Masayuki Tanimoto
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780198292746
- eISBN:
- 9780191603891
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198292740.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, South and East Asia
This chapter provides an introduction to the book and relates the succeeding chapters to theoretical and comparative issues in the English-language literature. It presents an overview of author’s ...
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This chapter provides an introduction to the book and relates the succeeding chapters to theoretical and comparative issues in the English-language literature. It presents an overview of author’s research on the rural weaving industry. After showing comparative quantitative data on the weight of small businesses, the chapter shows the development of the rural weaving industry up to the 1920s, discussing the functions of the putting-out system combined with peasant household strategy. The role of economic and social institutions together with the economy of the industrial district is also discussed, based on this case study addressing the recent scholarship of Japanese economic history. This particular pattern of development is conceptualized as ‘indigenous development’, and its implications are considered within the context of comparative economic development.Less
This chapter provides an introduction to the book and relates the succeeding chapters to theoretical and comparative issues in the English-language literature. It presents an overview of author’s research on the rural weaving industry. After showing comparative quantitative data on the weight of small businesses, the chapter shows the development of the rural weaving industry up to the 1920s, discussing the functions of the putting-out system combined with peasant household strategy. The role of economic and social institutions together with the economy of the industrial district is also discussed, based on this case study addressing the recent scholarship of Japanese economic history. This particular pattern of development is conceptualized as ‘indigenous development’, and its implications are considered within the context of comparative economic development.
David Coen and Charles Dannreuther
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199252091
- eISBN:
- 9780191599224
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199252092.003.0011
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
This chapter explores the issue of Europeanization primarily at the horizontal level of European Union (EU) policy formulation and the adaptation and Europeanization of large and small business ...
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This chapter explores the issue of Europeanization primarily at the horizontal level of European Union (EU) policy formulation and the adaptation and Europeanization of large and small business interests in the new opportunity structures of Brussels. The movement of business and other societal interests towards the European level has long been associated with a neofunctional perspective on European integration and societal change. Business interests have always been associated with the changes in policy and polity described by the term Europeanization, begging the question of how does the study of ‘Europeanization’ add to the understanding of European business lobbying. To answer this, the first section of the chapter, ‘Europeanization and the Application to EU Public Policy’ defines what Europeanization is understand to be, and set outs a number of European policy-making process propositions to be explored empirically in the next section ‘The Europeanization of Business Interests in a Differentiated Policy Process’. This section looks at how institutional and organizational capabilities have affected representative ability over time, how firms of all sizes have developed ‘venue shopping’ strategies in a multilevel governance structure, and, finally (in resource dependency terms), how firm size affects the distinct rules and norms of interest representation with the European Commission.Less
This chapter explores the issue of Europeanization primarily at the horizontal level of European Union (EU) policy formulation and the adaptation and Europeanization of large and small business interests in the new opportunity structures of Brussels. The movement of business and other societal interests towards the European level has long been associated with a neofunctional perspective on European integration and societal change. Business interests have always been associated with the changes in policy and polity described by the term Europeanization, begging the question of how does the study of ‘Europeanization’ add to the understanding of European business lobbying. To answer this, the first section of the chapter, ‘Europeanization and the Application to EU Public Policy’ defines what Europeanization is understand to be, and set outs a number of European policy-making process propositions to be explored empirically in the next section ‘The Europeanization of Business Interests in a Differentiated Policy Process’. This section looks at how institutional and organizational capabilities have affected representative ability over time, how firms of all sizes have developed ‘venue shopping’ strategies in a multilevel governance structure, and, finally (in resource dependency terms), how firm size affects the distinct rules and norms of interest representation with the European Commission.
Naomi R. Lamoreaux
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199251902
- eISBN:
- 9780191719059
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199251902.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Business History
This chapter argues that a focus on big business has distorted the understanding of the legal history of the corporation. The relevant context for understanding the evolution of the form must be ...
