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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2015

Yoon G. Lee, Margaret A. Fitzgerald, Kenneth R. Bartkus and Myung-Soo Lee

With data from the 2003 and 2005 National Minority Business Owners Survey, we examined the extent to which minority business owners differ from nonminority business owners in…

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Abstract

With data from the 2003 and 2005 National Minority Business Owners Survey, we examined the extent to which minority business owners differ from nonminority business owners in their reported use of adjustment strategies, and the relationship between the use of adjustment strategies and perceived business success. The sample consisted of 193 African American, 200 Mexican American, 200 Korean American, and 210 white business owners. Mexican American and Korean American business owners reported higher levels of adjustment strategy use than African American and white business owners. The ordinary least squares show that reallocating family resources to meet business needs and reallocating business resources to meet family needs were negatively associated with perceived business success, whereas hiring paid help was positively associated with perceived business success.

Details

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2574-8904

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 March 2022

Antonia Koumproglou and Konstantinos Biginas

Start-up owners have emerged in recent years as thought leaders in a variety of encouraging ways throughout the business world, changing the game that organisations function…

Abstract

Chapter Contribution

Start-up owners have emerged in recent years as thought leaders in a variety of encouraging ways throughout the business world, changing the game that organisations function worldwide in fascinating ways. They have transformed office culture by embracing flex-time, innovative work spaces, informal networks and work structures among many things. Building a great organisational culture at the early stages of forming a business as in a start-up is about creating an identity. The World Economic Forum community observes that start-ups are social systems which are very attractive for their enhancing of personal creativity and social inclusion. Thus, members of creative start-ups seem to exhibit strong group affiliation and passion for their profession. Based on the assumptions above, the study of start-up workplaces as unique social systems with distinct characteristics is proposed. Drawing on social identity theory as a collective construct was derived by Henri Tajfel and John Turner (Tajfel, 1972; Tajfel & Turner, 1979; Turner, 1982).

This chapter aims to investigate the idiosyncratic bundle of resources, capabilities and personal attributes resulting from the system interactions in the unique organisational context of start-ups (Habbershon, Williams, & McMillan, 2003, p. 452). This chapter considers the need for nurturing of start-up business owners/managers’ entrepreneurial learning capabilities, and highlights the fact that entrepreneurial learning and behaviour is different from other forms of learning and behaving.

Although multiple factors influence how people work, social identity theory could possible serve as a unifying theory of organisational behaviour elements, because it views the organisation as a social system where individual behaviours and attitudes are to a large degree influenced by psychological, behavioural, economic and sociological processes of group formation and membership. Social identity perspectives can shed light on

what and how people think in the early, but very critical stages of organisation formation.

Research in entrepreneurship points out that a heightened sense of self-realisation in individual starting/participating in new ventures is a strong motivator (Triandis, 1989). Engaged and inspired employees perceive their entrepreneurial identity to be central to their self-concept and experience greater levels of passion at their work (Murnieks, Mosakowski, & Cardon, 2014). The result is that the staff is committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being. For start-up culture is the reflection of everyone’s actions and values in the office – the interactions of everyone in the start-up with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders set the tone for the company’s relations with its external environment and its culture.

Developing a business with like-minded individuals to advance a collective business vision is at the heart of entrepreneurial activity of small and emerging enterprises. Small but highly flexible work groups provide a united voice and a common sense of purpose for individual members (Alpkan & All, 2007). They have the ability to take action to reconfigure or move entrepreneurial resources and activities in company routines quickly and effectively. This is particularly important in times of high uncertainty and volatility as the one we are currently going through in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Details

Small Business Management and Control of the Uncertain External Environment
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-624-2

Article
Publication date: 25 March 2020

Maitreyee Das and Krishnamachari Rangarajan

The influence of sustainability practices, especially those related to the environment and society in driving business growth is evident from the annual sustainability reports of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The influence of sustainability practices, especially those related to the environment and society in driving business growth is evident from the annual sustainability reports of big corporations. Also, there has been a plethora of research relating sustainability performance to the financial performance of these companies. However, in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises, a very limited research study has been done so far considering the societal and environmental aspects of their business operations. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially those in the emerging economy have grossly neglected their responsibilities and obligations towards the environment and society. SMEs are considered as growth engines for any nation. However, literature has shown that a large percentage of SMEs across the world fail within a few years of their incorporation. This paper aims to verify the relationship between sustainability performance and business growth for SMEs in the developing economy.

Design/methodology/approach

In the paper, the authors have tried to develop a model taking a sample of 200 SMEs from Indian leather and chemical sectors and find out how the factors like collaborative synergy and government policy initiatives impact the sustainability performance of small and medium firms and how in turn, their improved sustainability performance helps them to drive sustainable business growth. Data were mainly collected through primary survey and also from the company websites.

