Collective Efficacy of a Regional Network: Extending the Social Embeddedness Perspective of Entrepreneurship

Through participatory observation and in-depth interviews with members of the Memon community, in Pakistan, this paper probes into how the collective efforts of a regional network can facilitate entrepreneurship, social enterprises and regional development. The setting is a developing country that is lacking a large-scale entrepreneurial culture. Despite caste differences, Memons throughout the Karachi region meet and share experiences with other Memon members of their network – including Memons from unlike castes. Within this regional network Memons help one another. They give preferential treatment to other Memons of their regional network and sometimes also to co-ethnics from other regional networks. Entrepreneurship is encouraged by a collective effort without suppressing individual goals; this extends the social embeddedness perspective of entrepreneurship allowing for a collective efficacy along a regional network, facilitating entrepreneurship among individuals

Collective Efficacy of a Regional Network: Extending the Social Embeddedness Perspective of Entrepreneurship

Through participatory observation and in-depth interviews with members of the Memon community, in Pakistan, this paper probes into how the collective efforts of a regional network can facilitate entrepreneurship, social enterprises and regional development. The setting is a developing country that is lacking a large-scale entrepreneurial culture. Despite caste differences, Memons throughout the Karachi region meet and share experiences with other Memon members of their network – including Memons from unlike castes. Within this regional network Memons help one another. They give preferential treatment to other Memons of their regional network and sometimes also to co-ethnics from other regional networks. Entrepreneurship is encouraged by a collective effort without suppressing individual goals; this extends the social embeddedness perspective of entrepreneurship allowing for a collective efficacy along a regional network, facilitating entrepreneurship among individuals

Product strategies for export ventures : an empirical investigation among SMEs in an emerging economy

This study examines product strategies of firms in developing countries for export ventures in global markets. It focuses on generic product features: low cost, differentiation, and specialization for analysing how they are associated with the intent to export. A rigorous database was developed from a survey of 142 SMEs in Malaysia. Data was analysed through hierarchical ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis. This study finds that only products with differentiation, specialization, or both are intended for export. On the other hand, a low cost attribute deprives the intention of going global. In the context of this emerging economy, the optimal product strategy for exporting is differentiation and specialization coupled with low-cost strategy. The findings challenge traditional view that firms from developing countries possess cost advantage at the international level, thus justifying why some local firms remain reluctant to export

COVID-19 Pandemic and Indices Volatility:Evidence from GARCH Models

This study examines the impact of volatility on the returns of nine National Stock Exchange (NSE) indices before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employed generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) modelling to analyse investor risk and the impact of volatility on returns. The study makes several contributions to the existing literature. First, it uses advanced volatility forecasting models, such as ARCH and GARCH, to improve volatility estimates and anticipate future volatility. Second, it enhances the analysis of index return volatility. The study found that the COVID-19 period outperformed the pre-COVID-19 and overall periods. Since the Nifty Realty Index is the most volatile, Nifty Bank, Metal, and Information Technology (IT) investors reaped greater returns during COVID-19 than before. The study provides a comprehensive review of the volatility and risk of nine NSE indices. Volatility forecasting techniques can help investors to understand index volatility and mitigate risk while navigating these dynamic indices.</p

Prohibition and the American dream: an analysis of the entrepreneurial life and times of Al Capone.

The iconic figure of Al Capone is arguably the most prominent figure of organised crime. Both biographers and scholars have analysed his life and behaviour. Hollywood has immortalised his character in film. Today, the name Capone remains synonymous with the word gangster. Although Capone owned businesses of a legitimate nature, illicit ventures and the spectre of the gangster-entrepreneur define his practice of entrepreneurship. In an attempt to understand Capone as an entrepreneur, this paper explores his entrepreneurial behaviour within an analysis of his resource profile, his Italian-American culture and the social context of the USA in the early 20th century

The Ninth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: First Spectroscopic Data from the SDSS-III Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) presents the first spectroscopic data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). This ninth data release (DR9) of the SDSS project includes 535,995 new galaxy spectra (median z=0.52), 102,100 new quasar spectra (median z=2.32), and 90,897 new stellar spectra, along with the data presented in previous data releases. These spectra were obtained with the new BOSS spectrograph and were taken between 2009 December and 2011 July. In addition, the stellar parameters pipeline, which determines radial velocities, surface temperatures, surface gravities, and metallicities of stars, has been updated and refined with improvements in temperature estimates for stars with T_eff<5000 K and in metallicity estimates for stars with [Fe/H]>-0.5. DR9 includes new stellar parameters for all stars presented in DR8, including stars from SDSS-I and II, as well as those observed as part of the SDSS-III Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration-2 (SEGUE-2). The astrometry error introduced in the DR8 imaging catalogs has been corrected in the DR9 data products. The next data release for SDSS-III will be in Summer 2013, which will present the first data from the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) along with another year of data from BOSS, followed by the final SDSS-III data release in December 2014.Comment: 9 figures; 2 tables. Submitted to ApJS. DR9 is available at http://www.sdss3.org/dr

An Innovative New Venture in the Dakota Badlands

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Land Rights and Mining in the Canadian North: A Historical Perspective

International audienc

Entrepreneurship in Western Europe: A Contextual Perspective

International audienceEntrepreneurship in Western Europe: A Contextual Perspective looks to explain how different local cultural and historical contexts can yield radically different entrepreneurial scenarios in a heterogenous Europe. Over 20 countries are examined providing a comprehensive history of the evolution of entrepreneurship across western Europe. The book concludes with a look at the future implications of current policies on entrepreneurship and of symbiosis in western Europe. Richly illustrated, this book is perfect for undergraduate students or anyone with an interest in the business practices, economics or public policy of Europe