Women in Business-owning Families: a Comparison of Roles,Responsibilities and Predictors of Family Functionality

The purpose of this study is to compare groups of women associated with family businesses and ascertain predictors of functionality. The sample consisted of 589 women divided into five groups based on their roles in the business. Of interest were various combinations of work at home, in the family business, and outside the business and how multiple roles affect the family. The women varied on several characteristics with female business managers less likely to be married than other women and generally operating smaller businesses. The women were not significantly different on levels of family functioning. Family goal success, satisfaction with business role, and being married were positive significant predictors of family functionality. Higher levels of household tension were negatively associated with family functionality. Family therapists and family business consultants must be cognizant of the multiple role responsibilities of women associated with a family firm.     

Adjustment Strategy Use in Minority Family Businesses: Differences Across Gender

The objectives of this study were to explore the adjustment strategies employed by minority female owners of small family firms and to compare their use of adjustment strategies with those of their male counterparts. There were significant gender differences in the adoption of adjustment strategies among minority-owned family firms. The major findings of this study suggest that minority female business owners were more likely to reallocate family resources to help with business tasks and were more likely to intertwine both tasks than minority male business owners when demands were particularly great for the family or the firm. In addition, compared to male business owners, a relatively higher proportion of female business owners used volunteer help without pay during hectic times. Implications for business consultants and educators working with minority business owners are discussed.     

Uniqueness of family therapists as family business systems consultants: a cross-disciplinary investigation

The purpose of this study is to address how the consulting approaches of family therapists working with family businesses differ from those of business consultants. The logic of analytic induction was used to analyze qualitative data from family business consultants with and without training in family therapy. Consultants were asked to respond to two vignettes: one emphasized primarily family system problems, whereas the other emphasized business problems with influencing issues at the family/business intersection. Both similarities and differences were found in reference to problem assessment, consulting goal orientation, intervention strategy focus, consultant role and function, and consulting setting preference between consultants with and without family therapy training. Results indicate that consultants of each discipline provide a unique perspective and expertise that allow them to successfully address the spectrum of issues that family firms face. Further, findings highlight the unique contribution of family therapists to an interdisciplinary consulting team.     

Is the good corporation dead? the community social responsibility of small business operators

This study examined whether social responsibility is a meaningful characteristic with which to differentiate businesses given its supposed demise in the new global economy. The analysis focuses on small businesses and the social responsibility of businesses toward their community. Community social responsibility and competitive strategies were measured by the self reports of 675 small business operators in 10 Iowa cities. Cluster analysis revealed four categories of business operators designated as civic leaders, alienated business operators, followers in high collective action communities, and followers in low collective action communities. Findings demonstrate that business owners and managers can be differentiated on the basis of community social responsibility. The clusters so created are associated with meaningful business and operator demographic features and with the operator’s belief in the importance of community support as a strategy for business success. This analysis shows that in spite of changes in the economy, a significant segment of small business operators believe in tenets of the enlightened self interest model of business social responsibility, that is, that doing good is good business.     

Profiling a New Generation of Female Small Business Owners in New Zealand: Networking,Mentoring and Growth

The contribution of female small business owners to economic development in Western developed countries such as New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, is generally under–researched and traditionally grounded in male norms. Increasingly policy–makers acknowledge that in countries like New Zealand where 85% of business employs five or less people, small business offers the greatest employment potential. Not enough is known, though, about the growth orientation and characteristics of female small business owners. This article reports findings from the largest empirical study of small business undertaken in New Zealand and provides inter–gender comparison between male and female small business owners and for intra–gender contrast between networked female small business owners and women who did not belong to a business network. The results showed that the networked women, who were in the main better educated and more affiliative by nature, were more expansionist than both other female small business owners and men. The networked women were also more likely to have a business mentor. The findings confound earlier research suggesting women are less growth–orientated and wish only to satisfy intrinsic needs from their businesses. The article concludes by discussing the need to acknowledge the heterogeneity of female small business and what this means for policy–makers when assessing their socio–economic potential.     

Employee work-to-family role boundary management in the family business

Family-owned organizations present a unique opportunity to study work-to-family boundary management. Boundary theory suggests that work-to-family boundary dynamics may be different in family businesses, and that family businesses are not a neutral ground for individual employees’ segmentation preferences. The present study draws on the sociocognitive processes underlying boundary theory to explain how the family business context may affect family and nonfamily employees’ work-to-family role management differently. The study examines the work-to-family role boundary configurations of 149 family and non-family employees in family businesses. Results suggest that family employee status buffers against undesirable effects of segmentation preferences in the family business context. For family employees, segmentation preferences were associated with lower work-to-family conflict and unassociated with turnover intentions. For non-family employees, segmentation preferences were associated with higher work-to-family conflict and turnover intentions. Implications for work–family theory and family business successorship and work–family policy are discussed.     

