123 research outputs found
Selling, Passing on or Closing? Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intentions on Exit Modes
Exit is an important part of the entrepreneurial lifecycle. In contrast to numerous previous studies on entry, however, little attention has been paid to entrepreneurial exit, and much less on exit modes thus far. Using a recent original survey data on small business owners in New Zealand, where a large majority of them prefer selling their firms when they exit, we empirically investigate the determinants of intended entrepreneurial exit modes: selling out, succession, or closure. Estimation results of multinomial logit analysis suggest that the intention to sell the business is significantly affected by the size and performance of the firm, the involvement of family and how the owner entered the business. Moreover, we find that the intention to liquidate the business is significantly affected by the size and performance of the firm and partly by family involvement in the business.entrepreneurial exit, liquidation, small and medium enterprise (SME), New Zealand
Managerial learning and management development in New Zealand SMEs
Objectives:
Managerial capability in New Zealand SMEs has been perceived by policy makers as a factor that has constrained SME growth and development (MED, 2008). The New Zealand Centre for SME Research (NZSMERC) has undertaken a programme of research on managerial capability in New Zealand SMEs. This paper reports findings from the Centre’s 2009 annual survey of 1500 SMEs, the BusinesSMEasure. The survey builds on a previous qualitative study and is part of a programme of research which had the following objectives: (1) to understand how SME owner-managers assess their development needs and how they meet these needs; (2) to assess the extent of participation in management development; and (3) to assess the perceived impact of management development on their business.
Prior Work:
Previous literature and research evidence with SME owner managers suggests a low take up of formal managerial development programmes and a reliance on incidental and informal managerial learning processes (Massey et al, 2005). NZSMERC’s previous qualitative study with 25 SME owner-managers (Battisti, et al, 2009), enabled the development of a conceptual framework and typology to explain orientation to learning and management development. Further, it allowed the identification of variables that affected attitudes to managerial learning and participation in management development. The survey has enabled the testing of some of the propositions from the qualitative stage, such as the importance of sources of managerial learning and the importance of variables that influence owner manager participation in management development.
Approach:
The 2009 BusinesSMEasure survey involved 4,165 firms (including 694 firms who responded in the 2007 and 743 firms who responded in 2008 survey). There were 1447 usable responses after excluding 297 ineligible and unreachable firms, which gave an overall response rate of 35%, Building on the previous qualitative study and utilising the adapted theoretical framework, we have applied non-parametric analysis to examine the significance of SME profile characteristics affecting against typologies of learning and management development. Exploratory factor analysis has been undertaken on the range of variables affecting managerial learning and development to reveal clusters of variables driving managerial learning and development. Hypotheses generated by literature and theory have been tested and regression modelling completed.
Results:
Survey findings suggest incidental and informal managerial learning processes were predominant modes of owner-manager learning. These types of learning were associated with practice-based and proximal sources of learning, as opposed to more distal sources. Significant variables that affected the type and sources of SME managerial learning were gender, age, learning orientation and a belief of self improvement. There was a strong link between innovation and engagement in management development. Firms with at least one type of innovation activity reported to be more engaged in management development across all three types of learning i.e. incidental, informal and formal. Theoretical developments in the literature are used to provide the basis for testing hypotheses associated with learning orientation and belief in self improvement
Implications:
