This integrating essay reviews three books, Inclusive Leadership, written with a co-author, Brian Hirsh, Ronin and Revolutionaries and The Ronin Age. The essay explores the idea of the internal revolutionary, or Ronin, and examines various models of leadership and influence that have characterised organisational thinking over many years, and the challenges that Ronin pose for leadership and effective management. It also explores the extent to which the focus on innovative thinking is increased by the growing importance of knowledge as a key competitive issue.

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Using the attention-based view, this study is concerned with two levels of board of directors’ interaction relating to strategic entrepreneurship: (1) how individual board members may affect the attention of the entire board, and (2) how the board may affect the attention and resource allocation of the firm. Unique to prior literature, this study considers contextual factors at each level of interaction and views the board room communications through unprecedented access. Multiple regression and negative binomial regression analyses are used to test the theoretical hypotheses.

Background: People’s Republic of China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation in 2001 and the Chinese government’s implementation of the Going global strategy initiated the internationalisation process where Chinese actors are encouraged to seek opportunities in foreign markets. The Sino-Swedish relations dates back as far as the 18th century when Sweden was one of China’s major trading partners. Sweden was also the first country to establish diplomatic relationships with China in the 1950th. In recent years, China has shown an increasing interest of investing in the Swedish market creating a “two-way street”, meaning that the investments are going both ways. Problem Discussion & Purpose: The markets of Sweden and China both have their own dis-tinctive characteristics and unique business environments. However, the large socio-cultural distance complicates business between the two parts. Sweden is a country with political and market stability that posses advanced technology and know-how. Nevertheless, in relation to other European countries, Sweden has significant drawbacks. The aim of this thesis is to gain further understanding of what motivates Chinese investors to internationalize and why Chinese investors choose Sweden as well as how the entry process is carried out. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework will outline a description of the develop-ment of internationalisation theories and the motives for internationalisation. Following is the concept of Where, When and How, focusing on Where and How through country competitiveness and the entry modes available. The final focus will be on the creation of networks along with the concept of Guanxi and personal relationships. Methodology: The research is conducted with a qualitative analysis through primary data collection of semi-structured interviews. The study is a combination of explanatory and exploratory since it both tries to seek new insight in the subject and explain relationships between variables. Conclusion: The internationalisation motives for Chinese companies choosing Sweden are market and strategic, identified as the wish to seek new opportunities, spreading capital risk and through international influences gain technological update and educational upgrade. When it comes to the vital factors to why Chinese investors choose Sweden, they can be categorised as hard and soft factors where the latter is stressed as the most important. Networks and relation-ships are important aspects in the Where factor and they are also vital when it comes to the How factor and the establishment process. Relationships are the essence of networks and when look-ing at the results from the research, several of the Chinese establishments in Sweden would not have happened without the presence of networks.

Introduction Entrepreneurship and SME development play a crucial role in speeding up the economic development of transition economies. Although entrepreneurship exists in all environments it flourishes in the conditions where it is supported. Transition economies, as well as Georgia, are characterized by inefficient framework conditions that present barriers to productive entrepreneurship and SMEs to develop and benefit the economies in their full potential.   Purpose The Thesis aimed at answering the following research questions:   1)      To what extent the framework conditions necessary for promoting productive entrepreneurship and SME development exist in Georgia? 2)      What are the perceived barriers to entrepreneurship and SME development in Georgia? 3)      In what ways is entrepreneurship and SME development encouraged and supported in Georgia? Method The thesis consists of theoretical data such as literature review, secondary data presented by previous studies, and primary data collected by conducting interviews with Georgian entrepreneurs and representatives of governmental bodies and NGOs engaged in improving a business climate in the country.   Conclusions The study revealed that basic framework conditions for developing entrepreneurship are present in Georgia. Although inefficiencies and institutional gaps give rise to a number of barriers to entrepreneurship and SME development. They are mostly presented by inefficient tax system and financial framework. Despite their efforts towards fostering favourable business environment, GoG, as well as NOGs could do a better job in improving an indirect support in terms of abolishing imperfections in the taxation system, as well as directly providing finance, training and effectual information flow to existing and potential businesses.

