Kennissite MKB en Ondernemerschap - Overzicht wetenschappelijke publicaties

Measuring business dynamics among incumbent firms in The Netherlands

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Folkeringa, drs.M. | Suddle, drs.K | Tan, drs.S.Y.G.L. — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:08:00 +0100

Business dynamics in an industry is generally seen as an important indicator of the industry's level of competitiveness and economic performance. Two types of business dynamics may be distinguished: business dynamics reflecting competition by new-firm entries and business dynamics reflecting competition among incumbent firms. A growing literature pays attention to the important role of the former type of business dynamics (the starting up of new firms) for achieving economic growth. However, the latter type of business dynamics tends to be overlooked in this type of literature. In part this is due to the large requirements, both in terms of data and in terms of methodology, of measuring competition among incumbent firms. A sophisticated indicator for measuring the extent of business dynamics among incumbent firms in an industry is the mobility index. In the current paper we compute mobility indices for 16 industries -covering the whole private sector except for the primary sectors of economy- in the Netherlands over the period 2000-2006, and compare the values of the mobility indices across the sectors.

Knowledge society, entrepreneurship and unemployment, The

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Audretsch, prof.D.B. — Tue, 03 Nov 1998 00:11:00 +0100

Beschrijving van de kennismaatschappij als oorzaak van de overgang van een management-economie naar een ondernemerschapseconomie. Ondernemerschap is een gedegen wapen tegen werkloosheid. Hoge werkloosheid stimuleert mensen tot ondernemerschap.

Determinants of employment in Europe, the USA and Japan, The

Stel, dr.A. J.van — Tue, 09 Mar 1999 00:03:00 +0100

Onderzoek naar de determinantsverschillen in werkgelegenheid tussen Europa, Japan en de Verenigde Staten. Voor Europa is ook onderscheid gemaakt naar de verschillende subsectoren in de industrie.

Prisma '98

Kwaak, drs.A. — Wed, 24 Mar 1999 00:03:00 +0100

Beschrijving van het Policy Research Instrument for Size-class aspects in Macro-economic Analysis (PRISMA ‘98). Dit is een macro-economische model voor kortetermijnvoorspellingen, beleidsanalyse en het maken van scenario’s. Een belangrijk onderdeel van het model is de onderverdeling van de sectoren van industrie in groepen van verschillende bedrijfsgrootte.

Banencreatie bij het Klein-, Midden- en Grootbedrijf

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Dijk, M.C.C.van | Eijken, B.van der — Mon, 15 Mar 1999 00:03:00 +0100

Rapportage over meting van banencreatie per grootteklasse. Het blijkt dat statistieken niet zonder meer bruikbaar zijn om ontwikkelingen per grootteklasse te traceren. Belangrijkste redenen hiervoor zijn dat bedrijven van grootteklasse kunnen veranderen en kunnen fuseren of splitsen. In dit rapport worden voor deze meetproblemen oplossingen ontwikkeld. De methoden zijn toegepast op nieuwe gegevens van de Industrie en de Bouw met betrekking tot de periode 1994-1995. Het blijkt dat de grootteklasseveranderingen, fusies en splitsingen bij bedrijven het beeld van de banencreatie binnen de verschillende grootteklasse aanzienlijk beinvloeden.

Milieumodel

Bangma, drs.K.L. — Wed, 24 Mar 1999 00:03:00 +0100

Dit rapport beschrijft een model om milieuvervuiling naar grootteklasse te bepalen. Deze bepaling geldt zowel voor gerealiseerde jaren als voor ramingsjaren. Ramingsjaren kunnen betrekking hebben op de korte termijn (bijvoorbeeld 1999), maar ook op de lange termijn (bijvoorbeeld 2010 of 2020). In het rapport is een variant uitgewerkt, waarbij de milieuvervuiling berekend is voor de jaren 1995 en 1999. Kenmerk van het model is dat milieugegevens vooral op basis van economische gegevens worden verdeeld over grootteklassen. Geconcludeerd wordt dat de milieuvervuiling van het MKB in vergelijking met het grootbedrijf relatief gering is.

Barriers for hiring personnel

Niehof, dr.T.J. — Thu, 08 Apr 1999 00:04:00 +0100

Studie naar de vraag hoeveel eigenaren van kleine bedrijven minder personeel in dienst hebben dan ze werkelijk nodig hebben, en de verklarende factoren voor dit verschijnsel. Uit gegevens van meer dan 3000 Nederlandse kleinbedrijven blijkt dat ongeveer 18% minder personeel in dienst heeft dan noodzakelijk.

Methodiek kosten en baten Arbowetgeving

Tue, 13 Apr 1999 00:04:00 +0100

Beschrijving van een methode om de niet-administratieve effecten van wet- en regelgeving voor het bedrijfsleven in kaart te brengen.

Business ownership and economic growth: an emperial investigation

Tue, 13 Apr 1999 00:04:00 +0100

Studie naar de relatie tussen het aantal zelfstandige ondernemers en economische groei. Onderzocht wordt het bestaan van een lange termijn relatie tussen het aantal ondernemers en de fase van economische ontwikkeling. Daarnaast wordt ingegaan op het feit dat zelfstandige ondernemerschap aantrekkelijker wordt doordat een daling van de economische groei leidt tot hoge werkloosheid. Lage werkloosheid stimuleert mensen, die het moeilijk hebben om een baan te vinden of wiens cariëre bedreigt wordt in bestaande ondernemingen, om zelfstandige ondernemer te worden.  Dit leidt tot een omgekeerde effect van de invloed van economische groei  op het aantal zelfstandige ondernemers per beroepsbevolking.

Degree of collusion in construction, The

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Stel, dr.A. J.van | Lever, dr.M.H.C. — Wed, 28 Apr 1999 00:04:00 +0100

Dit rapport gaat over marktwerking in de bouw in de periode 1983-1993. Met behulp van een marktwerkingsmodel wordt op basis van de prijsopslag afgeleid of bedrijven concurreren of samenspannen. Het blijkt dat in de bouw overwegend concurrentie plaatsvindt. De belangrijkste oorzaak hiervoor is het relatief grote aantal kleine bedrijven. De marktwerking is onderzocht voor de burgerlijke en utiliteitsbouw- bedrijven, de grond-, water-, en wegenbouwkundige bedrijven, de schilders, glazenmakers en behangers, de stukadoorsbedrijven en de vloerleggers- en tegelzettersbedrijven.

Self-employment in 23 OECD countries

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. — Thu, 27 May 1999 00:05:00 +0100

Studie naar de invloed van culturele en economische verschillen in het niveau van zelfstandig ondernemerschap in meer dan twintig Westerse landen en Japan in de periode 1974-1994. Ontevredenheid met de maatschappij en met het leven in het algemeen is een beslissende factor voor een hoger percentage zelfstandigen in een land.

PRISMA 2001, The Kernel

Wit, dr.G.de — Thu, 04 Oct 2001 00:10:00 +0100

PRISMA is een macrosector-model van de Nederlandse economie, geijkt op het CPB-model Athena. Het is geschikt voor analyses voor de middellange en lange termijn. Meerwaarde van het model is het onderscheiden van grootteklassen en de module die aantallen ondernemers verklaart. Actueel gebruik van het model is analyse van economische effecten van R&D-subsidies, analyse van economische effecten van administratieve lasten, en het vaststellen van drie scenario's voor de middellangetermijn met betrekking tot de ontwikkeling van het MKB en het aantal ondernemers. Dit rapport geeft een uitgebreide beschrijving.

Scanning the future of entrepreneurship: a scenario analysis for The Netherlands

Zwinkels, drs.W.S. | Bosma, falseN.S. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. — Wed, 21 Jul 1999 00:07:00 +0100

Verkenning van de mogelijkheden om het aantal zelfstandige ondernemingen te verklaren via een empirisch model. Met een dergelijk model kunnen tevens scenario’s gemaakt worden voor de toekomstige ontwikkeling van het aantal ondernemingen in Nederland. Enkele modellen worden stap voor stap opgebouwd. Het model dat gebruikt wordt voor de scenarioanalyse verklaart het aantal ondernemingen, toe- en uittreding uit economische en demografische variabelen en de afwijking van het veronderstelde evenwichtsniveau van het aantal ondernemingen. Dit evenwichtsniveau voor Nederland volgt uit een andere EIM-studie 'Business Ownership and Economic Growth: An Empirical Investigation' (bestelnummer H9809) waarbij gegevens uit 23 OESO-landen gebruikt zijn. De modellen laten zien dat de spectaculaire stijging van het aantal ondernemers in het afgelopen decennium in Nederland mede toegeschreven kan worden aan een inhaalslag op de achterstand die Nederland had ten opzichte van het veronderstelde evenwichtsniveau. Voor de nabije toekomst wordt een verdere stijging van het percentage ondernemers in de beroepsbevolking verwacht, maar deze groei zal minder sterk zijn dan in het recente verleden. In het model is - naast het afgenomen effect van de inhaalslag - ook de vergrijzing een belangrijke oorzaak van deze afnemende groei.

Are small firms really sub-optimal?: compensating factor differentials in small Dutch manufacturing firms

Wed, 07 Jul 1999 00:07:00 +0100

Onderzoek naar de vraag waarom er zoveel kleine bedrijven kunnen bestaan, ondanks de heersende opvatting dat dit bedrijven zijn die op sub-optimale schaal presteren. Kleine bedrijven blijken productiefactoren verschillend te belonen en toe te passen ten opzichte van grote bedrijven, en langs deze weg bedrijfsgroottenadelen te compenseren. Uit een steekproef onder 7.000 Nederlandse industriële bedrijven blijkt dat deze strategie van compenserende factordifferentialen toegepast wordt in Europa. Enerzijds lijkt deze strategie te leiden tot een nettoverlies voor de economie. Anderzijds suggereren de positieve relaties tussen bedrijfsleeftijd en werknemerscompensatie, en bedrijfsleeftijd en productiviteit dat er minstens een tendens is dat het inefficiënte bedrijf van vandaag het efficiënte bedrijf van de toekomst kan worden.

FAMOS: a size-class based financial analysis model

Noort, drs.E.A.van | Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. — Wed, 21 Jul 1999 00:07:00 +0100

Beschrijving van het financieel model Financial Analysis Model of SMEs (FAMOS), dat de balansstructuur voor de niet-financiële sectoren en grootteklassen weergeeft. Het model geeft meer inzicht in de wijze waarop veranderingen in bijvoorbeeld de omzet, de financieringskosten en de winsten doorwerken op de balansstructuur van bedrijven en hun financiële indicatoren. Hierbij kan onderscheid worden gemaakt tussen de activastructuur (de verschillende vormen van bezittingen) en de vermogensstructuur (eigen of vreemd vermogen). De belangrijkste conclusie van het rapport is dat de balansstructuur slechts marginaal verandert bij een veranderde economische groei in het algemeen, en meer specifiek voor wijzigingen in betaalde rente en winsten. Er zijn wel grote verschillen mogelijk tussen sectoren en grootteklassen.

Conduct and performance in Dutch manufacturing

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Stel, dr.A. J.van | Hindriks, drs.F. — Wed, 04 Aug 1999 00:08:00 +0100

Toepassing van het marktwerkingsmodel van Appelbaum op de Nederlandse industrie. In het model van Appelbaum staan het gedrag en de prestaties van bedrijven centraal. Hiervoor worden twee kengetallen gebruikt: de conjecturele elasticiteit en de Lerner-index. De conjecturele elasticiteit meet de mate waarin bedrijven op elkaar reageren en de Lerner-index is een prestatiemaatstaf. Het model bestaat uit een aantal aanbod- en vraagvergelijkingen. Uit deze vergelijkingen worden de kengetallen afgeleid. Uit het onderzoek is gebleken dat het marktwerkingsmodel van Appelbaum niet goed toepasbaar is op de industrie. De belangrijkste reden hiervoor is dat het model de vraag naar industriële producten niet adequaat modelleert. In een aantal vervolgstudies zullen andere eerder door EIM ontwikkelde marktwerkingsmodellen gebruikt worden om de marktwerking in de industrie te modelleren.

Non-competitive rents in Dutch manufacturing

Hindriks, drs.F. — Fri, 01 Oct 1999 00:10:00 +0100

Bespreking van drie marktwerkingsmodellen. De eerste twee - die van Appelbaum en Bresnnahan - zijn modellen waarin zowel de vraag als het aanbod naar een bepaald product wordt gemodelleerd. Het derde marktwerkingsmodel - dat van Roeger - betreft alleen het aanbod van het betreffende product.

Human-resource-based theory of the small firm, A

Koch, drs.C.L.Y. | Kok, dr.J.M.P.de — Thu, 11 Nov 1999 00:11:00 +0100

Presentatie van een conceptueel model over de wijze waarop personeelsbeleid tot stand komt in kleinere bedrijven. Het model geeft weer hoe verschillende algemene kenmerken van kleinere bedrijven zich verhouden tot het personeelsbeleid. Personeelsbeleid in kleinere bedrijven wordt door drie karakteristieken gekenmerkt, te weten een sterke nadruk op teamgeest, een informele werkwijze en een centrale rol van de ondernemer.

Werknemer naar ondernemer, Van

Becht, ir.J.A. | Zwinkels, drs.W.S. — Wed, 15 Dec 1999 00:12:00 +0100

Onderzoek naar de vraag wat hybride starters onderscheidt van startende werknemers die kiezen voor een directe overgang. De publicatie geeft inzicht in verschillen en overeenkomsten tussen parttime starters en directe starters, en binnen de groep van parttime starters tussen de blijvers en de doorstromers.

Modelling returns to R&D: an application on size effects

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Brouwer, drs.P. — Fri, 18 Feb 2000 00:02:00 +0100

Studie naar de effecten van R&D (Speur- en Ontwikkelingswerk) bij bedrijven. De belangrijkste conclusie is dat de R&D niet alleen bij grote bedrijven iets oplevert, maar ook bij de kleine bedrijven. Het blijkt dat R&D bij grote én kleine bedrijven bijdraagt aan de productiviteit. Het onderzoek is gebaseerd op een CBS-databank met informatie van totaal 203 bedrijven. Met deze gegevens is een micro-economisch model geschat dat onderscheid kan maken tussen vraag- en productiviteitseffecten van R&D. Het blijkt dat grote en kleine bedrijven profiteren van R&D, maar bij grote bedrijven is de invloed van R&D groter. Het productiviteitseffect van R&D is bij bedrijven met minder dan 100 werknemers kleiner dan bij de bedrijven met 100 of meer werknemers. Een mogelijke verklaring hiervoor is dat de R&D bij grote bedrijven een duidelijk vraageffect heeft. Dit wil zeggen dat dankzij R&D, grote bedrijven bij een gegeven prijs meer afzet realiseren. Dit vraageffect van R&D is bij de kleine bedrijven niet gevonden.

Turbulence and productivity in the Netherlands

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Bosma, falseN.S. — Mon, 27 Mar 2000 00:03:00 +0100

Onderzoek naar de invloed van toe- en uittreding van bedrijven op de productiviteit van sectoren. De uitkomsten wijzen uit dat toe- en uittreding in de diensten de productiviteit en hiermee de economische groei positief beïnvloeden. In de nijverheid lijkt de toe- en uittreding van bedrijven geen bijdrage te leveren aan de productiviteit. Het onderzoek is gebaseerd op regionale gegevens van het CBS en de Vereniging van Kamers van Koophandel betreffende de periode 1988-1996. Met de gegevens is een model geschat, dat gebaseerd is op de Cobb-Douglas productiefunctie. In het model wordt de productie in een sector en regio bepaald door de inzet van arbeid en kapitaalgoederen (zoals machines, computers en gebouwen) en de mate waarin er toe- en uittreding optreedt. De mate van toe- en uittreding wordt samengevat met de turbulentiemaatstaf, dit is de som van toe- en uittreding van bedrijven gedeeld door het totale aantal bestaande bedrijven. Het model is voor de diensten en de nijverheid apart geschat.

Start-up capital: Differences between male and female entrepreneurs

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. — Thu, 06 Apr 2000 00:04:00 +0100

Engelstalige uitgave van ‘Financiering van startende vrouwelijke ondernemers’ (bestelnummer A9916). Vrouwelijke en mannelijke ondernemers verschillen in de manier van financiering van hun bedrijf. Dit betekent dat het geslacht van de ondernemer van invloed is op de hoogte van het startkapitaal en op de aard van de financiering. Als de ondernemer een vrouw is, heeft dit positieve invloed op het aandeel bankkrediet in het startkapitaal. Ingegaan wordt onder meer op verschillen tussen mannelijke en vrouwelijke ondernemers, ervaring, onderwijs, parttime ondernemerschap en netwerken.

Modelling Business Ownership in the Netherlands

Zwinkels, drs.W.S. | Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. — Mon, 08 May 2000 00:05:00 +0100

Beschrijving van een empirisch model ter verklaring van het aantal zelfstandige ondernemingen in Nederland. Een dergelijk model voorziet in het maken van scenario’s gemaakt voor de toekomstige ontwikkeling van het aantal ondernemingen in Nederland. Het model onderscheidt effecten op lange en korte termijn en besteedt expliciet aandacht aan turbulentie (gemeten als de som van bedrijfstoetredingen en -beëindigingen) van de markt. Hierbij wordt gebruikgemaakt van econometrische tijdserietechnieken. Het aantal ondernemingen en het aantal toe- en uittredingen worden zodoende verklaard uit economische en demografische variabelen. Naast de invloeden van deze variabelen tendeert het aantal ondernemingen naar een evenwichtsniveau, dat geschat is voor de lange termijn.

Measuring innovative intensity

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de — Mon, 08 May 2000 00:05:00 +0100

Beschrijving van gangbare indicatoren voor de innovatie-intensiteit van een MKB-bedrijf. Ook komt de vraag aan de orde of deze indicatoren tot één samenvattende score gecombineerd kunnen worden. Allereerst wordt een kort overzicht gegeven van eerdere studies naar het meten van innovatie-intensiteit. Vervolgens wordt ingegaan op de resultaten van een empirisch onderzoek.

Determinants of firm-size

Bernardt, drs.Y. | Muller, R — Mon, 15 May 2000 00:05:00 +0100

Overzicht van theoretische factoren die belangrijk zijn bij het verklaren van schaalgrootte van bedrijven en verschillen in schaalgrootte tussen vergelijkbare bedrijven. Naast de theoretische factoren worden enkele relevante trends beschreven en wordt gekeken naar de impact van deze trends op de mechanismen die schaalgrootte beïnvloeden. Terwijl het aantal overnames en fusies de laatste jaren sterk is toegenomen, is ook het aantal startende bedrijven sterk gegroeid. Per saldo is het gemiddelde bedrijf in Nederland licht in omvang afgenomen. De mechanismen die schaalgrootte en verdeling van schaalgrootte beïnvloeden, zijn bekeken op het niveau van de bedrijven zelf en op het niveau van sectoren. Bij het bedrijfsniveau gaat het bijvoorbeeld om schaal- en scopevoordelen, transactiekosten, ?agency-costs? en de levenscyclus van bedrijven. Mechanismen die belangrijk zijn op het niveau van sectoren of clusters zijn bijvoorbeeld externe schaal- en scope-effecten en netwerkeffecten. Overigens is er veel overlap tussen al deze mechanismen. Trends die belangrijk zijn voor schaalgrootte zijn met name globalisering, technologische ontwikkeling en deregulering.

Strategies, uncertainty and performance of small business startups

Gelderen, dr.M.W.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Frese, M. — Thu, 22 Jun 2000 00:06:00 +0100

Beschrijving van een model dat gebruikt wordt voor de vraag welke strategische technieken worden toegepast in relatie tot onzekerheid en de mate van succes van de ondernemer. Het nieuw ontwikkelde model onderscheidt verschillende strategische technieken zoals reactive, critical point, complete planning, opportunistic en habit. Slecht presterende ondernemers blijken de reactieve strategie te volgen. Goed presterende ondernemers beginnen vaak met een 'critical point'-strategie, terwijl in een later stadium een complete planningsstrategie wordt gevolgd. Complete planning wordt veelal gebruikt in een complexe omgeving en niet in een snel-veranderende omgeving. Een complexe omgeving leidt zelden tot een opportunistische planningsstrategie. Dit zijn enkele van de resultaten die zijn behaald met een dataset van 50 Amsterdamse ondernemers, die daadwerkelijk gestart zijn met hun onderneming.

Determinants of Successful Entrepreneurship

Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. | Praag, dr.M.van — Tue, 20 Jun 2000 00:06:00 +0100

Ondernemerschap staat hoog in de belangstelling van wetenschappers en beleidsmakers. Bij het stimuleren van ondernemerschap is het van belang onderscheid te kunnen maken tussen degenen die na het starten van hun bedrijf succes zullen hebben als ondernemer en degenen die vroegtijdig zullen moeten afhaken. De resultaten van de ondernemers worden gevat in drie maten van succes, te weten de behaalde winst, de gecreëerde werkgelegenheid en de overlevingsduur van het bedrijf. De effecten van determinanten op het behaalde resultaat kunnen hierbij verschillen per succesmaat. De onderscheiden determinanten worden gecategoriseerd in human capital, financial capital, social capital en enkele controlevariabelen. Tevens worden strategieën van ondernemers om op de hoogte te blijven met bedrijfsrelevante ontwikkelingen onderscheiden.

Comparative advantages in estimating markups

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Wit, dr.G.de | Hindriks, drs.F. — Thu, 22 Jun 2000 00:06:00 +0100

Vergelijking van drie modellen voor het schatten van prijs-/kostenmarges in de industrie. De prijs-/ kostenmarge geeft een indicatie van de mate van concurrentie tussen bedrijven. Die is van belang voor consumenten, omdat zij te veel betalen als er te weinig concurrentie is. Complexere leveren niet zonder meer betere resultaten. In het algemeen kan gesteld worden dat de extra middelen die nodig zijn om de complexere modellen toe te passen niet opwegen tegen de eventuele verbetering van de uitkomsten. De uitzondering op deze regel is de situatie waarin bij voorbaat al relatief veel bekend is over de te onderzoeken sector. Met name in een dergelijke situatie is de kans groot dat het gebruik van meer middelen zich vertaalt in een grotere kwaliteit van de resultaten.

The ARKO labour-cost model

Elsendoorn, drs.G.Th. | Nieuwland, drs.A.H. — Thu, 13 Jul 2000 00:07:00 +0100

Beschrijving van het herziene EIM-Arbeidskostenmodel. De herziening was noodzakelijk door de drastische aanpassingen in het socialezekerheidsstelsel in de afgelopen jaren. Met het model is het mogelijk inzicht te verschaffen in de ontwikkeling van de afzonderlijke elementen van de loonkosten naar sector en grootteklasse op de korte termijn. Ook is het mogelijk de effecten op de loonkosten van beleidsmaatregelen in de socialezekerheidssfeer door te rekenen (naar grootteklasse en sector). Ook de ontwikkeling van de loonkosten in de jaren negentig komt aan de orde, waarbij de aandacht is toegespitst op de werkgeverswig.

The Impact of contestability on prices in manufacturing industries

Bosman, drs.F. — Tue, 10 Oct 2000 00:10:00 +0100

In dit onderzoek is nagegaan wat de invloed is van de markttoegankelijkheid op de prijzen in de Nederlandse industrie. De markttoegankelijkheid wordt bepaald door vier variabelen, namelijk: kapitaalintensiteit, R&D intensiteit, concentratiegraad en de mate van toe- en uittreding op de markt.

Estimating missing data within an accounting and aggregation framework

Bosma, falseN.S. | Kwaak, drs.A. — Thu, 07 Dec 2000 00:12:00 +0100

Onderzoek naar de methoden voor de berekening van ontbrekende data. Het onderzoek poogt een antwoord te geven op de vraag hoe schattingen geprepareerd kunnen worden voor ontbrekende data in een datamatrix.

Kennis-spillovers en economische groei

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Stel, dr.A. J.van — Mon, 11 Dec 2000 00:12:00 +0100

Onderzoek naar het belang van kennisoverdracht tussen bedrijven voor de economische groei. Er worden drie visies over de werking van lokale kennis-spillovers besproken en getoetst.

KTO2000 - een sectormodel naar grootteklasse voor de analyse en prognose van Korte Termijn Ontwikkelingen

Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. | Bangma, drs.K.L. — Mon, 12 Feb 2001 00:02:00 +0100

Beschrijving van het KTO2000-model. Dit is een sectormodel naar grootteklasse van de Nederlandse economie, waarmee EIM kortetermijnprognoses maakt. De korte termijn heeft betrekking op het afgelopen jaar, het huidige jaar en het eerstvolgende jaar. De prognoses worden voor een 58-tal sectoren opgesteld, waarbij voor 55 sectoren een uitsplitsing naar klein-, midden- en grootbedrijf wordt gemaakt.

Making sense of the New Economy

Meijaard, dr.J. — Thu, 22 Feb 2001 00:02:00 +0100

Dit rapport presenteert een overzicht van de mogelijke definiërende, stuwende factoren achter de zogenaamde 'nieuwe economie'. Op basis van bedrijfskundige en economische literatuur worden vijf causale redenaties ('logica's') herleid. De causale redenaties beschrijven een aantal verbanden tussen informatie- en communicatietechnologieën en economische groei. Daarnaast wordt ingegaan op de effecten van ICT en een aantal prioriteiten voor toegepast onderzoek over ondernemerschap en ondernemingsgedrag.

Determinants of innovative ability

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Snel, F.A. — Wed, 28 Feb 2001 00:02:00 +0100

Deze strategische verkenning gaat in op de vraag welke factoren bepalend zijn voor het innovatievermogen van dienstverlenende bedrijven met 10 tot 100 werknemers. Voor deze bedrijven is de invloed van 38 factoren op het innovatievermogen onderzocht.

The Effects of transaction costs and human capital on firm size: a simulation model approach

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Butter, prof. dr. F.den | Gameren, drs.E.van — Tue, 27 Mar 2001 00:03:00 +0100

Onderzoek naar het verschil in grootte van bedrijven in dezelfde maar ook verschillende sectoren. Voor dit onderzoek is een model ontwikkeld waarmee wordt gekeken naar de transactiekosten (kosten voor de interne organisatie) en de arbeidsstromen binnen bedrijven.

