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Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Start-up companies are not born from one mind alone; rather, they are the result of teamwork by people who work within an inspiring and supportive environment, or ecosystem, according to IESE Prof. Julia Prats and Roland Berger Strategy Consultant’s Benno Van Dongen. In their paper, the authors offer insights into how to stimulate entrepreneurship at a time when today’s starts-ups could be the boost the economy needs to get out of the crisis.

Not Just in It for the Money

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

You would think that the goals of family-owned businesses and other owner-managed enterprises would be perfectly aligned with profit maximization. However, in their paper, Brian T. McCann and Govert Vroom find that the competitive nature of professionally managed firms implies that their interests are better aligned with profit maximization. This, the authors claim, is due to the fact that owner-managers pursue non-pecuniary objectives in addition to profit maximization.

Criteria for Approaching a Venture Capitalist

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It is a simple fact that VC-backed firms have more leverage to innovate and create more employment and growth than their peers. A strong capital flow is the cornerstone of any entrepreneurial endeavor in modern economics. Understanding this, this paper examines the criteria for investing in VC funds and determines the importance of why investors select certain funds. (Video available).

Marco Aldany: Staying a Cut Above the Rest

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

How did a small beauty parlor in a working-class area of Madrid become Spain’s leading chain of salons? Marco Aldany decided to grow and multiply at just the right time and avoid being taken over by a bigger company. To do this, the chain opted for an internationalization model based on franchises and hiring staff in their home countries rather than in Spain.

Toehold Artisans Collaborative: Firm Footing for Indian Workers

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the year 2000, when the Nike Corporation was reeling from widespread criticism of sweatshops in Asia, the Toehold Artisans Collaborative was just forming in southern India. In the paper “Toehold Artisans Collaborative: Building Entrepreneurial Capabilities to Tackle Poverty,” writers and researchers Sindhu Shanmugam and Ramakrishna Velamuri present a case study about a community-based business cooperative aimed at improving the quality of life of over 400 artisan families from the southern Indian town of Athani.

Entrepreneurship Today, the Trade of Tomorrow

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Unlike recent years, when companies chose to shelve many new entrepreneurial initiatives, the coming decade promises to be full of new projects and ideas that will change many aspects of our lives. In his book, Emprendiendo hacia el 2020 (Entrepreneurship Toward 2020), IESE Prof. Pedro Nueno offers a practical analysis of the life cycle of a new enterprise, and he discusses the options that may emerge over the next 10 years. (Video available)

The Big Picture of Business Model Design

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Whether you are an entrepreneur or a change manager, a well-designed business model is crucial to the success of your firm. Christoph Zott and Raphael Amit suggest that the key to understanding a firm’s business model is to look at its activities in the context of its “ecosystem” of potential partners, customers, competitors and suppliers.

Social Entrepreneurship Gains Ground

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

While “social entrepreneurship” has been a hot topic over the past decade, research in the area is a relatively recent phenomenon. Building on their first book released in 2006, Jeffrey Robinson, Johanna Mair and Kai Hockerts take social entrepreneurship research one step further, drawing on scholars from across the globe to provide a deeper understanding of its theory and practice.

El Bulli: Cooking Up Innovation

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As another successful season at El Bulli came to a close, chef Ferran Adrià wondered what was next. Having sealed his reputation as the best cook on the planet, boasting the No. 1 restaurant in the world, how would El Bulli - and Adrià himself - grow and change over the coming years? The new case study, "El Bulli's Magic Recipe," considers the singular ingredients of a true innovator. An interview with El Bulli proprietor Juli Soler is available in Spanish.

Being a Successful Family Business in the 21st Century

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In a globalized marketplace in which the number of competitors is practically limitless, family businesses must reinvent themselves in order to remain competitive, and do so without losing their essence. According to Joan M. Amat of the Instituto de la Empresa Familiar, ESE Prof. Jon I. Martínez and IESE Prof. Juan Roure, it is a question of Transform or Disappear - the title of a new book they have co-edited.