IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jadmsc/v4y2014i1p35-50d32922.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Role of Strong versus Weak Networks in Small Business Growth in an Emerging Economy

Author

Listed:
  • M. Kamil Kozan

    (School of Business, St. John Fisher College, 3690 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618, USA)

  • Levent Akdeniz

    (School of Business, Bilkent University, Bilkent, Ankara 06800, Turkey)

Abstract

The study tests whether strong rather than weak ties account for small business growth in Turkey. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire filled out by the owners of small firms operating in four cities. Growth is comprised of two main areas, production expansion and knowledge acquisition. Results show that strong ties are positively related to both types of growth. In contrast, loose ties have no effect on small business growth in either area. This finding is attributed to the influence of the collectivistic nature of the mainstream Turkish culture, where owners of small businesses are likely to rely on in-groups rather than out-groups for advice and for financial support. Implications of relative absence of weak ties for small business growth and innovation in emerging economies are discussed. The findings suggest that culture should be included as a contingency variable in future studies of network strength and growth relationship. The paper also discusses the possible moderating role of affective and cognition-based trust in the relation of strong and weak ties to small business growth.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Kamil Kozan & Levent Akdeniz, 2014. "Role of Strong versus Weak Networks in Small Business Growth in an Emerging Economy," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-16, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:4:y:2014:i:1:p:35-50:d:32922
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/4/1/35/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/4/1/35/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joel A. C. Baum & Tony Calabrese & Brian S. Silverman, 2000. "Don't go it alone: alliance network composition and startups' performance in Canadian biotechnology," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 267-294, March.
    2. Crystal X Jiang & Roy YJ Chua & Masaaki Kotabe & Janet Y Murray, 2011. "Effects of cultural ethnicity, firm size, and firm age on senior executives’ trust in their overseas business partners: Evidence from China," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(9), pages 1150-1173, December.
    3. Majumdar, Sumit K., 2004. "The hidden hand and the license raj to An evaluation of the relationship between age and the growth of firms in India," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 107-125, January.
    4. Eric L. Hansen, 1995. "Entrepreneurial Networks and New Organization Growth," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 19(4), pages 7-19, July.
    5. Bill McEvily & Akbar Zaheer, 1999. "Bridging ties: a source of firm heterogeneity in competitive capabilities," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(12), pages 1133-1156, December.
    6. Roy Y J Chua & Michael W Morris & Paul Ingram, 2009. "Guanxi vs networking: Distinctive configurations of affect- and cognition-based trust in the networks of Chinese vs American managers," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(3), pages 490-508, April.
    7. Bat Batjargal & Mannie (Manhong) Liu, 2004. "Entrepreneurs’ Access to Private Equity in China: The Role of Social Capital," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(2), pages 159-172, April.
    8. Davidsson, Per, 1991. "Continued entrepreneurship: Ability, need, and opportunity as determinants of small firm growth," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 6(6), pages 405-429, November.
    9. Birley, Sue, 1985. "The role of networks in the entrepreneurial process," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 107-117.
    10. W. Gibb Dyer Jr. & Wendy Handler, 1994. "Entrepreneurship and Family Business: Exploring the Connections," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 19(1), pages 71-83, October.
    11. Tim Rowley & Dean Behrens & David Krackhardt, 2000. "Redundant governance structures: an analysis of structural and relational embeddedness in the steel and semiconductor industries," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(3), pages 369-386, March.
    12. Evans, David S, 1987. "Tests of Alternative Theories of Firm Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 95(4), pages 657-674, August.
    13. Davidsson, Per & Honig, Benson, 2003. "The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 301-331, May.
    14. Julie M. Hite & William S. Hesterly, 2001. "The evolution of firm networks: from emergence to early growth of the firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 275-286, March.
    15. Elfring, Tom & Hulsink, Willem, 2003. "Networks in Entrepreneurship: The Case of High-Technology Firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 409-422, December.
    16. Howard E. Aldrich & Martha Argelia Martinez, 2001. "Many are Called, but Few are Chosen: An Evolutionary Perspective for the Study of Entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 25(4), pages 41-56, July.
    17. Oecd, 2002. "Access for Business," OECD Digital Economy Papers 67, OECD Publishing.
    18. Daniel Z. Levin & Rob Cross, 2004. "The Strength of Weak Ties You Can Trust: The Mediating Role of Trust in Effective Knowledge Transfer," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(11), pages 1477-1490, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Peter AKPAMAH & Ernest IVAN-SARFO & Andrea MATKÓ, 2021. "Organizational Culture As A Strategy," CrossCultural Management Journal, Fundația Română pentru Inteligența Afacerii, Editorial Department, issue 1, pages 15-26, July.
