Monder Ram

Case-Study Method in Small Business and Entrepreneurial Research Mapping Boundaries and Perspectives

The case-study method has a long and respected history in the mainstream management literature. The philosophy and implications of the case-study method have received considerable attention and there are a number of standard texts on the approach. The method is also gaining acceptance, along with other qualitative methods, within the small business and entrepreneurial research community. Yet there has been little discussion of the distinctive philosophical consequences of applying the case-study approach in this area. This article will address this gap by mapping the paradigms adopted by small business and entrepreneurial case-study researchers. This will provide a platform upon which to explore the consequences of the paradigmatic position that researchers adopt.

Fix or fixation? The contributions and limitations of entrepreneurship and small firms to combating social exclusion

Notions of social inclusion and the need to combat social exclusion have become popular areas of attention in academic and policy circles. The importance of small firms and entrepreneurship as a means to raising inclusion has been emphasized in these new agendas. A priori, there are a number of reasons why small businesses may be regarded as providing opportunities for social inclusion. However, in this paper we argue that the recent expectations of the role of small firms and entrepreneurship in combating social exclusion are over optimistic. Some of the assumptions on which these expectations are based are questioned. Instead, we suggest that attention should start by a clearer understanding of the concept of social exclusion. Individual economic strategies, in the form of small business activity, can make some contribution but because of the complex multidimensional nature of social exclusion, over-inflated claims should be avoided. When these claims are not achieved there may be a danger of a policy backlash against the promotion of business ownership and disaffection amongst those who fail to realize their goals. This paper draws on secondary evidence and concludes with implications for policy and suggestions for further research.

Policies to support ethnic minority enterprise: the English experience

Continued political enthusiasm for encouraging entrepreneurship in the UK is beginning to influence business support policy towards black and minority ethnic businesses (BMEBs). The Small Business Service (SBS; the government agency charged with providing business support to small firms in England) has an explicit remit to cater for entrepreneurs from all sections of society. This is an important development given the widely noted reluctance of BMEBs to avail themselves of the services of mainstream business support agencies. This paper aims to assess the extent to which policy aspirations in relation to BMEBs have been realized. A survey of Business Links (the agencies contracted to deliver SBS services in England) and interviews with key informants are drawn upon to address three questions: To what extent do Business Links have a policy to support BMEBs? What form are initiatives to support BMEBs taking? How can these experiences inform a policy agenda towards BMEBs? The findings suggest that uneven and under-developed approaches to the support of BMEBS are commonplace. However, some encouraging examples of potentially fruitful initiatives are in evidence, which may reflect a growing awareness of the particular needs of BMEBs. A number of guidelines for future policy are presented, including the importance of diversity within mainstream provision; the need for an engagement strategy; improved access to finance; the promotion of sectoral diversity; and better evaluation.

Reassessing Portfolio Entrepreneurship

Portfolio entrepreneurship, that is the simultaneous ownership of several businesses, is becoming an important theme in the small business research literature. To date, however, there have been few dedicated empirical investigations of the phenomenon. This article analyses research on portfolio entrepreneurship that has been derived from a wide range of subject literatures, including economic sociology, cultural anthropology and agricultural economics. The aim is to provide a deeper understanding of the motivations for portfolio entrepreneurship approaches and the processes associated with it.

The Impact of the National Minimum Wage in Small Firms

The introduction of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) had potentially significant implications for small firms. Orthodox economic theory predicts adverse consequences, though institutional analysis points to potential efficiency as well as fairness effects. Using longitudinal data on 55 firms, this paper examines the impact of the NMW in small firms in clothing manufacture and hotel and catering. Different patterns of adjustment were observed, explained by both size and sector characteristics. Overall, the impact of the NMW was mediated by the informality of employment relations in the small firm.

Staying Underground: Informal Work, Small Firms, and Employment Regulation in the United Kingdom:

Why does a universal labor law, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in the United Kingdom, have little effect on firms operating in the informal economy? In explaining this particular empirical puzzle, the authors go beyond dominant accounts of the informal economy—the neo-liberal and the marginalization theses—to develop analysis based on the negotiation of consent within the labor process. Evidence from employers and employees in 17 firms is presented. The informal sector developed social relations of work that operated independently of the NMW, a key aspect being a tacit negotiation of order even under conditions apparently unhelpful to such practices. Informality was deeply embedded in relations of work that continued to reproduce themselves.

