Francisco J. Santos

About Gender Differences and the Social Environment in the Development of Entrepreneurial Intentions

This study analyzes the interplay between gender differences and the social environment in the formation of entrepreneurial intentions. Data were obtained from two different European regions. The results show that the formation of entrepreneurial intentions is similar for men and women. At the same time, men consistently exhibit more favorable intentions than women do. Nevertheless, the perception of the social legitimation of entrepreneurship only serves to reinforce male entrepreneurial intentions, and not those of women. This holds for both regions and probably is a consequence of women feeling entrepreneurship to not be an acceptable career option for them. The implications of these results are discussed.

The art of entrepreneurial foresight

Purpose – This paper aims to present an analysis of entrepreneurial activities that emphasises anticipation and the art of future exploration; in so doing, it identifies important aspects of entrepreneurship as aesthetic or creative activities.Design/methodology/approach – After a short synthesis of the main entrepreneurial functions in terms of decision making in the financial sphere, the managerial sphere, and the “booster” sphere, the paper concentrates on the qualities required for a successful “booster” function (motivation, ambition, innovation, cooperation, proactiveness). Because proactiveness and innovation both require futures thinking and creativity, the paper presents relevant material from the literature on long‐term foresight to establish the artistic aspects of these important components of entrepreneurial activities.Findings – The papers linking of entrepreneurial functions to the capacity for anticipation establishes the need for entrepreneurs to acquire competencies (in the area of fore...

Applicability of global value chains analysis to tourism: issues of governance and upgrading

Tourism firms are increasingly integrated in value chains that often operate across many different countries. As a result, the concepts and the methodology of the global value chains begin to be applied to the tourism industry. This paper aims to explore the applicability of this methodological approach for a specific service industry, such as tourism. It pays particular attention to the impact of different patterns of governance within global tourism value chains on the possible forms of upgrading. First, a set of regional case studies carried out on this subject leads us to identify the main patterns of governance in the Andalusian tourism industry. Secondly, an empirical analysis allows us to consider in which way upgrading can vary according to the governance patterns.

SMEs and entrepreneurial quality from a macroeconomic perspective

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to compare the particular characteristics of industrial SMEs in low‐ and high‐income regions from the perspective of their “entrepreneurial quality”.Design/methodology/approach – Based on three groups of factors, (personal characteristics of entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial orientation and productive dependence of firms), which define entrepreneurial quality (EQ), the empirical analysis is focused on testing whether industrial SMEs in three Spanish regions with low per capita income present different EQs to those of industrial SMEs in three other Spanish regions with high per capita income. Data was obtained from a survey addressed to the person in the role of entrepreneur in each of these firms. Since the dependent variable is dichotomous, the logistic regression model is applied in this study.Findings – Results show there is a relationship between the regional levels of development and the entrepreneurial quality of the industrial SMEs. In low‐income regions, the level o...

Human diet and the chronology of neolithic societies in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula: the necropolises of Puig d’en Roca and Can Gelats (Girona, Spain)

Radiocarbon and palaeodiet information has been obtained for two Neolithic necropolises in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula: Puig d’en Roca and Can Gelats (Girona, Spain). Although Puig d’en Roca is one of the most important necropolises in this period, it is also one of the least known as, following its excavation in the 1950s and 1960s, it has scarcely been restudied archaeologically. Can Gelats is one of the latest funerary sites of this period to be excavated and therefore is little known to the scientific community. Two key issues in the study of Neolithic communities in the western Mediterranean are addressed here. Few radiocarbon determinations have been obtained at funerary sites and they have usually been applied to a very small number of individuals in each cemetery (one or two dates). In a similar way, palaeodiet analysis of Neolithic cemeteries has rarely been attempted, and therefore the information presented here is of great importance to understand the diet in those societies. This paper presents a new series of dates for two of the most important Neolithic necropolises in north-east Iberia and approaches the subsistence patterns of the populations buried there.

Cultural Values and Social Entrepreneurship: A Cross-Country Efficiency Analysis

The social context exerts an influence on the individuals’ perception and, thus, on start-up decisions. The prevalence of entrepreneurial behaviors differs widely between countries. Economic variables alone are not enough to explain these differences. In this sense, culture seems to play a relevant role in the entrepreneurial process. Cultural diversity may influence the prevalent characteristics of entrepreneurial initiative and thus moderate the effect of economic conditions on entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurial Structure From a Regional Perspective

produced are destined to be used by three basic variables: consumption, saving, and investment. These approaches have a neoclassic and symmetric character and are based upon Klein’s approach, the so-called “aggregation problem in production function” (Klein 1946). They were created on the basis of a given technological level and, therefore, did not consider technological changes as a variable to be taken into account. Logically, the lack of realism of this original neoclassical approach provoked some criticism, which even Robert Solow admitted in his speech at the official ceremony when receiving the Nobel Prize for Economics. Certainly, the lack of consideration of technological advance was a serious weakness in the original neoclassical model. It was understood that the technological variable was something which fell outside the field of economic activity, that is, this variable was imposed from a context outside the strictly economic sphere. That is the reason why the neoclassical models of that period are usually called “exogenous,” as opposed to the “endogenous” economic growth models which have been developed since the 1980s. 1