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This chapter argues that a focus on big business has distorted the understanding of the legal history of the corporation. The relevant context for understanding the evolution of the form must be broadened to include two related but somewhat contradictory trends: first, the democratization of the corporate form of enterprise (that is, its adoption by increasing numbers of small businesses); and second, a growing tendency in the general culture to see enterprises as manifestations of collective action rather than individual initiative. These trends forced courts and policy makers to reconsider the nature of corporations and also created considerable confusion about how corporations differed from the other main organizational form employed by small businesses — partnerships. The end result of this reconsideration was a rigid definition of the two forms that severely limited the contractual freedom of small businesses.Less
This chapter argues that a focus on big business has distorted the understanding of the legal history of the corporation. The relevant context for understanding the evolution of the form must be broadened to include two related but somewhat contradictory trends: first, the democratization of the corporate form of enterprise (that is, its adoption by increasing numbers of small businesses); and second, a growing tendency in the general culture to see enterprises as manifestations of collective action rather than individual initiative. These trends forced courts and policy makers to reconsider the nature of corporations and also created considerable confusion about how corporations differed from the other main organizational form employed by small businesses — partnerships. The end result of this reconsideration was a rigid definition of the two forms that severely limited the contractual freedom of small businesses.
Hannah Barker
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199299713
- eISBN:
- 9780191714955
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199299713.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
This book argues that businesswomen were central to urban society and to the operation and development of commerce in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It presents a rich and complicated ...
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This book argues that businesswomen were central to urban society and to the operation and development of commerce in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It presents a rich and complicated picture of lower-middling life and female enterprise in three northern English towns: Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield. The stories told by a wide range of sources, including trade directories, newspaper advertisements, court records, correspondence, and diaries, demonstrate the very differing fortunes and levels of independence that individual businesswomen enjoyed. Yet, as a group, their involvement in the economic life of towns and, in particular, the manner in which they exploited and facilitated commercial development, forced a reassessment of the understanding of both gender relations and urban culture in late Georgian England. In contrast to the traditional historical consensus that the independent woman of business during this period - particularly those engaged in occupations deemed 'unfeminine' - was insignificant and no more than an oddity, businesswomen are presented not as footnotes to the main narrative, but as central characters in a story of unprecedented social and economic transformation.Less
This book argues that businesswomen were central to urban society and to the operation and development of commerce in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It presents a rich and complicated picture of lower-middling life and female enterprise in three northern English towns: Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield. The stories told by a wide range of sources, including trade directories, newspaper advertisements, court records, correspondence, and diaries, demonstrate the very differing fortunes and levels of independence that individual businesswomen enjoyed. Yet, as a group, their involvement in the economic life of towns and, in particular, the manner in which they exploited and facilitated commercial development, forced a reassessment of the understanding of both gender relations and urban culture in late Georgian England. In contrast to the traditional historical consensus that the independent woman of business during this period - particularly those engaged in occupations deemed 'unfeminine' - was insignificant and no more than an oddity, businesswomen are presented not as footnotes to the main narrative, but as central characters in a story of unprecedented social and economic transformation.
Alan Burton-Jones
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198296225
- eISBN:
- 9780191685217
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198296225.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Knowledge Management, Strategy
Independent contractors require lower levels of firm-specific knowledge since independence in contracting is derived from the knowledge self-sufficiency of the contractor. By presenting this ...
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Independent contractors require lower levels of firm-specific knowledge since independence in contracting is derived from the knowledge self-sufficiency of the contractor. By presenting this arrangement through a contractual perspective and a knowledge-based perspective, this chapter is able to describe the independent contractors' market. The chapter also explains the implications of the growth of individual independent contractors, small and micro-businesses, and networks. The trends presented in this chapter suggest that future small businesses will tend to employ fewer people. The chapter explains how the growth of independent contracting generally depends on the externalization of workers, the increasing number of workers in flexihire arrangements, the increasing demand for the supply of services outside the firm, and other such factors.Less
Independent contractors require lower levels of firm-specific knowledge since independence in contracting is derived from the knowledge self-sufficiency of the contractor. By presenting this arrangement through a contractual perspective and a knowledge-based perspective, this chapter is able to describe the independent contractors' market. The chapter also explains the implications of the growth of individual independent contractors, small and micro-businesses, and networks. The trends presented in this chapter suggest that future small businesses will tend to employ fewer people. The chapter explains how the growth of independent contracting generally depends on the externalization of workers, the increasing number of workers in flexihire arrangements, the increasing demand for the supply of services outside the firm, and other such factors.
