Scientificia (E-Journals)
Not a member yet
210 research outputs found
Sort by
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Entrepreneurship Training Courses in a Developing Country
Get PDFPurpose- Today, entrepreneurship has become a necessity for economic development in different countries. Therefore, entrepreneurship training could be a solution in order to reach this goal. But it should be considered that for being more successful, these courses should be effective and efficient.
Design/methodology/approach- In this study, a survey is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of these courses between 265 trained individuals between in a two years period. Random sampling is done and then 113 individuals were selected to conduct the survey. Cronbach's alpha was calculated (0.967) and some hypotheses were tested.
Findings- Results reveal that output effectiveness was significant, and the courses were considered to be at an acceptable level. But there were some limitations as follows: (i) lack of access to a large number of trainers, which might affect the generalization level of the findings; and (ii) finding appro-priate measures to test the mentioned hypotheses.
Research Implications- The findings of this research might be used by policy makers, trainers and even tutors in the field of entrepreneurship.
Originality/value- The research is among the first studies in the area of evaluating entrepreneurship training courses conducted in Iran.
Research Paper
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Hosseinzadeh, M., Razavi, S. M., Hosseinzadeh, D. (2014). “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Entrepreneurship Training Courses in a Developing Country”, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 63–73
Inference of FDI in Indian retail sector: Some Reflections
Get PDFPurpose- The Indian retail market, which was largely unorganized till the 1980s, has undergone an immense transformation in post-liberalization era. However, valued at 315 billion (approx) in global sale. India is estimated to have around 15 million retail outlets, making it the country with the highest retail outlet density in the world. A.T. Kearney, a well known international management consultancy, in the year 2009, identified India as the most attractive retail destination in the world. With a significant contribution to the national GDP (10 percent) and employment (8 percent, second largest employer after agriculture) this sector can definitely be referred as one of the pillars of the Indian economy.
Design/methodology/approach- The paper pulls together various strains of research and data gathere from sound databases to discuss the status.
Findings- In their preparation to face fierce competitive pressure, Indian retailers must come to recognize the value of building their own stores as brands to reinforce their marketing Positioning, to communicate quality as well as value for money. Sustainable competitive advantage will be dependent on translating core values combining products, image and reputation into a coherent retail brand strategy.
Viewpoint
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Deshpande, M., Gaddi, A., Patil, S. R. (2014). “Inference of FDI in Indian retail sector- Some Reflections”, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 82–97
Understanding Institutions in the Context of Entrepreneurship
Get PDFPurpose- Entrepreneurs propose; institutions facilitate; markets decide; knowledge grows and development occurs. This process of development with growth of knowledge through institutions and entrepreneurship may be of interest for many. But the topic „Institutions and Entrepreneurship‟ overlaps several areas of research, and therefore works are fragmented.
Design/methodology/approach- The paper pulls together these various strains of research. Various theoretical and empirical studies have been discussed related to this but are of course not exhaustive.
Findings- The contributions of both the classical and modern literatures are equally important in understanding the two related and valuable concepts of Institutions and Entrepreneurship. Identifying the variables through which the mechanism of Institutions affect the quantity and quality of Entrepreneurship of a region are crucial. The paper advocates the study of Institutions in a cluster; in a general framework rather than in isolation. The efficiency of an institutional set up hinges on the various complementary elements and therefore there is a need of coherence among all related variables to deliver a unified and mutually reinforcing environment.
Research paper
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Kumar, G. (2014). “Understanding Institutions in the Context of Entrepreneurship”
Motivations, emotions, and feelings of self gifting entrepreneurs: A cross-cultural study
Get PDFPurpose- This study explores the self-gifting customer behavior of entrepreneurs across two cultures, Eastern and Western of districts of Iran, and identifies the motivations and feelings associated with the self-gifting practice.
Design/methodology/approach- The research includes a literature review of feelings and motiva-tions in the buying context, culture and the importance of cross-cultural studies in the consumer be-havior context, and the concept of self-gifting and its evolution. An empirical research undertaken to explore the feelings and motivations for self-gifting among consumers from six different providences divided in an equal numerical manner to represent the two different cultures. The findings of this qualitative research are analyzed by categorizing the responses into five dimensions or themes which have been identified as most relevant. This was followed by a cross-cultural comparison for each of the previously identified themes.
Findings- With the exception of two interviewees who by the nature of their job pay attention to ad-vertisements the rest of the respondents ignored any commercial in this respect. Taking into consider-ation the findings that motives and feelings vary across cultures it can be suggested that ads that try to encourage a self-gifting behavior in Eastern provinces should not follow solely the Western approach. In contrast with the Western individual prioritization, Eastern people are group-oriented thus a self-gift is meant to be shared.
