Complex Actions and Simple Outcomes: How New Entrepreneurs Stay in Business

In this paper, the entrepreneur within the new small firm is regarded as taking complex rather than simple actions, which determine whether he or she will remain in business. Thus, instead of simply choosing output, as in the standard analysis of the competitive firm, the entrepreneur may take actions which involve choices about markets, finance, organisation, innovation, and much else besides. To explore this approach, very detailed information on actions within small firms is required. It is shown how this was obtained by a fieldwork study of new business starts. Using data from this fieldwork, a rich statistical picture was created of actions within the new small firm. In turn this permitted econometric analysis of actions that help a new small firm to stay in business over a three year period. This indicates that the crucial actions which enable a small firm to stay in business are: the rapid repayment of debt and the willingness to sacrifice short-run profit for growth. There is also evidence that staying in business is fostered by tight control of the wage bill, especially by substituting other labour inputs for full time employees.     

Relationships between Entrepreneurs in Business Incubators. An Exploratory Case Study

Purpose: Business incubators are areas created to help firms find their feet and are devised to promote entrepreneurial initiatives. From the relationship marketing approach, the present study seeks to identify the key differentiating variables involved in relations between entrepreneurs located in the same incubator.

Methodology/approach: The research process is grounded on an exploratory qualitative analysis, based on in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs who belong to two Spanish public business incubators, which form part of the Chamber for Business Creation and Development (INCYDE) network of incubators.

Findings: Findings allow us to highlight aspects such as complementarity of resources, awareness and shared values, frequent contact, and a psychological commitment, as well as certain specific aspects of the relations to emerge in such contexts.

Originality/value/contribution: The article contributes to the literature on business-to-business relationships by developing a conceptual framework of relations among entrepreneurs located in incubators. Moreover, it provides an agenda for future research on the process whereby value and social capital is created through business incubators.     

Cautious International Entrepreneurs: The Case of the Mittelstand

This paper investigates the international entrepreneurial behaviour of Mittelstand firms (German small and medium sized enterprises). Analysis of a survey of the international marketing strategies of Mittelstand firms revealed three clusters of firms, two that had below and one above average international activities. None of the clusters displayed born global type of internationalisation processes. However, this does not mean that they adopt passive approaches to internationalisation. The results suggest that Mittelstand firms engage in entrepreneurial behaviour that is proactive and innovative but which is cautious, sequential, and risk adverse. The implications of this analysis for future research in the area of international entrepreneurship are considered.     

服务业的天之骄子--物流

物流一词最早出现在美国.1915年阿奇·萧在《市场流通中的若干问题》一书中就提到物流(Physical Distribution)一词,并指出"物流是与创造需求不同的一个问题".因为在20世纪初,西方有些国家已经出现生产大量过剩、需求严重不足的经济危机,企业提出了销售和物流功能的重新评价与认识问题.此时物流指的是销售过程中的商品流动.二次世界大战期间,围绕战争物资供应,美国军队有两个创举,一是建立了"运筹学"(Operation Research)理论,二是建立了"后勤"(Logistics)理论,并将其用于战争活动中.     

苏州市服务业新业态发展的对策研究

通过分析苏州服务业新业态现状,就服务业新业态发展趋势和发展战略进行深入研究,在苏州服务业新业态发展已有成果的基础上,对新业态的内涵进行了探讨,分析了新业态产生的原因和特征,总结目前苏州新业态的发展情况,论述了新业态发展遇到的问题和挑战。最后提出了发展苏州服务业新业态的四个方面的对策,为推动苏州服务业发展,为苏州发展新经济、新产业提供支撑,提高产业引领力及增强苏州经济可持续发展的后续动力打下基础。     

Ethical Consumption and New Business Models in the Food Industry. Evidence from the Eataly Case

Individual and collective ethical stances regarding ethical consumption and related outcomes are usually seen as both a form of concern about extant market offerings and as opportunities to develop new offerings. In this sense, demand and supply are traditionally portrayed as interacting dialectically on the basis of extant business models. In general, this perspective implicitly assumes the juxtaposition of demand side ethical stances and supply side corporate initiatives. The Eataly story describes, however, a different approach to market transformation; in this case a company and a social movement (Slow Food) have negotiated and collaborated prior to initiating a new business model. This collaboration process and its outcomes are described, focusing specifically on ordinary Eataly customers’ and Slow Food members’ reactions. Given that Eataly can be regarded as a case of mainstreaming, ordinary customers seem satisfied with the new offering and the Slow Food support for the initiative; the more purist members of the Slow Food movement had critical concerns, however, as happened in similar conditions, according to literature, with regard to Fair Trade. The Slow Food endorsement of the new venture has also been observed from the attitude–behaviour gap perspective, as it contributed to addressing the factors affecting the gap between attitudes and actual behaviours. Extensive qualitative data were collected and analysed over a 3-year period. The main study implications refer to the ways in which companies and social movements could interact to co-design new business models, as well as outlining consumers’ attitudes and behaviours towards such new offerings.     

Time Allocation and Performance: The Case of Chinese Entrepreneurs

This paper analyses the effect of time allocation on the financial performance of entrepreneurial firms. We apply the Lewbel estimator to a pooled data set of Chinese private manufacturing firms that are managed by their owners. Time is allocated between management, networking, and study activities. After accounting for endogeneity, we find an inverted U-shaped relationship between management hours and firm performance and between networking and firm performance. However, no relationship between time spent studying and firm performance is observed. We also find that the managing hours–performance relationship is particularly strong for companies managed by entrepreneurs who own more than 75% of share, for companies that are managed by owners with previous experience, for male entrepreneurs, and for smaller-sized firms.     

