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Assesses the contribution of the 1994 Shell technology enterprise programme (STEP) which subsidised the employment of students in SMEs in the UK. A key issue is whether STEP students participating in the 1994 programme reported significantly superior benefits to those of students that never participated in the programme (i.e. non‐STEP students). Outcomes associated with the programme were assessed over a 36‐month period between 1994 and 1997. The programme had no statistically significant impact on the ability of students to obtain full‐time employment positions. Similarly, the programme was not found to be statistically significantly associated with the ability of graduates to obtain full‐time jobs in small firms. However, STEP students expressed a statistically significantly more “positive” attitude than non‐STEP students towards self‐employment or starting their own business. Conclusions and implications for policy makers and practitioners are detailed.

In 1990/91, survey responses were gathered from 621 independent businesses located in Great Britain. A follow‐on telephone survey was conducted with 150 surviving firms in 1997. This survey gathered information surrounding the propensity of firms to export their goods or services abroad as well as other performance and goal outcomes. Organizational and external environmental variables collected in 1990 are used to explain within a multivariate statistical framework the propensity of a firm to be an exporter in 1997, and the intensity of internationalization activity. Data collected in 1990 is also used to explain variations in several performance variables (i.e. whether exporting was regarded as a path to firm growth; profit performance reported in 1997 relative to competition; and the propensity to report employment growth over the 1990 to 1997 period).

The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolution of relationship marketing (RM) in a new technology-based firm (NTBF) and to illustrate how social embeddednesss benefits can be achieved by engaging in RM in a rural resource-constrained bilingual context.

A single in-depth case study of a NTBF operating in a rural bilingual context was explored over a five-year period. As part of the case study, participant observation was carried out and interviews with the novice entrepreneur, the firm’s employees and its customers were conducted.

Developing mutually beneficial relationships with customers and key partners can enable a novice entrepreneur with no prior business ownership and limited marketing experience to accumulate and mobilise resources in order to achieve credibility and business growth. By analysing information from the NTBF’s entrepreneur, customers and other actors, the authors build theory and present propositions relating to the RM process.

This case illustrates that RM can enhance the legitimacy of an inexperienced entrepreneur, and can enable a firm to address the liabilities of newness in a rural resource-constrained context. Entrepreneurs need to focus on relevant and specialised partnership and alliance relationships that can provide strategic resources for firm development. The bilingual influence has also been shown to aid the development of new relationships and thus ensuring social embeddedness.

The theoretical contribution of this study is to integrate insights from both RM and social embeddedness theories, and illustrate the extent to which a NTBF demonstrates social embeddedness benefits relating to customer retention and accumulation of strategic resources due to RM.

Quantitative bibliometric approaches were used to statistically and objectively explore patterns in the sharing economy literature.

Journal (co-)citation analysis, author (co-)citation analysis, institution citation and co-operation analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, document (co-)citation analysis and burst detection analysis were conducted based on a bibliometric data set relating to sharing economy publications.

Sharing economy research is multi- and interdisciplinary. Journals focused upon products liability, organizing framework, profile characteristics, diverse economies, consumption system and everyday life themes. Authors focused upon profile characteristics, sharing economy organization, social connections, first principle and diverse economy themes. No institution dominated the research field. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified organizing framework, tourism industry, consumer behavior, food waste, generous exchange and quality cue as research themes. Document co-citation analysis found research themes relating to the tourism industry, exploring public acceptability, agri-food system, commercial orientation, products liability and social connection. Most cited authors, institutions and documents are reported.

The study did not exclusively focus on publications in top-tier journals. Future studies could run analyses relating to top-tier journals alone, and then run analyses relating to less renowned journals alone. To address the potential fuzzy results concern, reviews could focus on business and/or management research alone. Longitudinal reviews conducted over several points in time are warranted. Future reviews could combine qualitative and quantitative approaches.

We contribute by analyzing information relating to the population of all sharing economy articles. In addition, we contribute by employing several quantitative bibliometric approaches that enable the identification of trends relating to the themes and patterns in the growing literature.

