Professor of Entrepreneurship
Management, Work and Organisation Cottrell Building
I joined Stirling Management School in 2018 having previously worked at Durham University Business School and Newcastle University Business School. My research focuses on the sociology of entrepreneurship, principally in terms of the experience of self-employment and employment relationships in small firms. I also research the context for this activity in terms of enterprise policy and business support.
Prior to joining academia, I spent nearly 10 years working as a civil servant for the UK Department for Work and Pensions.
I am currently the Associate Dean of Research for Stirling Management School.
I have researched and written extensively on employment relationships in small and medium-sized enterprises, for example producing a book published by Routledge, Managing Human Resources in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: Entrepreneurship and the Employment Relationship. This book has been described as 'a thoughtful, engagingly-written and compelling analysis of the importance of people to small firms and entrepreneurship'.
My research has explored identity challenges at work, for example in relation to the potential difficulties faced by older entrepreneurs marginalised and excluded by dominant conceptions of entrepreneurial legitimacy.
I am also interested in government policy and other forms of influence on small businesses and their owner-managers. As part of this research agenda I have studied the impacts of regulation on smaller businesses, including a project funded by the UK government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. I also conducted a research project examining the interactions of formal and informal business support that was funded by the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
My research on enterprise policy produced a book published by Routledge, A History of Enterprise Policy: Government, Small Business and Entrepreneurship. This book examines the history of UK government policy relating to small businesses and entrepreneurship over the past one hundred years. It has been described as 'a fascinating insight into the evolution of enterprise policy'.
This was followed by a monograph (also published by Routledge) titled Small Business, Big Government and the Origins of Enterprise Policy. This book examines the emergence of UK enterprise policy through a detailed, archival analysis of the Committee of Inquiry on Small Firms (the Bolton Committee), its report and recommendations. The analysis provides new insights into the birth of enterprise policy in the UK as well as the wider changes in political economy that saw powerful tensions between free market rhetoric and new forms of interventionism in practice.
I am currently collaborating on a project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council that is exploring the experiences of homeworking under crisis. More detail on this project can be found here: www.workingathome.org.uk
Book Chapter
Age, gender and precarity: the experience of late career self-employment
Meliou E & Mallett O (2024) Age, gender and precarity: the experience of late career self-employment. In: Diversity and Precarious Work During Socio-Economic Upheaval. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/diversity-and-precarious-work-during-socioeconomic-upheaval/FD3C8A7D32D50815A3B5CAE1B7001D0C?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=bookmark
Book Chapter
Regulation as a small business management challenge
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2024) Regulation as a small business management challenge. In: Nolan C & Harney B (eds.) Reframing HRM in SMEs: Challenges and Dynamics. Cham, pp. 23-49. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34279-0_2
Book Chapter
Marks A, Mallett O & Skountridaki L (2024) The increasing burden of work. In: Proctor S (ed.) A Research Agenda for Work and Employment. Cheltenham. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-research-agenda-for-work-and-employment-9781803929965.html
Book Chapter
Marks A, Mallett O, Skountridaki L & Zschomler D (2024) Future of working at home. In: Forson C, Healy G, Ozturk MB & Tatli A (eds.) Research Handbook on Inequalities and Work. Cheltenham. https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/research-handbook-on-inequalities-and-work-9781800886599.html
Article
Institutional pluralism and the implementation of women’s enterprise policy
Mallett O, Wapshott R & Wilson N (2024) Institutional pluralism and the implementation of women’s enterprise policy. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-04-2023-0431
Book Chapter
The impactful potential of critical realist methodologies in entrepreneurship studies
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2023) The impactful potential of critical realist methodologies in entrepreneurship studies. In: Higgins D, Jones P, Brentnall C & McGowan P (eds.) Nurturing Modalities of Inquiry in Entrepreneurship Research. Bingley: Emerald.
