The Relationship Between Network Of Entrepreneurs And Small Business Growth

With the new trading and communications tools in development and the evolution of property rights system, both in developed and emerging industrialized countries, small businesses represent a direction of economic development, compared with large enterprises, small businesses' governance structure are basically the the owners same as the operators . as owners and operators of entrepreneurs not only to seek market opportunities, open up market space, deal with the uncertainty of the environment, but also the entrepreneurs social network is small enterprise development Basis. Granovetter state that all economic activities are embedded in social relations network. From the economics perspective, business owners or entrepreneurs acts "efficiency", "rational" and "maximize the act" for the assumptions to explain., there are a number of shortcomings, and the actual situation is not very consistent. The social network theory of new economic sociology suggest that the actors are not atomic-style, but embedded in the other actors, actors' action is impacted by his social environment, so entrepreneurs are always in action with other people contact, embedded in social networks, rather than from a purely individual atoms of the individual alone.Against the reality of business growth model, based on the social network of research has increasingly become corporate growth theory and business growth and social network theory one of the critical areas of concern, the problem is more typical of small enterprises active in China, and has important practical significance. However, the dimension of the network of entrepreneurs study the small business development, only contained in newspapers and magazines, especially the Chinese literature is scarce, in this context, the paper absorb business growth theory, the new economic sociology society network theory, and other related areas of research achievements to study China's small enterprises in an attempt to in-depth understanding the social networks of our business owners or entrepreneurs are embedded in to a more objective, more in-depth interpretation of the growth of small enterprises.In this paper, combining the theory and empirical study on the method in an attempt to analyze the impact on small business growth for a more comprehensive and systematic from the entrepreneurs' network activity, network relationship and network structure. Following is the main thesis research work and contents:First,to collect empirical data through field interviews and questionnaire survey. Enter the formal interview stage, at the first, the author do a trial interviews to 6 small business owners of living in the vicinity or familiar with, and then select the distribution of the different sectors in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Shandong and other places of the 20 small business owners or managers do a semi-structured interviews. The surveys mainly benefit from the author of the social network, 618 questionnaires were issued, in addition to the first batch due to the lack of experience led to a 26 percent response rate, then the response rate was achieved 93 percent.Second, integration of multi-disciplinary theory to construct the analytical framework of entrepreneurs network and business growth. Integration of the economic business growth theory, based on the resources, capacity and knowledge of management business growth theory and new economic sociology theory of social network to construct the analytical framework from the network activities and network characteristics dimensions to study the small business growth.Third, the application of statistical analysis reveals a network of entrepreneurs on small business growth mechanism. Based on the study of small business growth by economics, management and the new economic sociology theory.The paper used Pearson correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation model analysis of statistical methods, focusing on inspection assumptions of the impact of the entrepreneurs network activities and entrepreneurs' network characteristics on the small business growth, Following is the main conclusions:(1) The entrepreneurs network activities conducive to small business growth. Entrepreneurs with their families or relatives to discuss business matters, business matters to discuss with your friends, business advisory and other outside experts and business growth was positive correlation with the entrepreneurs to participate in society, participate in seminars, exhibitions, etc. Business contacts between entrepreneurs and business growth was positive correlation , between the impact on other network activities through contact between entrepreneurs and proceeded to affect business growth. In addition to entrepreneurs and their families to discuss business matters, other network activities will help entrepreneurs to expand the link between this group. (2) The support of entrepreneurs network conducive to small business growth. Family, relatives, friends and acquaintances as the representative of the entrepreneurs social network with the support of business growth have a positive effect, the support of orther businesses is conducive to the growth of enterprises, the support of government agencies, non-governmental agencies, banks and other financial organizations on behalf of the entrepreneurs organizational network is also conducive to the growth of small enterprises.(3) The structure of the entrepreneurs network have different effects on growth. Larger scale entrepreneurs network, the more conducive to the growth of small.The more entrepreneurs network heterogeneity, the more conducive to the growth of small enterprises, and entrepreneurs networks in the high proportion of relatives not conducive to small business growth.(4) Fourth, the interaction of entrepreneurs network structure and entrepreneurs network support on the small business growth has different effects. The interaction of entrepreneurs network size and network support is positive correlation with small business growth. The interaction of entrepreneurs network heterogeneity and network support is positive correlation with small business growth. The interaction of relative proportion of entrepreneurs network components and network support is negative correlation with small business growth.Paper innovations mainly manifested in the network of entrepreneurs from the new perspective on the problem of small business growth, and integration of entrepreneurs network activities and network characteristics research, and also from the entrepreneurs network hidden support and overt support for research on enterprises growth. Integration in economics, management theory and new business growth of economic sociology of social network theory, the study built on detailed empirical data, based on China's domestic network of entrepreneurs to study the small business growth.Although the paper on a certain added and innovative to the existing literature, but still needs to be further improved, in general, against the influence of Confucian culture of Chinese enterprises, with interviews and surveys of empirical data, the study of the relationship of the entrepreneurs network and the small businee growth has some practical significance.