Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal
In this paper the authors will argue that much public sector intervention in the small business sector is based on a flawed understanding of how small businesses actually operate (May and McHugh, 1991). We argue that as a result of this misunderstanding SME policies and strategies are ‘blunt instruments’ destined to fail when applied to this complex sector (North and Smallbone, 1995; Storey, 1994; Keeble, 1994). We present evidence obtained from various qualitative based studies amongst small businesses. These include large scale qualitative studies undertaken for a range of blue chip companies, together with studies undertaken for Business Links and Government departments (Martin and Turner, 1986).The paper demonstrates how qualitative research approaches can capture the emotion, ambiguity and complexity that characterises this market (Stacey, 1995a; 1996b) – features which quantitative approaches alone, and any interventions based on these, will struggle to accommodate. The output of the paper will be a clear set of guidelines for understanding . The paper will first provide a background to the way we currently look at small businesses. It will then provide feedback from our various qualitative studies, including looking at the critical issue of the personal/business overlap. We will then develop a number of ‘qualitative’ frameworks for understanding the small firms sector. We will then make a number of observations that will be helpful to those – both in commercial organisations and Government departments and quangos – interested in making effective interventions in the small business sector (Payne and Skelcher, 1997; Stanworth and Stanworth, 1990).