Andrew Atherton

Small firm success and the art of orienteering: the value of plans, planning, and strategic awareness in the competitive small firm

There is an ongoing debate within the academic literature about the value of the business plan in the development of the small firm. On closer inspection of the research, there appear to be clear benefits in the use of business planning as a process within the smaller business. This is in contrast to the production of a business plan as an output focused predominantly on convincing and acquiring resources from other organisations and individuals. As a process, business planning can be both formal and informal. It is also focused on understanding and responding to the context within which the business operates. Strategic awareness capability, as both a bundle of activities and a core competence, helps to make sense of this context, and serves as a means of managing interactions between the firm and its environment. It also allows for a more sensitive reading of the limitations and strengths of the planning process in markets that are, for the small business, generally unpredicatable and complex. When combined, strategic awareness capability and planning effectiveness can be used to develop a typology of business types that provides insight into the processes by which business development can be supported. In addition, strategic awareness capability can be considered a core competence of the small business and conceptualised in terms of different levels of experience, and expertise. As a result, small firms with varying levels of experience face different challenges and needs when using and developing strategic awareness capability.

The Uncertainty of Knowing: An Analysis of the Nature of Knowledge in a Small Business Context

Experiencing and coping with uncertainty is common to most small businesses. The knowledge that is generated and applied as a result is a product of and a response to this condition, and so can be considered as knowing in and through practice. A consideration of knowledge as contingent upon unpredictable internal and external factors leads to the identification of multiple types of knowledge-asknowing. As such, knowledge within small businesses can be characterized as contextualized ‘bundles’ of knowing that are shaped by, and in turn shape, the business and the uncertainty of its internal dynamics and external environment.

Structuring qualitative enquiry in management and organization research: A dialogue on the merits of using software for qualitative data analysis

Purpose – To explore the cases for and against the use of computer‐assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) in qualitative organisation and management research.Design/methodology/approach – Reflecting the debate inherent in the questions raised about the use of CAQDAS, a dialogue between the authors is used.Findings – There are risks associated with using CAQDAS without considering its underpinning principles and assumptions about data analysis. If these are considered explicitly as part of a research methodology, then CAQDAS may be a valuable analytical tool. If not, there is risk of distortion and bias in results from the use of CAQDAS.Originality/value – The paper addresses a commonly posed question for qualitative researchers, in a format and structure that is likely to stimulate further debate.

Unbundling enterprise and entrepreneurship: From perceptions and preconceptions to concept and practice

Enterprise, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs are terms that are subject to particular depictions and representations that do not always reflect their actual nature. Publicly held and shared perceptions and preconceptions tend to lead to stereotypes, caricatures and distortions that preclude or obstruct real insight into these phenomena. A case is made for a reconsideration of the key terms, particularly via a grounding of analysis and experience in actual events and conditions. The paper concludes by defining entrepreneurship as being both a state – of being an entrepreneur, and a behaviour – of being entrepreneurial. From this perspective, entrepreneurship extends beyond limited conceptualizations of its close association with business start-up and growth to incorporate enterprising activity and dynamics across society and its institutions.

Publication trends and patterns in entrepreneurship: The case of The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Purpose – This paper considers the models, methodologies, techniques and data utilised in articles published in The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation over the period 1999‐2003, in an attempt to determine theoretical and methodological trends and themes emerging from within the literature. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers articles published in the journal from multiple perspectives including: methods of data analysis, epistemological frameworks deployed, dominant academic disciplines and geographical location of the authors. Topic areas and keywords associated with each article are examined in order to identify particular foci for publication and to broadly determine the “topography” of published output. Findings – The broad publication profile was of more quantitative than qualitative papers, with some consideration of policy issues. Research limitations/implications – Analysis is confined to an example of one journal in the field and thus its comparative validity is limited. Practical implications – A very useful account of publication trends in the discipline. The article is of value to academics who are seeking to publish. Indicates the methodological trends that are utilised in the discipline. Originality/value – This is an innovative investigation into publication trends in the discipline.

