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Aboriginal enterprise:implications for government and industry
Louise Moylan
PhD student
University of Adelaide
Roseworthy Campus
Aboriginal enterprise:implications for government and industry
• Supervisors: Prof Tricia Vilkinas, University of SA, Dr Ian Nuberg, University of Adelaide, and Dr Jocelyn Davies, CSIRO Alice Springs
• Research sponsors: University of Adelaide, Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre Alice Springs (DKCRC), Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA), South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME) and member companies, and the South Australian Attorney General’s Department (SAAGD)
How do we see Aboriginal enterprise?
• Different to other small businesses• Culture and family all mixed up• Complex• Confusing• Disorganised• Unsuccessful• Need large business management training
Government and industry often see Aboriginal enterprise as:
How do we see Aboriginal enterprise?
• Self-sufficiency and independence from government• Pride • Strong culture• Future for children and grandchildren• Strengthen family and community• Social connections• Success
Aboriginal enterprise owners and/or managers say that small business is about:
The research
These different ideas framed the research
• Objective: to help people understand Aboriginal enterprise in remote and regional areas
by:
• Aim: identifying the forms of Aboriginal enterprise
However, the problem remains that:
• Small businesses are difficult to define, whether Aboriginal or mainstream
• Within academic literature, a definition is unresolved, worldwide
Strzelecki Track, northern SA
(photo removed)
Research designover 3 parts
A. Identify forms
B. Relate to international small business literature
C. Develop theory
Research design (continued)
• 47 interviews:
Aboriginal enterprise owners and/or managers
• 40 interviews:
government, industry and small business people
• Qualitative research:
Led by grounded theory
What I address here
• Implications of results
– Forms of Aboriginal enterprise
– Underlying characteristics
• Theoretical work discussed elsewhere
Store on the AP Lands, SA
(photo removed)
Overview of major resultsbig picture
1. Similarities across small business
2. Vast differences to large business
3. Redefine small business
Five major results follow
Overview of results
• Individually unique, but can be categorised
• Subsidised operating funds
– Social and commercial forms
• Other forms exist
– E.G. subsidised operating funds, size, location, cultural identity, commercial values or sales per year
(1) Unique identities
Commercial
02
468
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Social
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Strong social viewpoint
Strong commercial viewpoint
Commercial
02
468
101214
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6.05.04.03.02.01.0
Commercial
02
468
101214
1618
6.05.04.03.02.01.0
Social
02468
10121416182022242628Social
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10121416182022242628
Strong social viewpoint
Strong commercial viewpoint
Graph showing 47 unique enterprises
What does this mean?
• Case-by-case basis
• Enterprise forms can change depending on time, location, focus of people, funds etc
(1) Unique identities
• Forms are different for different people at different times
• Means: variability is normal
Overview of results
• Five major building blocks
• Highly interdependent
• Shared and separate qualities
• Building blocks central
(2) Building blocks
Decision -making
FamilyCommunity
Commercial Considerations
Culture
MGAP*Decision -
making
FamilyCommunity
Commercial Considerations
Culture
MGAP*
*MGAP: Motivations, goals, aims and priorities
Five building blocks operated together
What does this mean?
• More than commercial
• Commercial are one of five important building blocks
• Interdependency comes with good and bad influences
(2) Building blocks
• Design solutions across all building blocks, by themes:
– Core
– Expressive
– Resultant
Overview of results
• External influences not separate
• Deeply impact in unique ways
(3) External influences
Government
Mainstream laws and culture
Mainstream society
Bureaucracy
Mainstream business
Environment
enterprise
Aboriginal
External influences surrounded each enterprise
What does this mean?
• Recognise our impact
• Influence is greater in remote and regional areas
• Small business is a microcosm
(3) External influences
• Small changes
– Acutely impacts individuals, families and communities
– Impacts Aboriginal enterprise and small business
Overview of results
• Fit holistically together as a system
• Called ‘whole process’ of Aboriginal enterprise
(4) Whole process of enterprise
Identity?Family
Community
MGAP
Culture
Decision-making
-
CommercialConsiderations
Influences on the Aboriginal enterprise: • Government• Education• Bureaucracy• Health• Mainstream business
• Leadership• Mainstream society• Employment• Mainstream laws and culture• Environment
Identity?Family
Community
MGAP
Culture
Decision-making
-
CommercialConsiderations
Influences on the Aboriginal enterprise:
Identity?Family
Community
MGAP
Culture
Decision-making
-
CommercialConsiderations
Influences on the Aboriginal enterprise: • Government• Education• Bureaucracy• Health• Mainstream business
• Leadership• Mainstream society• Employment• Mainstream laws and culture• Environment
Building blocks and external influences fitted together
What does this mean?
(4) Whole process of enterprise
• See the Aboriginal enterprise in small ways that link to external influences through the building blocks
• Keep all parts together and inter-related, avoid separation
Overview of results
• External influences and building blocks drawn inwards to frame identity
• Called ‘unique accretion’
• Multiple differences exist
(5) Unique accretion
Identity?Family
Community
MGAP
Culture
Decision-making
-
CommercialConsiderations
Influences on the Aboriginal enterprise: • Government• Education• Bureaucracy• Health• Mainstream business
• Leadership• Mainstream society• Employment• Mainstream laws and culture• Environment
Identity?Family
Community
MGAP
Culture
Decision-making
-
CommercialConsiderations
Influences on the Aboriginal enterprise:
Identity?Family
Community
MGAP
Culture
Decision-making
-
CommercialConsiderations
Influences on the Aboriginal enterprise: • Government• Education• Bureaucracy• Health• Mainstream business
• Leadership• Mainstream society• Employment• Mainstream laws and culture• Environment
Whole process was unique for each enterprise
What does this mean?
• ‘Drawing in’ or ‘unique accretion’ is fundamental
• This links parts together, so:
– work across departments, organisations, companies, policies and programmes
(5) Unique accretion
• Obtain a ‘social picture’
• From the ‘grass roots’ up
• Meet family needs first
• Case-by-case basis
through culture and across support services
Across the 5 results, it means this:
• Support differences
• Accept variability
• Recognise we cannot impose enterprise form
This strengthens culture and families: the basis of
communities and bedrock of small business Mound spring, NE SA
(photo removed)
Implications for government and industry:
• Tailor help locally
• Unique accretion is a personal small business activity, that is crucial
• View small business as a whole process
These are mis-understood by government
Tourism enterprise, northern SA
(photo removed)
Implications for government and industry:
• Not about government procedures
• Not small ‘big businesses’
• Widen the perspective of mainstream small business
• Reconsider current small business structures
Dog fence, Lake Frome, SA
(continued)
(photo removed)
Implications for government and industry:
• Small business support can operate side-by-side
• Universal and blanket polices are poor options
• City solutions in remote and regional areas are poor options too
• Rely on local solutions
– start with culture and familyAboriginal enterprise owner, northern SA
(continued)
(photo removed)
Conclusions
• Social enterprises are not commercially viable, whilst commercial enterprises mostly are,
– Both are highly culturally viable and offer immeasurable benefits
– Current enterprise structures do not support this
• Aboriginal enterprise and small business is diverse, personal and connected to everything else
– Current small business policies do not support this
Conclusions (continued)
• Similarities across all small businesses
– Build on these
– Link together across cultures, industries, departments and community groups
– Current support measures rarely do this
• Culture, family and community are the small business linkage points
– Use these as the basis to support small businesses
– Current support mostly focus on commercial and marginalise the rest
Aboriginal enterprise:implications for government and industry
Local people want local solutions to bring their community and small businesses together
Aboriginal enterprise:implications for government and industry
Thank you