Lorraine Warren

Constructing Narratives of Enterprise: Clichés and Entrepreneurial Self-Identity

Purpose: To extend the repertoire of narrative resources relevant in the creation and maintenance of entrepreneurial identity, and to explore the implications for understanding entrepreneurial behaviour. Methodology/Approach: The empirical research is based on a two and a half year ethnographic study of a small UK industrial firm. Findings: The study describes how cliches used by aspirant entrepreneurs are significant elements in creating entrepreneurial self-identity. In contrast to entrepreneurial metaphors, the study of which has highlighted and revealed the extraordinary components of an entrepreneurial narrative identity, examination of the cliches provide us with a means by which to understand the everyday and ordinary elements of identity construction in entrepreneurs. Research Limitations/Implications: Further qualitative research in other entrepreneurial settings will be required, exploring the generality of cliche use amongst entrepreneurs. Practical Implications: Applying the implications of our findings for pedagogic and business support uses is not explored and will need further development; we do however suggest that narrative approaches that make sense of entrepreneurship as an achievable aim may have some practical use. Originality/Value of Paper: The application of cliche as a distinctive linguistic feature of entrepreneurial self-identity construction is highly original and reflects analogous work on entrepreneurial metaphors. Because of its ethnographic data, the paper develops empirically and conceptually rich insights into entrepreneurship.

The entrepreneur as hero and jester: Enacting the entrepreneurial discourse

Employing a social construction perspective, this article argues that entrepreneurs are uniquely empowered by entrepreneurial discourse to bring about creative destruction. Analysis of the representation of entrepreneurship in the media suggests that entrepreneurs have a distinctive presence in society that is shaped by cultural norms and expectations. These images create and present an entrepreneurial identity. Yet identity has two facets: the general, identified as ‘what’ but also a distinctive individual identity as ‘who’. This article explores the identity play of one flamboyant entrepreneur, Michael O’Leary, to show how he deploys the rhetoric and rationality of entrepreneurial discourse, but shapes it through emotional games to establish his unique entrepreneurial identity. It finds strong evidence that entrepreneurs are culturally stereotypical and that this is amplified by the press, but also how O’Leary employs this typification to engage with the rational and emotional, explaining how this is used for strategic advantage.

Negotiating Entrepreneurial Identity: Communities of Practice and Changing Discourses

This paper focuses on the negotiation of identity in case studies of four women undergoing career change in the UK. The triple nexus between identity as a reflexive journey, entrepreneurship as a social process and communities of practice is established and provides a powerful means of exploring the dynamics of the entrepreneurial transition. The paper examines how identity is constructed and reconstructed during their trajectory from one mode of work to another, as they acknowledged, and were acknowledged by, shifting communities of practice. The central argument of the paper is that the women were at times constituted as entrepreneurs by a powerful discourse, but that their first priority was to be recognized and legitimized as professionals as they engaged with particular communities of practice. Further, they rework these discourses with an impact not just at the level of their own individual experience, but also at network level through interaction with their community of practice. The study uses narrative analysis to provide insights into the processes and practices that have constituted their experience. The purpose of the paper is to contribute to an understanding of the early stages of entrepreneurial activity; this may be of benefit to policy makers, support services and educators, as well as the academic community. Theoretically, it is demonstrated that the notion of the community of practice has value in developing a processual understanding of the entrepreneurial transition.

The relationship between total quality management and human resource management in small and medium‐sized enterprises

There is an extensive body of received wisdom in the literature on both total quality management (TQM) and human resource management (HRM). This paper examines past research as it affects small firms. Conclusions are drawn as to the linkages between TQM and HRM in small and emerging businesses. It is accepted that effective HRM policies are essential if TQM programmes are to deliver any of their benefits. However, there has been less research on small organizations, even though both are recognised as strategic issues in the pursuit of business development. Only a truly professional approach to creating a culture that is soft, individualistic and user-focused will provide the conditions for total quality enhancement to become a reality.

