Title: Evaluation of small business failure and the framing problem

Authors: Patricia Stanton, David Tweed

Addresses: School of Management and Business, University of Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia. ' College of Business, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract: By examining the extant literature evaluating small business failure, this paper seeks to show that research in the area has been |framed|, leading to predictable outcomes. Presentation (framing) blinkers the way a problem is perceived and reviewed. Positive labels are more likely to evoke positive associations; negative labels are more likely to evoke negative associations leading to evaluations dependent on how the situation has been labelled. Much prior literature has focused on the negative area of small business failure. An established framework is used to analyse and illustrate that framing has occurred within that literature with respect to assessment of small business failure. Many researchers have accepted that small business is likely to fail with the result that their research is aimed at supporting this contention. Such acceptance impacts on policy decisions and decisions of venture capitalists, bankers and potential entrepreneurs.

Keywords: research framing; small business failure; small business research; predictable outcomes; presentation; entrepreneurship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEBR.2009.024686

International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 2009 Vol.1 No.4, pp.438 - 453

Published online: 15 Apr 2009 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article