What stands behind the gender gap in entrepreneurship? Untangling the intergenerational parental role

This research examines the entrepreneurship gender gap by offering an additional novel explanation for the higher share of men in entrepreneurial activity focusing on intergenerational parental role. Participants (N = 1288) aged 18-81, including 259 actual entrepreneurs, completed questionnaires about entrepreneurship tendency, personality traits and socioeconomic background. The gender gap in actual entrepreneurship continues a significant difference in entrepreneurial tendency, which is developed in the first and the second stages of the entrepreneurial trajectory. When women reach the third stage of entrepreneurial development, the execution stage, they have already acquired a self-perception of an incapable and incommensurate entrepreneurial personality. The results indicate that role modeling behavioral channel significantly accounts for the gender gap in entrepreneurial personality. The results suggest that both parents contribute to women's' inferior perception of entrepreneurial personality and that their contribution affects all four aspects of the entrepreneurial tendency. It appears that the impact of fathers' role modeling is larger than that of mothers, and furthermore fathers transfer other entrepreneurial role models from their side in the family.

How do gender disparities in entrepreneurial aspirations emerge in Pakistan? An approach to mediation and multi-group analysis

This cross-sectional study sought to identify gender differences in individual behavioral attitudes, personal traits, and entrepreneurial education based on planned behavior theory. The Smart partial least squares (PLS) structural equation model and PLS path modeling were used. A survey design was used to collect data from 309 samples using quantitative measures. The model was tested for validity and reliability and showed variance (full, R² = 58.9% and split, R² = 62.7% and R2 = 52.7%) in male and female model predictive power, respectively. Subjective norms (SN), personality traits (PT), and entrepreneurial education (EE) significantly impacted the male sample’s intention. Females’ intentions toward entrepreneurship was less affected by attitude toward behavior (ATB), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and entrepreneurship education (EE). Further, attitudes, social norms, and behavioral controls as mediation variables indicate a significant and positive role of male and female intentions. These findings imply that behavioral beliefs (ATB, PBC, and SN) influence entrepreneurial intention-action translation. The results significantly supported the designed hypotheses and shed light on individual personality traits (PT) and entrepreneurship education (EE) underpinning enterprise intention. The study determined that EE and PT are the strongest predictors of intention, thus highlighting the role of these motives in the entrepreneurial process. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on youth entrepreneurs, expands our understanding of entrepreneurship as a practical career choice, and offers a novel account differentiating male and female PT. The drive to evaluate the effects of entrepreneurial intention among budding disparities in Pakistan requires a more profound knowledge of the aspects that endorse entrepreneurship as a choice of profession and enhances youth incentive abilities to engage in entrepreneurial activities based on exploitation.

Managers of micro-sized enterprises and Covid-19: impact on business operations, work-life balance and well-being

The aim of this study is to identify how managers of micro-sized enterprises experience the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their business operations, work-life balance and well-being. Further, the study aims to make comparisons between managers of micro-sized businesses and managers of small-sized businesses. This mixed-method study is based on qualitative interviews with ten managers of micro-sized enterprises and a questionnaire answered by 95 managers of micro-sized and small-sized enterprises in regions in the north of Sweden. Managers of micro-sized enterprises reported significantly worse scores for mental well-being, job satisfaction and life satisfaction in comparison with managers of small-sized enterprises. Three themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: Changed leadership role, Impact on private life and Impact on well-being. In the interviews, the managers of micro-sized enterprises reported that the pandemic had increased their workload and forced them to mobilise strategies for enterprise survival. This study indicates that managers of micro-sized enterprises had changed their leadership role and increased their workload and number of work tasks, including supporting the employees, developing strategies for business survival and applying for governmental support. However, the managers demonstrated creativity in finding new solutions for their enterprises.

