Organization of Rural Microbusinesses under Specific Family Owners Conditions

Abstract

The Interreg IV-A research project aims at analysing the socioeconomic consequences of disruptive situations in microbusinesses of the rural French-Swiss Jura region. Several researchers are focusing on this topic within the various institutions involved in the project2. I will rather focus on the common characteristics of microbusinesses on either side of the border. These similarities pertain to the overlapping of the family and business spheres, which often involves an overlapping of statuses, and to the gender relations induced by this overlapping, as well as to the precarious economic situation of these small structures. This article aims at putting into perspective the typology originated by all the biographical interviews collected. This typology compares the figure of the family business heir to that of the self-taught entrepreneur. Such a difference in achieving professional independence brings about strategic patterns of separation/fusion between private and professional lives, patterns which are specific to each above-mentioned ideal type. This typology is yet to be refined, but it already draws attention to the strategies developed by players to separate - or not - family and business spheres. Thus, by tackling the issue of disruption through this typology of company managers, the article will show various influential elements in the event of a disruption, both on the viability of the company and on the personal itinerary of the people involved.