Explores whether there are any significant performance and ambitions differences between independent family and non‐family unquoted companies in the UK. To detect “real” performance and ambitions differences, rather than demographic “sample” differences between family and non‐family companies, a “matched” sample methodology has been utilized. Concludes that there are strong similarities between the two groups of companies in terms of “hard” objective performance and ambition indicators. Such differences as do occur are reflected in the finding that family companies are markedly more likely to stress non‐financial objectives than non‐family companies. Discusses implications for future research exploring the characteristics and performance of family and non‐family companies.

To evaluate the abilities, skills and expertise of undergraduates who participated in the UK‐based Shell Technology Enterprise Programme (STEP) and their suitability for prospective employment in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

The authors employ a longitudinal postal survey approach, involving a sample of undergraduates who responded in 1994 and in 1997.

Evidence suggests that the STEP has enhanced the skills, expertise and credibility of graduates seeking employment in SMEs. Prospective employers consider the skills and experience gained by STEP graduates as an advantage.

The longitudinal data under investigation is relatively old, but not obsolete. A further investigation of the impact that the STEP had on the research sample is planned for the near future.

The result suggests that owners/managers of SMEs are increasingly seeking specific business‐related skills. Higher education institutes should proactively liaise with their local business communities to ensure that students gain a broad range of skills, as required by employers in this important and expanding sector of the British economy.

The authors adopt a human capital perspective on skill accumulation and its impact on the future of graduate employment.

Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to detect the combination of factors associated with the provision of job‐related training provided by employers located throughout the United Kingdom. The efficacy of broad brush policy initiatives to encourage the provision of training in all very small firms is questioned. A case for targeting training provision assistance is presented.

Many policy makers and practitioners view female entrepreneurs as a “special group” worthy of research and policy attention. Concern has, however, been raised surrounding the quality of the studies focusing on female entrepreneurs. The six specification decisions (i.e. purpose, theoretical perspective, focus, level of analysis, methodology, and time frame) highlighted by Low and MacMillan’s 1998 article, “Entrepreneurship: past research and future challenges”, to review the entrepreneurship field were utilized to guide a critical review of Watson’s 2002 study, “Comparing the performance of male – and female – controlled businesses: relating outputs to inputs”, relating to the performance of male and female‐controlled businesses. Watson’s insightful study makes several contributions to knowledge and highlights issues that need to be more rigorously considered by scholars focusing on the female entrepreneurship phenomenon. Scholars who consider and report the six specification decisions will provide richer evidence and they will enable studies to be more easily compared with one another. Further, more rigorously collected evidence will enable policy makers and practitioners to make more informed resource allocation decisions.

Speculative hypotheses relating to firm performance and company objective differences between first and multi‐generation family firms were tested. Bivariate differences were found to be spurious. Results from multivariate multiple regression and logistic regression analyses suggest that the performance of first and multi‐generation firms do not significantly differ in terms of employment growth, the propensity of a firm to be an exporter, and the intensity of internationalization activity. In addition, it was confirmed that the profitability of a family firm was not significantly influenced by its generation stage. It was, however, confirmed that multi‐generation firms were significantly more likely to report a prime company objective is “to enhance the reputation and status of the business in the local community”. In contrast, first generation firms were significantly more likely to report “family objectives have priority over business objectives”. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.

Makes a contribution to the debate surrounding the characteristics of “non‐exporting” (n = 203 firms) and “exporting” (n = 64 firms) new manufacturing and “producer services” small firms in Great Britain. It was appreciated that sample differences may overwhelm the exploratory analysis. Consequently, in order to overcome this potentially distorting influence a “matched pairs” methodology was also utilized. Forty‐two matched pairs of non‐exporting and exporting firms were identified (by age of the business, industry and location type). In total, data were collected on 146 variables covering the firm, the founder and the environment. Dichotomizing between the two types of firms the univariate analysis of the “matched samples” identified statistically significant differences with regard to only 14 variables (10 per cent). Additional multivariate analysis was conducted. Results from a logit regression model of the “matched samples” suggests new firms are “pushed” into “exporting” their sales abroad due to perceived shortages of local resources as well as intense local competition. Discusses the policy implications of the survey findings.