The research undertaken by the Centre was driven by a policy imperative: to investigate the causes of an underlying trend in New Zealand SMEs which suggested that there was a lack of managerial capability in SMEs and a failure of SMEs to engage with formal management development initiatives. Having revealed the drivers of managerial development and sources of learning we develop implications for supply side management development programmes and policy interventions
Small enterprise affiliations to business associations and the collective action problem revisited
Understanding small-firm reactions to free trade agreements:qualitative evidence from New Zealand
The sustainability of small businesses in recessionary times:evidence from the strategies of urban and rural small businesses in New Zealand
Entrepreneurial skill and regulation:evidence from primary sector rural entrepreneurs
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to undertake a qualitative case-based analysis of the factors affecting the capability of primary sector rural entrepreneurs to manage regulation. The authors suggest a conceptual framework to aid understanding of their skill and capability when managing regulation. Design/methodology/approach – Using a multiple case study approach the entrepreneurial skill of rural entrepreneurs is examined in light of three sets of factors: institutional regulatory, social capital and economic market. Findings – The case analysis indicates diversity in the skill of rural entrepreneurs to manage regulation across sub-sectors including dairy and stock farming, fruit growers and vegetable/horticultural producers. The conceptual framework indicates that there are three areas that influence entrepreneurial skill: relationships with national cooperatives, relationships with the institutional regulatory environment and relationships with the economic market environment. This provides the authors with a conceptual framework to aid understanding of the interplay of factors affecting entrepreneurial skill and capability to manage regulation. Originality/value – This study contributes to the emerging stream of literature highlighting the importance of industry sector context for understanding the complex and differing regulatory effects on entrepreneurs’ skill and hence capability to manage. Case comparisons allow the authors to explain and understand why entrepreneurs that operate similar businesses within the same sector respond differently to regulation
Animali da festa: ipotesi sul rituale mitraico a partire dai resti ossei
Lo studio dei resti faunistici all’interno dei contesti cultuali ha portato negli ultimi anni a un ampliamento
del campo di indagine dell’archeologia del sacro. In questo contributo si esamina il ruolo dei resti faunistici
nella ricostruzione del rituale mitraico, raccogliendo i dati provenienti dai mitrei di alcune regioni
dell’Impero romano in cui l’apporto dell’archeozoologia ha permesso di gettare nuova luce sulla presenza di
sacrifici e sulle abitudini alimentari in questi luoghi di culto. In aggiunta ai dati osteologici, l’ausilio della
documentazione architettonica, iconografica e letteraria, ha permesso di approfondire le dinamiche del
banchetto e la sua importanza nel culto di Mitra.Over the last years a surge of scholarly interest in animal remains has fostered significant developments of the
archaeology of the sacred spaces. I locate this paper within this literature and examine the roles of animal
remains in the Mithraic ritual. Based on data from some mithraea of the Roman Empire, such an
archaeozoological analysis sheds light on the presence of sacrifices and on food behaviour inside the temples.
Along with osteology data, architectural, iconographic and literary evidences allow us to reconstruct the ritual
banquet and its relevance within the cult of Mithras
Psychological Contract and Quality of Organizational Life : An Empirical Study on Workers at a Rest Home
This study assesses psychological contract using a feature-oriented approach which measures perceptions about employer and employee obligations along the dimensions of duration, tangibility, scope, stability/flexibility, contract level and exchange symmetry. Questionnaires were administered to 170 workers (23 males, 147 females) employed at a rest home in Northern Italy. The results confirm the hypothesized relation between the employee’s perceptions of employer obligations and the organizational role component of organizational life (in terms of low role ambiguity and high development expectations). Similarly, the hypothesized relation between the employee’s perceived obligations to the employer and the affective and motivational area is supported (in terms of affective commitment and