Claudio Romano

A "citation classics" analysis of articles in contemporary small enterprise research

Abstract This research study has two distinct steps: (1) a quantitative analysis to identify the citation classics in contemporary small enterprise research (CSER) and (2) a more qualitative discussion of the contributions of these classical articles. The motivation of the study is to reveal the evolution of thought in the relatively new field of entrepreneurship research. CSER is defined as all main articles published during 1986–1992 in the Journal of Small Business Management, International Small Business Journal, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, Journal of Business Venturing, Small Business Economics, and the Asia Pacific International Management Forum. The resultant analysis encompasses 725 articles and approximately 16,720 of their citations. The quantitative analysis revealed that the source journals have been responsible for the publication of 35% of the most cited articles during the 18-year period of analysis, with each subperiod increasing the percentage of citations from these source journals. The qualitative analysis of the citation classics articles indicated that more than 50% of CSER articles are well grounded in observational and contemplative theory building with a view to developing convergent theories that provide an overall understanding of the entrepreneurial process. This is similar to the pattern of citations in other emerging fields. This citation classics analysis reveals a number of points. First, the main topic areas of inquiry in the citations classics were: personal characteristics of entrepreneurs, financing and venture capital, and entrepreneurial climate and its relation to society, and strategy and growth. Of these, the personal characteristics of entrepreneurs was a consistent topic over the entire CSER period. However, the general diversity of topic areas provides some empirical support for the “garbage can model” synthesized from earlier studies of emerging fields in which diversity in topic areas has been characterized as a loose collection of ideas rather than a coherent structure with a shared intellectual paradigm. A similar characterization can be made of the entrepreneurial research during the CSER period. Second, the most evident methodology was observational and contemplative theory building, although empirically based survey techniques were gaining favor in the latter two periods. Third, the dominant objective of most research was to improve the understanding of small enterprise theory. This dominance of the theory building literature has also been observed in other citation studies of emerging fields. Fourth, it appears that many of the most cited articles have drawn upon the literature of related and nonrelated disciplines. Many of these articles have been exploratory in nature and have attempted to rationalize concepts and variables used in small enterprise research. Finally, CSER citation classics have been impacted only by Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Small Business Management, and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice among the source journals.

The role of marketing

Research concerning the impact of marketing in the development of small enterprise research is extremely limited. Explores the role of marketing in the development of small enterprise research through the examination of 42 marketing‐related studies of small firm settings. Defines small enterprise research (SER) as all main articles published during the 1986‐1992 period in the Journal of Small Business Management; International Small Business Journal; Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice; Journal of Business Venturing; Small Business Economics; and Asia Pacific International Management Forum. The three major research thrusts that are identified from this literature are: marketing as a culture; marketing as a strategy; and marketing as tactics. Discusses key issues and findings associated with each thrust.

Work-Family Conflict: A Study of American and Australian Family Businesses

This study examines causal pathways linking work strain to anxiety among Australian and American family business owners. To date, there has been no empirical test of strain-based, work-family conflict models on family businesses; nor have there been comparisons made between Australian and American business owners. This paper suggests a specific causal model and provides country-specific and comparative evidence for that model. The suggested model includes mediation and moderation mechanisms that link work strain and anxiety from the perspective of business owners. Data for the research were obtained through the administration of essentially identical questionnaires in the two countries in 1999. Results show that the proposed model fits the data reasonably well, regardless of the type of firm and country.

An Evaluation of the Decision Usefulness of Cash Flow Statements by Australian Reporting Entities

Abstract In June 1991, the Australian Accounting Standards Board issued AASB 1026, Statement of Cash Flows. Since replacing the funds flow statement, the new accounting standard has become a compulsory part of Australian corporate financial reporting. In contrast to cash flow developments in the US and UK. the emergence of AASB 1026 has been preceded by almost no significant research attention by Australian academics. This study surveyed the attitudes to cash flow statements of 210 public companies listed on the Australian stock exchange. Findings revealed that there was particularly strong support for the essential provisions of AASB 1026 and the underlying principles of cash flow reporting. The results indicated that the cash flow statement is important for a wide variety of internal and external decision contexts, and appealed to a wide range of users. Furthermore, compared with previous research (e.g. McEnroe, 1989), the present survey demonstrated that operating profit was not considered by a large n...

A Citation Analysis of the Impact of Journals on Contemporary Small Enterprise Research

Small Enterprise journals have played an increasingly important role in the dissemination of information, particularly in the last decade. This study explores the impact of small enterprise journals and articles on contemporary small enterprise research (CSER) through the examination of a sample of 725 articles and approximately 16,720 of their citations. CSER is defined as all main articles published during 1986–1992 in the Journal of Small Business Management, International Small Business Journal, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Business Venturing, Small Business Economics and Asia Pacific International Management Forum. One of the conclusions of the study is that the source journal articles as a group initially had a minimal impact on contemporary small enterprise research, although there is evidence of an increasing level of impact in the more recent years. It is also evident from the present study that the Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice have had the greatest impact on the development and advancement on contemporary small enterprise research.

Development of a Measure of the Characteristics of Family Business

In Australia and, for that matter, globally, family business represents the most significant form of company ownership and is the largest employer group (Department of Industry, Science & Technology, 1995; Lank, 1995). Despite the significance of family business, few investigations have evaluated issues relating to the reliability and validity of measures used to collect data. This study is part of a larger evaluation that aims to develop a reliable and valid measure of family business. Findings from this research will help establish a reliable and valid measure of family businesses that may be used in other studies in this area.

Accounting honours programmes: perceived benefits

The present study extended the findings of a previous study that honours programmes provide substantial benefits to faculty academics, students and professional accounting recruiters. Seventy-seven accounting recruiters, 78 faculty academics and 101 honours students were surveyed on the perceived benefits of accounting honours programmes. Significant differences were found between recruiters and academics and between recruiters and honours students on all ratings. Significant differences were found between academics and honours students on five of the seven common statements. The significant differences between the views of recruiters and the other two groups raise an important question concerning accounting education and practice: why are views of recruiters significantly different from those of academics and students?

EFFECTS OF FORMAL PLANNING AND CONTROL ON GROWTH: A CASE STUDY APPROACH

While planning and control and their impact on small firm growth are implicit in many academic discussions, much of our understanding of these phenomena are based on speculation and opinion. Thus, they seem neglected areas of small business research. This paper seeks to improve the understanding of formal planning and control systems and their relationship to the growth of small business in Australian manufacturing. First, a framework is developed which incorporates the main contextual variables which independently and simultaneously have been shown to have a major relationship with growth. Second, the study provides empirically-based qualitative evidence to further the understanding of causality in the growth of small business by focusing on how formal planning and control systems are embedded within the external or internal contextual variables of small business and the characteristics of their management. Evidence is also provided as to the conditions and circumstances under which formal planning and control are likely to be most effective in controlling the effects of contextual variables, and to the differences between high growth and low growth firms in the use of formal planning and control. The findings of this study are important for two principal reasons. First, it has provided the opportunity to conduct exploratory research into how a small business is managed within the context in which the processes are applied. Second, it has provided the opportunity to identify factors which encourage or discourage small firms to plan, thus providing a better understanding of the planning and control process adopted by small firms.