Business Know-how Research Articles

Does Family Matters? Exploring the Enablers of Sustainable Indian Women Micro Entrepreneurship

The present article attempts to encapsulate the enablers of a women-led microentrepreneurship sustainable model. To fulfill this purpose, a widely used Indian microcredit women entrepreneurship financial assistance model, namely Self-Help Group (SHG)-linked micro women entrepreneurs (MWEs), who accessed a second loan from the bank individually for their business expansion, were interviewed. Responses of such 30 MWEs were content analyzed using NVIVO 12. The codes, themes, and project maps were generated to identify the enablers resulting in a microentrepreneurial sustainable development framework. The results suggest that business know-how competencies (customer excellence, networking) and personal competencies (confidence, optimism, perseverance) were identified as prominent enablers, with family support as the most critical factor. Findings further suggested that MWEs’ sustainable success depends on capabilities of balancing the support provided from family to business and vice versa (family-to-business support), as well as leveraging the skills and experiences learned in the family for managing the business or vice versa (family-to-business enrichment). Positive spillover of the family-to-business interface was key to their business growth, unlike previous studies where the family was considered to be the biggest challenge for women entrepreneurship. A change in societal mindset and a shift toward gender parity was observed.

Opening the black box of capabilities to renew the organizational and business know-how of franchises

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between capabilities and renewal of organizational and business know-how in franchise networks.Design/methodology/approachThis work uses a comparative case study of adaptive, absorptive and innovative capabilities to investigate knowledge renewal in 16 franchise networks.FindingsThe findings show that adaptive and innovative capabilities complement each other to foster know-how renewal. Furthermore, networks without internal R&D need to mobilize adaptive, absorptive and innovative capabilities to renew both organizational and business know-how. The findings also highlight that the three capabilities are interconnected.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this research could provide insights for franchise networks to regenerate their knowledge base and ensure their long-term survival.Originality/valueThe underlying capabilities that explain organizational and business know-how renewal in franchises have not been investigated.

미용교육 후 진로결정이 현업적용도와 직업만족도에 미치는 영향

Recently, beauty companies in the Republic of Korea have attempted to expose their brand to consumers in competitive market where diverse brands already exist and differentiate it from other brands. In this sense, franchise chains have made a lot of efforts for continued growth by transferring their business knowhow and brand image. In fact, one of such efforts is on-the-job training (OJT). This study attempted to investigate the influence of career decision on transfer of training and job satisfaction after training at beauty-related franchise chain academies with a goal of increasing their sales by raising pay and satisfaction with skills. For this, a self-administered offline questionnaire survey was performed against those who had training at franchise chain academies in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. Among a total of 305 questionnaires distributed, 300 copies were used for final analysis. The collected data were analyzed, using SPSS 22.0, and the results found the followings: This study examined the influence of career decision on transfer of training and job satisfaction after training at beauty-related franchise chain academies. The above results confirm that such training can be helpful in increasing sales at work. It is anticipated that they would be available as basic data and helpful in the growth of hairstyling training and education.

Franchise capabilities and system performance: A configurational perspective

This study investigates the configurations that promote the performance of franchise systems. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective, we describe franchise capabilities and propose a model that consistently articulates dynamic capabilities,operational capabilities (know-how), franchise ownership strategy (plural form versus “turnkey” franchisors), and franchise system performance. Using a configurational (fsQCA) approach on a sample of 119 France-based franchisors, we investigate the interplay of sensing and adaptive capabilities, business know-how and organizational know-how, and franchise ownership strategy that potentially drive franchise system performance. We contribute to the franchising literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how franchise systems should manage their capabilities, depending on their development strategies.

Post-COVID-19 Challenges for a Sustainable Community-Based Ecotourism: A Case Study of Rural Community in Sabah, North of Borneo.

COVID-19 has impacted the ecotourism industry significantly. It is imperative to examine and identify the key challenges in running rural ecotourism businesses to comprehend the mindset of the working community members before re-establishing a business model during endemic phase. This study aimed to explore and identify the resources and capabilities challenges perceived by the members of community-based ecotourism located in Marakau Village, Sabah. The study, which took place in 2021, employed a qualitative method through interviews among 10 key members of the Tagal Marakau Association responsible for a tagal ecotourism business. The interview was recorded and transcribed to identify common themes of issues. There was a total of 15 emerging issues: lack of capital, lack of business know-how, shortage of hospitality skills, lack of social capital, poor marketing ability, land dispute, absence of a strategic business model, poor financial planning, poor implementation of human resource practices, inadequate infrastructures, limited customer experiences, high fish habitat maintenance, external competitors, stakeholders support, and liability as a small business venture. These issues collated into five themes of business mindset domains: knowledge, attitude, skills, aspiration, and finance (KASA-F). Identifying the perceived challenges would help to understand the mindset of working rural community members to assist in re-formulating strategic plans for business sustainability in the post-COVID era.

Sustainable energy security for Central Asia: Exploring the role of China and the United Nations

Energy is critical for assuring quality of life and underpins the attainment of the internationally agreed United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development. Countries from the Central Asia region, specifically Kazakhstan, will by 2050 need to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels from over 80% to around 50% in order for them to achieve significant negative carbon emissions thus abide by agreed international limits. However, Kazakhstan lacks the capacity to undertake such a transition alone. International support from major nations and organisations would play a vital role in energy transition of Kazakhstan. By using policy documents on renewable energy projects and databases on auction-based energy projects over the last ten years, this article aims to analyse the existing international cooperation in sustainable energy between Kazakhstan and China, as well as with United Nations. The article argues that China and the United Nations play unique and critical roles in supporting sustainable energy security in Kazakhstan. The former as a “helper” of energy transition and exporter of technologies, techniques and capital to Kazakhstan provides support through business know-how and, most importantly, investments. The latter brings together international partners for capacity building through policy support and consulting of government. Both are essential in forming an equitable sustainable energy paradigm through iENERGY model (interconnectivity, interplay, intelligent) to achieve the respective climate and energy targets. A further deepening of ties through iENERGY model could serve as an international standard and example of cooperation in energy transition and it could bring long-term prosperity in sustainable economic growth, political stability, and energy security for Central Asian region and China.

Impact of competitive capabilities empowered by community-based tourism projects on tourism businesses success in rural tourism destinations

This paper endeavors to reveal the impact of competitive capabilities which were promoted by Community Based Tourism (CBT) empowerment projects on the success of rural tourism businesses and also key competitive capabilities which effect business success. The positivism approach was applied and a 250 sample of micro and small-scale tourism entrepreneurs (MSSTEs) from the rural tourism destinations of Panama and Arugam Bay in Ampara district and Kanneliya, Vihrahena, Mederipitiya, and Godahena in Galle and Matara districts who were empowered by the CBT projects namely, International Labour Organization and Ruhunu Tourism Bureau was selected by using the random number generator with the list of the MSSTEs of the two selected CBT projects. A structured questionnaire was used in collecting data and five hypotheses were formulated and tested to reveal whether any significant impact creates by the competitive capabilities empowered by CBT projects on tourism business success in rural destinations and which competitive capability affects mostly on creating a variance in business success. Results were obtained mainly through correlation and multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that empowerment efforts of CBT projects affect significantly the business success of MSSTES. Among the five constructs of competitive capabilities, capacity enhancement, community collaboration and cohesiveness, and business know-how and management are the only predictors which affect significantly business success. Facilitating network building and sustainability practices are not good predictors. Though the impact of network building and sustainability practices on business success was reported as insignificant, a positive but weak correlation exists between these variables. This positive relationship implies that success of rural tourism businesses can be further enhanced by promoting these two capabilities and the concentration need to be given by policy planners and practitioners on the inappropriate assistance of the CBT projects for network building and sustainability practices among the MSSTEs in rural tourism destinations.

Communication strategies in BELF: From users’ perception, corpus and textbook analysis to pedagogical implications

English as Business Lingua Franca (BELF) has become an important domain of study within ELF research, where strategic competence, in addition to business know-how and multicultural awareness (Louhiala-Salminen, Kankaanranta 2011), is extremely important due to the high-stakes nature of many business interactions. Meaning negotiation through Communication Strategies (CSs) has been shown to contribute to clarity and accuracy as well as to preventing and solving comprehension problems in both oral (Franceschi 2019) and digital (Brunner, Diemer 2019; Caleffi 2019; Ren 2018) interactions. BELF users’ own perceptions confirm the importance of an effective use of strategies in addition to knowledge of relevant business practices and of specialized register Franceschi forthcoming). However, their importance is not reflected in Business English coursebooks, where attention to CSs and their functions is scarce both in terms of raising awareness of the relevance of these strategies and of practicing their use in BELF communication (Franceschi 2018; Vettorel 2019). This paper combines reflection on the state-of-the-art of communication strategies in BELF, their presence – or lack thereof – in current teaching materials and the actions that may be undertaken in order to integrate CSs in Business English training. Exemplifications on how to foster reflection and implement guided and freer activities involving the use of common communication strategies, including clarification, multilingualism and paraphrasing/interpretative summary, are also provided.

Communication Strategies in BELF: Implications for Business English Language Teaching

Research has shown that Communication Strategies are one of the main tools employed by ELF users to reach common understanding and effectiveness in communication, with participants cooperatively and jointly constructing meaning through several pragmatic moves. In English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) in particular, Communication Strategies aimed at enhancing explicitness and checking comprehension, such as requests for clarification and repetition, or paraphrasing and reformulation, are seen as an essential skill, together with business know-how, clarity of message and explicitness. The pedagogical implications of findings in BELF communication have so far been researched to a certain extent, for instance looking at the inclusion of Communication Strategies in ELT business materials, and at BELF-oriented training in some higher education programmes. This paper aims at contributing to this research area by exploring how BELF findings can be taken into account in terms of materials development and classroom practices that are oriented at fostering the development of communication skills to effectively communicate in international and intercultural business contexts.

Resale pricing as part of franchisor know-how

PurposeAs franchisees are independent entrepreneurs, one important part of the business format that franchisors are not allowed to impose on their franchisees is resale prices. They are only allowed to indicate a recommended or a maximum price. This study aims to look further into the capabilities underlying the calculation of resale prices and suggests that price-setting is part of both the “business know-how” transferred to franchisees and the “organizational know-how,” that is, capabilities developed and kept at the franchisor level.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a qualitative methodology with a total of 65 interviews, 19 with franchisors and 46 with franchisees, all operating in the French market.FindingsThe findings show that resale pricing is a process that involves know-how. The complexity of pricing leads to develop specialized and broad capabilities. The first type of know-how, i.e., business know-how transferred to franchisees, deals with operational implementation of recommended resale prices in the stores. The second type, i.e., organizational know-how, not transferred as a safeguard against opportunism, connects across other functions of the franchise chain such as R&D and communication.Originality/valueThis study confirms the existence and relevance of another kind of know-how apart from the business know-how that is transferred to the franchisees. Organizational know-how at the chain level, though often neglected, is a necessary determinant of sustaining a competitive advantage. This know-how is not transferred to the franchisees but contributes to the success and sustainability of the franchisor/franchisee relationship. Franchisors should thus work on improving their capabilities to better support their franchisees. Moreover, this study highlight the complexity and extreme importance of setting the right resale price.

Attributes Influencing Clients' Auditor Choices: The Expectation Gaps between Auditors and Board Members

SUMMARY This paper reports the results of a survey of board members who participate in auditor appointments and audit firm partners and (senior) managers on attributes influencing clients' auditor choice decisions. We identify several “expectation gaps” between the importance that board members assign to attributes and the importance that auditors expect board members to assign to the same attributes. The results indicate that board members deem low audit fees, as well as a good relationship with the audit partner, to be less important than audit partners and managers expect. We find the opposite for attributes related to audit quality, such as technical competence and industry expertise, as well as professional skepticism and independence of mind, and business know-how of the audit firm, which board members assess as more important than audit partners and managers expect. The findings have important implications for auditors in audit tenders.

Auditor-Client Relationships: An Analysis of Expectation Gaps Between Members of the Board of Directors and Auditors Regarding Attributes Influencing Clients’ Auditor Choice Decisions

This paper reports the results of a survey of board members who participate in auditor appointments and audit firm partners and (senior) managers on attributes influencing clients’ auditor choice decisions. We identify several “expectation gaps” between the importance that board members assign to attributes and the importance that auditors expect board members to assign to the same attributes. The results indicate that board members deem low audit fees, as well as a good relationship with the audit partner to be less important than audit partners and managers expect. We find the opposite for attributes related to audit quality, such as technical competence and industry expertise, as well as professional skepticism and independence of mind, and business know-how of the audit firm, which board members assess as more important than audit partners and managers expect. The findings have important implications for auditors in audit tenders.

Digital versus Manual. Two Sides of the Same Coin

In their preparation to educate future professionals, higher education institutions often employ innovating teaching methods, including games and simulations (Vlachopoulos Makri, 2017). Digital games and simulations have been used in entrepreneurship and business disciplines for many years and are designed to increase knowledge, improve skills and enable a positive learning environment in a realistic setting (Fox, Pittaway, Uzuegbunam, 2018). These simulations typically highlight the integration of business know-how such as strategy, marketing, positioning and finance to help students understand how a business works (Caruso, 2018). Furthermore, the need for entrepreneurs to obtain and acquire certain skills for them to be successful cannot be over emphasised (Costin, O’Brain, Slattery, 2018). Digital game-based learning is recognised as creating effective learning environments, engaging learners cognitively, emotionally as well as socially (Huang, Johnson, Han, 2014).

Teach them to Fish

Cybercrime is on-going, but many breaches could be prevented according to Niroshan Rajadurai. Bethan Grylls finds out why business know-how is the key

‘Our ancestors taught us the business know-how in Africa’: Continuity and Innovation in Ismaili Transnational Business Culture

Through a comparison between transnational business practices of Ismaili Muslim settled in the British and Portuguese colonial territories of East Africa and in contemporary Angola, we aim to discuss the impact of colonial experiences in the reconfiguration of postcolonial migrant entrepreneurial cultures. Articulating several guiding empirical questions, we will attempt to show that the continuing centrality in the (politico-economic, relational, and cultural) logic of the particular nation-state in which Ismaili business activities are embedded, the notion of a disadvantageous network closure, concomitant with the importance of face-to-face contacts, the mutual trust and understanding sustained through personal relations, and the tendency for national loyalty to prevail over religious belonging (whenever any potential conflict between the two exists) constitute crucial dimensions of an accumulated tacit knowledge (functional, behavioural, identitarian) which is significant in the analysis of the Ismaili competitive advantage in different colonial and postcolonial African contexts.

Entrepreneurship education: Enhancing or discouraging graduate start-up at the University of Pretoria

ABSTRACTIn-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of BCom Entrepreneurship graduates, as well as a control group to determine whether the exposure to entrepreneurship education can enhance actual business start-up. Information was collected on how they experienced the learning approaches, and the value which they had derived from the degree. This was done as a case study at the University of Pretoria. More entrepreneurship graduates started businesses than the control group. Findings of the various constraints to start-up − of the entrepreneurship graduates’ group − focused on the lack of a viable business idea and know-how, as compared with the other graduate groups, who indicated that fear of failure and aversion to taking risks were their main constraints. The entrepreneurship graduates were less risk averse than the control group.

Seeking early-stage financing and knowhow: A formal assessment of contingent contract

This article addresses the challenge of generating cash investment and business knowhow through the design of a contingent contract between an investor and an entrepreneur. We first develop a two-s...

The dynamics of entrepreneurs in Indonesia

Entrepreneurship is considered as a reliable way to improve a stagnant economy, facilitate economic growth in many developing countries, as well as absorb foreign technology effectively. However, despite the lavish studies on the motivation to become an entrepreneur, a little literature focuses on technical and business know-how that is actually more important to entrepreneurial success – particularly in emerging economies. This paper tries to bridge the gap by mapping, describing, and elaborating the character of entrepreneurs in Indonesia. We surveyed 357 entrepreneurs, 296 of them men and the remaining 61 are women. The focus of this study is on entrepreneurial performance, risk-taking propensity, family background, tolerance of ambiguity, need for achievement, educational background, managerial experience, and entrepreneurial experience. Our finding indicates that entrepreneurs’ performance in Indonesia are largely affected by family background, need for achievement, vocational training, and entrepreneurial experience. However, there is no significance influence between risk-taking propensity and entrepreneurial performance. In fact, formal education was actually having negative effect to risk-taking propensity. It is expected that this paper will provide a glimpse into the extent to which the character of an entrepreneur in Indonesia compared with existing empirical studies conducted in developed countries.

Inducement and blocking mechanisms in the Finnish life sciences innovation system

Purpose – This paper aims to identify inducement and blocking mechanisms which impact the development of the life sciences innovation system in Finland. Innovation system analysis of emerging technologies is important for the design of technology-specific innovation policy measures to promote desirable futures Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory study uses a functional technological innovation system analysis framework designed to identify policy goals for emerging technological fields. The data consist of 33 qualitative face-to-face interviews with senior managers and decision-makers. Best practices are identified from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Finnish life sciences innovation system is analyzed in detail. Findings – The Finnish system has a good capability to perform top-level basic research, but the commercial aspect is largely missing because of the lack of business know-how, small size of the domestic market, networking failures, scarcity of funding and poor public image. Research limitations/implications – The two regions have different scopes which prevents direct comparisons between them. Originality/value – This study applies the technological innovation system model to the life sciences industry. It provides new information on the characteristics of the industry and factors affecting its dynamics. The results can be applied for policy design by policy makers.

Way to Entrepreneurship through Daily Household Waste Management

Successful entrepreneurs must have or develop variety of skills like business know-how, innovation, creativity and good technology skills. Managers describe entrepreneurship with terms as innovative, flexible, dynamic, risk taking, creative and growth oriented. Thus the entrepreneur can find new opportunities from the house hold waste management which can be successfully converted into business which can earn profit to them. Nearly half of the people junk there house hold waste on open site, which will cause ill effects to the society.70% of the people are ready to give their household waste to any agency which will pay them small amount or no amount. Most of the people are ready to give their waste to a private agency.80 % of the people want the agency to come to their door for collection daily Thus we can say that there is opportunity for starting new business like collecting food waste from various households from a region to decompose it and create manure to sell. 59% of the people never think about recycling their waste. 40% of the people never think of the products to buy in recyclable packaging. This gives a new opportunity to start business like collection all the objects which can be recycled from a particular region and recycle it or give it to recycling center. Majority of the people except in Bhingar region are ready to install the machine which will create bio gas for their family which is based on household waste. Thus this is good opportunity to start the various businesses like producing the machine, installation of the machine as well as good opportunity will be provided for marketing the machine which is good solution for the problem of LPG gas which every household is facing. If agency will pay the people some amount for the waste they give, then waste can generate money for the people so that they will not treat waste as waste. People will handle it properly, which will result in goodahealthy environment also it will be helpful for the people who will collect waste for various processing.