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This study investigates the role of institutions on female entrepreneurial activity in Saudi Arabia, using institutional economics as the theoretical framework for developing the hypotheses. Primary data were collected and used to analyse the role that institutions play and continue to exercise in developing entrepreneurial activity among female citizens. The findings indicate that the most significant barriers to involvement in entrepreneurial activities for Saudi women are a fear of failure and intervention policies, while their perception of existing female business owners and the support they receive from their families mediates their ability to become entrepreneurs. The study also investigated female perceptions of lifting driving banning, though it showed no significant impact on their probability of becoming entrepreneurs. The results will aid policy makers and future research seeking the institutions' effect on female entrepreneurship in the Middle East and Gulf regions.

A review of previous research was carried out to discover strategies to prevent ankle injuries in basketball. Studies about neuromuscular and proprioceptive exercises were investigated to ascertain the benefits and limitations. The main goal of this publication is to propose a weekly ankle-specific neuromuscular programme for an elite basketball team, including this ankle proposal during teams’ pre-basketball training warm-up sessions.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that influence female entrepreneurial activity in the context of Latin America, using the institutional economics as a theoretical framework –North’s approach. The empirical research uses Latin-American panel data (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) covering a-six-years period (2008-2013). We found that informal institutions have a more statistically significant activity on women´s entrepreneurial activity in the region. Results also showed that formal institutions have a negative influence in promoting female entrepreneurial activity.

The study of the impact of institutions on entrepreneurship has been a topic of great interest in recent years. Nevertheless, less attention has been paid to the relation that can exist between the spatial context and the entrepreneurial activities. Specifically, institutions and the space of entrepreneurial activities in a country have rarely been considered as a whole. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between these two aspects and seeks to examine the entrepreneurial activity in rural areas in comparison with urban areas based on the formal and informal institutions in an emerging economy such as Colombia. It claims that the formal institutions affect rural and urban entrepreneurs differently, examining the moderating effect of the informal institutions on this relation. Using a hierarchical logic model with panel data, 30 cities in Colombia over the period 2000–2013 are used as samples to explore the differences between rural and urban areas. It is found that the informal institutions achieve greater influence in the rural areas; these areas are favored to a greater extent by the social norms, since they are smaller territories with greater integration between citizens. However, the existence of subjective and objective insecurity affects rural entrepreneurial activity in a wider scope than urban entrepreneurial activity, decreasing the creation of new ventures. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Formal and informal institutions, Rural areas, Urban areas

The aim of this study is to analyze the content of research studies on female entrepreneurial activity, using the institutional economics as a theoretical framework. This paper shows how Latin America is study as a single region and, the topics are studied independently or in topics group. Private organizations –mostly- and scholars demonstrate an interest to study the female Latin-American entrepreneurial initiatives; however, the phenomenon is still poorly understood. There is a lack of official government information and statistics. Recognizing contributing factors of female entrepreneurial activity could help to improved public policies in Latin America. The research contributes theoretically to knowledge regarding to the content of research focusing on female entrepreneurial activity and provides an overview of the subject in Latin America.

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo realizar una caracterización de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (pymes) colombianas y de sus fundadores. Se realiza una investigación descriptiva con 384 empresas ubicadas en los departamentos de Cundinamarca y Valle del Cauca. Los resultados indican que en su mayoría las empresas superan los 48 meses de edad, cuentan en promedio con ventas anuales de hasta 5.000 millones de pesos colombianos, y que el tamaño de la planta de personal en la actualidad es hasta cinco veces el que tenían en el momento de su creación. En relación con los fundadores, estos superan los 36 años, presentan una sólida formación académica y se consideran buenos líderes.

This research works toward the identification of the factors that comprise the process of socialization, involvement and initial belonging of descendants in family businesses and the key relationships between them. By means of a qualitative detailed study of four cases, complemented by a quantitative survey of 274 Colombian family businesses, the authors generate a new model that takes into account both factors explored in previous research as well as others identified in this study. Findings confirm the specific dependency of each stage on the subsequent ones; socialization influences involvement, which in turn influences the belonging of the descendants to the family business, with a strong presence of factors such as knowledge, leadership, mode, timing, and motivation. Those responsible for the orientation of potential successors may examine these findings in order to optimize their preparation efforts and support of family human resources for the continuity of the business.

