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To understand how the context in which employed managers and entrepreneurs' work affects their attitude to their leadership roles.
Abstract
Purpose
To understand how the context in which employed managers and entrepreneurs' work affects their attitude to their leadership roles.
Design/methodology/approach
Presents the main points. Details the findings from the qualitative research and draws attention to the issues affecting entrepreneurs' attitude towards leadership.
Findings
In‐depth interviews with nine entrepreneurs, backed up by a literature review, yielded some interesting findings as to the relationship between entrepreneurs and their potential leadership role and threw light on how their attitudes towards leadership were different from that displayed by employed managers. Research shows that managers, working in large organizations, aspire to be leaders. They are constantly practising and developing their leadership skills in their day‐to‐day contacts with subordinates and other people that they have contact with. Much less is known about how entrepreneurs view their leadership role. Past research tended to concentrate on a trait‐based approach to leadership and focused on how managers acquired leadership skills. Recent work has rejected this approach believing that it is the context in which people work that determines their ability to develop leadership attributes and skills. It offers a dynamic view, recognizing how leadership skills are developed through taking part in a range of experiences. Focusing on the different contexts in which managers/entrepreneurs work has allowed for more insightful and informative research into why mangers/entrepreneurs may differ in their attitude towards how they view their leadership roles.
Practical implications
Provides a greater understanding of how entrepreneurs' working situation impacts on their attitude towards their development as leaders.
Social implications
Offers suggestions on how entrepreneurs' can be encouraged to take a more positive view of their leadership role that will, hopefully, have a positive effect on their company performance.
Originality/value
Provides research that sheds light on why entrepreneurs' have a different view of their leadership role from employed managers and presents ideas on how entrepreneurs in small businesses can develop their leadership skills further.
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Bala Chakravarthy and Peter Lorange
Strategic renewal requires both a top‐down and bottom‐up effort. Top management sets the broad vision for the firm and specifies the scope and pace of renewal. However, it is the…
Abstract
Purpose
Strategic renewal requires both a top‐down and bottom‐up effort. Top management sets the broad vision for the firm and specifies the scope and pace of renewal. However, it is the firm's entrepreneur‐managers who shape its renewal strategies and take responsibility for their implementation. This paper aims to profile the skills, personal traits and experiences of successful entrepreneur‐managers.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses field research.
Findings
The paper finds that entrepreneur‐managers are in part corporate entrepreneurs. They are outward‐focused, cognizant of changes in their business environment and the new opportunities that these may bring. They are willing to experiment with new business models and to explore new capabilities. But they are also operating managers interested in scaling up an entrepreneurial idea and in delivering results. They have a few special personality traits. They are not risk averse and are action oriented. They are also supremely self‐confident. These traits allow entrepreneur‐managers to take risks, persist despite failures and learn from their mistakes. However, more than special traits, it is experience that grooms entrepreneur‐managers in a firm. Entrepreneur‐managers are typically not new comers to the organization. Their long tenure helps with networking inside the firm. They also have an established track record of performing well. That buys them the freedom to operate outside the usual confines of the organization and enjoy the trust that is needed to take risks on behalf of the firm.
Research limitations/implications
Like in any field‐based study, the sample size is a limitation. However, for the modest goal that this paper has set for itself, i.e. profiling the entrepreneur‐manager, this is not a severe limitation.
Practical implications
The paper provides a profile for identifying and nurturing entrepreneur‐managers. As it argues, they are the drivers of strategic renewal within the firm.
Originality/value
Prior empirical and theoretical research on intrapreneurship has focused more on creating distinct new corporate ventures. This article suggests that the real power of intrapreneurship is to help connect the future of the firm with its current core businesses. Intrapreneurship is about leverage and build, more so than transform, to use the three types of renewal strategies that are offered in this article.
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In this research a group of Iranian entrepreneurs was studied using survey questionnaires as well as interviews. The entrepreneurs' locus of control and their perceptions…
Abstract
In this research a group of Iranian entrepreneurs was studied using survey questionnaires as well as interviews. The entrepreneurs' locus of control and their perceptions regarding major problems facing them were examined. The results indicated that our sample overall had internal locus of control. The significance of this finding in the context of a religiously dominated culture is discussed. The entrepreneurs also indicated the lack of market information and government role as major hurdles facing entrepreneurial activities.
The purpose of this paper is to consider marketing and its relevance to entrepreneurs and small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), and how entrepreneurs and SMEs owner/managers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider marketing and its relevance to entrepreneurs and small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), and how entrepreneurs and SMEs owner/managers adapt and use marketing for their specific requirements during the life of an enterprise. Initially, the paper will give some background to the subject, including how entrepreneurs and SMEs owner/managers are defined and their value to the economy.
