Izaias Martins

Network Usage, Entrepreneurial Orientation and Their Effectiveness on SMEs Growth

Research findings suggest that networks provide small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) opportunities to achieve sustainable competitive advantages and thus compete successfully in the marketplace. In this study, the research question explores the effectiveness of the network usage on the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) development and the moderate role of the EO in the network-SME growth relationship. The empirical part of the study comprises a survey of 121 manufacturing SMEs in Spain. Structural equation modelling confirmed the importance of both organisational networks and EO on SMEs growth and pointed out the positive effect of network usage on EO development.

Mutual Effects Between Innovation Commitment and Exports: Evidence from the Owner-Manager in Colombia

Latin America and the Caribbean is recognized as a region of entrepreneurs, as evidenced by the high amount of ventures per capita; however, just a few number of companies export and most of them show a weak growth and little innovation. Using information from the GEM database – Colombia 2010 and 2011, this study investigates the mutual effects between the owner-manager’s commitment to innovation and the export behavior of companies. Logistic and Ordinal regression models are used to test the proposed hypotheses in this study. The main findings of this study suggest that the owner-manager’s commitment to innovation is an important booster for exports, as well as for increasing sales abroad. Furthermore, the results suggest that the export propensity, in turn, increases the likelihood of involvement of owner-managers to innovate in Colombia.

Capital Riesgo Informal Y La Financiación De Nuevos Emprendimientos: Un Llamado Al Debate Académico En Latinoamérica (Informal Venture Capital Funding New Entrepreneurial Activities: A Call to the Academic Forum in Latin America)

La actividad emprendedora contribuye al crecimiento economico generando riqueza, desarrollo social, introduciendo innovacion y mejorando la rivalidad y la competencia en el mercado. Sin embargo, a pesar de la relevancia de la actividad emprendedora, las empresas en su fase inicial a menudo enfrentan dificultades para financiar su negocio. Los angeles inversores se han caracterizado como socios importantes de las empresas con gran potencial de crecimiento. Estos inversionistas cubren una brecha de financiamiento oriunda de las imperfecciones del mercado y ademas, ofrecen sus experiencias en los negocios. En este articulo se ha examinado varios estudios sobre la actividad de los angeles inversores en todo el mundo y se ha detectado una ausencia de evidencias academicas en los paises de America Latina. Debido a la falta de analisis profundo referenciado en revistas academicas, los investigadores tienen el reto de generar conocimiento acerca de este fenomeno. Por lo tanto, el presente estudio pretende invitar al debate toda la comunidad academica latinoamericana, a traves de la sugerencia de temas importantes, destacando los principales acercamientos teoricos y citando metodologias eficaces en este campo de investigacion.Entrepreneurship contributes to economic growth by generating wealth, social development, introducing innovation, enhancing rivalry and creating competition. However, despite the relevance of entrepreneurial activity, early-stage ventures often face difficulties in financing their projects. Business angels have been highlighted as important partners for potential high-growth firms. They cover a financing gap due to market imperfections and offer their business expertise. This paper has examined several studies on informal investors around the world and has detected an absence of academic evidences in Latin American countries. Facing the lack of deep analyses referenced in academic journals, scholars are challenged to discuss this phenomenon. Thus, the present study seeks to invite the academic community in Latin America by suggesting important issues, useful theoretical approaches and effective methodologies in this research topic.