The establishment strikes back? The life and times of Takafumi Horie

This paper uses newspaper articles to construct an account of the meteoric rise and eventual fall from grace of Takafumi Horie, a Japanese Internet entrepreneur. This trajectory is explored through a qualitative methodology that analyses the content of articles in international newspapers reporting key events in Hories story. Tracking the representation of Horie as the story develops uncovers the ambiguous nature of the concept of entrepreneurship in Japan, where the enactment of entrepreneurship takes place within and at times against the mainstream of significant change in the nature of work in Japan. The paper concludes by linking Hories story to the temporal construction of the entrepreneur in a social context in which bureaucratic challenge leads eventually to entrepreneurial marginalization through the likelihood of a jail term. Overall, the paper adds to the literature concerning the mutable and contested nature of the term ‘entrepreneur’.

Images of entrepreneurship: still searching for the hero?

This paper explores how undergraduate students make sense of the mixed array of images they encounter in the educational process. If courses are aimed at encouraging undergraduates to ‘become more entrepreneurial’ it is useful to know how participating students perceive the confusing array of images, activities and identities prevalent in the university setting and how this is influenced by the entrepreneurship discourse overall. Through a social constructionist stance, this paper reports how a group of 93 undergraduates made sense of ‘entrepreneurship’ during their progress through a final-year optional course module focused on new venture creation. Theoretically, the paper adds to the literature on entrepreneurial stereotypes; practically, the insights gained can be fed back into the classroom to challenge perceptions and illuminate career aspirations.

Opportunities and Challenges for Omani Women Entrepreneurs

This study presents a preliminary report of an exploratory, qualitative investigation of the role of Omani women entrepreneurs in Muscat. It establishes the factors that motivate women to become entrepreneurs. Opportunities for the growth and expansion of womens entrepreneurship in Oman, as well as barriers that women encounter, are discussed. Suggestions are offered as to how womens entrepreneurship in Oman might be encouraged, along with questions for future research.

Developing the Knowledge Economy through University Linkages An Exploration of RDA Strategies through Case Studies of Two English Regions

Since their inception in 1999, Englands Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) have played a significant and growing role in realizing the potential benefits of the UK science base. This paper explores the innovation strategies being delivered by two RDAs, in the north-east of England (One North East) and the south-east of England (SEEDA), which have faced contrasting challenges in delivering improved innovation performance. The authors conclude with an agenda for future research concerning the development of regional triple helix systems, based on contrasts drawn.

Technology-Based Entrepreneurship Education: Meeting Educational and Business Objectives:

The UK governments ‘Third Mission’ for Higher Education (2000) encourages universities to teach entrepreneurship to ‘STEM’ students (those studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics), in part to support the technology transfer agenda. Technology-based entrepreneurship education (TEE) incorporates the key elements of entrepreneurship education (EE), concentrating on the creation of economic value from technological change. In this paper, the key challenges associated with EE and TEE are outlined, and the authors propose that the way to meet these challenges is through a systematic process that takes a technology from an initial idea in the laboratory to full commercialization as a high-growth firm. The ‘Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Algorithm’ developed at North Carolina State University (NCSU) offers such a framework for multidisciplinary teams. The paper describes why and how the Algorithm was adapted for use at Loughborough University (LU). The focus is on the educational and business objectives of the programme and the extent to which those objectives have been achieved. The paper thus makes a contribution to the TEE literature by spelling out specific challenges, discussing a potential solution to these challenges and thereby adding to our understanding of the linkages between education, innovation and entrepreneurship.

An institutional perspective on entrepreneurship in a conflict environment

Purpose – In this paper, an institutional perspective is used to examine the different kinds of pressures on entrepreneurs manifest in a conflict environment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how they respond to the conflict and establish legitimacy for their entrepreneurship in the challenging context of the north western areas of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, a qualitative approach is taken based on semi-structured interviews from 16 different firms in the Swat valley. Findings – The entrepreneurs undertake different strategies towards dealing with conflict and establishing legitimacy. These strategies are identified and examined in relation to the interactions between entrepreneurial behaviour and institutional pressures. Research limitations/implications – Qualitative research on a small sample inevitably presents a limitation on the generalisability of this work. Further research could employ quantitative methods to address this issue. One particular location is st...