Characteristics of entrepreneurs and public support for NTBFs

This paper studies the role of the characteristics of entrepreneurs as determinants of public financial support for New Technology Based Firms (NTBFs). Using a single database about the profile of Spanish technology entrepreneurs from 2001 to 2009, we analyze the relationship between NTBF participation in the NEOTEC program run by the main Spanish public agency for R&D and four dimensions of the entrepreneurial team: its human capital, its links to the public system of R&D, its motivation at the time the company was created and the extent of its planning to initiate the business activity. Our results show that NTBFs founded by entrepreneurs who have less experience in management, have planned less, are more oriented toward growth and have closer ties to the public system of R&D are more likely to participate in the public aid program.

Remolding a company through a compliance program : the case of Siemens

Abstract : Since at least the 1980's, a growing number of companies have set up an ethics or a compliance program within their organization. However, in the field of study of business management, there is a paucity of research studies concerning these management systems. This observation warranted the present investigation of one company's compliance program. Compliance programs are set up so that individuals working within an organization observe the laws and regulations which pertain to their work. This study used a constructivist grounded theory methodology to examine the process by which a specific compliance program, that of Siemens Canada Limited, was implemented throughout its organization. In conformity with this methodology, instead of proceeding with the investigation in accordance to a particular theoretical framework, the study established a number of theoretical constructs used strictly as reference points. The study's research question was stated as: what are the characteristics of the process by which Siemens' compliance program integrated itself into the existing organizational structure and gained employee acceptance? Data consisted of documents produced by the company and of interviews done with twenty-four managers working for Siemens Canada Limited. The researcher used QSR-Nvivo computer assisted software to code transcripts and to help with analyzing interviews and documents. Triangulation was done by using a number of analysis techniques and by constantly comparing findings with extant theory. A descriptive model of the implementation process grounded in the experience of participants and in the contents of the documents emerged from the data. The process was called "Remolding"; remolding being the core category having emerged. This main process consisted of two sub-processes identified as "embedding" and "appraising." The investigation was able to provide a detailed account of the appraising process. It identified that employees appraised the compliance program according to three facets: the impact of the program on the employee's daily activities, the relationship employees have with the local compliance organization, and the relationship employees have with the corporate ethics identity. The study suggests that a company who is entertaining the idea of implementing a compliance program should consider all three facets. In particular, it suggests that any company interested in designing and implementing a compliance program should pay particular attention to its corporate ethics identity. This is because employee's acceptance of the program is influenced by their comparison of the company's ethics identity to their local ethics identity. Implications of the study suggest that personnel responsible for the development and organizational support of a compliance program should understand the appraisal process by which employees build their relationship with the program. The originality of this study is that it points emphatically that companies must pay special attention in developing a corporate ethics identify which is coherent, well documented and well explained.

Análise de cursos e treinamentos in company como intervenções educacionais estratégicas

O cenário empresarial brasileiro passa por dificuldades de caráter financeiro e político, conduzindo a ideia de que as organizações demandem ainda mais empenho, perseverança no negócio e dedicação para que os resultados obtidos sejam cada vez melhores. Uma estratégia que tem ganhado força no mercado é a de treinamentos e cursos in company, que ocorrem quando uma empresa promove capacitação e desenvolvimento profissional a partir de seus próprios colaboradores especialistas ou da contratação de empresas especializadas para fornecer conhecimento sobre assuntos específicos pontuais. Comumente, estas iniciativas têm curta duração e podem ter diversos objetivos, desde projetos momentâneos até a capacitação a longo prazo de competências individuais dos colaboradores que compõem as organizações. No contexto da Educação, a medida de estudo - a metodologia in company – se relaciona com o caráter pedagógico das organizações, que entendem este tipo de curso e treinamento como uma possibilidade educacional para seus colaboradores. O que se percebe é que a necessidade do mercado é de diferenciação, inovação e criatividade. Várias são as características do indivíduo que se relacionam com a criatividade (Wood Jr, 2002) logo, as empresas que estão se destacando no cenário atual são as que ousam mais, investem não só em ações e projetos, mas também em iniciativas criadas por e para seus próprios colaboradores, que se tornam os grandes co-autores do sucesso das organizações. O presente estudo teve como objetivo perceber os impactos e benefícios da aplicação destes cursos e treinamentos modelo in company não só para a organização que o implementa, mas também para cada colaborador individualmente. Para alcançar este objetivo da forma mais completa possível, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa qualitativa aplicada a uma empresa fornecedora de cursos in company e outra formato focus group aplicada aos colaboradores que vivenciaram esta experiência, com recurso a consulta de legislação, observações livres, entrevistas presenciais a oito colaboradores da organização Som Livre, com idades entre 25 e 35 anos e, desta forma, responder às questões que estimularam o início desta investigação.

