Josée St‐Pierre and Josée Audet
The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the nature of intellectual capital in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and how it is linked to strategy and performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the nature of intellectual capital in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and how it is linked to strategy and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Using structural equations, a multivariate model is presented where multiple relations are tested between different components of intellectual capital and performance. The model is tested first on a unique sample of 267 SMEs and second on two subsamples where SMEs are grouped according to their strategic profile.
Findings
Findings confirm that SMEs that adopt different strategies organize their intellectual capital in a particular and adapted way. When an attempt is made to link intellectual capital components to performance, it is noticed that the latter is strategy specific, just as the variables that influence performance. Prospectors dominate defenders on most intellectual capital components.
Research limitations/implications
Use of secondary data may provide less precise results that could make an incentive to conduct other studies with specific determinants of intellectual capital and try to make clear definition and measurement of this concept and its components.
Practical implications
Even if the results have an exploratory nature, they confirm that SMEs organize and develop their intellectual capital in conjunction with their needs and strategic profile, revealing their heterogeneity. This has implications on the ability to generalize specific behaviors to all SMEs, and could prevent government from developing public policies that are supposed to fit all SMEs.
Originality/value
Most research on intellectual in capital SMEs is conducted on specific sectors linked to activities requiring high levels of knowledge or technology. But these results concern a small proportion of SMEs. This study expands those analyses to a much broader variety of sectors, revealing some links between specific components and performance taking into account strategic orientation. This is the first study on manufacturing SMEs that considers various non‐technological sectors and strategic profiles.
Details
Keywords
Entrepreneurial coaching appears to be a sufficiently customized way to help novice owner‐managers develop their managerial skills. However, its usefulness remains to be verified…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial coaching appears to be a sufficiently customized way to help novice owner‐managers develop their managerial skills. However, its usefulness remains to be verified. The purpose of this research is thus to examine the effectiveness of coaching as a support measure for young entrepreneurs and to identify the factors likely to have an impact on the success of coaching initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the exploratory nature of the study, a flexible and open approach was chosen in order to explore the concept of coaching in some depth. The strategy retained was the case study method, with inter‐site comparisons of six coaching initiatives.
Findings
The findings suggest that the success of a coaching relationship is explained by a set of factors or “winning conditions”, some of which are more important than others. The most crucial one appears to be the entrepreneur's open attitude to change.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study is the small number of cases observed.
Practical implications
This research provides valuable information on coaching initiatives by means of real‐life examples. It also highlights several factors likely to improve the delivery of coaching services to novice entrepreneurs. It will thus prove useful to those designing coaching programs for entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
Given the lack of documentation on the subject of entrepreneurial coaching, this paper has the merit of identifying some of the elements likely to contribute to the success of coaching initiatives. In addition, its findings will fuel thinking on how to enhance the benefits of coaching for novice entrepreneurs.
Details
Keywords
Etienne St‐Jean, Luc LeBel and Josée Audet
This study primarily seeks to focus on how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) may have influenced the evolution of SMEs in a constrained environment, namely the forestry industry…
Abstract
Purpose
This study primarily seeks to focus on how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) may have influenced the evolution of SMEs in a constrained environment, namely the forestry industry. It also aims to find out how EO still acts on strategic intentions, management behaviour of the business leader and the SME's performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach takes the form of an empirical study based on a sample of 717 forestry SME owner‐managers, with cluster analysis of the data, taking a population ecology perspective.
Findings
The study reveals the existence of two types of forestry SMEs. The first, which could be referred to as an entrepreneurially‐oriented enterprise, generates a large portion of its revenues from out‐of‐forest activities. The second type is a small‐business‐oriented enterprise. In the context of the forestry sector, many opportunities to start a business were created following the decision of large corporations to subcontract their wood supply. The study shows how entrepreneurial orientation may influence the SMEs population distribution within different categories.
Research limitations/implications
Forestry SMEs should no longer be considered as mere subcontractors on the payroll of large firms, as the presence of genuine forestry entrepreneurs has been confirmed. These exhibit a strong entrepreneurial orientation and overcome the scarcity of opportunities in the industrial sector to sustain their growth willingness. With a shortage of entrepreneurs expected in the coming years, these “true” entrepreneurs may be called on to perform a more important role within the forest value chain.
Practical implications
Even when environment is not munificent, entrepreneurially‐oriented businesses find strategies to pursue growth opportunities. In the forest sector, diversification within the sector by offering turnkey projects to large contractors seems to be the first step to fuel further diversification outside the forest. A transition towards increasing the scope of forestry businesses as well as supporting diversification could be important avenues to pursue.
Originality/value
This may be the first time that empirical investigation of the entrepreneurial orientation has been done in a constrained environment and from a population ecology perspective. The study confirms the role of this concept in the development of entrepreneurship.