Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations Commons^™

A Mapping Of Entrepreneurship And Innovation Policy In Ireland., Thomas Cooney

Reports

The objective at the centre of the IPREG (Innovative Policy Research for Economic Growth) project is the facilitation of a " network of networks" needed to address one of Europe's critical issues-empirically relevant research on growth policy. IPREG is an established "network of networks" encompassing researchers, policy makers and business people in twelve countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and UK. The initial stage of the project was to map out the current policies and actors in each country and to develop a comprehensiveness index based upon interviews and survey feedback. This work …

Role Of The Sales Manager And Its Intersection With Sales Technology, Stephen Kennelly

Masters

The area of sales management and technology is an expanding and dynamic field of research. Examining the impact and facets of technology in the arena of sales management has been steadily increasing over the past few decades as sales managers and industry seek to benefit from the multiple uses of technology. Large scale quantitative sales research itself in Ireland has been limited over the past 15 years and not since De Burca and Lambkin (1991) performed an analysis of the industry has there been any wide scale research in Ireland. This body of work seeks to follow on from De …

Why Is Community Entrepreneurship Worth Debating?, Thomas M. Cooney

Articles

In early 2008, the author was asked to speak at a conference in an economically disadvantaged area of Ireland. The conference was part of a series of events aimed at boosting enterprise in the region. Frequently, at such events, the ire of the speakers is targeted at government or European policies for not doing enough to help build economic success locally. In terms of who is to blame and who is responsible for changing the current situation, the finger is usually being pointed at someone else. However, the author spoke at length about the qualities of entrepreneurship involving positive, proactive, …

Entrepreneurs With Disabilities: Profile Of A Forgotten Minority., Thomas Cooney

Articles

The hosting of the Special Olympics in Ireland in 2003 compellingly brought to the forefront of public consciousness the capacity of people with disabilities to significantly contribute economically and socially to the nation. However, a body of research now exists highlighting that people with disabilities are less likely to be gainfully employed and will have lower earnings than non-disabled people. These differentials are caused by a variety of factors, including perceived and actual discrimination. An alternative career option for people with disabilities is to become self-employed, which has the benefits of the freedom, flexibility, and independence associated with self-employment, as …

Rationales For Collaboration; Implications For The Irish Road Freight Industry, Eoin Plant, Jim Mcgovern

Conference Papers

The European Union has made a commitment to promoting sustainable mobility through advanced transport logistics. One of the principal areas yet to be addressed is that of the potential barriers to advanced transport logistics and the attitudes of industry to this advancement. This paper addresses some of these concerns and argues that competition for high-value contracts can be very tough, especially where the contracts are from large organisations that often prefer to develop a relationship with only one transport service provider. The paper attempts to put the research into a theoretical framework of Resource-Advantage Theory. Empirical evidence is presented from …

The Entrepreneurial Process: An Assessment Of A Real Life Case Study And A Theoretical Model, Kevin Neary

Masters

The purpose of this work is to record and document the development cycle of an entrepreneur focusing specifically on the point of start up of the entrepreneurs business through to a key juncture when the entrepreneur sells a portion of his business. The work then examines the Klofsten Business Platform Model, a model that might be described as a self diagnostic tool for new start up ventures by entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur then analyses his business development in light of Klofstens’ Model and comments on how he feels his real life experience fits into the proposed model. After a period of …

Does Understanding National Business Cultures Help Build Regional Development?, Amanda Ratcliffe, Thomas Cooney Dr.

Conference proceedings

An EFER report in 1995 observed that little of the growth ofEurope’s top 500 companies came from existing products in existing markets, but almost two-thirds of the growth came from entering new markets. A large majority of Europe’s 500 are active in export markets, with exports accounting for 40% of their turnover as opposed to the 10% export share for SMEs overall. One of the critical reasons for the poor performance of SMEs within the international arena is their ignorance of local business cultures. Yet for a country – or a specific region – to achieve strong economic growth, it …

Webs Of Power: Multiple Ownership In Tourism Destinations, Ziene Mottiar, Hazel Tucker

Articles

It has been widely noted in the tourism small business literature that collaboration between groups of businesses operating within clusters contributes both to business development and the success of destinations and regions. This paper aims to contribute to the research on tourism destination networks by focusing on multiple ownership, or portfolio entrepreneurship, when more than one small or micro business within a specific destination are owned by the same entrepreneur. Courtown, in Ireland and Göreme in Turkey are presented as two case studies in which the existence of multiple owners was identified. The implications of multiple ownership on tourism operation …

Broadening The Entrepreneurial Perspective, Ziene Mottiar, Sarah Ingle

Articles

In this paper entrepreneurial literature is combined with industrial district literature to try and explain regional success in an Irish industrial sector. A new approach called interpreneurship is introduced as an explanatory concept for regional success in an Irish case study. A number of conclusions are drawn regarding the extent to which the interpreneurship approach is valid and the authors recommend that this is an important concept for further research.

Lifestyle Entrepreneurs And Spheres Of Inter-Firm Relations: The Case Of Westport Co. Mayo, Ireland, Ziene Mottiar

Articles

A relatively small body of literature in tourism which concentrates on the issues of small firms and entrepreneurs and ‘this area of inquiry is vastly under-researched’ (Thomas, 2004, p.1). A key piece of research (Rimmington et al, 1999) classifies entrepreneurs in the tourism sector and one category which has received research attention has been that of lifestyle entrepreneurs. This article outlines the literature on lifestyle entrepreneurs and concludes that much of the focus to date has been on the individual entrepreneur. This current paper investigates how lifestyle entrepreneurs interact with other entrepreneurs in the destination in which they operate, and …

Towards A Conceptual Framework Of Corporate Branding In Retailing, Edmund O'Callaghan

Conference proceedings

The view that corporate brand building in retailing is different to any other context (Burt and Sparks, 2002) is predicated in the belief that ‘goods’ retailers need to manage a range of corporate components, its multiple relationships with customers and its dependence on employees to personify and deliver much of the corporate identity. These differences in operations are perceived as adding a degree of complexity to an already challenging process of corporate brand development. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for the corporate brand building process within an SME retail context. It develops on the work of Hatch & Schultz’s …

Informed Retail Location Decisions: A Critical Concern For Irish Smes, Edmund O'Callaghan

Articles

No abstract provided.

Passport To Trade: Connecting Europe’S Smes From East To West?, Amanda Ratcliffe, Thomas Cooney

Conference proceedings

: An EFER report in 1995observed that little of the growth of Europe’s top 500 companies came from existing products in existing markets, but almost two-thirds of the growth came from entering new markets [1]. A large majority of Europe’s 500 are active in export markets, with exports accounting for 40% of their turnover as opposed to the 10% export share for SMEs overall. One of the critical reasons for the poor performance of SMEs within the international arena is their ignorance of local business cultures. This paper is based upon the work of an EU initiative with the project …

An Anthology Of Enterprise Policy In Ireland, William Gorman, Thomas Cooney

Articles

Ruane and Gorg (1996: 37) remarked that 'any careful comparison of the Irish economy with other economies in the European Union immediately focuses on two key features of Ireland's pattern of industrial development: the enormous significance of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the very high export ratios in the Irish manufacturing sector among foreign-owned companies. These two features have not developed by accident, but are directly related to the industrial strategy which Ireland has pursued over the past forty years, namely, of promoting export-led growth in Irish manufacturing through various incentives and of encouraging foreign companies to establish manufacturing plants …

Subsidiary Entrepreneurship: An Exploratory Study, Enda Carolan

Masters

This is a study of subsidiary entrepreneurship. In recent years entrepreneurship has been promoted by academics, practitioners and governmental agencies as a panacea for subsidiary managers as they attempt to sustain and grow their subsidiaries. The research question that underpins this works relates to the transposition of the concept of entrepreneurship into large nature business units of multinational corporations (MNC). Drawing on four case studies of subsidiary managers who invoke the discourse of entrepreneurship to make sense of their managerial behaviour, this study examines the difference between entrepreneurship and subsidiary entrepreneurship. There are two key findings. Firstly subsidiary entrepreneurship is …

Exploring The Discourses Of Small Enterprise Proprietors, Brendan O'Rourke, Martyn Pitt

Conference papers

Over the last three decades the discourses of strategy and enterprise have developed significantly in the context of large corporate organizations and increasingly within and for the public sector. The discourses of strategy and enterprise have developed in relationship with each other and are generative of various attributes and dilemmas for the identity of the strategist/entrepreneur. This study looks at how these important discourses are deployed by small enterprise proprietors in periodical publishing in Ireland as they construct their business identities with one of the authors. Interview data from one proprietor is subjected to a discourse analysis drawing particularly on …

Giving It Away : Free Technology Transfer To The Irish Sme Sector, Peter Kavanagh, Andy Maguire, James J. Casey

Articles

One of Europe’s major weaknesses lies in its inferiority in terms of transforming the results of technological research and skills into innovations and competitive advantages. (European Commission, 1995, p. 8.)

Technology transfer is a key aspect of economic development and research administration. These concerns are shared equally between academia and industry on both sides of the Atlantic. As technology is developed at a greater rate, concerns about the technology transfer will heighten. This article focuses on technology transfer in Ireland, particularly in the SME (Small and Medium size Enterprises, under 250 employees) sector. As the main Lisbon Objective has not …

An Exploration Of The Internationalisation Process Of Irish Indigenous Software Smes, Kathy Keeney

Masters

From meagre beginnings in the 1970s, the Irish software industry has emerged as one of the most interesting, exciting and successful Irish internationally traded service industries. Some thirty years later, the industry is still characterised by high levels of international trade activity, through niche market orientation and innovative and flexible management. Through an exploration of the internationalisation process in the context of Irish indigenous software firms, this thesis seeks to understand how this process of international expansion occurs, the barriers encountered throughout the process, future challenges for the industry and the use of strategic partnership activities as a facilitator in …

What Is An Entrepreneurial Team?, Thomas Cooney

Articles

It is arguable that despite the romantic notion of the entrepreneur as a lone hero, the reality is that successful entrepreneurs either built teams about them or were part of a team throughout. For example, when one considers the success of Apple Computers, the name of Steven Jobs immediately springs to mind.

Ireland, Ziene Mottiar

Books / Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Best Practice Hrd: Exploring The Feasibility Of Conventional Models In The Small Firm: The Case Of The Irish Hotel Sector, Ciara Nolan

Masters

The growth and popularisation of best practice HRD literature has been a key feature of recent international management research. This study explores this concept within the context of the small firm. In particular, the work sought to analyse the feasibility of conventional best practice HRD, theoretically and empirically, within a small hotel environment. Conventional best practice theory advocates that HRD takes place within a structured framework of formal plans and procedures. It explicitly overlooks and ignores informal and tacit means of training, which have proven to be particularly crucial within small hospitality firms. Yet, many small firms are successful and …

Enterprise Ireland: Stimulating Creativity Through Design Strategies, Peter Dee

Other resources

Stimulating Creativity through Design Strategies: A seminar organised by Enterprise Ireland for business organisations to explore a holistic approach to the design / marketing interface.

Peter Dee - Strategic Design and Marketing Consultant, specialises in the creation of brand development strategies for Enterprise Ireland’s Design Unit. Peter was responsible for the design and development of the brand identity for the Enterprise Ireland Stimulating Creativity through Design Strategies Seminar in Dublin.

Design is an excellent expression of innovation. It can provide product differentiation, gain and hold onto competitive market advantage and assist in the building of strong brands through creative packaging …

Searching For Greater Variety In Strategic Thinking, Brendan O'Rourke, Martyn Pitt

Conference papers

This paper proposes a use of the discursive approach to explicate variety in ways of strategic thinking. Such an explication of variety is both useful managerially in increasing awareness of greater discursive resources and also theoretically in critiquing views of strategic thinking as homogenous and organizationally contained. Ways of strategic thinking have been investigated using a variety of approaches including expertise perspectives (Voss, Greene et al. 1983), cognitive mapping (Eden, Jones et al. (1979); Huff (1990) ) and upper echelon theory (Hambrick 1998). More recently the linguistic turn in organizational sciences (Alvesson and Kärreman 2000), and the study of strategy …

The Implementation Of Strategic Planning In Irish Hotel Groups., Frances Alexandra Keys

Masters

The primary objective of this research was to examine the relative importance and success of forty factors over the past five years (1994-1999) that have facilitated and/or impeded the implementation of strategic plans within Irish hotel groups. This research studied twenty-four hotel groups, which consisted of ninety-five strategic business units. An extensive review of strategic management literature by theorists such as Andrews(1971); Ansoff (1990); Chandler (1962); Cole (1997); Day (1984); Drucker (1969); Greenley (1986, 1989); Gupta (1986); Hayes (1985); Hofer (1973, 1976); Mintzberg (1978, 1987, 1990, 1994); Ohmae (1988); Porter (1980, 1985, 1991); Schaffer (1984); Schendel and Hatten (1972); Thompson …

Developing Ireland As A Successful Garden Tourism Destination, Catherine Elizabeth Gorman

Conference papers

The marketing of Ireland as a garden destination has been evolving over the past six years. The complexity of Ireland’s history and modern circumstances have led to the demise of Irish gardens over the past three centuries. An initiative entitled The Great Gardens of Ireland Restoration Programme has been operated under the Operational Programme for Tourism 1994-99 which has been funded by the European Union. The outcome of the scheme has been twofold; the funding has rescued a significant part of Irish heritage and history; it has provided many new comprehensive tourist attractions to both the domestic and overseas market. …

New Product Development And Technology Acquisition In Small And Medium Sized Manufacturing Firms In Ireland, David Cullen

Masters

This thesis aims to provide an insight into the practices of firms in Ireland in relation to both new product development and technology acquisition, and the interface between the two areas. This research operates on a number of levels and involves great deal of both primary and secondary research. In order to provide a suitable backdrop to the research and to enable the development of a suitable knowledge base for the author, the results of an extensive literature review is detailed. This concerns itself with the two key areas under investigation; new product development and technology transfer. In addition to …