Entrepreneurial foresight as entrepreneurs’ transformative power: Inducing contextual change through opportunity formation

In future-making activity, such as entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial agency is viewed as the transformative power to change the socio-economic structure on which it depends. Shaped by socio-economic circumstances, entrepreneurial agency is also highly contingent on the agency of other humans, both of which create high complexity and a wide array of indeterminate possibilities for entrepreneurial agency to change the existing socio-economic structure. Therefore, entrepreneurial agency should be observed through entrepreneurs’ capacity to engage in structural transformation by acting upon complex relationships between structure and human agents and facing simultaneously the openness of the future. Yet, a lack of knowledge about how entrepreneurs tame such complexity and indeterminacy as well as differing perspectives on entrepreneurial agency deriving from a longstanding debate around how entrepreneurs form opportunities require a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurs employ their transformative power to change their operating structure. Therefore, this dissertation addresses the phenomenon of entrepreneurial agency in opportunity formation by proposing that entrepreneurs’ transformative power lies in their capacity for foresight in considering the complexity of their operating environment and anticipating the future. Drawing upon the foresight literature, this dissertation frames entrepreneurial foresight as individual entrepreneurs’ capacity to structure knowledge of the temporal–spatial aspects of the contexts in which they move and operate and to process such knowledge based on their own experience of time. While acknowledging that entrepreneurs ultimately induce structural transformation, this dissertation argues that the change entrepreneurs create begins within their operating contexts. Moreover, this dissertation argues that change emerges in entrepreneurial opportunities, which are entrepreneurs’ visions of novel contexts. However, due to a number of underdeveloped concepts in the entrepreneurship research, such as knowledge, time and temporality in entrepreneurial activity and opportunity formation, interchangeable views of entrepreneurial opportunities as ideas or visions, and the unclarified concept of entrepreneurial foresight, a more synthesized approach to these concepts is needed. Therefore, to address this complex phenomenon and to synthesize and clarify a number of incoherencies and missing points, this dissertation relies on Giddens’ concepts of agency, contexts and time–space. Based on the theoretical knowledge and empirical findings, I have summarized my key findings into three subpropositions. First, I argue that entrepreneurial opportunities represent entrepreneurs’ subjective visions of the novel contexts. In these visions, structural properties and agents’ activities from previously known existing contexts are processed and combined in such a way that they produce a change in the agents’ behaviour.. Second, I state that in opportunity formation knowledge is always spatial first, but once it leads entrepreneurs to frame their contexts, knowledge reveals its temporal aspects that when processed feed entrepreneurs’ subjective perceptions of the opportunities’ future existence. Third, I contend that entrepreneurial foresight represents entrepreneurs’ cognitive capacity that allows structuring of the operating contexts as systems, envisioning future contexts, and supports objective and subjective evaluation of the potential of the newly envisioned contexts’ future existence. These three subpropositions jointly illustrate the building blocks of entrepreneurial foresight as entrepreneurs’ transformative power to induce contextual change through opportunity formation. Accordingly, to answer the main research question and fulfil the main aim of this dissertation, my main proposition is that when forming opportunities, entrepreneurs employ foresight to cognitively process and systemically structure acquired knowledge of the contexts and subjectively experience the temporal and spatial aspects to create futures knowledge. This interdisciplinary research brings new insights to the entrepreneurship and foresight research. In uncovering entrepreneurs’ agentic power in inducing change within the contexts throughout which they move, this dissertation provides deeper topical knowledge of the relevant concepts in the entrepreneurship and foresight literature. Moreover, this research provides some practical implications for entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship educators and advisers and other actors who support entrepreneurship.Yrittäjämäinen ennakointi yrittäjien muutosvoimana Tulevaisuutta luovassa toiminnassa, kuten yrittäjyydessä, yrittäjämäinen toimijuus nähdään muutosvoimana, joka muokkaa sosioekonomista rakennetta, josta yrittäjyys on riippuvainen. Sosioekonomisten olosuhteiden muovaama yrittäjämäinen toimijuus on myös erittäin riippuvainen muiden ihmisten toiminnasta. Yhdessä nämä luovat monimutkaisuutta ja laajan valikoiman määrittelemättömiä mahdollisuuksia yrittäjämäiselle toimijuudelle muuttaa vallitsevaa rakennetta. Yrittäjämäistä toimijuutta tulisikin tarkastella yrittäjien kykynä osallistua rakenteelliseen muokkaamiseen, kun he hyödyntävät rakenteiden ja inhimillisten tekijöiden monimutkaisia suhteita kohdatessaan avoimen tulevaisuuden tarjoamia mahdollisuuksia. Puutteellinen tieto yrittäjien tavoista ottaa haltuun tällaista monimutkaisuutta ja epämääräisyyttä sekä pitkään jatkuneen keskustelun synnyttämät erilaiset näkemykset yrittäjien tavoista muodostaa mahdollisuuksia edellyttävät tarkempaa ymmärrystä siitä, kuinka yrittäjät käyttävät muutosvoimaansa muuttaakseen toimintaympäristöään. Tämä väitöskirja käsittelee yrittäjämäisen toimijuuden ilmiötä mahdollisuuksien muodostamisessa ja ehdottaa, että yrittäjien muutosvoima piilee heidän kyvyssään ennakoida toimintaympäristönsä monimutkaisuutta ja tulevaisuutta. Ennakointia käsittelevään kirjallisuuteen pohjautuen väitöskirja muotoilee yrittäjämäisen ennakoinnin yksittäisten yrittäjien kykynä jäsentää tietoa toimintakontekstinsa aikaavaruudellisista näkökohdista ja käsitellä tätä tietoa oman aikakokemuksensa perusteella. Vaikka aiemmin on tunnistettu, että yrittäjät saavat lopulta aikaan rakenteellisia muutoksia, tässä väitöskirjassa esitetään, että yrittäjien aikaansaama muutos alkaa heidän toimintaympäristöstään. Lisäksi väitöskirjassa väitetään, että muutos syntyy yrittäjämäisinä mahdollisuuksina, jotka ovat yrittäjien visioita uusista konteksteista. Useat yrittäjyystutkimuksessa käytettävät käsitteet ovat kuitenkin kehittymättömiä, kuten yrittäjämäistä toimintaa ja mahdollisuuksia koskeva tieto, aika ja ajallisuus, vaihtelevat näkemykset yrittäjämäisestä mahdollisuudesta ideana tai visiona sekä yrittäjämäisen ennakoinnin epäselvä käsite, ja niiden tarkasteluun on vaadittu aiempaa syntetisoidumpaa lähestymistä. Tällaisen monimutkaisen ilmiön käsittelemiseksi sekä useiden epämonimutkaisen ilmiön käsittelemiseksi sekä useiden epäjohdonmukaisuuksien ja puuttuvien kohtien selkiyttämiseksi ja syntetisoimiseksi tämä väitöskirja tukeutuu Giddensin toimija-, konteksti-, ja aika-avaruuskäsitteisiin. Olen tiivistänyt teoriaan ja empiirisiin havaintoihin perustuen keskeiset tulokseni kolmeen osaväittämään. Ensinnäkin väitän, että yrittäjämäinen mahdollisuus edustaa yrittäjän subjektiivista näkemystä uudesta kontekstista, jossa aiemmin tunnistettuja rakenteellisia ominaisuuksia ja toimijoiden toimintaa käsitellään ja yhdistellään siten, että ne muuttavat toimijoiden toimintaa. Toiseksi väitän, että mahdollisuuksien muodostuksessa tieto on aina ensin avaruudellista, kunnes yrittäjät muodostavat tiedosta omia kontekstejaan, jolloin tiedon ajallinen ominaisuus paljastuu. Tämä muokkaa yrittäjien subjektiivisia näkemyksiä mahdollisuuksien olemassaolosta tulevaisuudessa. Kolmanneksi väitän, että yrittäjämäinen ennakointi edustaa yrittäjien kognitiivista kykyä, joka mahdollistaa toimintakontekstien jäsentämisen järjestelmiksi, tulevaisuuden kontekstien visioinnin sekä visioitujen kontekstien potentiaalin objektiivisen ja subjektiivisten arvioinnin. Yhdessä nämä kolme osaväittämää havainnollistavat yrittäjämäisen ennakoinnin roolia yrittäjien muutosvoimana, joka mahdollisuuksia muodostamalla saa aikaan muutoksia yrittäjämäisen toiminnan kontekstissa. Täten keskeisin väittämäni väitöskirjan päätutkimuskysymykseen ja tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi on, että muodostaessaan mahdollisuuksia yrittäjät hyödyntävät ennakointia, jolla he prosessoivat kognitiivisesti ja jäsentelevät systemaattisesti konteksteista hankittua tietoa, ja joka tarjoaa subjektiivisen kokemuksen tiedon ajallisista ja avaruudellisista omaisuuksista, joilla yrittäjät luovat uutta tietoa tulevaisuutta varten. Tämän tutkimuksen poikkitieteellinen ote tuo uusia näkemyksiä yrittäjyyden ja ennakoinnin aloille. Väitöskirja osoittaa yrittäjämäisen toimijuuden voiman muutosten aikaansaamisessa konteksteissa joissa yrittäjät liikkuvat, ja tarjoaa uutta syvempää tietoa yrittäjyys- ja ennakointikirjallisuuden keskeisistä käsitteistä. Väitöstyö tarjoaa myös käytännön tietoa yrittäjille, yrittäjyyskasvattajille sekä yrittäjiä ja yrittäjyyttä tukeville toimijoille