Internationalization of IT company: Case study of a Finnish MOOC platform

The interest to small and media size enterprises’ (SMEs) internationalization process is increasing with a growth of SMEs’ contribution to GDP. Internet gives an opportunity to provide variety of services online and reach market niche worldwide. The overlapping of SMEs’ internationalization and online services is the main issue of the research. The most SMEs internationalize according to intuitive decisions of CEO of the company and lose limited resources to worthless attempts. The purpose of this research is to define effective approaches to online service internationalization and selection of the first international market. The research represents single holistic case study of local massive open online courses (MOOCs) platform going global. It considers internationalization costs and internationalization theories applicable to online services. The research includes preliminary screening of the markets and in-depth analysis based on macro parameters of the market and specific characteristics of the customers and expert evaluation of the results. The specific issues as GILT (Globalization, Internationalization, Localization and Translation) approach and Internet-enabled internationalization are considered. The research results include recommendations on international market selection methodology for online services and for effective internationalization strategy development.

Financial Characteristics of Family Businesses and Financial Aspects of Succession

Family businesses are special in many respects. By examining their financial characteristics one can come to unique conclusions/results. This paper explores the general characteristics of the financial behaviour of family businesses, presents the main findings of the INSIST project’s company case studies concerning financing issues and strategies, and intends to identify the financial characteristics of company succession. The whole existence of family businesses is characterized by a duality of the family and business dimensions and this remains the case in their financial affairs. The financial decisions in family businesses (especially SMEs) are affected by aspects involving a duality of goals rather than exclusively profitability, the simultaneous presence of family and business financial needs, and the preferential handling of family needs at the expense of business needs (although it has to be said that there is evidence of family investments being postponed for the sake of business, too. Family businesses, beyond their actual effectiveness, are guided by individual goals like securing living standards, ensuring workplaces for family members, stability of operation, preservation of the company’s good reputation, and keeping the company’s size at a level that the immediate family can control and manage. The INSIST project’s company case studies revealed some interesting traits of family business finances like the importance of financial support from the founder’s family during the establishment of the company, the use of bootstrapping techniques, the financial characteristics of succession, and the role of family members in financial management.

New dimeric supramolecular structure of mixed (phthalocyaninato)(porphyrinato)-europium(III) sandwiches : preparation and spectroscopic characteristics

The mixed double-decker Eu\[Pc(15C5)4](TPP) (1) was obtained by base-catalysed tetramerisation of 4,5-dicyanobenzo-15-crown-5 using the half-sandwich complex Eu(TPP)(acac) (acac = acetylacetonate), generated in situ, as the template. For comparative studies, the mixed triple-decker complexes Eu2\[Pc(15C5)4](TPP)2 (2) and Eu2\[Pc(15C5)4]2(TPP) (3) were also synthesised by the raise-by-one-story method. These mixed ring sandwich complexes were characterised by various spectroscopic methods. Up to four one-electron oxidations and two one-electron reductions were revealed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). As shown by electronic absorption and infrared spectroscopy, supramolecular dimers (SM1 and SM3) were formed from the corresponding double-decker 1 and triple-decker 3 in the presence of potassium ions in MeOH/CHCl3.

Vibrational spectroscopy of phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine in sandwich-type (na)phthalocyaninato and porphyrinato rare earth complexes : (Part 10) The infrared and Raman characteristics of phthalocyanine in heteroleptic bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth complexes with decreased molecular symmetry

The infrared (IR) spectroscopic data for a series of eleven heteroleptic bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth complexes MIII(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4] (M = Sm–Lu, Y) [H2Pc = unsubstituted phthalocyanine, H2Pc(α-OC5H11)4 = 1,8,15,22-tetrakis(3-pentyloxy)phthalocyanine] have been collected with 2 cm−1 resolution. Raman spectroscopic properties in the range of 500–1800 cm−1 for these double-decker molecules have also been comparatively studied using laser excitation sources emitting at 632.8 and 785 nm. Both the IR and Raman spectra for M(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4] are more complicated than those of homoleptic bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth analogues due to the decreased molecular symmetry of these double-decker compounds, namely C4. For this series, the IR Pc√− marker band appears as an intense absorption at 1309–1317 cm−1, attributed to the pyrrole stretching. With laser excitation at 632.8 nm, Raman vibrations derived from isoindole ring and aza stretchings in the range of 1300–1600 cm−1 are selectively intensified. In contrast, when excited with laser radiation of 785 nm, the ring radial vibrations of isoindole moieties and dihedral plane deformations between 500 and 1000 cm−1 for M(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4] intensify to become the strongest scatterings. Both techniques reveal that the frequencies of pyrrole stretching, isoindole breathing, isoindole stretchings, aza stretchings and coupling of pyrrole and aza stretchings depend on the rare earth ionic size, shifting to higher energy along with the lanthanide contraction due to the increased ring-ring interaction across the series. The assignments of the vibrational bands for these compounds have been made and discussed in relation to other unsubstituted and substituted bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth analogues, such as M(Pc)2 and M(OOPc)2 [H2OOPc = 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis(octyloxy)phthalocyanine].

