Individuals often get asked: So what do you do? This question can be challenging for those in less traditional work settings, such as stay-at-home-moms and the self-employed. To help women better understand the range of possible responses, this study explores how women in Public Relations respond to identity questions that involve both their work and personal lives. I begin by situating the study within relevant literature on entrepreneurship, female business owners, the history of women in the workplace, work/life issues, Public Relations, the use of language to construct work identity, and structuration theory. I conducted one-on-one qualitative interviews as my methodology. Next, I discuss how my research questions led to a variety of often paradoxical findings including: (a) business owners who perceive mothering as their primary role; (b) the development of the "unplanned organization;" (c) business ownership as a phenomenon that seemingly offers more opportunities, but also constrains people in unexpected ways; (d) the emergence of nontraditional work arrangements, which continue to experience some resistance; (e) the idea that advisers can be peers or colleagues; (f) new labels, such as virtual work and virtual agency, that describe individuals' roles but raise lingering questions about societal perceptions of work; (g) how framing and sensemaking can offer women tools to account for the discontinuities in their narratives.

The paper evaluates the support needs of minority small business owners in Austin, Texas, based on a review of literature on support programs available around the country and primary research on the needs of local entrepreneurs. Research included a focus group with local small business owners served by BiGAUSTIN, a nonprofit business support organization, and a survey of 1900 business owners served by the organization in the past. Information was collected on the demographics and economic characteristics of 159 local firms, as well as on their interest in particular types of business training or support services. Based on survey findings, the paper concludes with recommendations for how Central Texas organizations can augment their programs to better assist small businesses in growth and development. / text

Background Historically speaking, marketing and entrepreneurship has been looked upon as something distinct without any clear relationship. However, in recent years studies on the relationship between marketing and entrepreneurship has increased significantly. Marketers are neither innovative nor entrepreneurial enough in their way of thinking and making decisions. All successful entrepreneurial businesses are based on well thought through marketing. Successful businesses are those who manage to engage in entrepreneurial activities and consider marketing as an important part of that success. The key is marketing and not the product or service. Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and evaluate the entrepreneurial process of marketing a newly started venture, towards the end customer, and how the entrepreneur views the role and importance of marketing in future success. Method In order to fulfil the purpose an analysis has been conducted through a holistic multicase study. The cases included inkClub and Cinnober Financial Technology, Two entrepreneurs and their companies which received the awards Entrepreneur of the year and Super Gazell from Ernst & Young and Dagens Industri. These awards are given to entrepreneurs and companies who are characterized by entrepreneurship and growth. Conclusion After analysing the empirical data with regards to the theory conclusions could be drawn. The study showed that through exploiting market opportunities entrepreneurs could market themselves in a way that suits the company as well as the potential customers. There is also a strong correlation between entrepreneurship and marketing and being able to intertwine these two is the key to finding novel ways of marketing. The study also showed that there are some characteristics that fit all entrepreneurs but it is impossible to find a set of characteristics that fits all.

Date June 04, 2008 Level Master Thesis EFO705, 10 points (15 credits) Authors Pornratchanee Sethakaset Tanawan Santimataneedol Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok Thailand Date of Birth: 28 October 1982 Date of Birth: 5 March 1984 Title The Application of Human Resource Management in Thai SMEs – A Case Study of Albatross Company Limited Supervisor Mona Andersson Problems : How can the entrepreneur of SMEs manage their human resources? Can previous research and studies about HRM in SMEs be applied in the Thai entrepreneurial SME? Does the HRM in the company change and transform over time? Purposes : The purposes of this study are to review the relevant studies and research about HRM in SMEs in order to investigate how human resources are managed in SMEs and to determine if the previous studies are applicable to Thai entrepreneurial SMEs. Methodology : This master’s thesis is based on a qualitative approach in order to investigate HRM in SMEs and easier to understand the behavior in a certain case. The main secondary data is also collected from website which is the utilizing material for this thesis. Conclusion : In this study, it was concluded that this Thai SME manages its human resource in a mixture between informal and formal way. HRM is used and practiced more as the company grows which the entrepreneur plays a central role in the Human Resource Management in SMEs.