Dynamic capabilities, value creation and value capture: Evidence from SMEs under Covid-19 lockdown in Poland

Dynamic capabilities, resulting from activities that allow conscious and skillful modification of a firm's strategic potential, are seen as one of the key drivers of a firm's value creation, competitive advantage and above-average performance in changing environments. However, little is known about how dynamic capabilities can shape business survival and performance during crises. The research objective of this paper is twofold. First, through a literature review, we seek to identify which first-order dynamic capabilities-managerial decisions under uncertainty-are vital for rapid response to a crisis. Second, we present the results of research carried out among 151 small and medium-sized companies in Poland immediately after the beginning of the economic lockdown (April 2020). The survey that we developed identifies which dynamic capabilities were essential for businesses to survive during this unexpected black swan event. We also present dependence and regression analyses showing the links between the identified dynamic capabilities and value creation, understood as retaining employees and production levels, as well as value capture, understood as maintaining cash flow and current revenues.

Evasive entrepreneurship: Circumventing and exploiting institutional impediments for new profit opportunity in an emerging market

Evasive entrepreneurship (circumvention and exploitation of institutions by entrepreneurs) is a prevalent practice in many developing economies. Extant literature on the topic falls short of providing adequate theories to explain its triggers, mechanisms, and consequences. Leveraging extensive survey data from the World Bank, we used structural equation modeling to examine the relationship between evasive entrepreneurial behavior-tax evasion and bribery-and the relative payoff of such practices. Of the 2599 Nigerian entrepreneurs in our sample, the majority admitted to engaging in evasive entrepreneurship. The data suggest that institutional factors thought to constrain entrepreneurship in emerging markets are counter-intuitively perceived by founders as opportunities to earn large rents and improve firm performance. Our results emphasize the urgent need to eliminate institutional constraints that paradoxically enable the growth of evasive entrepreneurship in emerging economies. Our results also suggest that prevailing local conventions involving evasive behavior may motivate nascent entrepreneurs to imitate bribery and tax evasion, normalizing malfeasance as 'best practice.'

Shifting entrepreneurial landscape and development performance of water startups in emerging water markets

Emerging technologies have driven the rise of many water-related startups and created new opportunities in water markets. The global water crisis could be mitigated by applying innovative technologies, sound water management decisions, and successful business models, and it is essential to better understand the status and future trends of emerging water markets. This study aims to discover shifts in the entrepreneurial landscape and evaluate water startups' development performance for the sustainable development of emerging water markets. We collected and analyzed data including the founding date, service area, service provided, details of funding raised, revenues, and consumer responses on 132 water startups founded between 2008 and 2018 in California, USA. Our results indicated that municipal area dominated the emerging water startup market compared to agricultural and industrial areas, and that many of the services provided shifted from conventional technologies to digital technologies. Though digital water startups' current revenues were relatively low, digital techniques applied in the water industry exhibited the good potential to promote public health and water saving. The development trends and performance of water startups enlighten the technological and commercial revolutions in the emerging water market, and provide guidelines for the decision-making in relevant stakeholders in the scientific, governmental, and industrial communities.

Proportion, Type, and Characteristics of Physician Entrepreneurship in Massachusetts

IMPORTANCE

Although there have been signs of increasing interest in entrepreneurship among physicians as well as claims of a paucity of entrepreneurial activity in health care in general, there is little systematic evidence of the extent, type, and characteristics of entrepreneurship by physicians. Physician involvement in entrepreneurship may result in more innovative and financially successful health care companies.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the proportion and characteristics of physicians who founded new businesses and the types of businesses that they started.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cross-sectional study was conducted by matching all 33 770 physicians holding a Massachusetts medical license in 2017 with the Massachusetts new business registration records from 1960 to 2017 to identify companies founded by physicians. Data were analyzed from September 2017 to December 2019.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The number of physician-founded companies in Massachusetts and the types of businesses as characterized by the stated purpose at the time of founding.

