small business sector, studies have shown that larger businesses have reaped the benefits, with SME adoption remaining relatively low by comparison. This slow growth of e-commerce adoption in SMEs has been attributed to various adoption barriers that are faced by small business owners/managers. These barriers have been well documented in numerous research studies. While these studies have gone some ways to determine the nature and role of barriers to e-commerce adoption, there is a suggestion that as most have been conducted in developed economies, their value for developing economies remains in question. This article compares the perception of barriers to e-commerce adoption in a developed and a developing economy. Two hundred forty-seven non-adopters in Australia are compared to 96 non-adopters in Indonesia. The data shows that the perception of importance of barriers to e-commerce adoption differs across the two locations.

scholarly journals Governance of small business: The role of networking

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-27
Author(s):  
Wellington Zondi
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Business People ◽  
Self Confidence ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Share Information ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

The study aimed at determining the extent to which business people within eThekwini municipality share information through networking. The study was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, within eThekwini Municipality. The targeted population represented a variety of business people of different age and race groups. The study had a sample size of 206 respondents. The research instrument was a structured questionnaire and was self-administered. The research was quantitative in nature. The study revealed that most small business owners are not members of bodies representing businesses like theirs. Secondly, while small businesses in eThekwini have confidence in the future of eThekwini economy, they feel so individually, and not as members of network groups. Thirdly, most of the respondents except those that are members of bodies representing businesses like theirs, do not talk to competitors. Fourthly, small business owners with low self-confidence are less likely to network. They tend to keep information to themselves.

The role of perceived value of entrepreneurial identity in growth motivation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bramesada Prasastyoga ◽  
Fieke Harinck ◽  
Esther van Leeuwen
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Future Time Perspective ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Business Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Growth Motivation

PurposeThree studies aimed to investigate the role of perceived value of entrepreneurial identity (i.e. one's evaluation of the worthiness of one's entrepreneurial role) in the relationship between motives for entrepreneurship and business growth motivation among small-business owners.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted online (Studies 1 and 2) and one study in the field in Indonesia (Study 3); both employed a cross-sectional design with a mixed correlational and experimental approach.FindingsOpportunity-based entrepreneurship, but not necessity-based entrepreneurship, was positively associated with perceived value of entrepreneurial identity. Perceived value of entrepreneurial identity was a positive predictor of future time perspective and growth-pursuit intentions. Study 2 further showed the potential of increasing the salience of both personal and others' positive views of one's business for increasing one's perceived value of their entrepreneurial identity.Research limitations/implicationsThe investigation of perceived value of entrepreneurial identity in this paper extends current knowledge regarding the mechanism through which motives for entrepreneurship predict business growth motivation.Practical implicationsThe paper provides practitioners and policy-makers with useful insights into the importance of small-business owners' perceived value of entrepreneurial identity for business growth motivation, and offers suggestions on how to increase it.Originality/valueThe paper sheds light on the important role of perceived value of entrepreneurial identity in explaining the association between motives for entrepreneurship and business growth motivation.

Classy behavior: the big political role of small business owners

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-48
Author(s):  
Joby Schaffer ◽  
Sarah Wilson Sokhey ◽  
A. Kadir Yildirim
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Political Role
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