Patricia D. Olson

The impact of the family and the business on family business sustainability

Identifies strategies that would help familiesincrease both business and family success. Data from the 1997 National FamilyBusiness Survey were used to gather a nationally representative sample offamily businesses. Using this sample, three types of interviews were conducted:a screen interview to establish eligibility, a household manager interview, anda business manager interview. Findings indicate that, contrary to business theory assumptions, the effectof the family on business ventures is large. The most important finding is thatthe success of the business depended on family processes and how the familyresponded to disruptions rather than simply how the owner managed the businessalone. Key factors that lead to increased revenue include: reducing familytension, hiring temporary help during hectic periods, reallocating sleep timerather than family time to the business, and living in a two- orthree-generation family. This study is one of the first empirical studies to utilize the sustainablefamily business (SFB) model as its guide—a brief review of previous research onthe SFB model is also presented.(SFL)

Women's Role Involvement in Family Businesses, Business Tensions, and Business Success

This paper is based on a study of 391 family-business-owning couples where the husband is the business owner. The purpose of the study was to examine the work involvement of the wife in the business, the business tensions, and the impact of those tensions on family business success. Fifty-seven percent of wives worked in the business, 47% of whom were paid. Forty-two percent of wives were considered major decision makers. Having more than one decision maker in the business impacted certain types of inclusion tension. Business and family success outcomes varied by level of tensions. There was initial evidence of a threshold where business tensions begin to affect business success negatively.

Self-Employed Hispanics and Hispanic Wage Earners: Differences in Earnings

The influence of employment sector on the income of Hispanics is examined using data from the 1990 U.S. Decennial Census. Human capital theory is augmented with measures of acculturation, and income equations are estimated separately for self-employed Hispanics and Hispanic wage earners. The results suggest that self-employment offers economic benefits. The importance of acculturation varies by employment sector. Decomposition of the differences in income between self-employed Hispanics and Hispanic wage earners indicates that these income differences are due more to differences in worker characteristics between the two employment sectors than to differences in rates of return to these characteristics.

Hispanic Self-Employment: Does Gender Matter?.

With the increase in female self-employment, there is a need to examine the intersection between race/ethnicity and gender. This study examined whether gender differences in income exist for self-employed Hispanics residing in California using data from the 1990 U.S. decennial census. Theories stressing human capital, social capital, and acculturation were combined and income equations were estimated separately for Hispanic self-employed men and Hispanic self-employed women. The sample consisted of 7,760 Hispanic self-employed persons (64% self-employed men versus 36% self-employed women). Multiple regression analysis suggests income differences in self-employment do exist by gender. For example, having less than a high school education relative to being a high school graduate decreased self-employment income for both men and women, but the effect was larger for men. Furthermore, decomposition analysis suggests income differences between genders are due both to differences in worker characteristics and rates of return to these characteristics.

The road to recovery from a natural disaster: voices from the community

The studys major theme is that community sustainability after natural disasters depends on adaptive capacities of individuals, families and businesses. Action research grounded in a community resilience theory (Norris, Stevens, Pfefferbaum, Wyche, & Pfefferbaum, 2008) and NVOADs (National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) recovery model assumptions found support for five community implementation strategies used in a rural communitys flood recovery and resilience process. Two years after the flood devastated over 90% of businesses and 65% of homes, collective, yet varied, community voices shared what worked and what did not work.

Welfare to Well-Being Transition

Welfare to well-being leads to better quality of life for families and communities. Around the world, societies are experimenting and shifting policies that address welfare to well-being for families and communities. In the U.S., the greatest shift in several decades has occurred with the welfare reform policies. These shifts have placed at issue the extent to which individuals and families and governments contribute to self-sufficiency and sustainability of their members and the collective whole in society. The paper addresses: a framework for thinking about sustaining well-being in the context of making transitions from welfare for the few to well-being for the many; a research illustration of focus group findings on the meaning of self-sufficiency for families who are currently receiving one type of welfare (food stamps); and the opportunities emerging in the context of the interaction of the family and society at the community, state, national and global level that allows for a wholistic response to issues around well-being and quality of life studies.