New technology and restructuring in the UK energy industry: the case of renewable energy

Among the justijcations for the UK government's electricity privatization programme was the suggestion that it would stimulate the development of a range of new supply options, including the UK's extensive renewable energy resource. This paper assesses the prospects for renewable energy technologies i n the UK after privatization. It finds that there is enthusiasm for renewables, but that the market alone will not stimulate renewables effectively or develop them appropriately, and that state support and regulation will be necessary.     

从赛道到道路的旅程

历年来,那些为高性能、大预算的一级方程式(Formula 1)赛场开发的技术,后来都转用到了批量乘用车上,这样的"知识迁移"可支持我们今天所驾驶的汽车向更好、更安全、更高效的方向发展. 如今,电动方程式(Formula E)拥有相同的潜力,也可作为日常电动汽车(EV)的试验场,例如,围绕电池技术、电源管理、充电和再生制...     

U.K. SMEs’ awareness,use, and perceptions of selected government export assistance programs: An investigation into the effect of the internationalization process

This study reports on an empirical investigation into U.K. managers’ behavior toward and perceptions about selected export assistance programs. Specifically, it investigates whether differences exist between managers of U.K. small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in various stages of internationalization in relation to their awareness and frequency of use of the programs, together with their perceptions about the timeliness, reliability, and availability of the assistance schemes. It provides a contribution to the knowledge in the areas of export management and public policy because despite the fact that a body of literature exists on the topics of both export assistance and the internationalization process of firms, there is a need to bring these two research topics together in the form of a single U.K. study to establish whether current export assistance procedures are suitable for managers from firms in different stages of export development. The rationale for such a study is that if managers of U.K. SMEs in different stages of the internationalization process differ in both their behavior toward and perceptions about government assistance programs, U.K. policymakers may need to reconsider the way in which services are provided to avoid wasting scarce resources.     

UK export assistance: Are we supporting the best programmes?

This article provides empirical evidence to show that differences exist in how UK exporters rate factors in their export marketing effort between: (1) those that are believed to be desired by importers; (2) the possibility for improving performance of these factors by a change in emphasis by people in the exporting firms; and (3) what international business assistance is actually requested by firms. It then looks at differences between firms based on their level of involvement in exporting, i.e. stage of internationalization, and the extent to which they are successful. It therefore substantially builds upon previous research by showing that there are differences between the factors that firms believe are desirable to importers and how their performance could improve with the emphasis and assistance of internal and external change agents. Furthermore, it shows that exporting firms should not be seen as homogeneous and that significant differences exist between firms based on their level of internationalization and their level of success.

In this way, the study has implications for UK policy makers insofar as it questions the idea that export promotion policies should be standardized, and offers evidence to support the view that firms with different characteristics actually require different kinds of support.     

Towards a schematic theory of entrepreneurial alertness

This article is an investigation into Kirzner's concept of entrepreneurial alertness — its mechanism and its antecedents. By drawing from decision theory and schema theory, a model is developed to show how changes in the environment are mediated by entrepreneurial alertness and brought to the situated attention of entrepreneurs for evaluation. Entrepreneurial alertness is seen to be the application of unique schemata that allow the entrepreneur to impute meaning to environmental change that would not be imputed by other managers. It is argued that the alertness that allows entrepreneurs to see opportunity where others do not arises from differences in schematic richness, schematic association, and schematic priming. These three antecedents may therefore form a basis on which enhanced entrepreneurial alertness can be developed.     

The first export order: a marketing innovation revisited

This study reports on an investigation into what lies behind a firm's first export order and revisits the questions posed in the classic article by Simmonds and Smith [(1968). British Journal of Marketing, 2, 93–100]. It concentrates on risk/reward considerations in decision-making. Interviews were undertaken with owner/managers who were the key decision-makers in 10 newly internationalising UK start-up firms, that is, in their first year of operation, in order to avoid recollections in respect of hindsight. The findings highlight that a variety of factors can affect the decision of owner/managers in small firms to start their internationalisation path. Decisions are made in the context of perceived risk/reward considerations regarding exploiting various opportunities; for example, what are considered to be affordable losses against respective owner/manager's objectives and experience. The contribution of the study is that it employs an effectuation lens in respect of the first export decision.     

How Ethical Leadership Shapes Employees’ Job Performance: The Mediating Roles of Goal Congruence and Psychological Capital

Drawing from research on ethical leadership, psychological capital, and social learning theory, this study investigated the mediating effects of goal congruence and psychological capital in the link between supervisors’ ethical leadership style and followers’ in-role job performance. Data captured from 171 employees and 24 supervisors showed that ethical leadership has a positive effect on followers’ in-role job performance, yet this effect is explained through the role of psychological capital and follower–leader goal congruence, providing evidence of mediation. These findings have significant implications for research and practice.     

Where Angels Fear to Tread: Internationalization of Emerging Country SMEs

Based on institutional theory and risk perspectives, this study examines how the entrepreneurial orientation of firms as determined by national cultural factors is related to the internationalization of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from emerging and developing countries. We also suggest that institutional improvements can have a moderating effect on the relationship between culture and internationalization. We develop a unique measure of internationalization and test it on a sample of 7,212 SMEs from 36 developing countries using a multilevel linear hierarchical model that allows us to examine both firm- and country-level effects. We find that developed institutions support the internationalization of SMEs from more masculine and individualistic cultures.     

The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship

According to the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship, the context in which decision-making is derived can influence one’s determination to become an entrepreneur. In particular, a context that is rich in knowledge generates entrepreneurial opportunities from those ideas. By commercializing ideas that evolved from an incumbent organization via the creation of a new firm, the entrepreneur (human capital) not only serves as a conduit for the spillover of knowledge, but also for the ensuing innovative activity and enhanced economic performance through resource allocation. The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship brings together contemporary theories and thoughts of entrepreneurship with prevailing theories of economic growth, geography, and strategy and therefore explains not just why some people choose to become an entrepreneur, but also why this matters significantly for the economy and society.