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A worldwide forum for the discussion of ideas and experience relating to the development and application of entrepreneurship.

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Edited by:
Dr Gerard McElwee

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Editorial coverage

The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation was launched at the beginning of a century in which an understanding of the nature, process and practice of entrepreneurship will be a key factor in economic success.

Worldwide, the proliferation of small businesses and their increasing importance in the economy mean that the management and growth of such enterprises are ever-more critical in national and regional development. At the same time, changes in work patterns and the frequent opportunities for innovation offered by accelerating technological development make entrepreneurship within organizations - 'intrapreneurship' - a core challenge for large companies. From multinational to micro-enterprise, no business can afford to ignore this issue.

What is entrepreneurship? Can it be taught? How do entrepreneurs balance their innovative talents with the need to manage their business and control its growth? How do large organizations encourage and empower entrepreneurial behaviour? The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation addresses these and many other questions, focusing on practical application - from becoming an entrepreneur, through making financial choices, through strategic planning, to internationalization and acquisition. As entrepreneurship also has a key role to play outside the private sector, the journal includes in its coverage entrepreneurial issues in non-profit public-sector organizations.

Published quarterly, IJEI provides a worldwide forum for the exploration and dissemination of ideas and experience relating to the development and application of entrepreneurship. The journal takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on the highest-quality work in business and management and in the social sciences.

Authors and readers are drawn from universities, government, and industry. In particular, IJEI will appeal to researchers and teachers concerned with entrepreneurship and related issues in higher education (especially in business schools, and university departments of management, sociology and psychology); to government departments and initiatives whose objective is to promote entrepreneurial and innovative activity; and to human resources directors and chief executives in industry, as well as to entrepreneurs themselves.

The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ISSN 1465-7503) is a refereed journal and is published in February, May, August and November. Online access to the electronic edition is provided as a free supplement to subscribers to the printed journal.

Key topics
  • Strategic dimensions of growth
  • The entrepreneur as manager of a growing company
  • Financing company growth
  • Internationalization and growth
  • The acquisitions process of a growing company
  • Teaching entrepreneurship
  • Strategic alliances
  • New forms of organization
  • Women and entrepreneurship
  • Entrepreneurial behaviour in large organizations
  • Entrepreneurship in developing countries
  • Making allies in business
  • Ethics, the entrepreneur and the company
Contents

Each issue of IJEI includes four to six double-blind peer-reviewed papers. Contents and abstracts of the latest issue are available on this Website.

In addition to the selected papers, regular features are:

  • A case study of around 2,000-3,000 words. Designed for use in the 'classroom', case studies will be supported by questions, provided either by the author or the editor. The case studies will be diverse in coverage and approach. They may, for example: (1) describe a process whereby an entrepreneurial activity has succeeded or failed; (2) outline the stages involved in establishing a new enterprise: innovation, start-up, maturation, growth and decline; or (3) analyse a particular facet of a new enterprise (eg a human resource issue or the financing of the enterprise).
  • The Internet Review. This section identifies and reviews Websites of interest for those interested in research on entrepreneurship, small firms and innovation in an international context.

Submissions - Notes For Authors

Authors: please read and revise your manuscript to achieve the following requirements before submitting your manuscript to the Editor. Submissions should be sent by e-mail to Dr Gerard McElwee - gerard.mcelwee(a)ntu.ac.uk.

Length and presentation of contributions

Articles should preferably be in the region of 3,000–5,000 words and no longer than 6,000. Case studies are also sought, and such contributions will be especially welcome from practising entrepreneurs. These should be between 2,000 and 3,000 words long. Submissions should be submitted electronically as Word documents (please do not send PDF files).

The text should be ordered under appropriate sub-headings (not numbered paragraphs or sections) and these should not be more than 800 words apart. Three levels of sub-heading are possible. Please double space all text.

The title page should show the names and addresses of the authors, their professional status and affiliation and the address (including e-mail) to which correspondence should be sent. As this page will not be sent to referees, the title of the article (without author names) should be repeated on the first text page.

An abstract should be provided, comprising 80–100 words.

