Entrepreneurship Development in the Urban Metropolitan Guadalajara

This chapter analyzes startups from the perspective of the theory of entrepreneurship. Based on a literature review, the historical context of entrepreneurship in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara (MAG) is explored, evaluating the variables that are important to successful entrepreneurship. The authors conclude that Mexico from their national policies and the state of Jalisco from its development plan created the conditions to promote the entrepreneurial ecosystem; however, there are key indicators that slow the growth of startups based on technology and innovation.

Entrepreneurship and Chance

The unpredictability of business activities means that entrepreneurs should find a way to adapt and embrace chance. The traditional and predefined process logic offers little support for today's complex and dynamic business environment. One tenet that shaped the direction of entrepreneurship research is the view that the entrepreneurial opportunity discovery and development is linear, systematic, and rational, that is, it is assumed that all factors are measurable and knowable. However, unknowable instances of coincidence, randomness, and chance factors can play a significant role in new venture creation. The authors propose that these factors point to the nonlinear and acausal phenomenon of chance. This research proposal intends to address entrepreneurs' alternative mechanisms, other than the classic formal planning model, to harness opportunities or overcome setbacks arising from chance. To achieve our purpose, the authors examine qualitative data drawn from entrepreneurial activity of Spain and Portugal.

Theoretical and Methodological Paths for Studies About Entrepreneurship and Social Development

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the status quo and discuss the interfaces and articulations between the two constructs: entrepreneurship and social development. Thus, this chapter aims to analyze the characteristics of publications related to the themes of entrepreneurship and social development from 1996 to 2016. The methodology used was descriptive research bibliometrics. The research was conducted using the web of science (WoS) database of the ISI web of knowledge, with a total of 1893 articles selected. The survey results showed that the year with the highest number of publications was 2016 (446), followed by the year 2015 (330). Further, the fields of social and behavioral sciences and entrepreneurship and regional development had the largest number of publications with a total of 44 and 42, respectively.

Assessing Social Entrepreneurs' Personal Network for Resource Acquisition

Social entrepreneurial activity is characterized by the innovative search for resource acquisition, combination, and management to pursue opportunities aiming at fulfilling the organization's mission. The network approach to entrepreneurship assumes that entrepreneurs use their personal network to acquire resources and manage the assets of the organization. This chapter intends to analyze whether social entrepreneurs use their personal network to acquire different resources. The investigation uses a quantitative approach, based on an online survey of individuals involved in the management of Portuguese social organizations. The results attained reveal that social entrepreneurs are usually involved in strong and diversified networks. Their personal networks shape the way human, financial, and informational resources are obtained and managed. The major influence is made by social entrepreneurs' indirect contacts (weak ties) and the benefits they perceive these networks are able to provide.

The Internationalization Process of a Born Global

Although companies seek to export in order to meet the growing importance of international markets, vis-à-vis domestic markets, this chapter presents a case study of a company founded by two former high school teachers who started a beverage company in 2015 and quickly reached an early internationalization. The company produces alcoholic beverages and has won international awards regarding the quality of its product, which has given it an important status and opened the door to a process of rapid internationalization. This will be used to explore the theory of entrepreneurship and how two potential entrepreneurs, with employment difficulties in teaching, began with a project that gave birth to a born global firm.

How Do Entrepreneurs See Digital Marketing?

The growth of the internet is giving rise to the overall importance of digital marketing for business management. In fact, digital marketing is widely accepted as an essential component of business management, and its share of the marketing budget is getting bigger. Still, digital marketing professionals deal with some resistance, especially from small and medium companies from more traditional sectors and from businesses struggling with limited budgets for marketing and communication. Entrepreneurs and startup managers are expected to have a clear acknowledgement of digital marketing tools' benefits, which is confirmed in this study. However, budget constraints limit their willingness to spend money on digital marketing and to hire specialized personnel. This chapter provides valuable cues for digital marketing practitioners and companies that intend to approach startups.

Firm Growth

Venture capital (VC) is an alternative means of access to finance for innovative SMEs to sustain their innovation, growth, and survival. Although VC firms are well established in the UK and USA, they are not well-known worldwide and many SMEs are unaware of their potential. This is a review of research literature on VC, its conceptualization, and synthesis over four decades. VC is gaining increased and varied significance worldwide as a way for innovative SMEs to access funds. Globalization has provided entrepreneurs the opportunity to seek VC globally as reputable VC firms are able to fund innovative projects across countries and continents. As the legal and regulatory regime improve, VC finance opportunities increase with impact on the demand and supply of VC. Innovative SMEs are encouraged to take advantage of globalization and competition among VC firms in their search for VC. Recently, VC firms have become more risk averse regardless of their traditional competence in screening and monitoring.

Contributions of Entrepreneurial Orientation to Competitive Advantage

The main objective of this chapter is to analyze the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and competitive advantage on Portuguese exporting textiles small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Therefore, a quantitative methodological approach was used, conducting a descriptive, exploratory, and transversal empirical study, having applied a questionnaire to a sample of Portuguese SMEs, associated of the Portuguese textile association (ATP). The structural equations model was used for this purpose, using the partial least squares (PLS). Based on survey data from 247 firms, the empirical results indicate that 1) innovation have a positive and significant impact on differentiation, 2) proactivity and risk-taking does not have a positive and significant impact on differentiation, and 3) innovation, proactivity, and risk-taking does not have a positive and significant impact on cost leadership. This study shows that Portuguese textile SMEs seek to support and stimulate new ideas, experimentation, and creativity that surely result in new products, services, and processes.

Is There Entrepreneurship Within the Public Sector?

Because of its importance as a key factor to economic development, the study of entrepreneurship has been considerably developed in the past decades. Entrepreneurship is broadly diversified, which is associated with, for example, studies in the field of business, social, female, and young entrepreneurship. If, on the one hand, it is a fact that entrepreneurship and its study are mainly associated with the private initiative, there is, on the other hand, a question to be asked: Is there entrepreneurship in the public sector? Though still incipient, the study of entrepreneurship applied to the public sector and the acts of the public managers as entrepreneurs have revealed themselves to be themes with increasing interest. To contribute to a better conceptual understanding of this theme, namely its questions, ideas, and current debate, this work presents some theoretical reflexions and a relevant literature review on entrepreneurship in a public sector context.

Female Entrepreneurship in Portugal

Entrepreneurship is an increasingly studied international phenomenon, often being understood as a way of creating jobs and boosting economic growth, development, and innovation. This chapter aims to take on the problem related to gender and entrepreneurship in the Portuguese society. The goal is to explain the concept of entrepreneur, behavioral, and social differences between the masculine and the feminine gender as entrepreneurs and identify Portuguese female entrepreneurs. A qualitative, multiple case studies methodology is applied to the sample of eight Portuguese female entrepreneurs, the data collection instrument being the semi-structured interview. Regarding the obtained results, it can be stated that the majority of the interviewees has entrepreneurs in the family, the father being the most mentioned figure as booster of entrepreneur activity. The wish for personal realization and independence are the main factors that motivated self-employment. No entrepreneur felt any discrimination or gender inequality as a female entrepreneur.