| 1. |
- Ahl, Helene, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Networking through empowerment and empowerment through networking : Results from a practical experiment using networking through empowerment to enhance women's entrepreneurship
- 2000
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This report documents and evaluates an EU-sponsored project, designed to test and develop the empowerment model in building networks among entrepreneurs - primarily female - to strengthen their businesses and their business skills. Specific skills to be developed were language skills and information technology skills. The participants formed a local network, but they were also connected to sister projects in Germany, Italy, Belgium and Holland. The Swedish network consisted of 40 participants, divided into two groups (one in 1998 and one in 1999) who met regularly in their large group as well as in subgroups during the year. They also took part in business related courses, and undertook a study visit to their sister projects in the fall. Most of the participants were newly started entrepreneurs, and the majority of the firms were sole proprietorships in the service sector. Four coordinators, themselves part of the target group, initiated and managed the project. Representatives from the local sponsors formed a managing group.The report documents the project from inception to end, based on observations, interviews, document reviews, questionnaires and logbooks. Results as far as business growth and participants’ assessments of the project were positive. The majority of the companies increased their turnover during the project year, and no business closed. Three of four participants were satisfied, and three of four had their expectations, most frequently of networking with other entrepreneurs and of learning new skills, fully or partly met. Networking in a small group of peers where everyone gives and takes on an equal basis was the main factor producing the positive results. The groups provided colleagues, a sounding board, and a way to build entrepreneurial identity by mirroring each other’s experiences.Based on the experiences in Empag, and on previous research on empowerment, we found that empowerment may be understood in two, radically different ways. We have labeled the first radical empowerment. It is built on consensus decision making in a group of equals. Strategic decisions are made collectively, while routine decisions may be assigned to members. It is a protest against hierarchical structures and it recognizes no formal leader. The “power” in empowerment emanates from the inner strength of the involved actors. We have called the other model mainstream empowerment. This is a management tool for making the actors stronger and more motivated, and thus increases efficiency. It is practiced within hierarchical structures with formal leadership. There are boundaries for what the group may decide and what management sets. The latter typically makes the strategic decisions. The “power” in empowerment is interpreted as redistribution of power and resources from higher to lower levels of the echelon.The difficulties experienced in Empag centered on organizational issues, such as information and clarification of boundaries for decisionmaking. In the terminology of the empowerment models outlined above, the difficulties emanated from mixing the two models. Given the organizational constraints of Empag, only mainstream empowerment could be practiced. The spirit of empowerment in a more radical sense was, however, communicated and aspired for. Our recommendations for future projects concentrate on how to make mainstream empowerment practice more productive. The first and foremost suggestion is to communicate the nature of the model and its organizational constraints clearly. Also important is to consider leadership and group composition. Groups that are homogeneous as to goals, values and ambitions facilitate empowerment. Businesses of similar age, type, and size, and entrepreneurs of similar interests, age and gender make for a situation where the participants can give and take on equal terms. However, we do not recommend avoiding heterogeneity altogether. Learning to deal with ambiguity and the fact that different individuals may have completely different versions of reality is part of adjusting to the life of an entrepreneur.
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| 4. |
- Ahl, Helene, et al.
(författare)
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Walking a tightrope : Women entrepreneurs on the pricing decision as a delicate act of balancing inner and outer forces
- 1999
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Ingår i: Sailing the Entrepreneurial Wave into the 21st Century. - San Diego : University of San Diego.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper is a pilot study on the rationales for pricing decisions among a group of female entrepreneurs. For the purpose of avoiding pre-determined categories and allowing novel ideas and concerns to emerge, a focus group methodology was employed. Unlike the dominating literature on the subject which sees pricing as a rational decision based on costs, customer value and competition, this study suggests that both contextual factors and psychological factors are important. Important contextual factors were culture, regional characteristics and gender. Important psychological factors were sense of fairness, morals, identity, self-image, need for confirmation and self-confidence.
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| 6. |
- Bjursell, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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The Circle of Trust : Management in Acquiring and Acquired Family Businesses
- 2008
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The issue of mergers and acquisitions is of growing concern in many industries dominated by family ownership. Nevertheless there are few empirical studies of mergers and acquisitions involving family firms. While the few studies performed deal with how family owned companies respond to takeovers, this study will focus on family businesses as the acquiring firm. The empirical findings demonstrate that the family ownership logic of a family firm has concrete consequences for the acquisition process. Compared to traditional literature on mergers and acquisition, which has a focus on control by exchanging management in the acquired organization, the acquirers in this study worked in an alternative way when acquiring family owned businesses. The basis for their approach was trust in the acquired managers´ ability to manage the company for the long run.Sharma (2004) made a call for further efforts to explore the linkages between family business studies and other disciplines in order to propel the family business field toward establishing a niche and identity within the research community. The aim of this study is to enhance knowledge on mergers and acquisitions in family firms, at the same time as we are using the M&A literature to reflect on the specifics of the family firm. The purpose of this study is to explore management of acquired family businesses, with special attention to family ownership logic. Suggestions for further research both regarding mergers and acquisitions within the family business field and the theoretical construct family ownership logic will be discussed.
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| 7. |
- Blombäck, Anna, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the influence of social embeddedness and micro accountability on regional corporate responsibility
- 2010
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is yet vague concerning who is being held responsible; for what, by whom. Corporations are commonly treated as the focal actors of interest. We explore the notion of micro accountability to shed light on how an individual’s multiple roles and memberships (e.g. as private person; business owner and/or manager, community inhabitant, or business network member) translate to regional corporate responsibility. Stakeholder theory and interpretive accounting literature constitute the basis of our discussion. Illustrations derived from fieldwork on Swedish SMEs support our conclusions. We conclude that the accountability of owner-managers to a range of local stakeholders influences the company’s CSR activities. The paper adds to current research by emphasizing and exemplifying the importance of people and their social embeddedness for CSR activities and outcomes.
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| 9. |
- Brundin, Ethel, et al.
(författare)
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Family ownership logic: Framing the core characteristics of family businesses
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Management & Organization. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 1833-3672 .- 1839-3527. ; 20:1, s. 6-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article we show how specific family business logic shapes managerial practices. Based on empirical material from 20 case studies of family ownership governance, our study identifies seven core characteristics of family ownership logic. These include active, visible and persistent ownership with few owners, relatively stable strategic development encompassing multiple ownership goals, autonomy towards capital markets, and a strong identification and emotional bonding with the business. By considering the family business context, we find managerial practices that are prevalent in the majority of businesses around the world and that have implications for ownership research. It is concluded that by taking the logic of ownership into consideration when studying family businesses, researchers in this field can contribute to the growing literature on sociocultural and behavioural factors in corporate governance relations.
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