An eclectic theory of entrepreneurship: policies, institutions and culture

Wed, 04 Apr 2001 00:04:00 +0100

Analyse van de factoren (bijv. economische en sociale) die het niveau van ondernemerschap bepalen. Het niveau van ondernemerschap kan verklaard worden door onderscheid te maken in aanbodzijde (arbeidsmarkt) en vraagzijde (productmarkt) en de invloed van overheidsmaatregelen op ondernemerschap. Het ontwikkelde model kan gebruikt worden om de verschillen in ondernemerschap in tijd en plaats te verklaren.

Setting up a business in the Netherlands

Wed, 25 Apr 2001 00:04:00 +0100

Onderzoekt de kenmerken van mensen die de plannen voor het starten van een onderneming realiseren, vergeleken met de mensen die opgeven of bezig blijven met het opzetten van de onderneming.

Measuring economic effects of stimulating business R&D

Tue, 12 Jun 2001 00:06:00 +0100

Behandelt de economische effecten van subsidies voor research & ontwikkeling aan bedrijven. De impact van die extra subsidies op middellange termijn wordt geschat met behulp van het PRISMA-model SCALES.

Competition and economic performance

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Nijkamp, drs. J. — Tue, 12 Jun 2001 00:06:00 +0100

Onderzoek naar het aandeel van concurrentie bij sector prestatie aan de hand van twee tijdsperioden; het verleden (1988 - 1999) en de toekomst (2001-2012). Voor dit onderzoek is een model (MOCO) ontwikkeld om de effecten van turbulentie en concentratie van economische prestaties van sectoren te analyseren.

De ondernemende economie

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:11:00 +0100

Deze notitie geeft een beknopte analyse van en visie op de veranderde rol van MKB en ondernemerschap in de hedendaagse economie. Deze visie biedt een context en ijkpunt voor de programmering van (met name het deelprogramma kennisopbouw van) het Programmaonderzoek
Ondernemerschap en MKB in de programmaperiode 2007-2009.

Dit is een update van de visiepaper 'De ondernemende economie', nr. R200605

De ondernemende economie : visies en analyses voor de progammering van het Programmaonderzoek MKB en Ondernemerschap

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0100

Dit visiepaper biedt een context en ijkpunt voor de programmering van (met name het deelprogramma kennisopbouw van) het Programmaonderzoek Ondernemerschap en MKB in de komende drie jaar. Een kernthema blijft de keuze tussen werknemerschap en ondernemerschap. Een tweede hoofdthema is de groei van jonge en gevestigde bedrijven in de diverse bedrijfstakken en branches van het MKB. Ten slotte is meer aandacht nodig voor internationale en regionale aspecten van ondernemerschap en MKB, deels als zelfstandig onderwerp en deels gekoppeld aan bovengenoemde thema's.

Van deze visiepaper is een update gepubliceerd onder nr. R200707

Knowledge spillovers and employment growth in Great Britain

Stel, dr.A. J.van | de Jong, M.G. | Hodzic, N. — Mon, 15 Oct 2001 00:10:00 +0100

Dit rapport beschrijft, aan de hand van enkele modellen, de impact van kennisoverdracht tussen bedrijven in de diverse sectoren in Groot-Brittannië in de periode 1981-1998.

Dansen met de Octopus

Nijsen, dr.A.F.M. — Mon, 13 Jan 2003 00:01:00 +0100

'Dansen met de Octopus : Een bestuurskundige visie op informatieverplichtingen van het bedrijfsleven in de sociale rechtsstaat'. Wettelijke informatieverplichtingen kosten het bedrijfsleven - met name kleine bedrijven - miljarden. Onnodige administratieve lasten zijn negatief voor economische groei en werkgelegenheid. De overheid wil administratieve lasten reduceren. De kennis hiervoor ontbrak. Deze studie voorziet in deze lacune met de presentatie van een bestuurskundige visie op de determinanten van administratieve lasten: in-richting en vormgeving van informatieverplichtingen. Tevens wordt een meetinstrument gepresenteerd waarmee ambtenaren informatieverplichtingen efficiënt kunnen inrichten en de resultaten van dit beleid kunnen monitoren. De auteur, André Nijsen, is directielid van onderzoeksbureau EIM te Zoetermeer.

Modelling latent and actual entrepreneurship

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I | Paap, dr.R. | Zwan, drs.P.W.van der — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

The determinants of latent (i.e., desired) and actual entrepreneurship are analysed in two ways with nearly 8,000 observations from the 2004 “Flash Eurobarometer survey on Entrepreneurship” covering the 25 European Union member states and the United States. Both methods lead to new and extensive insights in the interrelation of both concepts. First, latent and actual entrepreneurship are investigated simultaneously in a bivariate probit setting. The perception of lack of financial support, the perception of administrative complexities, and the perception of lack of sufficient information do not have significant direct impacts on latent entrepreneurship. This points at indirect effects of these variables on latent entrepreneurship via actual entrepreneurship. Second, four groups of individuals are distinguished, based on their involvement in both measures of entrepreneurship. The analysis enables us for example to discuss the determinants of ‘necessity entrepreneurship’. Results show that the perception of administrative complexities is a significant obstacle in setting up a business, irrespective of the declared preference for self-employment, while the perception of financial constraints does not have a significant influence. Also, necessity entrepreneurs are characterized by a relatively low education level compared to those who are neither latent nor actual entrepreneurs. Each model has its own merits. The multinomial model enables researchers to perform group-wise analyses, while the bivariate probit model makes is possible to take into account the importance of latent entrepreneurship without explicitly including latent entrepreneurship in the set of explanatory variables.

Determinants of self-employment preference and realization of women and men in Europe and the United States

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0100

Female self-employment rates are consistently lower than those of men. This untapped female potential has drawn the attention of policy makers. In the present paper the determinants of selfemployment rates of both men and women are investigated in the context of a two-equation model explaining both actual self-employment and the preference for self-employment. A systematic distinction is made between different ways in which gender can exert influence on (preference for) self-employment,
including moderation, mediation and direct effects. Using Flash Eurobarometer data of about 8,000 individuals from 29 countries (including the 15 old EU member states, 10 new EU member states and the United States) probit equations are estimated explaining the (preference for) self-employment. Next to gender, explanatory variables include age, education, social capital, risk attitude, locus of control and perceptions of the entrepreneurial environment. Findings show that at least part of the explanation of the lower female self-employment rate is caused by a lower preference for women to become self-employed. We do not find evidence for a moderating effect of gender on the relationship between self-employment and the preference for self-employment, indicating that ' other things equal ' women and men who have a preference to become self-employed do not differ with respect to the impact of this preference on its materialization.

Read also the new version of this paper: R200803,  "Explaining preferences and actual involvement in self-employment: new insights into the role of gender."

The Emergence of ethnic entrepreneurship: a conceptual framework

Rettab, dr.B. | Rettab, dr.B. — Mon, 13 Aug 2001 00:08:00 +0100

Dit rapport geeft inzicht in de toenemende groei van het aantal startende etnische ondernemers. Met behulp van een model wordt een beeld geschetst van de rol van de donorgroep (groep waarbinnen de starter leeft/werkt) waarin de bedrijven worden gestart.

Precautionary actions within small and medium-sized enterprises

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de — Fri, 18 Jan 2002 00:01:00 +0100

The study examines the factors ensuring that Dutch small and medium-sized enterprises implement measures to prevent staff absenteeism. In many cases, staff absenteeism is caused by illness, accidents or other reasons (leave, strikes, et cetera).

BRUNET 2003

Vroonhof, drs.P.J.M. | Folkeringa, drs.M. — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:08:00 +0100

Hoe hoog is het besteedbaar inkomen van een ondernemer? En hoe verandert dat als de zelfstandigenaftrek wordt verhoogd? Dit soort vragen kan EIM beantwoorden met behulp van het model BRUNET. In dit model worden fiscale kennis en kennis van ondernemerschap gecombineerd tot een waardevolle informatiebron voor beleidsmakers en belangenorganisaties. Er wordt binnen BRUNET onderscheid gemaakt tussen zelfstandigen en directeuren-grootaandeelhouders (dga's). De kwaliteit van het model is verbeterd en de resultaten geactualiseerd.

MISTRAL

Nijsen, dr.A.F.M. | Vellinga, dr. N. — Thu, 21 Mar 2002 00:03:00 +0100

This report outlines the MISTRAL model (Administrative Compliance Cost Assessment Tool), by emphasising the issues of when a model may be applied, why it will be applied, how the model works and why the model should be used. The report concludes by narrating several results obtained on the basis of MISTRAL.

Modelling the Determinants of Job Creation: Microeconometric Models Accounting for Latent Entrepreneurial Ability

Ichou, falseA — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:08:00 +0100

During the last decades, most developed countries have shown a remarcable increase in entrepreneurship rates. Recent research suggests that this increase is, for a considerable part, caused by an increase in the share of solo self-employed. Nowadays, for example, more than half of all Dutch business owners are solo self-employed. This raises the question which factors determine whether an entrepreneur becomes an employer or remains solo self-employed. A recent study by EIM investigates the decision of entrepreneurs whether or not to become an employer and the decision of employers to hire a certain number of employees.

The first decision is examined by estimating duration models that model the duration of the time spent as solo entrepreneur before the transition to employer is made. The estimations are performed on a panel of Dutch start-ups in 1998, 1999 and 2000. We find that entrepreneurs who founded a firm to improve their work-life balance are less likely to make the transition to employership. The remaining factors that we found to influence the employer decision do this all in a positive way. These factors include whether or not the entrepreneur has the objective to maximize revenue, experience within the industry in which he operates, his entrepreneurial experience, selfefficacy, risk attitude and the time that is spent in the company. We also find that the likelihood of becoming a job creator is positively related to the business cycle.

The second decision is examined by estimating count models that model the number of employees that are hired in the first year of employership. We find that higher levels of educational, entrepreneurial experience and self-efficacy of the entrepreneur lead to a greater firm size. Another factor that increases firm size is innovativeness. The moment in time at which the transition from soloentrepreneur to employer is made, also plays are role. For the first few years we find a negative relationship with firm age, indicating that the faster the switch is made, the more personnel will be employed. Also, for the employee decision we find a positive relation with the business cycle.
 

Organizing Successful New Service Development: A Literature Review

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Vermeulen, P.A.M. — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:08:00 +0100

How should one organize new service development? This is an important topic for decision-makers in service firms. The numerous publications on this subject are highly fragmented. This paper classifies current literature on organizing new service development (NSD) into two evolutionary stages: managing key activities in the NSD process, and creating a climate for continuous innovation. For both stages, its consequences for the initiation and implementation of new services are discussed.

Organizational structure and performance in Dutch SMEs

Mosselman, drs.M. | Meijaard, dr.J. | Brand, dr.M. J. — Sat, 01 Jun 2002 00:06:00 +0100

The relationship between organisational structure and performance has received little attention over the past few decades, especially in regards to firms with less than 100 employees. All too often, the stereotype of SMEs as unstructured, informal 'adhocracies' is heard. Based on the study of a stratified sample of more than 1400 Dutch SMEs (in three size classes and nine economic sectors) we show that this stereotype is false. We derive a set of typical organisational structures. We further investigated the circumstances under which these structures seem to perform well, and the circumstances under which they appear to perform poorly.

Un update of this report is made on Januari 2005 (N200420).

Gibrat's Law: Are the Services Different?

Tue, 27 Aug 2002 00:08:00 +0100

Several noted surveys on intra-industry dynamics have reached the conclusion from a large body of evidence that Gibrat's Law does not hold. However, almost all of these studies have been based on manufacturing. There are compelling reasons to doubt whether these findings hold for the services. In this paper we examine whether the basic tenet underlying Gibrat's Law - that growth rates are independent of firm size - can be rejected for the services as it has been for manufacturing. Based on a large sample of Dutch firms the evidence suggests that growth rates are, in fact, independent of firm size. Validation of Gibrat's Law in the services suggests that the dynamics of industrial organisation for services may not simply mirror that for manufacturing. This report includes a full survey of more than 50 empirical studies on firm growth rates.

Entrepreneurial venture performance and initial capital constraints

Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. | Praag, dr.M.van — Thu, 05 Dec 2002 00:12:00 +0100

We applied a novel method to evaluate the effect of capital constraints on entrepreneurial performance on a panel of 1000 Dutch entrepreneurs. We found that initial capital constraints hinder entrepreneurs in their performance (profit, duration and employment), also when we controlled for various human capital and other factors that might affect both performance and credit scoring outcomes. We used a direct individual indicator for the experience of initial capital constraints. Previous research with the same objective used indirect indicators of wealth, inheritances or windfall gains, where it remains unknown whether the entrepreneur indeed suffered from capital constraints. This drawback is not attached to our approach.

Investigating Blue Ocean v. Competitive Strategy: A Statistical Analysis of the Retail Industry

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Burke, prof.dr.A.E. — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:11:00 +0100

The recent work of Kim and Mauborgne (2005a) has sought to turn strategic management on its head. They note that the field has been dominated by Porter’s (1980, 1985) competitive strategy and it has placed too much emphasis on the importance of competition and rivalry. By contrast they argue in favour of an alternative strategic approach – blue ocean strategy – where firms focus on value innovation, creating consumer demand and exploiting untapped markets. So far empirical analysis in this debate has been focused on case study evidence and hence has been limited in its ability to generalise. The massive appeal of the blue ocean strategy is in stark contrast with the paucity of research testing the viability and relevance of this alternative strategic approach. In this paper we use a comprehensive data set on the Dutch retail industry in order to bring some statistical evidence to the debate. We investigate the prevalence of blue ocean versus competitive strategy in this industry over the period 1982-2000. Our results show that blue ocean strategy and competitive strategy coexist within the same competitive theoretical framework. The results highlight that the dominance of either form of strategy is not categorical but rather determined by the market conditions in which the firms operate.

Entrepreneurial Learning

Popta, drs.G.van — Fri, 01 Nov 2002 00:11:00 +0100

This study focuses on how entrepreneurs and their new ventures learn, and how they are involved in dynamic learning. A theoretical as well as an empirical analysis of the issues provides insight. We distinguish key individual and organisational learning processes from the literature. Typologies of learning entrepreneurs and organisations are presented and applied in the empirical analysis. The typology of learning entrepreneurs is derived from Kolb (1984) and the typology of learning organisations is derived from Shrivastava (1983). The styles distinguished are the convergent, the divergent, the assimilative, and the accommodative learning style. Learning organisations are described in six types.

Innovation and firm performance

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Folkeringa, drs.M. | Wubben, dr.E.F.M. — Tue, 21 Jan 2003 00:01:00 +0100

In this paper, the current state of knowledge regarding the relation between innovation and firm performance is reviewed. The relationship is empirically tested. There is a special focus on small and medium-sized firms. In the literature, there is a trend towards a system approach. Empirical studies using this approach distinguish four parts in the innovation-performance relationship. First of all, a company decides whether or not to innovate. Secondly, if a company decides to innovate, what is the level of input in innovation. The innovative input will be transformed into innovative output. And finally, the innovative output will result in a better firm performance. In the model several feedback loops are incorporated, for instance, from firm performance to innovative input.

Wat is de ontwikkeling van het aantal ondernemers?

Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 00:02:00 +0100

In deze documentatie beschrijven we de module die EIM hanteert bij onderzoek naar de ontwikkeling van ondernemerschap. De module sluit aan bij het PRISMA model, dat ook door EIM ontwikkeld is. Hierdoor kunnen tevens economische scenario's doorberekend worden, waarin onderscheid gemaakt wordt naar sector en grootteklasse.

KTO 2003

Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. | Bangma, drs.K.L. — Thu, 13 Mar 2003 00:03:00 +0100

Het KTO-model is een sectormodel naar grootteklasse van de Nederlandse economie, waarmee EIM korte termijn prognoses maakt. Het model kent 58 sectoren, waarbij voor 55 sectoren een uitspliting is gemaakt naar het klein-, midden-en het grootbedrijf. Prognoses die met het model gemaakt worden, worden gepubliceerd in onder andere Kleinschalig Ondernemen en de Sectorscopen. Ook op de EIM-website staan de prognoses vermeld.

Barriers to Entry

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Mosselman, drs.M. | Blees, drs.J. | Maas, J. — Fri, 09 May 2003 00:05:00 +0100

Entry of firms into a market is an important economic mechanism that influences industry dynamics and contributes to allocative and dynamic efficiency. However, there are barriers that can prevent companies from entering a market, hampering the competitive process. Therefore, it is clear that barriers to entry are an important issue in competition policy. In this report, we studied a number of 37 different barriers with a special focus on the possible size effect of the barrier, the sustainability of the barrier, the way it can be measured and the relation with other barriers to entry.

Turbulence and Productivity; an analysis of 40 Dutch regions in the period 1988-1996

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Bosma, falseN.S. — Thu, 01 Aug 2002 00:08:00 +0100

From an empirical perspective there is growing evidence on the relation between size class distributions and economic performance. However, the question whether this change of the size class structure of industries has influenced economic performance is still underresearched. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of entry and exit of firms on productivity in a regional approach. A model for total factor productivity is estimated using data of 40 Dutch regions for the years 1988 through 1996. The regions can be des-aggregated into two separate sectors: manufacturing and services. The findings indicate some positive effects of turbulence on total factor productivity of regions and thereby on productivity and growth at macro-level. In the service sector it was found that turbulence has an upward impact on the TFP growth in a region.

The Relationship between Firm Births and Job Creation: Did this change in Britain in the 1990s?

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Storey, prof.D.J. — Fri, 01 Mar 2002 00:03:00 +0100

This paper examines the relationship between firm births and job creation in Great Britain. We used a new data set for 60 British regions, covering the whole of Great Britain, between 1980 and 1998. The central theme of the paper is that, with the exception of a recent paper by Audretsch and Fritsch for Germany, the relationship between new-firm startups and employment growth has previously been examined either with no time-lag or with only a short period lag. The current paper examines short-run as well as long-run relationships and provides results for Great Britain similar to those for Germany. We find that the short-run employment impact of new-firm startups in British regions has been bigger in the 1990s compared to the 1980s. Concerning long-run effects, we find that the employment impact of new-firm startups is strongest after about five years, but the effect disappears after a decade.

Knowledge Spillovers and Economic Growth; an analysis using data of Dutch regions in the period 1987-1995

Nieuwenhuijsen, drs.H.R. | Stel, dr.A. J.van — Fri, 01 Mar 2002 00:03:00 +0100

The importance of knowledge spillovers for achieving innovation and economic growth is widely recognised. It is not straightforward which type of spillovers is most effective: intra-sectoral spillovers or inter-sectoral spillovers. We investigated this controversy using a model of regional growth. The model also deals with the impact of local competition on innovation and growth. The model is estimated using sectoral data for 40 Dutch regions. We found that local competition is important particularly for economic growth in industry sectors (manufacturing and construction), while diversity, a proxy for inter-sectoral spillovers, is important particularly for growth in service sectors. We found no effect for specialisation (a proxy for intra-sectoral spillovers).

Modelling Entrepreneurship: unifying the equilibrium and entry/exit approach

Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. | Carree, prof. dr.M. — Fri, 01 Feb 2002 00:02:00 +0100

Two approaches can be distinguished with respect to modelling entrepreneurship: (i) the approach focusing on the net development of the number of entrepreneurs in an equilibrium framework and (ii) the approach focusing on the entries and exits of entrepreneurs. In this paper we unify these approaches to arrive at a model explaining the equilibrium and actual number of entrepreneurs and the entry and exit rate of entrepreneurs simultaneously and consistently. We applied our unified approach to the Netherlands, using self-employment data for the 1960-99 period. We found error-correction of about 20% per year and a very different situation in terms of disequilibrium before and after the early 1980s. Periods of high unemployment appear to be characterised by both high entry and high exit rates.

PRISMA, The Size-Class Module

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Wit, dr.G.de — Wed, 23 Oct 2002 00:10:00 +0100

Co-operation as a response to a turbulent environment

Stigter, drs.H.W. — Sun, 01 Dec 2002 00:12:00 +0100

The objective of this study was to find out 'how SMEs perceive and respond to a turbulent environment'. We define a turbulent environment as an environment in which customer needs are rapidly changing. Based on this interpretation, we are interested in to what extent SMEs perceive these changes in customer needs and how they respond to these changes - particularly focussing on strategy and cooperation. The main conclusion of our research is that SMEs co-operate mainly to reduce costs or improve the competitive position, not to meet customer needs more adequately. SMEs do not realise the advantages of seeking cooperation in order to share means and expertise in delivering a custom or tailor-made product or service to their customer. With respect to their suppliers, SMEs often lack countervailing power, which is an obstacle for co-operation. SMEs in the retail sectors are unable to convince their suppliers of the need to respond to changes quickly. Regarding co-operation with the clients, one might question whether existing customisation strategies are really demand-driven. This research does not support the impression that SMEs really know their customers' wishes and needs. On the contrary, some businesses intentionally do not adjust their products to changing customer needs.

Incentives to innovate

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Meijaard, dr.J. — Fri, 01 Nov 2002 00:11:00 +0100

This empirical study investigates the factors that influence firms' incentives to innovate. We study the variables stimulating, enabling and conditioning the idea generation process in small and medium-sized service firms. The employees and their context determine the richness of the early stages of the innovation process, and thus the firms' incentives to innovate. Of the final set of explanatory variables, the most significant 'manageable' variable is the formulation of clear innovation objectives in the corporate strategy. Furthermore, fostering freedom to experiment and applying multifunctional teams have positive effects on the incentives to innovate. Besides, two factors (quality competition and high  uncertainty of market demand) are market related. Finally, in contradiction to our expectations, having well-educated employees has a negative effect on the incentives to innovate.

Werkomgeving KTO-model - gebruikersdocumentatie 2002

Kwaak, drs.A. — Thu, 07 Nov 2002 00:11:00 +0100

Het KTO-model dient met name voor het maken van korte termijn prognoses van de ontwikkeling van het Nederlands bedrijfsleven, gedesaggregeerd naar zo'n 60 bedrijfsgroepen en (voor bedrijfsgroepen in het particulier bedrijfsleven) 3 grootteklassen. In een afzonderlijke publicatie wordt de inhoud van het model beschreven. Dit rapport is bedoeld als handleiding voor de gebruikers van het systeem. Er wordt ingegaan op de werkwijze zoals gevolgd bij het maken van korte termijn ramingen - ramingen voor de jaren t-1, t en t+1, waarbij ramingen voor de overeenkomstige periode op een meer globaal aggregatieniveau, alsmede enkele macro-economische grootheden, beschikbaar zijn. In dit document wordt aangegeven welke stappen moeten worden verricht om met het model ramingen en prognoses te maken. De volgende procedurele stappen worden onderscheiden: gereed maken van het model, inlezen van het nieuwe basisjaar, inlezen van nieuwe exogenen, maken van basisrun louter op basis van model en exogenen, beoordelen van deze basisrun, zo nodig aanpassen van de inputs, exporteren van de resultaten van de basisrun, finaliseren van de ramingen door bedrijfsgroepdeskundigen, teruglezen van gefinaliseerde ramingen, rapportage van resultaten.

Modelling Entrepreneurship: Unifying the Equilibrium and Entry/Exit Approach

Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. | Carree, prof. dr.M. — Thu, 11 Sep 2003 00:09:00 +0100

This research report provides a framework for modelling rates of entrepreneurship. The proposed framework may be helpful in separating the effects of a range of different variables, all possibly affecting the rate to which people choose to become or remain self-employed. We unify two approaches with respect to the modelling of the rates of entrepreneurship. The first approach is the 'equilibrium approach', seeking to estimate the long and short-run developments of the number of self-employed. The second approach is the entry/exit approach, seeking to determine the determinants of gross entry and exit rates and their interdependencies. The empirical application to Dutch data indicates how the method works and what sorts of results may be expected.

Leadership as a determinant of innovative behaviour

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Hartog, prof. dr.D.den — Wed, 18 Jun 2003 00:06:00 +0100

In knowledge-intensive services innovative behaviour of co-workers is a critical success factor. In sectors like consultancy, research and architecture the nature of the work implies that projects are never alike. Innovative behaviour means that co-workers generate ideas for better and/or different products, services or working methods, and strive for implementing such changes. By carrying out certain leadership styles, entrepreneurs are able to boost innovative behaviour of their employees. This study presents an overview of innovation-enhancing leadership styles.

Immigrant entrepreneurship in the Netherlands

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Jansen, drs.M. | Willemsen, drs.S.P. | Spronsen, drs.J.van — Thu, 26 Jun 2003 00:06:00 +0100

Younger people are less often entrepreneur than elder people, just as low-skilled people are less likely to be entrepreneur than high-skilled people. Immigrants from Turkey, Morocco, Suriname and the Dutch Antilles are younger and less educated than native Dutch. These demographical differences partially explain the low rates of entrepreneurship for immigrants from Morocco, Suriname and the Dutch Antilles. However, demography does not explain everything, as is indicated by the fact that the rate of entrepreneurship for immigrants from Turkey is comparable to that of the native Dutch population. It appears as if the demographical 'disadvantage' of these immigrants is compensated by their positive valuation of entrepreneurship.

Capabilities for growth

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Philipsen, R.L.C. — Fri, 07 Nov 2003 00:11:00 +0100

This study explores firm growth and its relation with firm-specific capabilities. Organisations can benefit from growth in many ways, including greater efficiencies through economies of scale, increased power, the ability to withstand environmental change, increased profits and increased prestige for organizational members. The second element of research in this study, firm-specific capabilities, refers to the ability to integrate, build and reconfigure internal and external competencies to address rapidly changing environments. The fields of growth and capabilities seem to be complementary. However, the exact relationship currently seems to be underdeveloped. In this study, an attempt is made to incorporate the development of capabilities in the process of organisational growth. The following issues are addressed: The way organisations strive to grow, the manner in which firm-specific capabilities are incorporated and translated into the corporate strategy and whether these companies have succeeded.

Business accomplishments, gender and entrepreneurial self-image

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. | Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 00:10:00 +0100

Drawing on Bem's psychological theory of self-perception, this paper presents and tests a model that examines the impact of business accomplishments and gender on entrepreneurial self-image and explores the definition of entrepreneurship according to Vesper's Entrepreneurial Typology.