RESULTS

Among the 33 770 physicians holding a Massachusetts license in 2017, 13 839 (41.0%) were women and 8029 (23.8%) were international medical graduates; the median year of graduation from medical school was 1994 (interquartile range, 1983-2004). A total of 6494 (19.2%) physicians had founded at least 1 new business, and 831 of the 2448 physicians (33.9%) who graduated from medical school between 1974 and 1978 had founded a business. A total of 9501 companies were founded, of which 6267 (66.0%) were clinical practice, real estate, or practice management companies; 703 companies (7.4%) were in the public interest, including advocacy, public health, and philanthropy; 533 (5.6%) were biotechnology, health care information technology, or medical device companies; and 1759 (18.5%) were other business pursuits. For physician entrepreneurs, the mean (SD) time from medical school graduation to company founding was 20.2 (9.8) years. Regression analysis suggested that female physicians founded companies at lower rates than male physicians (odds ratio [OR], 0.529; 95% CI, 0.494-0.567) and that there was an association between attending a top-10 medical school by National Institutes of Health research funding and starting a clinical practice (OR, 0.687; 95% CI, 0.616-0.766) or biotechnology company (OR, 4.326; 95% CI, 2.951-6.344).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The findings of this cross-sectional study suggest that physicians may be substantially involved in entrepreneurship, although there may be disparities by sex. Facilitation of physician entrepreneurship by policy makers, educators, and institutions may enhance medical innovation and public health.

University Students' Behaviour towards Entrepreneurial Intention in Ecuador: Testing for the Influence of Gender

While the current global context of successive economic and health crises are punishing the economies of different countries in the world, it is particularly relevant to explore the business intentions of young university students, as potential entrepreneurs of opportunity. This matter is of the utmost importance, as it helps to facilitate the implementation of measures that can ensure the future recovery of the economy and the creation of new businesses. The objective of this paper is to study the institutional and psychological antecedents of entrepreneurial intention and the role of gender. The theory of planned behaviour is applied to assess how personal attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control can affect students' intention of becoming an entrepreneur. In addition, organizational support and institutional barriers are tested as potentially significant antecedents of entrepreneurial intention, along with the influence of gender. The research carried out was based on survey responses from a sample of 740 students of economics, communications, and education at an Ecuadorian university. The research propositions were tested using a partial least squares approach. Results indicate that behaviour towards entrepreneurship does not change in relation to gender. In addition, personal attitudes and perceived behavioural control regarding entrepreneurship are positively related to students' entrepreneurial intention. Organizational support is also found to be important for generating entrepreneurial intention. The paper adds to the current knowledge base on entrepreneurial intention by analysing the individual and joint influence of the principal elements of the theory of planned behaviour, as well as organizational support and institutional barriers on entrepreneurial intentions. Moreover, the research provides a useful perspective on the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention in an unexplored context such as Ecuador, by responding to the call focusing on entrepreneurial intention in different regions, cultures, and contexts.

Are the problem spaces of economic actors increasingly virtual? What geo-located web activity might tell us about economic dynamism

The principal questions this research will address are: 1) whether a higher propensity to visit websites of interest to actual or nascent entrepreneurs is associated with higher rates of new firms births in an area; 2) whether a higher propensity to visit websites of interest to those working on design problems is associated with the quality of business in terms of orientations toward design or innovation; and 3) whether a higher propensity to visit websites of interest to those pursuing arts as an avocation is associated with an increased ability to find nonobvious solutions that might be manifest in business quality. The unique data that allow examining these questions were compiled from billions of web hits by geo-located devices. These data are combined with both detailed establishment level data with reliable information on the innovation and design orientation of firms, and a longitudinal census of all establishments with a formal credit relationship in the U.S. The findings confirm that businesses located in areas with a high propensity to visit design and arts avocation websites are more likely to pursue more far ranging innovation and are more likely to integrate design into their innovation processes. Firm birth rates are higher in areas with a high propensity to visit websites of interest to entrepreneurs, and the existence of high growth firms is strongly associated with demonstrated interest in design and arts avocation websites. The possible uses of these nontraditional measures as indicators of economic dynamism are discussed.

