Corporate entrepreneurship has gained renewed interested in research since global markets are evolving and industries become more and more competitive. Information is transferred across the globe rapidly so that products and processes can be copied quickly. In order to be competitive, companies need to enhance creativity, their technological knowledge and market know-how. This high competitiveness leads to a dilemma where innovation is a key to survive whilst the size and administration may signify barriers to replicate entrepreneurial behavior through the entire business.   Considering the relevance of corporate entrepreneurship in the rapidly changing market of the 21st century, our purpose was to develop a deeper understanding of how corporate entrepreneurship can be used by companies. We then looked deeper into the subject of organizational transformation and decided to do a case study. The aim of the research was to make a theoretical contribution by examining the subject in the context of a medium-sized enterprise in a specific environment where corporate entrepreneurship is vital. Therefore, we chose a medium-sized German company that operates in the increasingly complex and competitive process automation industry. The Gefeba Elektro GmbH was found to be an interesting case for a case study for several reasons. The company was situated in a highly competitive market, in the heart of the industrial ‘Rurhgebiet’, with numerous competitors. However, and despite the lack of resources faced by this SME, Gefeba is an important actor in the automation industry.   Although researchers have examined various factors that promote corporate entrepreneurship, the literature has focused on defining factors in isolation without linking them to architectural factors, especially when it comes to SMEs. These factors are defined in our study as leadership, culture, structure and strategy. Acting within the extremes of small businesses and large corporations, we focus our study on a single medium-sized company that enables us to reach different levels of the organization and grasp a holistic understanding of this specific organization in relation to its use of CE. In accordance to this, the main research question is: How does Gefeba Elektro GmbH use corporate entrepreneurship in the automation sector industry?   The study was conducted using a qualitative research method. One of the major findings is that the Gefeba Elektro GmbH is using a balance between the organizational antecedents of common values and flexibility to build a mechanism that aligns the organizational architecture towards the development of corporate entrepreneurship. Another aspect is the fact that every architectural factor is used for the development of CE, even if some architectural factors such as leadership and culture seem to have more importance in this development. Thereby, the findings about organizational antecedents and architectural factors are relevant for the managerial implications in others SMEs facing the same context as Gefeba Elektro GmbH, which are willing to implement corporate entrepreneurship without knowing exactly how to do it. Indeed, the lack of resources of an SME could however allow developing organizational transformation through a sensitive equilibrium between the common values and beliefs for the control and the flexibility for the innovation. Moreover, another point highlighted in our findings is the crucial role of the individual in the implementation and development of corporate entrepreneurship.