<p>Exporting can be viable solution for struggling entrepreneurial firms. However the different procedures and regulations that need to be addressed prior to export may be enough to discourage firms from engaging in exporting. This thesis examines the aforementioned obstacles and provides a checklist in order to facilitate the process of exporting the product into a foreign market.</p> <p>This thesis then goes on to test the viability of the checklist using two separate case studies. Results from the case studies indicate that the checklist can aid entrepreneurial firms by reducing the possibility of oversights and eliminate additional costs that are associated with these oversights.</p>

This paper attempts to provide a basis for future regional entrepreneurship and economic development analysis by studying a particular subset of the labour force in Prairie Canada, self-employed individuals, not employed in agriculture, with employees (SEWE) to test the hypothesis that economies with a higher proportion of entrepreneurs will grow persistently faster than economies with a smaller proportion. The analysis begins by estimating a longitudinal regional participation percentage (or rate) of entrepreneurs for 20 economic regions (ERs) of Prairie Canada from 1987-2006 and examines whether these percentages varied over time. This paper finds the expected regional entrepreneurship percentage to be 5.01%. The SEWE regional participation percentages vary not only from region to region but within regions over time. This paper also analyzes whether there are regions which have consistently had higher entrepreneurship participation percentages and have these regions been rewarded with higher levels of job creation.<p> Various techniques are used to study the critical questions of this paper. These techniques include simple graphs, regression analysis and the development of a new measurement tool which incorporates relative entrepreneurship participation over time and subsequent job creation (employment) numbers. This alternative analysis is executed to further evaluate whether higher entrepreneurship participation percentages are rewarded with more growth as measured by employment figures, while incorporating the time lag of business creation, growth and/or closure on job creation.<p> Although this paper supports the widely held intuitive view that economies with a higher proportion of entrepreneurs in the labour force will grow persistently faster than economies with a smaller proportion the evidence is not definitive nor could a direct causal effect be established as higher proportions of entrepreneurs is no guarantee of higher levels of job creation.

This Minor Field Study, undertaken as a Bachelor’s Thesis within the field of tourism, examines the role of entrepreneurship in the socialist state of Cuba. The study focuses on the business and ownership of private room renting, called Casas Particulares; examining influencing factors, means and implications of the business. Recent political changes has lead to a more encouraging approach towards private businesses, allowing Casas Particulares to become one of the most common forms of tourist accommodation. From examining the role of tourism entrepreneurship in a strictly regulated country the aim is to develop the knowledge and stereotype perception of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur. Cuba is developing into a popular destination for tourists. Countless of Cubans are now employed or self-employed within the tourism industry where the Cuban form of Bed &amp; Breakfast, Casas Particulares, is the most frequent profession (Cerviño and Cubillo, 2005). Gilmore and Pine (2007) highlight that individuals more and more crave for authenticity and people seek engagement and personal experiences. Findings suggested that tourists visited Cuba and chose Casas Particulares as accommodation urged by the want to experience the island “before it changes” and to meet the “real” Cuba, i.e. seeking authenticity. Cuba is a country with strong governmental control and regulation where contextual factors have shown to be imperative in the development of entrepreneurship. Holmquist (2009) distinguishes the connection between contextual factors and entrepreneurship through highlighting the context as a determining factor for recognising entrepreneurial ventures, or through changes in the context enabling the recognition. The role of the context can only be acknowledged as crucial for the existence of Casas Particulares, as well as any entrepreneurial activity in Cuba. Engaging in Casas Particulares can be seen as a venture challenging the norm of the Cuban society.