Business Ownership and Sectoral Growth: An Empirical Analysis of 21 OECD Countries

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Carree, prof. dr.M. — Mon, 15 Dec 2003 00:12:00 +0100

We investigated the development of business ownership (self-employment) rates over time at the sectoral level and the effect of these rates on sectoral output growth. In an earlier exercise, Carree et al. (2002) presented an analysis of the interrelationship between economy-wide business-ownership rates and economic development. Their analysis raised an important research question: To what extent do differences in business ownership rates at the economy-wide level reflect differences in the sectoral structures of economies or differences in business-ownership rates at the sectoral level? The current paper investigates this question making use of a sectoral database of 21 OECD countries for the 1970-98 period. Estimation results suggest that there is, on average, a too low business-ownership rate in manufacturing and a too high business ownership rate in services. This paper was previously published as Research Report H200206. Compared to the earlier version, it specifically elaborates the theoretical foundation of the estimated model in more detail.

Investigating the link between firm births and job creation in British regions, 1980-98: Is there a Upas Tree effect?

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Storey, prof.D.J. — Mon, 15 Dec 2003 00:12:00 +0100

We examined the relationship between firm births and job creation in Great Britain. We used a new data set for 60 British regions, covering the whole of Great Britain, between 1980 and 1998. The relationship between new firm start-ups and employment growth has previously been examined either with no time lag or with only a short period lag. We found, for Great Britain as a whole, no significant relationship between start-ups and employment creation in the 1980s, but a negative relationship for the 'low enterprise' area of Northern England. For the 1990s, we found a significant positive relationship for Great Britain as a whole but for Scotland, which focussed policy on start-ups, a negative relationship. We feel this raises questions over policies designed to raise rates of new firm formation as a strategy for employment creation, particularly in 'low enterprise' areas. This paper was previously published as Research Report H200108 and as Scales Paper N200202. The major change compared to the previous version entails separate studies of region-specific deviations in the relationships. The effect of the number of start-ups on growth was found to be significantly smaller in regions with relatively low numbers of start-ups, also called the 'Upas Tree effect'.

Siclass: forecasting the European enterprise sector by industry and size-class

Bosma, falseN.S. | Kwaak, drs.A. — Wed, 05 May 1999 00:05:00 +0100

SICLASS (Size Classes) is een econometrische model gericht om de huidige omvang en structuur van Europese midden en kleinbedrijven te bepalen. Daarnaast wordt het model gebruikt om macro-economische scenario’s te  maken voor de toekomst. Tevens kunnen ook andere scenario’s ontwikkeld worden om de invloed van diverse macro-economische beleidsmaatregelen te analyseren.

Human Resource Management within small and medium-sized enterprises

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 00:06:00 +0100

Human resources are recognised as one of the main sources of economic growth. The management of these resources (HRM) is therefore an important issue. However, while roughly half of all employees are employed in small and medium-sized enterprises, scientific studies on HRM are to a large extent limited to large enterprises. This thesis is an attempt to increase our understanding of how small and medium-sized enterprises manage their employees. The thesis examines main determinants of HRM practices within small and medium-sized enterprises, and how certain differences in HRM practices may affect an enterprise's performance and size.

Factors influencing export development of Dutch manufactured products

Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. | Prince, dr.Y.M. | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Wed, 03 Mar 2004 00:03:00 +0100

The research objective of this Strategic Study is to generate new insights in the question: what are the determinants of the development of Dutch manufacturing exports? The focus of the current study is a qualitative one. In follow-up studies, data on the relevant determinants might be gathered and a quantitative research, such as regression analyses, might be carried out to determine the dominant factors in a quantitative way.

Learning in the business start-up process

Bosma, falseN.S. | Meijaard, dr.J. | Popta, drs.G.van — Tue, 01 Oct 2002 00:10:00 +0100

The start-up process is an important source for learning opportunities. The present study investigates different types of entrepreneurial learning in the start-up process. Combining contributions from psychology, sociology, organisational and entrepreneurship literature, an appropriate conceptual framework emerges, in which different types of entrepreneurial learning are distinguished. Based on this framework, and using panel data on start-up entrepreneurs, we empirically rediscovered this typology of entrepreneurial learning for The Netherlands. In addition, the identified types are analysed further to explore additional characteristics.

Post-Materialism as a Cultural Factor Influencing Entrepreneurial Activity across Nations

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. | Hutjes, dr.J. — Tue, 27 Aug 2002 00:08:00 +0100

The study of the determinants of entrepreneurship at the country level has been domi-nated by economic influences. The relative stability of differences in levels of entrepreneurship across countries suggests that other forces such as certain institutional and/or cultural factors are at play. The objective of this paper is to explore how post-materialism explains differences in entrepreneurial activity across countries. Entrepreneurial activity is defined as the percent of a country's population that is self-employed, using a broad definition that also includes CEOs of both unincorporated and legally incorporated establishments. The measure for post-materialism is based upon Inglehart's four-item post-materialism index. Because of the known interactions between economic and cultural factors found in previous research, a set of economic and cultural factors is included to provide a clearer picture of the independent role post-materialism plays in prediction of self-employment levels. In particular, education, life satisfaction, church attendance and political (left or right) extremism are used as control variables in our analyses using data of 14 OECD countries over in recent period. Findings confirm the significance of post-materialism in predicting self-employment even when controlling for economic and cultural factors. However, strong co-variation between post-materialism and other cultural factors makes it difficult to clearly discriminate between the effects.

Time requirements for administrative activities; an investigation into firm size effects

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Brouwer, drs.P. | Vellinga, dr. N. — Mon, 16 Dec 2002 00:12:00 +0100

This paper examines the assumption that activity time is independent of firm size (measured by the number of employees). Existing theories on (dis)economies of scale and scope and wage differentials are unclear on what to expect. For relatively complex activities such as becoming familiar with information obligations or checking agreements and declarations, the activity time might be related to the number of employees. For activities such as receiving, copying and sending information and documents, no theoretical arguments have been identified that suggest a firm-size effect.

For the empirical examination of the existence of a relationship between firm size and activity time, data is used that were gathered in two projects applying the MISTRAL approach. This results in a dataset with information on many different activities, with only a few observations for each activity. By using a relative measure for activity time, observations for different activities can be combined in the analysis. To this end, relative activity time is defined as the ratio between the measured activity time and the standardized activity time for a certain activity. The empirical results suggest that, within the examined policy areas, firm size has no noticeable relationship with activity times. First of all, there exists no significant difference in average relative activity time between firms of different size classes. There are also no significant correlations between these variables. Next, these results are confirmed by regression analysis, where relative activity time is estimated as a function of firm size and other variables that might be of influence on activity time (such as experience of employees, the presence of a specific department for administrative activities, and whether additional adaptations and/or computations are required for a specific activity). Relative activity time tends to be higher for activities that require additional adaptations, but is independent of the size of the firm.

Strategy and small firm performance

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Gibcus, drs.P. — Mon, 03 Feb 2003 00:02:00 +0100

The objective of this study is to contribute to the debate on the relationship between strategy and firm performance, especially for SMEs. The research questions are: Can different strategic groups of SMEs be identified and to what extent does the selected strategy influence the firm performance of SMEs?
For the empirical analysis, data from the SME panel of EIM is used. The analysis shows that four distinct groups of companies can be identified: service differentiators, stuck-in-the-middle companies, innovation and marketing differentiators and process differentiators. Companies in the first two groups are relatively small and are less active with strategic issues like planning etc. Companies in the last two groups are relatively large and deal with strategy in a more professional way (written-down strategy, regular updates et cetera). If controlled for size, there are no significant differences in terms of turnover and profit.

Self-employment across 15 European countries: the role of dissatisfaction

Mon, 31 Mar 2003 00:03:00 +0100

This paper deals with differences in the rate of self-employment (business ownership) in 15 European countries for the period 1978-2000, focusing on the influence of dissatisfaction and using the framework of occupational choice. Using two different measures of dissatisfaction, in addition to the level of economic development, the unemployment rate and income differentials, we find that dissatisfaction at the level of societies is the most significant factor for explaining differences in self-employment levels. Dissatisfaction with life and with the way democracy works are both found to be positively related to self-employment. It is concluded that these are proxies for job dissatisfaction and at the same time represent other negative 'displacements' known to promote self-employment.

The Value of Human and Social Capital Investments for the Business Performance of Startups

Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Praag, dr.M.van — Mon, 01 Jul 2002 00:07:00 +0100

We investigated the manifold posed question: To what extent does investment in human and social capital, besides the effect of 'talent', enhance entrepreneurial performance?. We distinguished between three different performance measures: survival, profits, and generated employment. On the basis of the empirical analysis of a rich Dutch longitudinal data set of firm founders, we concluded that specific investments indeed affect the three performance measures substantially and significantly. Specific attention is paid to the unobserved talent bias. Moreover, the effect of the emergence of so-called 'knowledge industries' is explored.

PRISMA, The Size-Class Module

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Wit, dr.G.de — Fri, 01 Feb 2002 00:02:00 +0100

PRISMA - an acronym of Policy Research Instrument for Size-aspects in Macro-economic Analysis - is an economic macro-sector model. It has been designed in such a way that it produces results consistent with those produced by the current macro-sector model of CPB, Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. PRISMA is used for forecasting, scenario building and what-if analyses with respect to government policies and exogenous shocks. Its time horizon is 3-25 years. PRISMA consists of a kernel and a number of modules. Its kernel is documented in De Wit (2001). PRISMA's most important module is the size-class module. In this report the present version of this module is documented. In the kernel of PRISMA the business sector is subdivided into eighteen industries. In the size-class module the non-primary private industries (thirteen in total) are further subdivided into three size-classes: small (0-9 employees), medium-sized (10-99 employees), and large (100 or more employees) businesses. Hence, the following two types of model exercises become possible. Firstly, economic effects derived by PRISMA's kernel - for example when forecasting, building a scenario, or evaluating the consequences of changes in policy or the economic environment - can be 'translated' into the prospects for SMEs. Secondly, when circumstances for SMEs change differently compared to large businesses - for example due to a policy measure that focuses particularly on SMEs - the consequences can be evaluated by using the size-class module.

Firm size in the Netherlands

Strobbe, drs.J. — Fri, 01 Feb 2002 00:02:00 +0100

Developments in firm size and its distribution have always been one of the main issues in economic research. Due to several trends in the economic structure some authors expected a shift from large to small firms (for example Audretsch and Thurik 2000). In the underlying thesis I will investigate whether this prediction has come true in the Netherlands for the period 1993-1998. At first, a theoretical framework on firm size and its determinants is provided. The following determinants are described: globalisation, technological development, deregulation, uncertainty, labour developments, knowledge and prosperity. These determinants do not have a value on their own; they should be explained from a theoretical framework, which is why the main theories on firm size are used as frameworks. The following theories are discussed: Transaction Costs Economics, Life Cycle Theory, Gibrat's Law, Learning Theories and the Theory of Market Configurations. These are combined with the determinants. This leads to predictions on developments in average firm size. An empirical analysis is carried out in order to provide more insight in changes in firm size distributions in 68 industries. From this, it follows that especially manufacturing and construction industries are characterised by a decrease in average firm size, while the opposite is true for retail and hospitality industries. So, the hypothesis that trends lead to a general decrease in average firm size is not supported during the sample period. The combination with the theoretical predictions does not lead to spectacular results. Globalisation, deregulation and prosperity have a significant explanatory value, but this depends on the theoretical framework chosen.

Knowledge Spillovers and Employment Growth in Great Britain

Stel, dr.A. J.van | de Jong, M.G. | Hodzic, N. — Mon, 01 Apr 2002 00:04:00 +0100

The importance of knowledge spillovers for achieving innovation and economic growth is widely recognised. It is not straightforward which type of spillovers is most effective: intra-sectoral spillovers or inter-sectoral spillovers. We investigated this controversy using a model of regional growth. The model also deals with the impact of local competition on innovation and growth. The model is estimated using sectoral data for 60 British regions. A positive effect of local competition on economic growth is found for several sectors of the economy, while a positive effect of diversity (a proxy for inter-sectoral spillovers) is found only for the production sector. We found no effect for specialisation (a proxy for intra-sectoral spillovers).

The Use of the Guttman Scale in Development of a Family Business Index

Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. — Mon, 16 Sep 2002 00:09:00 +0100

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new approach for operationalising family-business variables. It is consistent with multidimensional definitions of family business such as the F-PEC scale. This paper demonstrates the use of the Guttman-scaling procedure, on a random sample of 885 Dutch SMEs.

More specifically, the research question is as follows: Can various indicators of family business be validly combined using a Guttman scale? After reviewing the different definitions dealt with in the family business research literature, the paper presents the results of an analysis of various items available for this particular dataset. In particular, the index assigns a value of family-relatedness to a company depending upon the criteria that it meets. The study uses a series of statistical procedures, including factor analysis and cross-tabulations, to identify a potential ordering of criteria varying in difficulty. The least difficult criterion, that one or more of the management team is drawn from the family that owns the business, is met by 77.6% of the responding firms. The most difficult of the criteria, met by only 26% of the firms, is that current management plans to transfer the enterprise to the next generation. 85% of the sample can be classified properly according to this Guttman scale: If a company meets one of the more difficult criteria, it also meets all the easier criteria.

In the second part of the paper, the proposed Guttman Scale is compared with the individual criteria making up the scale as well as other family business variables to predict self-perceptions of family business. In particular, the scale is positively correlated with the outcome of the question, 'Would you consider your firm a family business?' In addition, a multiple regression of the individual criteria on the dependent variable is compared with the use of the index. The paper sums up with further discussion of the possible advantages and disadvantages of the Guttman scale technique, both for theoretical and empirical development in family business research.

Explaining nascent entrepreneurship across countries

Thu, 01 May 2003 00:05:00 +0100

This paper aims at explaining cross-country variation in nascent entrepreneurship. Regression analysis is applied using various explanatory variables derived from three different approaches. We make use of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor database, including nascent entrepreneurship rates for 36 countries in 2002 as well as variables from standardized national statistics. The first approach relates the level of entrepreneurship of a country to its level of economic development. We found evidence for a U-shaped relationship. The second approach deals with a regime switch where the innovative advantage moves from large, established enterprises to small and new firms, because new technologies have reduced the importance of scale economies in many sectors. The third approach assumes that nascent entrepreneurship depends upon aggregate conditions such as technology, demography, culture and institutions, influencing opportunities, resources, skills and preferences. Several indicators of these aggregate conditions are found to correlate with nascent entrepreneurship. A full model combining the three approaches includes a U-shaped relationship with per capita income as well as with Porter's innovative capacity index, in addition to effects of social security expenditure (-) and the total business ownership rate (+). Finally, a (former) communist-country dummy plays an important role.

Nalevingsgedrag van MKB-ondernemers

Muijnck, drs.J.de — Wed, 01 May 2002 00:05:00 +0100

Dit is een literatuurstudie over nalevingsgedrag. Naleving draait om motieven en gelegenheden (willen en kunnen). Omstandigheden kunnen er toe leiden dat een onderneming niet goed in staat is de wet na te leven. Bijvoorbeeld wanneer de onderneming niet goed op de hoogte is van wetgeving (en zich onvoldoende laat adviseren). Bij de motivatie om aan de wet te voldoen, speelt de inhoud van de wet mee, en dus de instemming, maar ook de algemene opvatting over naleving (de bedrijfsinterne norm). Motieven en gelegenheden beïnvloeden elkaar, bijvoorbeeld in de zin dat naarmate de wet moeilijker na te leven is, de motivatie om dit te doen ook afneemt. Er kan een motief worden "gevonden" om het niet te doen. De motieven en gelegenheden worden bepaald door interne en externe factoren. Intern zijn het doel van de organisatie, de kennis en kunde van de werkzame personen en de heersende normen en waarden van belang; extern zijn de locatie, de activiteiten en de klanten van de onderneming bepalend. Organisatie en omgeving beïnvloeden elkaar ook weer. De doelstellingen van een organisatie kunnen bijvoorbeeld worden bijgesteld naar aanleiding van klachten van omwonenden of van consumentenorganisaties. Er wordt een overkoepelnd conceptueel model gepresenteerd. Afhankelijk van de branche, en ten dele hiermee samenhangend,het wetgevingsterrein, kunnen hypothesen nadere invulling krijgen. Door het grote aantal omgevingsfactoren is te verwachten dat niet alleen tussen branches en tussen wetgevingsterreinen, maar ook hierbinnen (dus tussen MKB-ondernemingen) veel verschillen bestaan.

Entrepreneurship and economic performance: a macro perspective

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. — Fri, 01 Nov 2002 00:11:00 +0100

The present paper provides a theoretical framework of the relationship between the rate of entrepreneurship and national economic performance. The first part deals with some aspects of the recent economics literature on the relation between entrepreneurship and small business on the one hand, and economic growth on the other. In particular, it gives a summary of some work of the EIM/CASBEC research group in The Netherlands. In the second part, a framework is presented linking entrepreneurship and growth to different levels of aggregation. The last part of the paper illustrates the framework with some historical case studies. The present paper supplements Wennekers, Uhlaner and Thurik (2002) and is concerned with the causes of the rate of entrepreneurship.

The development of self-employment rate in the Netherlands 1899-1997

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Folkeringa, drs.M. — Sun, 01 Dec 2002 00:12:00 +0100

Recently a unique time series of the self-employment rate in the period 1899-1997 distinguishing three major sectors of industry was constructed for the Netherlands. It shows a continuous decline until the early 1980s and a revival thereafter. The role of changes in sectoral composition versus within-sector trends in explaining this development of self-employment was investigated through a shift-share analysis of these data. Overall, the evidence rejects a prime role of sector shifts. On the contrary, a deeply rooted process of upscaling followed by historically anomalous downscaling in almost all sectors of industry is the major proximate cause. This conclusion calls for a continued search for ultimate causes within the domains of technology, economics, institutions and culture.

The National Systems of Innovation Approach and Innovation by SMEs

Lankhuizen, drs.M. B. M. | Klein Woolthuis, dr.R. — Wed, 03 Mar 2004 00:03:00 +0100

The National Systems of Innovation (NSI) approach is a young but successful approach to help to understand how innovation and interactive learning evolve in national economies and how they propel economic prosperity and international competitiveness. The NSI approach has been embraced by policy makers all around the world, because this approach offers them the potential to derive more appropriate leads for innovation policy. In the Netherlands too, the drafting of innovation policy is increasingly based on the NSI concept. The main aim of this study is to add to the understanding of the NSI approach. The research questions addressed in this study include: What are the main concepts, value added and shortcom-ings of the approach? And: How does the NSI approach offer policy makers the potential to derive more appropriate leads for innovation policy towards SMEs?

COMPENDIA 2000.2: a harmonized data set of business ownership rates in 23 OECD countries

Stel, dr.A. J.van — Mon, 12 May 2003 00:05:00 +0100

The data set COMPENDIA contains harmonized data on the number of business owners and the size of the labour force for 23 OECD countries over the period 1972-2000, as well as the quotient of these two variables which is called the business ownership rate of a country. Business ownership rates have been made comparable across countries and over time. The acronym COMPENDIA stands for COMParative ENtrepreneurship Data for International Analysis. The present report provides a documentation of the current version of the data set, which is called COMPENDIA 2000.2.

Innovation and firm performance

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Folkeringa, drs.M. | Wubben, dr.E.F.M. — Thu, 01 May 2003 00:05:00 +0100

Understanding the relation between innovation and performance in both large, medium, and small firms is of crucial importance for ongoing economic growth, but still hardly understood. The topic of understanding innovations and their relationship with firm performance has become more relevant since the EU stated, in March 2000 in Lisbon, the ambition to become the world's most competitive and innovative region by 2010. The underlying rationale is that encouraging firms to innovate will lead to a better economic performance; higher growth, more jobs and higher wages. Is this rationale empirically validated, and is there a preferential one-size-fits-all innovation trajectory for all European companies? The objective of this paper is to depict the current state of knowledge regarding the relation between innovation and performance in general, and for SMEs in particular.

The decision-making entrepreneur; Literature review

Gibcus, drs.P. | Ivanova, — Sat, 01 Feb 2003 00:02:00 +0100

This study provides a literature overview of the entrepreneurial decision-making process. The literature review is used as background information for a qualitative study, which investigates, by means of case studies, the decision-making process of small business enterpreneurs in The Netherlands (Gibcus and Van Hoesel, 2003). The literature overview is the starting point of a confrontation between the literature on decision-making and the empirical findings of the latter qualitive study. Firstly, this literature review gives an introduction to general decision theory. It discusses the classical rationality, the bounded rationality and the neoclassical rationality. The place of the entrepreneur in the general decision theory is also discussed. Next, an analytic framework of the strategic decision-making in SMEs is presented. The analytic framework consists of three elements: the entrepreneur, the environment and the strategic decision process. Each of these elements is critical. Finally, some earlier empirical findings on entrepreneurial strategic decision-making are discussed.

Business ownership and sectoral growth

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Carree, prof. dr.M. — Thu, 12 Dec 2002 00:12:00 +0100

In this report we investigated the development of business ownership (self-employment) rates over time at the sectoral level, and the effect these rates have on sectoral output growth. In an earlier exercise, Carree et al. (2002) presented a two-equation model to analyse the interrelationship between economy-wide business-ownership rates and economic development. Their analysis raises an important research question: to what extent do differences in business ownership at the economy-wide level reflect differences in the sectoral structures of economies or differences in business-ownership rates at the sectoral (or even industry) level? The current paper investigates this question making use of a sectoral data base of 21 OECD countries for the period 1970-98. Our estimation results suggest that for our sample of OECD countries there is, on average, a too low business-ownership rate in manufacturing and a too high business-ownership rate in services. The results also show that the results found in Carree et al. (2002) are not solely due to countries differing in sectoral structures.

Growth patterns of medium-sized, fast-growing firms

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. — Thu, 21 Mar 2002 00:03:00 +0100

This report examines rapidity of business expansion, by analysing potential organisational growth patterns, as well as potential theories explaining these patterns. Besides, the study examines sources of importance during the various growth phases. Finally, emphasis is put on the issue as to whether strategy and sources affect growth.

Startup activity and employment growth in regions

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Dielbandhoesing, S. | Storey, prof.D.J. | Heuvel van den, W. — Mon, 04 Mar 2002 00:03:00 +0100

Based on a model, the report outlines the impact of business start-ups on employment growth in Great Britain. Covering the 1980-1998 span, the data used were compiled for 60 British regions. Specific emphasis is put on short-term and long-term effects of the number of start-ups on regional employment creation. Besides, the above correlation is examined for various periods. The findings reveal that - compared to the Eighties - the significance of the number of starters as regards employment growth has risen during the Nineties.

Business dynamics and employment growth: A cross-country analysis

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Diephuis, drs.B. J. — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 00:03:00 +0100

This paper examines the relationship between business dynamics (entry and exit of firms) and employment growth at the country-industry level. We use a cross-country data set with harmonized data on numbers of entries and exits for a selection of fast growing and innovative industries in six developed economies. In our multiple regression analysis we allow for separate effects of both the extent of business dynamics (volatility of firms) and the composition of business dynamics (net-entry of firms). We also test for the existence of an 'optimal' level of business volatility, possibly indicating that entry and exit levels are too high in certain industries. We find positive employment effects of net-entry rates, both for manufacturing industries and for services industries. Regarding volatility, we find a positive effect for manufacturing but no effect for services. This implies that different government policies may be required to achieve growth in these sectors. We find no evidence for an 'optimal' level of business volatility.

Twee decennia ondernemerschapsbeleid in beeld: een jong beleidsprogramma in sociaaleconomische context geplaatst

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Kuiper, MSc BAA.A.B.H. — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:06:00 +0100

In dit rapport wordt een eerste blik geworpen op het beleidsprogramma ten aanzien van ondernemerschaps- en startersbeleid dat in de periode 1982-2003 binnen het generieke economische beleid van het Ministerie van Economische Zaken is ontstaan. Er worden twee onderzoeksvragen gesteld:
(1) Hoe hangen ontstaan en ontwikkeling van het moderne startersbeleid in Nederland vanaf 1982 samen met de belangrijkste internationale en nationale technologische, economische en maatschappelijke trends van de afgelopen decennia?
(2) Hoe past het ontstaan van het moderne startersbeleid in de ontwikkeling van het denken over economie en arbeidsmarkt binnen het Ministerie van Economische Zaken en bij adviesorganen zoals WRR, SER en de toenmalige RMK?

Financial Structure, Creditor Rights and Economic Growth

Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. — Mon, 25 Aug 2003 00:08:00 +0100

The idea behind the new Dutch Bankruptcy Act is that it should reward risk-taking by entrepreneurs in order to stimulate innovative entrepreneurship. Therefore, the rights of the creditors may need to be adjusted in security at some level. Knowledge on the impact of creditor rights on entrepreneurial activity and on the impact of financial structure on economic growth is deemed necessary. Some recent studies analyse the effect of financial development, financial structure and legal instruments on economic growth. These studies reveal that financial development is important for economic growth, whereas the role of financial structure is unclear. Secured creditor rights were found to be associated with growth. However, the cross-country analyses include many underdeveloped countries and may suffer from other shortages. The present paper builds on the available studies, making the estimated relations more suitable to an environment appropriate to the Netherlands.

Early Development of Entrepreneurial Qualities: the Role of Initial Education

Kuip, drs.I.J.M.van der | Verheul, dr.I. — Fri, 17 Oct 2003 00:10:00 +0100

This study attempts to create a better understanding of the role of entrepreneurship education in developing entrepreneurial qualities. Theory and practice are confronted. The paper discusses the extent to which entrepreneurship can be taught, and the way in which it should be taught. The focus is on the phase of initial education.