Vibrational spectroscopy of phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine in sandwich-type (na)phthalocyaninato and porphyrinato rare earth complexes: Part 14. The infrared and Raman characteristics of phthalocyanine in “pinwheel-like” homoleptic bis[1,8,15,22-tetrakis(3-pentyloxy)phthalocyaninato] rare earth(III) double-decker complexes

The infrared (IR) spectroscopic data and Raman spectroscopic properties for a series of 13 “pinwheel-like” homoleptic bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth complexes M[Pc(α-OC5H11)4]2 [M = Y and Pr–Lu except Pm; H2Pc(α-OC5H11)4 = 1,8,15,22-tetrakis(3-pentyloxy)phthalocyanine] have been collected and comparatively studied. Both the IR and Raman spectra for M[Pc(α-OC5H11)4]2 are more complicated than those of homoleptic bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth analogues, namely M(Pc)2 and M[Pc(OC8H17)8]2, but resemble (for IR) or are a bit more complicated (for Raman) than those of heteroleptic counterparts M(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4], revealing the decreased molecular symmetry of these double-decker compounds, namely S8. Except for the obvious splitting of the isoindole breathing band at 1110–1123 cm−1, the IR spectra of M[Pc(α-OC5H11)4]2 are quite similar to those of corresponding M(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4] and therefore are similarly assigned. With laser excitation at 633 nm, Raman bands derived from isoindole ring and aza stretchings in the range of 1300–1600 cm−1 are selectively intensified. The IR spectra reveal that the frequencies of pyrrole stretching and pyrrole stretching coupled with the symmetrical CH bending of –CH3 groups are sensitive to the rare earth ionic size, while the Raman technique shows that the bands due to the isoindole stretchings and the coupled pyrrole and aza stretchings are similarly affected. Nevertheless, the phthalocyanine monoanion radical Pc′− IR marker band of bis(phthalocyaninato) complexes involving the same rare earth ion is found to shift to lower energy in the order M(Pc)2 > M(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4] > M[Pc(α-OC5H11)4]2, revealing the weakened π–π interaction between the two phthalocyanine rings in the same order.

Raman spectroscopic characteristics of phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine in sandwich-type phthalocyaninato and porphyrinato rare earth complexes Part 5. – Raman spectroscopic characteristics of naphthalocyanine in mixed [tetrakis(4-tert-butylphenyl)porphyrinato]-(naphthalocyaninato) rare earth double-deckers

Raman spectra were recorded in the range 400–1800 cm−1 for a series of 15 mixed \[tetrakis(4-tert-butylphenyl)porphyrinato](2,3-naphthalocyaninato) rare earth double-deckers M(TBPP)(Nc) (M = Y; La–Lu except Pm) using laser excitation at 632.8 and 785 nm. Comparisons with bis(naphthalocyaninato) rare earth counterparts reveal that the vibrations of the metallonaphthalocyanine M(Nc) fragment dominate the Raman features of M(TBPP)(Nc). When excited with radiation of 632.8 nm, the most intense vibration appears at about 1595 cm−1, due to the naphthalene stretching. These complexes exhibit the marker Raman band for Nc•− as a medium-intense band in the range 1496–1507 cm−1, attributed to the coupling of pyrrole and aza stretching, while the marker Raman band of Nc2− in intermediate-valence Ce(TBPP)(Nc) appears as a strong band at 1493 cm−1 and is due to the isoindole stretchings. By contrast, when excited with radiation of 785 nm that is in close resonance with the main Q absorption band of the naphthalocyanine ligand, the ring radial vibrations at ca 680 and 735 cm−1 for MIII(TBPP)(Nc) are selectively intensified and are the most intense bands. For the cerium double-decker, the most intense vibration also acting as the marker Raman band of Nc2− appears at 1497 cm−1 with contributions from both pyrrole CC and aza CN stretches. The same vibrational modes show weak to medium intensity scattering at 1506–1509 cm−1 for MIII(TBPP)(Nc) and this is the marker Raman band of Nc•− when thus excited. The scatterings due to the Nc breathings, ring radial vibration, aza group stretchings, naphthalene stretchings, benzoisoindole stretchings and the coupling of pyrrole CC and aza CN stretchings in MIII(TBPP)(Nc) are all slightly blue shifted along with the decrease in rare earth ionic radius, confirming the effects of increased ring–ring interactions on the Raman characteristics of naphthalocyanine in the mixed ring double-deckers.