Should I Stay or Should I Go? Career Choice Intentions of Students with Family Business Background

Personal and motivational patterns of intentional founders have been researched in great depth; however, antecedents to career choices of intentional successors have been conspicuously missing in entrepreneurship research. By drawing on theory of planned behavior, we investigate how intentional founders, successors, and employees differ in terms of locus of control and entrepreneurial self-efficacy as well as independence and innovation motives. We find that transitive likelihood of career intent depends on degree of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and the independence motive. Unexpectedly, we see that high levels of internal locus of control lead to a preference of employment, which challenges traditional entrepreneurship research and suggests that the feasibility of an entrepreneurial career path does not automatically make it desirable. Our findings suggest that students with family business background are pessimistic about being in control in an entrepreneurial career, but optimistic about their efficacy to pursue an entrepreneurial career.

Entrepreneurship in Family Firms and Beyond

To explain family firms‘ generation-spanning success, scholars have increasingly been investigating entrepreneurship-related phenomena as corresponding antecedents. Entrepreneurship research beyond the family firm context has been growing significantly over the last decades as well. In both areas, however, numerous important research gaps exist. Referring to entrepreneurship in the family firm context, there is a need to enrich literature on succession/transgenerational entrepreneurship, portfolio entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial strategies and orientations. In the general entrepreneurship context, further insights are needed into employees’ entrepreneurial behavior and individuals’ entrepreneurial intentions. The six journal articles, two conference papers, and two book chapters that are included in this Cumulative Postdoctoral Thesis address those gaps and provide valuable contributions to the respective bodies of literature. As a whole, the publications significantly advance existing knowledge in two very relevant academic fields and open up promising avenues for future research.

Intergenerational Transfer of Family Firm Control: Discount Expectations of Potential Successors

Building on institutional theory and family sociology literature we explore the logics that underlie the formation of transaction price expectations related to the intergenerational transfer of corporate ownership in private family firms. By probing a sample of 3'487 students with family business background from 20 countries we show that next generation family members expect to receive a 56.58% discount in comparison to some nonfamily buyer (i.e. the family discount) when taking over the parent's firm. We also show that the logic underlying the formation of family discount expectations is characterized by parental altruism, filial reciprocity, filial decency and parental inducement. These norms embrace both the family and market logics and accommodate the duties and demands of children and parents in determining a fair transfer price. These findings are important for institutional theory as well as for family business and entrepreneurial exit literatures.

“Behind a Best Seller: Kabbalah, Science, and Loving One’s Neighbor in Pinhas Hurwitz’s Sefer ha-Brit”

This manuscript is a literary history of The Book of Covenant, an encyclopedic work of science, philosophy, and ethics written in the late-eighteenth century by Jewish philosopher and polymath Pinhas Hurwitz. Ruderman explores the reasons for the book's huge popularity--it has been republished in forty editions in the last century--as well as its lasting influence on Jewish and kabbalistic thought, and its important place in Jewish society's confrontation with modernity.

Essays on Entrepreneurship and Founder Pre-entry Knowledge

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Explaining variations in the knowledge economy in three small wealthy countries

At a broad level, it has been shown that different institutional contexts, policy regimes and business systems affect the kinds of activities in which a nation specialises. This paper is concerned with the way in which different national business systems affect the nature of participation of a nation in the knowledge economy. The paper seeks to explain cross-national variations in the knowledge economy in the Australia, Denmark and Sweden with reference to dominant characteristics of the business system. Although Australia, Denmark and Sweden are all small wealthy countries, they each have quite distinctive business systems. Australia has been regarded as a variant of the competitive business system and has generally been described as an entrepreneurial economy with a large small firm population. In contrast Sweden has a coordinated business system that has favoured large industrial firms. The Danish variant of the coordinated model, with its well-developed vocational training system, is distinguishable by its large population of networked small and medium size enterprises. The three countries also differ significantly on two dimensions of participation in the knowledge economy. First, there is cross-national variation in patterns of specialisation in knowledge intensive industries and services. Second, the institutional infrastructure of the knowledge economy (or the existing stock of knowledge and competence in the economy, the potential for generation and diffusion a new knowledge and the capacity for commercialisation of new ideas) differs across the three countries. This paper seeks to explain variations in these two dimensions of the knowledge economy with reference to characteristics of the business system in the three countries.

Third sector in transition - A question of sustainability for community service organizations and the sector?

Third sector organizations are transitioning towards entrepreneurial and managerial models as a result of quasi-market strategies. This paper reports on the research findings of a survey of nonprofit disability organizations in Queensland and Victoria impacted upon by quasi-market reform. Enterprising organizations were found to have made substantial change to organizational structures and systems, whilst more traditional organizations made few changes. All organizations demonstrated commitment to a social justice ethos. However across the organizational archetypes there were reports of an organizational 'fragility'. It is argued that the problems of sustainability of community service organizations that existed prior to quasi-market reforms remain. This implies community service organizations will experience ongoing difficulties in the post-market era without further rationalization and change. A conceptual framework for sustainability of the community service sector is presented at the policy and organizational level.

