ABSTRACT Titel: Branson - Jobs; Entreprenör och/eller Ledare? Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Madeleine Nordin och Runa Claesson Handledare: Lars Ekstrand Datum: Maj 2012 Syfte: Syftet är att belysa relationen, och studera sambandet, mellan rollerna entreprenör - ledare. Vad förenar dem, och vad skiljer dem åt? Finns det något motsatsförhållande mellan dessa båda roller? Metod: Studien är en kvalitativ studie där ansatsen är en kombination av induktiv och deduktiv ansats, så kallad abduktion. Information och material till vår studie har vi fått genom en intervju och i övrigt olika typer av sekundärinformation. Resultat & slutsats: Tidigare forskning talar om det komplexa i skärningspunkten mellan rollerna entreprenör och ledare. Det råder till viss del delade meningar om huruvida det finns ett behov av att, ur ett vetenskapligt perspektiv, göra en distinktion mellan dessa roller. Utifrån vilken kontext man definierar entreprenörsrollen kan den vara densamma som ledarrollen menar vissa. Det finns mycket som förenar rollerna som entreprenör och ledare, men det finns också en del som skiljer dem åt. Vår slutsats är att skillnaderna handlar mer om hur rollerna uppfattas och hur de utmärkande dragen beskrivs än vad det egentligen innebär att vara entreprenör och/eller ledare. Både Jobs och Branson stämmer väl in på de personlighetstyper som tidigare studier och forskning beskriver kring ledare och entreprenörer. Vi kan inte utifrån vår studie, se att det finns något motsatsförhållande mellan dessa båda roller. Vi kan inte heller säga att vi funnit något i entreprenörsrollen som utesluter alternativt förstärker något i ledarrollen, eller tvärtom. Det handlar mer om hur man som individ väljer att agera utifrån de båda rollerna och vad situationen kräver. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Att utifrån en större pool av entreprenörer studera deras bakgrunder, roller och drivkrafter och kartlägga hur de hanterar rollen som entreprenör och ledare. Detta för att se vilka mönster som eventuellt går att hitta - finns det kopplingar mellan bakgrund och uppväxt i frågan om hur man hanterar rollen som ledare och/eller rollen som entreprenör? Finns det andra mönster att urskilja när det gäller dessa individers olika drivkrafter och förmåga att hantera rollen som entreprenör och/eller ledare? En annan vinkel vore att undersöka ett antal entreprenörer som lyckats och nått framgång (finansiellt) och som sedan ägnar sig åt välgörenhet i stor utsträckning. Vad driver den som redan lyckats? Vad ligger till grund för vilken typ av välgörenhet som lockar, och på vilket sätt ser engagemangen ut? Uppsatsens bidrag: Vår studie bidrar till en ökad förståelse för vad det innebär att vara entreprenör och/eller ledare. Studien visar också på likheter och skillnader mellan dessa roller, var rollerna överlappar varandra och vad som kännetecknar respektive roll. Nyckelord: Entreprenörskap, Ledarskap, Drivkraft, Personliga egenskaper, Självkänsla, Vision         ABSTRACT Title: Branson - Jobs; Entrepreneur and/or Leader? Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Madeleine Nordin och Runa Claesson Supervisor: Lars Ekstrand Date: May 2012 Aim: The aim is to illustrate the relation, and to study the connection between the roles of entrepreneurship – leadership. What is common and what is different? Is there anything that is contradicting between these two roles? Method: This study is a qualitative study with a combination of an inductive and deductive approach, known as abduction. The information and material for our study have been collected through an interview and besides that by using different types of secondary information. Result & Conclusions: Earlier research talks about the complex intersection between the roles of an entrepreneur and a leader. There are disagreements about the need to make a distinction between the roles out of a scientific perspective. Some researchers suggest that the definition of entrepreneur or leader is formed by the context. There are many things in common between the roles as an entrepreneur and as a leader, but there are also things that differ. The differences are more about how the roles are interpreted and how the specific roles are described compared to what it really means to be an entrepreneur and/or leader. Both Branson and Jobs matches well what previous studies have defined in terms of the personalities of an entrepreneur and leader. Based on our studies we have not been able to shown any contradictions between these roles. Neither have we found anything in the role of an entrepreneur that contradicts or enhance the role of a leader, or vice versa. It´s more a matter of how one, as an individual, choose to act and what the situation demands. Suggestions for future research: To use a larger pool of entrepreneurs and study their background, their roles and striving forces to be able to see if there are any patterns in terms of how they handling the role as an entrepreneur and leader. Are there any connection between background and upbringing when it comes to how to handle the role? Are there any other patterns that can be defined regarding these individuals different way of handling their roles? Another angle would be to analyze a number of successful entrepreneurs (financially) who then moved on to focus on charity work. What drives someone that has already succeeded? What is the foundation that determines the type of charity that appeals to them and what does the engagement look like? Contribution of the thesis: The contribution of this study is a better understanding of what it means to be an entrepreneur and/or leader. The study also shows the differences between these roles, where they overlap each other and what the characteristics of each role are. Key words: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Driving forces, Personal characteristics