Success and risk factors in the pre-startup phase

Gelderen, dr.M.W.van | Bosma, falseN.S. | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. — Fri, 07 Nov 2003 00:11:00 +0100

Why does one person actually succeed in starting a business, while a second person gives up? In order to answer this question, a sample of 517 nascent entrepreneurs (people in the process of setting up a business) was followed over a three-year period. After this period, it was established that 195 efforts were successful and that 115 startup efforts were abandoned. Our research focuses on estimating the relative importance of a variety of approaches and variables in explaining pre-startup success. These influences are organised in terms of Gartner's framework of new venture creation. This framework suggests that start-up efforts differ in terms of the characteristics of the individual(s) who start the venture, the organisation which they create, the environment surrounding the new venture, and the process by which the new venture is started. Logistic regression analyses are run for the sample as a whole as well as for subgroups within the sample, namely for those with high ambition vs. low ambition and for those with substantial vs. limited experience. The results point to the importance of perceived risk of the market as a predictor of getting started vs. abandoning the startup effort.

The multiple sources of autonomy as a start-up motive

Gelderen, dr.M.W.van | Jansen, | Jonges, drs.S. — Fri, 07 Nov 2003 00:11:00 +0100

Autonomy is a primary motive for a large majority of small business starters. However, as an explanation of why people want their own (autonomous) business it is largely circular. In this paper, we focus on an explanation of the autonomy motive itself. We provide a theoretical and empirical exposition of autonomy as a startup motive. Specifically, it is questioned why small business starters want autonomy. A distinction is made between proximal and distal reasons for wanting autonomy. Our framework is confirmed studying a sample of 167 nascent entrepreneurs motivated by autonomy. The findings suggest that beneath the surface of small business starters striving for autonomy, they differ in their relative emphasis on the underlying sources of the autonomy motive.

Professional HRM practices in family owned-managed enterprises

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 00:01:00 +0100

The primary purpose of this study is to examine and explain differences in the professional HRM practices between family and non-family owned and managed firms. We present a model concerning direct and indirect effects of family firm characteristics on the use of professional HRM practices. We find that, based on our sample and model, family firms are less likely to use professional HRM practices than their counterparts. This family firm effect occurs not only indirectly (since family businesses tend to be smaller, and/or less complex than non-family businesses, where complexity stimulates the application of professional HRM practices), but also directly. The direct effects are consistent with predictions consistent with agency theory, which predict less monitoring in the family firm. On the other hand, the results cannot rule out other interpretations offered by organization control theory and/or institutional theory. Furthermore, the indirect family firm effect is consistent with predictions based on the resource-based view although once again, alternative interpretations of the findings cannot be ruled out. We have not examined whether it is actually better or worse for family firms to rely upon less professional HRM practices. Lacking performance data, it is still possible to argue that family firms rely less heavily on professional HRM practices because it is unnecessary to do so, especially in many of the small firms within this study. Thus, future research is needed to examine relations between the use of professional HRM practices and performance for small firms, using family firm as a contingency variable.

Commitment or control?

Verheul, dr.I. — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:08:00 +0100

This paper investigates the extent to which HRM differs between female- and male-led businesses. A Control-Commitment Continuum consisting of several HRM dimensions is proposed. To test to what extent HRM systems and specific practices in female- and male-led businesses differ with respect to commitment-orientation, use is made of a panel of approximately 2,000 Dutch entrepreneurs. Contrary to what is generally believed, we find that HRM in female-led firms is more control-oriented than in male-led firms.

The influence of innovation on firm size

Wit, dr.G.de | Bosma, falseN.S. — Mon, 29 Dec 2003 00:12:00 +0100

This study puts forward the relevance of investigating the relation between innovation and firm size, acknowledging differences between process innovation and product innovation. From different strands in economic literature, the relevance of innovation in explaining average firm size has been put forward. The efforts made so far in this particular research area, are still limited. Future empirical studies in this area would ideally require a two-way causation model and appropriate datasets. Our empirical results suggest a positive impact of innovation on average firm size. Furthermore, larger shares of process innovation per-formed by the company itself are associated with smaller average firm size.

Individual Innovation: The Connection Between Leadership and Employees' Innovative Work Behavior

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:09:00 +0100

This study contributes to the literature on individual innovation in two respects. First, this study contributes to the measurement of individual innovation by developing and empirically validating a multi-dimensional measure of innovative work behaviour. Second and most important, the study aims to improve our understanding of the antecedents of individual innovation by investigating the impact of leadership.

Understanding the Role of Willingness to Cannibalize in New Service Development

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Nijssen, E.J. | Vermeulen, P.A.M. | Hillebrand, B — Wed, 03 Mar 2004 00:03:00 +0100

The objective of the present study is to develop a model of explaining new service development behavior using the concept of willingness to cannibalize existing sales, current capabilities and prior investments. The paper is structured as follows. First, we review the literature relevant for our work. Second, we explain our conceptual model. Next, we report on the research method used and present empirical evidence from 217 service firms. We close with a discussion and recommendations for future research.

De mythe ontrafeld

Mosselman, drs.M. | Meijaard, dr.J. | Brand, dr.M. J. — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:08:00 +0100

Het Nederlandse MKB bestaat uit negen verschillende organisatietypen. Er lijkt een verband te bestaan tussen organisatietype, sector, omvang en bedrijfsprestaties. Dit zijn de belangrijkste conclusies van onderzoek door EIM naar organisatiestructuren in het midden- en kleinbedrijf. Uit het onderzoek blijkt verder dat ondernemers zeer verschillend omgaan met zaken als hiërarchie, invloed van medewerkers, specialisatie, taakdiversiteit, autonomie, standaardisatie en teamcoördinatie. In tegenstelling tot wat algemeen wordt aangenomen, blijken er binnen het MKB dus wel degelijk grote verschillen te bestaan in de manier waarop ondernemers hun bedrijf inrichten.

Strategic Renewal and its Effect on Small Firm Performance

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Folkeringa, drs.M. | Meijaard, dr.J. — Thu, 25 Mar 2004 00:03:00 +0100

In this paper, we investigate the relationship between strategic renewal and the performance of smaller firms (less than 100 employees). We use a panel of micro data on about 1000 Dutch firms. The dataset contains information on aspects of strategic renewal, including process innovation and knowledge management. In our regression analyses we explain the variation in firm performance and we explicitly control for reversed causality, business cycle effects, sector effects, and firm age. We find that market research, an active external network for knowledge acquisition and strategic efforts into the improvement of internal processes are positively related to turnover growth. Furthermore, codification of knowledge, cooperation with partner firms and the provision of training to employees directly relates to employment growth. The results emphasize the importance of both knowledge absorption and knowledge creation to the success of innovative efforts in small firms. We find that the impact of the various measures varies with firm size. One further notable finding is that the ownership of patents negatively impacts small firm performance, particularly for the smallest firms in our sample.

On the relationship between firm age and productivity growth

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Brouwer, drs.P. | Fris, drs.P. — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 00:10:00 +0100

For young firms, a clear relationship exists between firm age and productivity. Various studies have shown that the productivity level of new firms is below the average level, while the productivity growth rate of (surviving) young firms is above average. During the first few years, the average level of productivity tends to increase while the average growth rate tends to decrease. For elder, established firms, the relationship between age and productivity becomes less clear. Established firms show on average a positive growth rate, but whether this growth rate is related to the specific age of these firms is not well established. In this study we examine the relationship between the age of firms and their productivity growth, for establishes firms, where establishes firms are defined as firms of at least 10 years of age. Our research question is: to which extent are differences in productivity growth rates between individual firms related to firm age?

How do firms innovate?

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Marsili, dr.O. — Thu, 09 Dec 2004 00:12:00 +0100

This paper classifies Dutch innovative SMEs into four clusters with similar innovation patterns: supplier-dominated, client-driven, science-based and input-intensive firms. The classification is compiled using some new indicators that are particularly relevant to innovation in SMEs. We used the firm level as unit of classification; a departure from previous taxonomic studies. Doing so enabled us to assess the heterogeneity of firms within a particular sector. Our results indicate that differences between manufacturing and services sectors should not be exaggerated. Besides, firms are very diverse in how they handle innovation processes.

Explaining female and male entrepreneurship across 29 countries

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. — Wed, 19 May 2004 00:05:00 +0100

The present study aims at explaining female and male entrepreneurship from a country perspective. Explanatory variables are derived from three streams of literature, including the literature on the determinants of entrepreneurship in general, on female labor force participation, and on female entrepreneurship. To test hypotheses we make use of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data, including total entrepreneurial activity rates for both women and men for 2002, as well as a range of possible determinants from standardized national statistics. We find that female and male entrepreneurship are largely influenced by the same factors in the same direction. A remarkable exception is life satisfaction for which we find a positive impact on female entrepreneurship and no impact on male entrepreneurship. The paper pays explicit attention to several methodological aspects of investigating determinants of female and male entrepreneurship.

An updated version of this Scales Paper can be found under number N200510.

The role of dissatisfaction and per capita income in explaining self-employment across 15 European countries

Wed, 19 May 2004 00:05:00 +0100

This paper deals with explaining the sizable differences in the rate of self-employment (business ownership) across 15 European countries in the period 1978-2000, within a framework of occupational choice, focusing on the influence of dissatisfaction and of per capita income. Using two different measures of dissatisfaction, in addition to the level of economic development and controlling for several other variables, we find that, in addition to a negative and significant impact of per capita income, dissatisfaction at the level of societies has a positive and significant influence on self-employment levels. Both dissatisfaction with life and dissatisfaction with the way democracy works are found to influence self-employment. It is concluded that these are proxies for job dissatisfaction and at the same time represent other negative "displacements" known to promote self-employment. The findings indirectly point at the potential importance of push factors within the incentive structures of modern economies.

The relationship between family orientation, organization context, organization structure and firm performance

Meijaard, dr.J. | Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. — Fri, 07 May 2004 00:05:00 +0100

This study focuses on the prediction of three firm performance indicators, sales growth, innovation performance and profitability, on a sample of small and medium-sized firms in the Netherlands. Predictions from agency theory and the resource based view of organizations lead to alternate hypotheses regarding the direct and indirect effects of family ownership and management on firm performance. Other variables in the analysis include various organization structure variables including standardization, self coordination, team coordination, decentralization, departmentalization and specialization, and control variables such as firm size and age. Results suggest a direct effect of family orientation on innovation performance, even when controlled for other variables. The effect of family orientation on the other two dependent variables is quite limited.

Vaardigheden van snelgroeiende ondernemingen

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Philipsen, R.L.C. | Aa, W.van der — Tue, 15 Jun 2004 00:06:00 +0100

Groei is voor vrijwel alle ondernemingen een belangrijk doel. Dat geldt zeker voor jonge ondernemingen. In deze rapportage, als artikel in het blad M&O gepubliceerd,  worden jonge ondernemingen onderzocht die in een dynamische omgeving opereren: de biotechnologie- en de ICT sector. 

Pilot Voorspelmodellen: de prijs van primaire kunststoffen

Peeters, drs.H.H.M. | Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. — Wed, 21 Apr 2004 00:04:00 +0100

Bij een groot deel van het Nederlandse industriële MKB is de prijs van de grondstoffen een zeer belangrijke component in de eindprijs van het product. Voor midden- en kleinbedrijven uit deze bedrijfstakken is de grondstofprijs moeilijk beïnvloedbaar, omdat men te maken heeft met mondiale, grote aanbieders.

Determinants of product innovation in small firms: A Comparison Across Industries

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Vermeulen, P.A.M. — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 00:08:00 +0100

A plethora of studies has investigated the determinants of product innovation in small firms, suggesting product, firm, market and innovation process factors as its key drivers of success. Variations across industries relating to the determinants of product innovation are often suspected, but due to a lack of data this area is underresearched. In case of major differences much previous work will be flawed. Drawing upon of database of 1250 small firms across seven industries, this paper explores if any differences are found in the presence and impact of various firm-level determinants. Controlling for size and age differences, the analysis reveals some major differences to the extent small firms use innovative practices, and their connection with new product introductions.

Verklaren en voorspellen van naleving: uitwerking van een ex ante schattingsmethode

Suyver, drs.J.F. | Brummelkamp, drs.G.W. — Mon, 04 Oct 2004 00:10:00 +0100

Een wet is pas effectief wanneer deze ook wordt nageleefd. Voor veel wetten gebeurt dit spontaan omdat naleving vanzelfsprekend is. Voor wetten die minder vanzelfsprekend zijn, omdat ze bijvoorbeeld ondernemersbelangen doorkruisen, moet een beroep worden gedaan op handhaving om tot een acceptabel nalevingsniveau te komen. Dit beroep op handhaving is op enkele terreinen dermate groot dat gesproken wordt van een handhavingstekort. Voor wetmakers betekent dit dat bij het ontwerp van wetten de consequenties voor handhaving goed moeten worden nagegaan. De Tafel van Elf biedt handvatten om deze inschatting gestructureerd te maken. Deze inschatting vergt onder meer onderzoek onder de doelgroep van de wet. Afhankelijk van de aard en omvang van bedrijfssectoren die onder de doelgroep vallen kan dergelijk onderzoek bewerkelijk zijn. De vraag die in deze studie centraal heeft gestaan is of op basis van bestaande kennis over bedrijfssectoren een inschatting kan worden gemaakt van het nalevingsgedrag.

Explaining variation in nascent entrepreneurship

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 00:10:00 +0100

This paper aims at explaining cross-country variation in nascent entrepreneurship. Regression analysis is applied using various explanatory variables derived from three different approaches. We make use of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor database, including nascent entrepreneurship rates for 36 countries in 2002 as well as variables from standardized national statistics. The first approach relates the level of entrepreneurship of a country to its level of economic development. We find evidence for a U-shaped relationship. The second approach deals with a regime switch where the innovative advantage moves from large, established enterprises to small and new firms, because new technologies have reduced the importance of scale economies in many sectors. The third approach assumes that nascent entrepreneurship partly depends upon various non-economic conditions in the domains technology, demography, culture and institutions, influencing opportunities, resources, skills and preferences. Several indicators of these aggregate conditions are found to influence nascent entrepreneurship.

An empirical analysis of business dynamics and growth

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Diephuis, drs.B. J. — Wed, 06 Oct 2004 00:10:00 +0100

This paper examines the relationship between business dynamics (entry and exit of firms) and employment growth at the country-industry level. We use a cross-country data set with harmonized data on numbers of entries and exits for a selection of fastgrowing and innovative industries in six developed economies. In our regression analysis we allow for separate effects of both the extent of business dynamics (volatility of firms) and the composition of business dynamics (net-entry of firms). We also test for the existence of an 'optimal' level of business volatility, possibly indicating that entry and exit levels are too high in certain industries. We find positive employment effects of net-entry rates and volatility rates. These effects are found to be considerably stronger for manufacturing compared to services. We find no evidence for an 'optimal' level of business volatility.

Firm Size Distributions : An overview of steady-state distributions resulting from firm dynamics models

Wit, dr.G.de — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:12:00 +0100

Empirical firm size distributions are the cumulated result of underlying firm dynamics involving entry of new firms and growth, decline, and exits of incumbent firms. In this improved version of the research report "Firm size distributions" (H200306), we give an overview of firm size distributions that result as steady states from models differing in the way these firm dynamics are modelled. In the process we (i) derive common results and explain seemingly contradictory results, (ii) propose new functional forms to describe firm size distributions, (iii) give insight in the interrelationships between the distributions in terms of underlying firm dynamics, (iv) give possible firm dynamical interpretations of the parameters of the distributions, and (v) analyse to which extent the steadystate approach is able to explain the shape of firm size distributions that are encountered in practice.

Arbeidsproductiviteit in de Nederlandse dienstensector

Wit, dr.G.de | Bangma, drs.K.L. | Gibcus, drs.P. | Kuijpers, J. — Wed, 27 Oct 2004 00:10:00 +0100

De arbeidsproductiviteit per gewerkt uur is onverminderd hoog in Nederland: één van de hoogste in de wereld. Toch is de arbeidsproductiviteit de laatste tien jaar in Nederland minder hard gegroeid dan het gemiddelde van de Europese Unie en het gemiddelde van de OECD-landen. Nadere uitsplitsing leert dat dit toe te schrijven valt aan de ontwikkelingen in de dienstensector. De arbeidsproductiviteit in deze sector blijkt zowel qua niveau als qua ontwikkeling achter te lopen bij die van een aantal benchmarklanden. Deze studie geeft inzicht in mogelijke verklaringen hiervoor.

Innovativiteit
De mate van innovativiteit heeft een belangrijke invloed op de arbeidsproductiviteit. De Nederlandse dienstensector blijkt qua innovativiteit achter te blijven bij andere landen. Deze achterblijvende innovativiteit lijkt daarmee mede de achterblijvende productiviteit in de Nederlandse dienstensector te verklaren.

Omvang en leeftijd bedrijven
Nederlandse bedrijven in de dienstensector zijn relatief klein omdat het meestal vrij jonge bedrijven betreft. Dit beïnvloedt het arbeidsproductiviteitniveau negatief

Marktwerking
In het buitenland is het aantal toetredende bedrijven in de dienstensector hoger dan in Nederland, waardoor bestaande bedrijven in het buitenland een grotere prikkel hebben om efficiënt te produceren dan in Nederland. Dit kan een rol gespeeld hebben in de achterblijvende productiviteitsprestaties in Nederland.

Concurrentie
De concurrentie is in sommige delen van de Nederlandse dienstensector gering. Voorzover dit in het buitenland in mindere mate het geval is, kan dit de relatief achterblijvende productiviteitsontwikkeling in Nederland verklaren.

Interne organisatie
Nederlandse bedrijven lijken relatief terughoudend bij het delegeren van verantwoordelijkheden en het geven van beslissingsbevoegdheid aan medewerkers, dit blijkt eveneens de ontwikkeling van de arbeidsproductiviteit negatief te beïnvloeden. En er zijn aanwijzingen dat achterblijvende managementvaardigheden een rol hebben gespeeld in de achterblijvende productiviteitsontwikkeling in de Nederlandse dienstensector.

Sociale Zekerheid en Ondernemerschap

Brouwer, drs.P. | Torendvliet, M — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 00:10:00 +0100

Dit onderzoek vormt de basis voor nader onderzoek naar het belang van sociale zekerheid als determinant van ondernemerschap. In het vervolgonderzoek is het doel om de verschillen in de mate van ondernemerschap tussen landen mede te verklaren vanuit de verschillen in sociale zekerheid. Beleidsmakers kunnen wellicht via de sociale zekerheid het niveau van ondernemerschap beïnvloeden in een land. Het gaat daarbij waarschijnlijk niet om het absolute niveau van de uitkering, maar veeleer om het verkleinen van het verschil in inkomenszekerheid tussen ondernemers en werknemers.

Armoede onder zelfstandige ondernemers

Vroonhof, drs.P.J.M. | Folkeringa, drs.M. — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 00:12:00 +0100

Het doel van dit rapport is om met behulp van bestaande databronnen een meer volledig beeld te verschaffen van de omvang van de armoede onder zelfstandige ondernemers in algemene zin. Onderzoek naar armoede is voornamelijk gericht op de inkomenspositie, maar dit is zeker voor zelfstandigen een te beperkte invalshoek. Behalve naar de incidentie van een laag inkomen bij zelfstandigen wordt gekeken naar een tweetal aanvullende indicatoren, namelijk de ontwikkeling van het inkomen over meerdere jaren (om de duur van armoede vast te stellen) en de vermogenspositie. In aanvulling hierop wordt, voorzover mogelijk, nagegaan in hoeverre armoede het ondernemerschap negatief beïnvloedt.

Patterns of innovatin networking in Dutch small firms

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Hulsink, dr.W.F. — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0100

Small firms may rely on a variety of network partners, and in various roles, to identify and exploit opportunities for innovation. This paper adds to the literature on innovation networking by developing a typology at the level of innovation objects, rather than at the firm or industry level.
 

The effect of entrepreneurship on national economic growth: An empirical analysis using the GEM data base

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Carree, prof. dr.M. — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 00:01:00 +0100

The increased importance of knowledge as a source of competitiveness for modern economies suggests that the organization of industries most conducive to innovative activity and unrestrained competition will be linked to higher growth rates. Entrepreneurial activity is generally assumed to be an important aspect of this organization. In the present paper we investigate whether a new and promising concept, Total Entrepreneurial Activity, influences GDP growth for 36 countries in a recent period. We will also test whether this influence depends upon the level of economic development measured as GDP per capita.

Un update of this report is made on Januari 2005 (N200419)

The effect of entrepreneurial activity on national economic growth

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Carree, prof. dr.M. — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:01:00 +0100

Entrepreneurial activity is generally assumed to be an important aspect of the organization of industries most conducive to innovative activity and unrestrained competition. This paper investigates whether total entrepreneurial activity influences GDP growth for a sample of 36 countries. We test whether this influence depends on the level of economic development measured as GDP per capita. Adjustment is made for a range of alternative explanations for achieving economic growth by incorporating the Growth Competitiveness Index. We find that entrepreneurial activity by nascent entrepreneurs and owner/managers of young businesses affects economic growth, but that this effect depends upon the level of per capita income. This suggests that entrepreneurship plays a different role in countries in different stages of economic development.

Entrepreneurial exit and entrepreneurial engagement

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:06:00 +0100

Arguing that entrepreneurial exit is an indicator of accumulated entrepreneurial human capital (like ability and experience) we investigate whether such an exit in the recent past positively relates to posterior engagement in various stages of the entrepreneurial process (i.e. potential, intentional, nascent, young, and established entrepreneurship). We use individual-level data for 24 countries that participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor during the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 (some 350,000 observations).
Our findings indeed show that recent exit experience decreases the probability of undertaking no entrepreneurial activity, and that it increases the probabilities of being a potential or an intentional entrepreneur. We also investigate under what conditions recent exit increases engagement in entrepreneurial activities. Most important factors that influence entrepreneurial (re-)engagement are gender, fear of failure and knowing an entrepreneur, while educational attainment does not seem to be relevant. Also, some interesting country differences are found.

Early-stage entrepreneurial activity in the European Union: some issues and challenges

Bosma, falseN.S. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Hunt, S — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:03:00 +0100

In this paper the authors present the levels of Total early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) across 16 Member States of the European Union participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM - 2004 research 2). They also compare the average TEA rate for these 16 EU-countries participating in GEM with the average for some other OECD-countries, further referred to as 'Anglo'-countries: the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Next, they relate the striking differences in TEA across countries to underlying cultural and institutional differences. And also they examine some other current issues associated with entrepreneurial activity in Europe, such as ageing of the population, and technology-based start-ups.

Zipf's Law in Economics

Wit, dr.G.de — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 00:04:00 +0100

Many empirical size distributions in economics and elsewhere follow Zipf?s law. Starting from the Gibrat assumption, it is essential to add a second as-sumption to explain this phenomenon.

Intrapreneurship - An international study

Bosma, falseN.S. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Stam, E — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0100

This paper presents the results of a novel international study of intrapreneurship ( i.e., employees developing new business activities for their employer), carried out in eleven countries in the framework of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. At the individual level, it is found that intrapreneurs are much more likely to have intentions to start a new independent business than other employees. However, at the macro level the study finds a negative correlation between intrapreneurship and independent entrepreneurship. One explanation for these contrasting outcomes is a diverging effect of per capita income on intrapreneurship (positive effect) and early-stage entrepreneurial activity (negative effect).

The entrepreneurial ladder and its determinants

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I | Zwan, drs.P.W.van der — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 00:11:00 +0100

We test a new model where the entrepreneurial decision is described as a process of successive engagement levels, i.e., as an entrepreneurial ladder. Five levels are distinguished using nearly 12,000 observations from the 2004 'Flash Eurobarometer survey on Entrepreneurship' covering the 25 European Union member states and the United States. The most surprising of the many results is that perception of lack of financial support is no obstacle for moving to a higher entrepreneurial engagement level whereas perceived administrative complexity is a significant obstacle. We also show that the effect of age on the probability of moving forward in the entrepreneurial process becomes negative after a certain age implying that if entrepreneurial engagements are not taken early enough in life they may well never be taken.

Institutions and Entrepreneurship: The Role of The Rule of Law

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Storey, prof.D.J. | Hartog, MScC.M. — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0100

This paper examines variations in entrepreneurship across twenty developed countries, using three measures of entrepreneurship which we broadly describe as prestart, early-stage and established enterprises. It then links these measures to the economic institutional framework, holding constant a range of other factors. Two groups of conclusions emerge. The first is that the factors that influence pre-start, early-stage and established enterprises differ often quite sharply. Second, our results broadly confirm earlier work suggesting that social security entitlements, taxes, and employment protection legislation are negatively associated with (different forms of) entrepreneurial activity. However, our novel finding is that countries with a "better" rule of law have lower entrepreneurship. We explain this apparently counter-intuitive finding by arguing that in developed economies the benefits of the rule of law accrue primarily to large enterprises.

Why are some firms more internationally committed thand others? The role of knowledge, firm development stage, and optimism

Bosma, falseN.S. | Clercq, dr.D.De — Wed, 19 May 2004 00:05:00 +0100

In this study we use a unique data set to examine factors related to international commitment of owner-managed firms. We draw on different streams of research such as the knowledge-based view, the stage theory of internationalization and the new venture theory of internationalization to study firms involvement in foreign markets. Our results suggest that knowledge-based resources embedded in the management team and the firms attitude towards innovation increase international commitment. Further, consistent with the stage theory of internationalization, we find that firms demonstrate a pattern of steadily increasing foreign commitment. However, this latter finding was obtained only after taking into account the firms optimism in terms of future growth. Optimism among start-ups therefore may obscure the relationship between firm development stage on the one hand and international commitment on the other.

Geographical distance of innovation collaborations

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Freel, falseM.S. — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:02:00 +0100

This paper explores the geographical distance of innovation collaborations in high tech small firms. We test if absorptive capacity is a key determinant. Drawing on survey data from a sample of 316 Dutch high-tech small firms, engaging in 1.245 collaborations, we find most partners to be ‘local’. However, controlling for a variety of potential influences, higher R&D expenditure is positively related to collaboration with more distant organisations.

Commitment or Control? Human Resource Management Practices in Female and Male-Led Businesses

Verheul, dr.I. — Tue, 15 Jun 2004 00:06:00 +0100

This paper investigates the extent to which HRM differs between female- and male-led businesses. Business profile factors, including firm size, age, sector, strategy and time invested in the business, are taken into account (that is, controlled for). A Control-Commitment Continuum consisting of several HRM dimensions is proposed. To test to what extent HRM systems and 'specific' practices in female- and male-led businesses differ, with respect to commitment-orientation, use is made of a panel of approximately 2,000 Dutch entrepreneurs. Contrary to what is generally believed, we find that HRM in female-led firms appears more control-oriented than in male-led firms.

