This thesis is focused on entrepreneurial thinking and on the perception of risk of particular entrepreneurs. The introduction acquaints the reader with the thesis scope and contains descriptions of particular chapters. The thesis goals are also described shortly. The thesis is divided into two main parts -- a theoretical part and an applied (practical) part. The theoretical part includes entrepreneurial factors which influence entrepreneurial risk, a description of risk, and a risk analysis with respect to entrepreneurs` working and personal life. The applied part contains data analysis which was gathered during in-depth interviews with particular entrepreneurs. Analysis is drawn up based on the theoretical aspects.

This diploma thesis analyze the motivation and risk perception of students both entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs within the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Economics in Prague. The work includes theoretical and methodological part, where are generally described the motivation to be an entrepreneur and also potentially perceived risks associated with entrepreneurship. It also contains empirical part, which uses case study associated with the questionnaire, where the respondents are students of Economics in Prague. In this part there are being recognized reasons to be an entrepreneur, also recognition of motivation and evaluation of the perceived risks of students. The target is to identify the risks perceived by students of University of Economics in connection with entrepreneurship and also to recognize their risk attitude. The outcome of this work is evaluation of the situation in a sample of respondents in their motivation and perceived risks associated with entrepreneurship as well as their risk attitude.

Orientador: Antonio Batocchio / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T09:38:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Santos_VirgilioFerreiraMarquesdos_M.pdf: 2869326 bytes, checksum: d4900ac89a9853dc3325d071a99ad484 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: A adequação do Núcleo ao modo de trabalho cooperativo foi o tema escolhido devido ao potencial impacto positivo que a cooperação tem no desenvolvimento e competitividade de uma rede de empresas. A escolha por auxiliar o Núcleo a trabalhar desta maneira deu-se pela importância que as "empresas juniores" da UNICAMP têm para a difusão de tecnologia a baixo custo às micro e pequenas empresas da região de Campinas, pois a universidade provém recursos e tecnologia a preço de custo e isentos de tributação para as "empresas juniores" que assim, buscam transferi-lo para os empresários da região que não dispõem de grandes somas para a contratação de consultorias em pesquisa e desenvolvimento, e ganham uma pequena quantia por isso, para que possam pagar seus custos e desenvolver seus membros. Assim, uma rede mais forte irá potencializar a inclusão tecnológica das empresas da região e difundir os conceitos e vantagens do trabalho cooperativo, ampliando assim a competitividade da região, gerando mais riquezas e trabalho para a população. Ao final, o trabalho forneceu sugestões para que a rede adéqüe-se ao modelo de gestão proposto através do reforço dos benefícios da cooperação entre micro, pequenas e médias empresas, e a importância da gestão adequada para que tais benefícios possam ser alcançados. Sugeriram-se também, alterações contratuais, criação de um código de ética, criação de um planejamento estratégico participativo, criação de documentos que amparem os planos de ação, criação de documentos que amparem os comitês e equipes de trabalho, bem como métodos para aumentar a participação e a integração dos membros à rede. / Abstract: The use of the cooperative work in the Núcleo, was chosen because it could potentially have a positive impact in the development and competitiveness of a companies' network. The choice to help the Nucleo was made because the significant row that the "juniors enterprises" has in disseminating low cost technology in Campinas, as the university supplies resources and technology at a break-even cost and a tax free way to the "junior enterprises" the one that wil then try to transfer it to the entrepreneurs of the region that do not have large amounts of money to hire consultants for research and development, and have a small profit. All that is made by the junior enterprises only in order to pay their operational costs and develop its members. Thus, a stronger network will enhance the technological inclusion among the companies in the region and disseminate the concepts and benefits of cooperative work by increasing the region's competitiveness, generating that way more wealth and employment for the population. Finally, the study provides suggestions for the network to adequate in the proposed management model by reinforcing the benefits of cooperation between micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as highlighting the importance of proper management in order to achieve such. It was also suggested in this work, contractual changes, the creation of a code of ethics, creating a participatory strategic planning, the creation of documents that support the action plans and committees and work teams, as well as methods to increase the participation and integration of the network members. / Mestrado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

