David Moyes

A conceptualisation of the relationship capital of rural small service firms

Rural southwest Scotland relies to an atypically large extent on its small firms. This research adopts a qualitative approach to explore and map the relationships of 12 rural SMEs in the service sector. Although formal networks are underdeveloped in rural southwest Scotland, business owners determine alternative ways of overcoming many of the constraints which they face. Insights into the ways in which rural SMEs function within their environment reveal that the more agile rural SMEs have overcome their lack of access to networks.

Rural small firm service quality: an exploratory study

Purpose – Rural entrepreneurship research traditionally focuses on the farmer or rural communities. Little work has been done to examine the ways in which small rural firms operating in and around rural towns develop their service quality priorities. This study seeks to examine the approaches to service quality of 12 such businesses and compare their priorities for service quality with the evaluation criteria of rural service consumers.Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a multi‐method approach within the qualitative paradigm. A total of 12 business‐owners were interviewed and the critical incident technique (CIT) was employed with 60 rural consumers.Findings – The service priorities of rural service firms and their customers do not match. The businesses privilege tangible aspects of their service delivery, but the primary cause of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction is found to be the behaviour of service staff. The service quality propositions of the businesses are driven by the compete...

From charity to social enterprise: the marketization of social care

Purpose In Scotland, the self-directed support (SDS) legislation is a catch-all payment system which brings challenges to local authorities, service delivery organisations and the service users it is intended to empower. Set against a backdrop of cuts to local authorities and third-sector funding, this policy presents third-sector organisations with both the opportunities and challenges of commercialising their activities to become more sustainable. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence of the challenges faced by one charity as it engages in a process of hybridity to accommodate changes in its funding due to the introduction of SDS. Design/methodology/approach The paper utilises a case study approach. The paper captures the experiences and views of managers, staff and parents advocating for their children through interviews with a purposive sample from each group. The challenges of gathering data and giving a voice to caregivers advocating for children with complex needs are discussed, particularly the difficulties in accessing a hard to reach group. Findings The findings identifies issues which have arisen because of the proposed changed in strategic direction of the organisation due to the introduction of SDS and are all related to hybridity. The findings are arranged in four sub-sections based on the themes that emerged from the qualitative data generated from the interviews: the practical delivery of care; tensions between care and quality, the care workforce, and the parent perspective. Research limitations/implications SDS policy has had unexpected impacts and reactions whilst rolling out across regions in Scotland, but policymakers and those involved in the care sector, including consumers, face significant challenges in gathering evidence not only from the vulnerable populations this policy affects but also from organisations already under pressure from austerity-led cuts. This paper presents the challenges to organisations involved in caring for children with complex needs, who are a particularly neglected group of stakeholders. Practical implications Organically arising barriers to organisational transition from charity to social enterprise are presented, as staff and caregivers react to the prospect of SDS uptake affecting their organisation. Proactive attempts to embrace a hybrid approach by the organisation are analysed. Social implications Understanding how social care organisations and clients are reacting to the implementation of individual payments as opposed to the previous system of block contracts is crucial as the sector faces very real prospects of organisations closing when individuals are able to pick and choose care. A policy based on choice and control for the consumer risks removing choice through a loss of services in the marketplace, leaving vulnerable populations at risk. Originality/value This study is unique. No research has been done exploring the transition of charities servicing children with complex needs in anticipation of self-directed payments creating an open market. The paper further contributes to the existing knowledge regarding hybrid organisations within the third sector.

Testing the three Rs model of service quality

Purpose – Building on previous work (Cano and Moyes, 2013; Moyes, 2012) this study further develops the proposition that word-of-mouth (WOM) and customer retention are enhanced through the “three Rs” of service quality; namely, reliability, responsiveness and recovery. Work to date in this field has developed and tested the model in two different rural locations. However, there may be underlying factors in rural areas which cause the correlation between customer satisfaction and loyalty behaviour to be overstated. Therefore, to control for the possibly distorting effects of rurality, the purpose of this paper is to examine the loyalty responses of urban service-users. Design/methodology/approach – Using the critical incident technique a study of young, relatively affluent women was carried out in a city-centre in Scotland. The study was carried out in spring 2014 over a one-week period. Results were analysed using qualitative analysis software. Findings – Results confirmed the validity of the three Rs mod...

Supporting knowledge exchange in rural business—A case story from Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

This study arose from a knowledge exchange project whereby business support and knowledge exchange opportunities were provided to rural small businesses as an academic outreach programme. We review how academic support to small businesses in rural Southwest Scotland was delivered. Academic support for micro-business in Southwest Scotland is an under-researched topic. The owners volunteered to share their experiences of this support with the wider business community and university staff acted as consultants and researchers, mentoring the businesses and developing insights into rural business support. The article describes the processes and outcomes of the project, and the factors which affected the ability of the businesses to take advantage of academic business support. We utilised a case-study approach, in-depth interviews and follow-ups over a one-year period, later adding a longitudinal perspective. Our findings indicate that rural factors, business life cycle stage, sectoral skills availability along with the specific market and organisational context combine to create challenges for small business owners and impact on their ability to access and benefit from business support services. The results are significant for business engagement strategies of universities and for business support policy for small and micro-businesses in geographically isolated regions. The participant-consultant roles of the researchers facilitated the development of rich, ‘insider’ insights into this neglected topic.

Contrasting Perceptions of the Challenges of Rural SMEs: Reconciling Enterprise and Agency Views

Abstract Purpose It is important that agency advice and support for SMEs in rural areas is congruent with how business-owners perceive their needs and challenges. To explore how well matched these two sides are, this chapter investigates the difficulties faced by small businesses operating in rural southwest Scotland. Methodology/approach In-depth interviews with business influencers (those whose activities affect businesses either through application of policy initiatives, development of policy or the giving of business advice) and owner-managers of rural businesses compare and contrast the perceptions of the challenges of rurality for small businesses. Findings Mismatches are revealed between the concerns of rural business-owners and what business influencers understand them to be. Business influencers consider that structural weaknesses and a ‘lifestyle’ business culture in the region inhibit growth, but business owners are strategic in their business aspirations and approaches to growth. However, they are also highly critical of the promotion of the region and concerned about the misunderstanding of potential visitors that the region is remote and difficult to access. Research limitations This chapter reports experiences in a particular rural location; such experiences are typical of many rural regions and, thus, the findings should be transferable. Practical implications The region’s economic strategy focuses on reducing the significant prosperity gap with the rest of the country. Key to this is the development of indigenous business sectors. However, the policy interventions derived from a misapprehension of the constraints and underpinning culture of indigenous businesses are unlikely to be successful and may be counter-productive. Originality value Contrasting the perspectives of those who do business with those who influence business reveals issues of understanding which need to be addressed.