Localised strategies for supporting incubation : Strategies arising from a case of rural enterprise development

Purpose – To generate and test a coherent framework of incubation strategies and interventions that can be deployed to encourage enterprise development through new venture creation in local economies.Design/methodology/approach – Postal questionnaire to new ventures, combined with ongoing engagement of and consultation with incubation practitioners and local economic development professionals.Findings – Seven generic incubation strategies were identified and developed. Four focus on a premises‐driven approach to incubation, and three on a more process‐based approach. All seven strategies represent opportunities for tailored and hence targeted approaches to the development of incubators and incubation services.Research limitations/implications – The study focused on one rural county in England. There is a need to test the strategies in other contexts, to determine their wider relevance.Practical implications – The seven incubation strategies can be used to develop tailored approaches to incubation, within ...

Examining clusters formation from the 'bottom-up': an analysis of four cases in the North of England

The role of clusters and clustering in economic development is of current policy interest, in part because of analyses and studies that have associated these forms of collaboration with regional and local prosperity and development. Although some of the literature supports or starts from this association, there are also critiques of the clusters concept and its feasibility as a policy development and intervention strategy. Intrinsic to part of these concerns has been a view that clusters cannot be created without business involvement and input at the heart of the process. The paper addresses this issue via an examination of four cases of potential clusters development from the perspectives of the businesses involved. Although clear evidence for the existence of a cluster could only be established definitively in one of the four cases, there were extensive indications of clustering as a collaborative activity across all four cases. Based on this, a process of clusters formation and emergence was developed that applied to the cases. This process consists of several phases of clusters emergence and points to three stages of clusters development: potential, emerging, and established. A key implication is that processes of clusters formation may provide an opportunity for the formulation of ‘bottom-up’, contextually sensitive clusters development strategies for groups of businesses.

From “fat pigs” and “red hats” to a “new social stratum”

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the development and implementation of enterprise policy in China, and the emergence of intermediaries and local strategies designed to encourage SME development.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on interviews and workshops held with local and national government in 2003 and 2006, and informed by reference to and analysis of the policy and academic literature.Findings – The dynamics and nature of local implementation of national enterprise legislation are mapped out, indicating an interactive dynamic between central government directive, local government adoption and response, and localised dynamics of enterprise and economic development. This “three‐way” model provides a nuanced explanation of local implementation of national enterprise legislation.Practical implications – The framework can be used at the municipal level to understand how national enterprise legislation can be implemented. The framework also points to wider patterns of local implementati...

Cases of start‐up financing: An analysis of new venture capitalisation structures and patterns

Purpose – This paper seeks to understand the dynamics of new venture financing across 20 business start‐ups.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 20 cases were explored, via initial discussions with the founder(s), and follow‐up contact to confirm sources of financing acquired during new venture creation. This approach was adopted because of the challenges associated with acquiring full details of start‐up financing, and in particular informal forms of new venture financing.Findings – Significant variation in, and scale of, new venture financing was identified. In multiple cases, funding patterns did not tally with established explanations of small business financing.Research limitations/implications – The primary limitation of the analysis is the focus on a small number of individual cases. Although this allowed for more detailed analysis, it does not make the findings applicable across the small business population as a whole. New ventures acquired very different forms of finance, and in different co...

Preparing for business start‐up: “pre‐start” activities in the new venture creation dynamic

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine the activities and behaviours of potential entrepreneurs as they move towards engagement in business start‐up.Design/methodology/approach – Based on in‐depth engagement with seven founders of new businesses, and informed by a review of the relevant literature.Findings – A series of transitions towards business start‐up are identified, which in turn produced a five‐step framework for examining and understanding the “pre‐start” phase of preparation for entrepreneurship.Research limitations/implications – The case‐based approach provided detailed and contextualised insight into how a small group of founders prepared for business start‐up. There may be a need to test the framework with a larger group of business founders to assess its wider relevance and applicability.Practical implications – The pre‐start framework identifies how individuals progress towards start‐up, and so could be used as the basis for a programme to encourage individuals to move throug...