In the last 30 years has seen a cutthroat competition among many organizations across the world.The Swedish industries were not an exception in this phase of globalization. However,entrepreneurs in Sweden, especially, in the manufacturing sector, are rapidly losing competitiveadvantage in the global marketing environment, a concern some researchers have attributed tolow productivity, and poor organizational performance. Therefore, this paper will identify criticalsuccess factors in entrepreneurship, with reference to Johnson Controls ManufacturingCompany. The instruments used to collect and analyse data, discourse analysis, interview andopen coding, were tested and proved to be efficient and consistent with the research method.Furthermore, the collected data was tested and found reliable with a high coefficient of 0.8,which is considered qualified. Through the data collection instrument, the study generated eightcritical success factors for Johnson Controls. The factors include leader management andstructure, competitors, manufacturing operational excellence, stakeholder‟s engagement, andproduct. These factors were then cast onto 6 broader themes as generated from open coding,which included top management, human resource, organization culture, quality management, andregulatory practice. These themes were useful in describing and correlating the critical successfactors with the basic units of the organization. Also, based on a discourse analysis, this studywas able to establish that there is a strong relationship between primary data and secondary data.Therefore, the study concluded that the eight identified critical success factors, leadermanagement and structure, competitors, manufacturing operational excellence, stakeholder‟sengagement, and product, could be used to change the current status of entrepreneurs in Swedenand help them improve their performance standing in the global business environment.

An individual’s occupation is often a salient component to ones life. Numerous traditional career developmental theories have been employed in the hopes of understanding the motivations and attitudes individuals have toward particular types of careers. Research indicates that entrepreneurs are primarily motivated by monetary gain, desires to be their own boss, and career independence. The present study utilized qualitative interviews as a means to gain a greater understanding of action sports retail business owners experiences and how their identity as a surfer/skater/snowboarder influenced their career decisions and their motivations to own an action retail business. The data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research methodology (Hill, 2012). Results indicate that the business owners primarily identify as surfers/skaters/snowboarders, opposed to businessmen, and that they were primarily motivated to open their own action sport retail businesses due to their passion for the action sports and interest in remaining apart of the action sport lifestyle. These findings partly contrast previous research regarding the motivations of entrepreneurs’ primary motivation being monetary gain.

Background: Regarding previous literature, there has been much focus on Social Media in recent years. Researchers have elaborated on how social media platforms are tools for big companies or SMEs in terms of marketing and networking. Moreover, research shows how individuals can use social media as an entrepreneurial platform. The monetary success of individuals on online platforms has created a new generation of entrepreneurs. The possibility of monetization on social media is available to anyone, from which different strategies to reach monetization have emerged. Problem: There is substantial knowledge on how firms use social media as a tool, and research that supports the claim that entrepreneurs can achieve monetary gains of social media. Although related research exists, how social media entrepreneurs monetize digital platforms and the different means to do so has not been documented enough. Purpose: This paper aims to add knowledge and make clear that social media is not only a tool for companies, but that the monetizing features of social media are not as clear as the marketing and networking aspects. Thus, the research question “how do social media entrepreneurs monetize YouTube” was created. Method: A qualitative multiple-case study with direct-observations on social media platforms was desired, but it was limited to the platform YouTube, where eight channels, which are divided into movie review and makeup review content, were observed. The findings are interpreted with the existing knowledge the literature offers. Result: The monetization strategies a social media entrepreneur can apply through YouTube are advertisement, affiliate codes/links, collaborations, merchandise, crowdfunding, PR and, sponsorships. The subscriber relationship clarifies the different strategies of reaching monetization. Two types of strategies emerge from the data: the career-oriented and audience-oriented framework.

