Networks and Small Firms: Constructs, Methodological Strategies and Some Findings

Abstract

JAMES CURRAN IS MIDLAND BANK Professor of Small Business Studies, Robin Jarvis is Reader in Accounting and Finance, Robert A. Blackburn is Midland Bank Research Fellow and senior lecturer and Sharon Black was formerly research officer, all at the Kingston Business School, Kingston U-niversity, Surrey, England. This paper examines critically the methodological strategies of previous researchers investigating small business owner networks and networking and goes on to suggest an alternative strategy based on a thematic approach and a critical incident analysis. This approach is applied to a sample of 350 owner managers. Initial findin-gs from the original interviews with the 350 owners are followed by findings from the 45 critical incident interviews. Panel sessions, with some respondents and other interested parties, were used to corroborate the findings and interpretations generated from the i -iterview data. The conclusions question the extent of networking between the simall business owner and others within the wider economic environment and suggests these ielations hiave been overstated previously.