Developing Measurement Scales of Organizational and Issue Legitimacy: A Case of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising in the Pharmaceutical Industry

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concepts of issue legitimacy and organizational legitimacy, providing a new measure of each construct. The scales were developed and tested using data collected through a statewide survey of Alabama residents. Assessments of issue legitimacy were based on perceptions of direct-to-consumer advertising, whereas assessments of organizational legitimacy were based on perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry as a whole. The findings provide evidence that organizational legitimacy can be reliably measured using a five-item scale and issue legitimacy can be reliably measured using a six-item scale. The implications of the results and potential uses of the scales are discussed.     

The Entrepreneurship Industry: Influences of the Goods and Services Marketed to Entrepreneurs

This paper constitutes the first comprehensive attempt to define and assess entrepreneurship as an industry, and it is the only study to date to empirically evaluate the extent to which the entrepreneurship industry (EI) is associated with entrepreneurial actions and outcomes. EI is defined as the goods and services explicitly intended for opportunity discovery and development by current and prospective entrepreneurs, an industry with $13 billion in annual revenue. In order to assess EI's influence, we employ a matched set comparison of EI consumers and nonconsumers, which reveals that high levels of EI consumption are associated with an increase in entrepreneurial activity but a decrease in performance and survival prospects. The findings address material gaps in existing frameworks by adding EI to the entrepreneurial contexts that exert a potent influence on the identification, development, and exploitation of opportunities.     

British Entrepreneurs in Distribution and the Steel Industry

Understanding the reasons for the highly successful Australasian pastoral sector requires a consideration of the central facilitating role of stock and station agents and pastoral finance companies. This paper analyses their role in the provision of finance. The sectoral specialisation of pastoral agents and their close networking in rural communities reduced the problem of information asymmetries in credit rationing faced by the major banks. By developing long-term and wide-ranging business relationships with the farmer, which fostered trust and reputational effects, agents were well placed to acquire detailed and accurate client information cheaply, which could then be used to screen, monitor, and enforce credit contracts.     

商务服务业:社会发展的新动力

商务服务业是社会经济发展到一定阶段社会进一步分工的产物.该行业将是就业潜力最大的市场之一.企业业务外包促进了商务服务业的兴起,全球产业结构已呈现"工业型经济"向"服务型经济"转型的趋势,发展商务服务业,不仅有利于提升生产企业的核心竞争力,带动传统服务业的升级改造,提高整个社会的经济效益,还能产生积极的社会效应.     

The Link Between Responsibility and Legitimacy: The Case of De Beers in Namibia

This article investigates the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and the reasons for which legitimacy is ascribed or denied. It fills a gap in the literature on CSR and legitimacy that lacks empirical studies regarding the question whether CSR contributes to organisational legitimacy. The problem is discussed by referring to the case of De Beers’s diamond mining partnership with the Government of Namibia. A total of 42 interviews were conducted—41 with stakeholders and one with the focal organisation Namdeb. The 41 stakeholder interviews are analysed with regard to cognitive, pragmatic and moral legitimacy as defined by Suchman (Acad Manage Rev 20(3):571–610, 1995). The main finding is that the majority of statements on organisational legitimacy refer to moral legitimacy and most issues raised in this context challenge the company’s legitimacy despite its comprehensive CSR engagement. The study demonstrates that legitimacy gaps can be a result of communication practices that raise unrealistic stakeholder expectations and that the legitimacy gained by CSR engagement in one area cannot substitute legitimacy losses caused by failures in another.     

我国ASP新型运营模式探讨及案例分析

如何在我国成功地实施ASP模式,带动更多的中小企业实现信息化一直是当前我国政府与IT供应商关注的重点.本文通过对ASP内涵的分析,提出了ASP运营需要有多方参与的基本模型,并通过上海某ASP中心运营模式成功变迁过程的分析,具体探讨一个新型的ASP运营模式,并且在案例分析的基础上总结了我国ASP运营模式取得成功的关键要素.     

Company Legitimacy in the New Millennium

The relationship between business and society changes over time, and periodically there is a ‘legitimization crisis’. The paper will briefly explore some important questions about company legitimacy: why is company legitimacy important; why do legitimacy crises occur; and finally, are we in a crisis at the moment, and if so how can it be solved? The legal institutionalization of business firms prescribes narrow accountabilities and limited responsibilities: the challenge for business in the new millennium is to open these up and to broaden our understanding of the social significance of business activity without destroying its wealth creating processes. This will require a rethinking of the relationship to the shareholder and a new definition of the relationship with stakeholders.     

The Ethiopian Immigrant Business Enclave in the United States: Perceptions of Residents,Consumers, and Entrepreneurs

This study investigates the Ethiopian immigrant urban business enclave and its infrastructure, aesthetics, and quality of life. These immigrants are revitalizing urban areas, and examining the perceptual differences among stakeholders in these neighborhoods is salient. Economic development literature suggests that stakeholders share a common vision in order for revitalization efforts to be successful. Surveys were administered in an urban area to statistically test hypotheses that stakeholder groups have different perceptions. The analysis of variance technique (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data. Results indicate that stakeholders differ in their perceptions of the business climate and quality of life.