Entrepreneurship & Organization Management

This paper examines the relationship between corporate firm’s ownership and capital structure in context of an emerging market economy, India. We use firm-level time series data of listed companies from 1994 through 2000 and analyze the firm’s corporate financing behavior in connection with its corporate governance arrangements, specially its shareholding pattern. Our results show that the debt structure is non-linearly linked to the corporate governance (ownership structure). We find that firms with weaker corporate governance mechanisms, dispersed shareholding pattern, in particular measured by the entrenchment effects of group affiliation, tend to have a higher debt level. Firms with higher foreign ownership or with low institutional ownership tend to have lower debt level. We do not find any significant relationship between ownership of directors and corporate with the capital structure.

Technology innovation plays a key role in strengthening the competitiveness of the enterprises. It is a good method for the company to win the market within background of global economy and fierce competition. Based on the literature review of the enterprise innovation and technology development status, choosing the construction enterprise listed in top 500 companies of 2015 as an example, this paper firstly analyzed the enterprises’ basic ranking status and overall competitiveness. From the perspective of technology innovation management, then explored the differences among the construction enterprises from five aspects of technology innovation: (1) R and D human resources, (2) capital investment, (3) organization management, (4) incentives mechanism, and (5) innovation cooperative mechanism. The comparison between Chinese construction companies and international construction companies are presented as well with the root cause analysis of the difference on innovation management. Research found that Chinese construction enterprises are dominated the global leading position, but the technology innovation management mode and internationality is not strong. Finally, the paper put forward corresponding countermeasures and suggestions on how to improve the innovation performance for Chinese construction enterprises. It pointed out that the Chinese construction enterprises should strengthen technological innovation management, establish a professional technological innovation system and incentives mechanism to maintain international competitiveness and achieve sustainable development goals.

What processes do entrepreneurs use for leading themselves during the challenging times of building and growing a business? This article presents an assessment tool called DSLK that measures entrepreneurs’ use of self- and superleadership. The questionnaire measures the four foci of self–leadership (1) constructive thoughts; (2) natural rewards; (3) effective behaviors; and (4) Vitality and the super-leadership foci (1) coaching and communicative support and (2) facilitation of personal autonomy and responsibility. Reliability coefficients for the long and a short version of the DSLK are described. Implications for entrepreneurial assessment and training of self-leadership and super-leadership are discussed.

The objective of this paper is to investigate entrepreneurship skill development through the apprenticeship scheme in some selected small scale business in the Southern region of Nigeria. The paper describes entrepreneurship skills development and also analysis the apprenticeship scheme in Southern region of Nigeria. In order to achieve the objectives, a well-structured sampling technique was employed. A total of number of 112 questionnaires were administrated to the selected small scale business owners in the southern region states which were all properly completed and analyzed using simple percentage. The results obtained revealed that there is low level of education among the majority of the selected small scale businesses in the Southern region of Nigeria. And majority acquired their skills through the apprenticeship. The sources of apprenticeship recruitment are mainly friends and associates. The paper therefore recommends that attention there is need for regular seminars, conferences and workshops for the owners of the small scale business among the Igbo community in order for the region to experience rapid and sustainable economic transformation desired.

The present research aims to investigate the effect of intellectual capital on innovation in Zanjan Science and Technology Park (STP) during 2013. This study was conducted based on the quality-correlation method. The research questionnaire was distributed between employees who worked for any of the firms inside the STP. In general, 220 employees work in Zanjan Science and Technology Park, 139 of whom were selected using the Cochran’s formula to reply to the questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results of the correlation test revealed a significant positive relationship between intellectual capital and innovation. The elements of structural capital and human capital did not indicate any significant relationship with innovation. However, it was found that the elements of intellectual capital (i.e. human capital, structural capital, and relational capital) can be used as predictors of innovation in our case study.

Microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the Philippines have gained a reputation for operating as a for-profit institution reaching the poor through micro-lending. The problem or issue which the study addresses is to determine how MFIs in the Philippines are able to attain operational self-sufficiency, the established indicator for financial viability among microfinance institutions, in spite of high transactions cost. The phenomenon may be verified by the following research question: does the behavior of operational and transactions costs among group and individual microfinance lenders manifest experience or learning curve spillovers and a U-shaped supply curve? The study has two objectives. First, using appropriate measures of financial and social performance, the study shall empirically verify the phenomenon of experience or learning curve spillovers among MFIs. Second is to estimate the supply curve for loans to the unbanked poor and verify that it is U-shaped.