Supporting Uavs in Low Visibility Conditions by Multiple-Pulse Laser Scanning Devices

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are nowadays promising platforms for capturing spatial information, because they are low cost solutions, which are easy to bring to the surveying field and can operate automatically. Usually these devices are equipped with visual sensors to support the navigation of the platform or to transmit observations of the environment to the operator. By collecting the data and processing the captured images even an estimation of the observed environment in form of 3D information is available. Therefore Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms are well known for processing data which is captured in the visible domain. However, situations can occur where gathering visual information is difficult due to given limitations in form of low visibility. For example if soft obstacles in form of translucent materials are given in disaster scenarios with smoke and operating has still to be ensured, active optical sensors (e.g. laser scanners) are gaining interest because they can penetrate the soft obstacle and allow to acquire information behind it. A new lightweight (210 g), simplified and minimized scanning unit is now available which allows to capture multiple reflections for each transmitted laser pulse, namely the Hokuyo UTM-30LX-EW. With such a device, it is possible to overcome the above mentioned restrictions or limitations of low visibility by soft obstacles and even measure under critical circumstances. A multi-pulse system can provide accurate measurements on, within, and behind the soft obstacle. This research focuses on investigating the ability and performance of a laser scanner to penetrate the soft obstacle. Thus, investigations on a system that overcomes these limitations and provides a solution will be given. First promising experimental results considering soft obstacle are described

Corrosion coupon testing of commercial inhibitor in simulated cooling water

In maintaining cooling systems, one of the biggest challenges is to control the corrosion process. Various corrosion inhibitors are often used for this purpose. Which type of corrosion inhibitor will be chosen depends on the material from which the plant has made. The main causes of corrosion in these systems are: pH, dissolved gas, ammonia, temperature and microbiology. In this paper it was studied the efficiency of two multicomponent commercial corrosion inhibitors based on phosphates and one of which containing zinc chloride. For the purposes of research, the pilot plant of open recirculation cooling system is constructed and made of stainless steel (EN 1.4301) and copper (EN 13601). Experiments were performed in a simulated cooling water witch recirculated for 3.5h. For the purpose of accelerating corrosion processes, it was added a corrosion activator (5% NaCl). It was monitored the corrosion rate of the mentioned materials in the cooling water with the corrosion activator, with and without inhibitor. Corrosion rate is determined by using corrosion coupons according standard ASTM D2688 and by analyzing physical-chemical parameters of cooling water. The results showed it was achieved higher protection efficiency for copper and stainless steel by using an inhibitor containing zinc chloride in addition to phosphate

