Gender and Ownership in UK Small Firms

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 11-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Rosa ◽  
Daphne Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Business Ownership ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Small Business Management ◽  
Female Entrepreneur ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sectoral Variation

The emphasis on the individual “female entrepreneur” in much of the small business literature in the last decade disguises the fact that many women in business ownership are in partnership with others, usually with men. How “gender” impinges on the process of small business ownership has been little studied. The paper examines gender and ownership using evidence from a three-year study on the impact of gender on small business management, involving interviews with 602 male and female UK business owners, drawn from three industrial sectors. Difficulties were encountered in interpreting sex differences as “gender” trends, owing to significant sectoral variation. Nevertheless, some marked gender differences were identified. These referred to differential patterns of kinship with the respondent; the allocation and perception of specialist roles within the business; and the fact that female owners are less likely to be associated with more than two businesses. Overall sole traders were in the minority in both sexes, implying that most owners shared responsibility and management in some way with other owners. The paper concludes with methodological implications of co-ownership for the sampling and analysis of small business owner/managers from a gender perspective.

Small Business Orientation: A Construct Proposal

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-552
Author(s):  
Rodney C. Runyan ◽  
Jeffrey G. Covin
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Multidimensional Construct ◽  
Small Business Management ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Business Orientation

Entrepreneurship and small business management literatures diverged decades ago, with the former receiving the bulk of subsequent scholarly attention. The concept of a small business orientation (SBO) has not been widely and consistently employed in the literature. We present a conceptual framework aimed at clarifying the construct of SBO, and conceptualize SBO as a firm size- and age-independent phenomenon operating at the individual level, and reflecting manager values about how the business ought to be conducted. We discuss the values-based derivation of SBO, identify elements of this multidimensional construct, its likely consequences, and propose future research directions.

The Financial Impact of Energy Prices on Small Business

1985 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 47-57
Author(s):  
Hyder Lakhani ◽  
Bruce D. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Small Business Administration ◽  
Energy Prices ◽  
Percentage Point Increase ◽  
Empirical Estimates ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Fuel Costs

Hyder Lakhani and Bruce D. Phillips are respectively vice-president, EEE Research, Fairfax, Virginia, USA, and senior economist, Office of Advocacy, United States Small Business Administration, Washington DC. This paper is based on research contract No. SBA-7177-AER-83 to EEE Research from the Office of Advocacy of the SBA. The authors are grateful to Thomas Gray and Raymond Marchikitus of the SBA for their valuable comments. The views and errors are those of the authors and not of the SBA. The objective of this paper is to analyse the economic impact of fuel costs and non-fuel costs on profits and sales of small business firms in ten Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the US. The review of the literature (in Section 1) concludes that existing studies use industry aggregates from Census of Manufacturing data which exclude 80 percent of small firms so that the impact on small firms cannot be determined. Also, the studies fail to analyse the impact of fuel costs on profits and sales and arrive at contradictory conclusions. The authors develop an econometric model of the impact of energy costs on profits and sales in Section 2. The data on small business firms are developed from a survey report completed for the SBA (Section 3). Empirical estimates reveal that a one percentage point increase in fuel costs tends to reduce profits in the range of 0.009 to 0.07 percent and sales in the range of 0.01 to 0.06 percent. Increases in payroll and operating costs are correlated with increases in profits and sales because of labour- intensiveness of the small firms in the sample (Section 4). Policy implications of this paper are that small firms have not fully adjusted to the 1979 increase in fuel prices, or cannot adjust any further. Further, small firms must increasingly substitute non- fuel for fuel inputs or if that is not possible, then purchases of the least energy- intensive plant and equipment should be made, including energy conservation devices.

Business Inspiration: Small Business Leadership in Recovery?

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 473-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rae ◽  
Liz Price ◽  
Gary Bosworth ◽  
Paul Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Economic Downturn ◽  
Business Leadership ◽  
Innovation Development ◽  
Business Survival ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
The Impact

Business Inspiration was a short, action-centred leadership and innovation development programme designed for owners and managers of smaller firms to address business survival and repositioning needs arising from the UK's economic downturn. The article examines the design and delivery of Business Inspiration and the impact of the programme on participants' learning experiences. It also assesses whether there are transferable lessons to be learned for the development of small firms in general. The article contributes new insights to the debate and the literature on owner–manager development in small firms. The authors propose that there is continuing need and demand for such learning. They examine the requirements for public-sector investment and for specific approaches and skill sets in designing, marketing and delivering effective programmes of this type.

