Ramo Palalic

Entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Focus on Gender

Purpose The objective of this study was to investigate gender differences in entrepreneurship development. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study consisted of an on-line questionnaire administered to a random sample of 206 owner-manager CEOs across Bosnia & Herzegovina. Various statistical tools were utilised in the analysis. Findings Empirical results revealed significant differences in entrepreneurial performance between women and men. It was found that gender significantly affects entrepreneurial activities in firms with regards to innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking. Overall, female respondents scored better in entrepreneurial dimensions than did males. Practical implications The state should support female entrepreneurship in the long term; aspirations exist, and this study’s results reveal this potential. Furthermore, we recommend that women take a part in entrepreneurship development – a key to economic development. Also, we suggest that education in entrepreneurship should be ...

Beekeeping as a family artisan entrepreneurship business

Purpose Throughout Macedonia, beekeeping is becoming popular regardless of ethnicity. Studying ethnicity, the purpose of this paper is to determine what beekeepers in Macedonia thought in their own words about their beekeeping entrepreneurship. The objective is to identify whether motivations of ethnic Albanian beekeepers in Macedonia were the same or different compared to those of ethnic Macedonians in the same country, and if different, how. Design/methodology/approach To accomplish this objective, in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 beekeepers in Macedonia. A total of 29 interviews were conducted face-to-face and the other 11 by phone. The first set of interviews took place between December 2016 and February 2017, followed by more interviews in June 2017. In total, 27 respondents said they were ethnic Albanians, and 13 identified themselves as ethnic Macedonians. Also, ten respondents were women. While eight were full-time beekeepers, 32 were part-time beekeepers. Findings The results indicated that beekeeping businesses play a significant role in the transition economy of Macedonia. Beekeeping provides additional earnings that support rural families and keeps them financially stable. The majority of both Albanians and Macedonians understood that beekeeping on a part-time job basis provided a needed supplement to their income. Some part-time beekeepers are also working as auto-mechanics, locksmiths, medical doctors, restaurant/cafeteria owners, and tailors. A few in the sample were retired from their jobs or full-time beekeepers. An important difference between ethnic Albanian beekeepers and ethnic Macedonians in Macedonia is that the majority of ethnic Albanian participants see beekeeping as following in “my father’s footsteps”, while most Macedonians were motivated by the perceived opportunity of having a good business. Research limitations/implications Limitations of the research are twofold. First, financial data of family beekeeping are not available, which would be useful in determining the contribution made to economic development. It is common, especially in transition economies such as the western Balkans, that financial results are very sensitive to their owners. Second, unavailable databases for beekeepers make any quantitative approach difficult, if not impossible, resulting in most research using the qualitative research approach. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to treat beekeeping as a form of artisan entrepreneurship, which also contributes to the understanding of family business. As in other countries, the important and operation of the family business among family members in Macedonia is passed from generation to generation. The results of this research revealed the value of networking, which was found to be very important to income. For beekeepers to develop, grow, and be branded in the community, networking is an important ingredient.

Entrepreneurial Intentions of University Students: A case-based study

Purpose This study aims to examine the entrepreneurial intentions of university students at the International University of Sarajevo. For this purpose, the entrepreneurial desires and entrepreneurial orientations of the students across several demographic variables were measured. These variables included prior entrepreneurial experience, student’s gender, faculty, year of study and attitude towards more courses on entrepreneurship. Nevertheless, the research also examined how business environment influences the entrepreneurial intentions of students by considering the same set of variables. Design/methodology/approach The objectives of this paper have been achieved by using a quantitative research instrument, where the cross-sectional survey method for collecting primary data is used. In total, 173 usable responses have been collected from the beginning of April to the end of May in the academic year 2015/2016. Findings The results indicate that the greater the demotivation with the current business surrounding, the smaller the entrepreneurial intentions of the students are when the prior entrepreneurial experience, gender, year of study and attitude towards more courses on entrepreneurship are considered. The study suggests that improving the overall business surrounding and entrepreneurial education might increase the entrepreneurial intentions of the students. Originality/value This is the first paper that treats entrepreneurial intentions of University students in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The phenomenon of entrepreneurial leadership in gazelles and mice: a qualitative study from Bosnia and Herzegovina”

