Responsibilities

Research project leadership PhD supervision

Background

Julia currently holds an Early Career Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust through which she is researching the experiences of female entrepreneurs during pregnancy and the maternity period. This follows from a review of self-employed women’s maternity rights and a study of the barrier that childcare poses to business success among micro-enterprise programme participants. She is also leading a European Social Fund project looking at how to support small firms to manage staff maternity productively and fairly. Julia joined the Centre for Enterprise in 2004. Until recently, her primary responsibility has been to lead a programme of research on the New Entrepreneur Scholarships programme which helps people from deprived areas to start new businesses. With colleagues, she is continuing to publish from the data collected. Julia was previously employed as a Research Fellow at Keele University and as a Senior Researcher at Chester University, focusing on the sociology of youth and services for young families. Julia completed her PhD at Kingston University in 2004. Her PhD research is a longitudinal study of youth enterprise experiences. She began her career as a Market Analyst, first on a self-employed basis and, later, for Royal Mail. Before that, she received her first degree in Geography from the University of Southampton.

Research

Julia has two central research interests. First, in asking whether small enterprise is (or could become) a route to social inclusion and in analysing the discourse of enterprise as an open route of opportunity. Second, in embedding understanding of small enterprise experiences within theory about identity, careers and families/households, particularly as these relate to women. Julia has a keen commitment to conducting policy-relevant research. Julia also has a growing interest in how small firms learn about and enact regulation, particularly in relation to maternity and family-friendly regulations

Publications

PhD Thesis
Rouse, J. (2004) Enterprise, Identity and Structure: A Longitudinal Study of Youth Enterprise Experiences, Ph.D. thesis, KingstonUniversity, Kingston upon Thames.

Refereed Journal Papers
Rouse, J. and Jayawarna, D. (2006) ‘The financing of disadvantaged entrepreneurs: are enterprise programmes overcoming the finance gap?’, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, 12, 6, 388-400.

Rouse, J. and Kitching, J. (2006) ‘Do enterprise programmes leave women holding the baby?’, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 24, 1, 5-19.

Jones, G., O’Sullivan, A. and Rouse, J. (2006) ‘Young adults, partners and parents: individual agency and the problem of support’, Journal of Youth Studies, 9, 4, 375-392.

Jones, G., O’Sullivan, A. and Rouse, J. (2004) ‘Because it’s worth it? Education beliefs among young people and their parents in the UK’, Youth and Society, 36, 2, 203-226.

Book Chapter
Rouse, J. (2007) ‘Undertaking comparative analysis’, accepted for publication in Thorpe. R. and Holt, R. (eds.) (2007) The Sage Dictionary of Qualitative Management Research, London: Sage.

Journal Papers Currently Under Review
Rouse, J. and Jayawarna, D. ‘Supported entrepreneurship in deprived areas: how capitalisation varies across social groups’, submitted by invitation following development of a conference paper to Environment and Planning C: Government and Planning.

Recent Conference Papers
Rouse, J. (2007) ‘Enterprise as an open route of opportunity: the discourse of an enterprise programme’, presented at the International Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference, Glasgow, November 2007.

Rouse, J. and Jayawarna, D. (2007) ‘Enterprise programme outcomes: the influence of human, social and financial capital’, presented at the International Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference, Glasgow, November 2007.

Jayawarna, D. and Rouse, J. (2007) ‘Pathways to entrepreneurship across the lifecourse: an innovative model utilizing longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey’, presented at the International Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference, Glasgow, November 2007.

Sappleton, N. and Rouse, J. (2007) ‘Support for managing maternity in small firms: the productivity gap’, accepted presented at the International Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference, Glasgow, November 2007.

Rouse, J. and Jayawarna, D. (2006) The F inancing of Start-ups by Disadvantaged Groups: Capital Structure and Adequacy’, paper presented at the 29th Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Cardiff, November 2006.

Rouse, J. (2005) Pregnancy and Maternity in Self-employment: Individualised Social Reproduction?, paper presented at the 28th Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Blackpool, November 2005. This paper was awarded a ‘Best in Track’ Prize and was nominated for the DTI best policy paper prize .
Rouse, J. (2005) Women, Pregnancy and the Maternity Period in Self-employment, paper presented at the Gender, Work and Organisation Conference, Keele Un iversity, June 2005.
Rouse, J. and Boles, K. (2005) Enterprise Programmes: Including the Disadvantaged in Sustainable Small Businesses? paper presented at the 28th Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Blackpool, November 2005.

Jones, G., O’Sullivan, A. and Rouse, J. (2005) Planners, Searchers and Escapers? Inter-generational Relations and Partnership Formation. Paper presented at the British Sociological Association Studies Group Conference, Time, Space and Family Practices, 14-15 January, KeeleUniversity.

Rouse, J. and Boles, K. (2004) New Entrepreneur Scholarships: Delivering the Action Plan for Small Business? Paper presented at the 27th International Small Business Conference, Newcastle Gateshead, November 2004.

Rouse, J. and Kitching. J. (2004) Do Enterprise Support Programmes Leave Women Holding the Baby?, paper presented at the 27th International Small Business Conference, Newcastle Gateshead, November 2004. This paper was awarded a ‘Best in Track’ Prize.

Recent Reports
Rouse, J., Sappleton, N. and Ellen, D. (2007) An Action Plan to Support Small Businesses to Manage Maternity Fairly and Productively. Manchester: ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.

Jayawarna, D., Rouse, J. and Crompton, H. (2007) The NES Follow-up Survey 2006: An Evaluation of the Experiences of New Entrepreneur Scholars and their Businesses, report prepared on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council. Manchester: ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.

Rouse, J., Crompton, H., Jones, O., Macpherson, A. and Mistry, A. (2006) Manchester and Salford Local Enterprise Growth Initiative: A Review of Evidence, report prepared on behalf of Manchester City Council and Salford City Council. Manchester: ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.
Rouse, J. and Boles, K. (2005) Big NES Survey 2005: An Evaluation of Experiences of New Entrepreneur Scholars, report prepared on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council. Manchester: Manchester, ManchesterMetropolitanUniversityBusinessSchool.

Rouse, J. (2005) Tameside Local Enterprise Growth Initiative: Overview of Enterprise Research, report prepared on behalf of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Manchester: ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.

Rouse, J. (2005) Tameside Local Enterprise Growth Initiative: An Review of Local Evidence, report prepared on behalf of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Manchester: ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.

Rouse, J. (2005) Tameside Local Enterprise Growth Initiative: A Survey of Small Businesses, report prepared on behalf of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Manchester: ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.

Rouse, J. and de Beranger, P. (2005) Tameside Local Enterprise Growth Initiative: A Survey of Residents and Community Groups, report prepared on behalf of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Manchester: ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.

Rouse, J. and Ellen, D. (2005) Tameside Local Enterprise Growth Initiative: Partner Consultation, report prepared on behalf of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Manchester: ManchesterMetropolitanUniversity.