This research aims to interconnect entrepreneurship theories with brand theories. The study analyzes how this can be accomplished in the context of smaller agricultural firms, considering how intellectual property rights can be used strategically in entrepreneurial activities, ultimately creating regional growth. A firm has several options to protect its brands. Producers of similar products within a limited geographical area can protect the shared designated origin. Use of a collective brand, such as Champagne and Roquefort in France or Parmeggiano Reggiano in Italy, has been studied as a strategy to protect products from a given region. In the case analyzed here, a particular Austrian collective brand – Gailtaler Almkäse – was safeguarded within a protected designation of origin (PDO), providing producers a safe haven from which to enhance their collective brand in competitive markets. The PDO registration of the brand represents a central entrepreneurial strategy for manufacturers. To the region where the brands originate, the PDO has become a specific aspect of entrepreneurship that leads regional development.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe, explore and explain the influence of entrepreneurial knowledge transfer effectiveness in the subsidiary initiative selling process. Specifically the flow of tacit knowledge relating to specific entrepreneurial opportunities transferred from subsidiaries as part of an attempt to achieve approval, support or resources for subsidiary initiatives is under focus. The paper seeks to develop hypothesis regarding possible relationships between tacit knowledge transfer effectiveness and subsidiary initiative, and further the relationship regarding the utilization of tacit knowledge transfer mechanisms for this purpose. Method The study consists of qualitative research in the form of a multiple case study. Eight cases are presented, four are Swedish subsidiaries of international organizations and the other four are Swedish headquarters of international MNC´s. The study uses an ‘abductive’ approach, moving frequently between literature, theory and empirical findings in order to prepare hypotheses that can be used for quantitative testing. The study develops its final hypotheses by comparing hypotheses that can be derived from literature, and then confirming, rejecting or modifying them based on the empirical evidence collected. Findings The study finds that tacit knowledge transfer effectiveness is a significant determinant of subsidiary initiative. Despite this fact the study finds that subsidiary managers appear to underrate and in some cases disregard the importance of tacit knowledge transfer effectiveness in the initiative selling process. The fact that tacit knowledge transfer effectiveness is not actively addressed means that a significant opportunity for improvement probably exists in this area. The study findings stand in contrast to the viewpoint held by the majority of the existing literature that although the transfer of tacit knowledge and the associated integrative and interactive communication mechanisms will have a positive direct effect on subsidiary initiative, they will as a secondary effect increase headquarters monitoring and interference. This interference is thought to decrease subsidiaries autonomy, entrepreneurial-ness and ultimately the level of subsidiary initiative. The study finds that the secondary effect is in fact in the opposite direction, being positively related to subsidiary initiative. The study also finds that when examining subsidiaries located in small developed markets the most important entrepreneurial knowledge flow to consider may be between the subsidiary and its regional management structure, as opposed to the head office. Originality/Value The study combines existing literature with a multiple case study to create hypothesise specifically relating to tacit knowledge transfer effectiveness and its role as a determinant of subsidiary initiative. The study further focuses on the influence of tacit knowledge transfer mechanisms in relation to subsidiary initiative. The study provides a classification of subsidiary initiatives which is most useful given the subject of this study and further creates a distinction between the discrete short term effects of a specific instance of knowledge transfer and the continuous process of knowledge transfer over time. The paper also brings forward the importance of the distinction between the conceptualization of the discrete specific process of initiative selling, and the cumulative effect of initiative selling over time, which along with other types of knowledge transfer and subsidiary promotion tactics I refer to as ‘subsidiary selling’. Implications for research The hypotheses developed in this paper are suitable to be tested in a large scale quantitative study. The fact that managers do not seem to be actively trying to transfer tacit knowledge more effectively means that where active tacit entrepreneurial knowledge transfer strategy is found it is likely to have significant effect on subsidiary initiative level. The challenge to the conventional assumptions that the presence and utilization level of tacit knowledge transfer mechanisms are likely to have a positive side effect on subsidiary initiative, as opposed to the negative side effect as predicted by contingency theory, is very significant. The distinction between the short- and medium term effects, as put forward in this study, informs scholars that an academic study needs to both take into account the time frame over which the effects of knowledge transfer are studied as well as the negative feedback loop of the knowledge transfer. The study also puts forward specific categories of subsidiary initiative, and suggests that these categories should be individually studied in future quantitative research. Implications for managers/practitioners Subsidiary Management should be aware that they could dramatically improve their entrepreneurial project approval rate by improving their tacit knowledge transfer effectiveness. The finding  regarding that increases in tacit knowledge effectiveness, lead to lower costs of future knowledge transfer, further leading to increased likelihood of headquarters attention and comfort, means that they have the opportunity to create a virtuous circle of increased knowledge transfer resulting in lower costs of knowledge transfer resulting in more willingness to engage in knowledge transfer. The finding that the secondary effects of knowledge transfer of entrepreneurial opportunities have a further positive effect on subsidiary initiative means that there is very little downside to increasing the use of integrating and interactive communication mechanisms, and with significant upside this indicates managers should immediately attempt to increase the presence and utilization of these mechanisms. The study indicates that it may be a prudent strategy for managers of subsidiaries in multinational corporations operating in small developed market’s to increase their tacit knowledge transfer effectiveness regarding entrepreneurial opportunities during the initiative selling process, as this rare skill may help them win the battle for internal resources such as attention and finance.