Investigating social entrepreneurship: A multidimensional model

Social entrepreneurship is an emerging area of investigation within the entrepreneurship and not-for-profit marketing literatures. A review of the literature emerging from a number of domains reveals that it is fragmented and that there is no coherent theoretical framework. In particular, current conceptualizations of social entrepreneurship fail to adequately consider the unique characteristics of social entrepreneurs and the context within which they must operate. Using grounded theory method and drawing on nine in-depth case studies of social entrepreneurial not-for-profit organizations, this paper addresses this research gap and develops a bounded multidimensional model of social entrepreneurship. Implications for social entrepreneurship theory, management practice, and policy directions are discussed.

Future Engineers Australia Management Project: Turning high school students into engineering entrepreneurs

There has been a strong move towards entrepreneurial education in high schools and at universities over the past few years. This has been echoed by a call from state governments around Australia to promote enterprise thinking and education in high schools. It also parallels the push within engineering to learn across the traditional boundaries , particularly between engineering and business. To meet this call, The Engineering Link Group (TELG) developed the Future Engineers Australia Management Project (FEAMP) in 2003. The project is based around Enterprise Education, and was inspired by the Smallpeice Year 12 Engineering Management course in the UK. The idea was to take high school students in years 11 and 12 and turn them into ‘engineering entrepreneurs’. This paper presents the design, development and evaluation of FEAMP as a five day residential course for year 11 and 12 students who want to learn more about being entrepreneurs and managers. It is a hands-on activity where the students invent, develop and sell an engineering concept to venture capitalists and ultimately to customers at a trade fair. It has been run successfully for two years, going from strength to strength. © 2005, Australasian Association for Engineering Education

Examining the role of networking capability in small and medium firm internationalization

While research on SME internationalization has increased, there remains a lack of relevant theory on the SME internationalization process. The literature reports that small firms overcome their resource poverty-based constraints to internationalization by developing network relationships. Networking enables SMEs to acquire much needed internationalization process knowledge, and knowledge for the development of innovative products and services for this internationalization. However, networking activity has not yet been conceptualized and measured as a competitive capability in internationalization research. Drawing on the capability-based theory of competitive strategy, this paper conjectures that internationally entrepreneurial SMEs build and nurture distinctive networking capabilities, enabling them to acquire new knowledge. These learning capabilities enable them to pursue innovation thereby facilitating nternationalization. Data from Australian firms largely supports the conceptual framework. Implications for theory and practice are presented.

Comparing the conditions for small business and entrepreneurship in Sweden and Australia: Lessons for the European Charter for Small Enterprises

A growing body of literature is concerned with explaining cross-national performance of small business and entrepreneurs in advanced economies. This literature has considered a range of policy and institutional variables which create an environment supportive of small firms and entrepreneurial activities including macroeconomic variables such as taxation, labour market regulation, social security and income policy; regulatory factors such as establishment legislation, bankruptcy policy, administrative burdens, compliance costs, deregulation and competition policy; and cultural factors such as social and cultural norms that support entrepreneurship. However, this literature has not always distinguished between the policy environment of small firms operating in different industry sectors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the institutional and policy environment of small firms in knowledge intensive sectors. The characteristics of the business environment of particular relevance to knowledge intensive firms are somewhat different from the conditions for entrepreneurship and small business success more generally. This paper compares the science, technology and industry infrastructure of Australia, Denmark, Sweden with other OECD countries. The purpose of the paper is to identify cross-national differences in the business environment of small knowledge intensive firms. The paper seeks to explore whether particular institutional environments appear to be more supportive of small firms in knowledge intensive sectors.

Developing a research framework for understanding the social realities, with special reference to Sri Lankan entrepreneurs

This paper identifies and examines issues of relevance for increasing effectiveness of entrepreneurial management research. These issues emerged from research into entrepreneurial behaviour and underlying motivations in Sri Lanka. Understanding of socially- and culturally-bound social actors, social actions and social outputs in entrepreneurial activity requires context-sensitivity, expressed through cognisance of institutional characteristics, the interface between cultural values and business, and historical and cultural forces which impact on entrepreneurship. We suggest that this requires exploration through bottom-up translations of actions consistent with the beliefs and values of the actors involved, employing qualitative methodology to ground the reality of human behaviour in deep-rooted cultural and social contexts. Thorough interpretation of holistic case studies that are capable of capturing the actors' viewpoints brings appropriate insights to the field of entrepreneurship.

Are Sri Lankan entrepreneurs motivated by the need for achievement?

The entrepreneurship models in existence in Sri Lanka are often based on the assumptions of n-Ach and personality trait theory. In this paper we describe empirical research into entrepreneurial motivations in Sri Lanka that addresses the neglect of socio-cultural factors. Our findings suggest that entrepreneurial motivation in Sri Lanka is rooted not in a need for individual achievement, but in the conscious or unconscious need to satisfy a sense of social intimacy. The emphasis on social power, social relations and collectivism create a setting for entrepreneurial motivation in Sri Lanka that drives almost directly counter to western ideologies of entrepreneurial motivation (from paper).

