Entrepreneurship is on the rise in Africa. The Kenyan government is focusing on entrepreneurship and the digital scene for the future growth of the country. The digital startup ecosystem is growing as well as the number of entrepreneurs is rising which has further increased the discussion of business opportunities in the region. This raises the question why the entrepreneurs themselves want to pursue entrepreneurship as an active career. Past research show that entrepreneurial motivations may differ due to geographical regions, and may differ due to the economical condition of the country. The authors see that more emphasize must be put on entrepreneurial motives in developing countries to further understand why people want to pursue entrepreneurship. Since there is little research on entrepreneurial motivations in developing countries, where on region is Nairobi, Kenya, the authors aim to add knowledge in this field to further understand entrepreneurial motivations across the world. This is a qualitative research where the authors aim to explore the entrepreneurial motives behind going into entrepreneurship in Nairobi, Kenya. 18 participants have been interviewed through a semi-structured interview format in Nairobi for 2 weeks in March 2017. The results show that there are three main motives present in Nairobi. The findings have been compared to, according to the inductive reasoning approach, a theory of entrepreneurial motivations and have found that there are different motives present in Nairobi than in other regions in the world. Some entrepreneurial motives that are less common in developed countries are more common in Nairobi, which confirm that entrepreneurial motives differ due to geographical regions.

This thesis investigates the performance of business model innovation (BMI) by incumbent power utility and clean-tech start-up firms influenced by the German Energiewende. It emphasises the factors that impact BMI from a managers’ perspective, examines success factors for managers to overcome BMI challenges, and addresses contingencies to perform BMI in a more structured way. The research is driven by the German Energiewende. It has been chosen as Germany is considered one of the world’s leading markets for renewable energies and a transformation of the power sector is currently underway. Therefore, established power utility firms face severe changes, which have the characteristics of a potential disruption to their business model (BM). At the same time, new players are challenging these incumbents with new BMs. The research is underpinned by the extant literature on BMs and BMI. The research approach is based on two case studies; the incumbent power utility and the clean-tech start-up sector. The qualitative study comprises of 24 semi-structured interviews conducted with top tier managers, from 18 firms, responsible for BMI within these firms. Key findings: This study extends our knowledge of BMI in both a start-up and an incumbent environment that is influenced by various contingent events. It portrays barriers to BMI and depicts critical success factors for BMI that point out solutions on how to overcome these barriers. It provides a structured BMI framework for established firms and illustrates future BM archetypes in this sector. It clearly documents the German Energiewende is regarded as a disruptive threat from the perspective of incumbent power utility managers. The theoretical contribution of this thesis is a process framework including all identified drivers and challenges for BMI in both established and start-up firms. Contributions to practice include critical success factors for BMI, recommendations to overcome barriers to BMI and future BM archetypes within the newly evolving Energiewende industry based on sustainable technologies.

The 2009 edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) recommends a pedestrian walking speed of 3.5 feet per second for use in the timing of pedestrian clearance intervals at signalized intersections (reduced from 4.0 feet per second in the 2003 edition). Jurisdictions across the state of Utah continue to maintain pedestrian walking speeds of 4.0 feet per second for normal intersections with guidance on engineering judgement for areas where a lower pedestrian walking speed should be considered. In 2018, it was decided that the current state guidance with regard to pedestrian walking speeds be evaluated for any needed changes, such as adopting the national guidance found in the 2009 MUTCD. To evaluate pedestrian walking speeds at signalized intersections, 15 sites throughout the state of Utah were studied, producing a total of 2,061 observations of pedestrian crossing events. These crossing events were evaluated to calculate walking speeds in relation to pedestrian demographics at each location. Evaluated demographics included pedestrian group size, gender, mobility status, age category, alertness, and potential distractions. Upon completion of data collection, a statistical analysis was conducted to determine mean and 15th percentile pedestrian walking speeds by demographic. The data collection procedure, data analysis, and limited recommendations for pedestrian start-up delay and pedestrian walking speeds as used in signal timing are discussed in this report. The data suggest that Utah continue to maintain its guidance of 4.0 feet per second walking speeds at most signalized intersections, while exercising engineering judgment at locations containing high pedestrian volumes or locations containing high percentages of elderly or disabled pedestrians.

