In recent years young entrepreneurs have attracted considerable attention from policy makers and the media, and there is evidence that increasingly many young people aspire to start their own business. However, there has been little research into how young entrepreneurs actually build their businesses, and the limited existing research about young entrepreneurs has tended to focus on participants who have struggled to achieve business survival and growth. By contrast, this thesis investigates how young entrepreneurs are able to build high performing businesses. All participants have built a business with a turnover between £1 million and £90 million or otherwise raised at least £1 million in external investment. It takes a qualitative approach, based primarily on semi-structured interviewing, to understanding the knowledge and skills 21 young entrepreneurs used to build their businesses. It uses a human capital theory framework to analyse how the young entrepreneurs developed relevant knowledge and skills prior to start-up in order to build a business. It then considers what additional human and social capital the young entrepreneurs acquired during the venture creation process itself. The findings identify three different pathways, each of which typifies the human capital used by particular young entrepreneurs, according to their educational background and the precise age at which they started their business. The study also establishes the necessary human capital which all of the young entrepreneurs developed prior to start-up or during the early stages of starting their ventures, which was important to their success in growing a business. The study finally contributes to the debate about whether general human capital or venture-specific human capital is most important to entrepreneurs, finding that for young entrepreneurs developing pre-start-up general human capital is particularly significant.

L'objectif de ce mémoire est d'examiner le rôle du capital social durant l'explosion sociale et politique de 2001 en Argentine, année qui constitue l'aboutissement d'un processus de mobilisation collective entamé au cours des années 1990. Cette crise marquée par la marginalisation sociale, la pauvreté, le chômage et la perte de repère politique a plongé l'Argentine dans une misère généralisée. Contre toute attente, les Argentins se sont rassemblés, et ont envisagé diverses façons de résoudre leurs problèmes collectivement en réponse au vide politique et social. Malgré la confiance politique atteignant les bas-fonds, une confiance sociale généralisée à la baisse et une démocratie récente, les Argentins ont su se rassembler et travailler ensemble. Nous soulevons le paradoxe entre la théorie du capital social traditionnel et l'éveil du capital social constaté au cours des années 1990 et menant à la crise de 2001-2002 en Argentine. Notre recherche permet de conclure que le capital social est contextuel, dans le cas argentin, associé à la conjoncture politique, sociale et économique menant à la crise argentine de 2001-2002. Nous soulignons l'importance des institutions politiques, irremplaçables malgré les efforts d'autogestion de la société civile. De plus, nous constatons que le capital social survient de façon ponctuelle et s'avère éphémère. À plus long terme, une fois l'état de crise estompé, les associations volontaires se démobilisent et s'orientent vers des objectifs plus personnels que collectifs. Nous appuyons notre recherche par une combinaison de recherche théorique et empirique, notamment par la recherche de terra in réalisée à Buenos Aires en 2010. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Argentine, Capital social, Associations collectives, Crise de 2001, Confiance sociale généralisée, Confiance politique, Démocratie.

