2. Yes you can! Entrepreneurship for
people in a globalised world
Dr Gideon Maas & Prof. Paul Hannon

3. Dr Gideon Maas
• Co-Director Institute of Applied Entrepreneurship, Coventry
University, UK
• Field of speciality: Entrepreneurship and Family Businesses
• International Business and Academic experience
• Contact details:
– E-mail: gmaas@cad.coventry.ac.uk
– Tel: +44 (0) 7974 98 4434

4. Prof. Paul Hannon
• Director of Research and Education, National Council for
Graduate Entrepreneurship, UK
• Visiting Professor Coventry University
• Field of speciality: Entrepreneurship
• International Business and Academic experience
• Contact details:
– E-mail: paul.hannon@ncge.org.uk
– Tel: +44 (0) 121 380 3545

5. Going global or operating in
a global environment?

6. Agenda
• To de-mystify the concept "entrepreneurship“
– What is entrepreneurship?
– Why is entrepreneurship so important within a global environment?
– Can I be a global entrepreneur?
• To identify challenges facing entrepreneurs within the
current environment
– What are the broad challenges facing entrepreneurs world-wide?
• To identify ways people can improve their entrepreneurial
abilities
– How can I improve my entrepreneurial abilities?

7. What is entrepreneurship?

8. The Enterprise Concept
• Enterprising person
– Personal skills + attributes + behavioural and
motivation
– Examples: intuitive decision making; make
things happen autonomously; networking;
initiative taking; opportunity recognition;
strategic thinking; self-efficacy
• Entrepreneurial mindset
– Empathy with life-world of the entrepreneur
and entrepreneurial ways
Source: NCGE

9. The Entrepreneurship Concept
• Application of enterprising skills in
the context of
– Setting up new ventures
– Developing/growing an existing venture
– Designing an entrepreneurial
organisation
Source: NCGE

10. The Innovation Concept
• Product of enterprising and entrepreneurship
concepts
• Definition
– Creating and exploiting of opportunities
– For new ways of doing things
– Resulting in better products and services, systems and
ways of managing people
• Success is a function of:
– Individual enterprising behaviour
– Entrepreneurial organisation capacity

11. Can I be an entrepreneur?
• Born like this?
• Educated like this?
• I am not from a family business, what
chance do I have to be
entrepreneurial?
• Really, do I need to be like this?

12. Challenges facing
entrepreneurs

13. Why is entrepreneurship so important
currently?
• Individual and Country growth
• 85% of the fastest growing technology
companies and 70% of the fastest growing
private companies were founded by
graduates during 2008 in the UK!

14. What are the broad challenges facing
entrepreneurs world-wide?
• Fast changes – more innovation and increased complexity
• Knowledge environment
• More or less jobs?
• Focus on smaller companies
• Diverse nature of entrepreneurs
• Influence of technology
• Regional changes e.g. Creation of new industries

15. Cultural determinants
• Religion
• Political philosophy
• Economic philosophy
• Education
• Manners and customs
• Language
• Social structure
Hisrich 2010

16. Improving my
entrepreneurial ability

17. How can I improve my entrepreneurial
ability personally?
• Know yourself!
– What are your strengths and weaknesses as
entrepreneur?
• Aligning visions: personal + family + business
– Strategic break-away with yourself!
• Inside-out and Outside-in thinking
– Travel, balanced networks
• Be passionate
– Celebrate successes and failures!
– Be emotionally involved!

18. How can I improve my entrepreneurial ability
within the organisation?
• Effective use of technology
– Competitive advantage or cost?
• Know your employees
– They are better than what you think!
• Know the value you are offering
– Adding value or just impressing yourself?
• Budget for innovation
– What percentage are you spending on innovation?

19. Where can I find help?
• Institute of Applied Entrepreneurship
• Tel: +44 (0) 24 76236001
• www.coventry.ac.uk/entrepreneurship

20. Thank you!
In order to stimulate entrepreneurship we
need to be entrepreneurial ourselves!