The relevance of the research topic is due to the fact that a properly developed business plan of an enterprise allows you to plan and optimize resources for obtaining the best financial result. You can not get a stable success in small business without proper planning of activities, continuous monitoring and analysis of information about the state of target markets, the position of the most formidable competitors and about their own prospects and growth opportunities. The purpose of the Master thesis is to carry out market analysis and create a draft business plan for the formation of a new small business in the field of catering. The object of the study is the catering company LLC «Catering +», Ekaterinburg. The subject of research is the process of business planning in the process of creating a new small business organization in the field of public catering. In the course of the master’s thesis, all the tasks were accomplished and the goal of the work was achieved. In the course of theoretical and practical research, issues of increasing economic efficiency were raised, project summaries, marketing and financial plans were developed. A profit and loss plan was drawn up, as well as an analysis of relevant measures was carried out in order to reduce the payback period of the project. / Актуальность темы исследования обусловлена тем, что правильно разработанный бизнес-план предприятия позволяет спланировать и оптимизировать ресурсы для получения наилучшего финансового результата. Нельзя получить стабильный успех в малом бизнесе без правильного планирования деятельности, постоянного мониторинга и анализа информации о состоянии целевых рынков, положении самых грозных конкурентов и о собственных перспективах и возможностях роста. Целью Магистерской диссертации является выполнение анализа рынка и создание проекта бизнес-плана по образованию новой компании малого бизнеса в сфере общественного питания. Объектом исследования является кейтеринговая компания ООО «Кейтеринг+» г. Екатеринбург. Предметом исследования является процесс бизнес–планирования в процессе создания новой организации малого бизнеса в сфере общественного питания. В ходе выполнения магистерской диссертации были выполнены все поставленные задачи и достигнута цель работы. В ходе теоретического и практического исследования затронуты вопросы повышения экономической эффективности, разработаны резюме проекта, маркетинговый и финансовый планы. Составлен план прибылей и убытков, а также проведен анализ соответствующих мероприятий, с целью уменьшения срока окупаемости проекта.

Les secteurs manufacturiers de nombreux pays ont vu leurs parts dans les économies nationales décliner depuis plus de 20 ans, et le Québec n’en fait pas exception. Bouleversé par des ralentissements économiques et des signatures d’accords de libre-échange, ce secteur autrefois prédominant dans la province a vu son pourcentage de produit intérieur brut et sa proportion d’emploi continuellement diminué lors des dernières décennies. Plusieurs causes permettent d’expliquer ce déclin, telles que la libéralisation du commerce international, l’appréciation des devises et la délocalisation d’entreprises manufacturières. Cependant, les crises récentes, comme la pandémie de COVID-19 et les perturbations dans les chaînes d’approvisionnement internationales, ont démontré la pertinence d’avoir accès à des systèmes de productions locales afin de soutenir la résilience économique locale et une plus grande autonomie lors de ces crises. Dans ce contexte, ce mémoire cherche à explorer les leviers et les freins de la production locale de meubles et d’objets de maison au Québec, en s’attardant aux petites entreprises utilisant des échelles de production de moyenne série, une échelle particulièrement utilisée chez les PME, qui constitue la majorité des entreprises du secteur manufacturier québécois. Plus précisément, il pose la question suivante : quelles leçons tirer d’expériences d’entreprises œuvrant dans le secteur manufacturier de meubles produit localement au Québec à des échelles de production de moyenne série ? Afin de répondre à cette question, une recherche qualitative mettant de l’avant l’analyse documentaire et des entretiens semi-dirigés avec des personnes œuvrant dans des entreprises différentes possédant des expériences riches et pertinentes dans les mises en production de moyennes séries a permis de documenter ce secteur. Cette collecte de données a permis, dans un premier temps, de caractériser le domaine de production de meubles conçu et fabriqué localement, et, dans un second temps, d’identifier les grandes lignes de modèles de production viables dans une échelle de production de moyenne série. Les résultats de cette étude montrent que les d’entreprises intégrant l’ensemble des activités de fabrication à l’interne, et mettant de l’avant des types de productions variées (comme la fabrication à l’ordre combiné à la fabrication pour inventaire) sont en mesure d’être plus résilientes. De plus, celles qui entretiennent des partenariats avec des entreprises concurrentes seraient plus autonomes et entretiendraient des relations plus pérennes avec des fournisseurs locaux. / The manufacturing sectors in many countries have seen their share of national economies decline over the past 20 years, and Quebec is no exception. Shaken by economic downturns and the signing of free trade agreements, this once-dominant sector in the province has seen its percentage of gross domestic product and its share of employment decline steadily over the past few decades. There are several reasons for this decline, such as the liberalization of international trade, currency appreciation and the relocation of manufacturing companies. However, recent crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and disruptions in international supply chains, have demonstrated the relevance of having access to local production systems to support local economic resilience and greater autonomy during these crises. In this context, this paper seeks to explore the levers and obstacles of local furniture and object production in Quebec, focusing on small firms using medium-scale production, a scale particularly used by SMEs, which constitute most firms in the Quebec manufacturing sector. More specifically, it asks the following question: what lessons can be learned from the experiences of firms operating in the manufacturing sector of locally produced furniture and objects in Quebec at medium production scales? To answer this question, a qualitative research based on documentary analysis and semi-directed interviews with people working in different companies with rich and relevant experiences in the production of medium-sized series allowed to document this sector. This data collection allowed, firstly, to characterize the field of production of locally designed and manufactured objects, and, secondly, to identify the main lines of viable production models in a scale of medium series production. The results of this study show that firms that integrate all manufacturing activities in-house and put forward various types of production (such as make-to-order combined with make-to-stock) are able to be more resilient. In addition, those that partner with competitive firms would be more self-sufficient and have more sustainable relationships with local suppliers.