Pilot Voorspelmodellen: de prijs van synthetisch rubber

Peeters, drs.H.H.M. | Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. — Wed, 21 Apr 2004 00:04:00 +0100

Post-Materialism: A Cultural Factor influencing Total Entrepreneurial Activity across Nations

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. — Tue, 03 Feb 2004 00:02:00 +0100

The study of predictors of entrepreneurial activity at the country level has been dominated by economic influences. However, the relative stability of differences in entrepreneurial activity across countries suggests that other forces such as institutional and/or cultural factors are at play. The objective of this paper is to explore more specifically how post-materialism may help to explain differences in total entrepreneurial activity across countries. Data from 28 countries, world-wide, are used to test the hypotheses, based on intersecting data available from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, World Values Survey and other published sources. Findings confirm the significance of post-materialism in predicting total entrepreneurial activity even when controlling for these other factors.

IO table containing industries and size-classes; functional design document

Kwaak, drs.A. — Fri, 06 Sep 2002 00:09:00 +0100

One of the data-inputs for simulations of EIM's PRISMA-model is the input output (IO) table for the base-year of the simulation. PRISMA is an economic macro-sector model designed to produce results on SMEs in the Netherlands consistent with those produced by the current macro-sector model of CPB, Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. PRISMA is used for forecasting, scenario building and what-if analyses with respect to government policies and exogenous shocks. Its time horizon is 3-25 years. At present, the Dutch statistical institute does not publish an IO-table that simultaneously distinguishes firms by sector and firm size. As such a distinction is required for PRISMA it should be constructed separately. This paper presents the design of the table.

Linking Business Ownership and Perceived Administrative Complexity: An Empirical Analysis of 18 OECD Countries

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Stunnenberg, drs.V. — Tue, 06 Jul 2004 00:07:00 +0100

Administrative burdens are known to be a major business constraint for incumbent SMEs in modern economies. Far less is known about the influence of these burdens on the startup of new firms. The current paper examines to what extent perceived administrative complexity related to starting a new business influences the number of business owners across 18 OECD countries. We test this relationship combining data on business ownership from EIM's COMPENDIA data base and data on perceived administrative complexity from the Eurobarometer public opinion surveys coordinated by the European Commission. Our results suggest that perceived administrative complexity has a negative impact on the level of business ownership. However, the effect is not immediate but rather seems to emerge in the long run.

Transforming an idea into a strategic decision in SMEs

Hoesel, prof. dr.P.H.M.van | Gibcus, drs.P. — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 00:04:00 +0100

Entrepreneurs in small and medium sized firms (SMEs) are dynamic when it comes to decision-making. 65% of the interviewed entrepreneurs in our sample took an important decision in the last three years or will take an important decision in the near future. In this report we investigated the stages and crucial moments in the decision-making process of SMEs. By means of two extensive pilot studies we developed a model, distinguishing three stages and two moments in the decision-making process.

Samen naar een concurrerend business model

Meijaard, dr.J. | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Thu, 29 Apr 2004 00:04:00 +0100

Deze studie omvat een trendverkenning naar de belangrijkste ontwikkelingen voor kleine bedrijven in het MKB en naar de manier waarop deze ontwikkelingen de succesvolle bedrijfsmodellen van deze ondernemingen bepalen. Samenwerking wordt voor veel kleine bedrijven een steeds belangrijker onderdeel van de bedrijfsvoering. De ondernemer moet niet meer alleen ondernemen, maar vooral ook zijn relaties beheren, zijn systemen op orde houden en zijn kennis en vaardigheden durven delen. Om op termijn winstgevend te zijn, kunnen de  meeste bedrijven het zich niet meer permitteren om onafhankelijk van andere bedrijven de eigen klanten te blijven bedienen.

How can leaders trigger bottom-up innovation?

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de — Mon, 14 Jun 2004 00:06:00 +0100

The current study explores what particular leader behaviour enhances the innovative behaviour of employees. Last year we made an extensive literature review. We also performed a number of in-depth interviews with managers and entrepreneurs to explore if and how they stimulate innovative behaviour (see De Jong & Den Hartog, 2003). This resulted in an inventory of thirteen types of leader behaviour that may affect employees suggestions and implementation efforts. We also identified some control variables that are likely to affect whether employees generate and implement ideas, including an innovative workclimate and having frequent external contacts.

Institutionele voorwaarden voor zelfstandig ondernemerschap

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Suddle, drs.K — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0100

Dit rapport beoogt een oriënterend overzicht te verschaffen van de tot nu toe verschenen empirische literatuur op het gebied van overheidsbeleid met
betrekking tot nieuw ondernemerschap. Aan de hand van deze studie kan dan vastgesteld worden in hoeverre er kennis beschikbaar is over de effecten
van het voor bedrijfsoprichtingen relevante beleid. Tevens geeft dit aanwijzingen naar welke beleidsonderwerpen onderzoek gedaan dient te worden in de toekomst.

Academic entrepreneurship : a source of competitive advantage

et, ... — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 00:09:00 +0100

This report is the result of a cooperation between EIM, Erasmus University and Indiana University. The study has largely been executed by students of the assocation 'Le Manageur' under supervision of the above institutions. The study evaluates university spin-offs in the transfer of  technology from universities into society and provides a comparative case study of spin-off  stimulation. The study concludes that governments that would like to tackle problems in knowledge transfer between firms and public institutions should encourage knowledge institutions to adopt a more proactive stance towards commercialization and cooperation. Stimulating an entrepreneurial spirit and knowledge spin-offs in public research and educational institutions can help overcome many of the problems in knowledge transfer. This research shows that spin-offs are a good supplement to existing transfer mechanisms such as licensing and contract research. University spin-offs are a good way to transfer radical and incremental technologies to society. This form of technology transfer does require a strong supporting infrastructure and sufficient entrepreneurial human capital.

Allocation and productivity of time in new ventures of female and male entrepreneurs

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. | Carree, prof. dr.M. — Fri, 01 Oct 2004 00:10:00 +0100

The present study investigates the factors explaining the number of hours invested in new ventures of female and male entrepreneurs. For new ventures in particular time investment is an important issue, in particular as series of (usually) new and non-recurrent activities is undertaken, laying the foundation of the firm and securing its viability. A distinction is made between factors that influence the number of working hours through preferences or productivity. To test for influences on allocation and the productivity of work time a nonlinear model is proposed that is tested using data of 1256 Dutch business owners (919 male and 337 female) who started a business in 1994. Findings indicate that time invested in the business is determined by various aspects of human, financial and social capital, availability of other income, outsourcing activities and gender. It is shown that some of the identified factors relate to preferences and others to productivity. Women appear to invest less time in the business than men, which is due to an on average lower productivity of work time. This lower productivity can - in turn - be attributed to lower amounts of human, socialm and financial capital of female entrepreneurs, as well as specific ambitions or goals, not directly related to economic performance.

The effect of EU enlargement on the internationalisation of SMEs in the European Union; a Dutch perspective

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:10:00 +0100

This study focuses on current internationalisation and future international commitment of SMEs from the 'old' Member States in the new EU Member States. The results reveal that firms demonstrate a pattern of gradually increasing commitment in the new EU countries. Current experience with international activities in the region seems to be a key influence encouraging SMEs to be more involved in this region. The effect only slightly weakens if we take the positive link between human capital of the business owner into account.

Creative Destruction and Regional Competitiveness

Bosma, falseN.S. | Stam, E | Schutjens, dr.V.A.J.m — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0100

New firms stimulate competitiveness via market selection and competitive pressures, by forcing less efficient incumbents to exit or to improve their productivity. This way, both the creation and destruction of firms (turbulence) may improve competitiveness. In this paper the effect of turbulence on regional competitiveness (measured as total factor productivity and employment growth) is analysed in 40 regions in the Netherlands over the period 1988-2002. Our analyses suggest that turbulence leads to productivity growth in services but not so in manufacturing. Employment growth appears to benefit from firm dynamics in manufacturing.

Onderzoek naar en onderwijs in innovatie: wat leren onze studenten?

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Vermeulen, P.A.M. — Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:12:00 +0100

In dit artikel staan twee zaken centraal. Ten eerste presenteren we een overzicht van de innovatieliteratuur. De theorie over innovatie is omvangrijk en divers, waardoor het voor degenen die nieuw zijn in het veld moeilijk is te doorgronden welke informatie relevant is voor de eigen situatie. Ten tweede maken we een inventarisatie van innovatiecursussen die in het collegejaar 2003/2004 aan Nederlandse universiteiten werden gegeven. Hieruit wordt duidelijk welke 'witte vlekken' er zijn en of de kennisoverdracht over innovatie vanuit het onderwijs voor verbetering vatbaar is.

Strategic Decision-Making in Small Firms: Towards a Typology of Entrepreneurial Decision-Makers

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Gibcus, drs.P. | Vermeulen, P.A.M. — Wed, 10 Nov 2004 00:11:00 +0100

Most changes in firms take place after a decision has been made. Obviously small firms are no exception to this, but how this decision-making process looks like is still an uncharted area of research. There are many studies that focus on the decision-making process of large firms, but only a few pay attention to small firms. The underlying quantitative study investigated the decision-making process in SMEs. Drawing upon a database of 646 firms across eight industries, this paper develops a typology of decision-makers in small firms.

COMPENDIA: Harmonizing business ownership data across countries and over time

Stel, dr.A. J.van — Thu, 07 Oct 2004 00:10:00 +0100

This paper presents a harmonized data set over the period 1972-2002, containing two-yearly data on the number of non-agricultural business owners and the size of the labour force for 23 OECD countries, as well as the quotient of these two variables which is called the business ownership rate of a country. The data set is called COMPENDIA, which means COMParative ENtrepreneurship Data for International Analysis. It has been constructed by EIM Business and Policy Research, using OECD statistics (in particular OECD Labour Force Statistics) as well as other relevant sources. We make an attempt to make business ownership rates comparable across countries and over time. This is not straightforward as different countries measure business ownership or self-employment in different ways. The definition used in COMPENDIA includes both the unincorporated and the incorporated self-employed. This paper describes the methodology used for constructing the COMPENDIA data base. It also presents the business ownership rates for the 23 countries. Special attention is paid to the United States. This country alone accounts for about 30% of all self-employed reported in the COMPENDIA data set.

Perception of competition : A measurement of competition from the perspective of the firm

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Hanemaaijer, J.J. — Tue, 09 Nov 2004 00:11:00 +0100

In this report, we study competition from a cognitive psychology, marketing and strategic management perspective and hope to contribute to the notion of competition and competitive processes. In addition, we propose a new method to measure competition that is based on these more psychological insights.  

Aantallen ondernemers en ondernemingen

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Diephuis, drs.B. J. — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 00:12:00 +0100

In dit rapport zien we dat de begrippen ondernemer en onderneming niet inwisselbaar zijn en dat niveaus en ontwikkelingen van aantallen ondernemers en ondernemingen verschillen per databron en per gekozen definitie. De verschillende definities worden in dit rapport besproken en de verschillende databronnen worden in kaart gebracht. Daarnaast wordt, door de ondernemers- en ondernemingenstatistieken naast elkaar te leggen, onderzocht in hoeverre het gemiddelde aantal ondernemers per onderneming de laatste jaren veranderd is.

The relationship between entrepreneurship and economic development: is it U-shaped?

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:04:00 +0100

Following a centuries-long decline in the rate of self-employment, a discontinuity in this downward trend is observed for many advanced economies starting in the 1970s and 1980s. In some countries the rate of self-employment appears to increase. At the same time, cross-sectional analysis shows a U-shaped relationship between start-up rates of enterprise and levels of economic development. We provide an overview of the empirical evidence concerning the relationship between independent entrepreneurship, also known as self-employment or business ownership, and economic development. We argue that the reemergence of independent entrepreneurship is based on at least two ‘revolutions’. If we distinguish between solo selfemployed at the lower end of the entrepreneurship spectrum, and ambitious and/or innovative entrepreneurs at the upper end, many advanced economies show a revival at both extremes. Policymakers in advanced economies should be aware of both revolutions and tailor their policies accordingly.
 

Organizational structure and performance in Dutch small firms

Mosselman, drs.M. | Meijaard, dr.J. | Brand, dr.M. J. — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:01:00 +0100

The relationship between organizational structure and performance in small firms has received relatively limited attention over the last few decades. In understanding small firm performance this seems to be a serious omission. In this paper, we first present the rationale for including organizational structure in the analysis of small firm performance. Then, from the literature on organizational theory, we retrieve several dimensions that may be postulated to describe organizational structures of small firms. Based on the study of a stratified sample of 1411 Dutch small firms we show that nine structure stereotypes can be delineated. We further investigate the relevance of the empirical taxonomy by looking at the relationship with firm performance in terms of sales growth, profitability and innovativeness. Eventually, we conclude that organizational structure indeed matters and that it deserves to be taken into account in models and future analysis of small firm performance.

Firm Size Distributions

Wit, dr.G.de — Fri, 31 Oct 2003 00:10:00 +0100

The static firm size distributions that we observe in practice are the cumulated result of underlying firm dynamics involving entry of new firms and growth, decline, and exits of incumbent firms. This paper gives an overview of firm size distributions that result as steady states from models differing in the way these firm dynamics are modelled. In the process we (i) propose new functional forms to describe firm size distributions, (ii) give insight in the interrelationships between the distributions in terms of underlying firm dynamics, (iii) give possible firm dynamical interpretations of the parameters of the distributions, and (iv) analyse to which extent the steady-state approach is able to explain the shape of firm size distributions that are encountered in practice. In 2004 an improved version of this report with the title "Firm Size Distributions : An overview of steady-state distributions resulting from firm dynamics models (N200418) was published.

Can firm age account for productivity differences?

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Brouwer, drs.P. | Fris, drs.P. — Tue, 25 Jan 2005 00:01:00 +0100

The productivity of enterprises is an important indicator, for individual enterprises as well as for policy makers. For individual firms, their productivity is a main determinant of their performance, while the aggregate productivity is one of the main determinants of economic growth. In this study we examine the relationship between the age of firms and the level and growth rate of productivity, focusing on firms of at least 10 years of age. For these firms, we will examine the following two research questions: How does the distribution of firm productivity (as characterised by mean and standard deviation) change over age cohorts? To which extent are differences in productivity between individual firms related to firm age?

Social security etitlements and early-stage entrepreneurial activity; an empirical analysis

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Brouwer, drs.P. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:03:00 +0100

This exploratory study focuses on the relation between social security entitlements and the rate of early-stage entrepreneurial activity at the country level. Using a sample of countries participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, we explore how various measures of entrepreneurial activity are related to 'replacement rates' in case of unemployment and illness/disability. The results of our empirical study indicate that social security entitlements of employees have a significant negative influence on the level of early-stage entrepreneurship at the macro level. However, the results of our study do not support the hypothesis that the relative level of social security benefits for self-employed, compared to that for employees, has an additional impact on entrepreneurial activity.

Scale effects in HRM Research

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Smolders, M | Compeer, N — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:03:00 +0100

The lack of scientific attention for HRM within SMEs can be seen as a scale effect in HRM research. In addition, two more scale effects can be identified: scale effects in the actual management of human resources and scale effects in the impact of HRM practices. This paper discusses these three scale effects, in order to answer the following research questions:

− Does the return on HRM investments depend on firm size?

− Why do small firms pay less attention to HRM than larger firms do?

− Why has HRM research tended to ignore small and medium-sized enterprises?

Does Self-Employment Reduce Unemployment?

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 00:04:00 +0100

This paper investigates the dynamic interrelationship between self-employment and unemployment rates. On the one hand, unemployment rates may stimulate start-up activity of self-employed. On the other hand, higher rates of self-employment may indicate increased entrepreneurial activity reducing unemployment in subsequent periods. These two effects have resulted in considerable ambiguities about the interrelationship between unemployment and entrepreneurial activity. This paper introduces a two-equation vector autoregression model capable of reconciling these ambiguities and tests it for data of 23 OECD countries over the period 1974-2002. The empirical results confirm the two distinct relationships between unemployment and self-employment, i.e. 'refugee' and 'entrepreneurial' effects. We also find that the 'entrepreneurial' effects are considerably stronger than the 'refugee' effects.

An updated version of this paper has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing in 2008 (Volume 23, Issue 6, pp. 673-686).

Kosten van inhoudelijke verplichtingen voor het bedrijfsleven

Thu, 12 May 2005 00:05:00 +0100

In dit rapport wordt verslag gedaan van het onderzoek dat EIM, in opdracht van het Minsiterie van Economische Zaken, heeft verricht naar de mogelijkheden om de inhoudelijke nalevingskosten van het bedrijfsleven te meten. Dit onderzoek is begeleid door een breed samengestelde klankbordgroep waarin vertegenwoordig zijn de centrale ondernemersorganisaties MKB-Nederland en VNO-NCW, alsmede de meest betrokken departementen. Het onderzoek heeft plaats gevonden in de periode oktober 2004 - januari 2005.

Van defensief MKB-beleid naar offensief ondernemerschapsbeleid

Kuiper, MSc BAA.A.B.H. — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:04:00 +0100

De sociaal-economische politiek in de twintigste eeuw bestond o.a. uit intermediëren tussen werkgevers, werknemers en het publieke belang. Via de privaatrechtelijke bedrijfsorganisaties en werkgeversorganisaties werden de belangen van het midden- en kleinbedrijf behartigd vis-à-vis het grootbedrijf en ongekwalificeerde starters; onder andere in de Grote Depressie met de invoering van de vestigingswetgeving. Dit defensieve beleid leidde tot een wirwar van instituties, het zogenaamde MKB-instrumentarium, dat de beleidsmakers en politiek verantwoordelijken begin jaren '80 steeds minder effectief en efficiënt leek. Onder invloed van het idee van het belang van ondernemerschap (naast arbeid en kapitaal), en een algehele professionalisering van het overheidsapparaat gericht op meer efficiënte vond eind jaren '80 een omslag plaats in de benadering van het MKB-beleid-deïnstitutionalisering leidde tot offensief MKB-beleid. Dit onderzoeksrapport reconstrueert de totstandkoming van deze omslag en brengt de belangrijkste spelers en beleidsmatige veranderingen in kaart.
 

Explaining Preferences and Actual Involvement in Self-Employment: New Insights into the role of Gender

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:04:00 +0100

This paper investigates why women’s self-employment rates are consistently lower than
those of men. It has three focal points. It discriminates between the preference for self-employment and actual involvement in self-employment using a two (probit) equation model. It makes a systematic distinction between different ways in which gender influences the preference for and actual involvement in self-employment (mediation and moderation). It includes perceived ability as a potential driver of self-employment next to risk attitude, self-employed parents and other sociodemographic drivers. A representative data set of more than 8,000 individuals from 29 countries (25 EU member states, US, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) is used (the 2004 Flash Eurobarometer survey). The findings show that women’s lower preference for becoming self-employed plays an important role in explaining their lower involvement in self-employment and that a gender effect remains that may point at gender-based obstacles to entrepreneurship.

Product introduction by SMEs

Graaff, ir.C.C.van de — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 00:08:00 +0100

In recent years a great deal of research has been carried out on the subject of product introductions. However, there has been little research on product introductions by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Current theory on product introductions might thus not be fully applicable to SMEs. This report therefore aims to answer the question: 'Does the way product introductions are handled by SMEs differ from the way product introductions are described in literature?'  We find that there are indeed differences, though these are mainly differences in level of detail and focus.

New Firm Performance: Does the Age of Founders Affect Employment Creation?

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Verheul, dr.I. | Ichou, falseA — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:05:00 +0100

The ageing population increasingly becomes a challenge for policy makers. Given the expected changes in the age decomposition of the workforce, it becomes more pressing to understand the nature of the relationship between age and entrepreneurship. More specifically: what are the consequences of an ageing (entrepreneurial) population on entrepreneurial performance? 

A recent study by EIM investigates the effect of the age of the entrepreneur at start-up on the size of newly started firms. A distinction is made between the decision of entrepreneurs whether or not to become an employer, and the decision of employers to hire a certain number of employees. To examine to which extent age has a direct and/or indirect effect on these two decision, a sample of 849 new firms has been used that survived the first three years after start-up. 

A first conclusion of the empirical analysis is that it is important to make the distinction between the two decisions: the decision of entrepreneurs whether or not to become an employer depends on other factors than the decision of employers regarding the number of employees. A second conclusion is that age has a negative relationship with the outcome of both decisions, but that these relationships are completely mediated by the mediating variables included in the study. Entrepreneurs who start at older age are less likely to work fulltime in their new venture, are less willing to take risks and have a lower perception of their entrepreneurial skills. Each of these factors has, in turn, a positive impact on the probability of employing personnel. For the number of employees a negative indirect effect of age exists, through the effect of age on the perception of entrepreneurial skills.
 

Strategic Decision-Making in Small Firms: Towards a Taxonomy of Entrepreneurial Decision-Makers

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Gibcus, drs.P. | Vermeulen, P.A.M. — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

Most changes in firms take place after a decision has been made. Despite that small firms are no exception to this, previous research into decision-making processes have left this subject uncharted. There are many studies with a focus on the decision-making process by managers in large firms, but only a few have paid attention to entrepreneurs in small businesses. The current study empirically investigated and identifies different types of entrepreneurial decision-makers. Drawing on a database of 646 entrepreneurs, five types of decision-makers are distinguished: Dare Devils, Lone Rangers, Doubtful Minds, Informers? Friends and Busy Bees. Implications for future research are discussed.

From nascent to actual entrepreneurship: the effect of entry barriers

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

This exploratory study focuses on the convention from nascent to actual entrepreneurship and the role of entry barriers in this process. Evidence is found for a strong conversion from nascent to actual entrepreneurship. Also positive effects are found on entrepreneurial activity rates of labour flexibility and tertiary enrollment and a negative effect of social expenditure.

Do entry barriers, perceived by SMEs, affect real antry? Some evidence from the Netherlands

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Dijkstra, drs.S.G. | Lutz, dr.C. — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

The objective of this paper is to analyse the relationship between perceived entry barriers and real entry. Real entry rates are interpreted as an indicator for the dynamics in an industry. The major hypothesis of this paper is that important entry barriers restrict new entry. Real entry rates are provided by a starter ratio for different industrial sectors and provinces in the Netherlands.

Explaining female and male entrepreneurship at the country level

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

Using Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data for 29 countries this study investigates the (differential) impact of several factors on female and male entrepreneurship at the country level. These factors are derived from three streams of literature, including that on entrepreneurship in general, on female labor force participation and on female entrepreneurship. The paper deals with the methodological aspects of investigating (female) entrepreneurship by distinguishing between two measures of female entrepreneurship: the number of female entrepreneurs and the share of women in the total number of entrepreneurs.

This is an updated version of Scales Papers N200304 and N200403.

Explaining the entrepreneurial activity rate of women: A macro-level perspective

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:08:00 +0100

This study explains female entrepreneurship from a country perspective. Explanatory variables are derived from three streams of literature, including that on the determinants of entrepreneurship, female labour-force participation, and female entrepreneurship. To test the theoretical relationships, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data have been used, including total entrepreneurial activity rates for women and men for 2002, as well as a range of economic and institutional variables from standardised national statistics for 37 countries. We found that the factors determining female and male entrepreneurship at the macro-level are fairly similar.

An updated version of this ScalesPaper can be found under number N200510.

The link between family orientation, strategy and innovation in Dutch SMEs: a longitudinal study

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. | Tan, drs.S.Y.G.L. — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

This study aimed at identifying some of the factors determining innovation performance in the SME. Based on a sample of 388 Dutch SME's, hypotheses were tested in particular regarding the main effects of strategy, and the direct and indirect efects of family orientation on firm performance. The results clearly support a relationship between different components of strategy and strategic process and innovation performance, even on a longitudinal basis of up to four years. 

Social security arrangements and early-stage entrepreneurial activity; an empirical analysis

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Brouwer, drs.P. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

This exploratory study focuses on the relation between social security arrangements and the rate of early-stage entrepreneurial activity at the country level. Using a sample of countries participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, we explore how various measures of entrepreneurial activity are related to various measures of social security arrangements. On the one hand we look at aggregate indicators such as the social security contributions or premiums paid by employers and employees. On the other hand we look at micro level based indicators such as 'replacement rates', measuring the benefits an individual is entitled to in case of unemployment or illness/disability. Our analysis using aggregate indicators shows that the height of employer premiums negatively influences entrepreneurial activity at the macro level, but that the height of employee premiums has no impact. The results of our analysis using micro level based indicators suggest that the replacement rate of employees has a significantly negative influence on the level of early-stage entrepreneurship at the macro level.

PRISMA-K: een bedrijfstakkenmodel voor de korte termijn

Kwaak, drs.A. | Tan, drs.S.Y.G.L. — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

Sinds 2004 publiceert het CPB niet langer bedrijfstakspecifieke korte termijn prognoses meer. Om toch in staat te zijn prognoses voor het MKB op te stellen, heeft EIM een eigen model voor de korte termijn sectorontwikkeling gemaakt. Dit model neemt de macro-economische ontwikkeling - zoals bijvoorbeeld door CPB geraamd - als gegeven, en produceert een consistent bedrijfstakkenbeeld daarbij. In dit document wordt de huidige versie (november 2005) van PRISMA-K inhoudelijk gedocumenteerd.

Entrepreneurial Culture as Determinant of Nascent Entrepreneurship

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Suddle, drs.K | Beugelsdijk, S. — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:02:00 +0100

This paper develops indicators for entrepreneurial culture and investigates their effect on the rate of nascent entrepreneurship. We choose three measures from the World Value Survey. These include two desired job characteristics, i.e. the opportunity to use initiative and the possibility to achieve something, as well as an indicator of internal locus of control as our indicators for entrepreneurial culture. Controlling for economic, institutional and demographic determinants of nascent entrepreneurship we find a positive and significant relationship between entrepreneurial culture and nascent entrepreneurship.