Cette recherche porte sur les processus de partage et d’utilisation de l’argent transféré par les émigrés sénégalais à leurs familles. La théorie de l’action rationnelle, soutient que l’individu est libre et qu’il établit son choix uniquement en fonction de son intérêt (Coleman1990). Si nous nous basons sur cette théorie, nous reconnaitrons que l’individu ne penserait qu’à atteindre ses objectifs pour la maximalisation de ses gains. En étudiant les processus de partage et d’utilisation des fonds transférés par les émigrés sénégalais à leurs familles restées au pays, nous voulons découvrir si l’explication que nous attribuons à l’action dans la décision est uniquement utilitariste. L’acquisition des fonds par les familles réceptrices contribue au capital social et au capital humain du pays. Cependant, nous nous demanderons comment les familles sont affectées par les processus décisionnels? L’objectif de cette étude consiste à examiner les éléments discursifs qui interfèrent dans la reconnaissance de l’action rationnelle des acteurs. Il importe alors de se demander si le processus décisionnel de la répartition et de l’usage de l’argent transféré par les émigrés sénégalais à leurs familles répond entièrement à une rationalité instrumentale. Afin trouver réponse à nos interrogations, nous retenons une approche qualitative assez bien indiquée dans la recherche de la compréhension des faits sociaux. Nous avons effectué quinze entrevues semi-directives avec des répondantes mariées appartenant à des familles sénégalaises habitant le quartier de la Médina. Elles ont été sélectionnées parce qu’elles reçoivent directement ou indirectement des fonds transférés par les émigrés sénégalais. Les effets économiques et sociaux individuels ou collectifs liés aux fonds transférés font l’objet de réflexions par rapport aux motivations de l’action. Étant donné que les principaux acteurs représentant les émigrés et les bénéficiaires de ces sources financières ne détiennent pas un total contrôle en ce qui a trait à iv la répartition et à l’utilisation des fonds. Les effets économiques et sociaux induits par ces fonds transférés, font l’objet de questionnement par rapport aux directives initiales.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

As China develops and progresses as a nation, unique patterns of social mobility are emerging. For many years a centrally planned economy, the country is now a hybrid economy characterised by its authoritative political structure while allowing its entrepreneurs to experiment with innovative ways to accumulate wealth and ‘get ahead’. The research is particularly interested and aims in understanding how a specific group of people, namely the home-grown entrepreneurs, have been able to achieve social mobility within the contemporary Chinese economy. It focuses on the city of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. Suzhou was chosen as the research setting because, since the beginning of the 1980s, it has been rapidly transformed into a business and industrial centre by implementation of economic reforms shaped by Deng Xiaoping and the production of infrastructure, such as the Economic and Technological Development Zones, from Communist Party initiatives. Home-grown entrepreneurs were ready to take advantage of the booming business opportunities by using their personal resources and networks afforded by the economic reforms that introduced foreign direct investment to coincide with private business reform. Specifically, it examines how the economic reforms have fostered conditions that allowed home-grown entrepreneurs to emerge and prosper and, in turn, how these entrepreneurs cultivate and utilise their social capital to form strategies to create pathways leading to social mobility. Qualitative research uncovers the social mobility of these entrepreneurs by interviewing in-depth a total of 50 home-grown entrepreneurs from different generations currently operating in Suzhou. The research reveals that while the economic reforms did provide a favourable environment for conducting private businesses, it has been equally important for each generation of home-grown entrepreneurs to take specific risks and seize opportunities to acquire various forms of social capital and to adjust personal values and imposed goals to reflect the complex social and political dynamics of their times. They had to make appropriate decisions to consolidate their businesses through careful consideration and manipulation of a variety of social capital. While social mobility may seem more accessible under the new hybrid economy, business failures and growing social inequalities have not been uncommon. Data analysis provides insights to conclude that the research may construct a new normative theory about a value driven society with economic aspirations within social controls constructed by authoritarian capitalism. As home-grown entrepreneurs begin to dominate, they are not only redefining how various forms of social capital should be linked to trajectories for social mobility, increasingly they are also transforming the social landscapes of China’s business world.

As China develops and progresses as a nation, unique patterns of social mobility are emerging. For many years a centrally planned economy, the country is now a hybrid economy characterised by its authoritative political structure while allowing its entrepreneurs to experiment with innovative ways to accumulate wealth and ‘get ahead’. The research is particularly interested and aims in understanding how a specific group of people, namely the home-grown entrepreneurs, have been able to achieve social mobility within the contemporary Chinese economy. It focuses on the city of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province. Suzhou was chosen as the research setting because, since the beginning of the 1980s, it has been rapidly transformed into a business and industrial centre by implementation of economic reforms shaped by Deng Xiaoping and the production of infrastructure, such as the Economic and Technological Development Zones, from Communist Party initiatives. Home-grown entrepreneurs were ready to take advantage of the booming business opportunities by using their personal resources and networks afforded by the economic reforms that introduced foreign direct investment to coincide with private business reform. Specifically, it examines how the economic reforms have fostered conditions that allowed home-grown entrepreneurs to emerge and prosper and, in turn, how these entrepreneurs cultivate and utilise their social capital to form strategies to create pathways leading to social mobility. Qualitative research uncovers the social mobility of these entrepreneurs by interviewing in-depth a total of 50 home-grown entrepreneurs from different generations currently operating in Suzhou. The research reveals that while the economic reforms did provide a favourable environment for conducting private businesses, it has been equally important for each generation of home-grown entrepreneurs to take specific risks and seize opportunities to acquire various forms of social capital and to adjust personal values and imposed goals to reflect the complex social and political dynamics of their times. They had to make appropriate decisions to consolidate their businesses through careful consideration and manipulation of a variety of social capital. While social mobility may seem more accessible under the new hybrid economy, business failures and growing social inequalities have not been uncommon. Data analysis provides insights to conclude that the research may construct a new normative theory about a value driven society with economic aspirations within social controls constructed by authoritarian capitalism. As home-grown entrepreneurs begin to dominate, they are not only redefining how various forms of social capital should be linked to trajectories for social mobility, increasingly they are also transforming the social landscapes of China’s business world.