perceived organizational justice). The results also show the importance of assessing the employee’s perceptions both of employer obligations and of her/his own obligations to the employer, considering the differentiated influence that each of them has on organizational life.La notion de contrat psychologique joue Ă l’heure actuelle un rĂ´le de plus en plus important dans le domaine de la psychologie du travail et des organisations. Le contrat psychologique se rapporte aux croyances sur les obligations rĂ©ciproques existant entre l’employĂ© et l’organisation : ces croyances reposent sur la perception que des promesses ont Ă©tĂ© faites par l’employeur (salaires compĂ©titifs, avancement de carrière, formation professionnelle) en Ă©change d’autres promesses faites par l’employĂ© (loyautĂ©, honnĂŞtetĂ©, engagement) (Rousseau, 1989 ; Rousseau et Tijoriwala, 1998).Dans cette recherche, le contrat psychologique a Ă©tĂ© analysĂ© en utilisant la mĂ©thode de mesure axĂ©e sur les caractĂ©ristiques crĂ©Ă©e par Sels, Janssens et Van den Brande (2004). Celle-ci analyse le contrat psychologique sur la base de six Ă©lĂ©ments, Ă savoir la durĂ©e, la tangibilitĂ©, le but, la stabilitĂ©, le niveau du contrat et la symĂ©trie de l’échange. Cette Ă©chelle rĂ©vèle les perceptions de l’employĂ© sur deux aspects : par rapport aux obligations que l’employeur a envers lui, et par rapport aux obligations qu’il estime avoir lui-mĂŞme envers l’employeur. La perception du travailleur de son propre contrat psychologique est donc analysĂ©e Ă travers deux grilles de questions. Cependant, les perceptions de l’employeur n’ont pas Ă©tĂ© prises en compte.Dans la prĂ©sente Ă©tude, l’hypothèse Ă©tait que les caractĂ©ristiques du contrat psychologique ont des consĂ©quences spĂ©cifiques dans le rapport de travail. En particulier, on s’attendait Ă ce que les obligations perçues de l’employeur soient en rapport avec les attitudes et les perceptions de l’employĂ© en ce qui concerne son rĂ´le professionnel (Ă savoir, les attentes d’avancement et l’ambiguĂŻtĂ© de rĂ´le). Nous avons formulĂ© l’hypothèse que les obligations perçues de l’employĂ© Ă©taient liĂ©es Ă la composante affective et motivationnelle du rapport de travail et, notamment, aux perceptions de justice organisationnelle et Ă l’engagement affectif.Cette Ă©tude se base sur une recherche menĂ©e dans une maison de retraite de l’Italie du Nord. Un questionnaire a Ă©tĂ© soumis Ă 170 individus employĂ©s dans cette structure avec des tâches diffĂ©rentes (principalement des travailleurs dans le domaine de l’assistance sociale et des infirmiers) : 147 femmes et 23 hommes ; 33,3 % âgĂ©s de moins de 36 ans ; 34,5 % d’âge compris entre 36 et 45 ans ; 32,2 % âgĂ©s de plus de 45 ans. Le questionnaire a Ă©tĂ© autorempli. Le traitement statistique des donnĂ©es a Ă©tĂ© effectuĂ© Ă l’aide des programmes SPSS (pour les statistiques descriptives et les analyses de la variance) et AMOS (pour vĂ©rifier les modèles expĂ©rimentaux supposĂ©s).En ce qui concerne le rapport entre le contrat psychologique et les rĂ©sultats organisationnels, les hypothèses Ă©noncĂ©es ont Ă©tĂ© confirmĂ©es : la perception des obligations de l’employeur a un lien positif avec les attentes d’avancement et nĂ©gatif avec l’ambiguĂŻtĂ© de rĂ´le, tandis que les obligations perçues de l’employĂ© sont liĂ©es Ă la justice organisationnelle et Ă l’engagement de type affectif. La tangibilitĂ© constitue une exception : dans ce cas, les obligations de l’employĂ© n’ont aucun lien ni avec la justice, ni avec l’engagement affectif, mais, au contraire, elles sont liĂ©es aux attentes d’avancement. Il paraĂ®t donc que la tangibilitĂ© est liĂ©e aux perspectives de progrès de l’employĂ© Ă l’intĂ©rieur de son propre rĂ´le professionnel, indĂ©pendamment du fait que l’on mesure la perception des obligations de l’employeur ou de l’employĂ©.Ces rĂ©sultats nous montrent que plus l’employĂ© perçoit que l’employeur a des obligations fortes envers lui, plus il aura le sentiment de maĂ®triser sa tâche professionnelle (en termes de faible ambiguĂŻtĂ© de rĂ´le); en outre, il considĂ©rera l’organisation comme un lieu dans lequel il peut avancer et dĂ©velopper ses compĂ©tence et sa carrière professionnelle (en termes d’attentes d’avancement). Par contre, plus le travailleur perçoit qu’il a pris des obligations fortes envers l’organisation, plus il considĂ©rera celle-ci comme un lieu oĂą s’engager ; par consĂ©quent, il dĂ©veloppera des sentiments d’attachement affectif et il considĂ©rera comme plus Ă©quitables et justes les modalitĂ©s par lesquelles l’organisation prend ses dĂ©cisions et les communique.Cette recherche montre encore