Book Chapter
Persisting and Reoccurring Liability of Newness: Entrepreneurship and Change in Small Enterprises
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2022) Persisting and Reoccurring Liability of Newness: Entrepreneurship and Change in Small Enterprises. In: Hyams-Ssekasi D & Agboma F (eds.) Entrepreneurship and Change. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, pp. 3-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07139-3_1
Newspaper Article
Regulations can burden small businesses but our research shows they can also help them grow
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2022) Regulations can burden small businesses but our research shows they can also help them grow. The Conversation. 15.11.2022. https://theconversation.com/regulations-can-burden-small-businesses-but-our-research-shows-they-can-also-help-them-grow-193484
Research Report
Bolton 50 Years On: What We Can Learn from a Landmark Study of Small Businesses
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2022) Bolton 50 Years On: What We Can Learn from a Landmark Study of Small Businesses. Enterprise Research Centre. ERC Insight Paper. Coventry. https://www.enterpriseresearch.ac.uk/publications/bolton-50-years-on-what-we-can-learn-from-a-landmark-study-of-small-businesses/
Article
Meliou E & Mallett O (2022) Negotiating gendered ageing: Intersectional reflexivity and experiences of incongruity of self-employed older women. Work, Employment and Society, 36 (1), pp. 101-118. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017021994489
Book Chapter
HRM in small- and medium-sized enterprises
Wapshot R & Mallett O (2021) HRM in small- and medium-sized enterprises. In: Wilkinson AJ & Dundon T (eds.) Contemporary Human Resource Management: Text and Cases. 6th ed. London: SAGE, pp. 469-485. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/contemporary-human-resource-management/book276615
Monograph
Small Business, Big Government and the Origins of Enterprise Policy
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2021) Small Business, Big Government and the Origins of Enterprise Policy. Routledge Focus on Business and Management. New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Small-Business-Big-Government-and-the-Origins-of-Enterprise-Policy-The/Wapshott-Mallett/p/book/9780367634308
Newspaper Article
Why we need to hear more voices on what work should look like post-COVID
Mallett O, Marks A, Zschomler D & Skountridaki L (2021) Why we need to hear more voices on what work should look like post-COVID. The Conversation. 03.06.2021.
Book Review
A Research Agenda for Entrepreneurship Policy
Mallett O (2021) A Research Agenda for Entrepreneurship Policy. Review of:
ed. by David Smallbone, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2020, 224pp. ISBN: 978 1 78643 093 9. International Small Business Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426211008015
Authored Book
A History of Enterprise Policy: Government, Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2020) A History of Enterprise Policy: Government, Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Routledge Studies in Entrepreneurship. New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/A-History-of-Enterprise-Policy-Government-Small-Business-and-Entrepreneurship/Mallett-Wapshott/p/book/9781138337305
Newspaper Article
Don't say goodbye to Zoom yet: most people want to get back to the office, but not for the full week
Marks A, Skountridaki L & Mallett O (2020) Don't say goodbye to Zoom yet: most people want to get back to the office, but not for the full week. The Conversation. 03.12.2020.
Newspaper Article
Organisational support for the work-life balance of home-based workers
Skountridaki L, Zschomler D, Marks A & Mallett O (2020) Organisational support for the work-life balance of home-based workers. The Work-Life Balance Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 2. 01.12.2020, pp. 16-22.
Commentary
Where does work belong anymore? The implications of intensive homebased working
Mallett O, Marks A & Skountridaki L (2020) Where does work belong anymore? The implications of intensive homebased working. Gender in Management: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-06-2020-0173
Newspaper Article
People are missing their daily commute in lockdown - here's why
Marks A, Skountridaki L & Mallett O (2020) People are missing their daily commute in lockdown - here's why. The Conversation. 20.07.2020.
Article
Collaboration in entrepreneurship education: challenges, opportunities and innovations
Mallett O (2019) Collaboration in entrepreneurship education: challenges, opportunities and innovations. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 31 (3), pp. 177-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/08276331.2018.1541681
Book Chapter
Business support as regulatory context: exploring the enterprise industry
Mallett O (2019) Business support as regulatory context: exploring the enterprise industry. In: Higgins D, Jones P & McGowan P (eds.) Creating Entrepreneurial Space: Talking through multi voices, reflections on emerging debates Vol: 9, Part B. Contemporary Issues in Entrepreneurship Research, 9B. Bingley: Emerald, pp. 95-114. https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/Creating-Entrepreneurial-Space/?K=9781787695788
Article
How do regulations affect SMEs? A review of the qualitative evidence and a research agenda
Mallett O, Wapshott R & Vorley T (2019) How do regulations affect SMEs? A review of the qualitative evidence and a research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 21 (3), pp. 294-316. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12191
Article
Being a self-employed older woman: From discrimination to activism
Meliou E, Mallett O & Rosenberg S (2019) Being a self-employed older woman: From discrimination to activism. Work, Employment and Society, 33 (3), pp. 529-538. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017018800235
Book Chapter
Cruel optimism: the stories of entrepreneurial attachments
Slutskaya N, Mallett O & Borgerson J (2018) Cruel optimism: the stories of entrepreneurial attachments. In: Fayolle A, Ramoglou S, Karatas-Ozkan M & Nicolopoulou K (eds.) Philosophical Reflexivity and Entrepreneurship Research. Routledge Rethinking Enterpreneurship Research. London: Routledge, pp. 122-135. https://www.routledge.com/Philosophical-Reflexivity-and-Entrepreneurship-Research-1st-Edition/Fayolle-Ramoglou-Karatas-Ozkan-Nicolopoulou/p/book/9781138650299
Article
Small and medium-sized enterprise policy: Designed to fail?