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, 2016. / Submitted by Fernanda Percia França (fernandafranca@bce.unb.br) on 2016-05-06T18:07:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_ChiaraGentile.pdf: 6651716 bytes, checksum: 7b14596c4805d31f06009801002cde23 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Guimaraes Jacqueline(jacqueline.guimaraes@bce.unb.br) on 2016-05-12T11:34:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_ChiaraGentile.pdf: 6651716 bytes, checksum: 7b14596c4805d31f06009801002cde23 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-12T11:34:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_ChiaraGentile.pdf: 6651716 bytes, checksum: 7b14596c4805d31f06009801002cde23 (MD5) / O movimento SlowFood, após mais de 25 anos do surgimento, atua hoje em nível internacional, promovendo sistemas de produção e comercialização de alimentos que visam a sustentabilidade ambiental e social, em prol de produtos típicos e de pequenos produtores. No Brasil, o SlowFood vivencia uma história peculiar e alcança uma difusão notável. Este trabalho tem por objetivos (1) a reconstrução e interpretação históricas do surgimento e da difusão do movimento SlowFood na Itália e no Brasil; (2) o estudo da aplicação prática dos princípios pregados pelo movimento, seu papel e sua contribuição em projetos de valorização de produções alimentícias visando o desenvolvimento local (projetos Fortaleza); (3) a identificação e análise dos fatores socioculturais, institucionais e históricos que favorecem ou obstam a evolução exitosa de projetos de desenvolvimento embasados na valorização de recursos e do capital social territoriais. A pesquisa histórica sobre origem e evolução do movimento nos dois países está baseada em fontes bibliográficas e em fontes orais primárias, por meio de entrevistas com testemunhas-chave. A análise dos projetos foi realizada a partir da seleção de oito estudos de caso (quatro projetos na Itália, quatro no Brasil), por meio de visitas em campo, entrevistas, material fotográfico e fontes escritas. Isto foi alcançado por meio de levantamento de dados quantitativos e qualitativos sobre a história e o andamento dos projetos e de histórias de vida dos atores envolvidos. Entre os resultados principais, destaca-se que: (a) a conscientização e a preocupação com os aspectos sociais, políticos e ambientais relativos ao alimento, a seus processos produtivos e à sua procedência, por parte do público consumidor no Brasil e na Itália, refletem a conjuntura histórica e econômica peculiar que cada um dos dois países atravessa, mas, apesar de diferenças estruturais e culturais substanciais, existem sinais de aproximação; (b) no Brasil, desde o princípio, a atuação do movimento SlowFood toma o caminho da parceria governamental oficial e da gestão vertical, com consequências específicas sobre a configuração e atuação do movimento; (c) no âmbito dos projetos locais, o SlowFood funciona como agente e catalisador de percursos de desenvolvimento territorial apenas em contextos onde sua intervenção é acessória e integradora, quando as redes e as atitudes socioculturais idôneas à valorização dos recursos locais preexistem e independem da atuação do SlowFood; (d) existem conjuntos de fatores de diversas naturezas que propiciam ou dificultam o bom andamento dos projetos, os quais estão estritamente ligados à presença/ausência de capacitação e cultura cívica. Com base nisso, foi possível concluir que o SlowFood, no Brasil, achou âmbitos de atuação apropriados, dando vida a formas autóctones do movimento; que existem alguns tópicos socioculturais transversais interligando o desdobramento dos projetos realizados na Itália e no Brasil e em suas diferentes regiões; que, em relação a isso, não existe pré-determinação de tipo cultural ou institucional, mas sim existem variáveis históricas influentes e, ao mesmo tempo, espaço para a mudança. E, ainda, que os maiores e mais ricos repositórios de capital social primordial são representados por relações da mesma tipologia daquelas que constituem os obstáculos principais para a realização de boas práticas e da comunidade cívica. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT / The Slow Food movement, since its creation more than 25 years ago, currently operates internationally, by promoting social and environmental sustainable systems of food production and food marketing and by promoting typical products and small producers. In Brazil, the Slow Food movement experiences a peculiar history and achieves a remarkable diffusion. This work aims to: (1) make a historical interpretation of the origin and diffusion of the Slow Food movement in Italy and Brazil; (2) study the implementation of the principles stated by the movement, its role and contribution in the enhancement of the projects of food production for the local development (Presidia projects); (3) identify and analyse the socio-cultural, institutional and historical factors that might support or hinder the successful evolution of the local resource appreciation and of the territorial capital based on developing projects. The historical research on the origin and the evolution of the movement in the two countries is based on literature sources and primary oral sources, by interviewing key witnesses. The analysis