The impetus for this study was my own curiosity about how seasoned entrepreneurial women were able to stay the course. As someone who has experienced the world of the employee and that of the entrepreneur, my goal was to better understand how, within their varied personal contexts, the lifelong learning experiences of seasoned entrepreneurial women were shaped by socio-cultural influences, significant individuals, gender, and learning challenges. Theories and research on lifelong and biographical learning, entrepreneurial learning, women's learning, and entrepreneurial women's learning helped to frame the study. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews and focus groups with eight women entrepreneurs between the ages of 40 and 60, with 16 to 30 years' experience in running their service-oriented enterprise were conducted. These women's stories illustrate how serendipitous their careers were, that is, they did not begin their working lives thinking they would become entrepreneurs, rather, it became the path that best supported their desires, independence and creativity. They were shaped by and sometimes resisted parents' messages about the role that education, work and marriage with children should play in women's lives. How they faced and learned from adversity and from the support of business mentors and friends were also significant. As they reflected back on their lives, they have a strong sense of mastery. Success for them did not focus on finances, rather, their autonomy, freedom, and control over the direction of their lives and the development of strong caring relationships with others, were key. Their learning was dynamic and experiential, it was both self directed and drew on others' knowledge. Women contemplating an entrepreneurial path may find this study of interest as they can learn how others, particularly family, shape their dreams, how they might meet challenges and learn from adversity, and overall, how central lifelong learning is to the development of their entrepreneurial careers. Educators and policymakers need to appreciate the serendipitous nature of entrepreneurship, how they can create entrepreneurial experiences for students, and expose the learners to not only essential skills required to run a business, but also to the stories regarding the self-development of successful entrepreneurs

This article is about immigrant entrepreneurs and their way through business life in an unfamiliar business world. Focusing on the region of Växjö, Sweden the article presents different attitudes of immigrant entrepreneurs and shows common problems and barriers. The article investigates how immigrant entrepreneurs’ deal with their daily life and what they struggled with in the past. What kind of barriers do immigrants face when they leave their home country? The overall aim is to research what support is needed in order to help regional immigrant entrepreneurs with their business. Therefore this article highlights barriers which immigrant entrepreneurs struggle with. As the regional support programs influence the path of business life the article presents their perspective as well. These supporters have a lot of experience in dealing with immigrant entrepreneurs which can be used to investigate improvements. As the most outstanding result, this article presents the importance of overall integration in the host country. The way through business life for immigrant entrepreneurs is characterized by an effectual logic but the support to entrepreneurs is often based on a causation-logic. Therefore the support givers should consider focusing on the individual entrepreneurs and the surroundings that influence the integration.