A Co-Curricular Activity to Introduce Pharmacy Students to the Concepts of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Objective. To develop, implement, and evaluate a co-curricular activity in which second-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students developed an idea for a new clinical pharmacy service. Methods. A brief co-curricular activity based on the television series SharkTank was developed to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. Second-year pharmacy students worked in assigned teams and were allowed one hour to develop an innovative clinical service to solve a pharmacy-related problem. Students then "pitched" their idea to a panel of four faculty members who served as the "sharks" and graded the teams using a rubric. The rubric which was employed was mapped to the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education (CAPE) Educational Outcomes. A pre- and post-activity survey was administered to students to gather information about changes in their perceptions of innovation and entrepreneurship in pharmacy. Results. Student groups received higher scores on their ability to present background information and the need for their clinical service and lower scores in areas such as tracking outcomes and predicting challenges. On the post-activity survey, 96.7% of students agreed that the activity gave them a better understanding of pharmacists' roles in establishing new clinical services, and 86.7% stated they intend to actively seek out new clinical pharmacy service opportunities in their future career. Conclusion. Results of the survey demonstrate that students understand the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in pharmacy practice, and almost all students felt that the activity gave them an even better understanding of the pharmacist's role in clinical service development. This activity can serve as a blueprint for schools of pharmacy looking to incorporate creative and fun methods of exposing PharmD students to innovation and entrepreneurship activities.

Initial Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Entrepreneurial and Intrapreneurial Intentions in Student Pharmacists

Objective. To develop a questionnaire for measuring entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial intentions among student pharmacists and to identify characteristics and personality traits that are associated with these intentions. Methods. A 105-item survey instrument was developed and administered to all Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students (incoming to third year) at a large public university. It consisted of nine scales pertaining to entrepreneurism including previously validated and some newly developed scales adapted for use among student pharmacists. Data analysis consisted of factor analysis to determine scale constructs, reliability assessment, and systematic item-reduction analysis. Multiple linear regression and structural equation modeling was used to determine and confirm the association of personality traits and demographic characteristics with entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial intentions. Results. Of 289 students surveyed, 286 useable survey instruments were included in the analysis. Factor analysis was conducted for each scale, and items that did not load on their theorized factor or had cross-loadings above the permissible limits were removed, reducing the survey to 69 items. Findings demonstrated that gender, joint degree program, and autonomy were significant predictors of entrepreneurial intentions, and achievement motivation, leadership self-efficacy, and problem-solving were significant predictors of intrapreneurial intentions. Conclusion. A multi-dimensional questionnaire to measure entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial intentions of student pharmacists was developed and a few key predictors of such intentions were identified. When fully validated, the questionnaire may be used in pharmacy schools for several purposes, including in the PharmD admission process to gain additional insights into a student's potential to become a future innovative entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial practitioner.

STATE AND PROSPECTS OF INNOVATION ACTIVITY IN STATE INSTITUTION «ATIONAL RESEARCH CENTER FOR RADIATION MEDICINE OF NAMS OF UKRAINE»

The analysis of the state of innovation activity of NRCRM was carried out. The main types of innovation activity of the institution are highlighted, namely: creation and implementation of innovative product, innovative consulting. The perspective directions of its development were substantiated: increase of the level of implementation with the use of modern informational and publishing mechanisms, in particular digital object identification, and develop- ment of academic entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and scientific mobility: The Spanish case

Scientific mobility can stimulate entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, acting as a catalyst for reducing imbalances between local and global science and the resulting socio-economic damage. This study evaluates both whether scientific mobility effectively promotes these concepts and the fundamental reasons to articulate effective policies for scientific mobility. Toward this end, a survey has been prepared following the methodology of Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and current scientific literature. A total of 364 researchers involved in Spanish scientific mobility took part in the study: Spanish scientists abroad (135) and scientists returned to Spain (52), as mobile groups, and young researchers in Spain (177), as a group of scientists who could go abroad, but that have not yet begun to leave. The results demonstrate that scientific mobility does promote entrepreneurship and, especially intrapreneurship. Moreover, since permanent positions are scarce for these groups and their mobility decisions largely depend on job opportunities, the involved Spanish authorities and agents can improve scientific mobility by means suitable policies that make the most of this potential to the benefit of economic growth and job creation.

