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International audience; This study investigates the influence of business owner experience (management/start-up) and professional networking on start-up export intensity. In addition, we assume networking to mediate the experience – export intensity relationship. Flemish start-ups form this study's empirical setting. Our results indicate that start-up export intensity is directly driven by professional networking. Management experience is a positive antecedent of networking while start-up experience is negatively related to professional networking. All in all, management and start-up experience connect only indirectly to export intensity, fully mediated by networking. Implications and opportunities for future research are suggested.

nrpages: 26 status: published

This paper examines demographic and career related determinants of the probability of self-employment survival and exit, separately for prior unemployed and prior employed individuals. Using data from a longitudinal panel of Belgian men and women for the period 1998 Q2 - 2007 Q4, we estimate discrete single and competing risks models. Our results indicate that 48% of the prior unemployed exit self-employment before the end of data collection, compared to 36% of the prior employed. Furthermore, we find that depending on the interest group different variables are strong predictors of self-employment tenure. Additionally, evidence is provided on the conditional probability of leaving self-employment for employment, unemployment and partial self-employment. ispartof: pages:771-785 ispartof: Proceedings of the 8th International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange pages:771-785 ispartof: International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange (Swinburne University) location:Melbourne (Australia) date:1 Feb - 4 Feb 2011 status: published

This study investigates the influence of a business owner's human and social capital on the starting venture's export activities. We examine general human capital, in terms of formal education and management experience, specific human capital, in terms of industry and start-up experience, and bonding and bridging social capital. Furthermore, building on the knowledge based view of the firm, we assume the relationships between the owner's characteristics and the firm's export activities to be moderated by the organization's ability to acquire, assimilate, and exploit external knowledge - its absorptive capacity. Flemish start-ups form this study's empirical setting. Our results indicate that a start-up's export activities (1) are driven by the business owner's formal education and start-up experience, and (2) are hampered by his or her management experience and bonding social capital. Moreover, the organization's absorptive capacity appears to excavate the direct effect of any experience-related human capital variable (e.g. management, industry, start-up). Implicatoins and opportunities for future research are suggested. ispartof: pages:429-443 ispartof: Proceedings of the 8th International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange pages:429-443 ispartof: International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange (Swinburne University) location:Melbourne (Australia) date:1 Feb - 4 Feb 2011 status: published

Conference paper: http://www.swinburne.edu.au/lib/ir/onlineconferences/agse2010/000066.pdf ispartof: pages:277-291 ispartof: Proceedings of the 7th International AGSE Entrepreneurship Research Exchange (CD-rom) pages:277-291 ispartof: 7th AGSE International Entrepreneurship Research Exchange location:Queensland (Australia) date:2 Feb - 5 Feb 2010 status: published

We use the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to detect gender effects in the variables that shape entrepreneurial intentions. We find that the effect of gender on intentions is mediated via personal attitudes toward entrepreneurship and more so via perceived control over becoming an entrepreneur. These mediation effects at factorial level can be explained by moderation effects at indicator level. Where male students are driven by the more dominant achievement-oriented entrepreneurial values, female students are more driven by the less dominant balance-oriented entrepreneurial values. Where male students are driven by both internal and external feelings of control, female students are driven by the more dominant internal feelings of control. This study adds to the research that studies entrepreneurial intentions and clarifies how different entrepreneurial definitions for men and women may drive entrepreneurial behavior. ispartof: Working paper Steunpunt Ondernemen en Internationaal Ondernemen nrpages: 29 status: published

