RE: Leads on research on the impacts of different ownership structures

[jlogue <jlogue@kent.edu>]

Carla -

Congratulations on your appointment!

While I would certainly hypothesize that family-owned businesses act much like 
employee-owned firms in terms of job retention and reinvestment, I'm not 
familiar with the literature in this area.

Alex Teodosio, who coordinates our outreach to family businesses, may be, so I 
am forwarding this to him.

If recollection serves, back in 1986 Jim Quilligan, Barb Weissmann and I 
developed some statistics from Federal sources relating single-plant firms vs. 
multi-plant firms to the propensity to shutdown plants and/or layoff workers.  
We wrote this up in BUYOUT!  EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO PLANT 
SHUTDOWN.  I can find this for you when I get back to Kent if you don't have a 
copy on your shelf.  (I'm currently in Russia right now, so I can't be very 
helpful.)  The numbers are out of date, but the sources may update regularly.

I imagine other COG folks would have use for the information you are seeking, 
andI certainly hope that you will post the results to COG's library when you 
have gotten it!

John


>===== Original Message From EOsubnat@cog.kent.edu =====
>I will be serving on a state commission formed in Maine during the last
>legislative session to look at the patterns of business ownership in Maine
>and how/whether different ownership structures affect the employment and
>assets of workers, the community where the firm is located, and the natural
>environment.
>The study commission will also make recommendations to the legislature for
>the role the state might play in broadening ownership in Maine businesses.
>
>Is anyone familiar with any body of literature on ownership impacts, aside
>from employee ownership?  Is there anyone I could contact who studies these
>issues or could give me more leads?
>
>Some of the areas I am interested in are in-state, out-of-state,
>out-of-country location of owner; public vs. privately -held companies, and
>the pressures of growth:  particularly what happens to small companies that
>need venture capital or a public offering to grow, especially in rural
>areas like Maine.  Does ownership have any distinctive impact or is it
>correlated with other factors such as size of the firm?  The topic is broad
>but I am trying to see if anything is available besides  anecdotal
>information on ownership patterns.
>
>Thanks very much.
>Carla Dickstein
>Carla Dickstein
>Senior Development Officer
>Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
>P.O. Box 268
>Wiscasset, ME 04578
>Phone 207 882-7552  Fax   207 882-7308
>http://www.ceimaine.org