Research limitations/implications- In order to avoid any cultural mistake and a low target rate of response self-gifting message customization is advisable. For instance, in West durable and expensive products can be advertised as self-gifts while in the East consumable products and products suitable for sharing can benefit from self-gift-oriented messages. In contrast, experiential self-gifts such as trips can be marketed in a similar way in both East and West. Due to the lack of financial support and time constraints the interviews were not preceded by a complete series of pilot studies. In addition to this, the qualitative analysis as such is vulnerable from the point of view of generalisability, validity and reliability. The interpretivist research philosophy adopted that focuses on the uniqueness of the individuals can also be considered a barrier towards absolute generalisability. Thus, no universal ap-plication of the studies‟ results has been assumed. However, the study gives some useful insights into the nature of self-gifting behavior across the division East-West and as such provides material for future research on the topic.
Research paper
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: JamehBozorgi, M. J., Hashemi Dashtaki, S.H. (2014). “Motivations, emotions, and feelings of self gifting entrepreneurs: A cross-cultural study”, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 98–120
Business incubators as allied in reducing the transaction costs in Mexican entrepreneurs
Get PDFPurpose- Strategic alliances are given by voluntary agreement between the parties, and have various forms, means and objectives which exist. In this text, the incubators as potential allies for entrepre-neurs in the creation process of the company and as a cause of reduction of transaction costs in the process, where the relationship between the two sides have discussed them generates benefits of vari-ous natures. While it is not set as the union of both, if it looks like the relationship and close contact, as a network, which allows the incubator to survive and achieve its objective and entrepreneurial reduce the risk of birth as a company, in addition to build networks with other companies, organiza-tions or institutions and ease of financing, and even the possibility of investors.
Design/methodology/approach- The method used for this paper is based on the analyses of official documents of the institutions referred, some studies on entrepreneurship and startups, and finally available data on new firms and institutions as RedJal and INEGI. In addition, incubators and studies on such cases were also reviewed to learn about the experience, services and working methods of these. This focused on observing what happens in Mexico about.
Findings- Business incubators in Mexico use to be strategic partners for entrepreneurs that enable the latter to reduce their transaction costs to startup a new company. Business incubators are also important to reduce the risk of death of the company and reduce uncertainty in the process. Also, the services provided, experience and expertise by incubators are important for a growing business arises with the required formality and according to the law, of course protecting its intellectual property and creating an image that pays to create its own reputation.
Conceptual Paper
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Vargas-Hernández, J. G., and Garcia Magaña, R.S. (2014). “Business incubators as allied in reducing the transaction costs in Mexican entrepre-neurs”, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 1–9
The rule of academic commercialization: The Bayh Dole Act in Iran and USA
Get PDFPurpose- Just before the approval of the Bayh dole Act, universities and colleges in the United States of America were used to be associations with the main aim focused on research and education and they could not imagine taking other missions. The approval of this act gave universities the right to submit and take advantage of their research results and academic achievements as intellectual properties which were done by governmental budget. Still over fifty years the Bayh dole Act is considered as the most inspiring act and significant factor in salient development of innovation and its consequent national productivity in the 1990s economy of America. With the encouraging economic and financial outcomes, many other countries like Iran got enthusiastic to authorize and implement the same act. Although Islamic Republic of Iran with developing economy has approved similar academic commercialization rules, they were not successful in practice. Consequently they could not result to similar effects of the Bayh dole Act such as the mutation in development of academic innovation or the commercialization of knowledge base products in universities and, apparently they could not even increase the transfer technology offices (TTO) or the number of university patents and products either.
Design/methodology/approach- This article first introduces the background and the contexts of the Bayh dole passage in America and then explains the Act‟s main outcomes in America‟s innovation and academic commercialization system. Also it takes a brief look at the similar rules and regulations in other countries including Singapore, China and India.
Findings- Moreover, this article contains the comparative study of these regulations and related acts in other countries, especially in America, and their similarities and differences. Finally, by interviewing the Iranian inventers and experts, the defect of internal acts, factors and reasons of their disappointed implementation are illustrated.
Research paper
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Khosravi, S., Ahmadi, M., Barazandeh, M. (2014). “The rule of academic commercialization: The Bayh Dole Act in Iran and USA”, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 10–25
Social Networks and the Success of SMEs in Media Industries
Get PDFPurpose- Nowadays, media is an integral part of the daily life of human beings. SMEs in this indus-try use their potentials to succeed. On the other hand, social networks are becoming a key to success for these companies. In this sense, the authors investigate the effect of social networks on the custom-er's alertness and then on the success of these firms.
