Search results for "STRATEGY"

Services supporting female entrepreneurs

2010

There are many public initiatives that fund services which support women entrepreneurship. In order to help them improve, this paper takes a closer look at the characteristics of female entrepreneurs, their motivations, and the difficulties they face in their ventures. Through a literature review and the results of a Delphi study with 25 technicians from an EU-funded support programme, this research concludes that policies for the support of women entrepreneurs should aim at strengthening pull motivators and concentrate in designing programmes specifically tailored to the type of business, focusing on long-term policies rather than short-term initiatives.

The influence of innovation orientation on the internationalisation of SMEs in the service sector

2009

This article examines the internationalisation of small- and medium-sized service firms from an international entrepreneurship perspective. The results of the empirical research developed in Spain have shown that innovation orientation accelerates the time these companies take to internationalise and allows them to implement more activities and opt for high-control entry modes in foreign markets. The results suggest that two different models of internationalisation can be found within the services sector: firms either adopt a gradual process or attempt to benefit from a rapid transition period of internationalisation.

Small family business performance: comparison between family and non-family enterprises

2010

This study compares small family business performance between the Finnish family and non-family enterprises. The sample (2,004 firms) was derived to represent nationally small businesses, in collaboration with the Statistics Finland (Centre) in Helsinki. The answer rate of the study was 90% (data collected by mail questionnaires and telephone interviews). The method of the study was to compare family and non-family enterprises with ROA (return on assets) on an enterprise population level (Finland). The results of the study show that most of the small family businesses are controlled by the founder generation. Founder generation performance was slightly higher than among descendant generatio…

Entrepreneurship and small businesses in Russia: A review of empirical research

2011

PurposeEntrepreneurship and small businesses in Russia have been of academic interest for over 15 years. This paper seeks to bring together current knowledge concerning the phenomenon, and to suggest further directions for research.Design/methodology/approachThe study consists of a systematic review of 48 refereed empirical articles on entrepreneurship and small businesses in Russia.FindingsFrom the articles reviewed it appears that entrepreneurs in Russia use non‐material resources to overcome the financial and institutional obstacles, which still seem to afflict the market. However, theoretical and methodological issues are, in many cases, poorly reported and this undermines the scientifi…

From The Lisbon Strategy To Europe 2020

2015

Abstract The idea of a Western Europe economic recovery occurs after World War II. First as a common market, and later, after enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe as the single internal market. Due to the new challenges with which the global economy was faced, the longterm and short-term European economy needs a coherent growth economic strategy; the success of this strategy depends on joint action. Expanding the European economy is a continuous and irreversible process, yet it advances too slowly. The Lisbon strategy is a commitment to revive the European economy in all sectors. At 5 years after implementation of this strategy it was found that the results are insufficient, so me…

Wood energy production, sustainable farming livelihood and multifunctionality in Finland

2012

Abstract Climate change and the projected depletion of fossil energy resources pose multiple global challenges. Innovative technologies offer interesting possibilities to achieve more sustainable outcomes in the energy production sector. Local, decentralized alternatives have the potential to sustain livelihoods in rural areas. One example of such a venture has emerged around heating businesses in rural Finland, and is referred to as heat entrepreneurship. Heat entrepreneurship entails a system where a local forest owner, usually a farmer, provides heat to a small community or local building, such as a school. Heat is produced using local forest resources that would otherwise be unutilized.…

Editorial ‐ media and entrepreneurship

2002

Women entrepreneurship in small service firms: motivations, barriers and performance

2012

This article presents an exploratory study on the characteristics of women entrepreneurs and the businesses they run in the Valencia region. Following a close look at the evolution of literature on women entrepreneurs, the study shows how different internal and external factors affect the motivation, obstacles and performance of firms created by women. These results contribute towards a better understanding of business creation by women as they provide an empirical contrast of these variables (motivation, barriers and performance). Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics of women entrepreneurs and the businesses they run in the Valencia Region of Spain, in order…

Sport management education through an entrepreneurial perspective: Analysing its impact on Spanish sports science students

2021

Abstract Entrepreneurship education is becoming increasingly important because it can improve the employability of students. However, although it has been introduced in universities in recent years, its integration into sports education is still scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study is to present a way of approaching a sports management subject from an entrepreneurial perspective and to evaluate the effects of that approach on students. For this purpose, a sample of 54 sports science students from a Spanish university has been analysed. A longitudinal design has been carried out using Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour (1991), intrapreneurial intentions, the entrepreneurial climate and …

Factors affecting the performance of entrepreneurial service firms

2008

In the current climate, the importance of the role played by entrepreneurship as a palpable reality that enables economic growth at a macroeconomic level, and as a factor that favours the progress of companies at a microeconomic level, has made it the subject of continual analyses from many different perspectives and in a variety of contexts by researchers from around the world. In this study, Spanish entrepreneurial firms in the service sector are analysed in order to determine the factors that influence their performance.