Ethnic-Minority Businesses in the UK: A Review of Research and Policy Developments

In recent years there have been important academic and policy-related developments in the field of ethnic-minority entrepreneurship in the UK. It is a subject that is marked by increasing theoretical sophistication and activity on the part of policy makers and practitioners. We investigate the principal theoretical and policy developments in UK research, and identify issues for future investigation. In relation to theoretical developments, the contribution of a ‘mixed-embeddedness’ perspective is highlighted; this stresses the importance of social, economic, and institutional processes (rather than ‘ethnic culture’). Although the number of initiatives directed at ethnic-minority businesses is growing, their effectiveness in promoting ‘upward mobility’ is still open to question. Further attention needs to be accorded to the rationale and ultimate beneficiaries of such measures. Future research needs to locate ethnic-minority entrepreneurship in its political and economic contexts. Potential new topics for policy and research include: the social contribution of ethnic-minority entrepreneurship, ethnic-minority women in self-employment, and ‘new communities’.

Praising Caesar Not Burying Him: What We Know about Employment Relations in Small Firms

ike the central character, frozen in time, in the first ‘Austin Powers’ film, Barrett and Rainnie (2002) see little development in the field of small firm industrial relations since their earlier work (Rainnie, 1989). Hence we are asked to believe that extant research has yet to tackle the ‘small is beautiful’ stereotype, has accorded insufficient attention to structural forces, and has neglected employee responses to the structurally-generated uncertainties that beset working lives in small firms. The re-presentation of Rainnie’s (1989) typology is offered by Barrett and Rainnie (hereafter B and R) as an attempt to awaken researchers to the merits of their ‘integrated approach to small firm industrial relations’. In this response, we argue that B and R overstate their contribution, while underplaying that of more recent research to the field. Their cause is not assisted by an often incomplete reading of previous studies. A response to B and R is important for one key reason. As in many other areas of the sociology of work and organizations, a picture is presented of theoretical disarray. Yet, on the contrary, work on small firms in Britain is a key exemplar of analytical advance, as argued by Edwards (1995, 2001). One illustration is the extent to which sophisticated treatments of small firms are appearing in British textbooks (e.g. Blyton and Turnbull, 1998: 252–67; Dundon et al., 2001; Scase, 1995). By contrast, research in many other countries has said little about these firms. A search through ten years of leading US journals in the fields of sociology, work and employment, and industrial relations produced no significant examples of research papers on behaviour in small firms.1 British

Surviving on the Margins of the Economy: Working Relationships in Small, Low-Wage Firms

How do small low-wage firms continue to survive on the margins of a modern economy? Continuous restructuring provides a set of spaces but what sorts of firm occupy them and how far do these firms exercise active choice? Four research projects, embracing data on 123 firms, have offered empirical analysis. The present paper draws together these projects and derives an analytical framework linking the product and labour market contexts of small firms with their family context. Survival reflects the continued supply of labour through kinship networks and the ability of firms to respond actively to product market opportunities. The value of the framework for small-firm research generally is illustrated through discussion of further lines of inquiry.

Shades of grey in the informal economy

Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the influence of the national minimum wage (NMW) in the UK to small business owners operating in the informal economy.Design/methodology/approach – Using the clothing and restaurant sectors as a context, the responses of ethnic minority employers operating in the informal economy are examined in the light of market and regulatory change (notably, the NMW). Case studies are undertaken with 17 business owners and their workers. Given the sensitivity of the information required (reasons for non‐compliance; avoidance strategies; labour use), industry “insiders” were deployed to gain access.Findings – The findings highlight considerable diversity in employer responses, despite the focus on two comparative narrow market sectors. This has implications for both neo‐liberal approaches to the informal economy, and the so‐called “marginalisation” thesis.Research limitations/implications – Provides an insight into a neglected segment of the informal economy. Future studies should...