This study evaluates the impact of institutions on the probability to become a woman and man entrepreneur during the recent European economic crisis. Using data from the World Values Survey (WDI) and World Development Indicators (WDI) in the period 2011-2013, we show through Logit models that institutions (educational level and unemployment rate) exert an effect on the probability of women and men becoming entrepreneurs. Similar regressions were performed for those individuals in Central versus Eastern European countries. This distinction might suggest that the latter might not be pushed by unemployment, while the former do. Different supportive policies are discussed.

Dada la importancia de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMES) para el desarrollo de las economías del mundo, se requiere un mayor entendimiento sobre su desempeño. El propósito del estudio es identificar los factores que determinan el dinamismo de estas empresas en Colombia, en el marco de la teoría de recursos y capacidades, y la teoría institucional. Las unidades objeto de estudio son las PYMES que emplean entre 11 y 200 personas, ubicadas en las regiones colombianas de Cundinamarca y del Valle del Cauca. Se realiza un análisis de regresión logística utilizando una muestra de 384 empresas de una población de 19.452. Entre los factores de mayor impacto se encuentran: la tecnología y el posicionamiento de marca; las habilidades de los empresarios para la solución de conflictos, su flexibilidad y educación empresarial; las capacidades en el área administrativa; el poder de negociación; el apoyo de los amigos; y la aceptación y apoyo de la comunidad. Los resultados sugieren que el perfil del empresario impacta el dinamismo de la empresa en su papel de fundador y estratega, y que el reconocimiento de la empresa por parte de clientes, proveedores, instituciones y bancos, entre otros, le genera legitimidad y mayor dinamismo.

In this article we analyse the socio-cultural factors that influence the likelihood of women becoming social entrepreneurs, using institutional economics. Binary logistic regression has been applied as the statistical method to test the hypotheses proposed, using data (40 countries and 56,875 individuals) from the World Value Survey (WVS) and the World Bank (WB). The main findings of the study reaffirm the relevance of socio-cultural factors to social entrepreneurship. Particularly, we have found that altruistic attitudes and being a member of a social organization are the most relevant socio-cultural factors for social female entrepreneurship.

This paper uses an institutional approach to examine the effect of regulations on entrepreneurial activity, comparing developed and developing countries. Through an unbalanced panel data set of 49 countries over the period 2001-2010 and using a combination of international databases we find a positive influence of government spending and entrepreneurship legislation on entrepreneurial activity. It was also found that regulations may have different impacts on entrepreneurship according to the country’s economic development. Thus, in developed economies unemployment legislation is positively related to entrepreneurship, while this relationship is negative in other cases. This paper offers new insights both from a conceptual perspective (advancing theory concerning the factors that influence entrepreneurial activity) and a practical viewpoint (for the design of government policies to foster entrepreneurship).

El propósito de esta investigación cualitativa es identificar los facto res determinantes del dinamismo de ocho Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas (PYMES) colombianas, ubicadas en dos de las regiones mas importantes del país, a través de un estudio de casos múltiples con una unidad de análisis. La información se obtuvo mediante entrevistas en profundidad con cada uno de los empresarios fundadores y con la segunda persona en la linea de jerarquía, así como de múltiples fuentes de evidencia y la observación. La información fue tabulada y categorizada mediante el software Atlas.ti. El marco conceptual de referencia incluye la teoría de recursos y capacidades, y la teoría institucional. Los resultados del estudio sugieren que los facto res internos mas relevantes son los recursos financieros, la reputación y el prestigio de las empresas frente a la comunidad, las habilidades específicas tanto del empresario como de los empleados y las capacidades organizativas estratégicas. Por otro lado, el factor del entorno que mas incide en el dinamismo alcanzado por las empresas estudiadas es fundamental mente la cultura relacionada con la influencia de la comunidad y de los familiares del fundador en el proceso empresarial. Se concluye que el dinamismo empresarial esta en función de factores internos y externos. La diferenciación en los recursos y las capacidades organizativas estratégicas permiten la heterogeneidad de la PYME y la generación de ventajas competitivas.

Entrepreneurship literature frequently identifies entrepreneurs as possessing a charismatic personality. Charisma is broadly defined as a combination of the talent to foresee market opportunities and the ability to motivate other people in the materialization of these opportunities. Business organizations also provide the context for developing skills and knowledge, which is particularly valuable for potential entrepreneurs who identify business opportunities. Using a sample of 41 countries, we show that higher rates of charismatic leadership at the country level are positively associated with entrepreneurial activity. This outcome suggests that both business-oriented and educational organizations that promote charismatic leadership play a significant role in the development of entrepreneurial incubators.

