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The association between ownership and management profiles and the performance and objectives of family firms are explored using agency and stewardship theories.

Leo-Paul Dana (ed.) Handbook of Research on International Entrepreneurship. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2004. 864 pp. ISBN 1-84376-069-X, 165 £ (hbk). The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) (2004) in the [...]

In recent years new forms of entrepreneurship have begun to emerge from the synergies between Information and Communication Technology (ICT) developments and changing paradigms of economic transactions. The resulting 'turbulence' [...]

Some policy makers and practitioners are considering whether resources could be more effectively utilized if they were targeted towards experienced entrepreneurs (i.e. individuals with prior private business ownership experience), rather [...]

This exploratory study provides a review of the neglected area of entrepreneurial founder team turnover. A novel distinction is made between entrepreneurial founder team member entry and team member exit. [...]

This study explores the internal and external environmental characteristics of private family companies associated with succession decision-making outcomes (i.e. the propensity of family firms to report whether the board has [...]

26(3): 91-100. Many policy-makers and practitioners view female entrepreneurs as a 'special group', worthy of research and policy attention. A summary of key themes in the academic literature has been [...]

Policy-makers and practitioners are seeking to promote the development of established firms. This paper suggests they may need to target customized export programmes to the specific situational demands of established `micro' and `small' firms. The following broad research question is explored: are there differences between `micro' and `small' firms with regard to the decision to sell goods or services abroad? In 1990/91, survey responses were gathered from 621 independent businesses located in Great Britain. In 1997, a follow-on telephone survey was conducted with 150 surviving firms. This survey gathered information on the propensity to export goods or services abroad and the mode of export behaviour reported by established `micro' as well as `small' firms. The performance of exporting and non-exporting firms was also compared. Implications for policy-makers, practitioners and researchers are highlighted. Keywords: Internationalization; Exporting firms; Firm size; Resources; Entry modes; Performance; Policy implications, 1. Introduction To encourage wealth creation and to secure greater international competitiveness, governments in developed countries are concentrating their attention towards encouraging more small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enter [...]

Low and MacMillan (1988) suggested that research into entrepreneurial behavior should consider contextual issues and identify the processes that explain rather than merely describe the entrepreneurial phenomenon. Recent studies focusing [...]

To improve the internal efficiency and business performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) a number of training initiatives have been introduced in the United Kingdom over the last decade [...]

High-technology firms are currently seen by national and local governments in the United Kingdom as significant contributors to job and wealth creation. Recent research has, however, shown that new and [...]

'In determining the original parameters for the monitoring of the small firms in the sample, the major barrier was the absence of an established acceptable theory of small firms development [...]

Owner-managers are not a single homogeneous group with equal enthusiasm or ability to grow (Bevan et al, 1989). Indeed, empirical evidence suggests that there are different `types' of owner-managed new [...]

This substantial book is the third in a series which have explored since 1980 the state of the art of entrepreneurship (as perceived by North Americans) (Kent et al, 1982; [...]

The interrelationships of small-firm strategies were investigated, along with theories about small-firm growth. The number of employees, sales turnover, and profitability were used as measures of comparative growth. The strategies of 222 small firms were classified into eight categories based on internal variables of ownership, management, production, and external variables of positioning. The results indicated that firms did not follow a prescribed sequence of growth stages. A combination of variables appeared to contribute to the growth of the firms, but no explanation was found for predicting which firms were more likely to grow.

Bruno and Tyebjee (1982, p. 307) asserted that much of the research literature exploring the environment for independent business initiation is 'wisdom-based and observational'. Moreover, '. . . much of [...]

Zoltan, J. Acs, Bo Carlsson and Charlie Karlsson (1999) (editors), The Linkages Among Entrepreneurship, SMEs and the Macroeconomy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp405, 49 £(hbk), ISBN 0 521 62105 4. [...]

J. O. S. Wilson and J. E. Morris (2000), `The Size and Growth of UK Manufacturing and Service Firms', Services Industries Journal, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp25-38. TO ENCOURAGE JOB [...]

POLICY-MAKERS ARE CONCERNED THAT SKILL shortages may reduce the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). To encourage the development of a highly skilled and competitive workforce British governments have [...]

A study was conducted to evaluate the contribution of the 1994 Shell Technology Enterprise Program (STEP) that supplemented the employment of students in small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated by analyzing the responses of STEP businesses with those of independent companies. Results indicated that the program supported business needs and the employment of students in a number of industries., Introduction In many countries, the number of mass-production jobs has gradually decreased. Increasing job complexity and skill requirements now characterise all employees (Buechtemann & Soloff, 1994). Skill shortages and mismatches [...]