Between 3 and 6 keywords should appear below the abstract, highlighting the main topics of the paper.

References should follow the Harvard system. That is, they should be shown within the text as the author’s surname (or authors’ surnames) followed by a comma and the year of publication, all in round brackets: for example, (Smith, 2001). At the end of the article a bibliographical list should be supplied, organized alphabetically by author (surnames followed by initials - all authors should be named). Bibliographic information should be given in the order indicated by the following examples:

* Articles: McMullan, W.E., and Vesper, K.H. (2000), 'Becoming an entrepreneur: a participant's perspective', International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Vol 1, No 1, pp 33-43.

 * Books: Casson, M. (2003), The Entrepreneur: An Economic Theory, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.

Notes should be numbered consecutively in the text and typed in plain text at the end of the paper (not as footnotes on text pages).

Tables should be reduced to the simplest form and present only essential data. They should be submitted on separate sheets at the end of the article. The use of vertical rules in tables should be avoided.

For illustrations, line drawings and black and white photographs are acceptable. Authors are asked to supply originals of line drawings for reproduction.

Case studies

Case studies are welcome and should follow the format described above. They should be accompanied by a set of questions and model answers (see previous issues for clarification).

Structure of papers

Please do provide: (a) clear aims and objectives; (b) a clear research question; (c) a discussion of your methodological approach; (d) a discussion of the limitations of your methodology; (e) further research questions if appropriate; (f) the policy implications of your paper if appropriate. Please also ensure that the bibliography is as contemporary as possible.

Pre-submission checklist
  1. Indicate in your covering letter (that is, your e-mail message) of submission what is unique and valuable about the manuscript.
  2. All figures and tables must be at the end of the manuscript; indicate the desired placement in text with ‘Insert Table 1 about here’ etc.
  3. Make sure that you double space everything on the cover, abstract, text, and reference pages using 12-point Times Roman type.
  4. Use UK English.
  5. Consider asking someone to read the manuscript before submission and give comments to you. The person can be thanked in the footnote paragraph at the bottom of the cover page.
  6. Centre page numbers at the foot of each page; do not place a page number on the cover page.
  7. Include the month and year in the centre of the cover page.
  8. Quotations should be within single quotation marks.
Prior Publication

Articles are received on the understanding that they are original contributions, and have not been published officially, either in print or electronic form, or submitted for publication elsewhere. In this respect, ‘discussion’ or ‘working’ papers, conference presentations and proceedings are not considered to be official publications, unless they have been formally deemed so by conference organizers, or presented as edited works through recognized publishing channels. If in doubt, authors are asked to draw the attention of the Editor to any prior dissemination of the paper in their letter of submission.

Refereeing

Academic papers will be subject to a ‘double blind’ review – the anonymity of both authors and referees will be preserved throughout the refereeing process. Papers by authors who are not academics (such as submissions from practising entrepreneurs) will also be subject to review before acceptance, but their distinct nature and aims will be fully taken into account.

Copyright

Unless otherwise indicated, submissions are received on the understanding that they are original contributions, and have not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. The Editor reserves the right to edit or otherwise alter contributions, but authors will see proofs before publication. Authors will be asked to assign copyright, where possible, to IP Publishing Ltd. Relevant authors’ rights are protected.

Editorial Board

Editor: Dr Gerard McElwee, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Nottingham Trent Business School, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU, UK. E-mail: gerard.mcelwee(a)ntu.ac.uk.

Regional Editors: Asia - Professor Manoj Joshi, Amity University, India; Canada and USA - Professor E. McMullan, University of Calgary, Canada; Europe - Dr Sarah Drakopoulou Dodd, ALBA Graduate School of Business, Greece.

Internet Review Editor: Clifford Conway, Small Business Research Unit, Brighton Business School, University of Brighton, Mithras House, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4AT, UK. E-mail: c.conway(a)brighton.ac.uk

Book Reviews Editor: Geoff Whittam, Business School, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus, Paisley PA1 2BE, UK. E-mail: Geoffrey.Whittam(a)uws.ac.uk

Editorial Advisory Board
  • Professor Alistair R. Anderson
    The Robert Gordon University, UK
  • Professor Leo Paul Dana
    University of Canterbury, New Zealand
  • Professor Davide Dell'Anno
    Second University of Naples, Italy
  • Professor Alain Fayolle
    EM Lyon, France
  • Dr Laura Galloway
    Heriot-Watt University, UK
  • Dr Rainer Harms
    University of Twente, The Netherlands
  • Professor Bill Keogh
    Heriot-Watt University, UK
  • Professor Jill Kickul
    NYU Stern School of Business, USA
  • Lorimer D.M. Mackenzie
    Edinburgh, UK
  • Professor Harry Matlay
    Birmingham City University Business School, UK
  • Professor Jay Mitra
    University of Essex, UK
  • Dr Kevin Mole
    University of Warwick, UK
  • Professor Michael H. Morris
    Oklahoma State University, USA
  • Professor Wai-sum Siu
    Hong Kong Baptist University
  • Professor George T. Solomon
    Geroge Washington University, USA
  • Professor Harriet B. Stephenson
    Seattle University, USA
  • Professor Rhodri Thomas
    Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
  • Dr Peter van der Sijde
    Free University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Professor Kari M. Vesala
    University of Helsinki, Finland
  • Dr Lorraine Warren
    University of Southampton, UK
  • Professor Paul Westhead
    Durham University Business School, UK
  • Dr David Wilemon
    Syracuse University, USA
  • Professor Colin C. Williams,
    University of Sheffield, UK

Books for review

If you would like to review a book, please contact the Book Reviews Editor (details below). Publishers should send books for review to:

Geoff Whittam
Business School
University of the West of Scotland
Paisley Campus
Paisley
PA1 2BE
UK
E-mail: Geoffrey.Whittam(at)uws.ac.uk

MAY 2010 ISSUE (VOL 11, NO 2)

ISSUE: COOPERATION AND TRUST IN THE CONTEXT OF SMEs
editors: Matthias Fink, Rainer Harms and Guido Möllering

101 Introduction: a strategy for overcoming the definitional struggle

107 High-risk and low-risk cooperative exchanges and perceived benefits in formal business networks

Terry L. Besser and Nancy J. Miller

119 Does size matter? Balancing power in dyadic cooperation relationships

Dietmar Roessl, Matthias Fink and Sascha Kraus

129 The role of trust in new SME creation: differences in motivations and opportunities

Michael Troilo

141 Cooperative micro-firm strategies: leveraging resources through learning networks

Leana Reinl and Felicity Kelliher

151 The multidimensional form and role of trust in the small capitalization debt finance market

Patrick Saparito and Kenneth Colwell

161 Case study: BrewDog: business growth for Punks!

Robert Smith, Susan Moult, Phil Burge and Andrew Turnbull

169 Internet review: Cooperation and trust from SME networking

Clifford Conway

171 Book reviews:

  • Mike Wright and Iris Vanaelst, eds, Entrepreneurial Teams and New Business Creation (reviewed by Carole Howorth)
  • T. Mazzarol and S. Reboud, The Strategy of Small Firms: Strategic Management and Innovation in the Small Firm (reviewed by Steve Talbot)
  • Alain Fayolle and Paula Kyrö, eds, The Dynamics Between Entrepreneurship, Environment and Education (reviewed by Anne M.J. Smith)
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    Title: High-risk and low-risk cooperative exchanges and perceived benefits in formal business networks

    Author(s): Terry L. Besser and Nancy J. Miller

    Abstract: In spite of the vast literature on the benefits of networks to business success, little is known about the impact of membership of traditional kinds of formal business networks. Using a relatively large sample of US industrial associations and community business networks, the authors examine the relationship between trust, two kinds of cooperative exchanges and perceived benefits from network membership. They test propositions from social capital and institutional theory regarding the role of structural and relational network features on trust levels. The findings reveal generally high levels of trust and moderate levels of low-risk cooperation, but low levels of high-risk cooperation and low reported benefits of membership. Support is provided for social capital theory. Network structural features are not related to trust, but may indirectly impact on it through relationships that are strongly associated with trust. This analysis suggests that networks may be advised to specialize in one or the other kind of cooperative exchange and obtain the corresponding benefits. Tailoring the types of cooperative exchange encouraged in a network to the benefits desired could make these traditional kinds of networks more useful as mechanisms for business success.