Personality Types of Entrepreneurs

85 German entrepreneurs were psychometrically assessed on 12 primary trait characteristics. The sample consisted of 49 men and 36 women whose mean age was 45.6 yr. ( SD = 10.3). Occupational domains were production (40%) and services (60%). The mean duration of entrepreneurship within these domains was 13.1 yr. ( SD = 9.3). By factor analysis five personality types of entrepreneurs could be identified: Creative Acquisitor, Controlled Perseverator, Distant Achiever, Rational Manager, and Egocentric Agitator. These types correspond with types found in research by Miner and with the Myer-Briggs Indicator. In addition, correlations between general type potential and both job and life satisfaction of entrepreneurs were found. The results are discussed with regard to intercultural stability of personality types and implications for research and application.

Microfinance Participation and Domestic Violence in Bangladesh: Results From a Nationally Representative Survey

This article examines domestic violence among women who participate in microfinance in Bangladesh. Secondary analysis of survey data from nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey was used to investigate the association between microfinance participation and domestic violence of 4,163 ever-married women between the ages of 18 and 49 years. Outcome measure is experience of domestic violence as measured by a modified Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) and predictor variables include microfinance, binary indicator of relatively better economic status, autonomy, decision-making power, and demographic variables. The likelihood of experiencing domestic violence was not found to vary with microfinance participation. However, the interaction effect of microfinance and better economic status was found to be significantly associated with domestic violence (9% increased probability). Experience of domestic violence was negatively associated with older age, higher education of the husband, and autonomy. In Bangladesh, microfinance participation may be associated with a higher probability of experiencing domestic violence for women with relatively better economic status, but not for the poorest of the poor.

Health and entrepreneurship in four Caribbean Basin countries

The literature dealing with health and entrepreneurship has focused on developed countries. We use a sample of almost 5000 business owners and wage-workers from four Caribbean Basin countries to study this relationship. Analyses are performed using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor along with the Visual Analogue Scale of the EQ-5D-5L instrument as an overall health rating. The results show that business owners are healthier than wage-workers, which is in line with the findings from studies in developed countries. Furthermore, better health is associated with a lower likelihood for fear of business failure to be a deterrent to new business formation, a greater likelihood of self-belief in having the skills to run a business, and an increased recognition of start-up business opportunities among wage-workers. These positive associations between health and entrepreneurial perceptions provide new evidence about why less healthy individuals refrain from entrepreneurship. Finally, we find that the healthiest business owners run the companies with the highest growth expectations.

The stature of the self-employed and its relation with earnings and satisfaction

Taller individuals have on average a higher socio-economic status than shorter individuals. In countries where entrepreneurs have high social status, we may therefore expect that entrepreneurs are taller than wage workers. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (2002-2012), we find that a 1cm increase in an individual's height raises the probability of being self-employed (the most common proxy for entrepreneurship) versus paid employed by 0.15 percentage points. Within the self-employed, the probability of being an employer is increased by 0.10 percentage points as a result of a 1cm increase in height, whereas this increase is 0.05 percentage points for an own-account worker. This result corroborates the higher social status of employers compared to own-account workers. We find a height premium in earnings for self-employed and paid-employed individuals: an additional 1cm in height is associated with a 0.39% increase in hourly earnings for paid employees and a 0.52% increase for self-employed individuals. Our analysis reveals that approximately one third of the height premium in earnings is explained by differences in educational attainment. We also establish the existence of a height premium in terms of work and life satisfaction, which is more pronounced for paid employees than for self-employed individuals.

