The purpose of this paper is to advance our understanding of core entrepreneurial competencies and their interdependencies. Developing entrepreneurial competencies is increasingly seen as important to foster entrepreneurship. Studies to date have highlighted different entrepreneurial competencies in the context of different sectors, regions and countries. However, there has been a lack of consensus in relation to the perceived relative importance of core entrepreneurial competences and their interdependencies among students, academic and entrepreneurs. Our paper focuses on two key questions: first, what are the core entrepreneurial competencies that need to be developed in educational contexts? Second, what are the interdependencies between these entrepreneurial competencies that need to be developed in educational contexts? Using a collective intelligence methodology a comparative study of Iran and Ireland was undertaken that involved three stakeholder groups of students, academics and entrepreneurs. This methodology was used to identify, rank, and structure entrepreneurial competencies considered important for university students. The results of the study indicated that productive thinking, motivation, interpersonal skills and leadership are core entrepreneurial competences that need to be developed in educational contexts. Findings also highlight critical interdependencies between entrepreneurial competencies and the relative influence of different competencies across groups and regions. We outline the implications of our findings for designing a curriculum for improving students' entrepreneurial competencies.

The vast majority of indigenous Irish enterprises can be classed as small (less than 50 employees). Latest figures from the census of industrial production indicate a figure of 90 per cent. However the Irish small firm sector is notoriously volatile in that a large percentage of new companies “die” in the first five years. For those that survive there are many barriers to growth. Therefore the potential of our small firm sector in aiding employment creation and economic development is not realised. Studies on life cycle and growth indicate that internal managerial capabilities are a significant factor in constraining growth. This paper details an investigation into a particular aspect of management; HRMs and highlights how managerial behaviour in this respect can affect the success of a small firm. Implications for providers of HRD are also analysed and discussed.

Purpose -The purpose of this article is to explore strategies used by communities of practice (CoPs) managers when managing intentionally created CoPs. Design/methodology/approach -Four intentionally created CoPs in Ireland are explored, using a qualitative research design with data from observation, interviews and analysis of documents. Findings -The study identified a number of specific strategies CoP managers use to develop trust, facilitate collaboration, facilitate the negotiation of shared meaning and manage power issues within the CoP. These strategies were shared by the four managers who participated in the study.Research limitations/implications -The study is based on a small sample of managers in Ireland. The context and process imposed constraints and the findings are context specific which implications for the application of findings to other CoPs. Originality/value -The study highlights the concept of CoP is not confined to traditional understandings but includes intentionally created highly structured time-bound groupings of individuals who work in a collaborative manner to share knowledge. The paper offers learning from CoP managers and highlights the practical implications of their experiences.

While the strong influence of entrepreneurial competencies on business performance is recognised, despite some doubts about the teachability of these competencies, a fundamental question has remained unanswered: what are the key entrepreneurial competencies that need to be developed in an entrepreneurship curriculum and how are these competencies interrelated? The current study used Interactive Management (IM) with a group of seven successful entrepreneurs to identify, clarify, rank order and build a consensus model describing the interdependencies between

No abstract

No abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to present a case study illustrating the issues involved in the tacit knowledge conversion process and to determine whether such conversion delivers value to the organisation in terms of business value and return on investment (ROI).Design/methodology/approachA single‐case multiple baseline participants experimental design, replicated across two participants, was utilised. Aaron's KM V‐model of evaluation is utilised to determine the ROI of the initiative.FindingsWhile the evaluation of the tacit knowledge conversion initiative suggests positive value to the business; analysis of the conversion process also reveals a number of individual level factors, which reinforce the challenges associated with efforts to access, capture and share expert tacit knowledge.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study may stimulate further research on tacit knowledge management processes, and specifically the influence of the individual in the success or failure of these initiatives.Practical implicationsThe paper presents an actual case study situation that reveals the micro‐level issues involved in converting tacit expert knowledge.Originality/valueThe paper addresses three important areas; it makes an effort to focus on tacit rather than explicit knowledge management, it takes steps to evaluate a tacit knowledge management initiative in terms of its tangible business value, and it pays attention to the influence of the individual in knowledge management processes, which are inherently driven by the individual.

The incidence of OOHCA has declined but importantly, survival to hospital discharge has improved dramatically. Reduction in ambulance response time, resulting in earlier initiation of basic and advanced life support and earlier defibrillation, was associated with an increase in the proportion of victims found in VF rather than asystole and likely accounted for most of the improvement. Further improvements in response times and public education to improve bystander CPR rates should remain a priority.