Effectuation and foresight – An exploratory study of the implicit links between the two concepts

The concept of effectuation as known in the literature on entrepreneurship aims to explain how entrepreneurs build projects in situations of high uncertainty. In the effectual process, entrepreneurs reject any attempt to predict or forecast the future which would allow them to define their new ventures. Instead, they concentrate on building the future through their action and interaction with the different actors in their environment. The same attitude towards the future can be found in the literature on foresight. However, until now, these two concepts have not been brought together. The proposed paper is based on an exploratory study. Through a review of the literature on both effectuation and foresight, we aim to shed some light on the implicit links between the two concepts: cognition and networks. In addition, through a series of semi-conducted interviews with both entrepreneurs and some leading figures from the field of foresight, we explore this relationship more deeply. The results from the interviews suggest new approaches that could further strengthen the relationship between effectuation and foresight. This study opens a number of new perspectives for building foresight approaches that would be more adapted for entrepreneurs, notably in the initial stages of the development of their projects, as well as some possibilities for possible future research developments.</p

Electrochemical removal of hexavalent chromium by electrocoagulation

Chromium in wastewater is discharged from tannery, electroplating, metal finishing, dying industry and many other industries. Presence of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in the environment considerable concern because it is non-biodegradable, highly toxic and carcinogen. There are several treatments for the removal of chromium from wastewater, but the most common method involves reduction to its less toxic trivalent state. In this paper electrocoagulation was used as treatment for removing of hexavalent chromium from synthetic prepared wastewater initial concentration 50 mg/L, in presence of sodium chloride as supporting electrolyte (1 g/L). The treatment was perform in a batch electrochemical reactor 250 mL capacity and with possibility of constant stirring. It was examined the impact of electrode materials and current density (5, 10, 20 mA/cm2) on Cr(VI) removal efficiency. The examination showed that iron has higher removal efficiency compared to aluminium. Also, it was observed high efficiency at very begin of treatment and at low current density. For 20 minutes of treatment it was achieved almost complete Cr(VI) removal at current density of 5 mA/cm2 by using iron electrodes (E= 99.8 %)

Case Report of Acute Vitamin D Intoxication in an Infant

© 2014, Serbia Medical Society. All rights reserved. Introduction Vitamin D intoxication represents a rare and potentially serious pathological condition caused by the excess of calcium and phosphorus. We are presenting an infant with vitamin D intoxication due to excessive daily administration, as well as therapeutic procedures that prevented its adverse effects. Case Outline A 1.5-month-old female infant, born at term, exclusively breastfed and without any complaints and abnormalities of physical findings, was observed due to the data that during the preceding month, by her mother's mistake, she had received about 200,000 IU of vitamin D3. Laboratory analyses showed a high serum level of 25(OH)D (>400 nmol/L) and calcium (2.72 mmol/L), lowered PTH (6.6 pg/ml) and high urinary calcium/creatinine ratio (1.6), while other findings, including urotract ultrasonography image, were within normal limits. Treatment based on the discontinuation of vitamin D administration, infant's forced water intake, as well as the application of 2-month prednisolone and 4-month pheno-barbitone and furosemide, resulted in complete normalization of the laboratory indicators of vitamin D overdose, as well as the prevention of its adverse effects.Conclusion By timely recognition and adequate treatment, including triple therapy with prednisolone, phenobarbitone and furosemide, adverse effects of acute vitamin D intoxication can be prevente

Electrocoagulation of textile wastewater containing a mixture of organic dyes by iron electrode

