Carol L. Dalglish

The relationship between firm survival and innovation: An introduction to the literature (review)

Summary The recent growth of the Internet provides new perspectives in the study of the organisation’s constant struggle with technology. Innovation literature has grown vastly since its establishment in the 1920’s. The literature now covers a broad range of disciplines (Foxall 1984) and measures a wide variety of variables (Rogers 1995). At first glance, studies that look at the relationship between innovation and firm survival appear contradictory. But the results appear compatible when additional factors such as industry type, environment, organisational age, company size or the time length of the study are taken into account.

From globalization to the ‘global village’

The concept of a global village has been brought about by the rapid development of information technology, the global media and faster lower cost travel. We now know what is happening on the other side of the world. But does that make us a ‘village’.? There are few shared values and limited intercultural understanding in todays business world. One of the challenges confronting business is how to succeed in a culturally diverse, interdependent business environment. This paper explores the significance of cultural diversity for business success and provides a framework for bringing about the necessary changes.

Positive design and construction of mechanisms for the sustainable development in microenterprises in Africa

Enterprise development and its contribution to societal and economic outcomes are well known. However, limited research into microenterprises and the practices of microfinance and microcredit in developing countries has been carried out. This chapter presents the findings of research based on six years of engagement with the microentrepreneurs of Beira in Mozambique and suggests a model for responsible and sustainable support for enterprise development in developing economies. Building on semistructured interviews, observation, and participatory action research, this research project articulates a new approach supportive of enterprise development, as a process of cocreation with local people and based on sustainability principles. These findings are part of a longitudinal study of the successes and failures of small enterprises and their impact on social and economic activity.

Training for lifestyle entrepreneurs

Many developed countries have issues with the movement of populations away from rural areas. There has been an active move towards ‘value adding’ in rural areas, and in particular, the development of tourism activities, to counter this trend. The purpose of this paper is to document the curriculum development process that was engaged in, in the design, delivery and outcomes of a programme designed to encourage and equip rural entrepreneurs to extend into the tourism and hospitality industries. These entrepreneurs operate in Hedmark Region of Norway and the training took place in Brisbane, Australia. The development and delivery of the training programme took place in Norway and Australia. The methodology is qualitative and it is hoped the research will lead to a longitudinal study of the impact of lifestyle entrepreneurs on local economic development in rural areas. The action research process that was engaged in means that the entrepreneurs are active participants in the research, and the quality of their feedback and willingness to discuss their changed behaviour are critical to both evaluating the impact of the programme and the potential for further study on the economic impact of their activities. The development process and the nature of the curriculum used for these entrepreneurs may well provide insights into effective training for lifestyle entrepreneurs in other contexts. The participants were asked to evaluate the programme immediately on its conclusion and six months after the programme when they were interviewed in their place of operation.

Leadership Education in a Changing Workplace

Much has been written concerning the value of learning and education in delivering competitive advantage, particularly in knowledge based service industries (Karpin, 1995; Senge, 1990). There has also been much written about the necessity for real individual behavioral change to underpin effective organizational and cultural change (Quinn, 1996). The Queensland Audit Office (QAO) is a service knowledge-based organization, which despite having a legislative monopoly recognizes the competitive nature of its business. Over the last six years, QAO has undergone significant structural and organizational reform and has focussed on changing the people and the culture to align individual behavior with organizational values and direction. QAO has focussed on developing competitive advantage through development of its people, and particularly its middle managers. QAO has been running its own in-house leadership programs since 1994. While these programs have relied on a range of external and internal speakers, the facilitation role had been managed generally by an executive with support from QAO’s Professional Development Officer, and this was

Leadership Development as a Means of Organizational Change

Much has been written concerning the value of learning and education in delivering competitive advantage, particularly in knowledge based service industries (Karpin 1995, p. 189) (Senge 1990, p. 172). There has also been much written about the necessity for real individual behavioral change to underpin effective organizational and cultural change (Quinn 1996, p. 5) In his seminal work `the fifth discipline’ Senge identified Personal mastery as one of the 5 disciplines necessary to effective learning organizations in a changing world environment.