Findings

Empirical results of the study reveal that both policy initiatives and collaborative synergy positively influence the firm’s sustainability performance and, in turn, the company’s business growth is positively impacted by their enhanced sustainability performance. Company size was found to have a moderating effect on this relationship.

Originality/value

There are theoretical and conceptual papers elaborating on the importance of adoption of sustainability practices in SME business operations but no empirical study has been conducted to mathematically relate the factors of sustainability and business growth. The authors have tried to build a model relating the factors of sustainability improvement with those of the business growth of the firm and also verified the influence of control variables like company size on the proposed relationship.

Details

Indian Growth and Development Review, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8254

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 March 2022

Ioannis Kinias, Ilias Kampouris and Stathis Polyzos

It is widely accepted that coauthorship and collaboration promotes intellectual partnerships and improves the quality of publications. This paper examines the relationship between…

Abstract

Purpose

It is widely accepted that coauthorship and collaboration promotes intellectual partnerships and improves the quality of publications. This paper examines the relationship between collaboration, productivity and publications in the field of family business.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors identify the most prolific authors, affiliations and countries and focus on the evolution of research in the field of family business. In doing so, the authors employ social network analysis to discover the structure of the networks and the ways in which authors, institutions and countries interact.

Findings

The empirical results show that collaboration is positively related to productivity, and there is significant evidence that the shaped networks exhibit small-world characteristics, a condition in which collaboration within authors becomes integrated in conjunction with time.

Practical implications

The findings highlight the mechanics of collaborative research production and can be useful to understand the importance of collaboration patterns to be followed in the field of family business.

Originality/value

The contributions are as follows: (a) application of social network analysis to model the coauthorship patterns among individuals, institutions and countries in family business; (b) distinguishing the most degree-central authors in the social network of collaborating academics; (c) investigation of the academic collaborations in family business that have the characteristics of a small-world social network and (d) suggesting a unique connection, through published keywords, between the research priorities of the most central or prolific authors with the research trends in the family business literature. The authors demonstrate that authors' collaboration becomes integrated in conjunction with time.

Details

Journal of Family Business Management, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-6238

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1964

CANADA, until the last generation or two, has been basically a pioneer country but two world wars have changed all this and the economy has moved from an agricultural to a

Abstract

CANADA, until the last generation or two, has been basically a pioneer country but two world wars have changed all this and the economy has moved from an agricultural to a manufacturing community able to provide a standard of living second to that of the United States. (At the present time only 10.8 per cent of Canadians live on farms according to the 1961 census.) Natural resources, such as timber, wheat and mining, continue to play, however, an important role in the life of the nation. As in most developing and pioneer countries, learning has had to assume a secondary role compared with other enterprises and activities. This is gradually beginning to change as more people continue in school and the percentage of individuals attending university increases. Established organizations, like the National Film Board and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, catering to mass culture, have been strengthened and enlarged and new establishments, like the Canada Council and the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, of narrower function and appeal, have been set up. The Library movement, not the least of learning agencies, is gaining strength every day. In this paper some of the interesting new developments of the last ten years in the latter field will be discussed. Of necessity, much is abbreviated; a lot is ignored. Data selected has been based on the most recent sources; hence the variety in dates.

Details

New Library World, vol. 65 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4803

Article
Publication date: 13 November 2009

Andrew Taylor and Margaret Taylor

The purpose of this paper is to identify the contemporary research themes published in IJOPM in order to contribute to current debates about the future directions of operations…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the contemporary research themes published in IJOPM in order to contribute to current debates about the future directions of operations management (OM) research.

Design/methodology/approach

All 310 articles published in IJOPM from volume 24 issue 9 in 2004 through volume 29, issue 12 in 2009 are analysed using content analysis methods. This period of analysis is chosen because it represents all the articles published in issues for which the authors are able to have full control, during their period of tenure as Editors of the journal. This analysis is supplemented by data on all 1,853 manuscripts submitted to the journal during the same time period and further, by analysis of reviews and feedback sent to all authors after review.

Findings

The paper reports the main research themes and research methods inherent in the 310 published papers. Statistics on the countries represented by these papers and the size and international composition of author teams are provided, together with the publication success rates of the countries that submit in the highest volumes, and the success rates associated with the size of the author team. Finally, data on the reasons for rejection of manuscripts are presented.

Research limitations/implications

There is some residual inaccuracy in content analysis methods, whereby, in extracting research themes there is often more than one topic covered. In the same vein, as regards categorisation of the causes of rejection of manuscripts during the review process, there is frequently more than one reason for rejection, so perhaps a weighted scoring system would have been more insightful. In determining the country of origin of papers, while the country of the corresponding author is used, it should be recognised that some studies originate from international collaborations so that this method may give a slightly distorted picture. Finally, in computing publication success rates by comparison of submissions and published papers there is a time delay between the two data sets within any defined period of analysis.

