THE INDICATORS OF LOCUS OF CONTROL IN THE SMALL BUSINESS CONTEXT

There have been divergent opinions as to the suitability of the various indicators of locus of control in business management research. This study examines how the indicators of internal locus and strategic locus of control function in the small business context. The study examines first the interrelations between these indicators and then relation between each of the indicators and the firm's strategic factors. The indicators of locus of control differed from each other in their relation to external control. The indicator of strategic locus of control correlated with the firm's targets, strategic decision-making and success. On the other hand the indicator of internal locus of control is …

Innovation activity of SMEs in different locations

Todtling and Trippl (2005) argue that innovation activity is a key element in regional economic development (see also Ronde and Hussler, 2005; Audretsch and Lehmann, 2005; Cooke, 2005). However, we know little about the formation, development and diffusion of innovations in different milieux. The aim of this study is to clarify the factors – in particular, the regional factors – that affect the innovation activity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our analyses of the innovation activity of Finnish SMEs revealed that innovation activity is very brisk in towns and relatively brisk in rural areas, although the difference between the two was not statistically significant. A logistic…

Toimintaympäristö ja pk-yritykset : havaintoja yritysten toimintaan vaikuttavista tekijöistä

Paikallisten polttoaineiden tuotannon ja käytön aluetaloudelliset vaikutukset ja tulevaisuuden näkymät Keski-Suomessa

Asumisneuvonta Jyväskylässä : toiminnan, tulosten ja vaikutusten arviointia

Innovations and Growth: Evidence from Finnish SMEs

The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors that affect the ability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to create innovations that promote firm growth. Studies regarding the relationship between research intensity and growth have typically produced mixed results, revealing a modest or non-existent influence of innovations on sales growth. These studies have typically used patents as indicators of innovation. We directly asked firms whether their innovations had affected their growth, and we regressed the results over several variables, covering a wide range of dimensions related to (1) personal factors, (2) firm-related factors (including questions that reflect a firm’s in…

Fiskodlingens betydelse inom Skärgårdshavets område : regionala och lokala effekter

Keski-Suomen ja sen lähialueiden väestö- ja työpaikkakehitys vuosina 2007 - 2012 : seutukunnittainen tarkastelu

Turvetuotannon aluetaloudellinen merkitys : turvetuotanto ja sen vaihtoehdot

Tässä selvityksessä tarkastellaan turpeen tuotannon aluetaloudellisia vaikutuksia ja alan taloudellista mer kitystä Keski-Suomen ja Etelä-Savon maakuntien keskeisillä tuotantoalueilla. Turpeen tuotantoa on Keski- Suomessa selvästi enemmän (noin kolminkertainen) kuin Etelä-Savossa ja samoin aluetaloudelliset vaiku tuksetkin ovat tästä syystä suuremmat. Keski-Suomessa turpeen tuotannon korvaaminen onkin vaikeam paa ja edellyttäisi enemmän kasvua muilla aloilla verrattuna Etelä-Savoon. Turpeen tuotannon nopea alasajo johtaisi kummassakin maakunnassa energiantuotannon uudistamiseen. Niinpä taloudelliselta kannalta merkittävimmäksi vaikutukseksi nousi kummassakin maakunnassa ener gian tuotantoon…

PROFIT-projektin vaikuttavuusraportti

ENTREPRENEURIAL AND REGIONAL GROWTH ACTIVITY IN FINLAND

Audretsch & Feldman (2004) argue that an agglomeration is a collection of localized firms with a common focus. As firms thrive, resources are attracted to the region. They state that, if entrepreneurship serves as a mechanism for knowledge spillovers, measures of entrepreneurial activity should be linked positively to regional growth performance. In Schumpeterian economics the engine of economic development is entrepreneurial innovation. Creative destruction makes way for new innovations and growth. In this study, we simultaneously examine the regional entrepreneurial activity and regional growth activity in Finland. A further aim of the study was to find out if entrepreneurial activit…

Maaseutuyritysten innovaatioprosessit : kaupungin ja maaseudun vuorovaikutuksen näkökulma

Keski-Suomen maaseudun kehittävän arvioinnin malli : - vaihe 1: tarpeet, organisointi ja arviointikehikko

Innovation among SMEs in Finland: The impact of stakeholder engagement and firm-level characteristics

PURPOSE: The aim of the paper is to analyse the importance of both internal capabilities (resources) and external information sources in implementing product, process, marketing and organizational innovations aiming to maximize firm competitive advantage and create value for stakeholders. Furthermore, in particular, we examine the role of public organizations, business networks, firm size, and the industry sector, in the emergence of different types of product, process, marketing, and organizational innovations. The research was based on the typology of innovation (product, process, marketing, and organizational) adopted by the OECD. METHODOLOGY: The paper is based on data from 389 SMEs loc…

The survival of firms over the critical first 3 years and the local environment

The aim of this study was to examine the success of new firms in different environments and the factors affecting it. In this study the criterion of a successful firm is that of continued functioning, and firms are divided into two groups: those that have closed down and those that continue after the critical first 3 years. As the basis for a regional analysis the authors look first at the differences between these two groups in terms of the characteristics of firms and entrepreneurs. The regional distribution of the firms that closed down is then examined, followed by an analysis of the regional differences in the characteristics of all the firms and entrepreneurs studied. Regional differe…