Small businesses are an important engine of economic growth and are essential to the stability and health of the national and global economies. U.S. Census Bureau data show that small businesses have poor survival rates, however. The literature on organizational failure contains no generally agreed-on list of the variables that separate success from failure. Although external factors are beyond a company’s control, internal factors such as business practices, management teams, and choice of business model are within its influence, and an effective board of directors can address many of the internal factors that cause failure.The majority of the literature focuses on the boards of large, publicly listed companies. The unique needs of owner-manager companies (OMCs), which are generally synonymous with small business, have not been studied sufficiently. Without a legal requirement for a board of directors, some OMCs establish panels of advisors. Using a quantitative method, the first study investigated the impact of the specific knowledge and experience that advisors possess on the performance of OMCs, as moderated by the company’s stage of growth. One key finding of this study is that the early stage of growth, managerial experience has a positive relationship to both measures of OMC performance and entrepreneurial experience has a negative relationship to both. The study also provided evidence that the impact of experience and knowledge on OMC performance is moderated by the company’s current stage of growth. The second study further explored the key findings of the quantitative study using a qualitative method. A series of thirty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with owner-mangers and advisors. The second study corroborated the importance of managerial experience to both measures of OMC performance in the early stages of a company’s development. It also corroborated the negative relationship of entrepreneurial experience to one measure of OMC performance but contradicted its negative relationship to the other. This mixed-methods approach provided a deeper understanding of the actions that owner-managers take and how those ultimately affect OMC performance. / Business Administration/Interdisciplinary

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-authorized store environments could be improved to favor consumer purchase of healthy products. Engaging with the key intermediaries who can use marketing-mix and choice-architecture (MMCA) strategies to encourage low-income consumers to purchase healthy products aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), 2015-2020 is essential. This PhD research describes five investigations that explored the perspectives of food store owners, managers, and corporate or independent businesses (e.g., retailers) to inform healthy food retail approaches: (1) a systematic review of the literature (1980-2017) identified social-ecological influencers of food store retailers' decision-making and ability to use MMCA strategies to encourage healthy dietary purchases in the United States (US); (2) SNAP-authorized retailers' perceived feasibility and costs to implement healthy MMCA strategies in rural stores were assessed (n=29); (3) SNAP-authorized retailers' healthy food and beverage perceptions and DGA-aligned product offerings were documented; (4) prevalent SNAP-authorized food store retailers in the US and between two states were identified to inform settings where healthy food retail approaches could reach numerous SNAP consumers; (5) and the availability of corporate social responsibility commitments to use MMCA strategies to improve consumers' diet quality among prevalent SNAP-authorized food store chains was explored. The collective findings from the review and four studies were that multiple social-ecological factors (e.g., skills/knowledge, consumers, suppliers) influenced US retailers' decision-making and ability to use MMCA strategies that favor healthy products. Rural retailers perceived prompting and proximity (e.g., labeling and location) strategies as feasible and less costly compared to other MMCA strategies. Some misalignments of healthy food perceptions and food store availability were identified and indicated a need for trainings to enhance the success of healthy food retail programs. To reach numerous SNAP consumers, healthy food retail programs should target nontraditional (e.g., non-grocery) food stores with varied approaches by state. However, few prevalent SNAP-authorized retailers have made public, voluntary commitments to reduce obesity and may reflect a low readiness to engage in partnerships to establish healthy food retail environments. Future research should document approach to and the impact of using MMCA strategies to encourage healthier consumer purchases on business outcomes among diverse store contexts. / Doctor of Philosophy / Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) consumers are low-income Americans who could benefit from exposure to store cues or marketing-mix and choice-architecture (MMCA) strategies that ‘make the healthy choice the easy choice’. However, food store owners, managers, and businesses (e.g. retailers) ultimately decide if they will initiate and continue MMCA changes. This research prioritized the retailer perspective to inform healthy food retail approaches. A systematic review of literature (1980-2017) explored multifaceted influencers of food store retailers’ decision-making and ability or willingness to use MMCA strategies to encourage healthier dietary purchases in the United States (US). Additionally, four original research investigations were conducted: (1) a mixed-methods and cross-sectional investigation in rural, central Virginia assessed SNAP-authorized retailers’ perceived feasibility and costs to implement MMCA strategies that encourage healthy consumer purchases in stores; (2) an investigation of SNAP-authorized retailers’ healthy food and beverage perceptions and healthy food store offerings informed healthy food retail approaches in this setting; (3) an examination of prevalent SNAP-authorized food store retailers in the US and between two US states informed targeted healthy food retail approaches that could benefit numerous SNAP consumers; and (4) the availability of corporate social responsibility commitments to use MMCA strategies to promote consumer health among prevalent SNAP-authorized food store chains was explored. Main findings of these investigations indicated that there are multiple factors (e.g., skills/knowledge, consumers, suppliers) that influence US retailers’ decision-making. Also, rural retailers perceived prompting and proximity (e.g., healthy food labeling and moving healthy foods to an ideal location) strategies as feasible and low cost. There were some misalignments of healthy food perceptions and food store availability, indicating a need for trainings to enhance the likelihood for healthy food retail programs to succeed. In approaching SNAP-authorized retailers for partnership opportunities, targeting nontraditional (e.g., non-grocery) settings may reach more consumers and varied approaches by state are warranted. However, many of these prevalent SNAP retailers lack publicly available commitments to reduce obesity which may hinder partnership approaches. Future work should document approach to and the impact of using MMCA strategies to encourage healthier consumer purchases on diet quality and business outcomes among diverse store contexts.