Several studies in many western developed economies have concluded that family firms account for over two-thirds of all businesses (Kirchhoff & Kirchhoff, 1987; Donckels & Frohlich, 1991; Stephenson & Montieth, [...]

Sustainable entrepreneurship encourages a focus on innovation, efficiency and environmentally-friendly actions. Certification enables firms to accumulate legitimacy that enables stakeholders to know of, and understand, a firm’s activities: it is a mechanism to buffer against the liabilities of newness and smallness. Building on insights from the resource-based view of the firm, institutional theory and signalling theory, this article conceptualises environmental certification as an observable high-quality resource investment signal. This resource fosters innovation and encourages certified firms to accumulate and mobilise legitimacy. Regression analysis detected that very young and micro firms who cited the compounded signal of certification reported significantly higher levels of effectiveness. Micro firms that cited the compounded signal of certification reported weakly significantly higher levels profitability. Certification enables very young, rather than young firms, to address the liabilities of newness, and enables micro, rather than small firms, to address the liabilities of smallness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Successive British governments have encouraged young people to accumulate skills and attributes that would enable them to obtain jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as develop careers in enterprise. This article evaluates the contribution of the 1994 Shell Technology Enterprise Programme (STEP) that subsidised the placement of students in SMEs. In 1997, responses were gathered from STEP students as well as a control group of non-STEP students. The human capital profiles of students reporting full-time employment positions in smaller private firms as well as those reporting a favourable attitude towards self-employment or business ownership were ascertained. Participation in the programme was not found to be significantly associated with the selected outcomes. Skills and attributes honed by the programme were, however, significantly associated with the selected outcomes. Policy-makers need to appreciate that the skills and attributes reported by students associated with the propensity to obtain employment positions in smaller private firms are not the same as those associated with the propensity to report a favourable attitude towards self-employment or business ownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conceptual framework is extended to take into account differences between inexperienced novice entrepreneurs (that is, individuals with no prior private business ownership experience) and experienced serial and portfolio entrepreneurs. Some policymakers and practitioners are considering whether resources could be more effectively utilized if they were targeted toward serial and portfolio entrepreneurs, rather than in the form of additional initiatives to increase the pool of “pure” nascent entrepreneurs and novice entrepreneurs. To inform this policy debate, similarities and differences between novice, serial, and portfolio entrepreneurs are highlighted with regard to their decisions, actions, performance, and aspirations. We detected that portfolio entrepreneurs were more likely to express dimensions of entrepreneurial behavior. A case for targeted support tailored to the aspirations and needs of novice, serial, and portfolio entrepreneurs is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article cites a study which addresses gaps in knowledge surrounding inexperienced novice entrepreneurs, as well as experienced serial and portfolio entrepreneurs. Some policy makers and practitioners are considering whether resources could be more effectively utilized if they were targeted towards experienced entrepreneurs, rather than the provision of additional initiatives to increase the pool of inexperienced novice entrepreneurs. To inform this policy debate, similarities and differences between novice, serial and portfolio entrepreneurs are highlighted with regard to their experience and cognition.

The following broad research question is explored in this study: do manufacturing firms cite the same exporting methods and modes as those cited by firms engaged in construction or service activities? This study, therefore, addresses a major weakness associated with stage models of internationalization (i.e. a focus solely upon manufacturing firms). In 1990/91, survey responses were gathered from 621 independent businesses located in Great Britain. In 1997, a follow-on telephone survey was conducted with 150 surviving firms. This survey gathered information on the propensity to export goods or services abroad and the mode of export behaviour. Implications for researchers, practitioners and policy-makers are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the importance of entrepreneurship in the economic well-being of a country. There is a growing need to recognize that entrepreneurship may not be a single event action. Moreover, entrepreneurship not only involves the creation of new businesses and the purchase of established businesses. With the resurgence of new firm start-ups over the last two decades and the emergence and growth of management buy-outs and buy-ins, entrepreneurial activities have become more diverse. There is a need for policy makers to more fully appreciate the backgrounds, objectives, and needs of various types of entrepreneurs and investors when they are formulating policies to encourage new firm formation and business development at a regional level. Policy makers need more information surrounding the performance and economic contributions made by different types of entrepreneurs and investors.