Mismatch between entrepreneurs and their firms: the role of cognitive fit / misfit

(WP 10/04 Clave pdf) This paper examines the relationship between cognitive fit/misfit, and burnout, satisfaction, and intentions to exit the firm in entrepreneurs. Given the disordinal (crossed) nature of the significant interactions, the results indicate when cognitive misfit in entrepreneurs (based on their dominant decision-making approach) is more likely lead them to experience negative outcomes, given the nature and degree of firm structure.

The Fallacy of ´Only the Strong Survive´: The Effects of Extrinsic (...)

(WP 07/04 Clave pdf) According to economic theory, under-performing firms should be selected out of the market. However, research shows that these firms persist, often for long periods of time. In this article we explore the non-firm-performance factors that contribute to the decision to persist with an under-performing firm. Using the escalation of commitment literature we identify seven variables that are associated with the persistence decision. We reconcile the economic and psychological views by finding that the extent to which some of these non-firm-performance factors influence the persistence decision is, in part, dependent upon the owner-managers’ level of extrinsic motivation.

Matching owner-managers´ cognitive style and organizational demands in family firms

(WP 09/04 Clave pdf) Based on responses from 159 owners-managers in family firms, we examined the association between specific individual characteristics, firm characteristics, and the individual psychosocial outcomes of satisfaction, intentions to exit, and perceived fit. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated higher satisfaction, lower intentions to exit, and higher perceived fit for owner-managers whose dominant decision-making style complemented the levels of formalization in their firms.The results suggested that owner-managers with intuitive decision-making styles were better fitted to the demands corresponding to less structured firm environments than their analytic counterparts.

Piracy as Strategy? A Reexamination of Product Piracy

(WP 08/04 Clave pdf) To explore the impact that piracy has on demand for legal versions of a product and firm performance, we use the literatures of information economics and strategic management to expand the analysis of piracy to markets other than software. Our paper helps clarify the nature of customer demand for legal versions of products, and gain a deeper understanding of the way that piracy can enhance the performance of those firms that own the intellectual property. We contend that although piracy represents unauthorized imitation of a firm’s intellectual property, there are some circumstances when piracy can improve the value of the intellectual property.

Entrepreneurs´ perceptions of success: examining differences across gender and family status

Our study examines to what extent female and male entrepreneurs differ in the way they perceive and assess entrepreneurial success, measured by extrinsic or intrinsic dimensions. Our results indicate a number of similarities between men and women entrepreneurs but also reveal interesting gender-based differences related to family status. Rather than assuming that women entrepreneurs are a homogeneous group, we found that family factors, and especially parental status, play a key role in shaping fundamentally different perceptions of entrepreneurial success amongst different types of women entrepreneurs.Entrepreneur, Gender, Children, Perception of success

The Endoplasmic Reticulum Glucosyltransferase Recognizes Nearly Native Glycoprotein Folding Intermediates

The UDP-Glc:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase (GT), a key player in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) quality control of glycoprotein folding, only glucosylates glycoproteins displaying non-native conformations. To determine whether GT recognizes folding intermediates or irreparably misfolded species with nearly native structures, we generated and tested as GT substrates neoglycoprotein fragments derived from chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 (GCI2) bearing from 53 to 64 (full-length) amino acids. Fragment conformations mimicked the last stage-folding structures adopted by a glycoprotein entering the ER lumen. GT catalytic efficiency (V(max)/K(m)) remained constant from GCI2-(1-53) to GCI2-(1-58) and then steadily declined to reach a minimal value with GCI2-(1-64). The same parameter showed a direct hyperbolic relationship with solvent accessibility of the single Trp residue but only in fragments exposing hydrophobic amino acid patches. Mutations introduced (GCI2-(1-63)V63S and GCI2-(1-64)V63S) produced slight structural destabilizations but increased GT catalytic efficiency. This parameter presented an inverse exponential relationship with the free energy of unfolding of canonical and mutant fragments. Moreover, the catalytic efficiency showed a linear relationship with the fraction of unfolded species in water. It was concluded that the GT-derived quality control may be operative with nearly native conformers and that no alternative ER-retaining mechanisms are required when glycoproteins approach their proper folding.Fil: Caramelo, Julio Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Olga Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: de Prat Gay, Gonzalo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Parodi, Armando José A.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Family involvement and firm performance: a family embeddedness perspective

This paper uses family embeddedness (Cliff and Aldrich, 2003) and Work Family Interface (WFI) (Jennings and McDougald, 2007) to analyze the effect of gender and income on the relationship between family employment and firm performance in the context of micro and small family enterprises. Our results indicate that family employment contributed to increase sales but was negatively related to firm´s profitability. Moreover, the results indicate that when the business is the main source of household income the family employee´s positive impact on performance is reduced, and that the positive relationship between family employment and firm performance is stronger in woman run firms.Family firms, Gender

O amor virtual como instância de empreendedorismo e de reificação

Na sociedade contemporânea, observa-se em várias frentes uma valorização do empreendedorismo, no sentido de um aparente fortalecimento da agência subjetiva. A contrapartida disso é um movimento de reificação, que conta com o engajamento do próprio sujeito. Essas tendências, também presentes na cibercultura de modo geral, são ilustradas pelo fenômeno do amor virtual: a multiplicação de opções amorosas e o declínio de modelos externos padronizados dão em tese a cada um a possibilidade de maior iniciativa, contrabalançada pela propensão a objetivar-se e objetivar o outro