The purpose of this research study is to focus on the idolization and pitfalls of sustainable entrepreneurship, the study aims to highlight the challenges, gaps, and key barriers that hinder sustainable entrepreneurship in start-ups and small enterprises (SSEs). Examine the idolization of sustainable entrepreneurship and its potential implications on entrepreneurial decision-making and risk perception. METHODOLOGY: The thesis is based on a mixed research method centred around Drivhuset Borås collected data over the span of 7,5 years, whereas the last two years includes evaluations on sustainable entrepreneurship. The collected data is collected from the company’s operating reports between the year 2016 and 2022, as well as from their in-house material, such as lecture material. Since the operating report for 2023 still is in progress the researcher was able to get access to the collected statistics for January to April 2023. FINDINGS: This study provides examples of the impact key barriers and challenges faced by the start-ups and small enterprises have for effect. It has become obvious that, even though organisations such as Drivhuset Borås aim to educate and counsel individuals, the barriers and challenges are a persisting problem. There is a significant amount of research on business sustainability, which covers topics connected to the social, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability.

Yes / The configuration of the entrepreneurial university remains poorly understood given the complexity of the university as an organisation with multiple missions and multiple ‘products and services’, delivered by multiple and sometimes competing sub-organisations with different cultures and norms, in response to different outside pressures and demands. The outcomes of the entrepreneurial university reflect the plurality of goals, including research, teaching, knowledge commercialisation, and civic and community empowerment, but they are rarely considered within the same conceptual and empirical framework. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore how multiple and sometimes competing strategies and associated arrangements, resources and capabilities within the entrepreneurial university affect the delivery of economic and social benefits to the external world across teaching, research, knowledge commercialisation, and civic and community empowerment missions. To achieve this aim, we elaborate the entrepreneurial university ecosystem concept so that we can systematically capture the cross-influences of the entrepreneurial university elements in their entirety rather than focussing on selected ecosystem elements and their effects in relation to one particular university mission. Our analysis is based on a novel institution-level database on university strategies, goals, policies, and support mechanisms, providing annual data for all higher education institutions in the UK over the period 2017–2020, complemented with annual administrative data on staff, finances, graduate outcomes, and infrastructure, as well as contextual data on the wider regional entrepreneurship ecosystem. Using a Seemingly Unrelated Estimation approach, we contribute with novel fundings explicitly identifying synergies and tensions between different elements of the entrepreneurial university ecosystem that affect the delivery of its outcomes.

Most entrepreneurs have families that highly influence their business­ activities. However, scholars have paid limited attention to how the family as a specific social context impacts entrepreneurial outcomes, such as new venture creation, firm growth, and exit from entrepreneurship­. This thesis investigates how the family influences such outcomes at different levels of analysis: the individual level, the firm level, and the regional level.  The theoretical framework is developed by integrating the theory­ of social embeddedness with literature on family business and entrepreneurship­. Empirical evidence is based on a unique multi-level­ Swedish database combining individual-, firm-, and regional-level data. By providing an in-depth understanding of whether the family influence pertains to the whole entrepreneurial process or only to particular entrepreneurial outcomes, this thesis contributes to a new understanding of the family’s role in entrepreneurship. / <p>Diss. Stockholm :  Stockholm School of Economics, 2014.</p>

Submitted by Maike Costa (maiksebas@gmail.com) on 2017-09-01T12:17:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2547434 bytes, checksum: 4f378d97d43dc7e7007e2fc000387b5b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Viviane Lima da Cunha (viviane@biblioteca.ufpb.br) on 2017-09-01T14:28:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2547434 bytes, checksum: 4f378d97d43dc7e7007e2fc000387b5b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Viviane Lima da Cunha (viviane@biblioteca.ufpb.br) on 2017-09-01T14:28:45Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2547434 bytes, checksum: 4f378d97d43dc7e7007e2fc000387b5b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-01T14:29:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2547434 bytes, checksum: 4f378d97d43dc7e7007e2fc000387b5b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This