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los efectos de la diversidad cultural, medida a partir de la fragmentación étnica, lingüística y religiosa, sobre la actividad emprendedora. A partir de datos de 39 países que hacen parte del proyecto Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) para el año 2008 y utilizando diversas regresiones lineales, se demuestra la importancia de la fragmentación étnica y lingüística sobre la religiosa, como condicionantes del emprendimiento. En cuanto a las implicaciones, el estudio permite por un lado, avanzar en la relación entre instituciones informales como la cultura y el emprendimiento, desde una faceta más novedosa como es la diversidad cultural en el contexto de la teoría institucional.Asu vez, las evidencias encontradas podrían facilitar el diseño de políticas y estrategias de fomento a la actividad emprendedora, en el contexto de globalización actual que favorece la movilidad geográfica y por ende, la diversidad cultural.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between independence, risk taking, creativity, and entrepreneurial activity at the country level, in the light of institutional economics, concretely using the cultural-cognitive dimension. The main findings demonstrate through a regression model that risk taking and creativity have a positive and significant influence on entrepreneurship. Data were obtained from the World Values Survey, for the period 2005-2008, from a sample size of 42 countries. The study advances the literature by providing new information on the effect of environmental factors on entrepreneurial activity. Also, the research contributes to the definition of educational policies that promote favorable attitudes to risk taking and creativity, thereby increasing the number of potential entrepreneurs.

Dado el relevante papel que juega la actividad emprendedora en el desarrollo económico y social de países y regiones, es necesario seguir avanzando en sus determinantes. Así pues el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la influencia que tienen los factores del entorno en la creación de empresas, utilizando como marco teórico de referencia la teoría económica institucional. A partir de un modelo de datos de panel y con información del proyecto Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), se demuestra estadísticamente que instituciones como estabilidad política y modelos de referencia están relacionadas con la creación de empresas. Los resultados de este trabajo indican que en los países de mediano y bajo ingreso, los factores informales (estabilidad política y modelos de referencia) tienen mayor impacto en la creación de empresas; mientras que en el caso de los países de ingreso alto son más determinantes los factores formales (procedimientos para crear empresa y formación en gestión y administración). Dichas evidencias pueden ser muy útiles para el diseño de políticas gubernamentales relativas al fomento de la actividad emprendedora

En el contexto de la sucesión, el presente estudio de casos examina la pertenencia inicial de los descendientes a las empresas familiares colombianas. Adicionalmente se exponen las principales proposiciones que relacionan, satisfacción y compromiso, con ese primer trabajo a tiempo completo en la empresa familiar. La metodología considera entrevistas en profundidad a descendientes de cuatro casos de empresas familiares, cuya información se somete posteriormente a un análisis cualitativo apoyándose en el concepto de triangulación y la teoría de recursos y capacidades. Los resultados del estudio resaltan la satisfacción y el compromiso como los dos componentes de la pertenencia inicial; igualmente, se determinan los ítems que conforman cada uno de estos componentes, lo que amplía conceptualmente el panorama relacionado con la continuidad de las empresas familiares. Las conclusiones muestran que la propensión a tener más satisfacción y compromiso con el primer cargo está muy relacionada con el tipo de ambiente que perciben los descendientes y con la posibilidad de satisfacer sus motivaciones.

El objetivo principal del estudio es identifi car y analizar los factores que determinan el éxito de las pymes en Colombia, tanto en lo referido a los factores internos como a lo externos, tomando como marco teórico de referencia la Teoría de Recursos y Capacidades y la Teoría Económica Institucional. Se realizó un estudio cualitativo profundizando en el análisis de cuatro empresas colombianas. Los resultados más relevantes indican que los factores que han determinado el éxito de estas pymes son el conocimiento y la experiencia del empresario, la reputación y el prestigio de la empresa, las medidas de apoyo y la especialización de la industria, y la infl uencia de la comunidad en la cual desarrollan su actividad.