Yes / The academic literature widely acknowledges changes and variation in the practices of small firms but only a small amount of empirical work has explored the processes through which HRM practices undergo change. Research has tended, instead, to examine the presence and effectiveness of HRM in small firms and has often viewed this in terms of a deficit model relating such practices to an understanding of HRM derived from larger firms. This chapter focuses on the recruitment and selection and staff payment practices in use in three small services firms to explore the everyday, ongoing detail of their HRM processes and practices. Identifying the different processes through which recruitment and selection and staff payment practices changed in the participant firms provides a base for discussing persistent forms of informality and the lack of stability that reflects the everyday realities of the firms, not only in contrast to their formalized policies but in engagement with them. This chapter advances understanding of selected HRM practices in small services firms after periods of formalization and adoption of HRM policies and practices. The chapter also discusses how developing knowledge of small firms’ HRM practices in this way has implications for researchers and practitioners.

O objetivo da pesquisa foi potencializar a explicação da relação da aprendizagem e do trabalho do dirigente da pequena empresa conhecendo objetivamente o estilo e os papéis e compreendendo o seu significado subjetivo. O tema da pesquisa foi estudar o trabalho do dirigente da pequena empresa objetivamente, por meio de um levantamento e subjetivamente por meio da abordagem etnometodológica, juntamente com os estilos de aprendizagem do dirigente. Para isso o trabalho de campo foi realizado em duas fases: na 1ª fase a abordagem foi quantitativa: levantamento sobre os estilos de aprendizagem - por meio do inventário de estilos de aprendizagem de Kolb - e dos papéis do administrador - por meio do questionário utilizado na pesquisa de Oliveira (2010) que foi desenvolvido com base na abordagem dos papéis de Mintzberg (1973); na 2ª fase a abordagem foi qualitativa com estudo de caso etnometodológico e análise da conversação a fim de compreender a percepção dos dirigentes sobre seu estilo de aprendizagem e seu trabalho. Ao final, quantitativamente não foi possível estabelecer uma relação significante entre as variáveis estilo de aprendizagem, trabalho do dirigente e desempenho organizacional, porém, qualitativamente essas relações foram identificadas e explicadas. Também foi realizada uma triangulação dos dados quantitativos e qualitativos a fim de comparar os resultados e identificar a importância de cada técnica. / The aim of the study was to improve the relationship explanation between learning and work manager objectively knowing the style and the roles and understanding their subjective meaning. The theme of the research was to study the small business work manager objectively, through a survey and subjectively through the ethnomethodological approach, along the learning styles of the manager. So the fieldwork was conducted in two phases: the 1st phase was quantitative approach: survey on learning styles - through the Kolb inventory of learning styles - and administrator roles - through the questionnaire used in Oliveira survey (2010) that was developed based on the approach of Mintzberg roles (1973); the 2nd phase was a qualitative approach with ethnomethodological case study and conversation analysis in order to understand the perception of the managers on your learning style and your work. Finally, quantitatively could not establish a significant relationship between the variables learning style, manager work and organizational performance, however, these relationships were qualitatively identified and explained. A triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data was also performed to compare the results and identify the importance of each technique.

