This research dissertation presents a study which increases the understanding of how corporate firms in Botswana can develop and enhance entrepreneurial innovations and encourage entrepreneurial activity within their organisational boundaries. By so doing such organisations create an entrepreneurial oriented firm where pursuit for innovating opportunities thrive, thereby increasing their competitiveness as well as performance. This study aims to determine how such organisations culture a dynamic link between the pursuit of innovation and the essence of Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE) Orientation as a conduit to building the entrepreneurial organisation. Existing studies carried out in the area of entrepreneurship in Botswana mirror on the areas of financing entrepreneurial firms and types of ownership. A search conducted on internet sources, University of Botswana data base as well as literature journals revealed no evidence of CE studies in Botswana. Therefore, there exists a literature gap in the area of CE studies on Botswana which this study seeks to bridge. Models established by studies in the area of CE elsewhere are used instrumentally in this study. The study addresses the research problem by examining how existing firms in Botswana represent the concept of an entrepreneurial organisation within the sphere of corporate entrepreneurship. The intention is to identify and seek the knowledge, attitude and belief of the individual’s potential as corporate entrepreneurs, their ability to be innovative and how such innovation is brought to fruition in such settings. The study adopted a cross sectional, formal study approach using primary data sources. It targeted a sample of 100 individuals operating within the sample frame of a corporate organisation in Botswana which employs over 100 employees. A research instrument in form of a questionnaire was used to obtain data. Simple random sampling was employed. The resulting data set was analysed and presented by means of descriptive and quantitative statistics using SAS package software of the University of Pretoria. The study proves the inextricable link between CE orientation and the pursuit of innovation as a conduit to enhancing entrepreneurial activities in companies in Botswana. The findings however show that the level of innovation is affected by the perception of the innovation process comprising opportunity identification, generation and exploitation. The findings of the study helps large corporate companies in Botswana to appreciate and develop entrepreneurial organisations. In such organisations, Corporate Entrepreneurial Orientations are an essential base which leads to the pursuit of innovation within corporate borders. In essence, the corporate entrepreneurial activity inherent within corporate borders raises immunity against complacency and bureaucracy. It affords the organisation the impetus for coping with a variety of simulated strategies and options in the competitive arena in which the organisation finds itself. Breeding entrepreneurial activity within corporate borders also leads the organisation to new and innovative ways of responding to the windows of opportunities that enhances potential for growth as well as contributing to the organisations performance through maximising utilisation of the inherent internal capacities and deriving a strategic fit therefrom. / Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Business Management / unrestricted

p. 1-143 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-03-06T17:38:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 3333.pdf: 1306063 bytes, checksum: ad5584da610c801776fb5a8e776ac414 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lima(tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2013-03-13T20:18:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 3333.pdf: 1306063 bytes, checksum: ad5584da610c801776fb5a8e776ac414 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-03-13T20:18:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3333.pdf: 1306063 bytes, checksum: ad5584da610c801776fb5a8e776ac414 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Esta dissertação tem como objetivo avaliar o nível de Orientação Empreendedora das médias e grandes empresas com alta performance financeira, atuando no Estado da Bahia, no período de 1997 a 2001. A metodologia utilizada para avaliar a orientação empreendedora envolveu análises teóricas e empíricas, chegando-se a conclusão que os modelos analisados apresentavam muitas limitações. Foi construído, então, um novo modelo de análise que abordasse a natureza multifacetada desse fenômeno e atendesse às especificidades da pesquisa. O modelo utilizado define a Orientação Empreendedora sob à luz de três dimensões sínteses: inovação, proatividade e propensão a riscos. Essas dimensões foram desdobradas em indicadores compostos, que compõem as funções inovação f(INO), proatividade f(PRO) e propensão a riscos f(PRS), que, com seus pesos específicos, definem a função geral da Orientação Empreendedora e seus diversos níveis. A partir deste modelo, tendo como elementos de referência dados quantitativos de pesquisas nacionais sobre o tema, desenvolveu-se uma pesquisa do tipo