CONTEXT Driven by a changing business environment and by the constantly altering guises of change, established firms increasingly feel compelled to evoke the entrepreneurial spirit that characterizes their young entrepreneurial counterparts. Firms think of corporate entrepreneurship because their value creation rate or their change coping vigor lags behind. It is thought of as an antidote for fossilization, allowing established firms to rejuvenate and revitalize. It is brought into practice as a tool for business development, revenue growth, profitability enhancement and pioneering the development of new business, products and services. However, its utility as an occasional drug administered to promptly boost the firm’s competitive power is limited. Rather, it demands an architectural approach, building entrepreneurial firms by concentrating on internalizing some of the capabilities and competences of entrepreneurially performing companies. APPROACH Given the promising nature of corporate entrepreneurship for established firms, researchers are eager to identify those capabilities, competences, resources or practices that can support firms in their efforts to accomplish their entrepreneurial rebirth. However, existing research on this topic is burdened by two major flaws. Theoretically, it is built on unstable (patches of) conceptual ground. And empirically, it is dominated by research favoring opinion-like and intention-directed measures, diverting the attention away from measures reflecting true entrepreneurial successes (which is what the firms long to accomplish after all). In an attempt to get corporate entrepreneurship research deliverables more in line with the surging enthusiasm for the practice, this dissertation tries to delineate an appropriate theoretical base for understanding and describing the multi-facet corporate entrepreneurship phenomenon. This has lead to the so-called nexus model of corporate entrepreneurship, including the creator, the creating process and new value created (innovation, venturing and renewal). Subsequently, the dissertation develops and tests a resource-based model in an integrative way. All of this with the intent of detecting resources or capabilities that prove to make a difference in scoring corporate entrepreneurial successes. In order to explore and assess elements’ contribution to new value created, we have focused on three major objectives that have been covered in five research themes: (1) the relatedness of innovation, venturing and renewal, (2) the relatedness of the resources and capabilities studied and (3) the contribution of the resources and capabilities studied to innovation, venturing and renewal. The analyses built on a realized sample of over 200 Flemish firms of diverse sectors. Based on our findings it is possible to suggest to management and policy a series of resources (stocks) and capabilities (flows) they should focus on in their efforts to increase firm new value creation. There are stocks and flows that can simultaneously stimulate innovation, venturing and renewal (e.g. R&D investment, networking, etc.). Correctly estimating the contribution of the resources and capabilities, however, demands that their relatedness is taken into account. If not, their contribution to the NVC drivers can be seriously underestimated. In addition, the relatedness of the elements is also important to be considered when firms make this resource investment decisions and determine their (temporal) priorities. It points to the need for firms to manage their resources very considerately, both in time as at a given moment of time. General introduction Chapter 1. The corporate entrepreneurship construct Chapter 2. Building a resource-based model of corporate entrepreneurship Chapter 3. Sample and methods Chapter 4. Corporate entrepreneurship: integrative analyses General conclusions Epilogue status: published

The study presented here explores innovation as a corporate entrepreneurial outcome in recently established small firms. More precisely, we explore the role of upper echelon and employee human capital and human resources management as determinants of innovation. Our approach builds on a 'human resource'-based view, stressing the importance of (1) entrepreneur/entrepreneurial team ('upper echelon') human resources and (2) employee human resources and their management in determining the innovation performance of start-ups. As innovation is one of the three possible outcomes of corporate entrepreneurship (innovation, venturing and renewal), we take a corporate entrepreneurship research approach in examining innovation in start-ups. The analyses are based on a sample of 294 start-ups covering a wide range of economic activities, having 1 to 49 employees and being in their second year of life in 2003. The results indicate that both types of human capital do matter in the context of start-up innovation. First of all, employee human capital and HRM have a strong positive effect on innovation. Second, while we could not trace direct effects of entrepreneur/entrepreneurial team human capital on innovation, indirect effects (via HRM or employee human capital) of for instance education level and business advice are indisputably present. All things considered, the study teaches us that valuing human capital in start-ups can contribute to a considerable extent to preserving their innovation performance, thus stimulating their chances of building a viable business model and safeguarding future growth and further development. ispartof: DTEW Research Report 0504 pages:1-29 status: published

ispartof: DTEW Research Report 0429 pages:1-40 status: published

In a free market economy the importance of small business as a major job supplier, innovatorand source of growth is widely recognized. Given the importance of small business for aneconomy, the survival, success and performance of these firms is an issue of continuousconcern. Research that can lead to the identification of those factors associated with smallbusiness performance is of great interest to policy makers, owner-managers and their advisors.This article aims at detecting predictors of small business profitability. Our objective is todistinguish internal factors of small construction companies that enhance firm profitability.Based on the data of an empirical survey in the construction industry to which certifiedfinancial data has been added, this paper investigates the influence of owner-manager humancapital characteristics and selected management practices on the profitability of smallconstruction companies. For this purpose, we develop and test a structural model. Resultsindicate that industry experience and level of education of the owner-manager andmanagement practices such as avoidance of cash credit and the use of actual costing systemscontribute to higher profitability. Furthermore, owner-manager human capital characteristicsinfluence profitability both directly and indirectly. ispartof: Working Paper Series 2004/07 pages:1-38 status: published

