Kate Lewis

Crossing fields: the case of a multi-disciplinary research team:

There are increasing opportunities for researchers to work in multi-disciplinary research teams; however, the extensive literature on research practice barely refers to the challenges inherent in this approach. The article describes the experience of a multi-disciplinary team which was engaged in investigating the nature of technological learning in relation to productivity improvement in the dairy farming industry in New Zealand. The largely qualitative, multi-method approach taken to the project by the team is described, and the description supplemented by reflection on the factors that led to the key decisions in the research design process, and the consequences of these decisions.

Delivering enterprise education in New Zealand

The aim of enterprise education is to develop in individuals (particularly the young) a set of skills and attitudes that will allow them to be both job creators and job seekers, and help them contribute to the “knowledge economy”. In New Zealand there is heightened interest in the potential contribution of enterprise education to these goals and the promotion of self‐employment as a legitimate work option. At the same time, participation levels in enterprise education programmes for secondary school students such as the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) are increasing. There are also moves to expand the types of enterprise education programmes available. However, there is little empirical evidence in New Zealand that demonstrates the impact of programmes like the YES, or which looks at the different ways in which such programmes are delivered. Deals with one of the objectives of an evaluation of the YES programme, where the researchers sought to identify attributes of effective programme delivery from the perspective of the key stakeholders. Concludes that “best practice” in this context is inappropriate as it implies that a single model of practice exists.

Business assistance for SMEs: New Zealand owner‐managers make their assessment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the business assistance realities of New Zealand small and medium enterprise (SME) owner‐managers in order to better understand those experiences in terms of their ability to identify and use what is provided.Design/methodology/approach – Site visits were made to 51 small firms that had been recruited from a random sample of 500 New Zealand firms that employed up to 50 full‐time equivalent staff and were in the “manufacturing” or “service” sector. An interview was then carried out with the owner‐manager of the firm.Findings – The owner‐managers of some SMEs interact with the support infrastructure regularly, while others do not. The sources of business assistance most frequently accessed where not necessarily those that were subsequently perceived as being the most useful or significant.Research limitations/implications – The findings are limited in their generalisability due to the research methodology and research context. However, the conclusions will b...

Toward enriching united career theory: familial entrepreneurship and copreneurship

This paper explores the overlapping domains of business/firm and family. Suggests that the descriptor of “joint careers” is preferable to that of symbiotic careers. Describes what we term the primary career and auxiliary career which often go to make up a joint career. Both strands of career are a prerequisite for the resilience and success of the family business. The example of youth entrepreneurship is dealt with to show the possibility of an inversion of the traditional roles with the parents’ career becoming ancillary to that of their offspring. Empirical observations from New Zealand are drawn on to illustrate our discussion. It is hoped that ideas discussed in this paper will aid the understandings of further dimensions and properties of the “thread” of the theory of the boundaryless career and help move forward the research agenda on the united career trajectory.

The best of intentions: future plans of Young Enterprise Scheme participants

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on an evaluation of the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) in New Zealand. In particular, it aims to present data relating to what influence the YES has on the career intentions and employability of student participants.Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected via a questionnaire disseminated to YES participants. A total of 512 responses were received, which equated to 29 per cent of all participants in 2001.Findings – The findings show that, to some extent, participating in the YES does influence the choices students make about further study and future work opportunities. The YES appears to have a greater impact on those students who are exposed to enterprising role models through their family and friends.Research limitations/implications – The findings of the evaluation are not generalisable beyond the YES programme or the New Zealand context.Originality/value – The paper addresses a gap in the knowledge regarding enterprise education by reporting...

Learning by doing: six dimensions of complexity in researching SMEs

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to present practical methodological insights into doing research with the owner-managers of small and medium enterprises. Design/methodology/approach - Practical methodological lessons are reported from a project involving interviews with owner-managers of a set of 50 firms recruited from a random sample of 500 New Zealand “manufacturing” or “service” firms employing 5-50 full-time staff. Findings - The experiences of the project team were reflected on, refined, and presented as six practical “lessons” to be considered by others contemplating engaging with SMEs to achieve a research objective. Research limitations/implications - The findings are subjective (in that, they are the opinions and experiences of the researchers involved) and are derived from a specific context (the SME sector in New Zealand). Originality/value - The paper contributes to the small, but growing, body of literature that specifically deals with “good practice” research methodology in relation to small firms.

Enacting Entrepreneurship and Leadership: A Longitudinal Exploration of Gendered Identity Work

Entrepreneurship and leadership are enacted as examples of practice and taken on as forms of identity; they are also both understood to be gendered constructions. The paper explores how entrepreneurial leadership is enacted by a female entrepreneur over time and how being a leader is integrated into entrepreneurial identity development via gendered identity work. The empirical foundation of the paper is a longitudinal case study of a ew ealand female entrepreneur that is informed by primary data spanning almost a decade (2005–2014). The data were collected via multiple, in‐depth, narrative interviews and analyzed using the framework of interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Exploring Firm Development in the Context of New Zealand SMEs

Abstract The relative strengths and weaknesses of ‘stages of development ‘ models for explaining small firm growth have attracted significant research attention. Despite this there remains little consensus regarding the ways in which SME owner-managers and their firms experience growth, and the transitions and milestones it comprises. In an attempt to heed the call for ongoing investigations into this phenomenon this paper reports on a project investigating the topic in the context of New Zealand small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Findings from 50 interviews with small firm owner-managers are reported, along with conclusions and suggestions for future research.

The entrepreneurship-motherhood nexus

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use boundaryless career theory as a perspective from which to explore understanding related to the interplay between life-stage and career transitions in women; and, specifically, the life-stage-related event of motherhood relative to the transition from corporate employment to self-employment. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative longitudinal research design was operationalized over a four-year period and data from both primary and secondary sources were collected in relation to four New Zealand case studies. Findings – The findings highlight how life-stage events such as motherhood can have a profound influence on both the perception and enactment of careers and career transitions. In total, two primary micro-processes were identified in relation to the career transitions of the female participants into self-employment and were labeled “traditional employment” (relating to role change; integrating work and life domains; opportunity seeking; and support) a...

The power of interaction rituals: The Student Volunteer Army and the Christchurch earthquakes

This article is based on an example of socially entrepreneurial practice – the creation of the Student Volunteer Army – by a young New Zealander, Sam Johnson, immediately after a natural disaster: the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. Collins’ interaction ritual chain theory is used as a theoretical framework for examining the micro-sociological interactions that underpinned this socially innovative response during a state of emergency. The emotion and power generated via these chains of interaction rituals (within and beyond the socially entrepreneurial Student Volunteer Army) had significant impact and positive outcomes that spilled over advantageously. The article finds relevance in examining micro-interaction rituals within bounded contexts as a result of their potential to result in macro-behavioural and/or cultural changes.