Heterogeneity among small businesses: identifying management models in a productive agglomeration

Abstract

A key feature of small businesses is the high heterogeneity among them, an issue that has not been extensively studied, especially in productive agglomerations. With this in mind, this article aims to understand the heterogeneity among firms and how differences manifest themselves in agglomerations. In order to avoid excessive fragmentation, the research design added businesses in relatively homogeneous groups, classified according to entrepreneurial competences, a model proposed for the study of the competitiveness of Brazilian industry (ECIB) (COUTINHO; FERRAZ, 1993). The variables were validated through Cronbach's alpha, and then homogeneous groups were formed for the hierarchical cluster analysis. Data collection was performed in the clothing branch companies of the productive agglomeration of Divinópolis, Minas Gerais. The results show that the studied productive agglomeration presents differences between companies, and that such differences reveal the way organizations behave in the industry and in the market.