of the project was achieved through the selection of eight case studies (four projects in Italy and four in Brazil), through field work, interviews, photographic material and written sources. This was achieved by collecting qualitative and quantitative data on the project history and progress, also through the collection of the life stories of those involved. Among the main findings, it is possible to emphasize: (a) that awareness and concern of the Italian and Brazilian consuming public for the social, political and environmental aspects related to food production processes and food origins reflect the distinctive historical and economic conditions that each of the two countries goes through; but in despite of the substantial structural and cultural differences, there are approximation signals; (b) that in Brazil, from the beginning, the role of the Slow Food movement takes the peculiar way of official government partnership and vertical management, with specific consequences on the configuration of the movement and the movement action; (c) that within the framework of the local projects, Slow Food movement works as an agent and catalysis of territorial development paths merely in contexts where its intervention is subsidiary and integrating, where suitable networks and socio-cultural attitudes for the enhancement of the local resources pre-exist, without relying on the performance of Slow Food; (d) that there are sets of different factors that promote or hinder the smooth progress of projects, which are closely linked to the presence / absence of empowerment and civic culture. On that basis, it was concluded that the Slow Food movement in Brazil finds suitable areas of activity, giving rise to autochthonous forms of the movement. There are some cross socio-cultural topics linking the unfolding of the projects carried out in Italy and in Brazil, and among Brazilian and Italian different regions; in this respect, institutional or cultural pre-determination does not exist, but there are influential historical variables and, at the same time, there is space for change. Also, we can conclude that the best and richest primary social capital repositories are represented by relations of the same type from those that are the main obstacles to good practices and civic community realization.

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia e Gestão do Conhecimento, Florianópolis, 2010 / Made available in DSpace on 2012-10-25T05:38:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 276857.pdf: 1124456 bytes, checksum: 747236fe2112154633fd8c291ed510f1 (MD5) / Apoiados em estudos interdisciplinares e pesquisas exploratórias quali-quantitativas, o objetivo do presente trabalho é explorar a problemática da formação do capital social baseada em organizações intensivas em conhecimento como fator de desenvolvimento local sustentável. Sabe-se que o capital social vem recebendo maior atenção por parte da literatura sobre o desenvolvimento em diversas áreas. No que se refere ao tema, o capital social assume um papel relevante para situações onde a cooperação e o consenso entre os atores sociais seja um fator capaz de respostas sustentáveis para a sociedade. O trabalho apresenta uma revisão teórica de literatura, ressaltando o capital social, as redes sociais, as organizações intensivas em conhecimento e suas dimensões constitutivas de análises dos ativos intangíveis, relacionadas com o desenvolvimento local sustentável. Apresenta-se um estudo de caso, utilizando-se indicadores de capital social para compreender questões de desenvolvimento local sustentável gerado por um agente conector entre as organizações intensivas em conhecimento e a sociedade. Mais além, se essa relação é capaz de respostas sustentáveis para a sociedade. Por fim, verifica-se o processo, observando componentes efetivos de capital social formado pelas organizações intensivas em conhecimento relacionadas com o desenvolvimento local sustentável, considera-se o cenário atual e recomendam-se trabalhos futuros. / Supported in interdisciplinary studies and exploratory qualitative and quantitative, the objective of this study is to explore the issue of social capital based on knowledge-intensive organizations as a factor in local development. It is known that social capital is receiving greater attention from the literature on development in various areas. With regard to the subject, social capital plays an important role in situations where cooperation and consensus among social partners is an important factor to sustainable responses to society. This paper presents a theoretical review of literature, emphasizing social capital, social networks, the knowledge-intensive organizations and their constitutive dimensions of analysis of intangible assets related to local development. We present a case study, using indicators of social capital to understand issues of local sustainable development generated by an agent connector between the knowledge-intensive organizations and society. Further, the ratio is capable of sustainable responses to society. Finally, there is the case, noting effective components of social capital formed by knowledge-intensive organizations related to local sustainable development, it is considered the current situation and to recommend future work.