O objetivo da pesquisa foi potencializar a explicação da relação da aprendizagem e do trabalho do dirigente da pequena empresa conhecendo objetivamente o estilo e os papéis e compreendendo o seu significado subjetivo. O tema da pesquisa foi estudar o trabalho do dirigente da pequena empresa objetivamente, por meio de um levantamento e subjetivamente por meio da abordagem etnometodológica, juntamente com os estilos de aprendizagem do dirigente. Para isso o trabalho de campo foi realizado em duas fases: na 1ª fase a abordagem foi quantitativa: levantamento sobre os estilos de aprendizagem - por meio do inventário de estilos de aprendizagem de Kolb - e dos papéis do administrador - por meio do questionário utilizado na pesquisa de Oliveira (2010) que foi desenvolvido com base na abordagem dos papéis de Mintzberg (1973); na 2ª fase a abordagem foi qualitativa com estudo de caso etnometodológico e análise da conversação a fim de compreender a percepção dos dirigentes sobre seu estilo de aprendizagem e seu trabalho. Ao final, quantitativamente não foi possível estabelecer uma relação significante entre as variáveis estilo de aprendizagem, trabalho do dirigente e desempenho organizacional, porém, qualitativamente essas relações foram identificadas e explicadas. Também foi realizada uma triangulação dos dados quantitativos e qualitativos a fim de comparar os resultados e identificar a importância de cada técnica. / The aim of the study was to improve the relationship explanation between learning and work manager objectively knowing the style and the roles and understanding their subjective meaning. The theme of the research was to study the small business work manager objectively, through a survey and subjectively through the ethnomethodological approach, along the learning styles of the manager. So the fieldwork was conducted in two phases: the 1st phase was quantitative approach: survey on learning styles - through the Kolb inventory of learning styles - and administrator roles - through the questionnaire used in Oliveira survey (2010) that was developed based on the approach of Mintzberg roles (1973); the 2nd phase was a qualitative approach with ethnomethodological case study and conversation analysis in order to understand the perception of the managers on your learning style and your work. Finally, quantitatively could not establish a significant relationship between the variables learning style, manager work and organizational performance, however, these relationships were qualitatively identified and explained. A triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data was also performed to compare the results and identify the importance of each technique.

Mikroföretag skiljer sig från små och stora företag. Ägaren är en central del i mikroföretag och oftast även den enda beslutsfattaren. Detta innebär att ägaren som person inverkar på de beslut som tas i företaget. I beteendeteori diskuteras objektivitet och rationalitet vid beslutsfattande. Där betonas det att individer har mycket svårt att bortse helt ifrån sig själva. Med andra ord är det de egenskaper och erfarenheter ägaren bär på som utgör grunden för hur man fattar beslut. Detta leder in på uppsatsens syfte vilket är att förklara hur egenskaper och erfarenheter hos ägaren i mikroföretag påverkar användningen av informationskällor vid investeringsbeslut. För att svara på syftet utgick uppsatsen från epistemologin och en positivistisk ansats. En kvantitativ forskningsmetod användes för att utnyttja den korta tidsplan som fanns. Genom en kvantitativ forskningsmetod fanns det möjlighet att samla en större mängd data på kort tid. Detta mynnade ut i en webbaserad enkät som kunde analyseras statistiskt. Resultatet visade att utifrån uppsatsens datamaterial förklarar inte egenskaperna och erfarenheterna hos ägaren i mikroföretag antalet informationskällor de använder vid investeringsbeslut. Det gick inte heller att förklara vilka informationskällor ägarna använder beroende på vilka egenskaper och erfarenheter de har. Däremot visar den att ägarna i mikroföretag är flexibla, innovativa, har kontrollbehov och är riskvilliga, vilket kan vara av värde vid fortsatt forskning. Uppsatsens modell förkastas inte, däremot borde den testas igen. / Micro firms are different from small and larger companies. The owner is a central part of the micro firm and often the sole decision maker. This implicates that the owner as an individual affect the decisions made through the company. Being objective and rational is discussed in behavioral theory, where it is highlighted that for an individual it is very hard to entirely overlook from himself. In other words it is the personal characteristics and experiences of the owner that affects how the company makes decisions. This leads us to the purpose of the dissertation which is to explain how personal characteristics and experiences of the owner manager in micro firms affect use of information sources when making investment decisions. The purpose is answered using a positivistic approach. A quantitative research method was used to take advantage of the short amount of time given. Through a quantitative research approach the possibility to get at big sample was higher. This resulted in a web-based questionnaire that could be analyzed statistically. The result based from the collected data showed that the personal characteristics and experiences of the owner manager in micro firms do not explain the number of used information sources. Nor does it explain which sources of information the owner managers use depending on what personal characteristics and experiences they have. However, it shows that owner managers in micro firms is flexible, innovative, need to have control and are willing to take risk. This finding could be used in future research. The model presented in this dissertation is not rejected; future research could make a contribution by testing it again.