Design/methodology/approach
The discussion draws from the academic literature and from experience of working with entrepreneurs and SMEs over a number of years. The background characteristics and frameworks of entrepreneurial and SMEs marketing are considered, with emphasis on a pragmatic approach, to try to understand how entrepreneurs and SMEs actually “do” business.
Findings
The main body of the paper focuses on the nature of entrepreneurial marketing typically used by SMEs. The key themes of the discussion are how entrepreneurs and SME owner/managers adapt standard marketing frameworks to suit their own enterprises, how they use networks to improve their business activity, the use and development of marketing management competencies and how they try to use and develop innovative marketing.
Research limitations/implications
Finally, the paper comments on the inter‐relationships and relevance of entrepreneurship and marketing for each other.
Originality/value
In practice, entrepreneurial and SMEs marketing is quite different from the marketing frameworks described in the standard marketing textbooks used to teach most undergraduate students. This paper illustrates how entrepreneurs and SMEs adapt and use marketing according to the needs of their enterprises.
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Dave Valliere and Charlene L. Nicholls-Nixon
Although business incubators are a widely recognized form of entrepreneurial support, this paper aims to challenge the assumption that incubation is necessarily beneficial for…
Abstract
Purpose
Although business incubators are a widely recognized form of entrepreneurial support, this paper aims to challenge the assumption that incubation is necessarily beneficial for early-stage entrepreneurs, and considers cases where, due to variability in the motives and behaviours of entrepreneurs, incubation may be unwarranted or even undesireable.
Design/methodology/approach
This study presents a theoretically derived typology of incubated entrepreneurs, based on their entrepreneurial competence and capacity for learning, which asserts that incubation may be unwarranted or even undesireable for three of the four proposed entrepreneur types. Qualitative data from interviews with entrepreneurs and managing directors from 10 business incubators is used to illustrate the existence of these types.
Findings
The data provides evidence of entrepreneurial types whose incubation may be counterproductive to the goals and objectives of their host incubators.
Practical implications
Implications for incubator management (intake screening and ongoing monitoring of portfolio) are developed and aimed at improving the outcomes of business incubation for stakeholders.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the incubation typology literature by challenging a widely held assumption that entrepreneurs have the potential to benefit from incubation and by reconceptualizing incubators as “crucibles” that perform a critical function in distinguishing high-potential entrepreneurs.
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Nirjhar Nigam and Khodor Shatila
Entrepreneurship institutions exhibit substantial gender discrimination despite worldwide efforts to decrease the phenomenon. The MENA area has a low percentage of women…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurship institutions exhibit substantial gender discrimination despite worldwide efforts to decrease the phenomenon. The MENA area has a low percentage of women entrepreneurs since little is known about women’s desire to start their businesses. The authors use the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain what influences women's propensity toward entrepreneurship and what factors discourage them.
Design/methodology/approach
TPB is a psychological theory explaining how individuals act in certain situations. The authors created their database by using a systematic questionnaire. Overall, 350 women entrepreneurs contributed to their dataset. Finally, the authors used structural equation modeling to verify their hypotheses.
Findings
This study helps them to shed light to better understand the dynamics of Entrepreneurial Intention, in women from Lebanon. The authors do not find any relationship between lack of knowledge, funding, networking and entrepreneurial startup intention for Lebanese women. The role of dynamic capabilities in the entrepreneurial landscape of Lebanon, particularly for women, is substantially highlighted by the full mediation observed in the relationship between lack of knowledge and entrepreneurial start-up intentions. The findings discovered that these capabilities could fully mediate the negative impact of lack of networking on the intention to commence entrepreneurial ventures.
Originality/value
This research illustrates and explains how dynamic capabilities mediate the relationship between women entrepreneurs' challenges and their intention to start a business in the Lebanese context.
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Keywords
Chukwuemeka Christian Onwe, Vitalis Chinedu Ndu, Michael Onwumere and Monday Icheme
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between entrepreneurial passion for founding firms (EPFF) and persistence in venture start-ups and to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between entrepreneurial passion for founding firms (EPFF) and persistence in venture start-ups and to examine the mediating role of searching and scanning alertness, association and connection alertness and evaluation and judgment alertness (i.e. entrepreneurial alertness).
Design/methodology/approach
Using a three-way parallel mediation involving searching and scanning alertness, association and connection alertness and evaluation and judgment alertness, on data from 342 serial entrepreneurs from Nigeria, the authors examined the influence of EPFF on persistence in venture start-ups, through a parallel mediation involving searching and scanning alertness, association and connection alertness and evaluation and judgment alertness.