El objetivo de la presente investigación es evaluar el acceso y el retorno económico a y del capital social (medido a través de diferentes tipos de organizaciones sociales) en una sociedad heterogénea. Se pretende identificar los determinantes del acceso diferenciado según grupos étnicos al capital social y aquellas organizaciones que generan mayores beneficios económicos, sobre todo para la población más vulnerable. Para tales fines, se presenta un modelo teórico de la dinámica de la inversión en capital social para diferentes grupos étnicos; en donde se muestra que la manera en que están distribuidos los activos iniciales afecta fundamentalmente la evolución de la inequidad económica. La evaluación empírica utiliza un panel de datos no balanceado de la Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (ENAHO) 2005-2008 en dos modelos econométricos: un modelo probabilístico que estime la probabilidad de participación en organizaciones sociales y un modelo de variables instrumentales que estime los retornos económicos por participar. Los resultados muestran que la asociación en organizaciones sociales en el Perú opera como una red de refugio contra la pobreza, por lo que la participación es mayor entre los grupos étnicos excluidos, pero no son estos grupos los que obtienen los mayores beneficios económicos, por lo que la etnicidad es un factor determinante de la mayor polarización económica. / Tesis

p. 1-94 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-03-14T19:20:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 3333as.pdf: 609540 bytes, checksum: 141b18be9430eb56744c547af7b7205f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lima(tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2013-03-14T19:23:41Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 3333as.pdf: 609540 bytes, checksum: 141b18be9430eb56744c547af7b7205f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-03-14T19:23:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3333as.pdf: 609540 bytes, checksum: 141b18be9430eb56744c547af7b7205f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Esse trabalho teve por objetivo analisar os fatores que influenciam a consolidação das redes de cooperação interempresarial, com vistas a subsidiar a elaboração de políticas públicas que fomentem tais iniciativas no Brasil. Para tanto, foi realizado um estudo exploratório com uma amostra de oito redes apoiadas pelo Programa Redes de Cooperação do Governo Estadual do Rio Grande do Sul. Tal amostra contemplou redes de diversos setores da economia (comércio, agricultura e indústria) e com distintos níveis de desempenho nas atividades cooperativas, permitindo uma análise comparativa entre elas. O embasamento teórico da pesquisa partiu de uma abordagem multiperspectiva que incorporou contribuições de diversas correntes teóricas: Economia dos Custos de Transação, Teoria da Dependência dos Recursos, Especialização Flexível, Capital Social, além da contribuição recente de autores nacionais. Tal panorama teórico foi a base para a elaboração do quadro de análise que guiou a investigação empírica do projeto. A metodologia utilizada para essa investigação incluiu visitas e entrevistas com os presidentes das redes e os respectivos consultores representantes do programa de governo. A partir dos resultados da pesquisa de campo, foi possível enumerar alguns fatores que possivelmente tiveram influência positiva na consolidação das redes pesquisadas tais como: a existência de mecanismos de reforço e criação de capital social, a presença de inovações gerenciais que contribuíram para a evolução do modelo de gestão das empresas, a utilização de práticas de aprendizagem coletiva e a geração de benefícios econômicos tangíveis a partir das práticas de cooperação. Esse trabalho, apesar de não ser exaustivo, tentou contribuir para o mapeamento do campo de estudo das redes de cooperação empresarial, em especial no contexto brasileiro. / Salvador