study has as main objective to understand the situated learning process of entrepreneurs of the city of Cajazeiras (PB) as authors of their entrepreneurial action. Thus, we tried to describe the shared narratives of the personal and professional trajectories of entrepreneurs of the city of Cajazeiras (PB); identify the constituent elements of entrepreneurial action; characterize the situated learning of the entrepreneurs; and outline the development of the authorship of entrepreneurial action. The research is based on the theoretical knowledge (a) of the entrepreneurial action as an individual and relational agency, rooted in a social context; (b) situational, contextual and relational entrepreneurial learning; And (c) entrepreneurial authorship developed through interactive and reflective relationships, and responsible for the cooperative creation of a socially recognized identity. Narrative was the main research strategy used. Eleven individuals were interviewed, besides the entrepreneur, who are part of the personal and professional network of this subject. The results reveal the entrepreneurial authorship as a competence based on the situated action, learning and narrative of the entrepreneurs. This authorship is built through the contextual, professional and personal immersion of the entrepreneur in the mileu in which it is situated. This mileu is infused with individual and collective meanings and actions that will be (re) built throughout the life of the entrepreneur through his living together with family, friends, business partners, employees, the community in general, and especially with mentors. To facilitate comprehension, the analysis was performed in a way to interpret each objective at a time. Thus, one perceives the life narrative of an author-entrepreneur marked by the shared understanding of his own self, of the critical events and the contextualization of these moments; The entrepreneurial action as being formed by collective actions of diverse social institutions and agents, the feeling and situation of rooting and the own entrepreneurial agency; Entrepreneurial learning as marked by personal situated theories, by cultural participation, relational and interactive learning, professional and sectoral immersion, by doing and reflecting and by the recognition of error; And, entrepreneurial authorship as a competence constituted of collective construction, maturity, protagonism and authorial identity. With this, entrepreneurial authorship is understood as being developed throughout the life of the entrepreneur by the learning situated and exercised daily by his entrepreneurial action. / Este estudo tem como objetivo compreender o processo de aprendizagem situada de um empresário da cidade de Cajazeiras (PB) enquanto autor de sua ação empreendedora. Assim, buscou-se descrever as narrativas compartilhadas das trajetórias pessoais e profissionais de um empreendedor da cidade de Cajazeiras- PB; identificar os elementos constitutivos da ação empreendedora; caracterizar a aprendizagem empreendedora situada; e delinear o desenvolvimento da autoria da ação empreendedora. A pesquisa está embasada sobre os conhecimentos teóricos (a) da ação empreendedora enquanto agência individual e relacional, enraizada em um contexto social; (b) a aprendizagem empreendedora situada, contextual e relacional; e (c) da autoria empreendedora desenvolvida por meio dos relacionamentos interativos e reflexivos e, responsável pela criação cooperada de uma identidade socialmente reconhecida. A Narrativa foi a principal estratégia de pesquisa utilizada. Foram entrevistados, além do empreendedor, onze indivíduos que fazem parte da rede pessoal e profissional desse sujeito. Os resultados revelam a autoria empreendedora como uma competência fundamentada na ação, na aprendizagem e na narrativa situada dos empreendedores. Essa autoria é construída por meio da imersão contextual, profissional e pessoal do empreendedor no meio em que está situado. Este meio é infundido de significados e ações individuais e coletivas que vão se (re) construindo durante toda a vida do empreendedor por meio de sua convivência com a família, amigos, parceiros de negócio, funcionários, comunidade em geral e, principalmente, com mentores. Para facilitar a compreensão, a análise foi realizada de acordo com os objetivos específicos da pesquisa. Assim, percebe-se a narrativa de vida de um autor-empreendedor marcada pela compreensão compartilhada do si próprio, dos eventos críticos e da contextualização desses momentos; a ação empreendedora como sendo formada por ações coletivas de diversas instituições sociais e agentes, do sentimento e situação de enraizamento e da própria agência empreendedora; a aprendizagem empreendedora situada como marcada pelas teorias pessoais situadas, pela participação contextual, aprendizagem relacional e interativa, imersão profissional e setorial, pelo fazer e refletir e pelo reconhecimento do erro; e, a autoria empreendedora como sendo uma competência constituída da construção coletiva, da maturidade, do protagonismo e da identidade autoral. Com isso, compreende-se a autoria empreendedora como sendo desenvolvida durante toda a vida do empreendedor pela aprendizagem situada e exercida diariamente pela sua ação empreendedora.

