This paper describes a methodology used to gain an understanding concerning the needs of small business owner/managers for government policies and programs to improve their performance. Data were collected from 141 owner/managers in eight sessions using a modified Nominal Group Technique (NGT) approach. Considerable discussion is devoted to issues of analysis involving multiple group NGT data and to efforts to develop a classification framework that would permit the findings to be translated into policy and program proposals.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BeliveauDonald, d'AmboiseGerald, and Brent RitchieJ.R.Une consultation sur le problemes des proprietaires dirigeants en region, Collection Etudes et Recherches, Office de planification et developpement du Quebec, Quebec, Canada, 1978.
2.
BroomH.N., and LongneckerJustin G.Small Business Management, Cincinnati: Southwestern Publishing, 1971.
3.
D'AmoreL.J.“Saint John 1986 — Anticipatory Democracy in Action”, The Business Quarterly, 20–31, Autumn, 1977.
4.
DarlingtonRichard. “A Successful Public Participation Experiment”, Planning and Administration, 312: 35–43, 1976.
5.
DelbecqAndre L., Van de VenAndrew H., and GustafsonDavid H.Group Techniques for Program Planning, Glenview Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1975.
6.
DrorYehezkel. Design for Policy Sciences, New York: American Elsevier, 1971.
7.
FalkR. Frank, and BrodieDonald Q.“Citizen Involvement in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Project”, in Proceedings of the 6th Annual Conference of the Travel Research Association, Salt Lake City: TTRA, 81–85, 1975.
8.
FarmerRichard N., and RichmanBarry M.Comparative Management and Economic Progress, Homewood, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, 1965.
9.
GriecoV.A.Management of Small Business, Columbus: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., 1975.
10.
HolstiO.R.Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and the Humanities, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1969.
11.
KatzDaniel, ButekBarbara A., KahnRobert L., and BartonEugeniaBureaucratic Encounters: A Pilot Study in the Evaluation of Government Services, Ann Arbor, Mich.: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 1974.
12.
McMullenE.“The Two-Factor Conceptualization of Creativity Stimulation”, Journal of Creative Behavior, (in press).
13.
PetersonRein. Building a Balanced Economy, Erin, Ont.: Press Porcepic Ltd., 1977.
14.
PetrofJohn V., CarusonePeter S., and DavidJohn E.Small Business Management: Concepts and Techniques, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1972.
15.
RickardsT., and FreedmanB.L.“Procedures for Managers in Idea Deficient Situations”, Journal of Management Studies, 43–55, February, 1978.
16.
RosenbaumWalter A.“The Paradoxes of Public Participation”, Administration and Society, 8/3: 355–383, 1976.
17.
ScheeleD. Sam. “Reality Construction as a Product of Delphi Interaction”, in LinstoneHarold A., and TuroffMurray (Eds.), The Delphi Method, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1975.
18.
SchumacherE.F.Small is Beautiful, London: Bland and Briggs, 1973.
19.
ShrodeW.A., and VoichD.Organization and Management: Basic Systems Concepts, Homewood, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, 1974, 137–170.