Continuation Commitment: Family’s Commitment to Continue the Family Business

This study investigates what influences families’ commitment to continue a family business, or continuation commitment. We hypothesize that top executives’ cultural capital, family members’ satisfaction with the firms past performance and their aspirations regarding its future performance, as well as the level of family involvement in the family business represent key factors underlying continuation commitment. In addition, we suggest the interaction effects among the identified factors that affect a family’s commitment will be higher in the founder generation compared to successive generations of family owners. Analysis of a dataset of 2,168 family firms from a nationwide survey provided support for most hypotheses.     

Factors Influencing Family Business Continuity in Indian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Most of the research on family business continuity is based in the western world. Continuity of family business is affected by social and cultural factors on one hand and on the stage of growth of the economy on the other. This paper focuses on the continuity concerns with reference to (1) the Eastern context and (2) the developing economy’s context, by studying Indian family businesses, with (3) specific focus on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Data were collected from SME business families using a questionnaire. The impact of various factors was examined on the family, the business and the inductee. This empirical study validates some of the drivers of effective succession identified so far in the literature. It sharply identifies the variables that can be more relevant and can directly affect the outcome in terms of positive impact on the business, family and the inductee. The findings of the study will be of great help in successful succession planning for the growth and development of SMEs that contribute significantly to economic growth.     

The Role of Values and Unity in Family Businesses

This study tests the application of an ecosystems perspective on family businesses. Specific focuses are given to values, resources and unity within family businesses. Two separate samples are examined, the American Family Business Survey and a multilevel sample. Results from this study support the ecosystems perspective. Family businesses are shown to vary by their value for family growth in comparison to business growth. This value variation across family businesses was shown to predict internal goals and resource transfers within family businesses. This study also shows the benefit to family businesses in unifying values across individuals, as unity of values is a stronger predictor of satisfaction even when controlling for the family business’ tendency to privilege the family or business growth.     

Cause-related marketing,philanthropy, and the arts

Joint fundraising and promotional programs between businesses and nonprofits, often referred to as cause-related marketing, have been on the rise. During the 1980s, many large corporations initiated cause-related marketing programs. Less is known, however, about how widespread cause-related marketing has become among medium-size companies. In the study of 478 medium-size businesses reported here, one-fifth made contributions to nonprofits as part of cause-related marketing programs, and more were becoming interested, but many of the businesses were dissatisfied with the effect of their contributions to nonprofits. Satisfied business participants actively recommended nonprofits to other business owners and intended to increase their own contributions. The authors provide additional insights on business donor motivation through their application of the Seven Faces framework.     

After fifteen years: the response of small businesses to the Americans with Disabilities Act

This study reports findings from field research on the perceptions of small business owners and managers of the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on their firms. Binary Logistic Regression analyses indicate that the majority of owners have positive attitudes toward the act and exhibit high levels of compliance. Firm support for the ADA and participation in carrying out its requirements is driven by both positive and negative factors and extends well beyond the group of businesses that under the law are required to comply with Titles I and III of the legislation. The results suggest strongly positive impacts of the ADA in the areas of accommodating customers with disabilities and disabled employees who are already on the job. Specific factors influencing compliance decisions and accommodations spending are incorporated in a proposed model of firm behavior.     

Small Business Success Among Men- and Women-Owned Firms in Rural Areas1

Abstract Rural women have difficulty finding good jobs. Ownership of small businesses offers an alternative but the sales and income of women-owned firms are significantly lower than those of men-owned firms. Compared with men, women owners are more likely to operate smaller and newer businesses; however, these differences do not completely account for the gap in gross sales between men- and women-owned businesses. The strongest influences on business success are firm size, corporate status, and industrial sector. Though significant, the owner's gender is less important than these organizational characteristics. The factors influencing success of small businesses generally are the same for men- and women-owned businesses. More research on business networks and the start-up phase of small businesses is necessary for a better understanding of the sources of gender differences in success.     

Social network and family business: Uncovering hybrid family firms

What does it mean for a private enterprise in China to be embedded in a family? Our purpose here is twofold: (1) use social network analysis to describe what it means for a firm to be embedded in a family, (2) reveal from the application a new kind of firm, not family, yet akin to family. Armed with data on a large probability sample of private enterprises — a third of which meet ownership and employment criteria of being family businesses — we uncover a category of “hybrid family firms” that look modern in the style of firms that exclude family, but operate socially in ways similar to family firms. Our conclusion from summary statistics on the sample is that there are no differences in average performance level or network advantage for the three categories of businesses: family firms, hybrid family firms, and family-excluded firms. The fact that CEOs of family firms and hybrid family firms more often turn to family as key business contacts is a fact about network composition that raises no question about network mechanisms. Whether the CEO turns to more or fewer family contacts, government help is more likely with stronger political connections, and business success and survival are more likely with a large, open network. That said, the look-modern, act-traditional hybrid family firms stand alone in prospering with a CEO embedded in a closed business network. Recognition of hybrid family firms adds to the literature’s illustrations of social network analysis used to distinguish types of businesses and business people, and extends the population of organizations within which governance and strategy are likely to be better understood when viewed through a family logic.     