Submitted by Geandra Rodrigues (geandrar@gmail.com) on 2018-06-14T11:10:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 marcelogaiomancio.pdf: 1026731 bytes, checksum: 951a2443601d88b158c4c6ca71ee8292 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-06-14T11:32:02Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 marcelogaiomancio.pdf: 1026731 bytes, checksum: 951a2443601d88b158c4c6ca71ee8292 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-14T11:32:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 marcelogaiomancio.pdf: 1026731 bytes, checksum: 951a2443601d88b158c4c6ca71ee8292 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-27 / FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / Diferentes estudos têm apontado a correlação entre o empreendedorismo por oportunidade e o crescimento econômico de um país. Os estudantes universitários são um público mais propenso ao empreendedorismo por oportunidade, pois têm mais acesso a conhecimentos que a maioria da população. A educação empreendedora tem evoluído enquanto campo de pesquisa, trazendo evidências de que é possível desenvolver a intenção e as competências para empreender por meio do ensino formal. Diante desse contexto, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo a elaboração de uma proposta de programa de educação empreendedora adequado ao contexto universitário brasileiro. Para tanto, utilizou-se a UFJF como um piloto para a aplicação dos questionários de diagnóstico e para a elaboração da proposta de programa. Foram aplicados 545 questionários junto a estudantes das áreas de (i) Engenharias, Tecnologias, Ciências Exatas e da Terra, (ii) Ciências Sociais Aplicadas, (iii) Ciências Humanas e Sociais e (iv) Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde. A análise dos dados coletados resultou na identificação de 4 fatores subjacentes ao construto da intenção empreendedora e 8 fatores subjacentes ao construto das competências empreendedoras. Verificou-se que a intenção de empreender e as competências empreendedoras estão mais presentes áreas (i) e (ii), tradicionalmente mais próximas ao mundo dos negócios. Além disso, observou-se uma predileção e uma maior crença na capacidade de empreender entre os homens do que nas mulheres. Com base na pesquisa primária realizada e na revisão da literatura, elaborou-se uma proposta de programa de educação empreendedora no contexto universitário, composto por 3 disciplinas que, oferecidas de maneira integrada, acredita-se que possam desenvolver a intenção e as competências empreendedoras dos estudantes. Entendendo que tanto as áreas de humanas e biológicas quanto as mulheres têm a contribuir para o desenvolvimento do empreendedorismo na UFJF e no Brasil, o programa proposto buscou incluir ações que contemplem esses públicos. / Different studies have pointed to the correlation between entrepreneurship by opportunity and the economic growth of a country. University students are a public more prone to entrepreneurship for opportunity, as they have more access to knowledge than most of the population. Entrepreneurial education has evolved as a field of research, bringing evidence that it is possible to develop the intention and skills to undertake through formal education. In this context, this research aimed to prepare a proposal for an entrepreneurial education program suitable for the Brazilian university context. For this purpose, UFJF was used as a pilot for the application of diagnostic questionnaires and for the elaboration of the program proposal. 545 questionnaires were applied to students in the areas of (i) Engineering, Technologies, and Exact Sciences, (ii) Applied Social Sciences, (iii) Humanities and Social Sciences and (iv) Biological and Health Sciences. The analysis of the data collected resulted in the identification of 4 factors underlying the construct of entrepreneurial intent and 8 factors underlying the construct of entrepreneurial skills. It was found that the intention to undertake and entrepreneurial skills are more present areas (i) and (ii), traditionally closest to the business world. Moreover, there was a predilection and a greater belief in the ability to undertake among men than in women. Based on the primary research carried out and the revision of the literature, a proposal for an entrepreneurial education program in the university context was elaborated, consisting of 3 disciplines that, offered in an integrated way, are believed to develop the student’s intention and entrepreneurial skills. Understanding that both human and biological areas and women can contribute to the development of entrepreneurship in UFJF and Brazil, the proposed program sought to include actions that contemplate these audiences.