The Relationship between Successor, Planning Characteristics, and the Transfer Process on Post-Transfer Profitability in SMEs

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between successor characteristics, transfer planning characteristics and post-transfer profitability within Dutch SMEs. On the one hand, based on the resource dependency view, it is assumed that successors with more knowledge and experience, derived from work experience from outside the target firm, will be able to extract higher rents from the firm than those with less (diverse) work experience. On the other hand, based on the knowledge management literature, and in particular, concepts such as tacit knowledge, this research makes the contrasting prediction that post-transfer profitability is likely to be higher in firms where the successor is an insider and is related to the predecessor. Moreover, this paper proposes, based on the theory of planned behaviour, that written plan and strategic intent have a positive association with post-transfer profitability. The study is based on quantitative analysis of a random sample of Dutch SMEs. Initial results from the current study suggest that determinants of post-transfer profitability may be quite different in the family-to-family ownership vs. nonfamily ownership transfer conditions (i.e. whether or not the successor is related to the predecessor). Significant interaction effect is found such that the effect of strategic planning, in particular, varies depending on the nature of the transfer relationship (family to family, vs family to non-family). Other results offer mixed support for the proposed theories.

Family ownership, innovation and other context variables as determinants of sustainable entrepreneurship in SMEs: An empirical research study

This study focuses on the prediction of sustainable entrepreneurship, that is, behavior which demonstrates a firm’s concern about the natural environment, especially among small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Using a random sample of 382 Dutch SMEs we examine how organizational context (firm sector, size, ownership structure) and innovativeness influence SMEs engagement in sustainable entrepreneurship. Results show that firms from more “tangible” sectors (manufacturing, construction and agriculture), larger firms, family-owned firms, and firms with a more innovative orientation are more likely to report positive activity related to the natural environment. The paper discusses implications of the obtained results.

Beyond Size: Predicting engagement in environmental management practices of Dutch SMEs

This study focuses on the prediction of the engagement of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in environmental management practices, based on a random sample of 689 SMEs. The study finds that several endogenous factors, including tangibility of sector, firm size, innovative orientation, family influence and perceived financial benefits from energy conservation, predict an SME’s level of engagement in selected environmental management practices. For family influence, this effect is found only in interaction with the number of owners. In addition to empirical research on SMEs’ environmental behavior, the article draws on the ecological modernization literature as well as the theory of planned behavior.

Mark HAWORTH-BOOTH, Photography : An Independent Art, Princeton (New Jersey), Princeton University Press, 1997, 208 p., 52 ill. NB, 48 ill. coul., 39,95 $.

Cet ouvrage raconte comment et pourquoi une institution publique, connue depuis 1899 sous le nom de Victoria & Albert Museum, a collectionné la photographie, depuis ses origines, en 1852, jusqu'à nos jours. L'auteur, Mark Haworth-Booth, est le conservateur chargé du département de photographie du musée; sa parfaite connaissance et l'amour de son sujet imprègnent chaque page. Le récit débute avec le personnage de Henry Cole, photographe amateur et réformateur enthousiaste, qui fut le p..

Catherine MATHON (dir.), Duchenne de Boulogne (cat. exp.), Paris, École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, 226 p., 127 ill. NB, bibl., chronol., 250 F.

Embrassant médecine et neurologie, typologie physionomique et éducation des artistes, l'oeuvre iconographique de Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne (1806-1875) s'effectue à la rencontre de trois des plus importantes conquêtes du XIXe siècle: l'électricité, la physiologie et la photographie. Le catalogue de l'exposition proposée par l'École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (ENSBA) détaille l'ensemble de ces aspects, et les rend pour la première fois intelligibles. Médecin dépourvu d'un s..

Larry J. Schaaf, The Photographic Art of William Henry Fox Talbot, Princeton, Oxford,Princeton University Press , 264 p., 119 ill. coul., 75 $.

Depuis le milieu des années 1980, l'historien de la photographie Larry Schaaf a voué ses recherches au pionner de la photographie William Henry Fox Talbot. Publié à l'occasion du bicentenaire de la naissance, ce livre est le cinquième qu'il consacre au savant anglais et se présente comme l'une des monographies les plus complètes consacrée à l'oeuvre d'un photographe. De grand format (27 x 33 cm), l'ouvrage comprend une sélection d'une centaine de positifs et de négatifs, imprimés en co..

Regis Durant, Michel Poivert, Ulrich Keller, Pierre-Lin Renié, Thierry Gervais, Marie Chominot, Godehard Janzig, Clément Chéroux, L’Événement. Les images comme acteurs de l’histoire

Notre fréquentation régulière du musée nous porte à considérer que les expositions de photographies relèvent soit du domaine de l’art, soit du documentaire, de la fiction ou de la non-fiction. Il est plus rare d’y voir la culture visuelle en figurer l’enjeu principal. Dans le contexte du musée, nous sommes rarement confrontés à la façon dont les images médiatisent la réalité ou en construisent le souvenir. C’est pourtant bien ce que l’exposition exceptionnelle intitulée “L’Événement”, présent..