survey, com base em técnicas de pesquisa qualitativa e quantitativa, envolvendo uma amostra probabilística de 16 empresas, selecionadas das 94 que obtiveram performance financeira diferenciadas no período. Este estudo concluiu que das empresas pesquisadas, ocorre uma tendência para inovação média-baixa, proatividade média-alta e propensão a riscos média-baixa. Do ponto de vista da Orientação Empreendedora, nenhuma empresa foi considerada com OE alta, 25,0% delas foram consideradas com OE média- alta, 68,7% obtiveram OE média- baixa e apenas 6,3% atingiu uma OE baixa. Nenhuma empresa foi considerada sem OE. Foi constatado, portanto, que empresas de alta performance financeira apresentam diferentes níveis de OE, na medida em que cada uma das dimensões apresente importância variada, esses níveis de OE devem-se às variações de combinações entre essas dimensões e que estas últimas oscilam por influência de muitas outras variáveis. Além do resultado apresentado, foram sinalizadas proposições de ações e uma agenda de pesquisa futura para o tema de Empreendedorismo Corporativo e Orientação Empreendedora no Estado da Bahia. / Salvador

We have all read about the rapid development of today’s business landscape as well as the increase in globalization. Companies are forced to operate in new ways in order to stay competitive. At the same time, globalization has opened up new business opportunities for companies. This has lead to the emergence of born global companies, which carry out rapid internationalization processes from an early stage, and challenge traditional internationalization models such as the Uppsala model. According to existing literature, there are several challenges with adopting a born global strategy, and international entrepreneurship orientation becomes an important aspect in order to succeed. Finding a balance between innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness is the key in order for born global companies to succeed in their internationalization process. This study investigates how international entrepreneurship orientation affects the internationalization process of born global companies in Sweden. I have, with the help of a qualitative study, looked into how Swedish SME born global companies in the ear-and headphone industry have managed to take on several international markets in their internationalization process and in what way international entrepreneurship orientation in combination with other factors have played a crucial role. / Vi har alla läst om den snabba utvecklingen av dagens affärslandskap samt den ökade globaliseringen. Företag tvingas idag att hitta nya sätt att arbeta på för att förbli konkurrenskraftiga. Globalisering har i sin tur skapat nya möjligheter för företag, vilket har lett till uppkomsten av born global-företag. Dessa företag karaktäriseras av att genomföra snabba internationaliseringsprocesser från ett tidigt skede och utmanar på så sätt mer traditionella modeller så som Uppsalamodellen. Enligt existerande litteratur finns det ett flertal utmaningar när det kommer till att ta sig an en born global-strategi och internationell entreprenörskapsorientering blir därmed en viktig aspekt för att lyckas. Att hitta en balans mellan innovativitet, proaktivitet och risktagande är nyckeln för att ett born globalföretag ska lyckas i sin internationaliseringsprocess. Den här studien undersöker hur internationell entreprenörskapsorientering påverkar internationaliseringsprocessen hos born global-företag i Sverige. Jag har med hjälp av en kvalitativ studie undersökt hur svenska SME born global-företag inom hörlursbranschen har lyckats ta sig an flera internationella marknader i deras internationaliseringsprocess och på vilket sätt internationell entreprenörskapsorientering i kombination med andra faktorer har haft en kritisk roll i processen.

本研究屬於探索性的研究，透過文獻探討並從兩家日本個案公司－JASCO與Origin實務做法之相似處，從中歸納整理並建構提案式經營之概念性模式。提案式經營必須同時具有市場導向與創業導向互相搭配之組織文化，且要有高階管理者的支持。在兩導向相輔相成的運作之下，組織將有能力發掘顧客心中潛在、未能清楚表達的新需求，同時發展滿足此新需求所需的新技術能力，因此能夠有效促進新需求與新技術之搭配以形成一新的產品/服務提案，並主動提供給未察覺此需求的顧客。由於提案是奠基於真正了解顧客心中的需求與所渴望的價值，並融入了與顧客互動，也因而能創造真正卓越的顧客價值、幫助顧客成功，不僅達到最高的顧客滿意，更讓顧客感動。提案式經營可透過卓越的顧客價值創造，為組織帶來價值創造、改變市場和領導地位的競爭優勢。提案式經營本質上即是一種驅動市場的組織運作，是市場導向新思維下顧客價值創造之道。 提案式經營的精髓在於新市場的開創，透過市場導向與創業導向文化相輔相成的運作之下，企業能有足夠的意願與能力去有效搭配新需求與新技術，進而開創一個新市場。能幫助廠商培養洞察新市場機會的眼光、看到未來的需求，並發展用以實現新市場機會所需的能力，因此能夠掌握到市場先機，能比競爭者更早一步進入新市場，獲得先進入者優勢。為了能在競爭激烈的環境下生存、掌握市場先機，台灣企業也應該實行提案式經營，以便能夠驅動市場並提昇在全球的競爭力，擺脫代工的命運、創造更高附加價值的產品。 / This study is an exploratory research. By reviewing literature and studying the two Japanese cases -JASCO and Origin, a conceptual framework of proposal-type management is constructed. Proposal-type management requires the alignment of market orientation and entrepreneurship orientation cultures, and must be supported by the top management. Under the coordination of the two cultures, the organization will have the abilities to discover the latent and unexpressed needs of the customers, and develop the necessary technologies, which can be used to meet the new needs, in good time. Therefore, the match of the cultures can catalyze the match of the new needs and the new technologies to generate a proposal, which can be further proposed to the customers. Because the proposal is based on