small business vs small business sector

[White Hat]

Dear forumers, greetings!

I've been struggling with the use of the term 'business'. I need to know if it is OK to say 'small business' meaning all small businesses in the country collectively. Here is an example:

The government must take appropriate measures to develop small business in the services sector.

I feel this is correct, but I need a second opinion on this. Thank you in advance.

 

[Rover_KE]

Only the plural small businesses sounds right to me.

 

[White Hat]

Yes - that's what I've thought too. But I've found some examples on the Internet that are getting me somewhat perplexed about it. For instance,

1) E. Dillon proceeded to describe the community’s excitement and need for the business incubator that Conexus will build in order to help develop small business in Saskatchewan.
2) In May 2000 Council received a report on the initiatives of SBEC to develop small business in the City of Stirling.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes - that's what I thought too. But I found some examples on the Internet that are getting me somewhat perplexed about it. For instance,

1) E. Dillon proceeded to describe the community’s excitement and need for the business incubator that Conexus will build in order to help develop small business in Saskatchewan.
2) In May 2000 Council received a report on the initiatives of SBEC to develop small business in the City of Stirling.

I would use businesses in both of your examples.

 

[jutfrank]

Yes - that's what I've thought too. But I've found some examples on the Internet that are getting me somewhat perplexed about it.

You can find lots of perplexing things on the internet.

 

[Yankee]

I would have no problem with its use in that context.

 

[White Hat]

Yankee, I appreciate your input. Myself, I lived in the US for 15 years, but some things in English are still not clear to me. Looks like it's OK with you to say 'to develop small business', meaning the entire small business sector. Can you please confirm that? I really appreciate it.

 

[GoesStation]

Yankee, I appreciate your input. Myself, I lived in the US for 15 years, but some things in English are still not clear to me. Looks like it's OK with you to say 'to develop small business', meaning the entire small business sector. Can you please confirm that? I really appreciate it.

I agree with the others who prefer the plural. Encourage, promote, or a similar verb would work with the singular, but you generally develop plural things, skills, or attributes.

 

[Yankee]

Yankee, I appreciate your input. Myself, I lived in the US for 15 years, but some things in English are still not clear to me. Looks like it's OK with you to say 'to develop small business', meaning the entire small business sector. Can you please confirm that? I really appreciate it.

Confirmed. But please understand that I don't necessarily prefer it in place of the plural and that I would understand either form..

 

[White Hat]

I am about to submit the research paper I've been translating, in which I am using 'develop small business' - and now I can tell you with confidence that I am not going to use 'develop small business'. I'll try to paraphrase it, as 'develop small businesses in the services sector' doesn't sound right to me either. If someone comes up with a nice way to put it, that will really help me out a lot.

 

[White Hat]

Well... I just came across the following:

BY HARRISON WORLEY | THURSDAY, 6 FEB 2020 12:12PM

CPA Australia is campaigning government for a state funded review into the regulatory frameworks overseeing financial advice, which it believes alienate consumers and small business from the sector.



Is this correct English?

 

[White Hat]

Here is another one:

There has been a significant increase in the value added by small business in the construction sector.

All of these materials have been written by native speakers of English, it seems. Basically, I just need to know if it's OK to say 'small business' meaning all small businesses in a region.

 

[GoesStation]

Here is another one:

There has been a significant increase in the value added by small business in the construction sector.

All of these materials have been written by native speakers of English, it seems. Basically, I just need to know if it's OK to say 'small business' meaning all small businesses in a region.

This is a really tricky question. As you've discovered, business is sometimes used non-countably. Your last two examples look fine to me. They use the word as a stand-in for a phrase like business sector. This doesn't always work, but I'm at a loss to explain why. I can only suggest that you find other ways to express the idea in order to avoid potentially awkward phrases.

 

[Yankee]

Well... I just came across the following:

BY HARRISON WORLEY | THURSDAY, 6 FEB 2020 12:12PM

CPA Australia is campaigning government for a state funded review into the regulatory frameworks overseeing financial advice, which it believes alienate consumers and small business from the sector.



Is this correct English?

Yes. Sometimes popular usage rules.

 

[tedmc]

How about changing it into a compound adjective - "develop the small-business sector"?

 

[White Hat]

Yes - but it's about small businesses in the services sector.

 

[Yankee]

Well... I just came across the following:

BY HARRISON WORLEY | THURSDAY, 6 FEB 2020 12:12PM

CPA Australia is campaigning government for a state funded review into the regulatory frameworks overseeing financial advice, which it believes alienate consumers and small business from the sector.



Is this correct English?

This use would be typical of that used in a news report.

 

[White Hat]

May I employ it in a research paper?

 

[White Hat]

Here is an example from an Australian website:

Senator SCHACHT —When the Small Business Forum have a meeting and make a recommendation that they think would be useful to develop small business in Australia and encourage growth, which no-one on either side of politics would disagree with, as small business provides most of the employment opportunities in this country, why wouldn't you go out and advocate that position, after you have discussed it with the minister, to other government departments? Why not go in, boots and all, against Treasury and Finance and all the usual enemies of those who want to support small business?

The guy is a NATIVE speaker of English. This must be correct English.

 

[White Hat]

Can it be possible that some native speakers are just not familiar with this usage because they haven't had experience with it?