This study focused on testing the efficacy of iron (Fe) electrode in an electrochemical treatment (electrocoagulation) of wastewater containing a mixture of organic dyes. The mixture consists of the following azo dyes: Acid Black 194, Acid Black 107 and Acid Yellow 116. The present organic dyes are toxic, cause skin and eye irritation and are extremely dangerous to aquatic organisms. The study was conducted on a synthetic wastewater prepared in a laboratory electrochemical reactor. During the research, the impact of the current density, various concentrations of dye and supporting electrolyte, electrolysis duration and pulsed current regime were tracked. The results are shown through color removal efficiency, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, current efficiency, and specific energy consumption. At the initial concentration of dye (gamma=200 mg/L) and concentration of supporting electrolyte (gamma(NaCl)=1 g/L) the color removal efficiency of 80.64% was achieved for 420 seconds of treatment (J=10 mA/cm(2)). At the initial concentration of dye (gamma=50 mg/L) and gamma(NaCl)=8 g/L, the color removal efficiency of 96.01% was attained for 300 seconds of treatment (j=10 mA/cm(2))

Effectiveness of Wharton’s jelly stem cells in gastroschisis repair using the inner surface of the umbilical cord as a patch: Long-term results

Objective This retrospective study was designed to assess and compare the anatomical, functional, and esthetic appearance of the umbilical area in patients after repair of gastroschisis using the inner surface of the umbilical cord (UC) and in patients with omphalocele conservatively treated.Background Our procedure transformed gastroschisis into an ‘artificial–surgical omphalocele’ in which the prolapsed intestine was covered with an umbilical patch, the inner surface of which contained Wharton’s jelly (WJ).Methods We have summarized an experience of 17 years in repairing gastroschisis using the inner surface of the UC. From 1986 to 2003, 21 infants with gastroschisis and one with a ruptured omphalocele were treated with this technique. We used Eagle’s medium to prove the validity of the umbilical stump and the duration of its viability. The inner surface of the umbilical patch is a ‘live’ structure with WJ, which contains mucoid connective tissue and fibroblast-like cells – that is, stem cells producing cutis, adipose, and connective tissue.Results Using our method, early control assessment of 18 of 21 patients with gastroschisis, at intervals of 1–3 months, showed good functional and esthetic results. Clinical long-term results in terms of anatomical, clinical, and functional findings were excellent. Besides clinical testimony, we used high-frequency ultrasonography to make an appraisal of the effectiveness of WJ stem cells in the repair of gastroschisis, and compared our results with healthy volunteers and patients with  omphalocele conservatively treated.Conclusion This paper describes the effect of the local application of WJ – that is, mesenchymal stromal cells derived from the inner surface of the umbilical stump – and its influence on the healing process of the birth defect and wound. Keywords: gastroschisis, high frequency ultrasound imaging, inner surface of umbilical patch, ruptured omphalocele, Wharton’s jell

The supplementation of a high dose of fish oil during pregnancy and lactation led to an elevation in Mfsd2a expression without any changes in docosahexaenoic acid levels in the retina of healthy 2-month-old mouse offspring

IntroductionDuring fetal development, the proper development of neural and visual systems relies on the maternal supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids through placental transfer. Pregnant women are strongly advised to augment their diet with additional sources of omega-3, such as fish oil (FO). This supplementation has been linked to a reduced risk of preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, and perinatal depression. Recently, higher doses of omega-3 supplementation have been recommended for pregnant women. Considering that omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), play a crucial role in maintaining the delicate homeostasis required for the proper functioning of the retina and photoreceptors the effects of high-dose fish oil (FO) supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on the retina and retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) in healthy offspring warrant better understanding.MethodsThe fatty acid content and the changes in the expression of the genes regulating cholesterol homeostasis and DHA transport in the retina and RPE were evaluated following the high-dose FO supplementation.ResultsOur study demonstrated that despite the high-dose FO treatment during pregnancy and lactation, the rigorous DHA homeostasis in the retina and RPE of the two-month-old offspring remained balanced. Another significant finding of this study is the increase in the expression levels of major facilitator superfamily domain-containing protein (Mfsd2a), a primary DHA transporter. Mfsd2a also serves as a major regulator of transcytosis during development, and a reduction in Mfsd2a levels poses a major risk for the development of leaky blood vessels.ConclusionImpairment of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) is associated with the development of numerous ocular diseases, and a better understanding of how to manipulate transcytosis in the BRB during development can enhance drug delivery through the BRB or contribute to the repair of central nervous system (CNS) barriers