Existing Propensity to Cooperate: An Antecedent Influencing the Potential Performance of Small-Business Networks?

1999 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 567-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Chaston
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Business Networks

Self-organizing processes in building entrepreneurial networks: a theoretical and empirical investigation

2001 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Biggiero
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Industrial Districts ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Dual Nature ◽  
Entrepreneurial Networks ◽  
Firm Networks ◽  
Self Organizing

Self-organization is a property of social systems, and its recognition can give a remarkable contribution to the theory of entrepreneurship and to the analysis of inter-organizational networks. While literature on the classification of inter-firm networks and on their (dis)advantages is relatively abundant, there is much less on the processes of their formation and development. Since the convenience of building inter-firm networks is often uncertain and ambiguous, it involves social-psychological aspects and is based on personal relationships. This is particularly true in the case of small business networks, where the small firm size makes firm networks coincide with entrepreneurial networks. This characteristic can be extended to industrial districts, which are systems emerging from the interplay between small business networks. Industrial districts are weakly hierarchical organizations, which present the typical dual nature of social systems: the systemic nature, which is manifested more at the unity level, considering the district as a whole, and the subjective behavior of its members, which can play a crucial role either in triggering the district or in its evolutionary patterns. Such a double nature becomes a powerful engine of knowledge creation/transfer when organizations are recursive and self-organizing, and when the emerging values promote cooperation and trust. These co-evolutionary, recursive and self-organizing aspects have been synthesized in Nonaka's concept of ‘ba’. The cases discussed here deal with recursive processes in the formation of entrepreneurial networks in the biomedical district and in the formation of the district itself, which are seen as partially self-organizing processes. In the perspective considering knowledge as embodied in human beings and created by their social interactions, this paper concerns self-organizing and knowledge-creating processes at district and network levels.

Developing Small Business Networks in New Zealand

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-88
Author(s):  
Shaun Goldfinch ◽  
Martin Perry
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Business Networks

scholarly journals Trust, control and knowledge transfer in small business networks

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Massaro ◽  
Andrea Moro ◽  
Ewald Aschauer ◽  
Matthias Fink
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Small Business ◽  
Business Networks

scholarly journals Regional small businesses’ personal and inter-firm networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1957-1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jalleh Sharafizad ◽  
Kerry Brown
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Business Owners ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Firm Networks

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of personal and inter-firm networks and the elements that contribute to the formation and management of these networks for regional small businesses. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 small business owners located in regional areas. Findings The findings highlight key characteristics of regional small business owners’ networks. Findings indicated that participants relied strongly on their personal networks for business purposes. This study shows that while personal networks adapted and changed into informal inter-firm networks, weak-tie relations within inter-firm networks were unlikely to develop into close personal networks. Novel findings also include a preference for “regional interactions” and included regular collaboration with local business competitors. Although the participants used social media to manage their business through personal networks, results confirmed there was a lack of awareness of the benefits of inter-firm networks with businesses outside the local region. Originality/value While it is acknowledged small business owners use personal and inter-firm connections to maintain and grow their business, there is a lack of research examining both of these networks in the same study. This research addresses this gap and presents five propositions as a useful direction for future research. This paper adds to the evolution of existing knowledge by expanding understanding of the formation of business networks and conditions of business trust relations within a regional context.

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