Analysis of Leadership in Small Businesses: BUS 600 Report, Semester 1

This report analyzes a peer-reviewed journal article on leadership and management within small businesses, start-ups, and SMEs. The article, published in 2012, explores the traits and skills required for effective leadership and management. It investigates entrepreneurial factors that contribute to success, examining the research hypotheses related to achievement, commitment, and preference for autonomy. The study used a questionnaire survey of 154 managers and owners in Lebanon, revealing that success is linked to dedication to excellence and a focus on achieving challenging goals. The findings are supported by previous studies and the limitations include a small sample size and cultural differences. The report highlights the importance of leadership skills in achieving competitive advantages in the market.

BUS 600 - Foundational Skills
for Academic Research
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The selected peer reviewed journal article is based on the area of “leadership and
management of Start-ups, SME and family business”. The selected article seeks to demonstrate
an understanding of the behaviour of management and leaders within an organisational context
and especially within the small business and start-up context. The topic of the chosen article is
“A Perspective on Leadership in Small Businesses: Is the Need for Achievement A Motive in
Predicting Success?”. The article is of the year 2012 which depicts that the journal article is not
very current but not too old also. It is moderately current and thus can be said to be moderately
reliable and relevant to be studied on the subject of leadership and management in Start-ups and
SME context. The article is analysed from various perspectives and domains afterwards to
acknowledge its different aspects.
The chosen peer reviewed journal article explores the wide array of traits as well as skills
that are required to be present within the leaders in order to demonstrate a favourable
behavioural pattern. Such kind of behaviour demonstration provides due assistance in managing
the small businesses as well as start-ups in an effective manner. The article has also continued to
throw light on the different entrepreneurial factors that are known to stimulate the process of
attaining success for the manager as well as owner of the small businesses. The owners of the
small businesses as well as start-ups are highly committed to achieving growth and success in the
long term. These owners are excessively dedicated to the attainment of success and growth for
the business in a rapid course of time such that it can exceed the industrial standards of business
excellence.
The research hypotheses that mainly got addressed via the execution of this peer
reviewed journal article were:-
 H1 Successful owners and/or managers of small business and start-ups will gain
satisfaction from encountering success and/or being the first one to complete a tough
task.
 H2 Successful owners and/or managers of the small business and start-ups will be most
likely to achieve high standards of excellence by virtue of giving their full commitment to
attainment of business growth.
 H3 Successful owners and/or managers of small business and start-ups will most likely
be able to give preference to the jobs whereby they can enjoy freedom and consequently
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take initiatives for solving the challenges as well as issues in a comprehensive manner in
given period of time.
 H4 Successful owners and/or managers of small business and start-ups will be desirous of
concrete, rigid and rapid feedbacks on their performance from different or same
individual or group(s).
The main research direction in relation to this journal article has been found to be that
there are certain set of skills, knowledge and traits which are essentially required by a person to
gain success as well as growth in the long term while becoming an entrepreneur. The main
reason behind such direction has been to gain an insight into the comprehension of different
types of traits and skills which underpin the behaviour of the leaders while running and
managing a small business or start-up. Apart from this, it has been acknowledged that the study
helps in investigating about the impact of leadership on the performance as well as productivity
level of the firm in the long run.
For conducting this study, sampling method was put to use by the researcher. This
method mainly provides due assistance in collection of data by way of the usage of a
questionnaire survey. This was given to 154 managers and/or owners of the small businesses as
well as start-ups of Lebanon to derive knowledge of their thinking in relation to leadership skill
set as well as effectualness of managerial motivation.
By carrying out this study, it is mainly found out that the owner as well as manager of
small businesses and start-ups tends to attain success only when they remain dedicated and
committed to attainment of a high standard of excellence in terms of their management. By
virtue of data analysis, it is mainly found out that a successful owner and manager of the
business always intend to attain the tough tasks available in front of them for gaining access to a
better success. These owners and managers show more focus upon the accomplishment of an
extensive level of excellence by way of encouraging the personal initiative to deriving a solution
to any of the problems and asking for frequent feedbacks as they help in providing an idea of the
scope of improvement. By gaining an idea of the scope of improvement, it stimulates them to
take measures through which they can be evolved to ensure success for the business.
The findings of this study are mainly supported by the previously conducted studies in
which the data provided by the different kinds of scholars and researchers within the past
investigations have been critiqued to gain a better understanding of the subject matter. Post the
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critical evaluation of the previously conducted study; the hypotheses are developed on the
subject matter to gain a better understanding in order to facilitate the conduction of a primary
investigation.
The main limitation of this study was sample decided for gathering data was very small and
it can’t be said it reflect the whole Lebanese market which is covers by small businesses.
Another limitation can be considered as difference within the culture of Lebanese people and the
American where actually the study is conducted. As according to pervious literature and result of
article the owner/ managers must remain committed toward attaining the standard of excellence
which help in achieving the competitive edge in market. But to achieve this goal they should not
put stress on subordinates as whole process may lose the actual value.
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REFERENCE
Fahed-Sreih, J. and Morin-Delerm, S., 2012. A Perspective on Leadership in Small Businesses:
Is the Need for Achievement a Motive in Predicting Success?. International Journal of
Entrepreneurship, 16, p.1.
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