In today’s Sweden there is great belief in entrepreneurship and the benefits it can bring to the country. The Swedish government has taken note of this growing enthusiasm and realized the contribution it can make to facilitate national growth. Successful efforts have been made in Sweden to support entrepreneurship and innovation, which has resulted in a relative ease for individuals to start their own businesses. The number of companies started today is higher than ever and there are signs of a common faith in growth among new entrepreneurs. Unfortunately only a small fraction of these new businesses succeed in growing big. The harsh truth is that these companies will not contribute to national growth if they do not grow themselves. But what is preventing them from growing? A number of studies have shown that both the environment and the entrepreneur himself are important factors when examining companies’ growth. That is because the environment affects the entrepreneur’s strategic decisions and forces him/her to act in certain ways. These decisions, in turn, affect the company, that can then demonstrategrowth (or not). By examining five different factors that can influence the entrepreneur’s opportunity for growth, this study concludes that a number of political decisions and conditions can constitute as barriers for growth while a strong entrepreneurial orientation can help the entrepreneur to deal with negative factors in the environment.

Att gå från en nationell till en internationell etablering innebär en finansiell risk, men samtidigt stora möjligheter för en modeentreprenör. Frankrike anses som en av de viktigaste modemarknaderna i världen och så även för modeentreprenörer. Marknaden karakteriseras av lyxmode, men få svenska modeentreprenörer lyckas etablera sig i detta segment. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka vilka utmaningar som kan uppkomma för svenska modeentreprenörer vid etablering på den franska marknaden inom lyxsegmentet. Avgränsningar har gjorts i enlighet med studiens syfte, för att kunna besvara studiens frågeställningar och för att kunna lyfta upp resultatet ur sin kontext och applicera på internationellt entreprenörskap inom lyxsegmentet. Utlandsbaserat entreprenörskap behandlas genom att studiens fokus har lagts på etablering på den franska marknaden och lyxsegmentet. Kvalitativa intervjuer och ett kvantitativt frågeformulär har använts för att skapa en bred och djup förståelse för hur svenska modeentreprenörer resonerar kring internationellt entreprenörskap inom modebranschen generellt, och på den franska marknaden inom lyxsegmentet i synnerhet. Generella etableringsteorier kring utlandsbaserat entreprenörskap och lyxmarknaden samt internationaliseringsprocesser presenteras. Resultatet visar att den franska marknaden och dess lyxsegment till stora drag är som andra internationella marknader inom Europa. Marknadens långa historia inom lyxsegmentering har dock medfört att den har utvecklat institutioner och ramverk för lyxmodeföretag. Dessa fakta kan innebära såväl möjligheter som utmaningar. / Expanding a business into international markets poses some significant financial risks, but also presents business opportunities for a fashion entrepreneur. The French fashion market is one of the most powerful in the world, which makes the market important for fashion entrepreneurs. The market is characterized by luxury goods, but few Swedish fashion entrepreneurs succeed with establishment in the luxury segment. This thesis aims to examine the challenges that might arise when entering the french market and luxury segment as a swedish fashion entrepreneaur. The major focus of the study is international entrepreneurship, and the reserach has been carried out to benefit the wider industry. In order to perform the research a combination of the qualitative and quantiative approach has been used. Internationalization processes, general establishment theories of international entrepreneurship and definitions of the luxury market and luxury segmentation are presented. The qualitative data was collected through three in-depth interviews. The interviews were held with one professor, one swedish company established as a luxury company on the frenchmarket, and one swedish fashion company in the higher price segment that has been established on the french market. The quantiative data was collected through a questionnarie put out to 20 new-established fashion companies in the higher price segment. The results show that there is indeed a correspondance between luxury segmentation and establishment on the french market and establishement on international markets in Europe. But, the long history of luxury segmentation in France have resulted in institutions and frameworks for fashion luxury companies and the luxury industry. These facts can mean both opportunities and challenges for swedish fashion entrepreneurs.

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The label entrepreneur is often used for the founder of a firm. Do owner-managers of small firms then remain entrepreneurial? Do they actually innovate, expand, and start additional ventures? While there are clear signs that small firms are of increasing importance to the economy, several studies suggest that the willingness among small firm managers to pursue goals for growth and development is limited. At the same time, some of them certainly continue to behave entrepreneurially. This empirical study focuses on explanations of continued entrepreneurship – and its absence – in small firms. Some of the issues addressed are: Which characteristics of the manager, the firm, the industry, and the environment promote, and which restrain small firm growth? Is it possible to delineate groups of more and less entrepreneurial small firms? Does the high-tech category represent a new and more entrepreneurial type of small firm? More than 400 managers of small firms were interviewed for this dissertation. Data on structural factors were collected from external sources. While using micro-level data, the study aims at building knowledge that is useful at the macro-level. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk.</p>