David B. Audretsch
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195183504
- eISBN:
- 9780199783885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195183504.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The view regarding the role of universities has changed dramatically in the entrepreneurial society. There are several reasons for the emergence of the university as an engine of economic growth. The ...
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The view regarding the role of universities has changed dramatically in the entrepreneurial society. There are several reasons for the emergence of the university as an engine of economic growth. The first is the shift away from the managed economy. A consequence of globalization in the most developed countries has been to shift the comparative advantage away from traditional manufacturing industries and towards new knowledge-based economic activity. But where is this knowledge to come from? The university serves as a vital source of new economic knowledge. As research and knowledge become perhaps the most crucial component to generating economic growth and competitive jobs in globally-linked markets, universities emerge as a key factor in determining the future well-being of the United States.Less
The view regarding the role of universities has changed dramatically in the entrepreneurial society. There are several reasons for the emergence of the university as an engine of economic growth. The first is the shift away from the managed economy. A consequence of globalization in the most developed countries has been to shift the comparative advantage away from traditional manufacturing industries and towards new knowledge-based economic activity. But where is this knowledge to come from? The university serves as a vital source of new economic knowledge. As research and knowledge become perhaps the most crucial component to generating economic growth and competitive jobs in globally-linked markets, universities emerge as a key factor in determining the future well-being of the United States.
Gernot Grabher and David Stark
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198290209
- eISBN:
- 9780191684791
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198290209.003.0006
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies, Political Economy
This chapter argues that the development of small businesses in Hungary had been hampered both by historical heritage and the context of the transformational crisis. It sees mass and chronic ...
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This chapter argues that the development of small businesses in Hungary had been hampered both by historical heritage and the context of the transformational crisis. It sees mass and chronic unemployment as a contextual factor preventing the emergence of an efficient and dynamic small-business sector. The chapter focuses on the effects of narrowly economic determinants as observed in larger aggregates of self-employment. Based on the experience of established market economies as a comparative standard of measure, it proposes that small entrepreneurship in Hungary is exhibiting a syndrome that might be characterized as ‘too many, too small’. It adopts a macro-level economic approach to assess whether small entrepreneurship in Hungary is ailing or prospering. Lastly, it elaborates the implications of this syndrome for economic policy.Less
This chapter argues that the development of small businesses in Hungary had been hampered both by historical heritage and the context of the transformational crisis. It sees mass and chronic unemployment as a contextual factor preventing the emergence of an efficient and dynamic small-business sector. The chapter focuses on the effects of narrowly economic determinants as observed in larger aggregates of self-employment. Based on the experience of established market economies as a comparative standard of measure, it proposes that small entrepreneurship in Hungary is exhibiting a syndrome that might be characterized as ‘too many, too small’. It adopts a macro-level economic approach to assess whether small entrepreneurship in Hungary is ailing or prospering. Lastly, it elaborates the implications of this syndrome for economic policy.
Hannah Barker
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199299713
- eISBN:
- 9780191714955
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199299713.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
This chapter concerns women's involvement in different types of enterprise: principally family firms, but also as independent traders and in partnerships with others. Evidence from directories, court ...
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This chapter concerns women's involvement in different types of enterprise: principally family firms, but also as independent traders and in partnerships with others. Evidence from directories, court records, and correspondence suggests the variety of forms that female engagement with commerce could take, and the differing hierarchies within small businesses. It shows that women were not always subordinate to men, and that considerations of age, wealth, and skill could override those of gender.Less
This chapter concerns women's involvement in different types of enterprise: principally family firms, but also as independent traders and in partnerships with others. Evidence from directories, court records, and correspondence suggests the variety of forms that female engagement with commerce could take, and the differing hierarchies within small businesses. It shows that women were not always subordinate to men, and that considerations of age, wealth, and skill could override those of gender.
