Mark Esposito

The nature of entrepreneurship in bottom of the pyramid markets

This study explored entrepreneurship in BOP markets in Ghana. The study used a quantitative approach with data collected using returned questionnaires from micro entrepreneurs in BOP markets in Ghana. The data was analysed using inferential statistics (mainly exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis). The study found a significant relationship between the antecedents of entrepreneurship and the market characteristics while a significant relationship exists between the BOP market characteristics and the entrepreneurial benefits was observed. Again, a significant relationship was found between the antecedent factors and the entrepreneurial benefits. The study concludes that BOP market psychodynamic factors are more critical than trait factors.

Small to mid‐sized nonprofit leadership development initiatives: organizational lessons learned

Purpose – Presents findings of a recent survey conducted on small to mid‐sized nonprofit organizations about the types of leadership development initiatives they offer employees.Design/methodology/approach – Survey and interview methods used to collect data from nonprofit executive directors who participated in this study.Findings – Most survey participants do not have the financial and other organizational capacities to offer leadership development initiatives to employees. In‐service workshops are the most frequent type of initiative and unfortunately often this learning initiative has a low impact given its limited short‐term exposure to participants. Other leadership development initiatives may be more beneficial to employees in terms of their long‐term impact.Practical implications – Provides recommendations for small to mid‐sized nonprofit executive directors about ways to fund leadership development initiatives.Originality/value – Offers nonprofit executive directors with suggestions about not inve...

Old founders never die, they just fade away: or do they?

Purpose – This article aims to provide founders, executive directors, and board members with a case study of a nonprofit executive director who, as a result of his refusal to “let go” of the organization he founded, created serious problems for his successor and role confusion for staff and organizational stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach – This article uses the case study method to illustrate a problem founders of nonprofit organizations can create, when they take an active role within the organization after retirement.Findings – Despite all the good outcomes and accomplishments attributed to founders, this article argues that founders can create irreparable harm to organizations when they remain active in the organization following the appointment of a successor. Despite the difficulty and personal and psychological connection to the organization, founders should allow the organization to develop and grow under the direction of the successor.Practical implications – Founders, executive directors,...

Nonprofit founders and succession: how to ensure an effective leadership handover

Purpose – The aim of this article was to describe successor types of four nonprofit founders. Design/methodology/approach – This article uses the previous case study research and participant/nonparticipant observation to illustrate the different nonprofit founder types to prepare for successors. Findings – Four founder types included destroyer, conscientious, maverick, and controller. Each founder type had several unique characteristics. A common feature across all four types was autocratic control. Research limitations/implications – Limitations include the generalizability of the findings based on the sample. Recommendations include re-examination of the ways founders approach succession issues. Practical implications – Founders involved in succession issues can benefit by better understanding the succession process as well as the legacy they leave as a result of their approach to succession based on type. Originality/value – This article offers new insights into the approaches nonprofit founders take a...

Introducing a circular economy: new thinking with new managerial and policy implications

Since the industrial revolution, we have been living in a linear economy. Our consumer and “single use” lifestyles have made the planet a “take, make, dispose” world. This refers to a unidirectional model of production: natural resources provide our factory inputs, which are then used to create mass-produced goods to be purchased and, typically, disposed after a single use. This linear economy model of mass production and mass consumption is testing the physical limits of the globe. It is, therefore, unsustainable and a shift toward a circular economy is becoming inevitable.

The social cluster of gender, agency and entrepreneurship

Scholars have been concerned with studying gender variations and their implications on various measures of entrepreneurial performance (Gupta et al., 2009). As gender effects cannot always provide substantial meaning of a particular phenomenon (Ahl, 2006) this paper studies entrepreneurship from a social cognitive perspective and inductively explores differences and commonalities across gender. Entrepreneurship is a driver of economic growth however scarce are the articles tackling the Middle East region (Naguib and Jamali, 2015). In-depth interviews are conducted with 30 Lebanese entrepreneurs to understand the social factors which influence entrepreneurial aspirations in this particular context. Results reveal that entrepreneurship is bound to self-efficacy beliefs, which are the produce of stereotyping effects and social expectations of men and women, of educational practices, of occupational systems and socialisation experiences. The authors propose learning models, which advance knowledge and bring practical contributions to education and training fields to create more conducive environments for entrepreneurship.

Are we falling asleep at the switch, again? Some propositions for executive compensation

During the financial crisis in 2008, executive compensation became focal to one of the key constituents of the systemic risk that led to the financial meltdown. This conceptual paper aims at providing ground for discussion on the viability of executive compensation within the larger stake of the financial institutions and whether its reform may be necessary. Developed over five possible propositions that empower the dialogue towards a resolute perspective and supported by five scholars who derive from diverse academic disciplines, this paper wants to provide a critical perspective on a sensitive and controversial topic.