The process of entrepreneurial action at the base of the pyramid in developing countries: a case of vegetable farmers in Benin

The assumption that entrepreneurship is a critical factor in expanding employment, creating wealth and contributing to poverty alleviation at the base of the pyramid (BoP) in developing countries has led to the development of many initiatives to strengthen the entrepreneurial activities of poor people. Despite the fact that entrepreneurship is seen as a strategy in combatting poverty, the process that leads to entrepreneurial action in a BoP context is still unclear. In this paper, we illustrate the possibilities a multi-layered perspective offers to understand the complexity of entrepreneurship in poverty settings. Based on five focus group discussions and 36 in-depth interviews with vegetable farmers in Benin, we examined the entrepreneurship of poor people. We learned that entrepreneurial action is the nexus of individual and exogenous factors in complex relationships. Based on this, we elaborate on the characteristics of the process model of entrepreneurial action. We provide a process-based view of entrepreneurship at the BoP, suggesting a need for consistency between individual, behavioural strategies and contextual elements. We discuss the implications of our findings for BoP practice and provide a framing perspective that we hope will encourage a greater focus on the complexity of entrepreneurship phenomenon.     

创业导向、外部知识获取与创业机会识别

创业活动是创新、就业和经济增长的重要来源。企业家通过持续探索创造新业务,促进社会和经济的发展和繁荣。本文基于资源基础理论和知识基础理论,以大众创业浪潮为研究背景,深入揭示创业导向、外部知识获取与创业机会识别之间的关系,并以中国246份创业新企业为样本进行了实证研究。研究结果表明：创业导向对新企业的机会识别和外部知识获取均具有积极影响;外部知识获取在创业导向和新企业的机会识别之间起到部分中介作用;此外,市场知识获取比技术知识获取对创业机会识别的影响更为突出。     

The causality examination between demand uncertainty and hotel failure: A case study of international tourist hotels in Taiwan

The hotel business is highly sensitive to economic cycles, as the industry faces high frequency and high fluctuation of uncertainty over the demand for lodging services. Without a thorough consideration on the issue, hotels may undergo a business crisis. This research therefore investigates the influence of demand uncertainty on hotel failure by using the operation data of international tourist hotels in Taiwan during 1995–2008. The analysis applies two stages of estimation. The first stage employs a first-order autoregressive model, AR(1), to model lodging demand uncertainty. The second stage estimates the likelihood of hotels’ failure by using a logit model. The results are supportive to determine that the demand uncertainty causes hotel failures.     

“货币补偿”总是最优策略吗?——高星级酒店不同服务失误归因下的情境研究

酒店服务的异质性和顾客需求的多样性使得服务失误在所难免。服务补救成为酒店修复服务失误,赢得顾客口碑和再次光顾的重要举措。在酒店管理实践中,货币补偿颇受管理者青睐,通常被作为应对服务失误的首要选择。然而,货币补偿是否为服务失误发生时的最优选择?文章以高星级酒店为研究背景,对服务失误进行情境设计,检验不同失误归因下货币补偿和非货币补偿的补偿满意度差异。数据分析结果显示:酒店因素导致的服务失误情境下,相比货币补偿而言,非货币补偿具有更好的补偿效果;其他顾客因素和顾客自身因素导致的服务失误情境下,货币补偿与非货币补偿间没有显著效果差异。此外,补偿满意度对顾客信任、重购意向与口碑有显著正向影响。     

创造力经济背景下的企业创业型战略管理

知识经济进一步深化,一种被称为创造力的经济形态开始出现,在创造力经济背景下,企业的战略管理需要加以调整,战略竞争优势的获取应该通过创造新的优势来实现而非简单的维持已有优势。     

创业拼凑、网络关系与新企业绩效——基于京津冀地区企业的实证分析

资源匮乏是企业发展过程中的重要绊脚石,化解此问题对新企业成长具有重要意义.从资源获取视角切入,基于资源基础理论和创业拼凑理论,探究创业拼凑对新企业绩效的作用机理,以及网络关系在两者之间的中介机制,对京津冀地区177家新企业问卷数据进行回归分析.结果表明:创业拼凑能够通过对内外资源的整合,实现对资源的即时利用,有助于企业绩效提升;拼凑行为的开展会推动企业积极构建商业关系与政府关系,进而作用于企业发展过程;良好政治关系有利于与合作伙伴等建立稳定的商业关系.研究结论有助于缓解新企业资源尴尬的窘境以及进一步为网络关系中资源的获取与转移使用提供新的视角.     

上市公司财务失败的资产流动性因子分析

财务失败界定为由于财务状况异常而被退市风险誓示进入特殊处理版块。上市公司的资产流动性可通过12个变量指标。分别反映短期偿债能力、长期偿债能力、资产周转能力和现金流量运行情况。运用因子分析法建立模型。分析资产流动性可对财务失败起到一定的警示作用。     

坚持还是放弃：失败恐惧的认知效应及其对创业坚持的影响

基于情绪认知评价理论,从情绪和认知两个视角分析失败恐惧对创业坚持的影响与边界条件。通过对316名创业者的问卷调查发现：创业失败恐惧对创业坚持行为具有负向影响;自我效能感在失败恐惧和创业坚持之间发挥中介作用;成长型思维调节失败恐惧对自我效能感的负向影响,成长型思维通过降低失败恐惧对自我效能感的负向作用来促进创业坚持行为。依据“情感—认知—行为”的逻辑从创业者的情绪和认知视角综合分析失败恐惧对创业坚持的影响,既为创业者中途退出创业活动提供解释思路和理论洞见,也为全面理解创业坚持行为提供理论指导。     

创业市场信心与创业行为关系的动态解析——基于GEM与WBD的混合横截面数据的经验证据

本文以行为理论为基础,从动态视角出发,探讨完整经济周期下,创业者创业市场信心与创业行为间关系的变化趋势。同时,分析创业者所处国家的经济发展水平与发展导向及自身社会经济地位在创业市场信心对创业行为正向作用变化趋势中的调节效应。本文根据2006—2015年全球创业观察（GEM）与世界银行数据库（WBD）,构建混合截面数据来探索创业者创业市场信心的反应及其差异。研究发现：(1)在经济衰退期内,创业市场信心对创业行为的正向作用会显著减弱。在随后的经济扩张初期,创业市场信心对创业行为的正向作用会明显增强;(2)处于发展中国家及高经济外向度国家的创业者,创业市场信心对创业行为的正向作用的减弱与增强均会更加剧烈。另外,补充研究发现：(3)仅在经济扩张初期,创业者社会经济地位能积极调节时间对创业市场信心与创业行为间关系的调节效果。本文揭示了创业市场信心与创业行为间关系的变化趋势及该变化产生的边界条件,在一定程度上丰富了创业心理驱动要素对创业行为影响的动态研究,并促进实践界关注经济衰退对创业市场信心冲击而带来的创业活动萎靡的潜在风险。     

Entrepreneurs and the context of cooperative organizations: A definition of cooperative entrepreneur

We focus on the role of entrepreneurs in organizations that are structured as cooperatives. In considering the similarities and differences among various forms of entrepreneurship, a comprehensive definition of the cooperative entrepreneur is formulated. A model illustrating four variations in the manner in which cooperative entrepreneurship contributes to the creation of cooperatives is also presented. These contributions help to more clearly frame future research and lend visibility to the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the cooperative context. Copyright © 2013 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.