thorough understanding the true needs and the desired value of the customers, it is affirmed to create superior customer value, achieve customer success, fulfill the highest customer satisfaction, and impress the customers. Through superior customer value creation, the firm will acquire the competitive advantages, including value creation, change, and leadership. Proposal-type management is a kind of market-driving organizational operation in nature, which inferred that it is a way of customer value creating under the new thinking of market orientation. The core value of proposal-type management lies in creating a new market. Under the cultural coordination of market orientation and entrepreneurship orientation, the firm has the will and capacity to match the new needs and the new technologies precisely and then create a new market. It can make the firm develop the insight into new market opportunity and the necessary abilities to fulfill it. Consequently, the firm can seize the market opportunity and gain the first-entry advantage by entering the new market in advance of the competitors. In order to survive in the intensive competition and to seize the new market opportunity, the firms in Taiwan should implement proposal-type management, which is helpful to drive market and acquire the globally competitive capabilities. It could also help the firms in Taiwan get rid of the fate of OEM and create high value-added products.

Made available in DSpace on 2009-11-18T19:01:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 abenedito.pdf: 555296 bytes, checksum: d24c813a868e1b743e55942cb049c317 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / The subject entrepreneurship has been gaining strength within the area of strategy, as the entrepreneurial activity represents one of the gears of economic growth and a political social and economic response of the entrepreneur¿s capital. Nevertheless, there are not many studies that investigated if entrepreneurial orientation influences firm performance in Brazil. The objective of the research is to understand and conclude on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. To achieve this objective, qualitative research through in-depth interviews with 14 managers was followed by quantitative research through data collection involving 104 managers in a heterogeneous sample of 104 companies. The research used the model of Lumpkin; Dess (1996) for entrepreneurial orientation in five dimensions (autonomy, innovativeness, risk taking, proactiveness and competitive aggressiveness), to which two more dimensions were added: strategic alliances and market orientation ¿ that emerged during the qualitative phase of the study. As a result a generic model was obtained ¿ composed of one variable (proactiveness) which positively impacts the firm performance. Proactiveness was also the key factor that positively impacted the firm performance for the service sector and small businesses. For the commercial sector, the model was composed by three dimensions (innovativeness, risk taking and market orientation). While the industry / construction sectors showed no linear relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. Competitive aggressiveness is the key factor that impacts positively on firm performance for big companies, whereas for mediumsized companies it is the market orientation which relates positively to firm performance. Finally, there are no significant differences depending on the sector in which the firm operates or its size. / O tema empreendedorismo vem ganhando força dentro da área de estratégia, uma vez que a atividade empreendedora representa uma das engrenagens do crescimento econômico e uma resposta política, social e econômica do capital empreendedor. Apesar disso, não há muitas pesquisas que investigaram se a orientação empreendedora (OE) influencia a performance das empresas (PE) no Brasil. O objetivo da pesquisa visa compreender e concluir sobre a relação entre OE e PE. Para atingir este objetivo, realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa, através de entrevistas em profundidade com 14 gestores, seguida de pesquisa quantitativa, através de coleta de dados envolvendo 104 gestores de uma amostra heterogênea de 104 empresas. A pesquisa utilizou o modelo de Lumpkin; Dess (1996) para OE em cinco dimensões (autonomia [A], inovação [I], capacidade de assumir riscos [CAR], pró-atividade [PA] e competitividade agressiva [CA]), ao qual foram acrescentadas mais duas dimensões, formação de parcerias [FP] e orientação para o mercado [OM] que surgiram durante a fase qualitativa do estudo. Obteve-se um modelo genérico composto por uma variável (PA) que impacta positivamente a PE. A PA também foi o fator-chave que impactou positivamente a PE para o setor de serviços e para empresas pequenas/micro. Para o setor de comércio o modelo foi formado por três dimensões (I, CAR, OM). Enquanto o setor de indústria/construção não apresentou relação linear entre OE e PE. A CA é o fator-chave que impacta positivamente a PE para empresas grandes, ao passo que para médias é a OM que se relaciona positivamente à PE. Por fim, não existem diferenças significativas dependendo do setor em que a empresa atua ou do seu tamanho.