Sociological Research on Service Sector Small Businesses: Some Conceptual Considerations

摘要: Recently 'small business revivalism', and the 'enterprise culture' more gener ally, has been articulated through a range of political discourses as panacea for economic social ills British economy. This is sometimes linked — often in an implied causality with official data showing self-employment small ownership increasing throughout 1980s (Bechhofer Elliott 1985; Creigh et al. 1986; Spilsbury Curran Burrows 1988; Hakim 1988). In turn, rhetoric 'enterprise' become central motif everyday life represented media popular discourse. These political, cultural developments have mirrored by academic interest (Curran 1986). Indeed, debates concerned current restructuring Britain focused around concept 'flexibility' (Poliert 1988) businesses analytically highlighted to extent hitherto unheard of. As Poliert (1988) demonstrated, notion flexibility manifested itself two distinct strands literature, which, although they come opposing conclusions, both give high profile. The first derives from managerialist flexible firm literature (Atkinson 1984) which tends see self-employed dependent, subcontracting roles, largely providing work peripheral workforce. this strand are crucial numerical required increasingly 'Japanized' production systems allegedly developing (Dickens 1988: 38-89). second institutional economics claims located beginnings 'second industrial divide' capitalist societies. involves decline Fordist mass rise post system 'flexible specialisation'. new 'technological paradigm' large numbers small, craft-based firms using technologically advanced methods operating within network similar firms, but also