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Since the early 1990s entrepreneurship education has experienced a significant interest and growth in South Africa, due to the fact that it plays a very important part in the success of businesses, whether it is a new or an existing business venture. Corporate entrepreneurship can be defined as the development of new ideas and opportunities within a large organisation and is characterized by individuals who are energetic, creative, innovative, self-confident and take calculated risks. When looking at the entrepreneurial orientation variables, Autonomy, Innovativeness, Risk-taking, Pro-Activeness and Competitive aggressiveness in any organisation, they require an acceptable climate to ensure that each dimension prosper. The line, middle and senior managers play an important role in entrepreneurial actions, whether it is part of creating the climate or driving the process once initiated. Entrepreneurial success factors such as creativity, innovation, risk orientation, leadership, good human relations, a positive attitude and perseverance, are all attributes of successful entrepreneurs. The primary research focus of this study has been to investigate the influence of entrepreneurial orientation variables (Autonomy, Innovativeness, Risk-taking, Pro- Activeness and Competitive aggressiveness) on the perceived success in a personal protective equipment organisation in South Africa. For the purpose of this study, the business success has been measured by means of two dependent variables namely Business growth and Business development and improvement. An empirical study has been conducted by using a questionnaire that measured five dimensions regarding entrepreneurial orientation. Data from 42 participants have been collected and analysed, and the results indicate that the organisation have certain aspects of entrepreneurial orientation present. The results show that the managers in the personal protective equipment business perceived that the entrepreneurial orientation variable Innovativeness have a positive influence on their Business Growth. An important relationship between the independent variable Innovativeness and the dependent variable Business development and improvement has been found to exist. Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial orientation are more than just vibrant words in the industry; they play important roles in the survival and growth of organisations. It is also crucial to understand that the correct climate needs to be fostered within the organisation to ensure that all the various aspects of corporate entrepreneurship are achieved. The organisation will reap greater benefits that could contribute to the business staying the leader in the industry, being more competitive, creating new ventures, and introducing new products and services. The area of significant concern for the organisation is a low or poor tolerance for risktaking. Practical recommendations, suggestions and an action plan are presented in order to improve the entrepreneurial climate of the organisation. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Since the early 1990s entrepreneurship education has experienced a significant interest and growth in South Africa, due to the fact that it plays a very important part in the success of businesses, whether it is a new or an existing business venture. Corporate entrepreneurship can be defined as the development of new ideas and opportunities within a large organisation and is characterized by individuals who are energetic, creative, innovative, self-confident and take calculated risks. When looking at the entrepreneurial orientation variables, Autonomy, Innovativeness, Risk-taking, Pro-Activeness and Competitive aggressiveness in any organisation, they require an acceptable climate to ensure that each dimension prosper. The line, middle and senior managers play an important role in entrepreneurial actions, whether it is part of creating the climate or driving the process once initiated. Entrepreneurial success factors such as creativity, innovation, risk orientation, leadership, good human relations, a positive attitude and perseverance, are all attributes of successful entrepreneurs. The primary research focus of this study has been to investigate the influence of entrepreneurial orientation variables (Autonomy, Innovativeness, Risk-taking, Pro- Activeness and Competitive aggressiveness) on the perceived success in a personal protective equipment organisation in South Africa. For the purpose of this study, the business success has been measured by means of two dependent variables namely Business growth and Business development and improvement. An empirical study has been conducted by using a questionnaire that measured five dimensions regarding entrepreneurial orientation. Data from 42 participants have been collected and analysed, and the results indicate that the organisation have certain aspects of entrepreneurial orientation present. The results show that the managers in the personal protective equipment business perceived that the entrepreneurial orientation variable Innovativeness have a positive influence on their Business Growth. An important relationship between the independent variable Innovativeness and the dependent variable Business development and improvement has been found to exist. Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial orientation are more than just vibrant words in the industry; they play important roles in the survival and growth of organisations. It is also crucial to understand that the correct climate needs to be fostered within the organisation to ensure that all the various aspects of corporate entrepreneurship are achieved. The organisation will reap greater benefits that could contribute to the business staying the leader in the industry, being more competitive, creating new ventures, and introducing new products and services. The area of significant concern for the organisation is a low or poor tolerance for risktaking. Practical recommendations, suggestions and an action plan are presented in order to improve the entrepreneurial climate of the organisation. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

<p>lululemon athletica is a yoga inspired athletic clothing company. Since lululemon’s retail inception in 2000, the company has been quite successful; it has grown to sixty- four store and showrooms locations and has doubled revenue every year for the last four years. A lululemon core value is entrepreneurship. This thesis explores this entrepreneurial value focusing primarily on an individual retail location manager perspective. The entrepreneurial concepts utilized to explore entrepreneurship are: entrepreneurial ori- entation (EO), entrepreneurial management, company growth, entrepreneurship preservation, and corporate entrepreneurship.</p><p>Three empirical instruments assessing entrepreneurial concepts are employed in this thesis: Entrepreneurial Orientation, Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship, and a presented recombination of Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship concept. The EO instrument considers the dimensions pioneered by Miller (1983) and Dess and Lumpkin (1996) and includes: innovation, risk-taking, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy. Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship is assessed by the Operationalization of Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship scale developed by Brown et al. (2001) which determines management style proclivity between an entrepreneurial or administrative style.</p><p>The third empirical study recombines the Brown et al. (2001) instrument in an attempt to explore a possible ambidextrous management function of Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship concept.</p><p>Results from the empirical studies depict lululemon as an entrepreneurial organisation. The EO study results show that lululemon emphasizes innovative and proactive behaviours. The Operationalization of Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship scale determined that lululemon slightly favours an entrepreneurial management style. The presented ambidexterity instrument reveals individual location managers to be capable of ambidextrous management.</p><p>Two possible contributions to entrepreneurship study are proposed in this thesis. Analysis of the entrepreneurial orientation concept within lululemon realized a need for a communication and coordination EO dimension to be added to the existing dimensions. Also, the recombination of the Brown et al. (2001) instrument provides an alternate measurement scale assessing management ambidexterity.</p>

