Explaining Women’s Level of Involvement in Nascent Entrepreneurial Activities –The Non-linear Role of R&D Investments in Different OECD Countries

Acknowledging that “There is perhaps no greater initiative a country can take to accelerate its pace of entrepreneurial activity than to encourage more of its women to participate” (Reynolds, Camp, Bygrave, Autio, & Hay, 2001: 5), our study is interested in explaining women’s level of involvement in nascent entrepreneurial activities in different countries. It has been argued, “Institutional theory may be a particularly apt framework for addressing national contexts shaping entrepreneurial activity” (Baughn et al., 2006: 688). Indeed, structural characteristic of a given country could explain why there are consistent differences in the levels of entrepreneurial activity in different countries (Reynolds et al., 2003). While we do not lack empirical studies about the importance of different regulative, normative, and cognitive institutions, we still know relatively little about one important regulatory institution, namely the level of R&D investments, and its role in explaining women’s level of involvement in nascent entrepreneurial activities. Since the first lessons of endogenous growth theory (Aghion and Howitt,1992; Romer, 1994), innovation has been considered as one of the main sources of economic development. Innovation should ensure higher productivity gain, develop new business opportunities and, hence promote self-employment. Yet, findings of empirical studies on the linkages between innovation and levels of entrepreneurial activity remain somewhat ambiguous. In some cases (e.g. Wennekers et al., 2002; Anokhin & Wincent, 2012) scholars have observed a positive relationship between small firms and innovation, while in other cases a negative link (e.g. EIM/ENSR, 1996, 1997; Parker, 2009; Arin et al., 2015). These negative results are usually attributed to important run-up costs of research and development (R&D) related to innovation activities, which, in turn, makes R&D investments an enormous hurdle for entrepreneurial activities. Because relatively less attention has been paid to the constraining or empowering role of R&D investments in explaining women’s level of involvement in nascent entrepreneurial activities, in this study our main objective is to explore conceptual arguments and empirically test them about the effects of R&D investments on the relative rates of female nascent entrepreneurs in different countries

How high-tech entrepreneurs bricole the evolution of business process management for their activities

International audiencePurpose: This paper focuses on how entrepreneurs anticipate and change their company's business process management after developing a radical innovation. The paper is based on a critical approach to business process modelling (BPM) that posits that—in spite of all the claims, guides, and tools that companies employ to help them modelise their processes—business processes are developed and improved (or at least changed) by individuals who negotiate, anticipate, and compromise to make these changes occur. Thus, BPM is more a matter of "bricolage" (Levi-Strauss) than an established and defined plan. Based on this position, our paper analyses how a business process model emerges in the early phases of a high tech new venture when the entrepreneur lacks a valid template to form a conceptual representation of the firm's business processes. Design/Methodology/Approach: We adopt a perspective based on the concept of bricolage. By analysing and comparing the discourse of 40 entrepreneurs—20 involved in an activity based on a radical innovation and 20 involved in an activity based on a more incremental concept—we are able to answer the two research questions

How social entrepreneurs manage resource constraints? A study of innovative bricolage

International audienc

Entrepreneuriat social et bricolage : perceptions d’entrepreneurs sociaux

International audienc

Entreprendre dans la diversité, oui ... mais de quelle diversité parle-t-on ?

International audienc

Investigating Pull-Entrepreneurship: The Effects of Exogenous Factors on Opportunity Perceptions in OECD Countries

Prior research on pull entrepreneurship sees opportunity perception as dependent on the individual's cognitive processes and pays relatively less attention to the role of exogenous factors, which influence and shape our belief structures in the first place. To fill this gap, the main aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between exogenous factors, both positive and negative, and individuals' opportunity perception. A theoretical framework, based on Institutional Theory, is proposed and empirically tested through panel analysis. The data cover 36 OECD countries observed between 2000 and 2014. The results show that opportunity perception is encouraged by positive exogenous factors, e.g., cultural motivation, social recognition; conversely, it is discouraged by negative exogenous factors, e.g. R&D expenditure and female unemployment. The findings also provide new insights into how exogenous factors impact individuals' perceptions of opportunities for new business creation, highlighting that positive exogenous factors play a more important role than negative exogenous factors in this process. The empirical results confirm the proposed theoretical framework and allow the formulation of interesting theoretical and managerial implications

B2B green marketing strategies for European firms:implications for people, planet and profit

The present research addresses the gap in studies on B2B marketing comparing a diverse set of socio-economic factors (ROA and Tobin’ s Q) and its effects on people, planet, and profit. Studies in the past have shown that firms haven't been able to gain a long-term competitive advantage by using environmental strategies. Hence, the research analyses how 371 B2B firms from developed and emerging European countries achieve competitive advantage through green marketing strategies. Additionally, those firms are also assessed in reference to their level of engagement with environmental, social, and governance strategies. Our findings highlight that the more the engagement in green marketing by B2B firms, the greater the green competitive advantage that B2B firms in developed European markets can achieve. Hence, the study explores the relationship of B2B marketing, environmental sustainability, and corporate profitability, providing insights into how European firms can balance their financial objectives with their social and environmental responsibilities. The originality of the research stressed the need to pursue social and environmental goals and to preserve the future of people, planet, and profit through green marketing strategies. Investing in future business models and green competitive advantage is especially important for B2B European emerging firms' markets