Glenn Yago and Susanne Trimbath
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195149234
- eISBN:
- 9780199871865
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195149238.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
The chapter starts by pointing out that a fundamental mismatch exists between the sources of job creation and capital formation in the USA, and that US financial history can be read as a long attempt ...
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The chapter starts by pointing out that a fundamental mismatch exists between the sources of job creation and capital formation in the USA, and that US financial history can be read as a long attempt to resolve this. Flow of funds data from the 1950s to the late 1990s reflect the relative contraction of financial institutional sources of capital and the expansion of capital markets. However, an analysis of this structural shift shows that small businesses have participated less than large ones (although they represent over 40% of total assets, debt, and net worth), and they remain disproportionately dependent on banks as their major source of capital. The effect of the recession of the early 1990s on such small firms is discussed in terms of the four sources of regulatory chokes (i.e. overregulation) that have hampered their economic growth: banking regulations, insurance regulations, thrift regulations, and merger regulations. The last part of the chapter discusses the reinvention of financial institutions and the restructuring of regulation, and financial technology transfer for small businesses – such as developing secondary markets for small‐firm equity and debt, and the creation of derivatives or issue of bonds or certificates by investment originators.Less
The chapter starts by pointing out that a fundamental mismatch exists between the sources of job creation and capital formation in the USA, and that US financial history can be read as a long attempt to resolve this. Flow of funds data from the 1950s to the late 1990s reflect the relative contraction of financial institutional sources of capital and the expansion of capital markets. However, an analysis of this structural shift shows that small businesses have participated less than large ones (although they represent over 40% of total assets, debt, and net worth), and they remain disproportionately dependent on banks as their major source of capital. The effect of the recession of the early 1990s on such small firms is discussed in terms of the four sources of regulatory chokes (i.e. overregulation) that have hampered their economic growth: banking regulations, insurance regulations, thrift regulations, and merger regulations. The last part of the chapter discusses the reinvention of financial institutions and the restructuring of regulation, and financial technology transfer for small businesses – such as developing secondary markets for small‐firm equity and debt, and the creation of derivatives or issue of bonds or certificates by investment originators.
Arthur B. Kennickell, Myron L. Kwast, and Jonathan Pogach
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780226454078
- eISBN:
- 9780226454108
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226454108.003.0008
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Econometrics
We use the Federal Reserve’s 2007, 2009 re-interview of 2007 respondents, and 2010 Surveys of Consumer Finances (SCFs) to study how small businesses owned and actively managed by households fared ...
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We use the Federal Reserve’s 2007, 2009 re-interview of 2007 respondents, and 2010 Surveys of Consumer Finances (SCFs) to study how small businesses owned and actively managed by households fared during those turbulent years. Even though the surveys contain extensive data on a broad cross-section of firms and their owners, to the best of our knowledge this is the first paper to use these SCFs to study small businesses. We find that the financial crisis and the Great Recession severely affected the vast majority of small businesses, including tight credit constraints. We document complex interdependencies between the finances of small businesses and their owner-manager households, including a more complicated role of housing assets than reported previously. We find that workers who lost their job during the recession responded in part by starting their own small business, and that factors related to the survival of a small business are problematic to identify. Our results support the importance of relationship finance to small businesses and the primary role of commercial banks in such relationships. We find that both cross-section and panel data are needed to understand the complex factors associated with the creation, survival and failure of small businesses.Less
We use the Federal Reserve’s 2007, 2009 re-interview of 2007 respondents, and 2010 Surveys of Consumer Finances (SCFs) to study how small businesses owned and actively managed by households fared during those turbulent years. Even though the surveys contain extensive data on a broad cross-section of firms and their owners, to the best of our knowledge this is the first paper to use these SCFs to study small businesses. We find that the financial crisis and the Great Recession severely affected the vast majority of small businesses, including tight credit constraints. We document complex interdependencies between the finances of small businesses and their owner-manager households, including a more complicated role of housing assets than reported previously. We find that workers who lost their job during the recession responded in part by starting their own small business, and that factors related to the survival of a small business are problematic to identify. Our results support the importance of relationship finance to small businesses and the primary role of commercial banks in such relationships. We find that both cross-section and panel data are needed to understand the complex factors associated with the creation, survival and failure of small businesses.
