Search results for "small business"
showing 10 items of 44 documents
Economic and Psychological Factors in Entrepreneurial Tendency
2011
In the actual context of global economical crisis, the research question we raised was: Which of the personality traits, formerly associated with entrepreneurship, remain sufficiently stable/strong to overcome the negative economic conditions? That was the starting point to propose experimental evaluation of the possible effect of certain factors such as the economical crisis context/information regarding the economy status and the personal perception regarding the money source/value as regards to the tendency of investing in a small business of the youngsters with a high Internal Locus of Control level.
Exploring the Anatomy of Franchising: A Cross-National Examination of US and Finnish Franchise Contract Provisions
2004
The present study focuses on describing and comparing the provisions of the franchise contracts and pre-sale disclosures to prospective franchisees in the USA and Finland. A fact that makes the investigation especially interesting is that no franchising specific legislation exists in Finland. Whereas in the USA franchisors are by a directive of the Federal Trade Commission required to publicly disclose key information on their franchise systems. The information is of paramount importance for potential franchisees who need to analyze franchise offering(s) before their buying decision. Two separate samples were developed for the study. The member franchisors of the International Franchise Ass…
Towards a Variety of Meanings - Multiple Representations of Reputation in the Small Business Context
2010
This paper examines the discursively constructed meanings for reputation in the small business context – an area of reputation research that has so far attracted little attention. We argue that viewing reputation as a social construction makes it possible to uncover and understand the variety of meanings attached to the concept in small businesses. On the basis of 25 thematic interviews with owner-managers we (re)constructed four meanings for reputation: reputation as an economic resource, as social recognition, as a restrictive control mechanism and as a risk for personal status. We also investigate the variety of discursive events in which these meanings are created. The study further emp…
Caring for older people: an analysis of the small business sector
2012
This study aims to analyse the small business sector in Spain for institutional care. In the Autonomous Region of Valencia, this sector is represented by non‐profit institutions. Our results show that non‐profit centres easily fulfil the legal requirements, especially with regard to personnel. They are generally of high quality and receive a large amount of volunteer work and funds from donators. Small business centres show an accurate daily cost per user of up to €56.48, a substantially lower rate than those offered by large centres.
Altruism in business – an empirical study of philanthropy in the small business context
2012
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine corporate philanthropy from the perspective of small business owner‐managers to find out whether there is room for altruism in business life.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on 25 thematic interviews with small business owner‐managers. The data analysis is based on a method of qualitative content analysis.FindingsBased on the analysis, it is shown that reactivity, an emphasis on personal interests, the willingness to utilize philanthropy as part of marketing and lack of planning are typical of philanthropy in the small business context. Small businesses often emphasize strategic business reasons as the main motive for their philan…
Discarding the mirror : the importance of intangible social resources to responsibility in business in a Finnish context
2010
Company values guiding the recruitment of employees with a foreign background
2019
Purpose In this paper, the following research question is addressed: Why do business organisations recruit employees with a foreign background? This was examined in terms of the values that guide organisations and their management. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The study focused on two businesses in Finland that are pioneers in the recruitment of immigrants. A case study approach was adopted. The research data consist of interviews and documentary data. The data were analysed using content analysis in accordance with grounded theory. Findings Companies can act as an enabling force in the integration of immigrants into the local labour market, especially …
Vaikuttajaksi kyläpankin avulla
2011
Life-cycle effects in small business finance
2017
This paper studies the life-cycle profiles of small firms’ cost and use of credit using a panel of Finnish firms. The choice of method matters for the conclusions drawn about the relationship between firm age and financing costs; the cross-sectional age profiles of financing costs are hump-shaped and consistent with hold-up theories, whereas methods that control for cohort fixed effects demonstrate that the financing costs decrease monotonically as the firms mature. The life-cycle profiles of the use of credit also indicate that firms are more dependent on financial intermediaries in the early periods of their lives. Furthermore, the cohorts born during recessions pay higher financing costs…