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Article
Publication date: 7 April 2020

Jonathan Kimmitt and Dimo Dimov

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through practices and capabilities, how entrepreneurs use microfinance in a context of serious constraints.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through practices and capabilities, how entrepreneurs use microfinance in a context of serious constraints.

Design/methodology/approach

The chosen methodology for this paper is longitudinal. A three-and-a-half-year study was conducted to be able to capture the entrepreneurial journeys of ten entrepreneurs at a micro-level in the developing economy of Ghana. This was augmented by a further 15 interviews with entrepreneurs and loan officers. This data is used to develop a theoretical model of entrepreneurial practices in this context.

Findings

The paper identifies two distinct pathways for understanding the recursive nature of entrepreneurial practices. It highlights how entrepreneurs generate capabilities through microfinance resources through convergent or divergent venturing in response to the serious constraints they face. This is identified as a generative recursive mechanism for the process, representing the “chain of actions” and how entrepreneurs engage with their “settings” and “intended relations” in practice.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited by its focus on one nation in Sub-Saharan Africa and therefore how the findings may be transferred to other contexts.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to a practice approach in entrepreneurship by identifying how mechanisms of practice relate to entrepreneurial action in this context. It also provides an important contribution to discussion at the intersection of entrepreneurship and the capabilities approach by using Amartya Sen's concepts of process and opportunity freedom to understand practices.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2017

Dimo Dimov

The purpose of this paper is to revisit the conceptualization and measurement of human capital in entrepreneurship research.

1788

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to revisit the conceptualization and measurement of human capital in entrepreneurship research.

Design/methodology/approach

By contrasting reflective and formative conceptions, it shows that human capital is more appropriately seen as defined and formed by its indicators (education, work experience, entrepreneurial experience, industry experience, and managerial experience). It, then, explores the configurations of these indicators in a qualitative comparative analysis framework based on Boolean algebra and fuzzy-set methodology. It derives an empirical typology of the human capital of nascent entrepreneurs, based on two primary combinations of indicators.

Findings

The paper shows that the relationship between human capital and venture emergence is best represented as multiple, conjectural causation, i.e. human capital matters through certain combinations of its indicators.

Originality/value

The discussion and results offer novel and valuable insights into entrepreneurship researchers for the conceptualization and use of human capital constructs.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 November 2022

Norah Almubarak and Dimo Dimov

This paper aims to adopt a practice-theory, “site ontology” perspective to understand how venture capitalists (VCs) add value to their portfolio companies (PCs).

1292

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to adopt a practice-theory, “site ontology” perspective to understand how venture capitalists (VCs) add value to their portfolio companies (PCs).

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research involves a field ethnographic study of a VC firm in Dubai, focused on revealing what constitutes value and what VCs do to add this value to their PCs.

Findings

Value adding is a profoundly social, embedded process interconnected with other ecosystem actors, investment practices and organizations. The value adding threads of VC activity are part of a holistic configuration of practices that span the investment lifecycle and different levels within the firm.

Originality/value

This research contributes a rich account of the social, symbolic nature of VC activity, depicting the everyday activities that comprise value adding practices. It is among the first to introduce practice theory to the VC context and open up a new conversation about its social ontology.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 28 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 23 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2015

Alessandro Basile and Rosario Faraci

The purpose of this paper is to present some evidence on the role of management models in the implementation or in the transformation of the business models, highlighting the…

4099

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present some evidence on the role of management models in the implementation or in the transformation of the business models, highlighting the pivotal role of managerial dynamic capabilities. The analysis provides relevant lines of managerial action both strategic and operational levels.

Design/methodology/approach

An innovative conceptual analysis is proposed. Managerial dynamic capabilities play a central role in the coupled link between management model and business model at the organizational level.

Findings

The authors propose a highly usable and generalizable conceptual model for management practices, strategic planning and operational assessment.

Originality/value

This paper investigates a new emerging research stream of management innovation theory. The research presents a new and innovative conceptual analysis of management model and business model alignment. This theme has not been explored in prior researches and represents an experiment to pair the management model and the business model evidence.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2010

Lino Costa, Deepak Rajput, Kathleen Lansford, Wenqiang Yue, Alexander Terekhov and William Hofmeister

The purpose of this paper is to develop a simple, easy to implement powder delivery strategy for solid freeform fabrication (SFF) processing.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a simple, easy to implement powder delivery strategy for solid freeform fabrication (SFF) processing.

Design/methodology/approach

A specially designed “tower nozzle” located at the center of the processing area dispenses the feedstock powders continuously and uniformly onto the processing area, where powders accumulate progressively as a flat powder bed. During the dispensing, powders are selectively consolidated by melting and solidification using a laser beam which was scanned in a predefined pattern using a galvo‐mirror scan head.

Findings

Experiments performed with AISI H13 steel show that the tower nozzle powder delivery strategy is suitable for SFF processing.

Practical implications

Both powder delivery and laser consolidation are performed simultaneously and without interruption with simple apparatus. No powder delivery scrapers or rollers are used.

Originality/value

The main characteristics of a prototype tower nozzle and the typical processing conditions used to form thin wall AISI H13 steel shapes are presented.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 July 2009

Lino Costa and Rui Vilar

The purpose of this paper is to review the state of the art of laser powder deposition (LPD), a solid freeform fabrication technique capable of fabricating fully dense functional…

4600

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the state of the art of laser powder deposition (LPD), a solid freeform fabrication technique capable of fabricating fully dense functional items from a wide range of common engineering materials, such as aluminum alloys, steels, titanium alloys, nickel superalloys and refractory materials.

Design/methodology/approach

The main R&D efforts and the major issues related to LPD are revisited.

Findings

During recent years, a worldwide series of R&D efforts have been undertaken to develop and explore the capabilities of LPD and to tap into the possible cost and time savings and many potential applications that this technology offers.

Originality/value

These R&D efforts have produced a wealth of knowledge, the main points of which are highlighted herein.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 15 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2017

Yuran Jin, Shoufeng Ji, Xin Li and Jiangnan Yu

Additive manufacturing has achieved rapid development in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to visualize the intellectual landscapes of additive manufacturing and identify…

1492

Abstract

Purpose

Additive manufacturing has achieved rapid development in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to visualize the intellectual landscapes of additive manufacturing and identify the hotspots and emerging trends of additive manufacturing, which can provide references for scholars, enterprises and governments to promote the development of theory and practice in the additive manufacturing field.

Design/methodology/approach

Science mapping is a fast-growing interdisciplinary field originated in information science and technology. Based on this methodology, guided by a computational approach, the paper visualizes the co-occurring keywords network and co-citation references network by CiteSpaceIII software to explore the hotspots and emerging trends of additive manufacturing by the following five indicators: highly cited keywords, burst keywords, clusters, landmark references and burst references.

Findings

“Additive manufacturing,” “3D printing,” “3D powder printing,” “consolidation phenomena,” “microstructure,” “rapid prototyping,” etc., are the main hotspots of additive manufacturing. The trends of additive manufacturing generally consist of three stages: the fundamental concepts stage from 1995 to 2000 (“rapid prototyping,” “additive manufacturing,” etc.), the approaches and techniques applications stage from 2001 to 2010 (“stereolithography,” “scaffold,” etc.), and the emerging trends stage from 2011 to the present (“stem cell”, “selective laser,” “ti-6al-4v,” etc.). The research is most abundant in 2010 and 2012. The medical field is an important hotspot of additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing has been researched in interdiscipline.

Originality/value

The paper maps the perspective of additive manufacturing and explore the hotspots and emerging trends of additive manufacturing.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

Keywords

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