Design/methodology/approach- To do so, among a hundred and four managers in media enterprises in different levels, forty ones were selected and a questionnaire was distributed among them. In fact a quantitative approach was used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings- The results show that social network has an influence on the success of media SMEs. Moreover, one could conclude that network ties' strength, networking activities, network ties' type, and customer's alertness influence the success of media SMEs.
Research Implications- SMEs in media industries could take advantage of social networks to reach a more effective and efficient level of performance. Indeed, stronger network ties could help them in acting more efficiently. Moreover, customer's alertness could be affected through the characteristics of social networks.
Originality/value- The present study is among the first studies in the country which highlights the realities in the SMEs of media industries in developing countries. However, future research could deal with other aspects of such firms.
Research paper
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Zanjani, S.S., Gholamali, A., and Abbasi, D. (2013). “Social Networks and the Success of SMEs in Media Industries”, Journal of Entrepreneur-ship, Business and Economics, Vol. 1, No. 1/2, pp. 125–139
Uuderstanding Local Process: Contemplating Franchisation
Get PDFPurpose- Increasing, there is growing acknowledgement of the importance of franchising within all modern global economies. Despite this, little is understood with regards the actual impact of franchis-ing on local economies. This research aims to reframe the contribution of franchising by considering the process of franchisation.
Design/methodology/approach- This study employed a mixed-method approach, utilizing critical realism to facilitate an outcomes-based explanation of firm survival. The focus of the study was upon generative mechanisms that were assumed to give rise to particular events from which (pizza) firm survival was enhanced vis-à-vis all other community members. A database of 2440 firms (or in excess of 21,000 company years) combined with archival records, interviews and the researcher’s observa-tions provided the researcher with access to the nature of interaction occurring between firms.
Findings- It was found that the survival of local firms was influenced positively by the day-to-day actions of franchise operators. However, it is argued that to understand how any such advantage my fall to local independent firms, we need too better appreciate the multitude of local processes related to such industries.
Originality/value- This research re-examines several ecological concepts with the view of enabling a clearer investigation of underlying local processes. It also represents an authentic autecological ap-proach to the study of firms.
Case Study
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Jones, C (2013). “Uuderstanding Local Process: Contemplating Franchisation”, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 1 No. 1/2, pp. 1–16
Heterodox Economics Approach to Business Co-operation
Get PDFPurpose- Economics and business have evolved as sciences in order to accommodate more of ‘real world’ solutions for the problems approached. In many cases, both business and economics have been supported by other disciplines in order to obtain a more complete framework for the study of complex issues. The aim of this paper is to explore the contribution of three heterodox economics disciplines to the knowledge of business co-operation.
Design/methodology/approach- This approach is theoretical and it shows that many relevant aspects of business co-operation have been proposed by economic geography, institutional economics, and economic sociology.
Findings- This paper highlights the business mechanisms of co-operation, reflecting on the role of places, institution and the social context where businesses operate.
Research Implications- It contributes with a theoretical framework for the explanation of business co-operations and networks that goes beyond the traditional economics theories.
Originality/value- This paper contributes with a framework for the study of business co-operation both from an economics and management perspective. This framework embodies a number of non-quantitative issues that are critical for understanding the complex networks in which firms operate.
Conceptual paper
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Braga, V (2013). “Heterodox Economics Ap-proach to Business Co-operation”, Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 1 No. 1/2, pp. 72–81
Application of Customer Relationship Management in Emerging Economies
Get PDFPurpose- Relatively few organizations have implemented an integrated approach, which addresses all the key strategic elements of CRM. Even in more developed countries only a small number of busi-nesses have a clear idea of what they should do with information technology in order to successfully implement CRM.
Design/methodology/approach- To do so, the literature is critically reviewed and main findings are presented in different categories.
Findings- The role of information technology in development of a fully integrated CRM system with-in any organization is presented in the present paper.
Research Implications- In many countries there is still confusion as to what CRM is all about. To some it is about a loyalty scheme, to some it is about a help desk. To others it is about a relational data base for key account management and for others it is about mass profiling the customer base without undertaking detailed segmentation. Findings highlight the realities in the area of CRM appli-cation in emerging economies and criticises the existing trends.
Originality/value- The present study is among the first studies that highlights the realities in the area of CRM application in emerging economies.
Conceptual paper
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Maleki, A, and Beheshtian-Ardakani, M. (2013). “Application of Customer Relationship Management in Emerging Economies”, Journal of Entrepre-neurship, Business and Economics, Vol. 1, No. 1/2, pp. 140–150