DOS CABIDES DE EMPREGO AOS CABIDES DO CONHECIMENTO: UM CASO DE PARCERIA ENTRE O INSTITUTO GENERAL MOTORS E A ESCOLAMUNICIPAL DE ENSINO PROFª. ALCINA DANTAS FEIJÃO NO DESENVOLVIMENTO DA RESPONSABILIDADE SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL

O Brasil, até poucos anos atrás, não via em sua agenda de prioridades a educação como foco principal para o crescimento econômico, talvez por não acreditar que com a estabilidade da moeda, abertura da economia e outros fatores necessitassem de pessoal qualificado para poder manter a capacidade produtiva. Assim, o país tenta corrigir esta situação investindo em educação, incorporando novas tecnologias no processo produtivo, necessitando de uma força de trabalho hábil para aprender e desenvolver as novas técnicas. Atualmente o Brasil mantém um dos menores índices de desemprego, no entanto, muitas empresas sofrem com o apagão da qualificação, necessitando realizar treinamentos e por consequência aumento em seus custos. As empresas tentam driblar a falta de pessoal qualificado investindo nos programas de estágio e trainee, realizando contratações de profissionais estrangeiros, criando universidades corporativas, e em alguns casos, as empresas estreitam seus laços junto às redes de ensino, a fim de preparar jovens para o domínio de novas tecnologias, associado ao aprimoramento em sua área de atuação, evitando assim o desequilíbrio entre teoria e prática . As organizações empresariais conscientes de seu papel começam a compreender que a prosperidade tão almejada não se traduz por faturamentos vultosos ou simplesmente pela quantidade de produtos vendidos. Estas despertam para a criação e adaptação de empresas-cidadãs que por meio de suas ações sociais, buscam desenvolver atividades solidárias. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo geral analisar a Responsabilidade Social Empresarial sob a ótica de parcerias com escolas (parceria entre a General Motors do Brasil, por meio de seu braço social - o Instituto General Motors e a Escola Municipal de Ensino Profª. Alcina Dantas Feijão da Cidade de São Caetano do Sul). A parceria se concretiza, por meio do Programa Jovens Empreendedores ou Fábrica de Cabides . O intuito do Programa é despertar o espírito empreendedor nos estudantes e incentivar a formação de futuros empresários. Com os objetivos específicos determinou-se: a) estudar parcerias entre empresas e escolas no desenvolvimento da RSE; b) entender os motivos que levaram a empresa e a escola a concretizar a parceria e suas expectativas; c) identificar possíveis alterações ocorridas na escola, atribuídas ao processo de parceria. A partir destes objetivos, o procedimento metodológico foi orientado pelo método de estudo de caso, objetivando uma pesquisa mais voltada para abordagem qualitativa, levantando-se referenciais teóricos, bem como, procedimentos de análise de dados por meio de questionário, observação direta e artefatos físicos. A análise compreensiva dos dados foi realizada a partir de dois núcleos temáticos: importância da parceria e mercado de trabalho. Os resultados evidenciam que iniciativas de parcerias podem se reverter em melhoria da qualidade de ensino que permita o desenvolvimento de habilidades e competências necessárias à inserção responsável no mercado de trabalho com uma dimensão cidadã.

O ENSINO DO EMPREENDEDORISMO NA FORMAÇÃO DO DISCENTE DO CURSO DE ADMINISTRAÇÃO: UM ESTUDO EM INSTITUIÇÕES PRIVADAS DE ENSINO SUPERIOR DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

Este estudo apresenta uma análise sobre o ensino do empreendedorismo na formação do discente no curso de Bacharelado em Administração. A pesquisa foi realizada em três instituições privadas de ensino superior, localizadas no estado de São Paulo, com aplicação de questionário para alunos de primeiro e último períodos do curso, com levantamento quantitativo de dados. Também utilizou informações fornecidas pelos coordenadores do curso, por meio de pesquisa qualitativa. Em relação à pesquisa bibliográfica foram mencionados estudos sobre o desenvolvimento do ensino do empreendedorismo, os diversos conceitos apresentados pelos estudiosos do assunto, o histórico da universidade brasileira e os caminhos percorridos pelo ensino do empreendedorismo. O referencial teórico foi finalizado com uma abordagem sobre a cultura organizacional, que englobou as diferenças entre culturas organizacionais tradicionais e empreendedoras. O estudo foi desenvolvido enfatizando-se a importância do estímulo na criação de empreendimentos próprios e no desenvolvimento e prática de atitudes empreendedoras, como modelo de projeção profissional e encarreiramento nas organizações. Quanto aos resultados, essa dissertação apresentou as variáveis que apontam a relação entre o ensino do empreendedorismo e as características empreendedoras do discente do curso de Administração, como fatores determinantes para o desenvolvimento empreendedor.