Contribution of Resource-Based View and Entrepreneurial Orientation on Small Firm Growth

[EN] This research provides a useful framework for identifying a small firms’ propensity to engage in entrepreneurial orientation. We examine the impact of the Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) as a main resource and capability on small firm’ growth. The growth seems to come out as an important demonstration of the entrepreneurial orientation of small firms (Davidsson, 1989; Green and Brown, 1997; Janney and Gregory, 2006). Thus, this research builds on prior conceptual research that suggests a positive integration between entrepreneurial orientation and resource-based view. In the first instance, the research will focus on reviewing literature in the emerging area of entrepreneurial orientation as it applies to growth oriented small firms and resource-based view of the firm. Secondly, an empirical study was developed based on a stratified sample of small firms of manufacturing industry. Data were submitted to a multivariate statistical analysis and a linear regression model was performed in order to predict the influence of the resources and capabilities on small firms’ growth. In this sense, we consider the construct growth as a dependent variable and the ones relates with resources and capabilities (entrepreneur resources, firm resources, networks and EO) as independent variables. The research results suggest a set of resources and capabilities that promote the growth of the small firms. Also, the EO seems to have a predictive value on growth. Explaining variables related with resources and capabilities and EO were identified as essential in growth oriented small firms. It was still possible to conclude that the entrepreneurial firms which grew seem to have resources and develop more capabilities and take advantage in the search for those competences. This attitude reflects on the EO of the firm. This study has important implication for both researchers and practitioners. It highlights the necessity of firms to develop superior EO of all their members and also to invest on better resources and consequently superior capabilities as a way of reaching higher levels of growth. While previous authors have attempted to analyse certain aspects of this process (linkage between entrepreneurial orientation and growth), this research developed a framework that combines these and others factors (resource-based view) pertinent to growth oriented small firms. The results support the necessity to identify explicative variables of multiple levels to explain the growth of small firms. The adoption of an entrepreneurial orientation as an indispensable variable to the growth oriented small firms seems pertinent.

Authority files: Breaking out of the library silo to become signposts for research information

Authority files serve to uniquely identify real world ‘things’ or entities like documents, persons, organisations, and their properties, like relations and features. Already important in the classical library world, authority files are indispensable for adequate information retrieval and analysis in the computer age. This is because, even more than humans, computers are poor at handling ambiguity. Through authority files, people tell computers which terms, names or numbers refer to the same thing or have the same meaning by giving equivalent notions the same identifier. Thus, authority files signpost the internet where these identifiers are interlinked on the basis of relevance. When executing a query, computers are able to navigate from identifier to identifier by following these links and collect the queried information on these so-called ‘crosswalks’. In this context, identifiers also go under the name controlled access points. Identifiers become even more crucial now massive data collections like library catalogues or research datasets are releasing their till-now contained data directly to the internet. This development is coined Open Linked Data. The concatenating name for the internet is Web of Data instead of the classical Web of Documents.

The Kandhkelgaon Story: a bold bid by women in Kandhkelgaon Village, Saintala Block, Bolangir District, to break out of their poverty trap

One third of the people on earth who are described as living in absolute poverty are found today in India. “These people,” says Mr B K Satpathy, “are caught in a poverty trap’.” “Poverty trap?” we ask. “These are creative weavers; their cloth has a distinctive style, but those who supply their thread also take away and sell the cloth, paying just a small labor cost for each saree. If they are skilled and work hard this amounts to only 25-30 rupees (60-70 US cents) per day.” Under this arrangement, weaving does not provide enough to live on, and people are seeking ways to escape their entrapment in poverty. (Pdf contains 6 pages).

Development of kelp rockfish, Sebastes atrovirens (Jordan and Gilbert 1880), and brown rockfish, S. auriculatus (Girard 1854), from birth to pelagic juvenile stage, with notes on early larval development of black-and-yellow rockfish, S. chrysomelas (Jordan and Gilbert 1880), reared in the laboratory (Pisces: Sebastidae).