Melvin Delgado
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231150897
- eISBN:
- 9780231521789
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231150897.003.0004
- Subject:
- Social Work, Communities and Organizations
This chapter studies the role of Latino small businesses in community economic and social development. The presence of Latino small businesses and active support of community celebratory events help ...
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This chapter studies the role of Latino small businesses in community economic and social development. The presence of Latino small businesses and active support of community celebratory events help establish and reaffirm Latinos' positive sense of self. Also, these businesses can be a source of community leaders and elected officials. These individuals invariably have high-profile positions within the community and have intimate knowledge of residents' needs, and are always concerned about enhancing indigenous community leadership and empowerment. In this emerging form of entrepreneurship, called Community-Based Enterprise (CBE), which is typically rooted in community culture, natural and social capital are integral and inseparable from economic considerations, transforming the community into both an entrepreneur and an enterprise.Less
This chapter studies the role of Latino small businesses in community economic and social development. The presence of Latino small businesses and active support of community celebratory events help establish and reaffirm Latinos' positive sense of self. Also, these businesses can be a source of community leaders and elected officials. These individuals invariably have high-profile positions within the community and have intimate knowledge of residents' needs, and are always concerned about enhancing indigenous community leadership and empowerment. In this emerging form of entrepreneurship, called Community-Based Enterprise (CBE), which is typically rooted in community culture, natural and social capital are integral and inseparable from economic considerations, transforming the community into both an entrepreneur and an enterprise.
Courtney Lewis
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781469648590
- eISBN:
- 9781469648613
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469648590.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Native American Studies
The EBCI government recognizes that small- business owners on the Qualla Boundary face very distinctive challenges, and its sovereign status allows it to aid in ways particular to Native Nations. ...
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The EBCI government recognizes that small- business owners on the Qualla Boundary face very distinctive challenges, and its sovereign status allows it to aid in ways particular to Native Nations. These small- business entrepreneurs have access to a variety of valuable support mechanisms, ranging from intergenerational business advantages (as seen in family enterprises) to federal and Native Nation government interventions, which can enhance opportunities and mitigate challenges. It is in these relationships that we see how Native Nations deploy economic sovereignty in a small- business context.
The EBCI government offers support specific to the needs of American Indian businesses located on trust land and for Eastern Band business owners. This includes financial support (e.g., loans – especially those that address the needs of trust land as collateral), the establishment of their own Tribal Employment Rights Commission (TERO) office, small business training (such as the Indianpreneurship course), and the managing of their Chamber of Commerce.Less
The EBCI government recognizes that small- business owners on the Qualla Boundary face very distinctive challenges, and its sovereign status allows it to aid in ways particular to Native Nations. These small- business entrepreneurs have access to a variety of valuable support mechanisms, ranging from intergenerational business advantages (as seen in family enterprises) to federal and Native Nation government interventions, which can enhance opportunities and mitigate challenges. It is in these relationships that we see how Native Nations deploy economic sovereignty in a small- business context.
The EBCI government offers support specific to the needs of American Indian businesses located on trust land and for Eastern Band business owners. This includes financial support (e.g., loans – especially those that address the needs of trust land as collateral), the establishment of their own Tribal Employment Rights Commission (TERO) office, small business training (such as the Indianpreneurship course), and the managing of their Chamber of Commerce.
Timothy Bates
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300095418
- eISBN:
- 9780300129847
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300095418.003.0035
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
This chapter critically examines the minority business development programs, arguing that their strategy of geographic targeting—aid flows into low-income, inner-city minority communities—is ...
