This paper responds to the need for more investigation into the "conceptual underpinnings of sponsorships" (Gardner & Shuman, 1988, p.44) by investigating the spectrum of opportunities that are available to small firms - whether as sports donors or as bona fide sponsors - through the prism of small business Stages of Development theory. A multiple case study approach is employed to explore the nature of sponsorship activities being undertaken by small enterprises and to contribute to the advancement of the authors' 'philanthropy-sponsorship' continuum. This research makes two contributions. First, it presents the classifications of 'patronage' versus 'semistrong sponsorship' versus 'fully functioning sponsorship' relationships, based on the nature of the expected benefits. Second, it evaluates the small business/sports property interface from the perspective of small business phases of development and proposes a framework for linking the small firm to sports sponsorship outcomes.

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This paper examines 2 years of data from GEM Canada in order to develop new insights into the factors that contribute to the performance outcomes of female enterprises and how these factors are affected by the firm's stage of development. The analysis encompasses both personal and organizational characteristics and assesses their association with selected performance measures at the early stage as well as at the established phase of development. The findings indicate that the greater propensity of men to pursue business growth and earnings can be attributed to marital status (live with a partner) and the expected depth of the ownership team. Moreover, the performance outcomes for male entrepreneurs are influenced by a relatively wide range of variables, with business demographics being more prominent than for the female enterprises. For both genders, the mix of relevant underlying factors varies as the venture progresses along the 'nascent-newestablished' continuum.

This article reports on the results of an empirical study into the nature and role of business planning within the new venture. In order to explore the benefits of business planning and compare the experiences of surviving versus failed businesses, the researchers analyzed 327 micro-enterprises that had been launched during the 1997-1999 period. There was no direct association between early stage planning and survival/failure during the company's first three years. While the learning and efficiency benefits of the business plan were quite high, these benefits were not found to be directly associated with survival or failure.The business plan's impact, both in terms of helping the entrepreneur learn more about managing his/her business and enabling him/her to organize the business more efficiently was significantly higher when the plan (i) incorporated a market research component or (ii) had been prepared with the intent of being used to guide decision-making.SOMMAIRE. Cet article présente les conclusions d'une étude empirique sur la nature et le rôle de la planification des affaires au sein d'une nouvelle opération. Afin d'explorer les avantages de la planification des affaires et de comparer les expériences des entreprises qui survivent avec celles des autres, les chercheurs ont analysé 327 micro-entreprises lancées pendant la période 1997-1999. Il n'existait pas de lien direct entre la planification précoce et la survie ou l'échec au cours des trois premières années d'une compagnie. Tandis que les avantages de la planification étaient appréciables du point de vue de l'apprentissage et de l'efficacité, ils n'étaient apparemment pas en relation directe avec la survie ou l'échec.Pour ce qui est d'aider l'entrepreneur à apprendre à gérer son entreprise et de lui permettre de l'organiser de façon plus efficace, l'impact du plan d'affaires était d'autant plus important que celui-ci (i) incorporait une étude de marché, ou (ii) avait été préparé avec l'intention de guider la prise de décisions.

This study examines impediments to small business development as they relate to the enterprise support network. In order to identify sources of dissatisfaction, 10 small business owners were brought together for a focus group discussion. Subsequently, another 90 small businesses were surveyed by telephone, in an effort to explore the perceptions of the focus group further. A high level of satisfaction was expressed with the counsel of professional advisors, but low regard for the fit between government programs and the needs of small business. Those companies which could not name any government programs that had been beneficial were likely to be smaller organizations. Also, firms not using the services of outside professionals tended to have fewer employees, as did the firms which did not prepare business plans. Further, companies with staffs of two to four showed substantially lower levels of satisfaction with their bank relationship than did any other companies, both in level of support received and their financing arrangements. Résumé La présente étude porte sur les obstacles reliés au réseau d'aide à l'entreprise qui empêchent l'expansion des petites entreprises. Pour établir les causes d'insatisfaction, l'équipe a réuni un groupe de discussion formé de 10 propriétaires de petites entreprises. Puis, pour approfondir les perceptions de ce groupe, elle a sondé par téléphone 90 autres entreprises de même taille. Il en ressort une haute satisfaction du recours aux services des conseils professionnels, mais un décalage entre les programmes gouvernementaux et les besoins de la petite entreprise. Les très petites sociétés sont généralement incapables de désigner un seul programme gouvernemental qui leur aurait été bénéfique. Par ailleurs, celles qui ne consultent pas à l'externe tendent à avoir un personnel très réduit, tout comme celles qui n'élaborent pas de plans d'entreprise. Enfin, les sociétés employant de deux à quatre personnes se sont déclarées moins satisfaites que les autres de leurs relations avec leurs banquiers, en ce qui concerne l'aide et les modalités de financement.