La presente investigación se concentra en la etapa de vinculación de descendientes o potenciales sucesores a la empresa familiar. Esta etapa se constituye en la fase intermedia entre lo vivido por el potencial sucesor antes de ingresar y su vida como profesional ya vinculado de tiempo completo. El concepto de vinculación se ha tomado como algo unidimensional, cuando en realidad hay en su interior varios factores que lo componen. Con esta idea en mente se estudiaron cuatro casos de empresas familiares colombianas. Los resultados muestran que la etapa de vinculación está estructurada en tres factores fundamentales: el modo, el momento y los motivadores. Este estudio genera esta estructura y formula las proposiciones que relacionan esos factores con la decisión de entrada real a la empresa. Se sugiere a los propietarios de empresas y a sus hijos examinar estas dimensiones de la vinculación en su proceso de preparación de las siguientes generaciones.

This paper describes how a born global firm goes into international market from inception at its early years. The objective of this paper is to analyze from the resource-based theory how a born global firm engages in international market. This empirical investigation has been carried out as an explorative single-case study, a high-tech firm, Digital Partner, based in Medellin, Antioquia. The main findings of the research show that organizational capabilities based on intellectual capital are crucial for the development of a born global. Thus, capabilities such as entrepreneurship, global vision, internationally market knowledge, learning management, IT capabilities, technological innovation, collaborative work, networks and customer orientation are recurrent and they correspond to other similar research results. Contributions of the study are both academic (for the advance of the research in born global field) and practical (for the design of governmental policies to foster born global firms).

En este trabajo se analizan las actitudes hacia la creación de empresas de dos muestras de estudiantes universitarios de Catalunya y Puerto Rico, respectivamente. Se estudian las percepciones de deseabilidad, viabilidad e intencionalidad de crear empresas propias. El marco teórico de referencia utilizado es la Teoría Económica Institucional, dada su adecuación para el estudio de los factores que condicionan la actividad empresarial. Excepto diferencias poco relevantes, los resultados obtenidos en cuanto a las actitudes hacia la creación de empresas son muy similares para las dos muestras consideradas.

El propósito de este trabajo es presentar los hallazgos de una investigación realizada en el Caribe colombiano sobre los organismos de apoyo a la creación de empresas. Tomando como marco teórico la teoría económica institucional, se identifican las medidas creadas y las barreras que pueden estar presentándose por el lado de la demanda (conocimiento, utilización y valoración de los programas) y por el lado de la oferta (capacidad para desarrollarlos). Los resultados se comparan con España. La información se obtiene de fuentes primaria y secundaria. Se aplicaron 121 entrevistas, 30 a representantes de organismos de apoyo y 91 a empresarios. En términos generales, los resultados muestran el poco conocimiento y utilización de los programas de apoyo existentes.

Purpose - The main objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of environmental factors on entrepreneurship at the Spanish regional level, using institutional economics as the theoretical framework for the research. Additionally, this work aims to emphasize how environmental conditions have different effects according to the gender of entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach - Regional panel data (19 Spanish regions and the 2006-2009 period) from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), specifically from the Spanish National Expert Survey (NES) for environmental conditions and the GEM Adult Population Survey (APS) for entrepreneurial activity were analysed within a fixed effects model with panel corrected standard errors. Findings - The main findings of the study indicate that both informal (cultural and social norms, perception of opportunities to start-up and entrepreneur social image) and formal factors (intellectual property rights) influence entrepreneurship, but the informal are more determinant than the formal. Concerning the gender issues, informal and formal institutions are also determinant, but female entrepreneurship is significantly associated with the women''s support to start-up, whereas primary and higher education are associated only with male entrepreneurial activity. Research limitations/implications - The results of the research should be interpreted carefully, because the availability of data constrained the analysis to a time period that is not reflective of the economic cycle; on the contrary, the data correspond to a period of recession, and thus the results cannot be generalized. Also, the study could extend the analysed period and compare the obtained results with international data, considering the global number of participant countries in the GEM Project. Originality/value - The study provides a methodology to analyse the environmental factors for new firm creation at a regional level, combining GEM data and institutional economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse a European doctoral programme in entrepreneurship. The specific objectives are the following: to illustrate the process to design and launch the doctoral programme; to describe its main characteristics; and to explore the conditioning factors to its success. Design/methodology/approach - The methodology is based upon a systematic application of a longitudinal case-study approach. Multiple sources of evidence were gathered. These included interviews with key informants and documentary data. Additionally, a participant observation approach was adopted. Concerning the theoretical approach, the related literature in entrepreneurship education was reviewed. Findings - The analysis supports the notions that the launching of a doctoral programme is similar to the process of creating a new business. The results emphasise the importance of the founder's personality, the network ties among universities and the strategic vision in order to achieve success in an entrepreneurship doctoral programme. Research limitations/implications - The interpretation of findings represents the authors' perceptions about a single case study. In terms of theory building, as a future research line, a multi-case study approach would allow for the developmental history of several doctoral programmes to be studied and compared. Originality/value - This paper provides a very useful source of information for universities that are planning to offer a doctoral programme in entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Down syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability including hippocampal-dependent memory deficits. We have previously reported hippocampal mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) hyperactivation, and related plasticity as well as memory deficits in Ts1Cje mice, a DS experimental model. Here we characterize the proteome of hippocampal synaptoneurosomes (SNs) from these mice, and found a predicted alteration of synaptic plasticity pathways, including long term depression (LTD). Accordingly, mGluR-LTD (metabotropic Glutamate Receptor-LTD) is enhanced in the hippocampus of Ts1Cje mice and this is correlated with an increased proportion of a particular category of mushroom spines in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Remarkably, prenatal treatment of these mice with rapamycin has a positive pharmacological effect on both phenotypes, supporting the therapeutic potential of rapamycin/rapalogs for DS intellectual disability.