Prospects of apicultural entrepreneurship in coastal districts of eastern India: a melissopalynological evaluation

A melissopalynological analysis of fifty-one natural honey samples (twenty four spring, fifteen summer and twelve winter) collected during 2010–2011 from two east-coastal districts (20⁰20^/ to 22⁰11^/ N, 82⁰39^/ to 87⁰01^/ E) of Orissa, India was performed. Out of 37 unifloral samples found 25 were contributed by Apis cerana indica, seven by A. dorsata and the remaining five by A. florea. Out of 14 multifloral samples five were contributed by A. cerana indica, five by A. dorsata and the remaining four by A. florea. Principal component analysis confirmed the palynological classification of the unifloral honey samples. Eighty-two bee-plant taxa belonging to forty four families were recovered. The predominant nectariferous taxa of the spring season were Acanthus ilicifolius, Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Cocos nucifera, Eucalyptus globulus, Phoenix paludosa, Pongamia pinnata, Prosopis juliflora, Sonneratia apetala and Syzygium cumini. In the summer the predominant nectariferous taxa were Borassus flabellifer, C. nucifera, E. globulus, Syzygium cumini, Terminalia arjuna, Aegiceras corniculatum, P. paludosa and Sonneratia apetala while those of the winter were Brassica nigra, Coriandrum sativum, Zizyphus jujuba, Alstonia scholaris, E. globulus and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza. Very low (<0.09) HDE/P for 98% of the samples and absence of toxic palynotaxa assure that these honeys are suitable for human consumption. Quite extended honey flow period with spring and summer as best forage seasons for the honeybees and occurrence of 82% of these honeys with APC Group II, III and IV justify the sustainability of the present study area for establishing moderate to large-scale apicultural entrepreneurship. This should improve the socio-economic status of the people of this region.

A comparative study on entrepreneurial attitudes modeled with logistic regression and Bayes nets

Entrepreneurship research is receiving increasing attention in our context, as entrepreneurs are key social agents involved in economic development. We compare the success of the dichotomic logistic regression model and the Bayes simple classifier to predict entrepreneurship, after manipulating the percentage of missing data and the level of categorization in predictors. A sample of undergraduate university students (N = 1230) completed five scales (motivation, attitude towards business creation, obstacles, deficiencies, and training needs) and we found that each of them predicted different aspects of the tendency to business creation. Additionally, our results show that the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is affected by the rate of missing data in both techniques, but logistic regression seems to be more vulnerable when faced with missing data, whereas Bayes nets underperform slightly when categorization has been manipulated. Our study sheds light on the potential entrepreneur profile and we propose to use Bayesian networks as an additional alternative to overcome the weaknesses of logistic regression when missing data are present in applied research.

Is employer-based health insurance a barrier to entrepreneurship?

The focus on employer-provided health insurance in the United States may restrict business creation. We address the limited research on the topic of "entrepreneurship lock" by using recent panel data from matched Current Population Surveys. We use difference-in-difference models to estimate the interaction between having a spouse with employer-based health insurance and potential demand for health care. We find evidence of a larger negative effect of health insurance demand on business creation for those without spousal coverage than for those with spousal coverage. We also take a new approach in the literature to examine the question of whether employer-based health insurance discourages business creation by exploiting the discontinuity created at age 65 through the qualification for Medicare. Using a novel procedure of identifying age in months from matched monthly CPS data, we compare the probability of business ownership among male workers in the months just before turning age 65 and in the months just after turning age 65. We find that business ownership rates increase from just under age 65 to just over age 65, whereas we find no change in business ownership rates from just before to just after for other ages 55-75. We also do not find evidence from the previous literature and additional estimates that other confounding factors such as retirement, partial retirement, social security and pension eligibility are responsible for the increase in business ownership in the month individuals turn 65. Our estimates provide some evidence that "entrepreneurship lock" exists, which raises concerns that the bundling of health insurance and employment may create an inefficient level of business creation.

