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Adjustment Strategy Use in Minority Family Businesses: Differences Across Gender

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Abstract

The objectives of this study were to explore the adjustment strategies employed by minority female owners of small family firms and to compare their use of adjustment strategies with those of their male counterparts. There were significant gender differences in the adoption of adjustment strategies among minority-owned family firms. The major findings of this study suggest that minority female business owners were more likely to reallocate family resources to help with business tasks and were more likely to intertwine both tasks than minority male business owners when demands were particularly great for the family or the firm. In addition, compared to male business owners, a relatively higher proportion of female business owners used volunteer help without pay during hectic times. Implications for business consultants and educators working with minority business owners are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The 2003 and 2005 National Minority Business Owner Surveys (2003 and 2005 NMBOS) were conducted by Minority Business Research Group via two major research projects. The first project was the “2003 National Minority Business Owner Survey, Whites and African Americans (2003 NMBOS)” which was funded by GreenPoint Financial Corporation. The second project was the “2005 National Minority Business Owner Survey, Korean Americans and Mexican Americans (2005 NMBOS),” which was funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Both NMBOS projects were managed by Alvin N. Puryear, Edward G. Rogoff, Myung-Soo Lee, and Ramona K. Z. Heck at the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship, Baruch College. Interview questionnaires, originally developed by the Family Business Research Group relative to 1997/2000 National Family Business Surveys (1997/2000 NFBS), were adapted as well as translated for “in-language” interviews.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA

    Yoon G. Lee

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Science, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USA

    Margaret A. Fitzgerald

  3. Department of Management, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA

    Kenneth R. Bartkus

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  1. Yoon G. Lee
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Correspondence to Yoon G. Lee.

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Lee, Y.G., Fitzgerald, M.A. & Bartkus, K.R. Adjustment Strategy Use in Minority Family Businesses: Differences Across Gender. J Fam Econ Iss 38, 1–17 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-015-9478-8

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