Gender Differences in Perceived Business Success and Profit Growth Among Family Business Managers

Using data from the 1997–2000 National Family Business Surveys (NFBS), this study investigated the effect of gender on business success and profit growth among family businesses. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) results indicate that all else being equal, female managers perceived their businesses as more successful than male managers, and they reported more profit growth between 1996 and 1999 than male managers. The results of the dummy variable interaction approach also show that a differential response existed in profit growth over time between female and male managers in relation to health status, business liabilities, business size, and whether the business was home-based. This study concludes that there are many distinct differences between male and female managers in business performance.     

Community Banks and Loans for Nonmetropolitan Businesses: A Multilevel Analysis from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners

Access to financial capital is vital for the sustainability of the local business sector in nonmetropolitan communities. In this article we develop two hypotheses and examine the impact of financial sector restructuring on the odds of using a bank loan to finance a new business or expand an existing business. Focusing on nonmetropolitan American businesses, we connect restricted tabulations of the 2007 Survey of Business Owners to data on the commuting zones (CZ) in which businesses are located. We use multilevel logistic regression models to predict the effects of community bank presence within the CZ on the odds of using a bank business loan to start or expand a business for nonmetropolitan businesses started or purchased since 2000. Net of important characteristics of the businesses and owners, we find that the greater the proportion of local banks in a nonmetropolitan CZ, the greater the odds that a conventional business loan was used to either help start a new business or expand an existing business.     

Exist or exit? Women business‐owners in Bangladesh during COVID‐19

Within the unique context of COVID‐19, this feminist research provides novel insights on how gender‐specific issues are articulated in the experiences of women concerning their small businesses in a patriarchal developing nation. Based on the interviews of women business‐owners in Bangladesh, this research reveals the diversified gendered experiences of women in private and public spheres in continuing their business operations during the pandemic period. It also unveils patriarchal practices regarding women's discontinuing or closing down ventures due to the COVID‐19 crisis. Thus, the research substantially advances the understanding on the influence of gender on women's continuing or discontinuing or even closing down their businesses in a highly patriarchal developing nation during the pandemic period. It further offers important suggestions for policy practitioners in supporting women business‐owners of patriarchal developing nations during the COVID‐19 pandemic.     

The Differences in Financial Structure Between Women- and Men-Owned Family Businesses

Lenders often are faced with the challenge of evaluating the financial success of a business or a proposed business by examining the financial records of the household, reasoning that an assessment of the household's financial position should be a plausible indicator of the financial status of the business. Utilizing data from the recently released Family Business Survey, this study uses financial information about both the family and the business to examine the relationship between household financial indicators and business financial indicators for women- and men-owned family businesses. The results suggest that, while household financial statements may be good indicators for men-owned businesses, they appear to be much less reliable for women-owned businesses.     

Family Business Responses to Household and Business Cash-Flow Problems

Family businesses can experience cash-flow problems in the business and also in the household. This article used bivariate analysis to examine the effect of cash-flow problems on normative resource transfers between the business and the household and found that the family business responded to business cash-flow problems by reducing the business’s contribution to household income, but household cash-flow problems did not affect the business’s contribution to household income.     

New Economy Businesses in Rural,Urban, and Metropolitan Locations

Abstract The service sector has replaced manufacturing as the primary employer in the United States. Fastest growing within this sector are producer services, i.e., those businesses that provide service inputs to other businesses and government. Theorists posit that the propensity of producer services to locate in metro areas advantages cities in relation to rural areas. They argue that significant numbers of producer services are unlikely to locate in rural areas due to the economic and cultural benefits offered by central cities and that producer services in rural locations are qualitatively different from metro firms. Perceptions of the environment, management strategies, and community citizenship were analyzed with data from 259 producer service business owners and managers in Iowa rural, urban, and metropolitan communities. The findings point to qualitative differences between the businesses based on community size, but also many similarities were found. Rural producer services reported more community citizenship than other businesses.     

Privatize your name: Symbolic work in a post-Soviet linguistic market

This paper analyzes the new names given to Russian private businesses that have appeared after the collapse of the Soviet State in 1991. By naming new private ventures their owners members of the new business class attempt to privatize public space not only legally but also symbolically and linguistically. They strive to construct their particular new version of social reality, to represent it as positive and meaningful, and to impose themselves publicly as legitimate authors, owners, and masters of this new reality. This paper proceeds on several distinct levels of analysis. First, it analyzes a number of discourses, representing various subcultures and periods of Soviet and Russian history, from which new business names draw their complex meanings. Second, it considers concrete linguistic and semiotic techniques that are employed by the new names in this process. Third, it examines the cultural and social implications of this process of nomination for post-Soviet developments in the Russian society.