scholarly journals Transformation of a City

SAGE Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401667363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trenessa L. Williams ◽  
Charles R. Needham

Gentrification changes the landscape and the cultural makeup of a city by increasing property values and changing consumption patterns. Since the late 1980s, gentrification has challenged the residential and small business community of Harlem, New York. Guided by the rent gap theory and the consumption-side theory, the purpose of this case study was to explore how small business leaders can compete with demographical changes brought by gentrification. A purposive sample of 20 Harlem small business owners operating during the city’s gentrification participated in interviews. Interview interpretations were triangulated with government documents and periodicals to bolster the trustworthiness of the final report. These findings may contribute to positive social change by informing the strategies employed by small business owners who are currently facing gentrification.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie McCall ◽  
Khaliid Scott ◽  
Urmi Bhatt

The COVID-19 pandemic will leave an enduring mark on North Carolina’s small business community. Using a phenomenological framework, we conducted a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews with small business owners about how they addressed the pandemic’s challenges. Four central themes emerged that illustrate the complexity and nuance of small business resiliency. Our data suggest that to survive and thrive, entrepreneurs had to: (1) be adaptable and willing to pivot, (2) have an entrepreneurial spirit, (3) leverage their social capital, and (4) have the knowledge and ability to apply for aid programs.


Author(s):  
Crystal Lupo ◽  
Jason R. Stroman

Despite research contending that marketing is a pivotal factor in small business success, many small business owners continue to underutilize low-cost marketing options available to them. Of these options, social media marketing is a useful tool to maintain competitiveness in the larger marketplace. However, the adoption of social media best practices in small business remains deficient. The landscape industry is a large and growing field with small businesses making up a large and growing share of the industry. Yet some landscape industry small business owners lack strategies to adopt innovative social media marketing strategies to help ensure business viability. This study incorporated a qualitative, exploratory multiple-case study design to explore how landscape industry small business owners use social media marketing strategies to help ensure business viability. Results indicated that successful marketing strategies tended to incorporate Facebook as the primary social media tool and included content such as service, education, and holiday posts. Benefits of social media marketing primarily centered on low-cost marketing options for improved visibility, while challenges included a trial-and-error learning curve. Results of this study might help small businesses improve their long-term viability through social media marketing strategies.


Author(s):  
Susan Turner ◽  
Al Endres

Small-business owners represent 99.9% of all U.S. employer firms, employ 48% of the private sector employees, and provide 41.2% of the total U.S. private payroll. However, 50% of new small-business startups fail within the first 5 years of operation. The purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore strategies three small-business coffee shop owners in Duval County, Florida, used to succeed in business beyond 5 years. Three themes emerged from semistructured interviews and methodological triangulation via websites, social media, and site visits: (a) owner networking and designing the business site as a customer networking venue, (b) business plan effectiveness in identifying and addressing initial challenges and subsequent changes, and (c) achieving marketing differentiation.


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