<p> </p><!--[if !mso]> <object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object><mce:style><! st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p> </p><p>Research is focusing on the process through which companies internationalize, which is often based on their size, operations, internal capabilities and competencies. Present global economic conditions enforced by the strong competitiveness factor stimulate every company to act in a different way. More and more well established companies encounter with an increasing need to reinforce and redefine its strategic direction. To address these issues companies are inevitably forced to act in a more agile entrepreneurial way. Therefore, entrepreneurial orientation postures were selected among other theoretical alternatives to identify the relationships and effects entrepreneurship can bring to the process of internationalization.</p><p> </p><p>The research was based on the data generated from three well established companies in Jonkoping County. These companies are bright representatives of the manufacturing sector in the region. Besides, they are characterized as market leaders in their preferred segments forming a trend in the industry they serve and keeping a strong competitive edge. Following the path of data collection, a process of individual internationalization was mapped retrospectively, with a focus on identifying entrepreneurial orientation leading this process.</p><p> </p><p>The findings indicate interesting aspects that are applicable to all three firms. We have concluded that nascent decision to internationalize was driven by the external factors which to a great extent accountable for major strategic renewal. Consequently, change in the strategy and processes related to its implementation foster entrepreneurial injections and considerably speed up international commitment. Furthermore, we have identified that theoretical background considerably differ from the practical matters performed in these companies.</p>

The model of Entrepreneurial Orientation has frequently been used as a way to analyze the entrepreneurial behavior of organizations. Although the model has been adopted across different context, it has rarely been adapted to these: One such context is nonprofits. As nonprofits operate under other circumstances, we argue that the five dimensions of innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy may not account for all entrepreneurial activity in these organizations. With the largest body of nonprofits in Sweden being sports, a single case study with semi-structured interviews of members in Judo associations were conducted to answer the two research questions: (1) Which dimensions of EO can be found within nonprofits? and (2) Why do entrepreneurial behavior differ between for-profits and nonprofits? By implementing the study of Morris, Webb and Franklin (2011) of motivation, processes, and outcomes we identified what processes can be translated into dimensions, as well as what the motivation behind these are. By analyzing our empirical data we were able to answer our questions in the following way. In nonprofits, the dimensions of innovativeness, internal proactiveness, collaboration, lobbying, and autonomy were identified, indicating that the EO model does indeed need to be adapted for nonprofits. The reason for why these dimensions occurred is mainly due to difference in the motivation of nonprofits. We find that the nonprofits aim to fulfill external goals, by serving a social purpose to stakeholders and growth. This means that nonprofits are not as focused on other players in the market, which impacts on their entrepreneurial behavior.

Este estudo tem o objetivo de verificar como e por que as práticas de gestão empresarial, destinadas à promoção de um ambiente propício à existência do empreendedorismo corporativo, que são encontradas em empresas atuantes no Brasil, reconhecidas por algumas publicações de negócios não científicas, contribuem para os resultados atribuídos às ações empreendedoras realizadas pelos seus empregados, sob a ótica de seus executivos. Essas empresas são então apresentadas como aquelas nas quais existe o empreendedorismo corporativo. Os resultados esperados das ações empreendedoras são a geração e lançamento de novos produtos, criação e/ou adoção de novos processos, criação e/ou adoção de novos conceitos de gestão e/ou a entrada em novos negócios. Assume-se como pressuposto conceitual que a ação empreendedora é benéfica para garantir e ampliar o resultado da empresa. O estudo terá cunho exploratório, qualitativo, transversal e será desenvolvido pelo método do estudo de caso, pois é o mais adequado quando se pretende estudar um fenômeno amplo e complexo,cujo tema ainda é pouco conhecido, com estudos de casos múltiplos. Foram estudadas cinco empresas, de setores diferentes da economia, de tamanhos diferentes e também com controladores de diferentes países. As fontes de informações mais importantes do estudo foram as entrevistas semi-estruturadas realizadas com os gestores das empresas selecionadas. As principais práticas de gestão empresarial voltadas ao empreendedorismo corporativo encontradas na pesquisa foram: recompensas, incentivos e reconhecimentos; disponibilização de recursos (materiais, humanos e financeiros); tolerância ao erro; apoio da alta administração; estruturação da empresa e liberdade de trabalho. A análise das informações dos casos estudados mostrou a existência de diversas práticas dentro de cada uma das cinco categorias identificadas. As empresas adotam práticas em comum, no entanto, também existem algumas peculiaridades que as diferenciam. Foi possível compreender que as práticas de gestão empresarial destinadas à promoção do empreendedorismo corporativo contribuem para as ações empreendedoras ao oferecer as condições organizacionais e os estímulos pessoais necessários para que os seus funcionários possam criar e implementar projetos empreendedores, que serão posteriormente acolhidos pela empresa. Tais práticas são valorizadas pelos empreendedores corporativos, porque sinalizam para eles que as ações empreendedoras são reconhecidas e podem lhes render resultados de prestígio profissional, dentro ou fora da empresa, além de benefícios financeiros diretos, em alguns casos. / This study aims to ascertain how and why the practices of business management, destined to promote an environment conducive to the existence of corporate entrepreneurship, which are found in companies operating in Brazil, recognized by some non-scientific business publications, contribute to the results attributed to entrepreneurial activities undertaken by their employees, from the viewpoint of its executives. These companies are then presented as those in which corporate entrepreneurship exist. The expected results of entrepreneurial activities are the creation and launch of new products, creating and / or adoption of new processes, creating and / or adoption of new management concepts and / or entry into new businesses. It is assumed as conceptual assumption that entrepreneurial activity is beneficial to ensure and extend the result of the company. The study will be exploratory, qualitative, transverse and will be developed by the method of case study, because it is more appropriate when attempting to study a broad and complex phenomenon, which theme is still unknown, with multiple case studies. Five companies were studied from different sectors of the economy, of different sizes and with drivers from different countries. The most important sources of information in the study were semi-structured interviews conducted with managers of selected companies. The main corporate governance practices aimed to corporate entrepreneurship found in the research were: rewards, incentives and recognition; availability of resources (material, human and financial); risk tolerance; support of senior management; company structure and freedom at work. The analysis of information from the studied cases showed the existence of various practices within each of the five categories identified. Companies adopt common practices, however, there are some peculiarities that differentiate them. It was possible to understand that the practices of corporate governance for the promotion of corporate entrepreneurship contribute to the entrepreneurship actions providing organizational conditions and personal incentives necessary for their staff to create and implement entrepreneurship projects, which will be posteriorly hosted by the company. Such practices are valued by corporate entrepreneurs, because they show to them that the entrepreneurial action are recognized and may draw results of their professional prestige, inside or outside the company, in addition to direct financial benefits, in some cases.

