Contribution of franchise research to entrepreneurship: a review and new opportunities

This paper examines the relationship between franchising and entrepreneurship. The paper begins with a review of studies on franchising in leading entrepreneurship and management journals over a 12 year period. It illustrates how although the franchisor, franchise and the franchise organization are important elements of entrepreneurship, there has been only a tenuous link in the contribution of studies in franchising to entrepreneurship theorising and vice versa. The paper suggests fruitful new avenues for franchise research which would integrate franchising as an important, yet heterogeneous, form of entrepreneurship, namely: opportunities, networks and social capital and entrepreneurial learning

Replication of Routines and Capabilities: From Knowledge Transfer to Replication as a Social Practice

Replication of routines and capabilities has been largely neglected in recent research. In this paper we present the current state of research on replication and suggest conceptualizing replication as a social practice. Replication as a social practice goes beyond knowledge transfer between a replicator and a replicatee and involves how routines and capabilities as well as the process of replication itself are constructed and shaped by multiple actors in the organization. Moreover, this perspective acknowledges the role of artefacts in the process of replication. Based on recent literature on routines and organizational rules we differentiate replication into three interrelated sub-practices: rule (re-) creation, rule translation and rule performance. The theoretical framework suggested in this paper has several significant theoretical implications for research on replication. In addition, we point out important research design implications for future empirical research

MOTIVATIONS AND OUTCOMES OF ENGAGING IN REGIONAL CLUSTERS IN THE ICT SECTOR: A DUAL PERSPECTIVE

This paper presents the findings of recent empirical-based research into the experiences of entrepreneurs and intermediaries engaged in cluster building activities in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector in Northwest England. The research takes a dual perspective by interviewing both entrepreneurs and intermediaries from a range of agencies and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Previous work with high-tech firms has shown that it is through social relations, interactions and networks that entrepreneurship is carried out (Anderson et al. 2007). Our empirical study is based on 14 semi-structured interviews that recorded the interactions and experiences of actors actively involved in building regional clusters. Key findings can be divided into three main themes, namely: i) motivations for organizing / attending regional networking meetings; ii) outcomes of these meetings; iii) the role of sector-specific cluster meetings in supporting networking and entrepreneurship. The use of cluster building activities as a means of supporting regional economic development is widespread. The study demonstrates how cluster building activities can act as a mechanism for supporting regional economic development, but highlights the need for both entrepreneurs and intermediaries to more clearly understand each others' differing motivations and expectations, as well as the multiple reasons for participating in cluster building activities

Cumbria 2037: Decarbonising Mobility Futures

Transport is something we all use. Even in the digital age, we all need transport to connect with family, enjoy leisure, get to work, and to meet friends. Even if we never left the house we would still use transport indirectly, as we take deliveries from local shops or goods are transported from further afield. While big-picture concepts like climate change and decarbonisation can feel remote or overwhelming, this journal shows how decarbonisation is possible and how we can all take action to make a difference. We explore both the challenge and possibility of decarbonisation in Cumbria, examining: • Where we are now • What happens if we carry on as we are • How we need to rethink our values if we are to address decarbonisation • Potential decarbonised futures • What we can do to shape desirable futures This compact collection of ideas draws on evidence from over 80 researchers, policymakers, community organisations and local businesses who attended a Decarbon8 event in Cumbria on 22nd - 23rd November 2022. It was created during a 6 hour ‘Instant Journal Design Sprint’ facilitated by Nifty Fox Creative, to show what can be achieved when all the right people are in the right room at the right time. We can act both together and individually to take on the challenge of decarbonisation and make a better future

Ethnic entrepreneurs and online home-based businesses: an exploratory study

This exploratory, qualitative study considers how online home-based businesses offer opportunities for ethnic entrepreneurs to ‘break out’ of traditional highly competitive and low margin sectors. Previous studies have found a positive association between ethnic minorities’ high levels of entrepreneurship and home computer use in ethnic groups. Despite these associations, previous studies have overlooked the particular opportunities offered by home-based online businesses to ethnic entrepreneurs. The study adopts mixed embeddedness as a theoretical lens to guide interviews with 22 ethnic entrepreneurs who have started online home-based businesses in the UK. We find online home-based businesses offer ethnic entrepreneurs novel opportunities to draw on their ethnic advantages and address the constraints they face. The unique affordances of this type of business allow entrepreneurs to develop the necessary IT skills by self-learning and experimentation and to sub-contract more difficult or time consuming aspects to others. The findings also show that, consistent with the theory of mixed embeddedness, whilst the entrepreneurs are influenced by social, economic and institutional forces, online businesses allow them to exert their own agency and provide opportunities to uniquely shape these forces

Building regions:a resource-based view of a policy-led knowledge exchange network

This study looks to further understanding about how important the choice of intermediary can be in supporting policymakers in their regional development activities. Drawing on the resource based view as a framework, the paper provides new insights into resource combinations underpinning the successful creation and expansion of a regional network for knowledge exchange. Through an in-depth study of a partnership of three intermediaries involved in designing and implementing a regional ICT network, our study highlights that policymakers need to consider not only organizational resources of intermediaries, but also the resources of key individuals from those organizations

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead