Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Education, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (PhD (Entrepreneurship)) -- [University of Pretoria, 2007]. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (MPhil(Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (doctoral)--Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2006. / Thesis documentation and errata sheets inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. 185-199). Also available electronically via World Wide Web in PDF format.

Recent years have witnessed an increased interest in small independently operated businesses with researchers expressing an interest in the manner in which the independent owner-operator is motivated to enter the market and their subsequent approach to business. Research into these small firms has shown that the owner/operators may create their businesses for a variety of reasons. However an emerging perspective is that not all individuals will actively pursue traditional objectives such as growth and profit maximisation, rather they are increasingly choosing their occupation to suit their ‘style of life’. Lifestyle motivations have thus been recognised in the literature as important stimuli to small business formation. Various research has been undertaken into the lifestyle construct and the impact on the motivations and behaviours of the individual towards the creation and development of smallscale enterprises. This study aims to build on recent work in this area to provide an enhanced understanding of lifestyle theory. This study adopts an interpretivist approach to understand the fundamental meanings attached to lifestyle entrepreneurship in the context of the small business. Bed and Breakfast (B&B) accommodation operations are used as a frame through which to understand the motivations of the individual towards venture creation. This study develops the ideal typifications of Business Orientated Lifestylers, Lifestyle Focused Business Performers and Self Expressive Homemakers to help explain the complex and dynamic range of lifestyle motivations and objectives present, and proposes the model of a continuum to portray these lifestyle business owners as being between low intensity and high intensity lifestyle goals and objectives. It is suggested that the typologies and subsequent lifestyle continuum presented in this study can be used by researchers, policy makers and practitioners to better understand the lifestyle entrepreneur and the environment within which they operate, and further, to support these lifestyle entrepreneurs in the operation of their business.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Dennis L. Loftus, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis is a contribution to our understanding of business groups in the small busi-ness sector. Specifically, its aim is to verify to what extent the consideration of entrepre-neurial processes can advance our understanding of this phenomenon. A ‘business group’ is a set of companies which are legally distinct but belong to the same person or people. Despite the significant presence of business groups in the small business sector, most of the literature on business groups addresses large groups. This study demonstrates that the available theories of business groups – the financial and the diversification theories – are not able to explain the presence and characteristics of business groups in the small business sector. Given the little work done on the issue, the research strategy involves the use of both, quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative methods are used to test propositions deduced from available models of business groups; qualitative methods, based on case studies and direct interviews, are used to get new insights about the phenomenon and develop theoretical propositions. Quantitative analyses refer to the population of Italian business groups; case studies and interviews refer to a sample of business groups in the Marche region (Italy). The business group is an organizational form used by portfolio entrepreneurs to grow and diversify the businesses under their control. By using cross sectional and longitudinal analyses this study shows that in the small business sector diversification is a substitute strategy for growth in the original business. Moreover, this study demonstrates that the diversification theory is not able to explain the setting up of a business group as in most cases the degree of diversification observed in small groups is very low. The thesis demonstrates that entrepreneurial processes associated with the exploitation of new business opportunities by portfolio entrepreneurs play a crucial role in explaining the formation and characteristics of business groups. The start-up phase is critical for the success of a new business as it requires complete dedication of time and attention by the entrepreneur to continuously adjust the planned actions to the unforeseen events and un-predictable contingencies that are typical of this phase. The legal autonomy granted to the new venture helps focus resources and monitor results. In addition to this and more than anything else, legal autonomy allows entrepreneurs to modify the ownership structure of the new business and give minority shares to people involved in the start-up. The financial explanation of business groups stresses the importance of legal autonomy as a way for manipulating the ownership structure of new businesses, to raise outside equity. The thesis demonstrates that the causal relationship is the opposite of that hypothesised by the financial explanation: it is not so much the aim of raising outside equity that determines the involvement of external shareholders as the need to involve and motivate people in the start up of the new business that induces entrepreneurs to sell minority shares in it, thus enlarging the entrepreneurial team. By involving other people in the start-up of new ventures, portfolio entrepreneurs enhance their ability to enter new businesses while retaining ownership and control of the ones already established. The empirical analysis revealed the existence of three different patterns: joint venture with established entrepreneurs, employee involvement and intrapreneurship. The first is when new ventures are set up with other established entrepreneurs. The second is when the entrepreneur gives a share of the new company to an employee to secure his/her involvement in the start-up of a new venture (employee involvement). The third is when the new business is established as a result of the inspiration of an ‘intrapreneurial’ employee who takes major responsibility for the development of the business. As well as the discovery and analysis of these three forms, the thesis provides a theoretical explanation of entrepreneurial team development in business groups, based on the problems faced by portfolio entrepreneurs in allocating time and attention between the running of established businesses and the exploitation of new business opportunities. By integrating the latter explanation with other models of business groups the thesis provides a more general framework for understanding the formation and dynamics of business groups in the small business sector. The thesis also provides contributions to explain the formation and dynamics of entrepreneurial teams in a multi business context and in situations where there is a ‘dominant’ or ‘lead’ entrepreneur and one or more ‘associate’ or ‘sub’ entrepreneurs. Studying the formation and evolution of business groups poses several methodological problems, as groups are complex systems, characterised by the presence of several companies, different architectural structures and a multi-business context. The thesis provides methodological contributions on the ways to represent the current structure of business groups and on how to analyse their evolution over time.

Tez (Yüksek Lisans) - Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, İktisat Anabilim Dalı, 2008. / Bibliyografya var.

Mémoire (M.P.M.O)-- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1991. / Bibliogr.: 149-165. Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

This study sheds light on the role of social networks in entrepreneurship in the e- commerce sector in contemporary China. It examines the usefulness of network ties for entrepreneurship, specifically the capacity of network ties to provide information, advice, resources and emotional support during the creation and growth stages of small and medium-sized e-commerce businesses. Using data from semi-structured interviews with 30 private entrepreneurs in Anhui province in China, I first identified the roles played by family, friendship, business and political ties in e-commerce entrepreneurship, as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages. I then examined the changes in the roles of different network ties in e-commerce entrepreneurship as businesses move from the firm creation stage to the firm growth stage. Following this, I compared online and offline social networks to understand the similarities and differences in their respective effects on e-commerce entrepreneurship. My study presents three main research findings. The first research finding is about the role of strong ties in entrepreneurship. Specifically, I found that strong ties, such as family and friendship ties, are especially important for Chinese entrepreneurs to acquire scarce resources, especially financial and human resources, and for providing emotional support to cope with the highs and lows of running a business. However, there are also disadvantages brought by these strong network ties, including 'over- embeddedness' and conflict with family members and between friends. In addition, although strong ties are important for entrepreneurs to acquire scarce resources during the firm creation stage, its role might diminish as the firm grows. The second research finding is about the role of weak ties in entrepreneurship. In contrast with strong ties, weak ties, such as online business ties, are quite important for e-businesses to connect with a diverse range of people to get a diverse range of resources, advice and information, and emotional support. With the help of the Internet, entrepreneurs can easily develop these weak ties. Last but not least, the third research finding is about the role of political ties. To be specific, under the marketization trend in the e- commerce sector, the role of political ties in entrepreneurship is decreasing. Political ties are not necessary during the firm creation stage, but they might become useful in solving problems that arise in the growth stage, such as tax issues. There are three contributions of the study on the relationship between social networks and entrepreneurship. Firstly, the role of strong ties is found to have advantages and limitations in providing resources, advice and information and emotional support in entrepreneurship in the e-commerce sector, like in other sectors studied by previous research. Secondly, weak ties play an important role in connecting with a diverse number of acquaintances in providing them, especially as firms grow. In e-commerce sector, the Internet helps entrepreneurs to develop these weak ties. Last but not least, the macro-social conditions in an economy and in a specific sector should be considered when studying the role of network ties in entrepreneurship.