lululemon athletica is a yoga inspired athletic clothing company. Since lululemon’s retail inception in 2000, the company has been quite successful; it has grown to sixty- four store and showrooms locations and has doubled revenue every year for the last four years. A lululemon core value is entrepreneurship. This thesis explores this entrepreneurial value focusing primarily on an individual retail location manager perspective. The entrepreneurial concepts utilized to explore entrepreneurship are: entrepreneurial ori- entation (EO), entrepreneurial management, company growth, entrepreneurship preservation, and corporate entrepreneurship. Three empirical instruments assessing entrepreneurial concepts are employed in this thesis: Entrepreneurial Orientation, Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship, and a presented recombination of Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship concept. The EO instrument considers the dimensions pioneered by Miller (1983) and Dess and Lumpkin (1996) and includes: innovation, risk-taking, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness, and autonomy. Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship is assessed by the Operationalization of Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship scale developed by Brown et al. (2001) which determines management style proclivity between an entrepreneurial or administrative style. The third empirical study recombines the Brown et al. (2001) instrument in an attempt to explore a possible ambidextrous management function of Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship concept. Results from the empirical studies depict lululemon as an entrepreneurial organisation. The EO study results show that lululemon emphasizes innovative and proactive behaviours. The Operationalization of Stevenson’s Entrepreneurship scale determined that lululemon slightly favours an entrepreneurial management style. The presented ambidexterity instrument reveals individual location managers to be capable of ambidextrous management. Two possible contributions to entrepreneurship study are proposed in this thesis. Analysis of the entrepreneurial orientation concept within lululemon realized a need for a communication and coordination EO dimension to be added to the existing dimensions. Also, the recombination of the Brown et al. (2001) instrument provides an alternate measurement scale assessing management ambidexterity.

<!--[if !mso]> <object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object><mce:style><! st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } -->      Abstract   Research is focusing on the process through which companies internationalize, which is often based on their size, operations, internal capabilities and competencies. Present global economic conditions enforced by the strong competitiveness factor stimulate every company to act in a different way. More and more well established companies encounter with an increasing need to reinforce and redefine its strategic direction. To address these issues companies are inevitably forced to act in a more agile entrepreneurial way. Therefore, entrepreneurial orientation postures were selected among other theoretical alternatives to identify the relationships and effects entrepreneurship can bring to the process of internationalization.   The research was based on the data generated from three well established companies in Jonkoping County. These companies are bright representatives of the manufacturing sector in the region. Besides, they are characterized as market leaders in their preferred segments forming a trend in the industry they serve and keeping a strong competitive edge. Following the path of data collection, a process of individual internationalization was mapped retrospectively, with a focus on identifying entrepreneurial orientation leading this process.   The findings indicate interesting aspects that are applicable to all three firms. We have concluded that nascent decision to internationalize was driven by the external factors which to a great extent accountable for major strategic renewal. Consequently, change in the strategy and processes related to its implementation foster entrepreneurial injections and considerably speed up international commitment. Furthermore, we have identified that theoretical background considerably differ from the practical matters performed in these companies.