Zeev Greenberg

Comparison of very small businesses of Arabs and Jews in the North Israel periphery

Very small businesses owned by Arabs and Jews in the north of Israel are compared and discussed along several dimensions: education and experience of the entrepreneurs, field and location of businesses, business success, formal and informal support of businesses, and strengths and weaknesses of the businesses. The main finding of the study is the contrasting tendencies of small businesses in the Arab and Jewish sectors: the majority of Arab entrepreneurs reported a decrease in profit while most Jews pointed to a profit increase. We relate this to differences in the structure of the business fields that in turn depend on targeted market segments and product characteristics.

The developing in the developed: Rural SME growth in Israel

This study explores differentiating factors in employment growth between young small and medium-sized enterprises in rural regions and their application in developing economies. We applied a mixed-method approach, including a survey of 155 new ventures in Israel, an economy whose rural regions exhibit similarities to those of less developed countries, and 10 in-depth interviews with academics and practitioners. The results suggest that the economic development of rural areas through the cultivation of entrepreneurship should be carried out by providing potential business owners with two resources that are scarcer in these areas: funding and knowledge.

Overcoming multidimensional marginality: the significance of higher education for traditionally reared single mothers living in the outer periphery

ABSTRACT The current study gives voice to a group of remarkable returning college students whose lives are defined by multidimensional marginality. These students are single mothers who grew up in traditional families in the outer periphery of Northern Israel, where they still lived at the time of this study. Drawing on the women’s life stories gathered from in-depth interviews, the purpose of the study was twofold: to examine their multidimensional marginality in the context of the complexity of social situations they are required to face and to understand the impact of higher education upon that marginality and upon their lives. The findings demonstrate, quite powerfully, the impact of the participants’ student status on their discourse with their previously excluding family of origin, and the significance of their status for their personal growth process and for their relationship with their children. The process of matriculating into a higher education degree programme, and their continued progress in the programme, enabled these women to become proactive in moving from the margins towards a more central position of affecting and becoming a role model for their children, their families of origin and their communities.

Creating Community Partnership as Foundation for Community Building: The Case of the Renewed Kibbutz

ABSTRACT Expansion neighborhoods, built adjacent to kibbutz neighborhoods, are a new phenomenon in the rural peripheral regions of Israel. This article evaluates the process of building community partnerships, describes frictions created between residents of the expansion neighborhoods and kibbutz members, and defines challenges that need to be overcome in order to build an integrated community within the renewed kibbutz.Data collection was based on face-to-face interviews with new residents and officials from 10 kibbutzim. Qualitative analysis show the complexity involved in the process of building community partnerships and emphasizes the need to develop structures that will allow for dialogue and collaboration.

Growth constraints and management consulting: the case of SMEs in peripheral regions

This study explores the factors that cause differences in employment growth between young SMEs in core urban and peripheral regions and whether the uneven distribution of resources requires peripheral firms to draw on management consulting to achieve growth. We applied a mixed methods approach that included a quantitative study of 155 Israeli new ventures and ten in-depth interviews with experts from academia and experienced practitioners. Regression analysis results show that management consulting was beneficial for SMEs growth only for those located in peripheral regions. SMEs funded by money from family members grew less than the other firms. The economic development of peripheral areas needs to be carried out by providing potential business owners with two resources that are scarcer in these areas: funding and knowledge.