Practical implications

The analysis adds generally to debates about contemporary research themes; in particular it extends the work of Pilkington and Fitzgerald, which analyses all articles solely in IJOPM between 1994 and 2003. In addition, the findings suggest a need for more frequent exploitation of multiple research methods, for greater rigour in the planning and execution of fieldwork, for greater engagement with the world of OM practice and finally, consideration of how OM research can address wider social and political issues.

Originality/value

This paper represents an inside view of the publication process from a leading OM journal; this kind of insight is rarely available in the public domain.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 29 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 October 2010

Tanya Fitzgerald

In this article I examine the role of ANZHES and its contribution to the development of the field over the past 40 years. Drawing on a range of theories, I argue that the annual…

Abstract

In this article I examine the role of ANZHES and its contribution to the development of the field over the past 40 years. Drawing on a range of theories, I argue that the annual exchange (or pilgrimage) of academics between Australia and New Zealand has been a vital component in the nurturing of our intellectual geographies and the formation of ANZHES as an intellectual community of scholars. And while ANZHES might well be borderless, there has been a gradual emergence of a border zone as academic work, academic knowledge and the Academy has been increasingly fractured, partitioned and dispersed. What then is the disciplinary territory that historians of education now occupy? How has the landscape of our work shifted and changed? To what extent might these connections be represented in ANZHES’ academic journal?

Details

History of Education Review, vol. 39 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0819-8691

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1996

Margaret Y. Champion

Can we do business with strangers? A major handicap to any promotion is ignorance of the market and its members. In order to understand Latin Americans, says Albert Hirschman, we…

Abstract

Can we do business with strangers? A major handicap to any promotion is ignorance of the market and its members. In order to understand Latin Americans, says Albert Hirschman, we must first understand how Latin Americans understand each other. We see the “facts” one way, but their perception of these same facts is often very different. This is my purpose in reporting on Peru's attitude and internal discussions on international trade. Why Peru? A U S. State Department official told me that they consider Peru as a sort of bell wether in South America. Abraham Lowenthal of the Inter‐American Dialog says Peru has an international significance greater than would be expected, considering the size of its economy, and E. V. K. Fitzgerald of Cambridge says the Peruvian experience is significant in judgimg prospects in South America.

Details

International Journal of Commerce and Management, vol. 6 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1056-9219

Article
Publication date: 14 May 2021

Blandine Ano and Richard Bent

In a context of technological disruption, companies face a digital imperative to adopt successfully emerging new technologies. While family firms have a huge potential for growth…

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Abstract

Purpose

In a context of technological disruption, companies face a digital imperative to adopt successfully emerging new technologies. While family firms have a huge potential for growth and innovation, they may – due to idiosyncratic but often limited resources, have to address the complex challenges induced by digital technologies introduction. The purpose of this paper is to explore how human and cultural resources influence the formulation and implementation of five French family firms' digital strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a phenomenological epistemology, semi-structured interviews among different generational cohorts of family business owners.

Findings

The thematic analysis highlights five main cultural and psychological determinants holding the potential for positive and synergetic outcomes while implementing a digital strategy: the change management nurtured by long-term sustainability, the emotional attachment to the firm, the entrepreneurial legacy influence, the personalised involvement of individual family members and the family owners' central focus on employees.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first research projects exploring the digital transformation process of family businesses from the perspective of the firm's human capital. The participants of the study reveal idiosyncratic attitudes such as long-term orientation, entrepreneurial bridging and non-economic goals leading to competitive advantages and transgenerational wealth creation.

Details

Journal of Family Business Management, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-6238

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 November 2012

Jason C. Fitzgerald

Despite the benefits of historical thinking pedagogy, many teachers continue to require students to read textbooks. Contained within textbook narratives are particular types of…

Abstract

Despite the benefits of historical thinking pedagogy, many teachers continue to require students to read textbooks. Contained within textbook narratives are particular types of implied causation, asyndetic constructions, which may limit students’ abilities to fully comprehend certain textbook passages. This study examines how asyndetic constructions influence students’ comprehension of causal events. Twelve middle school readers were asked to read a US History textbook passage and answer questions related to the asyndetic construction. They also were asked to reason about their answers. Findings suggest that good middle school readers do not identify asyndetic constructions as problematic to their comprehension even though they often incorrectly answer questions related to these constructions. Findings also indicate that, when middle school readers recognize the asyndetic sentences as causally related, they often disregard and/or overlook the mental processes in the text that provide clues for explaining that relationship. Based on these findings, teachers need to recognize the complexity of textbook language and structure when assigning such readings, taking special care with poor readers who have fewer linguistic resources for making meaning of asyndetic constructions than good readers.

Details

Social Studies Research and Practice, vol. 7 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1933-5415

Keywords

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