El presente trabajo de tesis tiene como objetivo ser una ayuda para el emprendedor, orientándolo en la línea de crecimiento de su pequeña empresa al analizar la influencia del liderazgo del emprendedor en la etapa de crecimiento de la pequeña empresa exitosa en el sector servicios, en Lima Metropolitana. En el primer capítulo, se investiga y presenta el marco teórico, mismo que ayudará a darnos una idea del contexto en el que una pequeña empresa exitosa se mueve, describiendo como primer punto, a la empresa en el contexto actual y su ciclo de vida así como para entender en qué parte del mismo, se sitúa la presente investigación. De igual forma se incluirán conceptos tales como emprendedor y competencia, así como los tipos y características que estos tienen. El capítulo cierra con la descripción de los sectores económicos, con la finalidad de explicar el contexto en el que están inmersas las pequeñas empresas exitosas hoy en día. Todo ello para, así, finalmente, poder realizar la orientación consistente y precisa al emprendedor, inicialmente indicada. En el segundo capítulo, se explica la metodología y fuente de datos. Se lleva a cabo una investigación cualitativa del tipo descriptiva y explicativa, empleando un diseño de teoría fundamentada. Esta se realiza con el fin de comprobar el tipo de liderazgo que debe ser ejercido por el emprendedor en la etapa de crecimiento de su pequeña empresa exitosa. En el tercer capítulo, se recopila y analiza la información relevante obtenida en el trabajo de campo, de los segmentos definidos con la finalidad de dar respuesta a cada una de las preguntas de investigación propuestas. En el cuarto capítulo, se detallan los hallazgos y barreras encontradas a lo largo de todo el proceso de la presente investigación. Finalmente, se presentan las conclusiones y recomendaciones finales tras revisar los resultados de la presente investigación, las cuales serán esenciales para que el emprendedor pueda tomar mejores decisiones y llegue a tener una empresa sostenible. Así mismo, el presente trabajo de investigación dará pautas a futuros tesistas para nuevas investigaciones. / This thesis work aims to be an aid for the entrepreneur to guide him in the line of growth of his small business by analyzing the influence of the entrepreneur's leadership in the growth stage of the successful small business in the service sector, in Lima Metropolitana. In the first chapter, the theoretical framework is investigated and presented. This framework will help us to give you an idea of the context in which a successful small business is immerse, it also describes the company in the current context and its life cycle, to understand in which part of the present investigation is located. Likewise, concepts such as entrepreneur and competence will be included, as well as the types and characteristics they have. The chapter closes with the description of the economic sectors, with the purpose of explaining the context in which current successful small businesses are immersed. All this in order to be able to carry out the consistent and precise orientation for the entrepreneur. In the second chapter, the methodology and data source is explained. A qualitative research of descriptive and explanatory type is carried out, using a grounded theory design. This is done in order to check the type of leadership that should be exercised by the entrepreneur in the growth stage of his successful small business. In the third chapter, the relevant information obtained in the fieldwork is collected and analyzed from the segments defined in order to answer each of the proposed research questions. The fourth chapter details the findings and barriers found throughout the entire process of the present investigation. Finally, the conclusions and final recommendations will be presented after reviewing the results of the present research, which will be essential for the entrepreneur to make better decisions in order to achieve a sustainable company. Likewise, the present research work will give guidelines to future thesis students for new research. / Tesis

The primary purpose of this study was to examine and understand the nature of Information and communication technology (ICT) supported formal women business networks (eFWBNs) and their contribution to the development of women entrepreneurs. For over a decade, studies on women’s entrepreneurship, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, have reiterated the importance of, and need for, women’s involvement in formal women business networks (FWBNs). In this study, FWBNs are defined as networks that have women entrepreneurs as key actors and are often affiliated with consultants, business practitioners, and government. FWBNs provide benefits and access to useful resources that are not easily accessible to women entrepreneurs due to several constraints. FWBNs have been found to be slow to leverage ICTs to facilitate and enhance their activities even in the era of globalisation. While FWBNs exist in sub-Saharan Africa, there is a dearth of research on their characteristics, structure and operation. Particularly within the information systems field, there is paucity of recearch around the integration and use of ICTs in WBNs. Thus, there is limited guidance on what makes a FWBN achieve its objectives and how these networks may leverage technology to enhance and facilitate their operations and activities. For these reasons, this study sought to shed light on the nature of eFWBNs and their use of ICTs. To achieve this objective, multidisciplinary theories were reviewed and an integrative theoretical framework developed. This revealed that an eFWBN is a configuration of distinct but inter-related elements – actors, relationships, resources, governance, external support and ICTs – which interplay to provide contributions and benefits to women entrepreneurs. This thesis proposed that the stronger the coherence among the core elements of the eFWBN, and the operating and support mechanisms, the greater will be their contribution and benefits. This proposition was tested in an empirical study involving three network cases in Kenya and South Africa, using mixed methods. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis, and converted to quantitative data using the quantitisation technique. The quantitised data and the data collected using quantitative methods were combined to test the model using cluster analysis. The cluster analysis resulted in three clusters representing the three eFWBNs cases in this study. The findings revealed that the Kenyan networks had achieved coherence amongst the elements of the network and as such attained good outcomes. However, the South African network did not report good outcomes, suggesting they had not attained coherence amongst the element in the network. The findings also provided results contrary to the observations in literature about the use of ICTs in eFWBNs. In this study, not only ICTs were highly leveraged at the network-level and were an integral part to the strategy, the existence and operation of the network. This research makes significant contribution to knowledge by providing insight and understanding into an under-researched area (eFWBNs). The key theoretical contribution of this study is the integrative theoretical framework that overcomes the limitations of earlier theories used to study networks. It integrates various theories into a framework that identifies and explains more comprehensively the various aspects and operations of eFWBNs. It also advances the configurational theory as an effective approach to measuring complex relationships. This study also makes significant methodological contributions. There is currently a dearth of knowledge on how to fully integrate both qualitative and quantitative data in mixed methods research. Thus, by adopting the quantitisation technique, this study provides knowledge on how to convert qualitative data to quantitative data to achieve synthesis of both methods in a single study. Also, the adoption of realism as a philosophical stance helped to overcome the challenges of mixing methods and paradigms in one research project. The findings of this study also have practical implications. The findings showed that at the membership level, women entrepreneurs need to apply more agency in establishing relationships and translate the acquired resources within the network into benefits for their businesses. At the network-level, the evidence revealed that leaders of eFWBNs need to ensure they balance the needs of their members in order to carry the members along and preventing them from feeling excluded. The findings also asserted the importance of developmental, private and public organisations to eFWBNs. Lastly, government and practitioners can draw from the understanding provided of eFWBNs, to create and establish policies that can aid women entrepreneurs’ successes and growth. The theoretical, practical and methodological contributions are further discussed in this thesis. The study concludes with a discussion on the limitations of the study and recommendations for future research.

