Editorial

Citation

Marlow, S. (2003), "Editorial", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 9 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr.2003.16009faa.001

Editorial

In keeping with the eclectic style of the IJEBR, we are again able to present a range of papers over the next two issues which, whilst drawn from the wider framework of entrepreneurship and small firm management, explore very different facets of this broad discipline. In issue five there are two very different papers; so that by Lorna Gold considers the “economy of sharing” with an analysis of how the establishment of purpose built business parks in South America, particularly Brazil, have contributed to economic development and wealth. After the initial establishment of the business park, this project invites small investors, who are relatively poor, to invest in the projects with the aim of sharing any benefits which accrue from these initiatives. These projects have been successful with outside agencies such as UNIDO becoming involved and the principle of the operation spreading to other economies such as Italy and North America. In this paper, Gold demonstrates how free enterprise is combined with social enterprise to create both economic and social benefit. On a very different track, the second paper by Pannikos Poutziouris looks specifically at the strategic orientation of owner managers of small businesses within the context of UK. This exploratory paper draws together some ideas regarding how to categorise strategic orientation in the extremely diverse population of small firms in the UK. Drawing on a useful literature review and a database of 922 small firm owner/managers, Poutziouris identifies generic clusters within the sample which are then used to offer some tentative comments on policy. So, in this issue, while focusing on the small firm sector in general, we offer two very different perspectives of its economic and social role.

In issue six we again have two very different papers, although both reflect key elements within the remit of the journal. Eyal and Inbar consider the role of entrepreneurial behaviour within the public sphere of education, a link rarely made. This paper then adds an international element to this analysis by presenting the findings from a study of elementary school teachers in Israel. Within this particular context, it was found that organisational entrepreneurship was possible within a centralised, public sector system. Traditionally, entrepreneurial behaviour is associated with individuals who can act in a relatively unfettered manner in the context or smaller organisations. By considering the notion of entrepreneurship within the context of public sector education in a specific national context, this paper makes a significant contribution to our understanding of this context. The final paper in this issue explores the tensions which emerge when a firm manages the interface between the “bottom line” and strategies to improve competitiveness. From his experience as a supervisor within the Teaching Company Scheme within the UK, Jones reports a case study of a firm where the TCS associate struggled to reconcile his understanding of human resource management principles and practices with those of the senior management who perceived most of their employees as a disposable cost. Using the notion of structuration theory, Jones offers a fascinating insight into the manner in which difference was articulated and power asserted within this organisation. Again, the IJEBR offers a wide range of papers drawing on key elements of entrepreneurship, self employment and small firm management.

Susan Marlow