L'objectif de cette recherche est d'établir l'existence d'un lien entre le design du système de contrôle de gestion, implémenté pour son propre compte par un propriétaire-dirigeant de petite entreprise, et les variables de sa trajectoire. Le design du système de contrôle de gestion doit être compris au sens non seulement des outils le composant, mais aussi du contexte dans lequel ils sont mis en œuvre, c'est-à-dire l'ensemble des techniques de management qui ont cours dans l'entreprise. La trajectoire du dirigeant est composée des variables relatives à son itinéraire socioprofessionnel, à sa personnalité, à ses aptitudes entrepreneuriales et à sa projection vers l'avenir.Les études de cas concernent des petites entreprises indépendantes du secteur de l'agencement, dans le Grand-Est, dont le dirigeant est propriétaire.Il résulte que c'est principalement de la variable-clé « logique poursuivie par le dirigeant » dont dépend l'ensemble des correspondances constatées entre le design du système de contrôle de gestion et les variables de la trajectoire. Il est aussi démontré que le système de contrôle de gestion est présent selon une temporalité dépendante du niveau de réflexion ‘stratégique' du dirigeant. / The aim of this research is to establish the existence of a link between the design of the system of management control, set up by the owner-manager of the small firm itself and the variables of his trajectory.The design of the system of management control must be considered not only in the sense of the tools composing it, but also within the context of development, comprising firm's management techniques. The trajectory of the manager is represented by the variables of his social and occupational background, his personality and entrepreneurial skills, but also his prospective capacity.Case study methodology was applied to small independent firms of the area of inside layout, from the East of France, owned by the manager itself.Results show that the key-variable, the logic followed by the manager, fosters all the correlations between the design of the system of management control and the variables of the trajectory. Moreover, the system of management control exists as a function of the temporality - depending on the level of 'strategic ' thinking characterizing the manager.

L’objectif de cette recherche est d’étudier la coopétition dans les petites entreprises. La coopétition est un sujet de recherche depuis vingt ans maintenant. Cette stratégie fait particulièrement l’objet d’un nombre croissant de publications depuis la fin des années 2000. La coopétition apparaît dans la littérature comme une stratégie paradoxale porteuse de performances mais également de risques pour les entreprises. Ces risques peuvent réduire la performance des entreprises ou bien conduire à l’échec de cette stratégie. Un management de la coopétition apparaît donc comme primordial pour bénéficier pleinement des avantanges de cette stratégie. Cependant, la plupart des études ont été conduites dans des grandes entreprises. Nous ne savons que très peu de choses sur la coopétition dans les petites entreprises. De par la spécificité des petites entreprises d’une part, et la multiplication des stratégies de coopétition dans les petites entreprises d’autre part, la recherche sur la coopétition dans ces entreprises présente de forts enjeux théoriques et empiriques. Cette étude cherche donc à expliquer comment fonctionne la coopétition dans les petites entreprises, c’est-à-dire à décrire ses modalités, à en définir un management efficace pour gérer les risques coopétitifs et à en évaluer l’impact sur la performance. Nous mobilisons une approche qualitative et une approche quantitative pour répondre à ces questions en étudiant le cas des agences immobilières en France. Les résultats de cette étude montrent que : (1) la coopétition dans les petites entreprises obéit drastiquement à la Loi proxémique ; (2) les principes d’intégration individuelle du paradoxe coopétitif, de séparation organisationnelle et de co-management des activités communes entre coopétiteurs sont nécessaires pour manager les risques coopétitifs ; (3) la coopétition impacte positivement la performance dans un contexte de petites entreprises. Les résultats montrent tout l’intérêt de la coopétition pour les petites entreprises et contribue à la connaissance de la théorie générale de la coopétition. / The objective of this research is to study coopetition in small businesses. Coopetition is a subject of research for twenty years now. This strategy is particularly the subject of a growing number of publications since the late 2000s. Coopetition appears in the literature as a paradoxical strategy bringing performance but also risks for companies. These risks may reduce the performance of companies or lead to the failure of this strategy. A particular management of coopetition appears as crucial to fully benefit from the avantanges of this strategy. However, most studies have been conducted in large companies. We know very little about coopetition in small businesses. On the one hand, because of the specificity of small businesses, and on the other hand, the proliferation of coopetition strategies in small businesses, research on coopetition in these companies has strong theoretical and empirical issues. This study seeks to explain how coopetition works in small businesses, that is to say, to describe its modalities, to define an effective management of coopetitive risks and to assess its impact on performance. We mobilize a qualitative approach and a quantitative approach to answer to these questions by studying the case of real estate agencies in France. The results of this study show that: (1) coopetition in small businesses to drastically obeys to the Proximity Law; (2) the management principles of individual integration of coopetitive paradox, of organizational separation, and of co-management of joint activities between coopetitors are necessary to manage coopetitive risks; (3) coopetition positively impacts the performance in a context of small business. The results show the advantage for small businesses to adopt coopetition strategies and contributes to the knowledge on the general theory of coopetition.