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Psychology / Ronald G. Downey / Entrepreneurship represents an important path to job creation, product development and organizational competitive advantage. Therefore, the identification and retention of entrepreneurial talent is of primary importance. The Entrepreneurial Orientation Profile Inventory (EOPI) was developed to evaluate the Proactiveness, Innovativeness and Risk-Taking dimensions of Entrepreneurial Orientation using a situational judgment test (SJT) testing methodology. The current research outlines the initial development of the testing items and provides a preliminary review of the process used to develop a scoring key and evaluate the psychometric properties of the measure among two independent samples. Study 1 focused on developing a key to score and evaluate data in subsequent samples. In Study 1, 49 adult workers provided ratings regarding the most and least effective response to 12 business-related scenarios designed to measure the Proactiveness, Innovativeness and Risk-Taking dimensions of Entrepreneurial Orientation. Interrater consistency analyses were conducted to determine the correct rank order of the response options within the most and least effective response conditions. In the most effective condition, raters reached consensus on the correct ranking of the response options for 7 of the 12 items. In the least effective condition, raters reached consensus on the correct ranking of the response options for 9 of the 12 items. The highest ranked response option was identified as the “correct” response and used as a scoring key in Study 2. This finding suggests individuals are generally better at identifying a single best ineffective solution to a business-related problem, but less effective at identifying a single best effective solution to a business-related problem. Thus, when using an SJT format to evaluate business-related problems, asking respondents to identify the least effective responses is likely to provide better identification of a “correct” response. Items for which the adult sample reached agreement were retained for further examination in Study 2. Study 2 was conducted to evaluate the impact of three response option instruction and scoring methodologies (i.e., “most effective”, least effective” or a combined “most and least effective”) on the reliability and validity of the EOPI measure. Using a sample of 188 undergraduate students, the construct and criterion validity of the EOPI measure as a unidimensional composite and at the item level was evaluated. Across the three conditions, the results of the construct and criterion validity analyses generally failed to support the EOPI instrument as an effective method to evaluate Entrepreneurial Orientation at the composite level. The modest correlation coefficients among the criteria variables suggest a potentially broader measurement issue with currently available measures of Entrepreneurship in general. Within the “least effective” response instruction condition, minor significant results were found at the item level. A review of these items provides insight into how modifications of EOPI items may facilitate future item development. Further, the current research also suggests that biographical data may provide insight into the measurement of Entrepreneurial Orientation. A biodata-based unidimensional composite of Entrepreneurial Behavior was found to be both marginally reliable and significantly related to an alternative measure of Entrepreneurial Orientation. The development of additional biodata items that correlate with the current items is likely to improve the psychometric properties of the Entrepreneurial Orientation composite and provide insight into the role of previous experience as a valid and reliable indicator of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Entrepreneurship behaviors.

