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The literature on entrepreneurship has developed a huge body of fruitful research to explain why women do not engage in business as often as men. However, relatively little is known about the role that different business models may play in driving women's entrepreneurial activity, which is examined in this study. In this paper we develop a model to empirically test the relationship between women's motivations to become entrepreneurs and their willingness to embark on business through cooperatives, a particular organizational model. We find that the fit between women's needs and expectations and the guiding principles of cooperatives is decisive for the materialization of female entrepreneurship. Furthermore, we explore the role that institutions can play in fostering this link. In doing so, we extend the literature on women's entrepreneurship by highlighting key factors to better channel the development of this potential resource for economic development. Our confirmatory model highlights the role of cooperatives as a type of organization particularly suited to the interests and needs of women entrepreneurs. Thus, the promotion of this business model can be useful to improve the number of women entrepreneurs and, in turn, enhance economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies and characterizes a corporate network based on Argentinian-Spanish business (Catalan mainly) that was built around a dozen companies all located in Buenos Aires, in the first half of 20th century. Studying the board of directors of the company Providencia Compañía Argentina de Seguros, it finds meeting points in which different groups are involved and it analyzes what corporate strategies they applied. It also determines whether any political compromise was acquired by the members of the network, both in Spain and Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several auto manufacturers have recently introduced car sharing programs. Although the structure of most programs is the same, there is no clear dominant strategy for the type of vehicles that should be provided through car sharing. In this paper, we consider an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) that contemplates car sharing and designs its product line by accounting for the trade-off between driving performance and fuel efficiency under CAFE standards. Customers have different valuations of driving performance and decide whether to buy, join car sharing or rely on their outside options. We find that the OEM increases the fuel efficiency of the vehicles it provides through car sharing. This higher efficiency enables the OEM to charge a higher selling price to the higher end of the market, thus increasing its profit. This is especially beneficial to higher-end OEMs that face greater cannibalization and can explain why Daimler and BMW have been particularly active in introducing car sharing. Offering car sharing is not always environmentally beneficial. Even when it is, we find that doing so may reduce the OEM's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) level. In such cases, incentive multipliers should be granted for each shared car. Finally, if anticipating aggressive CAFE standards, OEMs may introduce car sharing to better absorb the increase in the production cost. The online appendix is available at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the relationship between creativity and innovation in entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial firms, and their strategies in China. According to the authors, The combination of creativity and innovation embedded in the entrepreneurial process is fundamental to the discovery and establishment of new ways to organize production processes and to introduce new institutional forms. Creativity is broadly defined as the cognitive process by which individuals discover new patterns in familiar ideas, routines, and mental models.

Purpose - In recent years there has been increasing interest in Product Service Systems (PSSs) as a business model for selling integrated product and service offerings. To date, there has been extensive research into the benefits of PSS to manufacturers and their customers, but there has been limited research into the effect of PSS on the upstream supply chain. This paper seeks to address this gap in the research. Design/methodology/approach - The research uses case-based research which is appropriate for exploratory research of this type. In-depth interviews were conducted with key personnel in a focal firm and two members of its supply chain, and the results were analysed to identify emergent themes. Findings - The research has identified differences in supplier behaviour dependent on their role in PSS delivery and their relationship with the PSS provider. In particular, it suggests that for a successful partnership it is important to align the objectives between PSS provider and suppliers. Originality/value - This research provides a detailed investigation into a PSS supply chain and highlights the complexity of roles and relationships among the organizations within it. It will be of value to other PSS researchers and organizations transitioning to the delivery of PSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Manufacturers expanding their business globally need to understand and analyze long-term trends of technology innovation relevant to their products as well as future socio-economic development of the target markets. Qualitative scenario modeling methods can evaluate opportunities and risks of their products in a specific market. To obtain quantitative evaluation results, however, just qualitative scenario models do not suffice. This paper proposes a new method for scenario modeling and simulation that integrates numerical data from various available scenarios and analyzes the compatibility between the product and the market. A simulation case study of the dissemination of electric vehicles is illustrated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Australian business leaders informed the development of a framework that outlined their views of what model business behaviours are and how these can be driven through appropriate business action. This framework overviews that organisations who seek model business behaviour should: - Establish a clear direction and robust strategy - Develop and sustain relationships with stakeholder - Put people first and engage with staff - Measure outcomes and evaluate success Further consultation with Australian government leaders highlighted that these model behaviours could largely be adopted by Australian government agencies when they operate as a business. Application of these behaviours would help drive exemplar business behaviour more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this article is to examine how returning entrepreneurs and local stakeholders are involved in co-producing an entrepreneurial region. A theoretical framework is proposed based on two metaphors: embeddedness and translation. Moreover, the value of the framework is illustrated by a case drawn from a study conducted over a 3-year period. The work is based on a constructionist approach, and the results emerged from a narrative analysis. Our partial ethnographic methodology gives us the opportunity to follow the interaction between entrepreneurs and local stakeholders over time. The findings show that what needs to become embedded to attain regional development is an entrepreneurial attitude to life in the region, not only the embeddedness of the returning entrepreneurs and their firms. Consequently, the framework results in a perspective emphasizing the interplay over time between entrepreneurs and local stakeholders. The value of the article is that it shows how the co-production of the entrepreneurial region between entrepreneurs and local stakeholders results in a continued regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research uses a randomized, two-sample, post-test experiment to pit the alertness perspective against a new approach for searching systematically for venture ideas to create new wealth. The new approach uses self-selected consideration sets to constrain an entrepreneur’s search domain, which makes it possible to maximize the search results. The constrained domain conforms to the behavior of repeat entrepreneurs who do not search the whole world for venture ideas. Subjects in the treatment group were successful 60% of the time compared with 6.25% success rate for the control group. Fourteen percent of control group emulated the treatment group without receiving instructions to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurs and everyday businessmen and women have long engaged in different kinds of civic-minded activities. This study explores ways that urban entrepreneurs and managers engage in civic activities while pursuing business growth. In this preliminary analysis of owners and managers who have participated in a technical assistance program geared for entrepreneurs who are ready to take their existing venture "to the next level", we identify a kind of entrepreneur whose business model incorporates a social mission. These are not "social entrepreneurs" who engage in business practices in order to push their social agenda. Nor are they mimicking businesses that follow a "corporate social responsibility" model because they were shamed into it or believe it will be good for their bottom line. These are people whose ventures must make a profit if their social mission is to be achieved. They run what we call a "civic enterprise". Their behavior reflects a kind of "civic-minded capitalism". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]