This degree project examines the role of social media for science-based entrepreneurial firms in the initial stage of the venture. Social media in entrepreneurship is an emerging phenomenon that has gotten increased attention from scholars. However, little is known about the social media phenomenon in the initial stage of science-based entrepreneurship. Sweden was chosen as the geographic setting for this study and four life-science entrepreneurial startups founded after 2010 were selected. We conducted 8 semi-structured interviews to explore the phenomenon, two for each case.  The findings suggest an interplay between science-based entrepreneurs utilizing social media and the factors of human capital, social networks, and marketing. We theorize that science entrepreneurs rely on three levels of social media interactions: person-to-system level, person-to- person level, and person-to-group level, which all relate to different utilizations of social media. First, extending knowledge through social media use. Second, utilizing social media to develop social networks. Third, improving marketing by leveraging social media. Fourth, we identified the relationship among the three factors: appropriating extended knowledge to develop social networks, anchoring social networks to improve marketing, and refining marketing to extend knowledge.  This thesis contributes to entrepreneurial science in several different ways. First, it extends the understanding of social media for science-based entrepreneurs. Secondly, it brings new insight specific to science-based entrepreneurs when implementing social media. Third, expand upon existing research on human capital theory, social networking approach, and marketing.  Furthermore, this study also provides practical implications which might be helpful for science- based entrepreneurial firms. Firstly, this study proposes that social media can be applied to develop entrepreneur’s human capital and social capital for venture development. Secondly, science-based entrepreneurial firms should engage in marketing activities through social media as soon as they create ventures, this could increase brand visibility and expand social networks. Thirdly, science- based entrepreneurial firms should integrate the various social media uses and adopt an effective social media strategy to enhance business performance in the initial stage.

This study investigated the relationships between business planning and venture growth while also exploring the moderating variables of entrepreneurial pre-entry knowledge and industry dynamism. Scales that allowed for empirical testing were collected and collated from the broader business planning literature. Using a sample of 103 entrepreneurs from three industries, entrepreneurs were surveyed in an attempt to measure entrepreneurial business planning practices in a South African environment. The results of the study indicated that while planning is an important process of an entrepreneurial venture its effectiveness depends on planning combinations and contextual factors. Specifically, it provided evidence for planning’s positive impact on venture growth; when an entrepreneur engaged in prior business planning and then implemented the plan. Furthermore the extent of an entrepreneur’s pre-entry knowledge was shown to have a positive impact on venture growth. While a synergy effect was observed when entrepreneurs had both pre-entry knowledge and engaged in prior planning. In contrast, the findings suggest that when an entrepreneur launches a business and has pre-entry knowledge it is more valuable not to implement these plans. Lastly the results suggested that planning practices were more likely to positively impact venture growth in industries experiencing lower levels of dynamism. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted