Entrepreneurs may exhibit common characteristics and cognitive styles. But are they unique? And can they be learned? A new study provides employers and investors with fresh perspectives.
Environmental pioneers can still dominate markets reluctant to reward them. They may be eco-friendly, but clean tech companies confront hostile markets. In order to prevail, they will need to attract customers prepared to pay more for a green product, perform better than competitors, and change the rules of the game.
Private equity investors routinely get a bad press – but how justified are claims that the management buyouts (and buy-ins) they engineer give the green light to a series of predictable decisions that stamp out both the representation and interests of employees? For trade unions, the questions typically raised when private equity buyouts take place tend to focus on how fast, blatant or circuitous the transition, and rarely on whether damaging changes in industrial relations will actually be avoided.
Flemish growth companies are doing better than their counterparts in Western Europe and worldwide. They are more proactive, flexible and alert, and respond more quickly. They think the worst of the crisis is past, and are looking very hopefully to the future. Those are the findings of the annual iGMO Growth Survey by the Growth Management Impulse Centre for Medium-Sized Companies by Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School jointly with Ernst & Young and KBC, covering around 80 Flemish owner-managed growth companies – all members of iGMO.
Financial capital is one of the key resources a business requires to support its growth. Although few in number, high growth businesses contribute disproportionately to employment and wealth creation in an economy. As a result it is important to know, not only how high-growth businesses fund growth, but the reasons behind this choice. This article zooms in on new research from Belgium looked at a sample of more than 32,700 companies over an 8 year period and investigated how those with the highest growth supported the expansion financially.
The demolition of tariff barriers in manufacturing industries promises rich pickings across the world for new ventures - but are entrepreneurs actually taking up the challenge by launching firms to tap into international markets? Globalization offers manufacturers undeniable opportunities by putting established players under competitive pressure while providing new prospects in international markets. Yet while opening markets up to foreign competition may fuel growing trade in industrialized countries, are their entrepreneurs picking up the gauntlet?
With an average age of 51 years, 19 years of managerial experience, 14 years as an entrepreneur – and, certainly, considerable financial resources – Business Angels are private individuals who invest in young companies that are not quoted on the Stock Exchange. As very young companies (or those that need only a small amount of funding) often find it difficult to attract venture capital, the BANs bring these companies in contact with BAs who help provide the necessary funds. In a study commissioned by the Flemish government, Vlerick Professor Sophie Manigart and her Ghent University colleagues Veroniek Collewaert and Lotte Goossens have researched the Flanders Business Angel Network.
Kipling is a global brand. But like many other brands, it all started with a start-up. This case discusses the choices that had to be made to make Kipling a large international company. Was franchising the way to go for example? The second part of the case discusses the kick-backs that can mean the end of a company and how this is best dealt with to convert the set-back into opportunity. In short, an interesting story with many learning points!
This article analyses the growth performance of a number of entrepreneurial firms in 10 manufacturing sectors of 11 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The focus of the article is on identifying the entrepreneurial attributes and company characteristics that tend to generate a significant number of high-growth firms (HGFs) in these countries. The authors investigate to what extent certain co-variates may affect the conditional distribution of company growth rates more fundamentally. They focus not only on the factors that systematically increase the ‘mean’ growth rates of firms, but also on the factors that tend to stretch the right tail of the conditional distribution of growth rates – in other words, factors that tend to generate a significant number of high-growth firms.
One of the most critical challenges facing entrepreneurial companies expanding abroad may also be one of the most subtle: fitting in. A failure to win acceptance both internationally but also with a parent company at home can slam the door on capital, technology, skilled labour and, above all, customers. When it comes to legitimacy, Flemish companies from Belgium may be at an advantage over rivals from larger countries with historical baggage such as the US and Germany that enter markets wagging their fingers.