Larval kelp (Sebastes atrovirens), brown (S. auriculatus), and blackand-yellow (S. chrysomelas) rockfish were reared from known adults, to preflexion stage, nine days after birth for S. chrysomelas, to late postflexion stage for S. atrovirens, and to pelagic juvenile stage for S. auriculatus. Larval S. atrovirens and S. chrysomelas were about 4.6 mm body length (BL) and S. auriculatus about 5.2 mm BL at birth. Both S. atrovirens and S. auriculatus underwent notochord flexion at about 6–9 mm BL. Sebastes atrovirens transform to the pelagic juvenile stage at about 14–16 mm BL and S. auriculatus transformed at ca. 25 mm BL. Early larvae of all three species were characterized by melanistic pigment dorsally on the head, on the gut, on most of the ventral margin of the tail, and in a long series on the dorsal margin of the tail. Larval S. atrovirens and S. auriculatus developed a posterior bar on the tail during the flexion or postflexion stage. In S. atrovirens xanthic pigment resembled the melanistic pattern throughout larval development. Larval S. auriculatus lacked xanthophores except on the head until late preflexion stage, when a pattern much like the melanophore pattern gradually developed. Larval S. chrysomelas had extensive xanthic pigmentation dorsally, but none ventrally, in preflexion stage. All members of the Sebastes subgenus Pteropodus (S. atrovirens, S. auriculatus, S. carnatus, S. caurinus, S. chrysomelas, S. dalli, S. maliger, S. nebulosus, S. rastrelliger) are morphologically similar and all share the basic melanistic pigment pattern described here. Although the three species reared in this study can be distinguished on the basis of xanthic pigmentation, it seems unlikely that it will be possible to reliably identify field-collected larvae to species using traditional morphological and melanistic pigmentation characters. (PDF file contains 36 pages.)

Survival, growth, and yield of brown trout stocked as fingerlings in Hot Creek, California

Four groups of fin clipped brown trout (Salmo trutta) fingerlings were planted in Hot Creek over a six year period. Survival and growth were estimated by fall and/or spring mark-and-recapture surveys. Yield to the angler for two of the tour groups stocked was estimated by stratified random creel surveys. Fingerling survival from the midsummer stocking period to fall averaged 51 %. Overwinter survival from young-of-the-year to yearling fish averaged 49%. Angler harvest of two groups of fingerlings stocked at densities of 16,082 fish/mile averaged 1,704 trout/mile (10.6%) and 194 lbs/acre. Abundant cover and microhabitat suitable tor young trout, ice-free winters, and rapid growth were factors viewed as contributing to high yields. Results do not suggest a change is needed in the general policy of not stocking brown trout fingerlings in California streams. Results do show that fingerlings stocked in Hot Creek, and presumably other productive streams with abundant cover, can effectively fill a void created by limited recruitment. (PDF contains 24 pages.)

Aktuelle Planungen zur Regelung der Beifangproblematik in der Krabbenfischerei

At present the fishery for the brown shrimp (Crangon crangon L.) is one of the most economically rewarding fisheries in Europe. Due to the small size of the target objects this fishery has to be carried out with rather small meshes. As it is, however, performed on the nursing grounds of important fish species it encounters a severe bycatch problem. On this basis, EU Council regulation 850/98 demands the use of either sieve nets or sorting grids from 1 July, and to pass pertaining national bye-laws. Germany discusses to use either sieve nets of 70 mm mesh opening or sorting grids of 20 mm bar distance, and tries to achieve a harmonization of the byelaw with neighbouring countries of The Netherlands and Denmark to ensure equal conditions on the same fishing grounds.

