Title: The role of institutional elements on strategic activities of small business practitioners

Authors: Márcio Luiz Marietto; Fernando Antônio Ribeiro Serra

Addresses: ESTG – Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, globADVANTAGE – Center of Research in International Business and Strategy, Rua General Norton de Matos, Apartado 4133, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal ' Uninove University, Avenida Francisco Matarazzo, 612, São Paulo, SP, 05001-000, Brazil

Abstract: This study offers different perspectives for observing the phenomenon of strategic practice of managers and sales persons in small stores located in an organisational field through the lens of strategy as practice (S-as-P) and institutional theory. Qualitative participant observation procedures were used in the largest Latin-American cluster of bridal stores and involved strategic work using the institutional elements of weddings. The results indicated that the institutional and dynamic elements of the symbolic ritual of wedding enable the interaction among practitioners in their strategic activities. This provides legitimacy and, consequently, the survival of the organisations. We present a model in which the propositions seek to direct future studies of S-as-P with the assumptions of institutional theory. The study also contributes analysing strategic activities of small business practitioners to increase the potential for future empirical researches.

Keywords: strategy as practice; S-as-P; institutional theory; small business; practitioners; strategic activities; participant observation; organisational field; technical and institutional environment; small bridal stores.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2019.100107

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2019 Vol.37 No.2, pp.250 - 270

Received: 30 Jul 2016
Accepted: 11 Jul 2017
Published online: 09 Jun 2019 *

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