Suchergebnisse

Family-run enterprises are noted contributors to the small business population, particularly in terms of job creation and wealth generation. Moreover, it is well established that the presence of the family can be an important influence upon social relations in small firms. This paper examines whether family dynamics impinge upon the management of small consultancy firms, a sector that is closely associated with a discourse of' knowledge', `expertise', and `competence'. Based on a year-long case study of Whit Co, a husband and wife-owned small consultancy business, three questions are investigated. What is the nature of the family role in the consultancy business? How do employees in such settings view the family? What tactics do these usually credentialized workers deploy to handle family relations? The findings demonstrate that household relations rather than the activity of an `entrepreneurial individual' are important in understanding the operation of the small business; moreover, there is a tendency to underplay the role of the female partner in the initiation and maintenance of the firm. Employees value aspects of the `familyness' of the enterprise; for example, paternal approaches to social relations can generate feelings of inclusiveness. However, employees can perceive family roles as lacking in legitimacy if they are not underpinned by `competence'. Finally, employees' capacity to handle family relations is contingent upon their material importance to the firm.

The investigation of work in small consultancy firms poses particular challenges for researchers. These include the omnipotence of the founding entrepreneur, estrangement from the academic community, a lack of time, an ambiguous knowledge base and the ostensibly unitarist nature of work relations in such settings. Drawing on the experience of an intensive fieldwork study of employment relations in three small consultancy firms, this paper examines how an `entrepreneurial' approach was used to address such contingencies. Key features of this process were the enactment of fieldwork opportunities, the potential creation of a `joint venture' and the subsequent management of relations in the field. A degree of manipulation is an inherent feature of such an enterprise; but this should be seen in the context of a relationship of `symmetry' between researcher and researched.

`Local consultation', `community involvement', and `partnership' are terms that are assuming increasing prominence in the discourse on urban regeneration. The actual substance of such labels is unclear, but with the increasing diffusion of City Challenge and similar initiatives it is likely that `people-related' themes will be a particular concern for policy-makers in these contexts. Drawing on my experience as a consultant on a project that aimed to operationalise such notions through an exercise designed to elicit the needs of young people in a City Challenge area, this paper examines the ways in which political issues suffuse the research process in contexts like this. Three key issues are examined: how the political priorities of policy-makers impinge upon the conduct of research from the pre-fieldwork stage to well beyond the conclusion of the project; the difficulties experienced in convincing gatekeepers of the efficacy of novel research methods (drama was used in the project); and the importance of the micro-political aspects of research. It is argued that political processes saturate all aspects of projects of this kind, but such processes can be actively negotiated and managed by researchers, and in a manner that tempers the `natural scientific' predilections of research sponsors.

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'.

Prompted by the recent discovery that ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) are not utilising information and communication technology (ICT) to the same degree as are other small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs), policymakers have become interested in the promotion of ICT amongst EMBs. The authors assess a pilot initiative sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry that aimed to stimulate ICT adoption amongst EMBs in the North West region of the United Kingdom. Our first objective was to evaluate the approach used to implement the initiative in the light of extant adoption models. Second, a comparative approach was deployed that included Asian-owned firms in Rusholme and Chinese businesses in Manchester's 'Chinatown'; this permitted an assessment of the distinctiveness of delivery issues in respect of EMBs. The value of an action-research approach to policy evaluation is reflected upon. An action-research approach was adopted as a means of evaluating the initiative. We were involved at all stages; thus a longitudinal dimension is a further distinctive feature of the study. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered. The findings point to the importance of a contextually appropriate engagement strategy that embraces formal and informal business-support agencies. Accordingly, existing models of ICT adoption need to be refined and developed if they are to be applied to EMBs; the business-support needs of EMBs are not necessarily different from those of other SMEs, but there are potentially distinctive delivery issues; and a systematic application of an action-research approach can aid the process of policy evaluation. The findings have implications for policy delivery and therefore EMBs, offering actions that may be taken to improve public support across two diverse ethnic minority groups.