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This paper explores the existence of a shared community involving the members, users and organisers of three collaborative work spaces located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Situated as part of an emergent global phenomenon, these spaces, despite having notable differences, share many important features and are, I argue, part of a knowledge exchanging cluster of grassroots entrepreneurialism and innovation-oriented organisations, groups and events in the Phnom Penh area. I explore this cluster as a community in two ways: firstly through the mapping of a knowledge architecture locating the spaces and their actors as nodes within a flow of relationships and activities, secondly, via a networked ethnographic inquiry tracing these flows to actors within the network through qualitative research methods. In doing so I reveal the degree to which there exists a shared community perceived by the users and organisers of these spaces as well highlighting potential opportunities for greater sharing of knowledge, ideas and experience. The paper finds that though a nascent community does exist, there is still significant variance in the levels of cognisance of this community by the different actors as well as in the approach to its engagement. Despite this, there remains, in large part, a shared set of goals and values paving the way for future community collaboration.

Zum Erhalt und zur Weiterentwicklung unserer Wirtschaft reicht es nicht, Bestehendes zu bewahren und Traditionen fortzuführen. Im Gegenteil: Existenzgründungen sind eine unverzichtbare Grundlage für wirtschaftliches Wachstum und technischen Fortschritt. Mit neuen Ideen wird frischer Wind in vorhandene Strukturen hineingeweht; die Zukunft wird maßgeblich von denen mitgestaltet, die den Mut haben, ihre innovativen Produkte, Dienstleistungen und Geschäftsmodelle auch durch den Schritt in die Selbstständigkeit auf den Markt zu bringen. Nicht nur im Bereich digitaler und technischer Innovationen ist die Start-up-Szene längst zu einem Hoffnungsträger avanciert. Angesichts des Klimawandels und weiterer ökologischer Herausforderungen gewinnt das Thema Nachhaltigkeit in allen Bereichen der Wirtschaft mehr und mehr an Bedeutung. Wer hier ansetzt und mit einer nutzbringenden Idee überzeugt, hat gute Chancen, Kapitalgeber, Förderer und Business Angels für sich zu gewinnen und den Traum vom eigenen Unternehmen Wirklichkeit werden zu lassen. Gerade in Krisenzeiten braucht die Wirtschaft den jungen Unternehmergeist, den Start-ups in unserer Gesellschaft verkörpern. Viele große Herausforderungen, beispielsweise im Bereich der Digitalisierung und der Energiewende, werden sich leichter durch neue Ideen und Innovationen meistern lassen. Daher ist es uns ein Anliegen, mit dieser Sonderausgabe der WIRTSCHAFT zum Austausch und zu Kooperationen untereinander anzuregen: Zahlreiche Informationen über Fördermöglichkeiten, Netzwerke, Gründerkonzepte und praktische Beispiele finden Sie in diesem Heft.

dreimal im Jahr erscheinende Zeitschrift über aktuelle Themen der TU Chemnitz

The aim of this thesis is the proposal of a framework for creation of a business plan for IT related projects. Emphasis is targeted on proposing usable framework evolved from theoretical findings. The first part describes the term business plan on theoretical level. Moreover, the first part includes the development of IT investments in start-up projects. The second part relates to a new proposed framework for creation of a business plan for IT related projects, based on the outcomes from the first part. The third part describes practical example of the proposed framework. It includes the Executive Summary and the complete business plan for the IT start-up project (specifically area of hardware installation, configuration and sales), based on the new framework.