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When establishing a new business, entrepreneurs can decide to join a network of independent business partners rather than choose the alternative of independent business ownership. In this study, we use a probit model on a large database to study the human, social, and financial capital of French entrepreneurs who join franchising and comparable forms of networks. Results confirm that initial levels of human and social capital are significant determinants of network membership. We also show that an increase in the proportion of the project financed by debt increases the probability of joining a network. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

International audienceThe way in which businesses are transferred does matter. This idea finds strong theoretical support from the theory of information and from the agency approach as applied to the issue of transferring small firms in which both ownership and management are typically transferred together. In this article, we compare two ways of transferring businesses: transfers to outsiders and transfers to employees. After identifying key advantages and disadvantages for each, we turn to a rich panel dataset on start-up and development conditions for new French businesses during the mid-2000s. Our results show that transfers to employees are more frequently long-lasting than transfers to outsiders. Our empirical investigation also shows that transfers to employees are less dynamic in terms of turnover growth than external transfers, but more dynamic in terms of job creation. We conclude the article by providing guidance on public action to promote business transfers

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