An Ambition to Grow

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Hakkert, dr.R. — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 00:06:00 +0100

This report tries to gain insight in the willingness or ambition to grow of a small business owner. The main question of this report is therefore: Which factors influence the ambition to grow a business? To examine the ambition to grow an economic and a psychological perspective is given in this study.

Exploring the informal capital market in the Netherlands: characteristics, mismatches and causes

Parastuty, drs.Z. — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 00:06:00 +0100

This study analyses the Dutch informal capital market by using perspectives from finance theory and agency theory. Matched data are collected from informal investors and innovative entrepreneurs. The first chapter of this shortened version outlines the potential imperfections of the Dutch informal capital market. The second chapter discusses the empirical results. The third chapter summarizes the results and draws conclusions.

Explaining engagement levels of opportunity and necessity entrepreneurs

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I | Bhola, drs.R. — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:09:00 +0100

This paper investigates differences between opportunity and necessity entrepreneurs in terms of socio-demographics, attitudes and perception of 'obstacles'. We use the 2004 Flash Eurobarometer Survey data. Explanatory variables include gender, age, education level and self-employed parents, risk tolerance, locus of control, perceptions of four 'obstacles' and country effects. The 'obstacle' variables include the perception of availibility of financial support; administrative complexity; of access to information on new venture creation and an unfavorable economic climate. Using probit equations we investigate differences in the preference for self-employment of opportunity and necessity entrepreneurs. A probit equation is estimated relating the explanatory variables to opportunity versus necessity entrepreneurship. Moreover, differences in the entrepreneurial engagement of opportunity and necessity entrepreneurs are investigated on the basis of a (ordered) multinomial logit model. Findings indicate that opportunity entrepreneurs have a higher preference for self-employment because of family encouragement. Also, opportunity entrepreneurs are found to perceive of administrative complexity and an unfavorable economic climate, negatively influencing their entrepreneurial involvement, while this is not the case for necessity entrepreneurs.

Science and technology-based regional entrepreneurship in the Netherlands:

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Suddle, drs.K | Hulsink, dr.W.F. — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:09:00 +0100

In this contribution we develop a theoretical framework derived from the national system of innovation literature and the subsequent criticisms voiced by regional scientists and industry/technology experts who emphasize the importance of the intermediate subnational and sectoral levels to analysing science- and technology-based regional entrepreneurship in the Netherlands. The national system of innovation of the Netherlands, and its specifics and peculiarities, and the country's general entrepreneurship policy, and the most important policy and support initiatives are subsequently discussed. Based on a desire to overcome the knowledge paradox between fundamental research and market needs and on the recognition that the Netherlands lags behind other countries when it comes to innovative entrepreneurship, various changes and initiatives were recently introduced in the Netherlands. The impresson is of an overambitious national government with numerous programmes, schemes and agencies involved, sometimes working with each other but at other times separately as well, and its effectiveness can be questioned. Serious paperwork and preparation is involved in the participation in most programes and, together with the complexity of these programmes and policies, small and young entrepreneurs are neither informed, ready or wellequipped; some of them are not even interested in participating in those schemes.

Entrepreneurial exit in real and imagined markets

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Stam, E | Zwan, drs.P.W.van der — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

Entrepreneurs exit their business due to selection pressures experienced in the market place, i.e. business failure. Next to this well known ex-post decision to exit, entrepreneurs select exantewhether they are willing to pursue an entrepreneurial career at all, or to give up theseentrepreneurial intentions. Hardly anything is known about the latter selection process in imagined markets that precedes the variety creation and selection process in real markets. This paper explores and explains the prevalence of these two selection processes using survey data on 20,000 individuals in 27 European countries and the US in 2007. We distinguish business failures from exit by sell-off. Results indicate that individuals in the US are less likely to exit imagined markets, and are more likely to have exited the real market (especially by selling their business) than Europeans. Individuals in a Corporatist welfare state regime have relatively high chances to exit imagined markets. Business owners in urban environments are more likely to fail, while individuals with a high risk tolerance, a high education and self-employed parents are less likely to exit in imagined as well as in real markets (via business failure). This study shows that exit in real and in imagined markets is differently affected by competition and institutions. These selection environments have differential effects on entrepreneurial aspirations and actions of individuals, and provide evidence for the dissimilar nature of exit in real and exit in imagined markets.

International Entrepreneurship: An Introduction, Framework and Research Agenda

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:12:00 +0100

This paper provides an introduction into the field of international entrepreneurship. A definition of international entrepreneurship and associated key concepts is given and the research domain of international entrepreneurship is described. A substantial part of the international entrepreneurship literature concentrates on the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and new ventures. Based on an analysis of the existing literature the current paper provides a framework for the study of antecedents and outcomes of SME and new venture internationalization and presents a number of avenues for future research.

Determinants and dimensions of firm growth

Wit, dr.G.de | Zhou, ir.H. — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:03:00 +0100

Firm growth is an important indicator of a thriving economy. Although the determinants of firm growth have been studied in various disciplines, an integrated analysis is still lacking. This paper attempts to provide such an analysis. Many determinants of firm growth are summarized and classified into three dimensions: individual, organizational, and environmental determinants. By conducting an empirical study using 523 Dutch small and medium sized firms, we identify the determinants of firm growth which is measured by employment growth. Our findings show that environmental determinants do not affect firm growth. Individual ones do: entrepreneurs with growth motivation and having technical knowledge are more likely to grow their firms while entrepreneurs characterized by a strong need of achievement are less likely to engage in firm growth. Organizational determinants have the most influence on firm growth: the older the
firm, the less likely it is to grow. Availability of financial capital is found to be crucial to firm growth. Finally, the firm’s scalability (its preparedness to grow) is found to have a positive impact on firm growth.

Whither a flat ladscape? Regional differences in Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands

Bosma, falseN.S. | Suddle, drs.K | Schutjens, dr.V.A.J.m — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:06:00 +0100

In this paper we contribute to the set of studies that focus on explanations of regional differences in entrepreneurship by taking into account the entrepreneurial processes at the individual level. We investigate entrepreneurial attitudes and entrepreneurial activity in three contrasting labour market regions in the Netherlands in two stages. In the first stage we extensively explore regional differences in entrepreneurial activity by looking at several types of entrepreneurs and phases in the entrepreneurial process. In the second stage we investigate to what extent the observed regional differences in perceptions to entrepreneurship and involvement in entrepreneurial activity change when controlling for determinants at the individual level. We find that the observed regional differences in levels of early-stage entrepreneurial activity can to large extent be explained by these individual characteristics. Furthermore we find the regional pattern of overall early-stage entrepreneurial activity to be different from the pattern of ambitious early-stage entrepreneurial activity.

The relationship between successor and planning characteristics and the success of business transfer in Dutch SMEs

Mon, 05 Sep 2005 00:09:00 +0100

This study examines the relationship between successor and planning characteristics and post-transfer profitability in small businesses. Planning (by means of a written plan) is found to positively relate to profitability, particularly for non-family-firms. This study suggests that certain variables, especially the use of outside advisors may have an opposite effect on profitability.

Entrepreneurial intentions subsequent to firm exit

Meijaard, dr.J. | Audretsch, prof.D.B. | Stam, E — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 00:09:00 +0100

While a large literature has emerged focusing on nascent entrepreneurship, the propensity for exentrepreneurs to consider re-entering into entrepreneurship, or what we term here as renascent entrepreneurship, has been generally overlooked. This paper suggests a different view of learning, where the entrepreneur can utilize her capacity to absorb and learn from the initial entrepreneurial experience, thereby augmenting her initial endowment of entrepreneurial skills.

The Impact of New Firm Formation on Regional Development in the Netherlands

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Suddle, drs.K — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 00:12:00 +0100

This paper examines the relationship between new firm formation and regional employment change in the Netherlands. Using a new regional data base for the period 1988-2002, we examine the time lags involved in the relationship. We also investigate whether the relationship differs by time period, by sector and by degree of urbanization. We find that the maximum effect of new businesses on regional development is reached after about six years. Our results also suggest that the overall employment impact of new-firm startups is positive but that the immediate employment effects may be small in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we find that the relation between new businesses and regional development has been stable during the period under investigation, that the employment impact of new firms is strongest in manufacturing industries and that the employment impact of new firms is stronger in areas with a higher degree of urbanization.

Start-ups as drivers of market mobility: An analysis at the region-sector level for the Netherlands

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Folkeringa, drs.M. | Koster, dr.S — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0100

We investigate the impact of start-up rates on a measure of competition among incumbent firms called market mobility. While recent literature suggests that competition among incumbent firms is caused by (lagged) start-up rates, this relation has not yet been tested using a direct measure of competition among these firms. In the present paper we estimate a regression model, at the region-sector level for the Netherlands, where the mobility rate is explained by (lagged) start-up rates and control variables. Using data for 40 regions and five sectors over the period 1993-2006 we find that the impact of start-ups on market mobility varies by sector. We find a strong positive relation between start-up rates and mobility rates for industry sectors (manufacturing and construction) but an insignificant relation for services sectors. These results suggest there are differences in the types of entry between sectors and in the roles start-ups play in different sectors.

PRISMA-K: een bedrijfstakkenmodel voor de korte termijn

Kwaak, drs.A. | Tan, drs.S.Y.G.L. — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:09:00 +0100

Sinds 2004 publiceert het CPB geen bedrijfstakspecifieke kortetermijnprognoses meer. Om toch in staat te zijn prognoses voor het MKB op te stellen, heeft EIM een eigen model voor de kortetermijnsectorontwikkeling gemaakt. PRISMA-K wordt in eerste instantie gebruikt bij de kortetermijnramingen 'Kleinschalig
Ondernemen' die EIM maakt. De elektronische publicatie Kleinschalig Ondernemen komt drie keer per jaar uit. Publicatie vindt op deze site plaats ('Kennissite MKB en Ondernemerschap').

PRISMA-R: modelmatige desaggregatie van bedrijfstakprognoses naar provincie

Kwaak, drs.A. — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:09:00 +0100

In het kader van het EZ-onderzoeksprogramma 'MKB en Ondernemerschap' produceert EIM onder meer prognoses van de economische ontwikkeling van klein-, midden- en grootbedrijf in een twintigtal bedrijfstakken van de Nederlandse economie. Voor een nadere desaggregatie naar provincies gebruikt EIM het model PRISMA-R. PRISMA-R zal worden gebruikt bij de kortetermijnramingen 'Kleinschalig Ondernemen' die EIM maakt. De elektronische publicatie Kleinschalig Ondernemen komt drie keer per jaar op deze site uit ('Kennissite MKB en Ondernemerschap'). In het voorjaar is er een uitgebreide versie waarin ook een regionale analyse wordt gepresenteerd. De voorjaarseditie verschijnt tevens in gedrukte vorm.

PRISMA-M: een bedrijfstakkenmodel voor de middellange termijn

Kwaak, drs.A. — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:09:00 +0100

Sinds 2004 publiceert het CPB niet langer bedrijfstakspecifieke middellangetermijnprognoses. Om toch in staat te zijn prognoses voor het MKB op te stellen, heeft EIM een eigen model voor de middellange termijn bedrijfstakontwikkeling gemaakt. Dit model neemt de macro-economische ontwikkeling - zoals bijvoorbeeld door het CPB geraamd - als gegeven, en produceert een consistent bedrijfstakkenbeeld daarbij. PRISMA-M maakt deel uit van de PRISMA-familie van modellen, die beogen macroeconomische scenario's nader te detailleren naar bedrijfstak, regio en/of grootteklasse. PRISMA-M kan dus worden gebruikt om op nationaal niveau
ramingen voor de ontwikkeling van het naar grootteklassen onderscheiden bedrijfsleven op te stellen (PRISMA-MKB). Eventueel kunnen de uitkomsten met PRISMA-R naar provincies worden gedetailleerd.

PRISMA-MKB: modelmatige desaggregatie van bedrijfstakprognoses naar grootteklasse

Kwaak, drs.A. — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:09:00 +0100

In het kader van het EZ-onderzoeksprogramma 'MKB en Ondernemerschap' produceert EIM onder meer prognoses van de economische ontwikkeling van klein-, midden- en grootbedrijf in een twintigtal bedrijfstakken van de Nederlandse economie. EIM gebruikt hiervoor het model PRISMA-MKB. PRISMA-MKB wordt in eerste instantie gebruikt bij de kortetermijnramingen 'Kleinschalig Ondernemen' die EIM maakt. De elektronische publikatie Kleinschalig Ondernemen komt drie keer per jaar uit. In het voorjaar is er een uitgebreide versie; in het najaar en rond de jaarwisseling komt EIM met geactualiseerde versies naar aanleiding van het meest recente cijfermateriaal van het CPB. Publicatie vindt op deze site plaats ('Kennissite MKB en Ondernemerschap'). De voorjaarseditie verschijnt tevens in gedrukte
vorm.

The effects of new firm formation on regional development over time: The case of Great Britain

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Storey, prof.D.J. | Mueller, dr.P. — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 00:11:00 +0100

This paper re-examines the link between new firm formation and subsequent employment growth. It investigates whether it is possible to have the 'wrong type of entrepreneurship' defined as new firm formation which leads to zero or even negative subsequent employment growth. It uses a very similar approach to that of Fritsch and Mueller (2004), confirming their findings that the employment impact of new firm formation is in three discrete phases. Then, using data for Great Britain, the paper shows the employment impact of new firm formation is significantly positive in England, but zero in Scotland where formation rates are much lower. It also shows that, in the low enterprise counties of GB, new firm formation has a negative effect on employment, implying that we find that the 'wrong type of entrepreneurship' is possible.

Is human resource management profitable for small firms?

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Hartog, prof. dr.D.den — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0100

The impact of high performance work systems on labour productivity and profit of small and medium sized enterprises.

Previous versions of this paper have been presented at the 2005 conference of the Dutch HRM Network on HRM and performance (held on 4 and 5 November of that year) and the invited workshop 'Entrepreneurship from the employee's perspective' at the Max Planck Institute of Economics in Jena (Februari 2006). The paper presented at the Mack Planck Institute has been published as EIM Scales Paper N200520.

The research presented in this paper focuses on the effectiveness of a high performance work system. This system is comprised of practices in the areas of extensiveness of staffing, performance based pay, pay level, job rotation, training and participation. In particular, this study focuses on the effects of such a system on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises. Results of our study, among small and medium size enterprises in the Netherlands, show that firms with such a system have higher labour productivity, are more innovative and generate higher profits.  These results suggest that high performance work systems are not only relevant in large corporations, but may also benefit small firms.

High Performance Work Systems, Performance and Innovativeness in Small Firms

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Hartog, prof. dr.D.den — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:03:00 +0100

The research presented in this paper focuses on the effectiveness of a high performance work system. This system is comprised of practices in the areas of extensiveness of staffing, performance based pay, pay level, job rotation, training and participation. In particular, this study focuses on the effects of such a system on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises. Results of our study, among small and medium size enterprises in the Netherlands, show that firms with such a system have higher labour productivity and are more innovative. However, no relationships are found with workforce turnover. These results suggest that high performance work systems are not only relevant in large corporations, but may also benefit small firms through a positive impact on performance and innovation.

A new version of this paper is published on 5 december 2006 as a research report, H200621: 'Is human resource management profitable for small firms?'

Determinants of self-employment preference and realisation of women and men in Europe and the United States

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Verheul, dr.I. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

This study has investigated the factors influencing the probability of women and men to be(come) self-employed. Starting from a lower self-employment preference combined with a lower self-employment prevalence rate for women, the present paper sets out to investigate the underlying mechanisms behind these gender differences, distinguishing between different ways in which gender can exert influence on selfemployment (preference). Findings show evidence of moderating and indirect effects of gender. An important finding is that the lower self-employment rate for women may largely be attributed to their lower self-employment preference.

An update version of the report is published on 5 dec. 2006: research paper H200622.
 

Inventarisatie determinanten van ondernemerschap

Vollebregt, J.A.C. | Fris, drs.P. — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:02:00 +0100

Dit betreft een inventariserend onderzoek naar de mogelijkheid om gestructureerde informatie over met name demografische, sociale, culturele en institutionele determinanten van ondernemerschap te verzamelen. Gekeken wordt naar de determinanten die van belang zijn met betrekking tot ondernemerschap en de brondatasets die er op dit gebied bestaan. Vervolgens wordt bekeken in hoeverre het wenselijk en mogelijk is om deze brondatasets om te zetten in één of meer gestructureerde meso datasets die via de kennissite kunnen worden ontsloten.

What Determines the Growth Ambition of Dutch Early-Stage Entrepreneurs?

Verheul, dr.I. | Mil, MSc.Lvan — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:09:00 +0100

This paper investigates the determinants of the ambition to grow among Dutch early-stage entrepreneurs (nascents and young business owners). We use Adult Population Survey data of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for the Netherlands. Merging cross-sectional data of the years 2002 to 2007, we arrive at a sample of 409 nascents and 336 young business owners. Growth ambition is measured by asking the respondent which statement fits him or her best: (1) I want my company to be as large as possible, or (2) I want a size I can manage myself or with a few key employees. We find that nascent entrepreneurs and young business owners are equally likely to strive after business growth. For nascent entrepreneurs we find that fear of failure and entrepreneurial self-efficacy are important factors explaining growth ambition. Starting a business because of perceiving and exploiting a business opportunity (as opposed to starting a business out of necessity) is an important driver of growth ambition for both nascents and young business owners, although it is more important for nascents.

High-Growth Support Initiatives

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Suddle, drs.K — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:03:00 +0100

New firms create new jobs. Many studies have shown that SMEs do play an important role in job creation. Others state that this role is overestimated due to the high job destruction rate among SMEs. Still, the net effect of new firms on employment creation can remain positive, especially when a there are fast growing firms among these new firms. In consequence, there has been increasing policy interest in new firm formation, and especially in highgrowth firms. However, even though governments worldwide are increasingly aware of the importance of high-growth entrepreneurship, it is difficult to design effective policies for this group, because this group experiences specific bottlenecks. In this report, we describe the available policy and support initiatives specifically aimed at supporting rapidly growing intrepreneurial firms in the Netherlands. These initiatives are directed at the various stages of the firm life cycle, especially the creation, start-up, early growth and stable growth. Furthermore, we also describe a number of high-growth support initiatives in other countries.

Family Orientation, Strategic Orientation and Innovation Performance in SMEs: A Test of Lagged Effects

Meijaard, dr.J. | Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. | Tan, drs.S.Y.G.L. — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:10:00 +0100

Past research suggests a negative effect of family orientation on innovation performance. However, many past studies have certain limitations that this study is designed to overcome. In particular,this study estimates lagged effects of family orientation on innovation performance while controlling for organization context variables and the mediating effect of strategic orientation. It also uses a multidimensional approach to measure family orientation while testing for common method bias. This study makes use of a sample of 343 Dutch small and medium size firms. Innovation performance, being the dependent variable, was collected in 2005. All independent variables, i.e. strategy, family orientation and context variables, are collected in previous time periods, with lags ranging between 3 and 4 years. Family orientation is measured according to five independent dimensions including family power, family culture,overlap of ownership and management and intentions to keep the firm in the family.

Entrepreneurial Culture and its Effect on the Rate of Nascent Entrepreneurship

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Suddle, drs.K | Beugelsdijk, S. — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

This paper investigates the relationship between entrepreneurial culture and the rate of nascent entrepreneurship. Embedded in trait research, we develop a new composite measure of entrepreneurial culture using data from the World Values Survey. To corroborate the results obtained when regressing this newly developed measure on 2002 levels of nascent entrepreneurship in a sample of 28 countries, we also employ existing indicators of entrepreneurial culture, i.e. McClelland’s N achievement index (1961), Granato, Inglehart and Leblang’s Achievement motivation index (1996), Lynn’s Competitiveness index (1991), and GLOBE’s (2004) performance orientation measure. In contrast with the existing measures we find a significant positive effect of our new measure of entrepreneurial culture, leading us to i) discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these existing measures, and ii) interpret the wider implications of our findings for the research into the role of entrepreneurial culture in explaining international differences in entrepreneurship rates.

Employment Growth of New Firms

Garnsey, dr. E. | Gibcus, drs.P. | Stam, E | Telussa, drs.J.M.J. — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

This paper provides an overview of empirical studies on employment growth in new firms and offers a systematic analysis of new empirical data to address the methodological issues identified. Using a longitudinal database of 354 firms over their first ten years, we examine factors associated with new firm growth in terms of R&D, inter-firm alliancing, new product development, and exporting; these are activities that have been identified as denoting dynamic capabilities. The empirical evidence gives some evidence for the positive association between dynamic capabilities and new firm growth. Inter-firm alliancing is the only indicator of dynamic capabilities that has a positive effect on new firm growth. No moderating effect on dynamic capabilities and growth could be seen to be exerted by the level of human capital and/or firm resources. Environmental dynamism – assumed to be highly relevant in the dynamic capability approach – is not revealed to be a moderating factor affecting the relationship between dynamic capabilities and new firm growth.

Entrepreneurship and innovation

Braaksma, drs.R.M. | Meijaard, dr.J. — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

This report provides an overview of recent facts and figures on start-ups in the Netherlands, techno start-ups in particular and the overall link between entrepreneurship and innovation.

Samen werken aan samenwerking

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:03:00 +0100

Op het gebied van horizontale samenwerking is er veel mogelijk qua vorm, intensiteit, werkterrein en juridische constructie, zowel in de agrosector als in het mkb. De vele mogelijkheden bieden veel aangrijpingspunten om privé- en bedrijfsdoelen beter te kunnen bereiken, onder andere door meer denk- en slagkracht, ook financieel, en sociale voordelen als steun en meer vrije tijd. Samenwerking vraagt echter ook veel van de ondernemers en hun competenties.
 

SMEs as job engine of the Dutch private economy

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Wit, dr.G.de | Suddle, drs.K — Mon, 22 May 2006 00:05:00 +0100

The main objective of this study is to determine to what extent small and medium-sized enterprises can be seen as the main source of employment growth for the Dutch private sector during the period 1993-1998. To this end, we will decompose the employment growth over this period into size classes.

Latent and actual entrepreneurship in Europe and the US: some recent developments

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

This paper uses 2004 survey data from the 15 old EU member states and the US to explain country differences in latent and actual entrepreneurship. Other than demographic variables such as gender, age and education, the set of covariates includes the perception by respondents of administrative complexities, of availability of financial support and of risk tolerance as well as country-specific effects. A comparison is made with results using a similar survey in 2000. While a majority of the surveyed population identifies lack of financial support as an obstacle to starting a new business, the role of this variable in both latent and actual entrepreneurship appears to be even more counterintuitive in 2004 than in 2000.

Entrepreneurial engagement levels in the European Union

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

A multinomial logit model and survey data from the 25 EU member states and the US are used to establish the effect of demographic and other variables on various entrepreneurial engagement levels. These engagement levels range from 'never thought about starting a business' to 'thinking about it', 'taking steps for starting up', 'having a young business', 'having an older business' and 'no longer being an entrepreneur'. Data of the 2004 Entrepreneurship Flash Eurobarometer survey containing over 13,500 observations is used. Other than demographic variables such as gender, age, education level and whether parents are self-employed, the set of explanatory variables used includes country specific effects, measures of risk tolerance, internal and external locus of control and four perceptions of 'obstacles'.

Entrepreneurship in the old en new Europe

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Grilo, Prof.dr.I — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:01:00 +0100

Developing a dynamic SME sector is essential for countries transforming their centrally planned economy into a market oriented one. New firm formation is the major driver of this transition. Obviously, entrepreneurial energy is a necessary condition for new firm formation. This paper uses 2004 survey data from the 25 EU member states and the US to explain country differences in entrepreneurial energy. This energy is captured as latent and actual entrepreneurship.

Determinants of Growth of Start-ups in the Netherlands

Kemp, dr.R.G.M. | Gibcus, drs.P. | Jong-'t Hart, drs.P.M.de — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 00:06:00 +0100

The dynamics and growth of firms are considered to be important for enhancing economic growth. Organizations can benefit from growth in many ways, including greater efficiency through economies of scale, increased power, the ability to withstand environmental change, increased profit and increased prestige for organizational members.It is important to obtain a better grip on the growth development of start-ups. The aim of this study is to map the development of start-ups in terms of employment growth and, in addition, to understand: what are the determinants of growth of start-ups?

The decision to innovate; Literature and propositions

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 00:08:00 +0100

This study investigate what makes individuals (entrepreneurs, employees in organisations) decide to proceed with innovative ideas. This is an important topic as practitioners in organisations (managers, entrepreneurs) and policy makers face the challenge of realising continuous innovation. Three main arguments are proposed to be directly associated with the decision to innovate: perceived pay-off, situation control and intrinsic motivation. The three main arguments provide a basis for a cumulative, three-componential theory of an individuals decision to proceed with innovative ideas.

Dancing with the Octopus (summary)

Nijsen, dr.A.F.M. — Mon, 13 Jan 2003 00:01:00 +0100

In the Netherlands, the political discussion on administrative burdens is still ongoing. To generate a more scientific background on this topic, in January 2003 a PhD thesis was published, titled 'Dancing with the Octopus; information obligations of enterprises in the social constitutional state from a public administration point of view'. The full text of this thesis is available in Dutch only. You can download an English summary here.

The Relationship between Successor, Planning Characteristics, and the Transfer Process on Post-Transfer Profitability in SMEs

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:01:00 +0100

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between successor characteristics, transfer planning characteristics and post-transfer profitability within Dutch SMEs. On the one hand, based on the resource dependency view, it is assumed that successors with more knowledge and experience, derived from work experience from outside the target firm, will be able to extract higher rents from the firm than those with less (diverse) work experience. On the other hand, based on the knowledge management literature, and in particular, concepts such as tacit knowledge, this research makes the contrasting prediction that post-transfer profitability is likely to be higher in firms where the successor is an insider and is related to the predecessor. Moreover, this paper proposes, based on the theory of planned behaviour, that written plan and strategic intent have a positive association with post-transfer profitability. The study is based on quantitative analysis of a random sample of Dutch SMEs. Initial results from the current study suggest that determinants of post-transfer profitability may be quite different in the family-to-family ownership vs. nonfamily ownership transfer conditions (i.e. whether or not the successor is related to the predecessor). Significant interaction effect is found such that the effect of strategic planning, in particular, varies depending on the nature of the transfer relationship (family to family, vs family to non-family). Other results offer mixed support for the proposed theories.