L’objet de la présente recherche vise à donner un éclairage théorique, empirique et pratique de l’après-transmission du point de vue du cédant, qui a transmis sa PME saine ou apparemment saine, pour un motif autre que la retraite. A la suite de l’étude d’un cas pilote, la recherche s’oriente vers l’investigation de l’après-transmission volontaire du cédant mature en PME, comme opportunité de rebond pluridimensionnel. Le cadre conceptuel procède des théories du développement psychosocial à mi-vie, du développement du style cognitif de l’adulte, des stratégies de réinvestissement et du concept d’identité plurielle. Fondés sur une étude de cas multiples composée de huit unités d’analyse, les résultats résident dans la compréhension de la dynamique de rebond du cédant mature en PME (1), la modélisation du processus de rebond associé à l’évolution du statut du cédant-réinvestisseur (2) et la formulation d’une taxonomie des trajectoires individuelles de rebond (3). Au final, l’après-transmission du cédant mature en PME se révèle être un rebond au singulier pluriel. / The aim of the present research is to provide a theoretical, empirical and practical exploration of post- succession, from the perspective of the transferor who has transferred a healthy or apparently healthy SME for a reason other than retirement. Following a pilot case study, the research focused on the investigation of the voluntary post-succession of the mature SME transferor, as an opportunity for pluridimensional rebound. The conceptual framework emerges from theories of midlife psychosocial development, adult cognitive style development and reinvestment strategy and the concept of multiple identities. Based on a study of multiple cases, using eight units of analysis, the results lead to the understanding of the rebound dynamics of the mature SME transferor (1), modelling of the rebound process associated with the development of the status of transferor/reinvestor (2) and the formulation of a taxonomy of individual rebound trajectories (3). Finally, the post- succession of the mature SME transferor is revealed to be a “singular-plural” rebound.

Small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) play an important part in all economies but particularly in developing economies. Growth 'SMMEs seek to grow either in size, revenue and/or asset value by reinvesting available resources; these enterprises tend to spend their available resources on operational when it comes to information and communication technology (ICT). But these systems, whilst necessary are not sufficient. They are geared toward capturing data but not producing information. Business intelligence (BI) can provide decision-makers, who in SMMEs are predominantly owner-managers, with access to information that enables them to make informed decisions on where to apply limited resources. Because BI requires operational systems to be in place to gather the data it is the logical next step. Despite increasing discussion in the press and amongst BI practitioners, academic research with regard to BI in SMMEs remains sparse. Since the potential contribution of BI to SMMEs can only be assessed by first understanding current information practices and needs in such enterprises, the purpose of this study is to explore the use of use of BI to support strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. This research uses an interpretive approach to collect data using semi-structured interviews from the owner-managers of six knowledge-based growth SMMEs in South Africa selected through purposive sampling. The research results suggest that BI can play an important role in knowledge-based growth SMMEs but that support and guidance is needed to ensure that BI is used appropriately to fully exploit available data for decision-making in addition to expanding available data sources. Future research can adopt a more rigorous positivist approach to confirm the findings of this study, expand the population to other sectors in South Africa and/or SMMEs in other countries. An action research methodology can also be used to apply BI interventions in SMMEs to investigate specific BI solutions in-depth. The research may be of value to participating and other SMME owner-managers, policy makers, government agencies, business advisers, and academic researchers. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Information Science / unrestricted