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This chapter critically examines the minority business development programs, arguing that their strategy of geographic targeting—aid flows into low-income, inner-city minority communities—is ineffective. The next program, the Specialized Small Business Investment Company (SSBIC) program is also examined in detail and also found to be largely ineffective.Less
This chapter critically examines the minority business development programs, arguing that their strategy of geographic targeting—aid flows into low-income, inner-city minority communities—is ineffective. The next program, the Specialized Small Business Investment Company (SSBIC) program is also examined in detail and also found to be largely ineffective.
Jeffrey Spickett and Wallis-Long E.
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195380002
- eISBN:
- 9780199893881
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195380002.003.0022
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
Small businesses are usually defined as an enterprise not involving manufacturing that employs 20 or fewer employees or a small manufacturing business that employs 100 or fewer. Small businesses are ...
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Small businesses are usually defined as an enterprise not involving manufacturing that employs 20 or fewer employees or a small manufacturing business that employs 100 or fewer. Small businesses are essential to the economy in every country, usually exceeding 90% of all businesses and employing the majority of the population. Small enterprises have certain characteristics in common, regardless of the line of business they are in. They are usually managed by only one or two decision-makers, usually the owners, and tend to employ family members or friends on a casual basis more often than large enterprises. The managers are much closer to the workers and there is often strong loyalty to the owner. The working day is often long and demanding and small enterprises may go through periods of financial stress because they often do not have much capital or resources available to adapt to changing demand. Any time or money spent on occupational health is often viewed as taking time and capital away from ensuring the survival of the business and spending money that will not provide a return on the investment. The level of knowledge and experience in a small enterprise is usually limited to the product or service and the financial and managements skills required to conduct business. They are hard to reach and to serve through existing channels of communication, commerce, and regulation. By contrast, large-scale enterprises have access to capital and resources to make changes in the workplace, have staff to monitor their compliance with regulations and can draw on professional expertise in the form of their own engineering staff or consultants. Small enterprises may be helped to comply with good occupational health and safety practice, however, if their needs are met through access to resources, training, education, mentoring, technical assistance, dedicated software, participation in trade organizations.Less
Small businesses are usually defined as an enterprise not involving manufacturing that employs 20 or fewer employees or a small manufacturing business that employs 100 or fewer. Small businesses are essential to the economy in every country, usually exceeding 90% of all businesses and employing the majority of the population. Small enterprises have certain characteristics in common, regardless of the line of business they are in. They are usually managed by only one or two decision-makers, usually the owners, and tend to employ family members or friends on a casual basis more often than large enterprises. The managers are much closer to the workers and there is often strong loyalty to the owner. The working day is often long and demanding and small enterprises may go through periods of financial stress because they often do not have much capital or resources available to adapt to changing demand. Any time or money spent on occupational health is often viewed as taking time and capital away from ensuring the survival of the business and spending money that will not provide a return on the investment. The level of knowledge and experience in a small enterprise is usually limited to the product or service and the financial and managements skills required to conduct business. They are hard to reach and to serve through existing channels of communication, commerce, and regulation. By contrast, large-scale enterprises have access to capital and resources to make changes in the workplace, have staff to monitor their compliance with regulations and can draw on professional expertise in the form of their own engineering staff or consultants. Small enterprises may be helped to comply with good occupational health and safety practice, however, if their needs are met through access to resources, training, education, mentoring, technical assistance, dedicated software, participation in trade organizations.
Donald Clarke
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198289449
- eISBN:
- 9780191684708
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198289449.003.0017
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Business History
Reconciling the national interest, embodied in its support of the small business sector with the commercial imperatives of making an adequate return for its shareholders, has been the ambition of ...
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Reconciling the national interest, embodied in its support of the small business sector with the commercial imperatives of making an adequate return for its shareholders, has been the ambition of 3i's management since its foundation. By the end of the 1980s that ambition had arguably come close to achievement. This chapter considers, first, the financial performance of the 1980s, and then the broader question of 3i's contribution to the economy, finally asking whether it could, and should, have been encouraged to do more for British industry.Less
Reconciling the national interest, embodied in its support of the small business sector with the commercial imperatives of making an adequate return for its shareholders, has been the ambition of 3i's management since its foundation. By the end of the 1980s that ambition had arguably come close to achievement. This chapter considers, first, the financial performance of the 1980s, and then the broader question of 3i's contribution to the economy, finally asking whether it could, and should, have been encouraged to do more for British industry.
