Going Beyond Research on Goal Setting: A Proposed Role for Organizational Psychological Capital of Family Firms

Kotlar and De Massis found that membership assortment and the number of organizational members, as well as the imminence of succession, influence goal diversity in family firms. They also showed that goal diversity can be managed and family-centered goals can be stabilized through professional and familial social interactions, driving the formation of collective commitment to family- centered goals (CCFG). Using this research as a point of departure, we propose that CCFG may impact family firm economic and noneconomic performance. Furthermore, we introduce to the family firm literature the organizational psychological capital (OPC), consisting of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. We also suggest that OPC may be more prevalent in family firms than in nonfamily firms. Moreover, OPC of family firms may play an important role in the link between CCFG and economic as well as noneconomic performance

Going Beyond Research on Goal Setting: A Proposed Role for Organizational Psychological Capital of Family Firms

Kotlar and De Massis found that membership assortment and the number of organizational members, as well as the imminence of succession, influence goal diversity in family firms. They also showed that goal diversity can be managed and family-centered goals can be stabilized through professional and familial social interactions, driving the formation of collective commitment to family- centered goals (CCFG). Using this research as a point of departure, we propose that CCFG may impact family firm economic and noneconomic performance. Furthermore, we introduce to the family firm literature the organizational psychological capital (OPC), consisting of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism. We also suggest that OPC may be more prevalent in family firms than in nonfamily firms. Moreover, OPC of family firms may play an important role in the link between CCFG and economic as well as noneconomic performance

The Effect of Early Internationalization on Survival Consistency, and Growqth of Export Sales

This paper presents the results of a ten year longitudinal analysis of almost 19,000 Polish manufacturing firms engaged in export operations. Export dynamics was measured by the rate of growth, consistency of export sales and survival in international operations. It was found that early involvement in international activities negatively affected the survival and regularity of sales of small exporters but that had a positive impact on larger exporters. A strong commitment to internationalization and a capacity for managing rapid growth are factors in achieving high growth in international sales over time. Managerial implications include recognizing the risk of possible failure when they enter international markets, and take into account that export volumes may stagnate after a first opportunity and not justify the initial effort to expand abroad. To remedy such unfavorable outcomes, managers should plan carefully before entering export markets or undertaking subsequent phases of export growth

MANAGING RUSSIAN FACTORY WORKERS: THE IMPACT OF U.S.-BASED BEHAVIORAL AND PARTICIPATIVE TECHNIQUES

The new internationalization of the field of management has produced growing concern as to whether theories and techniques largely developed in the United States apply to other cultures. A within-subjects experimental design was used to analyze the impacts that three popular and successful techniques used in U.S. studies had on the performance of workers in the largest textile factory in the Russian republic of the former Soviet Union. Two techniques, providing extrinsic rewards and behavioral management, had significant

A Resource-Based View of Three Forms of Business in the Startup Phase: Implications for Franchising

The decision to buy a franchise, start a new independent business, or buy an existing business is a critical decision faced by entrepreneurs. This study uses the Resource-Based View (RBV) of organizations to compare franchisees in the startup phase to both entrepreneurs who start new independent businesses and entrepreneurs who purchase established businesses. Our analysis of U.S. data from the Kauffman Firm Survey found similarities among those starting franchises and purchasing existing independent businesses. Implications for future research and practice are discussed

The ethical orientation of entrepreneurial Russian managers

Ethics has been a significant concern in the management literature and recent efforts have investigated ethical orientations across culture. However, little, if any, work has looked at ethical orientations among entrepreneurs and managers in the transforming Russian economy. This study surveyed the ethical orientations of Russian owner-managers (n = 194) involved in entrepreneurial and privatisation activities. A cross-cultural comparison to US normative responses found no difference in Machiavellian orientation in general, though female Russian entrepreneurs perceived themselves as more likely to engage in opportunistic behaviour. Additionally, Russian entrepreneurs in general perceived themselves as more ethically rigid. These respondents also felt Russian organisations fostered more interpersonally collective but structurally opportunistic organisational climate

Family enrichment and women entrepreneurial success: the mediating effect of family interference

Managing work and family is a topic of continual interest. Drawing on work-family interface (WFI) literatures, we test a model linking family-to-business enrichment and family-to-business interference, directly and indirectly, to the entrepreneurial success of women-owned businesses. We consider two types of enrichment: family instrumental (financial) support and family affective (moral) support. The interference aspect of WFI is depicted by women entrepreneurs’ gender-related personal problems. Due to the non-linear nature of our model (logit), we apply for the first time in the entrepreneurship literature, the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method, which has recently been developed for testing mediation in such models. In a sample of female entrepreneurs in a stable economic environment, Austria, we found that the interference dimension mediates the relationship between the enrichment components and entrepreneurial success. Specifically, personal problems have a negative effect when family financial support is present and a positive effect when family moral support is experienced. Implications and future research are discussed

Gender and ethnicity in business consulting assistance: public policy implications.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the types of business consulting services most needed by small business owners and entrepreneurs and to examine the role that gender and ethnicity plays in the demand for specialized assistance. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to small business owners and entrepreneurs to rate their interest in specialized consulting services. The consulting assistance was divided into strategic, operating and administrative categories based on the framework of Chrisman and Leslie. Findings – Overall, the type of consulting with the highest interest was in the area of operations assistance, followed by strategic assistance and administrative assistance. Although few differences were found between male and female respondents, there were significant differences in the needs of minority women. Research limitations/implications – This study demonstrates the need for further research on minority female small business owners and entrepreneurs. In particular, it suggests further investigation of services that could be made available to them. Social implications – The results indicate that programs designed to assist minority women might have the greatest potential impact. Specialized attention may be necessary to assist this demographic segment, particularly since prior research indicates that minorities often start with greater resource limitations. Public policies should continue to encourage progress by helping establish a new generation of minority entrepreneurs. Originality/value – The findings from this study provided current evidence of the specialized needs of minority entrepreneurs. It is important to distinguish the needs of entrepreneurs in today's marketplace, in order to develop the most effective and impactful small business assistance programs

The new generation of Massive Open Online Courses MOOCS) and entrepreneurship education.

Learners all over the world, including rising entrepreneurs, have increased educational opportunities due to the internet’s affordance of connectivity. This study examines the rapid shift and evolution in online education by Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). We focus on what is being called xMOOCs, the second generation, providers of free, worldwide online courses from the world’s most renowned professors and universities. The implications of MOOCs on higher and entrepreneurial education are explored and effective strategies for future implementation are discussed