une fois l’importance du contrat psychologique dans la formation de la qualitĂ© du rapport de travail. Elle montre Ă©galement que la perception des obligations de l’employeur et de l’employĂ© contribuent de façon significative Ă la crĂ©ation d’un rapport de travail satisfaisant et gratifiant pour les deux parties. Il devient donc fondamental pour les gestionnaires d’avoir pleine conscience de l’importance de cette notion et des consĂ©quences positives pouvant dĂ©couler d’une correcte interprĂ©tation et du respect des conditions qui la composent.Este estudio evalĂşa el contrato sicologico utilizando una perspectiva caracterial que permite medir las percepciones respecto a las obligaciones del empleador y de los empleados a travĂ©s las dimensiones de duraciĂłn, tangibilidad, ambito, estabilidad / flexibilidad, nivel de contrato y simetrĂa de intercambio. Se administraron cuestionarios a 170 trabajadores (23 hombres y 147 mujeres) empleados de una casa de reposo en el Norte de Italia. Los resultados confirman la hipotesis sobre la relaciĂłn entre las percepciones de los empleados sobre las obligaciones de los empleadores y el rol orgnizacional componente de la vida organizacional (en terminos de ambiguedad de rol limitada y espectativas de desarrollo elevadas). Asi mismo, la hipotesis de la relaciĂłn entre las percepciones de las obligaciones de los empleados para con el empleador y el area afectiva y motivacional es tambiĂ©n confirmada (en terminos de implicaciĂłn afectiva y percepciĂłn de justicia organizacional). Los resultados muestran tambien la importancia de evaluar la percepciĂłn de los empleados sobre las obligaciones del empleador y sus respectivas obligaciones para con el empleador, considerando la influencia diferencial que cada una de ellas tiene sobre la vida organizacional
Signalling entrepreneurs’ credibility and project quality for crowdfunding success:cases from the Kickstarter and Indiegogo environments
In recent years, entrepreneurs have increasingly turned to crowdfunding, a new form of entrepreneurial finance, to fund projects. Whilst research has shown that signals originating from the entrepreneur and project can affect the outcome of crowdfunding, how different signals work together under different signalling environments remains underexplored. Drawing on signalling theory, we examine how signals of entrepreneurs’ credibility (success, failure, backer and industry experience) and project quality (preparedness and third-party endorsements) produce crowdfunding success in different signalling environments. We collected a unique dataset with matched projects listed on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo, but with different funding models, to represent two distinct signalling environments. Results based on qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) identify two distinct signalling patterns that show entrepreneur’s credibility and project quality signals can complement each other to produce crowdfunding success. In an environment with less uncertainty, entrepreneur’s credibility in terms of crowdfunding experience can also compensate absent project quality to produce crowdfunding success. In an environment with higher uncertainty, entrepreneur’s credibility and project quality need to be both present to establish the necessary legitimacy for crowdfunding to be successful. Furthermore, by integrating positive (i.e. success) and negative (i.e. failure) signals, we demonstrate how signal incongruence can enhance crowdfunding success.
Plain English Summary: Failure experience is an important signal in achieving crowdfunding success, but its effectiveness depends on other signals as well as the signalling environment. Our study shows how crowdfunding success can be achieved in multiple ways and that the path to success depends on the funding model of the platform used. For entrepreneurs to demonstrate credibility, backer experience and project preparedness are important. Both are under the control of the entrepreneur and well worth considering investing effort into. Importantly, the study also shows that demonstrating failure experience is important in achieving crowdfunding success. Failure experience can either replace the lack of prior success experience by demonstrating a track record of learning or it can enhance prior success experience by producing a more realistic picture of the entrepreneurs. Thus, the study offers practical implications for entrepreneurs on how to use different signals to increase the likelihood of success in reward-based crowdfunding
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