Disabled Entrepreneurs : Rewarding Work, Challenging Barriers, Building Support

This policy brief presents an overview of the key rewards and barriers that relate to the support of disabled entrepreneurs. As disability increases with age, it argues that carefully developed and targeted networking interventions, alongside entrepreneurship outreach professionals, may offer considerable scope to enhance support for this disadvantaged group and thus help increase the number of such entrepreneurs in the economy

The mechanisms and process of entrepreneurial networks: continuity and change.

The relevance of networks for entrepreneurship is now well established. However, despite the extent of work carried out there are still clear gaps in our understanding about how networks change and adapt over time and how entrepreneurs actually go about using their networks for entrepreneurship. To deal with these issues we focus on specific network parameters - structure, content and process over time “ and present the findings from a three stage longitudinal research project which combined crosssectional qualitative and quantitative data collection. Our findings confirm, not only the relevance of networking for entrepreneurship, but also illustrate how network contacts and the actual structures of networks changed over time. Moreover, our study demonstrates that the network becomes the mechanism for coping and dealing with change. Indeed, the role of the networked entrepreneur within the wider business environment may be as the agent and catalyst of and for change

Painting the full picture : the conversion of economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital

This article explores how and why entrepreneurs convert their available economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital. We utilise Bourdieu’s theory of practice as a conceptual framework to explore the lived experiences of 10 craft entrepreneurs. This study reveals that transforming capital is a natural and enjoyable process, with our findings highlighting the convertible, multifaceted nature of different forms of capital. We also uncover previously unidentified forms of capital conversions and demonstrate that the conversion process can involve multiple forms of capital. Furthermore, our findings show that craft entrepreneurs give no primacy to economic capital, whose transformations form part of a larger process of capital conversion

A Bourdieusian analysis of qualitative authorship in entrepreneurship scholarship

Empirically, this study builds on responses from leading qualitative entrepreneurship scholars.We carry out a Bourdieuan analysis of the field of entrepreneurship scholarship—particularly heterodox qualitative writing—and the way that scholars learn to play this game (habitus). It discusses unchallenged assumptions (doxa), commitment to shared stakes (illusio), the practice to achieve these stakes (practice), and the struggle for glories and riches (capital). By deploying Bourdieu’s frame, we have been able to expose key processes, structures, and relationships within qualitative entrepreneurship authorship. These offer four types of practical outcomes: guidance for good practice; insights into emotional aspects of authorship; warnings of potentially dysfunctional practices; and a celebration of our successes

Scottish entrepreneurial networks in the international context.

The research note reports findings of a study into the personal contact networks of Scottish entrepreneurs, and compares these to results already published for other countries (Canada, Greece, Japan, Italy, Northern Ireland, Sweden and the United States). The findings show that generic behaviour across borders cannot be taken as a given, although similarities exist in the under-representation of women as network members, the average age of network contacts, the duration of relationships, and the average monthly meetings. Entrepreneurs from the North East of Scotland exhibit a tendency towards small, tightly-integrated networks

Starting Over : Migrant Entrepreneurship in Scotland

Over the last couple of years immigration has been the subject of much scrutiny and public discourse in the UK. However, this debate has largely focused on UK-wide immigration issues, neglecting other dimensions such as the economic, social and cultural contributions of migrant entrepreneurship. This report, commissioned by the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland, draws on the analysis of statistical data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), the Small Business Survey (SBS) and the Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS), published research, and over 40 interviews with migrant entrepreneurs and key informants to articulate the substantive contributions migrant entrepreneurship makes to Scotland. The report also advances recommendations as to how such contributions could be enhanced further. This report finds that entrepreneurs who have moved to Scotland from elsewhere in the UK, Europe or the rest of the world have a positive and tangible impact on economies and communities across the country. The economic contribution they make to the Scottish economy is vast. Immigrant-led SMEs, to highlight one group, generate £13 billion in revenues and 107,000 jobs for the Scottish economy. By being significantly more likely to have post-graduate qualifications and family business experience, they are more likely to identity business opportunities and start new promising ventures in Scotland. This is true of all migrant entrepreneurs whether they have migrated from England, Estonia or Ethiopia; or located in Scotland’s largest cities or remotest settlements. The overall picture that emerges from this research is that migration – including overseas immigrants, RUK in-migrants and Scottish returnee emigrants – is associated with skilled, ambitious individuals who are more entrepreneurial than native Scots. Nevertheless, despite having higher growth expectations and export ambitions, immigrant-led ventures struggle in particular to turn their ambitious intentions into successful and established businesses. They experience erratic growth, low export activity and no performance advantage. Given the size of the prize on offer, supporting these entrepreneurs to overcome these barriers to growth should be a key priority for the Scottish Government, its enterprise agencies and local government. The impact of migrant entrepreneurs extends far beyond economics, however. By offering different products and services to consumers in Scotland, they act as a bridge between their home and host cultures. By enabling interactions between people from different cultures and different countries, they enhance integration efforts and cultural understanding and make Scotland a more attractive place to visit, start a business, study and work. This is true of the African couple running a care home, a Romanian food entrepreneur, an English-French duo running an award-winning hotel, a Chinese tech entrepreneur and many, many more