Samara, Samara, Russian Federation
The paper analyzes the regional social self-organization processes going on in the of small and medium-sized businesses environment of present-day Russia, particularly the actual business relationships and connections, ensuring existence and development of business, as well as establishment of regional businessmen associations in the fi elds of their regional economic activities. In considering the regional dimension of these processes, entrepreneurship is viewed as the new social environment where the processes of subject and spatial self-organization take place.
small and medium-sized businesses, business climate, regional social associations, self-organization of entrepreneurs, regional business environment.
PURPOSE, OBJECTIVES AND PROGRAM OF SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
The model of regional business space of small and mediumsized businesses, obtained in the framework of sociological research, is focused on the analysis of the structure of business relations of a Russian businessman that are necessary to run and grow a business.
The empirical base includes the results of the research made within the research project «Small and medium-sized businesses on the background of the business climate changes: structural changes, the social dynamics at the regional level and the role of regional authorities», supported by grants from the Russian Foundation for Humanities.
In particular, there were used the data from a sociological study conducted by the focus groups methods in the cities of Kazan, Samara, Balahna (Nizhny Novgorod region) with the purpose of the qualitative analysis of the vision that small and medium-sized businesses have on the social role of regional social associations of entrepreneurs and major business relations at the regional level that are necessary for business [4–6]. Participants of the three focus groups were owners, shareholders or directors of small and medium-sized enterprises.
In this study, the emphasis is laid on the analysis of the institutional forms of self-organization – on the analysis of relationships between entrepreneurs and regional public organizations of businessmen. At the same time businessmen’s relationships in the framework of their regional public association are regarded by us also as an element of a broader range of business contacts of the entrepreneur, that is as an element of their business space.
The objectives of the study are to determine:
- The identification parameters of small and medium-sized businesses with the middle class;
- The structure of the business climate and the attitude to its elements from the side of small and medium businesses in modern conditions;
- The focus of the social dynamics of small and mediumsized businesses through the realization of its mission by the representatives of the business.
The research program included three thematic elements that respectively detected the following:
- The level of identity of respondents with a social group of small and medium-sized businesses;
- representation of the structure of business and the state of their business space;
- entrepreneurs’ awareness of the importance and role of their regional associations.
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