Dansen met de Octopus - samenvatting

Nijsen, dr.A.F.M. — Thu, 23 Jan 2003 00:01:00 +0100

'Dansen met de Octopus : Een bestuurskundige visie op informatieverplichtingen van het bedrijfsleven in de sociale rechtsstaat? Wettelijke informatieverplichtingen kosten het bedrijfsleven - met name kleine bedrijven - miljarden. Onnodige administratieve lasten zijn negatief voor economische groei en werkgelegenheid. De overheid wil administratieve lasten reduceren. De kennis hiervoor ontbrak. Deze studie voorziet in deze lacune met de presentatie van een bestuurskundige visie op de determinanten van administratieve lasten: inrichting en vormgeving van informatieverplichtingen. Tevens wordt een meetinstrument gepresenteerd waarmee ambtenaren informatieverplichtingen efficiënt kunnen inrichten en de resultaten van dit beleid kunnen monitoren. De auteur, André Nijsen, is directielid van onderzoeksbureau EIM te Zoetermeer. Dit is een samenvatting van het proefschrift.

FAMOS 2002

Verhoeven, drs.W.H.J. | Folkeringa, drs.M. — Fri, 28 Feb 2003 00:02:00 +0100

FAMOS, which stands for Financial Analysis Model of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), forecasts assets and capital as expressed on the balance sheet, distinguishing between sectors and size classes. In addition, the model generates a number of financial indicators, from which the financial situation of firms can be derived instantly (e.g. liquidity, solvency). The modeling of the size-class structure is the surplus value of the model. The model can be used to analyse the impact of changes in turnover, investments, profits and financial costs on the composition of assets and capital. For instance, an increase of the interest rate of 2 percentage points affects the liquidity and solvency of firms. With FAMOS, it is possible to address the effects of such changes across sectors and size classes.

Measuring Business Ownership Across Countries and Over Time: Extending the COMPENDIA Data Base

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Hartog, MScC.M. | Cieslik, falseJ. — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:08:00 +0100

Since several years EIM Business and Policy Research maintains a data base on business ownership rates across OECD countries, called COMPENDIA (COMParative ENtrepreneurship Data for International Analysis). EIM harmonizes raw numbers of business owners (self-employed), as published in the OECD Labour Force Statistics, towards a uniform definition. We define the business ownership rate as the number of owner-managers of unincorporated and incorporated businesses, as a fraction of the total labour force.

Until recently, data in COMPENDIA were published for a group of 23 OECD countries, starting from 1972 onwards. However, in the most recent version of the data base time series for seven additional countries have been introduced for the first time, so that the COMPENDIA data base now covers 30 OECD countries. The current paper makes four contributions. First, we provide an update of the methodology used to harmonize business ownership rates across countries. In doing so, as a second contribution, we provide two extended country cases (Poland and the United States) which illustrate the many methodological pitfalls that have to be dealt with when measuring the number of business owners. Third, we present business ownership time series for 30 OECD countries including the new countries in our data base: Czech Republic, Hungary, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Slovak Republic, and Turkey. Fourth and finally, we pay considerable attention to the sizable differences in the level and development of business ownership since 1989 in four Central and East European transition economies in our data base: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovak Republic.
 

Voorstudie internationale databank instituties

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Suddle, drs.K — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:01:00 +0100

Over de rol die instituties spelen in de beslissing van individuen om voor zichzelf te beginnen is nog maar weinig bekend. Wat is bijvoorbeeld de invloed van concurrentiebeleid / privatiseringsbeleid of de invloed van faillissementswetgeving op het aantal starters in een economie? Een belangrijke oorzaak voor deze kennislagune is het gebrek aan inzicht in internationale datasets op het gebied van instituties. Het voorliggende rapport is het resultaat van een voorstudie naar de wensen en mogelijkheden voor het samenstellen van een internationale databank met voor ondernemerschap relevante institutionele variabelen.

Innovation in SMEs: An Empirical Investigation of the Input-Throughput-Output-Performance Model

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | O'Shaughnessy, dr.KC | Vermeulen, P.A.M. — Fri, 01 Aug 2003 00:08:00 +0100

In this paper the relationships between innovative inputs, processes and outputs, as well as its consequences for firm performance are investigated. Based on a survey among 1303 small and medium-sized firms, the authors conclude that investing in innovation is worth doing. Innovative inputs and processes are clearly related to new product introductions and process improvements. The effects on firm performance are less evident.

The Entrepreneurial Adjustment Process in Disequilibrium

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Burke, prof.dr.A.E. — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:07:00 +0100

Despite the fact that the main contribution of entrepreneurship theory to economics has been to provide an account of the performance of markets in disequilibrium, little empirical research on entrepreneurship has examined firm entry and exit in this context. In this paper, we attempt to redress this by modelling the interrelationship between firm entry and exit rates in disequilibrium. Using a data base of Dutch retail industries over the period 1980-2001, we are able to distinguish between displacement (entry causing exit) and replacement (exit causing entry) effects. We introduce a new methodological approach which allows us to investigate whether the relations under consideration differ between situations of undershooting’ (the actual number of firms is below the equilibrium number) and ‘overshooting’ (vice versa). We find that the equilibriumrestoring mechanisms are different in these two situations – being faster in over than undershoots. Our estimation results also imply that for undershooting, a lack of competition between incumbent firms contributes to restoration of equilibrium (creating room for new-firm entry) while in overshooting competition induced by new firms (in particular strong displacement) causes the number of firms to move towards equilibrium. The research helps to embed entrepreneurship theory into mainstream economics in a manner that adds greater insight into the performance of markets in disequilibrium.

The relevance of size, gender and ownership for performance-related pay schemes

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Roepers, A. E. — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

With performance-related pay, the reward for an employee is partly dependent upon its own performance and/or on the performance of the organisation. In the Netherlands, performance-related pay is being implemented in SMEs an increasing scale. Currently, about 25% of Dutch SMEs make use of some kind of performance-related pay scheme, which may include profit sharing, bonuses, gratuities and stock options.  The aim of this study is to increase our understanding of the usage of performance-related pay schemes in Dutch small and medium-sized enterprises. In particular, we examine whether firm size, ownership structure, and gender of the entrepreneur and employees predict the presence of performance-related pay schemes.

The results show that larger SMEs are more likely to use performance-related pay than smaller SMEs (as can be expected). We also find strong support for the presence of a gender effect. The results indicate that for male entrepreneurs, the use of performance-related pay is independent of the gender composition of the work force. For female entrepreneurs, we find that the usage of performance-related pay increases with the share of male employees. This relationship is such, that for firms where more than 70% of the workforce is male, female entrepreneurs are more likely to apply performance-related pay then male entrepreneurs. A possible explanation is that female entrepreneurs are more inclined to take the preferences of their employees into account when they determine the compensation scheme of their enterprise. Finally, the ownership structure also seems to matter. The results suggest that we should differentiate between (at least) three different ownership structures: single-owned and managed firms, family firms (firms with multiple owners that have family ties between them), and multiple-owned non-family firms. Once we do so, we find that single-owned and managed firms are just as likely to use performance-related pay schemes as family firms. Both types of firms use performance-related pay significantly less often than multiple-owned non-family firms.

Overoptimism among entrepreneurs in new ventures: the role of information and motivation

Verheul, dr.I. | Carree, prof. dr.M. — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

There are various reasons why some entrepreneurs may be more overoptimistic at the start of their ventures than others. We distinguish between four broad categories of determining factors and three areas of overoptimism (income, psychological burden and leisure time) and empirically investigate those for a sample of Dutch start-ups. The first category is information. We find that more specifically informed entrepreneurs are less likely to be overoptimistic while (general) education
increases overoptimism. The second category is motivation. Entrepreneurs motivated by pull factors are found to be less overoptimistic than those who are ‘pushed’ to start a venture. The third category encompasses personal characteristics such as gender, age, having a life partner and access to other income. The fourth category of firm characteristics includes factors such as sector, take-over versus newly started business, and home-based versus separate business premises. We find little additional explanatory power of these personal and firm characteristics.

Spin-outs

Braaksma, drs.R.M. | Meijaard, dr.J. | Berg, MScK.P.van den | Hamans, falseR. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:12:00 +0100

The subject of this report is spin-outs in the Netherlands compared to those in the Cambridge area. The differences between the two areas have been found to be fewer than expected. The same type of initiatives are to be found in both areas, and the same type of problems are also encountered in both areas In general it seems that it would be advisable for universities to have spin-out stimulation added to the performance criteria to help the better facilitation of spin-outs.

Ambitious entrepreneurship, high-growth firms and macroeconomic growth

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Stam, E | Hartog, MScC.M. — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:02:00 +0100

We examine the impact of ambitious entrepreneurship (entrepreneurs expecting to grow their
firm) and high-growth firms (firms that have actually realized high growth rates) on subsequent
macroeconomic growth in a sample of high and low-income countries, in the period 2002-2005.
Our empirical evidence shows that once we control for the share of ambitious entrepreneurs the
overall positive effect of entrepreneurship on macroeconomic growth disappears. Growthoriented
entrepreneurship seems to contribute heavily to macroeconomic growth in both low- and
high-income countries. In low-income countries, the overall positive effect of entrepreneurship
on macroeconomic growth does not disappear after introducing the share of ambitious entrepreneurs into the statistical model. In contrast to ambitious entrepreneurship in nascent and young businesses, established high-growth firms do not seem to contribute to macroeconomic growth.These established high-growth firms seem to flourish in countries with high levels of entrepreneurship in general, while there appears to be no connection between the rate of high-growth firms and the share of ambitious entrepreneurs.
 

International Entrepreneurship: Value Creation Across National Borders

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:11:00 +0100

This book investigates antecedents and outcomes of international entrepreneurship. International entrepreneurship as a field of research involves both research into entrepre-neurship in multiple countries (cross-country comparisons of the nature and extent of entrepreneurial activity) and research into cross-border entrepreneurship (international ac-tivity of small and medium-sized enterprises and new ventures).

Factors Influencing the Entrepreneurial Engagement of Opportunity and Necessity Entrepreneurs

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:03:00 +0100

This paper investigates determinants of engagement in various stages of the entrepreneurial process while considering an individual's start-up motivation using 2007 survey data for 27 European
countries and the US. Next to opportunity and necessity start-up motivations, we take into account individuals driven by a combination of both motivations. We observe that opportunity- and necessitydriven entrepreneurs as well as those with mixed start-up motivations have different profiles. Furthermore, they differ concerning the factors that inspire or hinder them to engage in the entrepreneurial process more fully ('to climb the entrepreneurial ladder'). For example, entrepreneurship-specific education, selfemployed parents, risk tolerance, perception of lack of financial support, and living in a metropolitan area are important variables in determining entrepreneurial engagement and failure for opportunity-driven individuals, but they are not (or less) important for necessity-driven individuals.

The More Business Owners the Merrier?

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Praag, prof.dr.C.M.van — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:03:00 +0100

Policy in developed countries is often based on the assumption that higher business ownership rates induce economic value. Recent microeconomic empirical evidence casts doubts on the validity of this assumption or, at least, leads to a more nuanced view: Especially the top performing business owners are responsible for the value creation of business owners. Other labor market participants would contribute more to economic value creation as an employee than as a business owner consistent with microeconomic occupational choice theory. This would translate at the macrolevel in the existence of an 'optimal' business ownership rate thereby replacing the dictum of 'the more business owners, the merrier'. We attempt to establish whether there is such an optimal level, while investigating the role of tertiary education. Two findings stand out. First, by estimating extended versions of traditional Cobb Douglas production functions on a sample of 19 OECD countries over the period 1981-2006, we find indeed robust evidence of an optimal business ownership rate (at around 12.5%, on average). Second, the relation between business ownership and macroeconomic productivity is steeper for countries with higher participation rates in tertiary education. Thus, the optimal business ownership rate tends to decrease with tertiary education levels. This is consistent with microeconomic theory and evidence showing that entrepreneurs with superior levels of human capital run larger firms.

Innovative Work Behaviour: Measurement and Validation

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Hartog, prof. dr.D.N.Den — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:11:00 +0100

Although both scientists and practitioners emphasize the importance of innovative work behavior (IWB) of individual employees for organizational success, the measurement of employees' IWB is still in evolution. Here, we present two multi-source studies that aimed to develop and validate a measure of IWB. Four related dimensions of IWB are distinguished: opportunity exploration, idea generation, championing and application. We derived a tenitem measure of these IWB dimensions from a pilot survey among matched dyads of 81 professionals in a research institute and their supervisors. Next, a survey among a matching sample of 703 knowledge workers and their supervisors from 94 different firms was done. We used confirmatory factor analyses to examine convergent and discriminant validity, and hierarchical multilevel regression to test hypothesized relationships of IWB with participative leadership, external work contacts and innovative output (proposed as an initial nomological network). Results demonstrate strong convergent validity of the IWB measure as all four dimensions contribute to an overall measure of IWB. Support for discriminant validity is weaker as correlations between some dimensions are relatively high. Finally, IWB is positively related with participative leadership, external work contacts and innovative output, providing first evidence for nomological validity.

Een reconstructie van het beleidsprogramma Ondernemerschap en Starters 1982-2003: een eclectische analyse

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Kuiper, MSc BAA.A.B.H. — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:02:00 +0100

Het onderhavige rapport is een vervolg op “Twee decennia ondernemerschapbeleid in beeld: een jong beleidsprogramma in sociaaleconomische context geplaatst” (Kuiper en Wennekers, 2008),
maar kan zelfstandig worden gelezen. Het huidige rapport biedt verdiepende inzichten t.a.v. de ontwikkeling van het beleidsprogramma “Ondernemerschap en Starters” in de periode 1982-2003. In dit beleidsveld zijn en waren meerdere ministeries betrokken. De focus zal hier liggen op het beleid en de beleidsnotities van het Ministerie van Economische Zaken omdat dit ministerie een centrale rol speelt in dit beleidsveld.

Internationale samenwerking door het Nederlandse MKB

Bhansing, drs.P.V. | Essen, Msc.C.van — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:03:00 +0100

In dit onderzoek staat samenwerking en in het bijzonder internationale samenwerking door Nederlandse MKB-bedrijven centraal. Er wordt een beeld geschetst van wat samenwerking inhoudt. Ook wordt ingegaan op de mate waarin MKB-bedrijven deelnemen aan (internationale) samenwerking en wat determinanten en effecten zijn van (succesvolle) samenwerking. Het onderzoek is gebaseerd op literatuurstudie en op resultaten van het EIM MKB-Beleidspanel uit 2004 en 2008.

Schumpeter versus Kirzner: An empirical investigation of opportunity types

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Marsili, dr.O. — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0100

This paper empirically explores the distinction between Schumpeterian and Kirznerian opportunities by analyzing survey data of 184 high tech small business entrepreneurs. A multidimensional measure is developed documenting the extent in which entrepreneurial opportunities are either Schumpeterian or Kirznerian. It consists of five bipolar dimensions. We find that Schumpeterian opportunities are more likely to be pursued by innovative individuals with strong ambitions to grow their company. At the enterprise level, we find such opportunities in organizations with a strategic focus on proactive product development to satisfy future needs. Besides, Schumpeterian opportunities are found more often in relatively innovative organizations and pursued in rapidly growing markets. They seem to induce better growth in terms of sales and employment.

Bedrijfsgrootteverdelingen in Nederland

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Wit, dr.G.de — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:03:00 +0100

Een belangrijk kenmerk van het bedrijfsleven is dat bedrijven erg scheef verdeeld zijn naar grootteklasse. Tegenover een grote groep kleine bedrijven staat een kleine groep grote bedrijven. Eind 2007 telde het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven bijvoorbeeld 783.000 ondernemingen, waarvan er 92.8% (731.000) tot het kleinbedrijf gerekend werden, 6.6% (52.000) tot het middenbedrijf en slechts 0.6% tot het grootbedrijf1 (Snel en Bangma, 2008, pag. 13). Deze scheefheid in de grootteklasseverdeling van bedrijven blijkt een universeel verschijnsel te zijn: het geldt voor vrijwel alle economieën en vrijwel alle sectoren. In dit rapport worden de resultaten van een uitgebreid empirisch onderzoek naar de bedrijfsgrootteverdeling van het Nederlandse bedrijfsleven besproken.

Entrepreneurship Education Monitor (EEIM)

Meijaard, dr.J. | Timmermans, drs.N.G.L. | Rauch, dr.A. | Vries, drs.N.E.de — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:03:00 +0100

In deze rapportage wordt ingegaan op de monitoring van effecten van aandacht voor ondernemerschap in het onderwijs en specifiek op het instrument waarmee ontwikkelingen in dit verband kunnen worden onderzocht (de Entrepreneurship Education Monitor (EEM)). Er wordt kort stilgestaan bij ondernemendheid en ondernemerschap als aparte afhankelijke variabelen. Verder wordt ingezoomd op de aspecten die een rol spelen en de onderlinge samenhang tussen factoren. Ook wordt aangegeven op welke wijze het instrumentarium wordt ingezet voor de effectmeting.

The two-way relationship between entrepreneurship and economic performance

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Hartog, MScC.M. | Parker, falseS.C. — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:07:00 +0100

This paper examines the two-way relationship between entrepreneurship and economic performance, using a harmonized data set covering 21 OECD countries in the period 1981-2006. While the relation between entrepreneurship and economic performance has been investigated extensively, most papers in this research field suffer from one or more methodological flaws, so that the important question: "does entrepreneurship cause economic performance?" can still not be answered up till the present day. In this paper we investigate the relationship in a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) framework. We find evidence for the existence of a long-run equilibrium relation between the level of business ownership and per capita income. We also find evidence that increases in business ownership actually cause economic growth. However, our impulse response analysis reveals that the effect depends on the number of business owners already present in the economy, i.e. we find decreasing marginal returns to entrepreneurship. We also find that the effect depends on the size of the shock (i.e. the increase in entrepreneurship), where too big shocks may lead to negative effects on GDP due to 'overshooting'.
 

Internationalization of European SMEs towards Emerging Markets

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Kemna, drs.M. — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:11:00 +0100

Emerging markets used to be closed economies that have only recently begun opening up their markets to the world economy. In addition to multinational enterprises (MNEs) small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) from developed countries have also started to undertake international activities in emerging markets. This paper investigates whether SMEs from higher-income European countries that operate in emerging markets are different from SMEs that operate exclusively in other developed markets e.g. in terms of their firm characteristics, internationalization motives and perceived internationalization barriers. The empirical analysis uses firm-level data for 3,698 internationally active SMEs located in 19 European countries (i.e. EU-15, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

How does Entrepreneurial Activity Affect the Supply of Business Angels?

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Suddle, drs.K | Burke, prof.dr.A.E. | Hartog, MScC.M. — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:09:00 +0100

This paper examines the prevalence and the determinants of informal entrepreneurial investment activity (i.e. the 3 FFFs –friends, fools and family– and business angels), using a data set of more than 175,000 individuals – including some 4000 informal investors – in a large number of highly developed countries over the period 2002-2004. We distinguish between micro-level and macro-level determinants. The results uncover a positive virtuous circle where the demand for business angel finance tends to generate its own supply as a result of micro and macro factors. Our results also suggest that higher levels of entrepreneurial activity at the country level increase the probability that venture capital and business angel finance work in tandem with one another as complements rather than substitutes. Overall, the results uncover some important new relationships that perhaps provide some good news that market forces to some extent appear to naturally ameliorate equity gaps faced by entrepreneurs.

The Entrepreneurial Advantage of World Cities

Bosma, falseN.S. | Sternberg, prof. dr.R. | Acs, prof. dr.Z.J. — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:08:00 +0100

Recent discussions in the Economic Geography literature increasingly focus on creative cities and the importance of creativity for achieving economic growth. Considering the increased attention on urban areas it is not surprising that the regional dimension of entrepreneurship is a subject of great interest. We set out a framework encompassing the individual process between entrepreneurial perceptions and entrepreneurial activity and demonstrate how the urban environment can have an impact on this process. We create entrepreneurship indices for 34 world cities exploiting the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Database 2001-2006. We investigate differences between the citylevel and country-level for a selection of the indices. These exercises can be seen as initial tests of the ‘entrepreneurial advantage of cities.’ Based on the literature we expect that most indices will be higher for world cities, although exceptions are also plausible, for instance in world cities where the government resides. Our findings predominantly confirm the entrepreneurial advantage of world cities.

Overcoming Resource-Constraints through Internationalization? An Empirical Analysis of European SMEs

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:06:00 +0100

Previous research has indicated that firms can use internationalization as a strategy to access or build up resources. Such a strategy may be of particular interest or even necessary (for example to survive or grow) for firms that lack specific resources. Based on resource dependency theory and the model for entrepreneurial internationalization this paper investigates whether resource scarcities in terms of labor, finance and technology increase the likelihood for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to aim to access or accumulate these specific resources through internationalization. A number of hypotheses are tested using firm-level data from the ENSR Enterprise Survey 2003 for 7,673 SMEs located in 18 European countries. The results indicate that perceived resource constraints in terms of labor and finance spur SMEs to undertake international activities with the aim to access or accumulate labor, respectively finance. It is also found that among internationally active SMEs perceived constraints in terms of labor, finance and new technology increase the probability of SMEs using their international activities as a means for accessing or acquiring these scarce resources.

Entrepreneurial Career Capital, Innovation and New Venture Export Orientation

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Terjesen, dr.S. — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:07:00 +0100

This paper explores the role of entrepreneurial human capital, entrepreneurial social capital and innovation in explaining new ventures' levels of export orientation. We use Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data from 9,342 early-stage venture entrepreneurs in 36 countries. Our results suggest that both entrepreneurial human capital and entrepreneurial social capital are important in explaining new ventures' export orientation. Entrepreneurial human capital increases the probability for new ventures to offer new products or services. New ventures with unique products or services are more likely to export, indicating that entrepreneurial human capital both has a direct positive relationship with new ventures' export and an indirect positive relationship through the venture's new product or service offerings. We also find that compared to moderate exporters, new ventures with higher export orientation levels are more likely to possess entrepreneurial human and entrepreneurial social capital and to be more innovative.

The Role of Export-Driven New Ventures in Economic Growth: A Cross-Country Analysis

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

We investigate the relationship between a country’s prevalence of new ventures and its rate of economic growth, while distinguishing between export-oriented new ventures and domestic new ventures. It is generally acknowledged that new venture creation as well as export activity may both be important strategies for achieving national economic growth. However, to our knowledge no attempt has been made to empirically investigate the role of export-driven new ventures in economic growth. We focus on the national level and use data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for a sample of 36 countries. Our results suggest that a country’s prevalence of export-driven new ventures is significantly positively related to economic growth, whereas the prevalence of new ventures that focus exclusively on domestic market sales shows no significant relation to national growth.

SME Choice of Direct and Indirect Export Modes: Resource Dependency and Institutional Theory Perspectives

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Terjesen, dr.S. — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:10:00 +0100

This paper develops and tests resource dependency and institutional theory arguments for explaining two choices facing SMEs: the decision to export or not, and, in case a firm has decided to export, the choice between exporting directly or indirectly. We test four hypotheses using a sample of 871 Dutch SMEs and applying multinomial and binomial logistic regression analysis. Our results suggest that institutional theory perspectives may be mainly relevant in explaining the choice of whether or not to export, while resource dependency theory arguments may be particularly relevant in explaining the choice between direct and indirect export modes. Our findings have important implications for policy and research

Social security arrangements and early-stage entrepreneurial activity

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Brouwer, drs.P. | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:09:00 +0100

This exploratory study defines a number of propositions regarding the relation between social security arrangements and the rate of early-stage entrepreneurial activity at the country level. We state that in investigating this relation it may be relevant to distinguish between social security contributions paid by employers and employees, and to look at micro-based indicators (replacement rates) for the benefits an individual is entitled to in case of unemployment and illness. Furthermore, we state that it may be especially relevant to focus on the social security position of self-employed relative to the social security position of employees. Using a sample of countries participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, we explore how various measures of entrepreneurial activity are related to various measures of social security arrangements. Our analysis using aggregate indicators shows that the height of employer social security contributions negatively influences entrepreneurial activity at the macro level, but that the height of employee contributions has no impact. The results of our analysis using micro-level based indicators suggest that the replacement rate of employees has a significantly negative influence on the level of early-stage entrepreneurship at the macro level.

Entrepreneurship at Country Level : Economic and Non-Economic Determinants

Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 00:09:00 +0100

This book investigates the rate of occupational entrepreneurship at country level, either measured by the number of business owners as a percentage of the labor force, or by some metric of the dynamics of entrepreneurship such as 'nascent entrepreneurship' and new business start-ups. Historical case studies set the stage for a multidisciplinary framework for explaining the rate of entrepreneurship. Based upon several strands of literature, this framework is built around an occupational choice model while linking the individual, the firm and the aggregate level. Technological, economic, demographic, cultural and institutional factors act as entrepreneurial framework conditions. In addition, feedback mechanisms are elaborated. Empirical investigations carried out against the background of this framework show that dissatisfaction, uncertainty avoidance and social security entitlements affect the rate of entrepreneurship. In addition, either a negative or a U-shaped influence of the level of economic development is found, while dummy variables for recent decades suggest a positive impact of global trends such as the ICT revolution, deregulation and the onset of a 'network economy'.

Entrepreneurial diversity and economic growth

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Verheul, dr.I. — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:01:00 +0100

We investigate the impact of entrepreneurial diversity on national economic growth. More specifically, using data for 36 countries participating in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, we investigate whether the impact of entrepreneurial activity is different for different sociodemographic groups. Diversity is measured in terms of age, education and gender. We find that in less developed countries, older and higher educated entrepreneurs are particularly important for stimulating economic growth, while for highly developed countries the contribution of younger entrepreneurs is more important. We do not find evidence for a differential contribution of female and male entrepreneurs.

