Anmari Viljamaa

Ties that Blind? How Strong Ties Affect Small Business Owner-Managers' Perceived Trustworthiness of Their Advisors

This research investigates how a strong personal relationship (strong tie) between a small business owner-manager and his professional or informal advisor affects the relationship between the advisors recent performance and the owner-managers perceptions of the advisors trustworthiness in terms of ability, benevolence and integrity. A negative moderating effect could point to a ‘tie that blinds’: the owner-manager may be less critical in evaluating the advisors perceived trustworthiness in light of their recent performance, because of the existing personal relationship. A conceptual model is constructed and examined with survey data comprising 153 young Finnish businesses. The results show that strong ties increase the owner-managers perception of the advisors integrity, disregarding their recent performance. For professional advisors, strong ties reduce the impact of recent performance in the owner-managers evaluation of their ability. For informal advisors, a strong tie makes it more likely that their benevolence will be evaluated highly in light of their recent performance. While the results show that ‘ties can blind’ under certain circumstances, the limitations of the study raise the need for further research to specify these contextual factors and examine the causal link between the choice of advisor and business performance.

Development of entrepreneurial intention in higher education and the effect of gender – a latent growth curve analysis

Purpose – The objectives of this study are threefold: first, to analyze the development of intentions of individuals over time; second, to explore potential gender differences in intention development; and third, to analyze the relatedness of the initial level and development of the antecedents of intentions to the initial level and the development of intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Ajzens Theory of Planned behavior is applied. Longitudinal data were collected in the fall of 2010, 2011 and 2012 in seven different universities of applied sciences, with students representing seven different study fields. In our data, there are 192 individuals with all three measurement waves and 104 individuals with two measurement waves. The analysis of change on multi-wave panel data is done using latent growth curve analysis with structural equation modeling. Findings – Our empirical results are threefold. First, entrepreneurial intentions of higher education seem to decrease during their studies. Second, ther...

For and against? An exploration of inadvertent influences of policies on KIBS industries in the Finnish policy setting

Knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) are a key sector in any knowledge economy, and as such they are subject to multiple policy influences. This article considers the inadvertent impacts of policies on KIBS, using examples drawn from the policy setting in Finland. The key elements of the policy environment are described, with particular attention to innovation policy and small and medium enterprise support policies. The direct and indirect effects of public policies on KIBS are explored with particular attention to effects on innovativeness. The role of research and training organisations as a semi-competitor of KIBS is highlighted. The examples analysed suggest that policy has simultaneously both positive and negative impacts on the innovativeness of KIBS industries.

The development of entrepreneurial potential among higher education students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of how entrepreneurial potential is developed among young people. Changes in individuals’ entrepreneurial intentions and the antecedents of intentions are investigated, as well as the impact of entrepreneurship education on the changes. Design/methodology/approach – Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is applied. Longitudinal data from 197 HE students, in their first and third year of studies, is examined using path analysis. Findings – Overall the entrepreneurial intentions of HE students decreased over time. Intentions decreased particularly for those with high initial level of intentions, whereas the group with increasing intentions rose from low to neutral level of intentions. Changes in attitudes and perceived behavioral control have a significant positive impact. Versatile entrepreneurship courses have direct effect on changes in attitudes. Changes in attitudes have a dual role, as they influence change in both intentions and ...

Hybrid Entrepreneurship during Retirement: Comparison of Motives and Aspirations

Hybrid entrepreneurship represents a surprisingly large part of economic activities in many countries. For example, it has been estimated that in Finland as much as 4 per cent of the employed workforce and 4 per cent of the non-employed population (e.g., students, pensioners) are involved in entrepreneurial activities on a part-time basis (Akola et al. 2007; Entrepreneurship Review 2010). Hybrid entrepreneurs (HEs) also represent a significant share of all entrepreneurial activities (Folta, Delmar and Wennberg 2010; Lith 2010). According to one study, full-time entrepreneurs were outnumbered by individuals who engaged simultaneously in self-employment and wage work (Burke, FitzRoy and Nolan 2008). Hybrid entrepreneurship also seems to be an interesting option for starting a new business. At least, over 50 per cent of nascent entrepreneurs — individuals in the process of starting a new venture — are simultaneously engaging in wage-employment (Acs et al. 2005; Reynolds et al. 2004; Gelderen, van Thurik and Bosma 2005; Bosma and Harding 2007).

Starting up a Firm or Not: Differences in the Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Intentions.

Entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) and their antecedents have been extensively studied in student populations. The results suggest that higher education does not promote the formation of EI in students. This article examines the antecedents of intentions in two different student populations: those who are currently starting a firm and those who are not. Gender and entrepreneurial role models are used as control variables. Further, the article examines the utility of applying intention measures for individuals already acting on their intention. As a framework, the authors use Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour. Data from 3754 responses were collected through a self-administered questionnaire in seven universities of applied sciences from students representing eight different study fields. The results show that Ajzen’s model performs better when explaining the intentions of those who are not in the process of starting a firm than of nascent entrepreneurs.

Best of Both Worlds? Persistent Hybrid Entrepreneurship

Hybrid entrepreneurs (HEs) represent a considerable share of all entrepreneurial activity. Yet little is known about the phenomenon. In this study we examine the differences between transitory HEs, who expect to make the transition to full-time entrepreneurship, and persistent HEs, who view their part-time status as permanent. With data collected from 848 academic HEs we find that only a small minority considers full self-employment likely in the near future and that self-fulfillment is the most significant motive for entrepreneurial activities. The results suggest that persistent hybrid entrepreneurship should be viewed as a form of entrepreneurship in its own right, and that even partial entrepreneurship has the potential to lengthen careers and improve wellbeing at work. Hybrid entrepreneurship offers the entrepreneurially inclined employees the best of both worlds.

Management Control Systems in Small Business Transfers — A Resource-Based View

This study investigates whether post-business transfer MCS development (PBTMCSD) is associated with post-business transfer success (PBTS) in small firms. The data for the study was collected in January 2012 as a web-based survey. The target group consisted of acquirers (both external buyers and family business successors) who had implemented a business transfer during 2006–2011 in Finland. A total of 178 questionnaires were sent out, and 67 responses were received. Regression analysis is used to investigate the relationship between PBTMCSD and PBTS. We utilize both resource-based view (RBV) and contingency theory. The results indicate that PBTMCSD has a positive and significant relation with PBTS. Our findings highlight the importance of PBTMCSD even in small companies in the context of business transfer. However, the relationship between PBTMCSD and PBTS performance was stronger for firms with five or more employees as well as firms with previous experience of business transfers.