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Stemming from the resource-based view (RBV) approach, this article overcomes the limits of the conventional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis, setting the basis for the model actual–potential, positive–negative, internal–external (APPNIE). This paper enacts a new framework demonstrating how strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of SWOT can be replaced by actual or potential, positive or negative elements, considered in a dynamic way.

The traditional SWOT analysis provides only a partial view of the environment and adopts incorrect terminology that can confuse the user, preventing a clear understanding of the factors affecting the organisation’s situation. The authors developed a new tool to help managers in their decision-making processes.

This study proposes a new tool for assessing the quality of management, resources and environment, which is useful in understanding the economic and social scenario in which a firm is embedded. From a practical point of view, the new tool is applied in the case study, and it shows how managers and students can use it while choosing between alternative options (different strategies, markets, technologies, etc.).

The APPNIE model introduces a new dimension that the SWOT analysis does not consider. Moreover, for each element of the new matrix, the authors propose a plan of action, which is another valuable benefit of the APPNIE model.

This paper aims to dismantle the idea that sex per se explains entrepreneurial outcomes and demonstrates the influence of a gendered motivation on forging and shaping new venture teams, which is a disruptive choice affecting the future of start-ups.

A two-level research model is validated on data from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II (PSED II), with a system of simultaneous equations. First, if team features affect the performance of new ventures is tested; then, the study investigates determinants of team features with a focus on sex and motivation of nascent entrepreneurs.

Human capital (HC) in terms of education and experience of team members consistently explains venture evolution only when considering the larger team of affiliates. The HC gathered by nascent entrepreneurs is not because of the simplistic sex condition, but rather to a gendered motivation related to the inferior need of achievement of women.

Limitations of discretionary scoring assigned to items of the PSED II survey are present, but unavoidable when processing qualitative data.

Women need to be (culturally) educated on how to re-balance their personal motivation towards entrepreneurship by fostering their incentives for achievement. Political and educational programmes could trigger success in the creation of new businesses led by women.

This paper contributes to the literature on nascent entrepreneurship, focusing on the entrepreneurial teams in the initial phase of business creation, and provides the basis for further studies aimed at eradicating the stereotypes of gender roles that lead women to self-exclusion and organizational errors.

This paper aims to improve knowledge of individual heterogeneity in affecting the entrepreneurial attitude, taking socioeconomic drivers under control thanks to a cross-country analysis. The authors operate a “selection” of proxy for individual heterogeneity, mainly based on gender, demographical features, personal attitude and intrinsic motivation.

This exploration is supported by an empirical analysis based on the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), for the period 2001-2012, and for a selection of 37 countries. It is expected that gender and further individual variables have an impact on the probability to become a nascent entrepreneur (e.g. age, level of education, self-confidence, social perception of self-employment as career choice). This paper evaluates the degree of consistency of these variables across very dissimilar countries.

Gender and confidence on own skill play a significant and consistent effect on the entrepreneurial attitude, so these personal features are, per se, the driving-strength of entrepreneurial intent. Conversely, fear of failure and belief on the status are not always statistically significant, or not homogenous in their relationship: socioeconomic or country-specific characteristics are strong and sort out in an unpredictable relationship between these variables and the willingness to run new ventures.

A limited selection of individual features constrained by availability of information from the GEM data set.

The motivation of this paper is to focus-back attention on intra-individual features that may affect entrepreneurship and to support evidence of whether individual heterogeneity is able to affect the entrepreneurial attitude, taking socioeconomic drivers under control.

An institutional and political commitment should be intensified to reduce the waste of opportunities that is associated with any forms of self-exclusion from entrepreneurship, such as those based on gender (being women) or (low) self-esteem.

Due to the “individual” perspective, this paper adds to previous studies that exploited the GEM data set because they mostly follow an institutional conceptual framework.

In this chapter, we apply APPNIE to two case studies, BIOerg srl and LiMiX srl, which are innovative start-ups born in the Marche Region in Italy. The choice to analyse two companies in the same region is based on the fact that the surrounding ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship has a strong impact on the birth and subsequent development of innovative start-ups. Using these two case studies, this chapter shows the differences between SWOT and APPNIE analyses.

In this chapter, we show the importance of planification and strategy in a chaotic scenario, especially for nascent entrepreneurs in high-tech sectors, presenting a model that starts with the limitations of the SWOT analysis and proposes some improvements.

The chapter introduces the book Rethinking Decision-Making Strategies and Tools: Emerging Research and Opportunities. It explores the continued relevance of decision-making tools in complex scenarios while also challenging traditional frameworks by highlighting their limitations and outdated nature. It proposes an innovative approach to decision-making strategies and tools through the introduction of a novel matrix consisting of eight quadrants, proposing a dynamic SWOT analysis. This matrix incorporates three dimensions: (1) actual versus potential, (2) positive versus negative, and (3) internal versus external. Moreover, the book advocates for the application of this revised matrix, known as the APPNIE model, to diverse case studies to gain a comprehensive understanding of its effectiveness.

In today’s dynamic business environment, it’s crucial for companies to employ robust strategies and decision-making tools to remain competitive. This chapter explains the key comprehensive policies that can be applied by any company to maximise the effectiveness of the APPNIE framework. These policies include the following key elements for effective use of the APPNIE model: appointing an APPNIE manager responsible for maintaining and updating the model, collaborating with top executives, and formulating action plans; raising awareness of the APPNIE manager’s role across the organisation to encourage sharing valuable information (establishing clear procedures and channels for data collection); encouraging the communication of valuable data by offering recognition or rewards, ensuring a steady flow of filtered information; monitoring the eight quadrants using qualitative and quantitative data for up-to-date assessments of key APPNIE’s factors; organising regular meetings between APPNIE managers and directors from different functions to share perspectives, discuss action plans, and address challenges and opportunities. The chapter shows that by adopting these practices, companies can navigate ‘complexity’, make informed decisions, and enhance their overall success and competitiveness in the market.

This chapter focusses on analysing the origins and evolution of the SWOT analysis. It explains the drivers and limitations of the conventional SWOT analysis, laying the groundwork for new decision-making models that can aid researchers and practitioners in comprehending both the external landscape and the internal characteristics of a company. This chapter demonstrates how the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the SWOT analysis can be approached dynamically. Conventional SWOT analysis offers only a limited perspective on the environment and employs terminology that can confuse users, hindering their clear understanding of the factors that influence an organisation’s situation. This chapter provides a concise literature review of tools for evaluating quality management, its resources, and the surrounding environment, which serves as a valuable means to grasp the economic and social context within which a firm operates.