The results of the pooled least squares with cross-section random effects regression estimation show that both NGOs and rural banks are attaining both objectives of operational self-sufficiency and moderate to good social performance, through the spillover effects of learning, that is, fast learning for rural banks and moderate learning for NGOs. Operational and transactions costs are high but decreasing for both rural banks and NGOs. Older, more mature NGOs and rural banks are able to set transactions cost at the prescribed level of 11%-25%. Such costs ensure that the MFIs operate in order to both financial performance and outreach.

‘’Knowledge’’ is progressively known as being of central significance to organizations in the contemporary knowledge society. Observed evidence demonstrates that gradually knowledge-based tasks are being conducted by teams of geographically dispersed actors between markets and companies. Furthermore, firms are increasingly employing dispersed teams, since one of the benefits of dispersed teams is the ability of its members to provide diverse knowledge and expertise. In spite of all this industry attention, not much understood about how to successfully cooperate to facilitate different types of knowledge-based tasks. The research on dispersed collaboration and knowledge management is young, the consequences of managing dispersed knowledge are less understood, and the field is still being mapped out.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the training effectiveness on PIA by applying the four levels Kirkpatrick model consisting of reaction, learning, behavior and Results. This study is cross sectional, primary data was collected through interviews from different batches representing different levels of the Kirkpatrick model. Effectiveness of training at the different levels was being evaluated through construct/theme developed on the basis of literature review. For level one evaluation interviews were conducted from employees who had recently completed their training; for level 2,3and4 the respondents, who had completed same training about 3 months, 6 months and year earlier respectively. The results indicated that reaction of the participants were positive for training except duration was too short, secondly they have applied skills and knowledge which they had learnt from training. A positive consequence of the training is that most of the participants got promoted from their current designation with the improvement in their pay scales. Thus, the soft skills trainings were effective with the participants desiring more opportunities to attend soft skills training session at least quarterly basis, to further improve their skills and enhance their knowledge. This model is rarely used in Pakistan, especially in PIA it is used first time by the help of this research study and find effectiveness of training.

Cluster is a geographical location (5 km radius) having 50 or more manufacturing or service providing units of interrelated and interdependent firms along with their backward and forward linkage industries. Manufacturing or service providing firms are co-located and experience unique strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a cluster. Clusters could be naturally grown due to the availability of raw materials, skilled labor, historically inherent professional uniqueness etc. reasons. On the other hand government or concerned agencies may establish a pre-planned co-located cluster of a particular sub-sector in a specific place. Where firms are co-located and linked with each other through the value chain of a particular product. Clusters, either naturally grown or man-made, require development interventions in different phases to perform better than its existing situation. Cluster development interventions could be different based on specific needs of a cluster. Implementation modalities of cluster development interventions could be different due to the explicit features of a cluster. There are several models for cluster development offered by different international bodies, expert groups, practitioners to guide clusters into a particular benchmark of development. The J.M. Model for cluster development was offered by both the authors to guide cluster managers toward success in a challenging environment. This model was initially offered by the authors through their publication titled “Cluster Development Models: Challenges and Opportunities” published by the International Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Sciences. It comprises of five phases and twenty one steps for comprehensive development of a selected cluster. The J.M. Model for Cluster Development is described elaborately here in this article for better understanding of the cluster managers, practitioners, academicians and other relevant stakeholders.

The concept of corporate governance is in the context of business language use a synonymous term for the english term management. Management and corporate governance can be regarded as a function. In this sense corporate governance are activities that are provided by leaders in all areas of the company (Human Resources, Procurement, sales, management, financing, etc.). For this purpose they use management methods that have been developed by scientists and foundations that deal with the training of executives (staff development). Establishment of policies, and continuous monitoring of their proper implementation, by the members of the governing body of an organization.

Management ties together resources in an organization, mobilizes resources, and harmonizes efforts of all stakeholders to achieve organizational goals. Management in modern organizations have been challenged to adopt approaches that will keep organizations afloat. Arguably traditional approaches mainly aiming at effectiveness can no longer be relied on. This paper discusses project management approach in comparison to general management, its influence on organizational performance, highlight success cases and use of monitoring. It concludes that project management approach is core for organizational success and provides a flexible way to enhance continuous quality improvement, effective and efficient production within budget and set timelines.

In an era of diminishing resources available to social service agencies and increasingly complex social problems, it has become almost imperative that the leaders of nonprofit organizations search for new strategies and solutions. This article discusses a pilot project which utilized experiential learning about design thinking to stimulate innovation in social sector organizations. Results suggest that even limited exposure to design thinking can lead to changes in individual capacity for innovation and increased work engagement. Implications for nonprofit management and the potential for intrapreneurial paths to innovation are discussed.