Networking among entrepreneurial firms is a widely researched and debated topic amongst academics; however, there are still research gaps. Most research is based on quantitative studies and researchers have called for more qualitative analysis to gain a deeper understanding in what impact networks have on entrepreneurial firms. The purpose with this dissertation is to explore in what way networks are important (or not) for small entrepreneurial firms, and if this changes over the firms’ development. The study has an interpretive philosophy and an exploratory research design. To collect data eight semi-structured interviews, with entrepreneurs in Kristianstad and the nearby area, were completed. The findings of this study are that networks look different for all entrepreneurial firms and the importance of different relationships changes over the firms’ life cycle. Informal relationships (family and friends) are important for the entrepreneur when it comes to encouragement and support, while formal relationships (suppliers, employees, customers and other entrepreneurs) contribute to the success of the firm by providing the entrepreneur with knowledge and advice.  The conclusions, from the collected data, are that all relations are not of equal importance to all entrepreneurs. The importance depends on the entrepreneur’s personality and the industry the entrepreneur operates in. However, we found that the importance of talking to other entrepreneurs has grown and that the most important relationship seems to be with family and friends. The demarcations of this study are that only entrepreneurs in one area of one country were interviewed, also that a qualitative method was used; therefore, we cannot show any statistical proof of the findings.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Corporate entrepreneurship is examined with specific reference to the South African Broadcasting Corporation Limited (SABC). As such, a historic overview is given of the SABC followed by a review of the present day situation. Factors which could specifically make corporate entrepreneurship a beneficial strategy should the SABC wish to adopt it, is also discussed in order to set the scene for the literature study to follow. These factors include the fierce competitive environment, the commercial funding model, the internal structures and the strained internal and third party relationships. The literature review defines entrepreneurship, the individual entrepreneur and corporate entrepreneurship, after which the individual entrepreneur is examined in more detail. Dimensions of corporate entrepreneurship, being new business venturing and innovation, selfrenewal and pro-activeness and lastly risk-taking and a growth orientation are also discussed in chapter three. Chapter four continues the literature review, with a focus on thirteen entrepreneurial constructs identified. A visionary/entrepreneurial leadership needs to be present, as well as management support and sponsors for projects. As entrepreneurship involves experimentation, it is important to be tolerant towards taking risks, as well as making mistakes and sometimes failing, and to treat these as learning opportunity. Such an attitude would also help encourage innovation and creativity. Appropriate rewards and reinforcement - both monetary and non-monetary - can also help establish the correct atmosphere. The vision and strategic intent need to be aligned to day-to-day operations, and on a regular basis, discretionary time for experimentation should be available during work hours. Teams should also be empowered and multi-disciplined, as well as have access to the necessary resources - again, monetary as well as non-monetary resources (for example support) are important. An entrepreneurial organisation should typically also be a learning organisation with a strong customer focus, and lastly a flat organisational structure should also be beneficial in promoting open communication. Chapter four concludes by examining practical manners in which an entrepreneurial climate could be established in an organisation. The last two chapters deal with the empirical research and the results of the questionnaire. Basic demographic information is dealt with first, after which the self-assessment and the superior-assessment of entrepreneurial characteristics are discussed. The last aspect dealt with is the thirteen entrepreneurial constructs as identified in chapter four. The study concludes with practical recommendation, a measurement of the achievement of objectives and suggestions for future research. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Corporate entrepreneurship is examined with specific reference to the South African Broadcasting Corporation Limited (SABC). As such, a historic overview is given of the SABC followed by a review of the present day situation. Factors which could specifically make corporate entrepreneurship a beneficial strategy should the SABC wish to adopt it, is also discussed in order to set the scene for the literature study to follow. These factors include the fierce competitive environment, the commercial funding model, the internal structures and the strained internal and third party relationships. The literature review defines entrepreneurship, the individual entrepreneur and corporate entrepreneurship, after which the individual entrepreneur is examined in more detail. Dimensions of corporate entrepreneurship, being new business venturing and innovation, selfrenewal and pro-activeness and lastly risk-taking and a growth orientation are also discussed in chapter three. Chapter four continues the literature review, with a focus on thirteen entrepreneurial constructs identified. A visionary/entrepreneurial leadership needs to be present, as well as management support and sponsors for projects. As entrepreneurship involves experimentation, it is important to be tolerant towards taking risks, as well as making mistakes and sometimes failing, and to treat these as learning opportunity. Such an attitude would also help encourage innovation and creativity. Appropriate rewards and reinforcement - both monetary and non-monetary - can also help establish the correct atmosphere. The vision and strategic intent need to be aligned to day-to-day operations, and on a regular basis, discretionary time for experimentation should be available during work hours. Teams should also be empowered and multi-disciplined, as well as have access to the necessary resources - again, monetary as well as non-monetary resources (for example support) are important. An entrepreneurial organisation should typically also be a learning organisation with a strong customer focus, and lastly a flat organisational structure should also be beneficial in promoting open communication. Chapter four concludes by examining practical manners in which an entrepreneurial climate could be established in an organisation. The last two chapters deal with the empirical research and the results of the questionnaire. Basic demographic information is dealt with first, after which the self-assessment and the superior-assessment of entrepreneurial characteristics are discussed. The last aspect dealt with is the thirteen entrepreneurial constructs as identified in chapter four. The study concludes with practical recommendation, a measurement of the achievement of objectives and suggestions for future research. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.