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The purpose of this paper is to study the case of Chile and identify the internal factors that lead to senior (+55 years old) entrepreneurship, either by necessity or opportunity, compared to that in other age groups.

The analysis is based on the adult population survey of the global entrepreneurship monitor between 2012 and 2016 and uses a logistic regression model that applies different variables to total early-stage entrepreneurial activity by necessity and opportunity.

Education, human and social capital development, gender and prior experience as an entrepreneur are internal factors that affect entrepreneurial activity with different weights and directions for people over 55 years old in Chile, either by necessity or opportunity. Further, certain factors exhibited by other age groups in the country explain entrepreneurship.

This study does not consider external perspectives on how context influences entrepreneurial intentions.

This paper represents a first step to understanding the factors that governments should consider when designing policies to support entrepreneurial activity in the senior demographic sector, considering differences in motivation by necessity or opportunity. In addition, this study contributes to the development of knowledge regarding senior entrepreneurship in Chile and to the identification of best practices that could be used in other regions.

This report is the first to focus on the motivations of senior entrepreneurs in Chile by quantifying the effects of different factors.

Identification and elimination of Muda (any activity adding cost but not value from the customers’ perspective) is one of the main objectives of Lean service. Whilst there is significant research on implementing lean in manufacturing and some service industries, there is little information related to its application to the fast food service industry. The purpose of this paper is to try to fill in this gap by answering the research question: What type of Muda could be identified from the customers’ perspective within the service production processes in the fast food restaurant industry in Spain?

An exploratory case study has been conducted. Three multinational companies were selected and several sites observed in Madrid, Spain. Three methods were used to gather data: document analysis; direct and participative observation and semi-structured interviews.

The paper identifies the seven types of Muda: defects, movements, process, inventory, overproduction, transport and delay. The results are discussed for Cases A, B and C, showing that A and B present higher potential for Muda, compared C.

Threefold value for practitioners and managers: waste identification is an opportunity for non-efficient processes improvement; observation/analysis from the customers’ perspective reveals that customers perceive these inefficiencies; a guideline/audit tool for future assessments.

The paper contributes to the limited existing literature on lean service in fast food industry and disseminates this information to provide impetus, guidance and support toward increasing the productivity, efficiency, consistency and quality of service.