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2018) Small and medium-sized enterprise policy: Designed to fail?. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 36 (4), pp. 750-772. https://doi.org/10.1177/2399654417719288
Research Report
Mallett O, Wapshott R & Vorley T (2018) Understanding the firm-level effects of regulation on the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. BEIS Research Paper, 10. London. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/712010/sme-growth-regulation.pdf
Article
Religious Social Identities in the Hybrid Self-presentations of Sikh Businesspeople
Purchase S, Ellis N, Mallett O & Theingi T (2018) Religious Social Identities in the Hybrid Self-presentations of Sikh Businesspeople. British Journal of Management, 29 (1), pp. 99-117. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12268
Technical Report
The Community Business Market in 2017
Diamond A, Vorley T, Mallett O, Higton J, Spong S, Corley A & Mulla I (2017) The Community Business Market in 2017. Power to Change. London. https://www.powertochange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Report-11-Community-Business-Market-2017-DIGITAL-revised-191217.pdf
Article
Small business revivalism: employment relations in small and medium-sized enterprises
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2017) Small business revivalism: employment relations in small and medium-sized enterprises. Work, Employment and Society, 31 (4), pp. 721-728. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017017690503
Book Review
Identity as a category of theory and practice
Mallett O (2016) Identity as a category of theory and practice. Review of: Moran, M. (2014) Identity and capitalism. London: Sage. (PB, pp.208, £26.00, ISBN: 9781446249758). Ephemera: Theory and Politics in Organization, 16 (3), pp. 161-169. http://www.ephemerajournal.org/forthcoming-reviews/Identity-as-a-category-of%20theory-and-practice
Article
'You try to be a fair employer': Regulation and employment relationships in medium-sized firms
Atkinson C, Mallett O & Wapshott R (2016) 'You try to be a fair employer': Regulation and employment relationships in medium-sized firms. International Small Business Journal, 34 (1), pp. 16-33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242614541992
Book Chapter
Entrepreneurship in a Context of Pending Retirement: The Lived Experience of Older Entrepreneurs
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2015) Entrepreneurship in a Context of Pending Retirement: The Lived Experience of Older Entrepreneurs. In: Sappleton N & Lourenco F (eds.) Entrepreneurship, Self-Employment and Retirement. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 67-89. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137398390_4
Authored Book
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2015) Managing Human Resources in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Entrepreneurship and the Employment Relationship. London: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Managing-Human-Resources-in-Small-and-Medium-Sized-Enterprises-Entrepreneurship/Wapshott-Mallett/p/book/9781138805194; https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315752471
Article
Making sense of self-employment in late career: understanding the identity work of olderpreneurs
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2015) Making sense of self-employment in late career: understanding the identity work of olderpreneurs. Work, Employment and Society, 29 (2), pp. 250-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017014546666
Article
Contesting the history and politics of enterprise and entrepreneurship
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2015) Contesting the history and politics of enterprise and entrepreneurship. Work, Employment and Society, 29 (1), pp. 177-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017014559265
Book Chapter
Exploring Change in Small Firms' HRM Practices
Wapshott R, Mallett O & Spicer D (2014) Exploring Change in Small Firms' HRM Practices. In: Machado C & Davim J (eds.) Work Organization and Human Resource Management. Management and Industrial Engineering. Management and Industrial Engineering. London: Springer International Publishing, pp. 73-92. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06376-8_5
Article
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2014) Informality and Employment Relationships in Small Firms: Humour, Ambiguity and Straight-talking: Informality and Employment Relationships in Small Firms. British Journal of Management, 25 (1), pp. 118-132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2012.00836.x
Article
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2013) The unspoken side of mutual adjustment: Understanding intersubjective negotiation in small professional service firms. International Small Business Journal, 31 (8), pp. 978-996. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266242612450728
Article
Mediating ambiguity: Narrative identity and knowledge workers
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2012) Mediating ambiguity: Narrative identity and knowledge workers. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 28 (1), pp. 16-26. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0956522111001138; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2011.12.001
Article
Wapshott R & Mallett O (2012) The spatial implications of homeworking: a Lefebvrian approach to the rewards and challenges of home-based work. Organization, 19 (1), pp. 63-79. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1350508411405376; https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508411405376
Article
The challenges of identity work: Developing Ricoeurian narrative identity in organisations
Mallett O & Wapshott R (2011) The challenges of identity work: Developing Ricoeurian narrative identity in organisations. Ephemera: Theory and Politics in Organization, 11 (3), pp. 271-288. http://www.ephemerajournal.org/contribution/challenges-identity-work-developing-ricoeurian-narrative-identity-organisations
My research-led, practice-oriented teaching seeks to enthuse and inspire students, drawing on my own passion for the study of entrepreneurship. I encourage further, inquiry-based learning to develop understanding as well as creativity and critical thinking. Students are encouraged to question underlying assumptions, both in terms of the academic work they read but also in the application of theory to practice. This supports the exploration of contemporary academic and practitioner debates, developing and disputing arguments in terms of both theory and practice.
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