Entrepreneurship can be described as the creation of a venture out of nothing, except for an entrepreneur’s idea. No manuals or blueprints for entrepreneurs‘ particular ideas exists. Add to this plenty of adversities along the way. For many, the entrepreneurial journey ends long before their products or services have reached the market. How do entrepreneurs deal with adversities and goal disruptions on the path to venture creation, and what effects does this have on their ventures? This study focuses on the goal disruptions that entrepreneurs experience and builds a model of perceived resistance. The model illustrates how entrepreneurs appraise goal disruptions, choose certain coping strategies, either eventually overcoming the goal disruptions or terminating their venture creation journey. The key issues affecting how novice entrepreneurs cope with goal disruptions are entrepreneurs’ emotions, life life goals, as well as their energetic resources. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2008</p>

The aim of this study is to examine the Christian community called Plymouth Brethren and how they interpret religion in relation to their entrepreneurship and business practices. The community has a strong faith in God, uses the Bible as the guiding principle in everyday life, and also has the ambition to live together within the group in seclusion from the rest of society. Based on interviews with Plymouth Brethren in the county of Småland, the study describes how they perceive the relationship between the Christian faith and entrepreneurship and practice religion in the context of their family business. As the study illustrates the Christian faith is significantly motivating their enterprises of business and the Bible is their guiding principle even when it comes to how they should run their businesses.

line of business/industry and family, to more clearly discern how male and female norms are acquired among female entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study was to gain a greater understanding and knowledge of women's conditions regarding entrepreneurship, in relation to society's norms. The study is based on a textual thematic analyses, using two themes derived from Helene Ahls “The Scientific Reproduction of Gender Inequality. A Discourse Analysis of Research Texts on Women`s Entrepreneurship”. The themes selected for this study were industry and family, which were two important themes in Helene Ahl’s research. The themes were applied using articles, in which female entrepreneurs were interviewed or portrayed. We used different sources but have mainly used the magazine Entreprenör to collect samples for the study. The theoretical framework used for this study is based mainly on Yvonne Hirdmans gender system and gender contract, we also added theories from Elvin-Nowak &amp; Thomsson concerning horizontal and vertical segregation and Patrica Lewis theories on gender blindness. The main conclusion for this study was that there is a difference between entrepreneurs and how they present and relate to male and female norms in regard to industry and family. We found that entrepreneurs who run large companies or act in male-dominated industries show tendencies of acquiring male norms and standards while entrepreneurs who run small companies or act in female-dominated industries tend to acquire female norms.

The aim of this essay is to study social capital among entrepreneurs and employees and see how trust in social relations manifests itself in each working group. This is based on two theoretical concepts: social capital and trust. The essay focuses primarily on the social capital but will also affect trust in social relations. In the essay analysis questions is answered about how entrepreneurs and employees' social capital manifests itself and how trust in social relations is expressed in each working group. The general results of the essay are the following: Social capital for employees and contractors manifests itself in different ways, even if they have not proven to be any different in how much support they have from colleagues or other related parties. It has also been shown that contractors and employees utilize their social capital in various ways. Those surveyed employees and entrepreneurs trust towards social relations have also shown differ. This has been reflected in how they perceive hierarchical systems in the workplace, in the great extent they can be themselves and trust their colleagues. This is basely proved in that they possess different forms of employment, and thus has a different chance to influence who they work with.

Sedan 2011 finns entreprenörskap inskrivet i läroplanen för grundskolan. Mycket teori finns om entreprenören och entreprenörskap, men lite forskning finns som berör anställning av entreprenörer. Med den här kvalitativa studien ville vi bidra till ökad förståelse för om och hur entreprenören rekryteras till en traditionell anställning, där vi med traditionell anställning avsett entreprenören som arbetstagare. Studien genomfördes dels genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med två rekryterare och dels genom textanalys av nio platsannonser inom olika yrkesområden. Hela studien följer uppdelningen mellan egenskapsperspektivet respektive beteendeperspektivet. Dessa teman är valda med hänsyn tagen till de olika teoretiska inriktningarna kring entreprenörskap men också till olika ansatser inom rekryteringsteori. När vi påbörjade studien trodde vi att vi skulle mötas med en negativ inställning till att anställa entreprenörer. Studiens slutsats blev dock att entreprenören är eftertraktad att anställa, framför allt för dennes egenskaper, men att entreprenörskapsbegreppet ställer till en del praktiska problem för själva rekryteringen. / Since 2011, entrepreneurship is established in the Swedish curriculum for primary school. Much theory can be found on the entrepreneur and entrepreneurship. There is, however, not as much research available regarding employment of the entrepreneur. With this qualitative study, we strived to contribute to an extended understanding of if and how the entrepreneur is recruited to an employment. The study was carried out by partly semistructured interviews with two recruiters, and partly by text analysis of nine listings in different professions. The whole study follows a sectioning between the trait perspective and the behavior perspective. These themes were chosen in consideration of the different entrepreneurial theoretical orientations, but also in regard to different approaches within recruitment theory. When the study began, we thought that we would be met by a negative attitude against hiring entrepreneurs. The conclusion of the study, however, became that the entrepreneur is sought after to hire, especially for its characteristics, but that the entrepreneurial concept poses some practical problems for the recruitment itself.