Construing the Small Business and Its Market: A Heideggerian Perspective.

Abstract

This exploratory research considers the difficulties that are associated with understanding market knowledge in a micro firm. The majority of micro firms gain their rewards from mutual beneficial exchange with their customers. The focus of this mutual exchange is often the product that is the basis of their business. The gaining of new customers is often difficult and requires a considerable degree of effort. The standard business approach is to apply cognitive rationality to this task. Some businesses succeed with this approach, but it is possible that other approaches might reveal a greater understanding of the small business situation. Research suggests that small business owners/managers develop tacit utilitarian, cognitively immediate and undetachable knowledge. In a developing business this is contingent with the entrepreneurial task. It can usefully be conjectured that this task is related to the introduction of new business areas. The entrepreneurial task can be seen as involving a qualitative introduction of new business into a market that has not existed before. The situational interplay of these two factors is investigated using a phenomenological research method and deep analysis of a small number of interviews. This research has found evidence that the development of market knowledge in a micro business can result from a leap into a new engagement. The possible grounding for such a leap is explored in the light of the philosophy of Heidegger. Heidegger's philosophy is noted for the exploration of being and time. He adopted hermeneutic and phenomenological approaches to discuss the leap into the grounding question of being. This leap into a new engagement requires a break from the content but not the methods of small business understanding and can be enabled by the developing attunement of the business owner. This is a different method of investigating the nature of market development in the small business. It is expected that this work will be found to be of value when undertaking further research in this business situation