JUDITH FREEDMAN
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199264353
- eISBN:
- 9780191718496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199264353.003.0010
- Subject:
- Law, Comparative Law, Company and Commercial Law
This chapter examines the emergence of a new legal form, the limited liability partnership (LLP), in the UK. Section 10.2 briefly considers the needs of small businesses in relation to the legal ...
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This chapter examines the emergence of a new legal form, the limited liability partnership (LLP), in the UK. Section 10.2 briefly considers the needs of small businesses in relation to the legal structure and outlines the arguments against the notion that the LLP will be an important new vehicle for ordinary small businesses. Section 10.3 examines the pressures that led to the introduction of the LLP in the UK, while Section 10.4 evaluates the characteristics of the resulting legal vehicle. Section 10.5 argues that this new legal vehicle is not the result of an evolutionary and competitive process that has produced an efficient result, but rather is the outcome of a political reaction to pressures, which has brought forth a strange legal vehicle of restricted value for small firms.Less
This chapter examines the emergence of a new legal form, the limited liability partnership (LLP), in the UK. Section 10.2 briefly considers the needs of small businesses in relation to the legal structure and outlines the arguments against the notion that the LLP will be an important new vehicle for ordinary small businesses. Section 10.3 examines the pressures that led to the introduction of the LLP in the UK, while Section 10.4 evaluates the characteristics of the resulting legal vehicle. Section 10.5 argues that this new legal vehicle is not the result of an evolutionary and competitive process that has produced an efficient result, but rather is the outcome of a political reaction to pressures, which has brought forth a strange legal vehicle of restricted value for small firms.
Lois K. Geller
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195158694
- eISBN:
- 9780199849420
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195158694.003.0013
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Strategy
This chapter shares small businesses' insider secrets that led to Direct Marketing success. It also advises to ask for professional help but keeping a company's own vision in mind, noting that there ...
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This chapter shares small businesses' insider secrets that led to Direct Marketing success. It also advises to ask for professional help but keeping a company's own vision in mind, noting that there are no hard and fast rules in this business.Less
This chapter shares small businesses' insider secrets that led to Direct Marketing success. It also advises to ask for professional help but keeping a company's own vision in mind, noting that there are no hard and fast rules in this business.
Melvin Delgado
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231150897
- eISBN:
- 9780231521789
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231150897.003.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Communities and Organizations
This introductory chapter provides an overview of Latino small businesses. In 2004, the Latino population in the U.S. reached 41.3 million, accounting for almost half the national growth of 2.9 ...
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This introductory chapter provides an overview of Latino small businesses. In 2004, the Latino population in the U.S. reached 41.3 million, accounting for almost half the national growth of 2.9 million between July 2003 and July 2004. As such, Latinos have become the largest group of color in the nation, surpassing African Americans. Along with the population increase and the segmentation of this group, there has been a corresponding increase in Latino economic purchasing power. Latinos are opening up businesses at a rate that is three times the national average. According to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (2007), there are two million Latino-owned businesses in the U.S., generating a combined $300 billion in annual gross receipts. It is estimated that Latino small businesses will grow at an annual compounded rate of 9 percent and reach 4.3 million by 2012.Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of Latino small businesses. In 2004, the Latino population in the U.S. reached 41.3 million, accounting for almost half the national growth of 2.9 million between July 2003 and July 2004. As such, Latinos have become the largest group of color in the nation, surpassing African Americans. Along with the population increase and the segmentation of this group, there has been a corresponding increase in Latino economic purchasing power. Latinos are opening up businesses at a rate that is three times the national average. According to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (2007), there are two million Latino-owned businesses in the U.S., generating a combined $300 billion in annual gross receipts. It is estimated that Latino small businesses will grow at an annual compounded rate of 9 percent and reach 4.3 million by 2012.