Winterfischerei auf Garnelen. Die Anteile der europäischen Garnelenflotten an den Anlandungen von Crangon crangon im Zeitraum Januar bis März der Jahre 1990 bis 1999

„Winter fishery“ on brown shrimp does not imply a special type of fishery. It merely means the continuation of the standard fishing procedure of parts of the fleet during wintertime, when the majority of the mostly smaller vessels stay in harbour due to generally unfavourable weather conditions for their activity. During 1990 to 1999 mean European wide landings in January and February summedup to 854 tonnes making up to only 4 % of the mean annual landings (21 805 t). While German vessels landed0.7 % (68.7 t) of their mean annual landings during that period, the other countries caught about 7 % of their individual, mean annual landings at the same time. The Netherlands and Denmark contributed highest tonnages of 580and 110 tonnes, respectively, to the total European landings, making up 81 % of them. As about 70 % of brown shrimp may carry eggs in January, the winter fishery took a mean total of about 2.15 x 1012brown shrimp eggs out of the stocks in that period annually. As there is no reliable assessment available concerning the brown shrimp stocks, it is despite of these high losses of eggs not possible to trace a negative effect of the winter fishery in scientific terms. However, precautional catch reductions in winter would be in favour of higher survival rates of eggs, which are the carrying source for the recruitment of brown shrimp stocks and catches in forthcoming summer and autumn seasons according to Dutch investigations.

Bearbeitung von Fangproben mit neuen elektronischen Messmethoden

For 10 years the Institute for Fishing Technology, Hamburg (IFH) has been carrying out experiments in the brown shrimp fishery with beam trawls aiming at a reduction of unwanted bycatches. When the tests were transferred to commercial fishery conditions the personnel effort and costs increased markedly. It became e.g. necessary to install a deep-freeze chain to make it possible to evaluate more samples in the laboratory. This again required to increase the number of technicians for measuring the fish and shrimp samples, but also made it necessary to perform this work in the most rational and time-saving way by applying modern electronic aids. Though all samples still have to be sorted by species and have to be weighed and measured the introduction of electronic aids, however, like electronic measuring board and computer-aided image processing system, all weight and length data are immediately and digitally recorded after processing. They are transferred via a network to a server PC which stores them into a purpose-designed database. This article describes the applicationof two electronic systems: the measuring board (FM 100, Fa. SCANTROL), iniated by a project in the Norwegian Institute for Fishing Technology, and a computer-aided image processing system, focussing on measuring shrimps in their naturally flexed shape, also developed in the Institute for Fishing Technology in close collaboration with the University of Duisburg. These electronic recording systems allow the consistent and reproducible record of data independent of the changing day-to-day personal form of the staff operating them. With the help of these systems the number of measurements the laboratory could be maximized to 250 000 per year. This made it possible to evaluate, in 1999, 525 catch samples from 75 commercial hauls taken during 15 days at sea. The time gain in measuring the samples is about one third of the time previously needed (i.e. one hour per sample). An additional advantage is the immediate availability of the digitally stored data which enables rapid analyses of all finished subexperiments. Both systems are applied today in several institutes of the Federal Research Centre. The image processing system is now the standard measuring method in an international research project.

Analyse der Beifangreduktion durch Gitternetze in der kommerziellen Garnelenfischerei

Trials for the determination of the magnitude of bycatch reduction by sorting grids used in the commercial brown shrimp fishery were carried out from September to December 1997. Trawls with 9 m beam length were used on different fishing grounds in the estuary of the Elbe River near Cuxhaven. The sorting grids tested were made of stainless steel bars spaced at 18, 20, 22, 26 and 30 mm, built into a cylindrical stainless steel frame with a diameter of 65 cm at an angle of attack of 45 degrees. This frame was positioned between the forenet and codend. Simultaneous hauls were made with a trawl of equal construction but without a sorting grid, and the weighed catch components (fish, discard shrimps and commercial size shrimps) separated by means of a riddle were compared. The composition of the sorted out part of the catch of the sorting grid net could be calculated by comparise the corresponding catch components in both the standard trawl and the sorting grid trawl. According to this the total catch of the beam trawl with the sorting grid is reduced by 18 to 38 % depending on the space between the bars. 7 to 31 % of the sorted out part of the catch consists of fish. The use of the sorting grid, however, also leads to losses of 4 to 12 % in Oktober. Per hour of towing this means a loss of 10,3 % commerical size shrimps with a sorting grid of 18 mm space between the bars and of 12,4 % for a 26 mm grid.