Printed circuit board (PCB) technology is well known, reliable, and low-cost, and its application to biomedicine, which implies the integration of microfluidics and electronics, has led to Lab-on-PCB. However, the biocompatibility of the involved materials has to be examined if they are in contact with biological elements. In this paper, the solder mask (PSR-2000 CD02G/CA-25 CD01, Taiyo Ink (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., Suzhou, China) of a commercial PCB has been studied for retinal cultures. For this purpose, retinal explants have been cultured over this substrate, both on open and closed systems, with successful results. Cell viability data shows that the solder mask has no cytotoxic effect on the culture allowing the application of PCB as the substrate of customized microelectrode arrays (MEAs). Finally, a comparative study of the biocompatibility of the 3D printer Uniz zSG amber resin has also been carried out.

In this paper, a prototype of a semi-automatic lab-on-PCB for agarose gel preparation and electrophoresis is developed. The dimensions of the device are 38 × 34 mm2 and it includes a conductivity sensor for detecting the TAE buffer (Tris-acetate-EDTA buffer), a microheater for increasing the solubility of the agarose, a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor for controlling the temperature, a light dependent resistor (LDR) sensor for measuring the transparency of the mixture, and two electrodes for performing the electrophoresis. The agarose preparation functions are governed by a microcontroller. The device requires a PMMA structure to define the wells of the agarose gel, and to release the electrodes from the agarose. The maximum voltage and current that the system requires are 40 V to perform the electrophoresis, and 1 A for activating the microheater. The chosen temperature for mixing is 80 ∘C, with a mixing time of 10 min. In addition, the curing time is about 30 min. This device is intended to be integrated as a part of a larger lab-on-PCB system for DNA amplification and detection. However, it can be used to migrate DNA amplified in conventional thermocyclers. Moreover, the device can be modified for preparing larger agarose gels and performing electrophoresis.

Los otorrinolaringólogos dedicados a la cirugía de implantes cocleares son muy cuidadosos en solicitar toda clase de sofisticados exámenes médicos y paraclínicos, con el fin de hacer un diagnóstico claro y realizar un procedimiento quirúrgico con buenos resultados en la mejoría de la audición y el lenguaje. Desde el punto de vista biomédico, este proceder no tiene discusión. Sin embargo, no considerar en el análisis que los factores de tipo personal, social, familiar y del entorno del paciente sordo son tan importantes como la patología, puede dar al traste con los resultados que se buscan. En este artículo de reflexión se hace énfasis en estas situaciones, que hacen parte de la visión bioética, y se consideran necesarias en cuanto complemento integral de la rehabilitación de la sordera con este procedimiento. Se definen los dilemas y conflictos en la bioética para ubicarlos desde la sordera como patología, en la persona sorda y en su entorno enmarcado en el concepto de salud integral y en el deber ser del médico, hasta llegar a los principios bioéticos de Beauchamp y Childress. El objetivo es mostrar que el implante coclear no puede reducirse sólo a un valioso acto operatorio de tecnología de punta, sino que también debe trascender y comprender los prejuicios y valores que se ciernen sobre esta técnica médica, que directa o indirectamente, en forma positiva o negativa pueden afectar a la persona sorda.