Ambitious Nascent Entrepreneurs and National Innovativeness

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Suddle, drs.K — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:01:00 +0100

Abstract This study investigates whether ambitions amongst nascent entrepreneurs regarding innovativeness matter for the national level of innovativeness. We link ambitious nascent entrepreneurship to the national level of innovativeness for 36 countries, using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. We find a significant positive relation between the level of nascent entrepreneurs who intend to offer a product or service that is new to all or to some of their customers and the national technology level. This may suggest that ambitions to offer new products or services tend to contribute to higher levels of competition and knowledge spillovers, and consequently to the emergence of highly innovative economies. Our results also suggest that this relationship is less strong in poor countries.

The relationship between economic development and business ownership revisited

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:02:00 +0100

This paper revisits the two-equation model of Carree, van Stel, Thurik and Wennekers (2002) where deviations from the 'equilibrium' rate of business ownership play a central role determining both the growth of business ownership and that of economic development. Two extensions of the original setup are addressed: using longer time series of averaged data of 23 OECD countries (up to 2004) we can discriminate between different functional forms of the 'equilibrium' rate and we allow for different penalties for being above or under the 'equilibrium' rate. The additional data do not provide evidence of a superior statistical fit of a U-shaped 'equilibrium' relationship when compared to an L-shaped one. There appears to be a growth penalty for having too few business owners but not so for having too many.

Export Orientation among New Ventures and Economic Growth

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0100

While it is generally acknowledged that entrepreneurship as well as export activity may both be important strategies for achieving national economic growth, it has remained unclear how export activity among new ventures is related to economic growth. This paper investigates whether the presence of export-oriented entrepreneurs is a more important determinant of economic growth than entrepreneurial activity in general. We focus on the national or macro-level and use data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for a sample of 36 countries. An important advantage of using the macrolevel is that indirect effects of exporting entrepreneurs that reach further than the performance of these firms themselves (e.g. spillovers) are captured in the analysis. To our knowledge, no attempt has been made thus far to link international activity of early-stage ventures to macro-economic outcomes. Our results suggest that export-oriented entrepreneurship is indeed more important for
achieving high economic growth rates than entrepreneurial activity in general. This suggests that international activity by small and new firms strongly contributes to higher levels of competition and, consequently, to the emergence of highly dynamic economies and higher levels of economic growth.

Motivation based policies for an entrepreneurial EU economy

Gelderen, dr.M.W.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0100

This paper investigates the impact of various entrepreneurial motives and institutional conditions on entrepreneurial aspirations in terms of innovativeness, job growth expectations and export orientation. We estimate a two-equation model explaining entrepreneurial motivations and entrepreneurial aspirations, while taking into account the interrelationship between both groups of variables. We use data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and find that entrepreneurial aspirations are different for various types of entrepreneurial motives. For example, we find that the increase wealth motive as a prime driver for becoming selfemployed is positively related to innovation and growth ambitions, whereas we find no evidence of a relation between the independence motive and entrepreneurial aspirations. On the basis of our findings policy directions are presented for an entrepreneurial EU economy.

An updated version of this paper is numbered H200710.

Knowledge spillovers and entrepreneurs' export orientation

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Clercq, dr.D.De — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 00:11:00 +0100

In this paper we draw upon the economics literature, and the literature on knowledge spillovers in particular, to examine to what extent a country's level of foreign direct investment (both inward and outward) and international trade (export and import) influence the export orientation of its entrepreneurs. We also examine the relationship between entrepreneurs export orientation and a country's overall level of entrepreneurial activity. We test our hypotheses using macro-level data on 34 countries over a four year time period (2002-2005). We find that a country's outward foreign direct investment as well as its export and import positively influence entrepreneurs export orientation. We also find that the extent to which a country's entrepreneurs engage in export-oriented activities affects the subsequent emergence of new businesses within the country's borders. We discuss our findings, and point to the study's implications, limitations and future research possibilities.

Entrepreneurship and its determinants in a cross-country setting

Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Freytag, prof.dr.A — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 00:10:00 +0100

The relative stability of differences in entrepreneurial activity across countries suggests that other than economic factors are at play. The present paper offers some new thoughts about the determinants of entrepreneurial attitudes and activities by testing the relationship between institutional variables and cross-country differences in the preferences for self-employment as well as in actual selfemployment. Data of the 25 member states of the European Union as well as the US are used. The results show that country specific (cultural) variables seem to explain the preference for entrepreneurship but not the actual entrepreneurship. The present paper also introduces the remaining four papers of the special issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Economics around the theme Entrepreneurship and Culture.

High growth entrepreneurs, public policies and economic growth

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Stam, E | Suddle, drs.K — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 00:08:00 +0100

This paper investigates whether the presence of ambitious entrepreneurs is a more important determinant of national economic growth than entrepreneurial activity in general. We use data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor to test the extent to which high growth ambitions of entrepreneurs affect GDP growth for a sample of 36 countries. Our results suggest that ambitious entrepreneurship contributes more strongly to macro-economic growth than entrepreneurial activity in general. We find a particularly strong effect of highexpectation entrepreneurship for transition countries. These results are interpreted in light of the ongoing debate about public policies designed to stimulate high growth start-ups.

The effect of business regulations on nascent and young business entrepreneurship

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Storey, prof.D.J. — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 00:09:00 +0100

In this paper we examine the relationship, across 39 countries, between regulation and entrepreneurship using a new two-equation model. We find the minimum capital requirement required to start a business lowers entrepreneurship rates across countries, as do labour market regulations. However the administrative considerations of starting a business - such as the time, the cost, or the number of procedures required - are unrelated to the formation rate of either nascent or young businesses. Given the explicit link made by Djankov et al. (2002) between the speed and ease with which businesses may be established in a country and its economic performance -  and the enthusiasm with which this link has been grasped by European Union policy makers - our findings imply this link needs reconsidering.

Uncertainty avoidance and the rate of business ownership across 21 OECD countries, 1976-2004

Tue, 27 Jun 2006 00:06:00 +0100

Persistent differences in the level of business ownership across countries have attracted the attention of scientific as well as political debate. Cultural as well as economic influences are assumed to play a role. This paper deals with the influence of cultural attitudes towards uncertainty on the level of business ownership across 21 OECD countries. First, the concepts of uncertainty and risk are elaborated, as well as their relevance for entrepreneurship. An occupational choice model is introduced to underpin our reasoning at the macro-level. Second, regression analysis using pooled macro data for 1976, 1990 and 2004 and controlling for several economic variables, yields evidence that uncertainty avoidance is positively correlated with the prevalence of business ownership. According to our model, a restrictive climate of large organizations in high uncertainty avoidance countries pushes individuals striving for autonomy towards self-employment. Regressions for these three years separately show that in 2004 this positive correlation is no longer found, indicating that a compensating pull of entrepreneurship in countries with low uncertainty avoidance may have gained momentum in recent years. Third, an interaction term between uncertainty avoidance and GDP per capita in the pooled panel regressions shows that the historical negative relationship between GDP per capita and the level of business ownership is substantially weaker for countries with lower uncertainty avoidance. This suggests that rising opportunity costs of self-employment play a less important role in this cultural environment, or are being compensated by increasing entrepreneurial opportunities.

Samenwerken op afstand

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Hoorn, Msc.H.J.van — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:02:00 +0100

Dit onderzoek bekijkt het verband tussen de absorptiecapaciteit van bedrijven en de geografische afstand tot samenwerkingspartners. We toetsen de hypothese dat hoe hoger de absorptiecapaciteit is, des te meer afstand een bedrijf kan overbruggen in innovatieve samenwerkingsverbanden. De resultaten onderstrepen dat geografische nabijheid een pre is bij het aangaan van samenwerkingsrelaties. Stimulering van regionale clusters is in dit opzicht een positieve beleidsinterventie. De resultaten laten echter ook zien dat geografische nabijheid voor bedrijven met een hoge absorptiecapaciteit zeker geen noodzakelijke voorwaarde is. De toegevoegde waarde van regionaal clusterbeleid is voor kleinere, volgende bedrijven beter dan voor grote bedrijven die systematisch R&D uitvoeren en die zich in de voorhoede van het innovatieve bedrijfsleven
bevinden.

Creative industries

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Fris, drs.P. | Stam, E — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

Creative industries are nowadays central in many policies to stimulate the economic development of cities, regions and advanced capitalist economies in general. This paper contributes to the  creative industries literature in two respects. First, we empirically explore if high shares of creative industries in regions go together with one particular aspect of regional economic development, namely firm entry rates. Drawing on Dutch trade register data over a six-year period, it is concluded that at the level of municipalities there is indeed a connection between the share of creative industries and firm entry, even after controlling for the sizes of municipalities, and no matter if creative industries are defined broadly or narrowly. Second, the paper analyses if firms in creative industries are heterogeneous in terms of business processes and their contribution to regional firm entry. Drawing on previous work four creative domains are identified: arts, media and entertainment, creative business services and, at the periphery, knowledge intensive business services. After analysing survey data of 4,746 Dutch SMEs, we find that firms across these domains are distinct in their use of the surveyed business practices: innovation, strategy and marketing, and human resources practices. Especially knowledge intensive services firms are deviant. For the connection with firm entry rates, it appears that high shares of firms in the arts and knowledge intensive business services are significantly connected with regional firm entry rates, while media and entertainment and creative business services remain insignificant. Implications for practitioners and future research are discussed.
 

Entrepreneurship, Dynamic Capabilities and New Firm Growth

Gibcus, drs.P. | Stam, E | Telussa, drs.J.M.J. — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:12:00 +0100

This paper applies the dynamic capability framework to the study of new firm growth. Using a longitudinal database of 354 firms over their first ten years, we provide an explanation of new firm growth in terms of new product development, R&D, inter-firm alliancing, and exporting, activities that have been identified as denoting dynamic capabilities. In addition, an overview of empirical studies on employment growth in new firms is provided. The empirical evidence for this study shows that general firm resources have a much stronger effect on growth than the dynamic capabilities measured here (mainly inter-firm alliancing). High levels of human capital of the entrepreneur or resourcemunificence of the firm does not improve the value of dynamic capabilities for growth. Environmental dynamism ? a supposed boundary condition of the dynamic capability approach ? is not revealed to be a moderating factor on the effect of dynamic capabilities on new firm growth.

Knowledge management, innovation orientation and innovation performance

Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. | Zhou, ir.H. | Tan, drs.S.Y.G.L. — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:12:00 +0100

Western economies are increasingly viewed as knowledge-driven (Audretch and Thurik, 2001, 2004). Knowledge plays a crucial role in determining firm innovation capability and in enhancing working life quality of knowledge workers (Corso, Martini, Pelligrini, and Paolucci, 2001). Previous studies show that knowledge is managed in a different manner in SMEs. It is identified that knowledge is created, shared, transferred and applied via people based mechanisms in SMEs. Although research and policy interest in knowledge management is beginning to grow for SMEs (Sparrow, 2001; Wong, & Radcliffe, 2000), still relatively limited attention has been paid to understand the specifics of knowledge management issues for SMEs and to KM’s contribution to innovation performance in particular. Furthermore, most of studies are conducted by using methods on either qualitative case studies or very small samples. The aim of this study is to provide a quantitative insight of the relationship between KM and innovation performance of SMEs based on a large sample of Dutch SMEs, as well as the role of innovation orientation in this relationship. Our findings indicate that knowledge management- external acquisition and internal sharing- contribute positively to exploratory innovation performance of a firm. A full mediated effect of innovation orientation is identified in the relationship between external acquisition and exploratory innovation performance. We discuss how KM contributes to innovation performance, using the perspective of absorptive capacity. Based on a literature review on absorptive capacity, an implicit relationship between knowledge management practices and building a firm’s absorptive capacity is identified.
 

The Geography of New Firm Formation: Evidence from Independent Start-ups and New Subsidiaries in the Netherlands

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Bosma, falseN.S. | Suddle, drs.K — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 00:10:00 +0100

This paper investigates to what extent determinants of the rate of independent startups and the rate of new subsidiaries are different. Using a regional data base for the Netherlands over the period 1988-2002, we investigate the impact of two types of agglomeration effects, localisation and urbanisation, while controlling for a range of economic variables. We find urbanisation economies to be particularly important for the creation of new subsidiaries while localisation economies are more important for the creation of independent new ventures. Finally, the effect of agglomeration variables is found to be stronger for manufacturing industries compared to services industries.

New Ventures' Export Orientation: Outcome and Source of Knowledge Spillovers

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Clercq, dr.D.De — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:11:00 +0100

In this paper we draw on knowledge spillover literature to suggest that a country’s proportion of exportoriented new ventures, compared to its total number of new ventures, represents an outcome of knowledge spillovers (export spillovers) that stem from foreign direct investment (FDI) and international trade, as well as a source of knowledge spillovers (entrepreneurship spillovers) that positively influence the country’s total level of entrepreneurial activity. We distinguish between higher-income and lower-income countries, because the latter are less integrated into the world economy. To test the hypotheses, we use macro-level data from 34 countries during the period 2002–2005. After controlling for relevant factors such as size of the domestic market and industry structure, we find that the relationship between FDI and international trade on the one hand and a country’s proportion of export-oriented new ventures on the other differs for higherand lower-income countries. In addition, a country’s proportion of export-oriented new ventures affects the subsequent emergence of new businesses. These findings have important implications for research and practice.

This is an update of paper H200619.

Family orientation, strategy and organizational learning as predictors of knowledge management in Dutch SMEs

Uhlaner, prof. dr.L. M. | Zhou, ir.H. | Tan, drs.S.Y.G.L. — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:01:00 +0100

Knowledge management (KM) is becoming a growing concern in management research and practice because of its role in determining firm innovation capability and in enhancing working life quality of knowledge workers. Although research and policy interest in KM is beginning to grow for small and medium-sized suppliers, still relatively limited attention has been paid to understand the specifics of KM issues of SMEs in particular. Previous studies rely on either qualitative case studies or very small samples. In this study, we will investigate KM among SMEs using empirical data from about 2000 SMEs. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of different KM techniques and the determinants of KM. We found that SMEs are most likely to acquire knowledge by staying in touch with professionals and experts outside the company. Also, SMEs are most likely to share knowledge and experience by talking to each other and to store knowledge in formal repositories. Furthermore, we found a significant positive relationship between organizational learning and strategy and knowledge management, as well as a significant negative relationship between family orientation and knowledge management. In conclusion, knowledge management practices are not independent from other resources and processes inside SMEs. Therefore, there is no all-in-one knowledge management practices package for all types of SMEs across industries.

The relationship between knowledge management, innovation and firm performance: evidence from Dutch SMEs

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:01:00 +0100

This article investigates the relationship between knowledge management (KM), innovation and firm performance of smaller firms (less than 100 employees), based on a panel of more than 400 Dutch firms. Regression analyses explain the variations in sales turnover growth from various measures of KM strategies. We distinguish between KM input, throughput and output (or innovation) strategies. We find that KM input strategies related to knowledge acquisition are positively related to sales turnover growth. In contrast, we do not find a relation between KM throughput and KM output (innovation) measures and firm performance. The results emphasize the importance of both knowledge absorption and knowledge creation to the success of innovative efforts in small firms.

This is an updated version of Scales-paper N200322.

Competition and innovative intentions: A study of Dutch SMEs

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de — Wed, 30 May 2007 00:05:00 +0100

This paper explores the complex relationship between competition and innovation. Traditional measures of competition using industry statistics are often challenged and
found wanting. This paper distinguishes between three types of competitive forces: internal rivalry among incumbent firms in an industry, bargaining power of suppliers,
and bargaining power of buyers. Using survey data from 2,281 Dutch firms, we apply new perception-based measures for these competitive forces to explore how competition relates to firms innovative intentions. We also investigate the influence of innovation strategy as a contingency variable. Results show that specific innovative intentions, i.e. to invest in product and process innovation, are related to different competitive forces. Process innovation is correlated with the bargaining power of suppliers, while intentions to invest in product innovation are associated with buyer power. Finally, intended product innovation is related to internal rivalry, but only when firms have no innovation strategy.

Innovation and international involvement of Dutch SMEs

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 00:07:00 +0100

This study focuses on the relation between innovation and the international involvement of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), taking into account export as well as import activities of firms. The analysis is based on a sample of more than 1.800 Dutch SMEs using regression analysis. The results of this study suggest that innovative investments as well as several innovative realisations or practices have a positive impact on international involvement. Also, some evidence is found that international involvement may stimulate firms to investment in product innovations and in new distribution systems.
 

The Impact of New Firm Formation on Regional Development in the Netherlands

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Suddle, drs.K — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 00:06:00 +0100

This is an updated version of Research Report H200503

High-Growth SMEs: Evidence from the Netherlands

Wit, dr.G.de | Timmermans, drs.N.G.L. — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:11:00 +0100

In this paper we investigate what aspects characterize these gazelles in the Dutch economy. As such, it fits in a larger project taken up by the OECD, in which such an exercise is done for many OECD countries. The structure of this paper is as follows. First, we present in section 2 how many gazelles are present in the Dutch economy and compare this with some benchmark countries. Subsequently, we state in section 2 the researchquestions posed by the OECD that are central in this paper. In section 4 we describe the data set on which our analyses are based. Section 4 and 5 contain analyses. Section 5 gives a simple comparison between gazelles
and non-gazelles, in which characteristics are compared on a one by one basis. Section 6 contains a multivariate logit regression. Finally, we discuss the research questions of this paper in section 7 on the basis of our findings of sections 5 and 6.

Vergrijzing van het arbeidsaanbod

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Kwaak, drs.A. | Telussa, drs.J.M.J. | Ruis, Msc.A. — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:10:00 +0100

De Nederlandse bevolking vergrijst en ontgroent. Deze demografische ontwikkelingen hebben een negatieve invloed op het totale aanbod van arbeid en zorgen voor een toenemend aandeel oudere werknemers in de beroepsbevolking. Het is niet bekend in welke mate het MKB en het grootbedrijf geconfronteerd worden met de gevolgen van deze demografische ontwikkelingen. Dit is met name voor het MKB een gemis, omdat veel ondernemers in het MKB nog over onvoldoende inzicht in deze problematiek beschikken. Hoe eerder ondernemers en intermediairs in het MKB een helder beeld hebben van de verwachte gevolgen van de demografische ontwikkelingen in het MKB, hoe eerder ze hiermee rekening kunnen houden.Het doel van dit onderzoek is tweeledig. Enerzijds is het doel om inzicht te geven in de gevolgen van vergrijzing voor de concurrentiepositie van het MKB in 2020. Anderzijds is het doel om aan te geven hoe het MKB kan omgaan met deze verwachte ontwikkelingen.

Isomorfie en het beloningspakket van werknemers in het MKB

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Boogerd, Msc.D-J. — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:12:00 +0100

Op basis van bestaande literatuur over isomorfie tussen bedrijven, zijn een aantal hypotheses afgeleid over kopieergedrag van ondernemers binnen bedrijven. Deze hypotheses stellen dat de kans dat ondernemers kopieergedrag vertonen hoger is naarmate de bedrijven kleiner en jonger zijn, en naarmate de ondernemer zelf een minder hoog opleidingsniveau heeft. Deze drie hypotheses zijn voor vijf verschillende beloningscomponenten onderzocht: winstdeling, bonussen en gratificaties, een auto van de zaak, een computer van de zaak en een telefoon van de zaak. De resultaten zijn duidelijk: vrijwel alle hypotheses worden verworpen. De algemene conclusie van dit onderzoek is dan ook, dat het geen ondersteuning biedt voor de idee dat ondernemers bewust kopieergedrag vertonen wat betreft de samenstelling van het beloningspakket van hun best betaalde werknemer.

Intrapreneurship; Conceptualizing entrepreneurial employee behaviour

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de | Wennekers, dr.A.R.M. — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:06:00 +0100

This paper discusses the similarities and differences between intrapreneurship and independent entrepreneurship. Most but not all of the activities and behavioural aspects of the latter are also typical of the former phenomenon. Key differential elements of independent entrepreneurship are the investment of personal financial means and the related financial risk taking, a higher degree of autonomy, and legal and fiscal aspects of establishing a new independent business. Based on this discussion an integral conceptual model of intrapreneurial behaviour is presented. The paper closes with conclusions.

Does Self-Employment Reduce Unemployment?

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:10:00 +0100

This paper investigates the dynamic relationship between self-employment and unemployment rates. On the one hand, high unemployment rates may lead to start-up activity of self-employed individuals (the 'refugee' effect). On the other hand, higher rates of self-employment may indicate increased entrepreneurial activity reducing unemployment in subsequent periods (the 'entrepreneurial' effect). This paper introduces a new two-equation vector autoregression model capable of reconciling these ambiguities and estimates it for data from 23 OECD countries between 1974 and 2002. The empirical results confirm the existence of two distinct relationships between unemployment and self-employment: the 'refugee' and 'entrepreneurial' effects. We also find that the 'entrepreneurial' effects are considerably stronger than the 'refugee' effects.

This is an updated version of SCALES-paper N200504.

An updated version of this paper has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing in 2008 (Volume 23, Issue 6, pp. 673-686).

Drivers of entrepreneurial aspirations at the country lever: the role of start-up motivations and social security

Gelderen, dr.M.W.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Hessels, dr.S.J.A. — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:10:00 +0100

This paper investigates whether start-up motivations and the level of social security can explain entrepreneurial aspirations. We use country-level data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for the year 2005. We distinguish between the necessity motive, independence motive and increase wealth motive and look at entrepreneurial aspirations in terms of innovativeness, job growth expectations and export orientation. As an indicator of a country?s level of social security we take the social security contribution rate (for employer?s and employees) from the World Competitiveness Yearbook. Previous research has found a negative relationship between the level of entrepreneurial activity and social security contributions, suggesting that social security increases the opportunity costs for entrepreneurship. The results of this study complement these previous findings by indicating that social security contributions have a negative influence on the supply of ambitious entrepreneurship in terms of new product or service introductions, job growth and export orientation. Furthermore, our findings indicate that entrepreneurial
aspirations in terms of job growth and export relate positively to the increase wealth motive, whereas no significant relationship is found between our aspiration variables and the independence and necessity motives. On the basis of our findings policy directions are presented for an entrepreneurial economy.

This is an update of paper H200627.

The Dynamics of Entry and Exit

Stel, dr.A. J.van | Thurik, prof.dr.A.R. | Fok, dr.D. | Burke, prof.dr.A.E. — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:03:00 +0100

The relation between profits and the number of firms in a market is one of the essential topics in the field of industrial organization. Usually, the relation is modeled in an error-correction framework where profits and/or the number of firms respond to out-of-equilibrium situations. In an out-of-equilibrium situation one or both of these variables deviate from some long-term sustainable level. These models predict that in situations of equilibrium, the number of firms does not change and hence, entry equals exit. Moreover, in equilibrium entry and exit are expected to be equal to zero. These predictions are at odds with real life observations showing that entry and exit levels are significantly positive in all markets of substantial size and that entry and exit levels often differ drastically. In this paper we develop a new model for the relation between profit levels and the number of firms by specifying not only an equation for the equilibrium level of profits in a market but also equations for the equilibrium levels of entry and exit. In our empirical application we show that our entry and exit equations satisfy the usual errorcorrection conditions. We also find that a one-time positive shock to entry or profits has a small but permanent positive effect on both the number of firms and total industry profits.

The decision to innovate: Antecedents of opportunity exploitation in high tech small firms

Jong, dr.J.P.J.de — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:02:00 +0100

The current paper explores the antecedents of small business owners' decision to exploit identified opportunities for innovation. Drawing on social psychology, entrepreneurship and organizational behavior literature three potential antecedents are proposed: attitude towards the opportunity, subjective norms of close ties, and perceived behavioral control. It is hypothesized that each of these constructs correlates with the decision to innovate. Drawing on multiple-source survey data of 160 high tech small business owners in the Netherlands, it is found that subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are positively related to the decision to innovate. Moreover, a three-way interaction is estimated and confirmed, suggesting that when all antecedents are simultaneously present, opportunity exploitation is significantly more likely. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Administratieve lasten en ondernemerschap

Kok, dr.J.M.P.de | Stel, dr.A. J.van | Hogerwerf, falseJ.J.M. — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0100

Al geruime tijd wordt gesteld, dat de administratieve lastendruk omlaag zou moeten. Hoge administratieve lasten zouden de concurrentiepositie van bedrijven aantasten en zouden (mede daardoor) een negatieve invloed hebben op het aantal startende ondernemers. Gedurende de jaren 1998 t/m 2006 zijn de administratieve lasten per bedrijf gemiddeld genomen daadwerkelijk afgenomen. Heeft dit nu een aantoonbaar positieve invloed gehad op het aantal startende ondernemers? In recent onderzoek van EIM is deze positieve invloed inderdaad gevonden, maar alleen voor arbeidsintensieve sectoren (zoals de bouw, de horeca en de handel). Voor kapitaalintensieve sectoren (zoals de industrie) is geen relatie gevonden.
 

Human capital and start-up success of nascent entrepreneurs

Hessels, dr.S.J.A. | Brixy, falseU. — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:03:00 +0100

We explore the role of human capital aspects in explaining whether nascents succeed in the start-up of a new venture. The data used are based on a survey among nascent entrepreneurs in Germany and the Netherlands supplemented by follow-up interviews one year after the first contact. Applying multinomial probit estimations we find that several human capital aspects are related to the probability of getting the business started. For example, a high general degree of human capital (i.e. holding a university degree) lowers the likelihood to succeed in the start-up of the venture, whereas recent employment experience (as opposed to being unemployed or out of the labor force) increases start-up success. Furthermore, we find that specialists are more likely to succeed in getting their business started than generalists.

Family ownership, innovation and other context variables as determinants of sustainable entrepreneurship in SMEs: An empirical research study

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:01:00 +0100

This study focuses on the prediction of sustainable entrepreneurship, that is, behavior which
demonstrates a firm’s concern about the natural environment, especially among small and
medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Using a random sample of 382 Dutch SMEs we examine how
organizational context (firm sector, size, ownership structure) and innovativeness influence
SMEs engagement in sustainable entrepreneurship. Results show that firms from more “tangible”
sectors (manufacturing, construction and agriculture), larger firms, family-owned firms, and
firms with a more innovative orientation are more likely to report positive activity related to the
natural environment. The paper discusses implications of the obtained results.