ANTI-CRISIS SCENARIO TECHNOLOGIES OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT IN THE PANDEMIC PERIOD

2020 ◽  
pp. 42-51
Author(s):  
Jacqueline M. Sarkisyan ◽  
◽  
Maya A. Tikhonova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Business Community ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Small Business Management ◽  
Difficult Times ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Scenario Approach

The article discusses the possibilities of applying the scenario approach to anti-crisis management in the short term. The object of the study is small business as the most affected business segment in the pandemic, which requires actions adequate to the current crisis situation within the framework of the formed set for the implementation of anti-crisis actions. This will reduce the impact of uncertainty and reduce the economic consequences of business interruptions or lower revenues, as well as design scenarios and corresponding strategies for overcoming the crisis or development strategies in order to renew the business in the long term after the crisis while maintaining control over the current situation, taking into account the requirements of a quick response. Scenarios are a useful tool for the innovation and business community anywhere, but in these difficult times they open up the mindset for positive and offensive action instead of defensive, threat-based behavior. The scenarios accommodated unexpected changes in the business environment.

Business Advisers' Assessments of SMEs

2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Mole ◽  
John Hassall
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Management Capability ◽  
Small Business Management ◽  
Rules Of Thumb ◽  
Growth Firms ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

This paper reports research on business advisers' advice to small firms in the context of the UK attempt to target small business advice, through personal business advisers (PBAs), to growth firms. The study employed qualitative methods to elicit heuristics (‘rules of thumb’) that reflect business advisers' experience. The study corroborated the interview findings with a self-administered questionnaire to 175 personal business advisers employed in UK Business Links. The research reveals heuristics that advisers Use in an attempt to assess the management capability within the small firm. Advisers' responses emphasized control within the business, signalled by, for example, visible tidiness. The paper develops a systems model of small business management incorporating owner-manager objectives, strategies (including growth) and control (including profitability). Finally, the paper considers the implications for government policies aimed towards support for growth-oriented small firms.

The 'fluid paradigm': the impact of national culture on small business management

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Daniel Degravel ◽  
Christa L. Wilkin ◽  
Xianhong ( ◽  
N.A. Iris) ◽  
N.A. Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Small Business Management ◽  
The Impact

COUNTRY ENTREPRENEURIAL PROFILES: ASSESSING THE INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEVELS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACROSS COUNTRIES

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (02) ◽  
pp. 169-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
CLAUDE MARCOTTE
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Corporate Entrepreneurship ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Nascent Entrepreneurship ◽  
Business Ownership ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship ◽  
Country Rankings ◽  
The Individual

Up to now, the focus in comparative international entrepreneurship has been on individual-level indicators of entrepreneurial activity, such as nascent entrepreneurship and small business ownership. However, measuring only the individual component of entrepreneurship appears conceptually incomplete, as it leaves out other important ones, the most obvious being the organizational component. Countries may have different entrepreneurship profiles, depending on the allocation of entrepreneurial endeavors across various levels and dimensions. To augment the content validity of current measurements, this paper aims to integrate and compare individual and organizational indicators of entrepreneurial activity in 22 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The inclusion of corporate entrepreneurship indicators, derived from the entrepreneurial orientation concept, modified substantially the country rankings based only on small business ownership rates. A significant negative relationship was found between individual and corporate indicators.

Perceived Causes of Success in Small Business

1986 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. Ibrahim ◽  
J. R. Goodwin
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Managerial Skills ◽  
Key Success Factors ◽  
Small Business Management

This empirical research is a pilot study which endeavours to identify a set of variables associated with successful small businesses. Seventy-four (74) small firms operating in Montreal responded to a lengthy questionnaire and an intensive interview. From this data three variables were initially identified. A replication study of seventy small firms located in Burlington, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York, was carried out in order to observe whether the identified variables were duplicated beyond a certain geographical location. Using factor analysis on the data, the authors were able to delineate entrepreneurial behavior and managerial skills as key success factors in small business management. This finding underscores the role of entrepreneurship education in developing both the behavioral and the managerial skills in the owner/manager.

scholarly journals Patents and small business risk: longitudinal evidence from the global financial crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Barontini ◽  
Jonathan Taglialatela
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Small Firms ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Business Risk ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Patent Applications ◽  
The Global Financial Crisis ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to shed light on the relationship between patent applications and long-term risk for small firms across the global financial crisis of 2008. During a crisis, firm risk often skyrockets, and small and medium enterprises face significant dangers to their business continuity. However, managers have a set of strategies that could be implemented to increase a firm’s resilience, sustaining competitive advantages and improving access to financial resource. The authors focused on the investigating the impact of patenting activities on small business risk in a time of crisis.Design/methodology/approachThis is a quantitative study based on a sample of Italian firms that applied for a patent in 2005. The changes in corporate credit ratings over a five-year period are related to different proxies of patent activity using multivariate regression analysis.FindingsFirms that filed for a patent were more resilient, compared to the control sample, during the financial crisis. Innovative activities resulting in patent application seem to deliver strategic resources useful to tackle the crisis rather than increase riskiness. The moderating effect of patents on risk sensitivity is stronger for small firms and when the number of patents or the patent intensity is larger.Originality/valueLimited evidence is available on how patent applications are related to risks for small firms during an economic crisis. The authors highlight that the innovative efforts resulting in patent applications can support small business resilience. The authors also point out that the implementation of patent information in small firms' credit score modeling is still an uncommon practice, while it is useful in estimating firm risk in a way more robust to exogenous credit shocks.

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