The positive contribution of high growth small businesses to the economic growth of countries is derived from a body of knowledge in the entrepreneurship domain. Small business growth could be sustained by a better understanding of entrepreneurial orientation. This study is based on the evaluation of entrepreneurial orientation of small businesses in the formal sector with specific reference to businesses in the Gauteng Province. The objective of the study is to analyse entrepreneurial orientation and perceived business success in small and medium-sized enterprises in Gauteng, with the focus on providing recommendations to enhance entrepreneurial activity in small and medium-sized enterprises. A literature review was conducted to explore entrepreneurial orientation and its perceived business success in small enterprises. The five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and the two variables measuring perceived business success were explored. A questionnaire constructed by Lotz (2009) was used to measure entrepreneurial orientation variables and perceived business success variables. A target group of 60 business owners was identified and questionnaires were distributed to them. A total of 42 questionnaires were returned but only 38 were deemed usable for the study. The validity of each variable was individually determined by the calculation of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Conclusions and recommendations for possible action steps to enhance entrepreneurial orientation were made, based on the empirical data obtained. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The positive contribution of high growth small businesses to the economic growth of countries is derived from a body of knowledge in the entrepreneurship domain. Small business growth could be sustained by a better understanding of entrepreneurial orientation. This study is based on the evaluation of entrepreneurial orientation of small businesses in the formal sector with specific reference to businesses in the Gauteng Province. The objective of the study is to analyse entrepreneurial orientation and perceived business success in small and medium-sized enterprises in Gauteng, with the focus on providing recommendations to enhance entrepreneurial activity in small and medium-sized enterprises. A literature review was conducted to explore entrepreneurial orientation and its perceived business success in small enterprises. The five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation and the two variables measuring perceived business success were explored. A questionnaire constructed by Lotz (2009) was used to measure entrepreneurial orientation variables and perceived business success variables. A target group of 60 business owners was identified and questionnaires were distributed to them. A total of 42 questionnaires were returned but only 38 were deemed usable for the study. The validity of each variable was individually determined by the calculation of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Conclusions and recommendations for possible action steps to enhance entrepreneurial orientation were made, based on the empirical data obtained. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The refugee crisis has escalated significantly in Europe, becoming one of the main destinations for refugees. Sweden is one of the largest European recipients for asylum applications and was taking in the largest number of refugees in Europe in 2015 in terms of per capita; at 15 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants. With this large flow of refugees into Sweden, a large number of needs arise among the refugees along with a number of challenges concerning integration. These needs and challenges could potentially become attractive business ideas and Sweden should, theoretically, be seeing a significant increase in entrepreneurial activity with a focus on these issues. However, the phenomenon that is observed is that this does not appear to be the case with this crisis. Entrepreneurial activity does not appear to have increased significantly in relation to the refugee crisis in Sweden. Why is that? What are the underlying barriers that hinder individuals from engaging in the entrepreneurial process during the refugee crisis in Sweden? This study finds that the three main barriers after having collected 52 responses are 1) no time/ other priorities, 2) capital requirements and 3) lack of information. Furthermore, many of the barriers that were identified have to do with the individuals’ reluctance to enter the entrepreneurial process. A total of 21 respondents identified such a barrier - that is 40.4% of the responses collected. If the majority of individuals in Sweden are unwilling or reluctant to present innovative ideas, then the difficulty that arises is finding an efficient solution that reaches a large part of the population.

The purpose of this paper is to test the ability of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior and Shapero's model of the entrepreneurial event to predict entrepreneurial intent (EI) among Swedish university students. A conceptual framework was developed where attitude towards entrepreneurial behavior was constituted by perceived self-efficacy, perceived social norms, and independence and serves as a mediator for the EI.A comparison between three focus groups composed of non-business students, business students and participants from the 'Enterprising &amp; Business Development' (EBD) program at Linnaeus University was undertaken. The results show all three studied variables are significant determinants of EI, which in turn is a precursor of the attitude toward entrepreneurial behaviour. However, evidence suggests a negative relationship between the perceived social norms and the EI among EBD and business students.This paper contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by testing how certain factors affect the EI of university students. Its originality arises from combining the two most significant models for EI and applying them to three groups with different prerequisites. Although the study is subject to some limitations, they can be overcome by further studies.