The contribution of this study, which assesses the influence of HRM on financial performance, is fourfold. (1) We assess the relative contribution of different HR domains to organizational performance. By controlling for the overall HRM intensity in all analyses we try to meet one of the most striking shortcomings of 'single HR practice research', namely the neglect of the potential simultaneity that might exist with other HR practices. (2) By studying small Belgian companies, we focus on the importance of HRM for small business management. (3) Relying on bankruptcy prediction models, we optimize the conceptualization of financial performance. (4) Using structural equation modeling, we try to capture the mediating effect of operational performance on the relationship between HRM and financial performance. The analyses indicate mixed results for different HR domains with regard to their impact on operational and financial performance. ispartof: DTEW Research Report 0331 pages:1-34 status: published

PASO ging van start in 2002 en meet jaarlijks de polsslag bij eenzelfde groep van Vlaamse organisaties. Dit gebeurt aan de hand van een vragenlijst die peilt naar het strategisch management van personeel, organisatie, technologie en innovatie. De grootschalige, longitudinale PASO-databank bevat een schat aan informatie over het interne beleid van de Vlaamse organisaties, die de onderzoekers door middel van analyse bloot leggen. Dit moet toelaten het Vlaamse organisatielandschap in kaart te brengen. Hierdoor komen behoeften van werkgevers aan het licht en kan het economisch en arbeidsmarktbeleid getoetst en bijgestuurd worden. Dit boekje gaat in vogelvlucht door de meest in het oog springende resultaten en bestrijkt de brede waaier van thema's die zijn bevraagd in de eerste golf van de enquête: combinatie gezin arbeid, innovatie, teamwerk, opleiding, flexibiliteit, diversiteit etc. Dit dossier is uitgegeven door het Steunpunt WAV in het kader van het Jaarboek over de Vlaamse Arbeidsmarkt, maar ook verkrijgbaar als PASO-dossier. Voor meer info betreffende het PASO-project, zie http://www.paso.be nrpages: 132 status: published

nrpages: 1-43 status: published

ispartof: De arbeidsmarkt in Vlaanderen. Jaarreeks ; 2003 nrpages: 131 status: published

ispartof: Over Werk Tijdschrift van het Steunpunt WAV vol:13 pages:107-110 status: published

In deze bijdrage staat de vraag centraal of de investering in HRM-praktijken voor kleinere organisaties 'rendeert'. Deze studie wijkt op drie punten af van bestaand onderzoek. (1) Het betreft de resultaten van een survey bij organisaties met 10 tot 100 werknemers uit diverse sectoren. (2) Bij het opstellen van een index voor de 'HRM-intensiteit' zijn we vertrokken van een gedifferentieerde invulling van HRM-praktijken die ook sterker aansluit bij de Belgische institutionele context. (3) De operationalisering van performantie is gebaseerd op een aantal boekhoudkundige indicatoren die mede de 'gezondheidstoestand' van een bedrijf bepalen. Aan de hand van de resultaten van de survey hebben we het verband tussen de score op de HRM-intensiteit, enkele 'performance outcomes' en de financiële performantie van de organisatie onderzocht. De resultaten tonen aan dat een intensief HRM ook voor kleinere organisaties meerwaarde biedt. Vooreerst gaat er een sterk positief effect uit van HRM-intensivering op de productiviteit en via die productiviteit een drukkende werking op de personeelskosten/toegevoegde waarde. Dit effect is voldoende sterk om de kostenverhogingen die een intensief HRM met zich brengt, te compenseren. Bovenop dit 'terugverdieneffect' is er het sterke effect van de HRM-intensiteit op de rendabiliteit van de onderneming. ispartof: Tijdschrift voor HRM vol:5 issue:2 pages:61-86 status: published

ispartof: Over Werk Tijdschrift van het Steunpunt WAV vol:11 issue:4 pages:136-139 status: published

ispartof: DTEW Research Report 0022 pages:1-24 status: published