    2. Isaac Desta & Abel Tedla & Dawit Zerom, 2015. "Entrepreneurial Networks And Growth In Female-Owned Businesses: Evidence From Small And Medium Scale Enterprises In Eritrea," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(04), pages 1-16, December.
    3. Alex Maritz & Dennis Foley, 2018. "Expanding Australian Indigenous Entrepreneurship Education Ecosystems," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-14, June.
    4. Amin, Hindu Jibril, 2021. "Influence of Marketing Strategies on the Performance of SMEs: Evidence from Abuja SMEs," OSF Preprints vk7de, Center for Open Science.
    5. Nusrat Hafiz & Ahmad Shaharudin Abdul Latiff & Md Asadul Islam & Abu Naser Mohammad Saif & Sazali Abd Wahab, 2022. "Towards the Underlying Theories of Small Firm Growth: A Literature Review," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 11(1), pages 36-51, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stam, Wouter & Arzlanian, Souren & Elfring, Tom, 2014. "Social capital of entrepreneurs and small firm performance: A meta-analysis of contextual and methodological moderators," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 152-173.
    2. Newbert, Scott L. & Tornikoski, Erno T. & Quigley, Narda R., 2013. "Exploring the evolution of supporter networks in the creation of new organizations," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 281-298.
    3. Thorsten Semrau & Arndt Werner, 2014. "How Exactly Do Network Relationships Pay Off? The Effects of Network Size and Relationship Quality on Access to Start–Up Resources," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(3), pages 501-525, May.
    4. Zhang, Yanlong, 2015. "The contingent value of social resources: Entrepreneurs' use of debt-financing sources in Western China," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 390-406.
    5. Scott Newbert & Erno Tornikoski, 2012. "Supporter networks and network growth: a contingency model of organizational emergence," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 141-159, July.
    6. Junfu Zhang, 2011. "The advantage of experienced start-up founders in venture capital acquisition: evidence from serial entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 187-208, February.
    7. Susanna Slotte–Kock & Nicole Coviello, 2010. "Entrepreneurship Research on Network Processes: A Review and Ways Forward," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(1), pages 31-57, January.
    8. Christopher Hayter, 2013. "Conceptualizing knowledge-based entrepreneurship networks: perspectives from the literature," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 899-911, December.
    9. Lechner, Christian & Dowling, Michael & Welpe, Isabell, 2006. "Firm networks and firm development: The role of the relational mix," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 514-540, July.
    10. Jack, Sarah L., 2010. "Approaches to studying networks: Implications and outcomes," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 120-137, January.
    11. Vershinina, Natalia & Rodgers, Peter & Tarba, Shlomo & Khan, Zaheer & Stokes, Peter, 2020. "Gaining legitimacy through proactive stakeholder management: The experiences of high-tech women entrepreneurs in Russia," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 111-121.
    12. Hans Löfsten & Anders Isaksson & Heikki Rannikko, 2023. "Entrepreneurial networks, geographical proximity, and their relationship to firm growth: a study of 241 small high-tech firms," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 2280-2306, December.
    13. Bhagavatula, Suresh & Elfring, Tom & van Tilburg, Aad & van de Bunt, Gerhard G., 2010. "How social and human capital influence opportunity recognition and resource mobilization in India's handloom industry," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 245-260, May.
    14. Bharat Bhushan & Raj K. Kovid & Deepa Kumari, 2020. "Entrepreneurial Networks and Venture Growth: Insights from Information Technology Firms in an Emerging Market," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 9(3), pages 205-215, September.
    15. Diane M. Sullivan & Cameron M. Ford, 2014. "How Entrepreneurs use Networks to Address Changing Resource Requirements during Early Venture Development," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(3), pages 551-574, May.
    16. Rauch, Andreas & Rosenbusch, Nina & Unger, Jens & Frese, Michael, 2016. "The effectiveness of cohesive and diversified networks: A meta-analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 554-568.
    17. Isaac Desta & Abel Tedla & Dawit Zerom, 2015. "Entrepreneurial Networks And Growth In Female-Owned Businesses: Evidence From Small And Medium Scale Enterprises In Eritrea," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(04), pages 1-16, December.
    18. Nicolaou, Nicos & Birley, Sue, 2003. "Academic networks in a trichotomous categorisation of university spinouts," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 333-359, May.
    19. Li, Haiyan, 2020. "Role of overseas ethnic and non-ethnic ties and firm activity in the home country in the internationalization of returnee entrepreneurial firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).
    20. Dossou, Smith A.R. & Aoudji, Augustin K. N. & Vissoh, Pierre & Zannou, Afio, 2021. "Effect of Social Networks and Performance of Young Women Agribusiness Owners in a Developing Country: The Moderating Effect of Business Environment," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315361, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:4:y:2014:i:1:p:35-50:d:32922. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.