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    Title: Does size matter? Balancing power in dyadic cooperation relationships

    Author(s): Dietmar Roessl, Matthias Fink and Sascha Kraus

    Abstract: The authors examine the extent to which differences in dependency and power burden cooperative relationships between small and large companies. They also identify the consequences of the behaviour of the cooperation partners. For both small and large cooperation partners, the authors discuss various withdrawal and investment strategies as options for balancing dependency and power among the partners and they sketch possible development paths for such asymmetrical cooperation arrangements.

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    Title: The role of trust in new SME creation: differences in motivations and opportunities

    Author(s): Michael Troilo

    Abstract: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are key to economic growth, and yet comparatively little research has examined the relationship between the level of societal trust and the motivations and opportunities of entrepreneurs starting new SMEs. The author tests the impact of trust on new firm formation using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey data for 2001–2003. Trust is found to be significant for starting SMEs that pursue Schumpeterian opportunities. Trust is also significant for overall levels of entrepreneurship and for opportunity entrepreneurs in developing countries. These findings add nuance to previous literature suggesting that trust is significant for all forms of entrepreneurial activity.

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    Title: Cooperative micro-firm strategies: leveraging resources through learning networks

    Author(s): Leana Reinl and Felicity Kelliher

    Abstract: Learning networks are highlighted in contemporary literature as a means of leveraging resources to create and sustain competitive advantage in micro-firms. Despite their importance in the context of micro-firm development, micro-firm learning, learning processes and networks have previously been neglected as an area of academic study, and there is limited evidence of successful cooperative strategies in this environment. The aim of the research discussed in this paper is to catalogue micro-firm learning criteria in a cooperative network environment and to propose a framework of cooperative learning for that milieu. Adopting an action research methodology, primary research was carried out on a Tourism Learning Network (TLN) initiative. Cooperative network activity and individual learning were observed and documented by the researchers over two years. Based on the research findings, the authors propose a framework of cooperative learning that offers insight into how network structures, support and interrelationships may facilitate learning process completion in the micro-firm environment.

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    Title: The multidimensional form and role of trust in the small capitalization debt finance market

    Author(s): Patrick Saparito and Kenneth Colwell

    Abstract: The authors use a trust perspective to highlight the parallels between agency and sociological discussions concerning relationships between banks and small firms. Using the trust typology developed by Lewicki and Bunker (1996), the authors explore how the length and breadth of the bank– firm relationship and the bank’s customer orientation influence three dimensions of a small firm’s trust in its bank. The paper also explores how bank managers’ trust orientations influence a small firm’s satisfaction with credit access. The authors test the theoretical framework empirically using a matched sample of 867 small firm executives and the bank managers who had direct responsibility for their accounts.

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    Title: Case study: BrewDog: business growth for Punks!

    Author(s): Robert Smith, Susan Moult, Phil Burge and Andrew Turnbull

    Abstract: This case study tells an atypical entrepreneurship story about two men and a dog. It explores the rapid growth of the phenomenon that is BrewDog plc – a company situated in the remote north-east of Scotland. What makes this case special is that the business, set up in 2007 by two university graduates in their early twenties with limited experience of the brewing industry, is now trading as a plc. From the outset they deliberately chose a strategy that flew in the face of accepted orthodoxy in the brewing industry. To industry experts, it made little sense because the remote Aberdeenshire town of Fraserburgh, with its peripheral location, would surely be the last place any rational individual would seek to start a new brewery. The story of how James Watt and Martin Dickie did so is uplifting and inspirational.

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    Title: Internet review: Cooperation and trust from SME networking

    Author(s): Clifford Conway

    Abstract: ‘Internet Review’ provides critical commentaries on Web-based information on entrepreneurship, small business and innovation.

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