Journal of Enterprising Culture

In his original work of the Survival Index Value (SIV^®) model, Dr. Adli Abouzeedan proposed a new parameter, which he named as the Survival Index (SI) (see Abouzeedan, 2001; Abouzeedan and Busler, 2002a). The new parameter is used to evaluate the performance of Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) utilizing firm survivability as an indicator. The SI is calculated using an equation known as Survival Index (SI) Value Equation or SIE. In this paper, we applied the SIV^® model to run an analysis on a very young Swedish firm and up to our knowledge, for the first time. The firm is a small one, working within a business sector defined as "fish preparation industry". This particular enterprise had a bad performance through its short life. The purpose of this study is to truly determine if the SIV^® model has the capacity to indicate the performance of the firm. The case study presented in this work showed the valuable analytical power of the new model since it succeeded in giving a clear indication of the worsening situation of the enterprise. During the SIV^® analysis of this Swedish firm new concepts have been introduced which do increase the practicality and analytical capacity of the model.

This paper discusses New Product Development (NPD) Process and the perception required for effective NPD Learning (NPDL). A model of learning for NPD organisations is presented and the necessity to assess progression towards learning objectives at the individual, job and organisation level is shown. Three aspects of organisational groundwork are identified and discussed. These include developing the NPD process, implementing the NPD strategy and allocating resources for NPD and NPDL. Ten sets of learning objectives are identified and discussed. These are organisational analysis, barrier demolition, team working, flexible problem solving, use of advanced support tools, facilitating communication, maintaining communication, decision making, assessment of the NPD process and NPDL, and NPD risk analysis. It is proposed that adopting both an organisational needs analysis and individual needs analyses can support the development of NPD organisations. These analyses will identify the groundwork that should be undertaken by the organisation and the initial learning objectives for the individuals. The progression of NPD through the NPD process can then be assessed and implemented sufficiently.

This paper explores the role of different trust environments in West and East Europe on the behavior of entrepreneurs. In a stable institutional environment (e.g., Germany, core regions in Russia) personal trust mainly plays a complementary role for entrepreneurial behavior, while in more fragile environments (e.g., peripheral regions in Russia) it can substitute for institutional deficiencies. The exploratory empirical data analyzed in this study comprise three countries (Estonia, Germany and Russia), and they stem from an international research project, which was supported by the Volkswagen Foundation. The empirical discussion focuses in particular on interfirm relations of small businesses as well as on the sources of assistance used by entrepreneurs in solving business problems. The preliminary results indicate that the forms of trust depend on the respective regional and sectoral environments, which draws attention to the difficulties of classifying whole countries as "high-trust" versus "low-trust". Limitations of the analysis refer to the cross-sectional nature of the survey data.

In the last few decades, the manner in which western society deals with death has changed under the influence of individualization processes. In this paper, directions of emerging opportunities for new products or services are pointed out that respond to this development. For this purpose, five types of heuristic information are provided and analyzed. First, background information about the market. Second, an analysis of consumer wants, problems, and behavior. Third, an analysis of the change factor that explains how wants of consumer are becoming different. Fourth, a description of innovations that already try to meet these changed wants. Fifth, conceptualizations of the market that define the market in a reframed manner. The paper concludes that the centrality of the self (and its cessation by death), the importance of expression of one's authentic personality, the diminished authority of traditional frameworks that explain death, and a want for self-esteem in response to mortality salience all give rise to opportunities for new products and services in response to individualizing manners of dealing with death.