This study examines the entrepreneurial leadership and business performance in gazelles and mice, using stratified purposive sampling from three sectors: manufacturing, sales and services. Findings suggest that gazelles are more in favour of applying entrepreneurial leadership compared to mice. However, both of them need improvement. Gazelles need to maintain a constant sustainable growth in the market while mice should transform themselves into gazelles. It can be done by creating a positive synergetic effect of entrepreneurial leadership to business performance in both types of firms, in the long term. Likewise, Bosnian government should pave the way for better business surroundings and to promote entrepreneurship development in the region. On the contrary, the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B%H) seems to maintain a status quo or even tends to shackle the entrepreneurial activities and opportunities in its business environment.

Refugee Entrepreneurship: A Case Study from the Sultanate of Oman

This chapter describes the life of a refugee from Iraq who had a difficult experience during the recent disasters in the Middle East. However, this experience made this refugee even stronger, and he started to use it as a business opportunity. He has succeeded and established a good business in Oman, a co-partnership with a local businessman. The chapter thus serves as a model for future entrepreneurs who face challenges and obstacles beyond normal life conditions, and encourage them to see these not as barriers for entrepreneurial activities but as possible opportunities.

Entrepreneurship in Former Yugoslavia: Toward the Future

This chapter summarizes the ex-Yugoslavia region in terms of its historical events, entrepreneurship development, and state of economy of Yugoslavia. Moreover, it reviews each of ex-Yugoslavia republics. Also, it revises each country’s profile regarding entrepreneurship and business environment. Additionally, it discusses challenges and perspectives of each country.

Entrepreneurship in Former Yugoslavia: An Introduction

This chapter depicts historical development of former Yugoslavia, from its inception to the dissolution. Details about Yugopluralist models are given, such as milestones, functions, and consequences of its model. Other details related to Yugoslavia’s internal and external performance from 1945 to 1989 are discussed.

Entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina

This chapter depicts a glance picture of Bosnian state of entrepreneurship. It begins with a historical overview and establishment of the state. It describes the challenges that Bosnia has faced as well as its current issues. The current state of entrepreneurship, business environment, and problems of entrepreneurs and small business owners are discussed. The chapter concludes suggestions for further development of entrepreneurship in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Entrepreneurship in Montenegro

In this chapter, the entrepreneurial activities and actual policies for the development of entrepreneurship in Montenegro are described. The study begins with providing a historical overview of Montenegro since its establishment, starting from its early times, throughout the Ottoman Empire and up to these days, when Montenegro is also one of the candidates from ex-Yugoslavia’s republics to join the EU and NATO (already a member). Then, the study further discusses the promotional activities of entrepreneurship and the role of the government in creating a favorable environment for domestic and foreign entrepreneurs. The chapter ends with providing useful future development of entrepreneurship in Montenegro. It includes, beside tables and figures, original pictures of the business environment in Montenegro.

Knowledge Creation and Relationship Marketing in Family Businesses: A Case-Study Approach

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, family businesses operate successfully as the backbone of the countries’ economies. We also know that even successful firms differ widely in use of best management practice. Smaller, newer firms in less developed countries should benefit from exposure to best practice. To this end we offer provide and present the advantages of using one of the newest and most successful approaches in marketing, that of relationship marketing. This chapter presents the theoretical aspects of relationship marketing, the advantages of using it and its specifics. Furthermore, in this chapter we discuss how relationship marketing affects the business development on two family businesses from two disparate industries in Bosnia and Herzegovina. AS Group is a group, including food, trade and textile, whereas Pharmamed Ltd. operates in the pharmaceutical industry. Relationship marketing concepts and specifics explained in this chapter will not help only the owners of family businesses, but also, the non-family businesses, policy-makers and researchers who want to know more about advancing use of proven managerial practices in a transition economy.