Courtney Lewis
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781469648590
- eISBN:
- 9781469648613
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469648590.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Native American Studies
This introduction describes how encouraging a diversity of small businesses can help support a Native Nation’s long-term economic stability, but goes further to demonstrate this uniquely through the ...
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This introduction describes how encouraging a diversity of small businesses can help support a Native Nation’s long-term economic stability, but goes further to demonstrate this uniquely through the eyes of the small-business owners themselves along with an in-depth examination of their local, national, and international contexts. In doing so, it describes how this book also addresses the ways in which Native Nations, by supporting small business resilience, are responding in politically and socioeconomically meaningful ways to settler-colonial economic subjugations.
This introduction further describes how the book unpacks the layers of small-business complications specific to Native Nations and American Indian business owners while speaking to larger theoretical questions regarding the impact of small businesses in a global indigenous context. Debates regarding economic sovereignty versus economic power,
measures of autonomy, land status, economic identity, fluctuating relationships with settler-colonial society, and the growth of neoliberalism (along with its accompanying “structural adjustment” policies) meet with specific practices, such as the implementation of guaranteed annual incomes, cultural revitalization actions, environmental justice movements, and the potentially precarious choices of economic development—issues that are exacerbated during times of economic precarity, such as the Great Recession.Less
This introduction describes how encouraging a diversity of small businesses can help support a Native Nation’s long-term economic stability, but goes further to demonstrate this uniquely through the eyes of the small-business owners themselves along with an in-depth examination of their local, national, and international contexts. In doing so, it describes how this book also addresses the ways in which Native Nations, by supporting small business resilience, are responding in politically and socioeconomically meaningful ways to settler-colonial economic subjugations.
This introduction further describes how the book unpacks the layers of small-business complications specific to Native Nations and American Indian business owners while speaking to larger theoretical questions regarding the impact of small businesses in a global indigenous context. Debates regarding economic sovereignty versus economic power,
measures of autonomy, land status, economic identity, fluctuating relationships with settler-colonial society, and the growth of neoliberalism (along with its accompanying “structural adjustment” policies) meet with specific practices, such as the implementation of guaranteed annual incomes, cultural revitalization actions, environmental justice movements, and the potentially precarious choices of economic development—issues that are exacerbated during times of economic precarity, such as the Great Recession.
Erik Hurst and Benjamin W. Pugsley
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780226454078
- eISBN:
- 9780226454108
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226454108.003.0004
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Econometrics
The non-pecuniary benefits of managing a small business are a first-order consideration for many nascent entrepreneurs, yet the preference for business ownership is mostly ignored in models of ...
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The non-pecuniary benefits of managing a small business are a first-order consideration for many nascent entrepreneurs, yet the preference for business ownership is mostly ignored in models of entrepreneurship and occupational choice. In this paper, we study a population with varying entrepreneurial tastes and wealth in a simple general equilibrium model of occupational choice. This choice yields several important results: (1) entrepreneurship can be thought of as a normal good, generating wealth effects independent of any financing constraints, (2) non-pecuniary entrepreneurs select into small scale firms, (3) subsidies designed to stimulate more business entry can have regressive distributional effects. Despite abstracting from other important considerations such as risk, financing constraints, and innovation, we show that non-pecuniary compensation is particularly relevant in discussions of small businesses.Less
The non-pecuniary benefits of managing a small business are a first-order consideration for many nascent entrepreneurs, yet the preference for business ownership is mostly ignored in models of entrepreneurship and occupational choice. In this paper, we study a population with varying entrepreneurial tastes and wealth in a simple general equilibrium model of occupational choice. This choice yields several important results: (1) entrepreneurship can be thought of as a normal good, generating wealth effects independent of any financing constraints, (2) non-pecuniary entrepreneurs select into small scale firms, (3) subsidies designed to stimulate more business entry can have regressive distributional effects. Despite abstracting from other important considerations such as risk, financing constraints, and innovation, we show that non-pecuniary compensation is particularly relevant in discussions of small businesses.