Dyslexic entrepreneurs: the incidence; their coping strategies and their business skills

This comparative study explores the incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs, corporate managers and the general population. It examines the suggestion that dyslexic entrepreneurs develop coping strategies to manage their weaknesses, which are subsequently of benefit in the new venture creation process. Results of this study suggest that there is a significantly higher incidence of dyslexia in entrepreneurs than in the corporate management and general US and UK populations and some of the strategies they adopt to overcome dyslexia (such as delegation of tasks) may be useful in business. The study was undertaken in two parts. First, entrepreneurs and corporate managers completed an online questionnaire, which combined questions about their company, their management or leadership role and their business skills together with questions that were designed to explore the likely incidence of dyslexia. A follow-up study that made use of a semi-structured questionnaire explored business issues and educational experience in more depth with those who had been diagnosed as dyslexic and those who did not have any history of dyslexia or any other learning difficulty.

Self rated health and working conditions of small-scale enterprisers in Sweden

This study was an investigation of prevalence and associations between self-rated health and working conditions for small-scale enterprisers in a county in Sweden. A postal questionnaire was answered by 340 male and 153 female small-scale enterprisers in different sectors, with a response rate of 66%. For comparative purposes, data from a population study of 1,699 employees in private companies was included in the analyses. Differences were tested by Chi(2)-test and associations were presented as odds ratios (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The frequency of health problems in male enterprisers was higher than in employees in the private sector, while the frequency of health problems in female enterprisers was equal to that of the control employees. The main findings highlighted that male enterprisers reported higher rate of health problems and female enterprisers equal rate compared with employees in the private sector. Enterprisers stated musculoskeletal pain (women 59%, men 56%) and mental health problems (women 47%, men 45%) as the most frequent health problems. Poor job satisfaction, reported by 17% of the females and 20% of the male enterprisers, revealed an OR of 10.42 (95% CI 5.78-18.77) for poor general health. For the enterprisers, the most frequent complaints, musculoskeletal pain and mental health problems, were associated with poor job satisfaction and poor physical work environment. An association between poor general health and working as an enterpriser remained after adjusting for working conditions, sex and age.

The German MedTech industry in 2007

As innovation activity remains high on the industry's agenda, it is calling fora renewed focus on the economics of health care.

The industry in Europe: more together than apart

How different is the United Kingdom from the rest of Europe? This, the second of a three-part report on the findings of Medical Device Technology's annual market survey, looks at a country whose health-care delivery is going through considerable change.

The rise of the entrepreneurial physican

The policy issues surrounding physician-owned specialty hospitals are highly controversial. Central to the controversy is the trade-off between the role these hospitals might play in increasing competition and the impact they might have on community hospitals' ability to cross-subsidize unfunded missions. Key policy questions relate to quality, efficiency, and the degree to which specialty hospitals are fairly paid for their services. This commentary reviews Jean Mitchell's basic thesis in relation to both the emerging specialty hospital literature and earlier work performed by the Lewin Group for MedCath, a corporation that owns and manages heart specialty hospitals.

Women and work: a ten year retrospective

A look back, after a decade, at the issues surrounding women and work. Work options, childcare and family concerns, the glass ceiling, sexual harassment, women entrepreneurs, race and poverty, unpaid work, and women with disabilities are discussed.

The relationship of entrepreneurial traits, skill, and motivation to subsequent venture growth

Previous research on entrepreneurship as well as goal, social-cognitive, and leadership theories has guided hypotheses regarding the relationship between entrepreneurial traits and skill (passion, tenacity, and new resource skill) and situationally specific motivation (communicated vision, self-efficacy, and goals) to subsequent venture growth. Data from 229 entrepreneur-chief executive officers and 106 associates in a single industry were obtained in a 6-year longitudinal study. Structural equation modeling revealed a web of relationships that impact venture growth. Goals, self-efficacy, and communicated vision had direct effects on venture growth, and these factors mediated the effects of passion, tenacity, and new resource skill on subsequent growth. Furthermore, communicated vision and self-efficacy were related to goals, and tenacity was related to new resource skill.