Shqipe Gërguri-Rashiti

Ethnic entrepreneurship in Macedonia: the case of Albanian entrepreneurs

The objective of this paper is to provide a picture of the characteristics of Albanian entrepreneurs and their enterprises in the Republic of Macedonia. According to State Statistical Office of the Republic of Macedonia (2005), based on the data from the last census of population, households and dwellings in 2002, the Republic of Macedonia had 2,022,547 inhabitants of whom Albanians were 509,083 (25.2%). Since Albanians represent the greatest minority in the Republic of Macedonia, we were interested to analyse businesses that are operated and managed by them. We conducted empirical research during the period April-June 2013 of 89 businesses, owned by Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia. We analysed the motives for starting and managing ones own business, problems of these businesses, success factors, forms of organisation, sources of financing, ethics and social responsibility of Albanian entrepreneurs, e-commerce challenges and characteristics, etc.

The Succession Issues in Family Firms: Insights from Macedonia

The purpose of this book chapter is to share findings related to succession of family businesses in Republic of Macedonia. In order to gain a better picture of the current situation, problems and perspectives that stand in front of families with respect to succession issue it was conducted a survey. The questionnaire was distributed to the owners of several businesses as well as through e-mail. The questionnaire was distributed to 140 businesses, depending on the size of cities.

The Profile of Female Entrepreneurs in the Republic of Macedonia

The purpose of this chapter is to share our findings about female entrepreneurs in the Republic of Macedonia. The Republic of Macedonia is a small country located in Southeast Europe, that is, the Central Balkan Peninsula, and is one of the successor states of former Yugoslavia. The Republic of Macedonia declared its independence on September 8, 1991, and became a member of the United Nations on April 8, 1993. As a result of a dispute with the southern neighbor, Greece, regarding the name issue, it was admitted under the provisional reference of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, abbreviated as FYROM (United Nations, 1993). It covers 25,713 km2 (9,928 square miles), bordering Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece. Its capital is Skopje, which is the largest city of the Republic of Macedonia and inhabited by 30% of the total population. According to State Statistical Office of the Republic of Macedonia (2005), based on the data from the last Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in 2002, the Republic of Macedonia had 2,022,547 inhabitants, which is 3.9% more when compared with the census taken in 1994, and 43% more when compared with the census of 1948. The population of the Republic of Macedonia, according to ethnicity, based on Census 2002, consists of 1,297,981 Macedonians (64.2%); 509,083 Albanians (25.2%); 77,959 Turks (3.9%); 53,879 Romani (2.7%); 35,939 Serbs (1.8%); 19,571 Bosnians/Muslims (0.9%); and 30,688 under the heading of “others” (1.4%). The gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011 was 461,730 million denars (the currency of the Republic of Macedonia) and had increased by 6.4%, in nominal terms, in comparison to 2010. The real GDP growth rate in comparison with 2010 was 2.8% (State Statistical Office of Republic of Macedonia, 2012).

Innovation and Firm-Performance Correlations: The Case of Central and South Eastern Europe Countries

The aim of this paper is to investigate the determinants of innovation activities and their impact on firm performance. For the empirical analysis of the study we employ Business Environment Enterprise Performance Surveys (BEEPS) firm-level data. To examine the relationship between innovation activities and firm performance we apply instrumental variable (IV) technique, which enables us to control for the endogeneity between innovation activities undertaken by entrepreneurial businesses and their performance. Our findings suggest that enterprises’ size, R&D intensity, competition, skilled workers and export activity have positive and significant impact on their incentive to undertake innovation activities. Considering the determinants of productivity, we find evidence that enterprises that have undertaken innovation activities (instrumented variable) and having higher degree of skilled workers and that are European Union member country enterprises perform better.

Islamic Entrepreneurship and Management: Culture, Religion and Society

Islamic entrepreneurship and management is a topic area of business study due to the increasingly dynamic international business environment in which culture and religion are important to developing business relationships. The main objective of this chapter is to see the approach of Islam as a religion towards entrepreneurship and management. Utilizing recent and relevant literature on the topic, this chapter is based on the Holy Qur’an verses and the Muhammad’s (S.A.W) Hadith (teachings and traditions). We also highlight how the context of Islamic business is an important driver of entrepreneurial activity.

Introduction: Female Entrepreneurship in Transition Economies as a Significant but Understudied Field

Female Entrepreneurship in Transition Economies: Trends and Challenges addresses different topics in the field of female entrepreneurship — motivational factors of female entrepreneurs, career perspectives of women, problems and challenges, innovativeness, risk management, financing opportunities, social female enterprises, tourism and hospitality, emotional and institutional support for female entrepreneurial initiatives and small businesses, and so on — using the perspective of different transitional countries.

An Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Management in an Islamic Context

With the evolution of international business environment where culture and religion are playing an important role cornering developing relationships (Dana, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 10(2):87–99, 2009; Dana, Entrepreneurship and religion, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2010), Islamic entrepreneurship and management is becoming an essential research field (Ramadani et al., International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 15(3):244–261, 2015). Islam, as a religion, highlights the importance of being engaged in business activities that improve society as a whole, and many of the limitations placed on Muslim entrepreneurs are meant to reduce activities that can harm the society; Muslims are expected to make a living in accordance with the beliefs of the Qur’an and Shari’ah laws. When Muslims engage in entrepreneurial activities it is believed that they fulfill their religious obligations to please Allah. Islam shapes entrepreneurship at different levels of the economy whilst encouraging and enabling entrepreneurial activities.

Entrepreneurship and Management in an Islamic Context

The aim of this volume is to explore entrepreneurship and business from the perspective of Islamic principles, which are usually based on collaboration, teamwork, generosity and altruism. The contributions deal with the confluence of Islamic Principles with entrepreneurial and business ownership characteristics; resource use by entrepreneurs; means of entrepreneurial success, and ethics and social responsibility.

Entrepreneurship in Macedonia

This chapter provides a resourceful information about the development of entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises in the Republic of Macedonia. Mainly, the current state of entrepreneurship, business environment, and problems of entrepreneurs and small business owners are discussed. The chapter ends with suggestions for further development of entrepreneurship in the future.

Islamic Entrepreneurship and Management: Future Research Directions

In this chapter we discuss the role of Islam in entrepreneurship and management by focusing on the spiritual, ethical and innovative elements that apply to business practices. The chapter indicates the entrepreneurial nature of Islam as a religion and provides a framework for future research about religious entrepreneurship.