Findings
The authors find that EPFF was not significantly related (positive) to persistence in venture start-ups, but that searching and scanning alertness, association and connection alertness and evaluation and judgment alertness mediated the path through which EPFF impacts persistence in venture start-ups. Thus, entrepreneurial alertness is relevant in explaining the relationship between EPFF and persistence in venture start-ups in Nigeria.
Originality/value
The findings of this study highlight the relevance of EPFF and alertness in explaining persistence in venture start-ups in Nigeria.
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Jitender Kumar, Manju Rani, Garima Rani and Vinki Rani
Crowdfunding has emerged as an alternative financing tool and recently gained attention to foster entrepreneurial dynamism and innovation. The current research has identified the…
Abstract
Purpose
Crowdfunding has emerged as an alternative financing tool and recently gained attention to foster entrepreneurial dynamism and innovation. The current research has identified the determinants impacting the behavioral intentions of entrepreneurs to use crowdfunding for financing their small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
The current article is based on a cross-sectional research design. This research collected the data of 422 owners and managers of SMEs through self-administered questionnaires in the Indian National Capital Region (NCR). The responses were collected from July 17 to October 27, 2022. This article used “partial least squares structural equation modeling” (PLS-SEM) for data analysis.
Findings
This article offered a robust model with a high explanatory value of 66% of behavioral intention and 62.1% variance in crowdfunding use behavior. The finding also highlighted that performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, trialability and perceived value significantly impact behavioral intention. However, effort expectancy and perceived risk insignificantly influence behavioral intention. Notably, facilitating conditions, trialability and behavioral intention positively impact use behavior.
Practical implications
The results of this study will bridge the gap in empirical research on crowdfunding adoption, shedding light on why entrepreneurs hesitate to adopt crowdfunding for financing. Moreover, these results will offer strategic insights for crowdfunding managers and policymakers, aiding them in making informed decisions.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this pioneering study built the theoretical framework using three credible technology determinant models. The authors examined crowdfunding-specific contextual factors to improve understanding of the positive effect of technological orientation. This addition assists in strategically arranging entrepreneurs' fundraising conversations more efficiently.
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Samaneh Khademi, Caroline Essers and Karin Van Nieuwkerk
This article develops an innovative multidisciplinary conceptual framework in the field of refugee entrepreneurship by combining the theory of mixed embeddedness with the concepts…
Abstract
Purpose
This article develops an innovative multidisciplinary conceptual framework in the field of refugee entrepreneurship by combining the theory of mixed embeddedness with the concepts of intersectionality and agency. Focusing on the phenomenon of refugee entrepreneurship, this conceptual framework addresses the following questions: how is entrepreneurship informed by the various intersectional positions of refugees? And how do refugees exert their agency based on these intersecting identities?
Design/methodology/approach
By revising the mixed embeddedness approach and combining it with an intersectional approach, this study aims to develop a multidimensional conceptual framework.
Findings
This research illustrates how the intersectional positions of refugees impact their entrepreneurial motivations, resources and strategies. The authors' findings show that refugee entrepreneurship not only contributes to the economic independence of refugees in new societies but also creates opportunities for refugees to exert their agency.
Originality/value
This conceptual framework can be applied in empirical research and accordingly contributes to refugee entrepreneurship studies and intersectionality theory.
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Cheng Xu, Haibo Zhou, Bohong Fan and Yanqi Sun
The purpose of this study is to address a significant gap in the understanding of entrepreneurship at the microfoundation level. It focuses on how individual entrepreneurs…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to address a significant gap in the understanding of entrepreneurship at the microfoundation level. It focuses on how individual entrepreneurs, specifically Hongbang entrepreneurs in China from 1896 to 1949, shape and transform their contexts. The aim is to provide a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that facilitate entrepreneurial success.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a microhistorical approach, investigating the case of Hongbang entrepreneurs in China during 1896-1949. It involves an in-depth examination of historical records to explore the strategic interactions between these entrepreneurs and core stakeholders such as consumers, financial intermediaries, government regulators, and human resources. The research methodology emphasizes a process-oriented view, examining the evolution of personalized networks into extensive connections.
Findings
The research reveals that Hongbang entrepreneurs successfully reshaped their unfavorable embedded contexts by strategically collaborating with key stakeholders. They influenced consumer tastes, allied with financial intermediaries, negotiated with governments on regulation policies, and developed human resource stocks. The transformation was facilitated by the evolution of their networks from personalized to extensive connections. These findings highlight the localized strategies such as cronyism in resource acquisition within China’s private property development industry.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the field by offering insights into entrepreneurial contextualization and networking. It sheds light on the complex interplay between entrepreneurs and their contexts, providing a nuanced understanding of localized strategies in the Chinese context. The findings add value to the discourse on entrepreneurship by elucidating the strategic and processual acts through which entrepreneurs engage with stakeholders and reshape their environments.
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