Purpose -The aim of this paper is to investigate the issue of women entrepreneurs in Greece by looking into personal characteristics and motivation of female Greek entrepreneurs in order to assist Greek policy makers in their future attempts to devise programs to support them in the start-up phase. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is a review of the entrepreneurial environment and female entrepreneurship in Greece, approached first through an analysis of the existing bibliography and then through the presentation and analysis of data exploring personal characteristics and motivation, drawn mainly from three similarly designed surveys (two of which were designed and carried out by the authors), covering the period 1990-2000. Findings -It is important that women entrepreneurs are not treated as a monolithic category: rather, policies and programs to support them should begin with a diagnosis of their personal characteristics and motives aimed at strengthening pull motives that comprise a base for more viable and innovative entrepreneurial activity. Originality/value -The paper's originality lies in its review of the Greek situation, adding more evidence of the characteristics of women entrepreneurs in a different setting.

Purpose -This paper's primary purpose is to emphasize the importance of entrepreneur training regarding creativity and innovation. Their significance and the importance of the latter regarding the development of business and training needs are the research questions of a survey conducted in northern Greece. Design/methodology/approach -The survey, of 116 entrepreneurs, owners of small medium and very small enterprises, investigates awareness, attitudes and perceptions regarding creativity and innovation, for facilitating the design and development of training interventions. Data were collected using modified and extended questionnaires of an analogous tool created for the needs of the TRACTORS project. The questionnaires included both open-ended and closed questions. Descriptive statistics were generated by the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Findings -Findings suggest that entrepreneurs/owners and/or managers of micro and small medium enterprises in northern Greece are largely aware of the significance of creativity and innovation, believing that these are positively related to each other and interact in the development of their business. Training intervention is deemed as of great importance, and obstacles concerning financial resources, experience, time, infrastructure and not risk averse, were underlined. Research limitations/implications -Creativity and innovation training interventions for entrepreneurs in terms of process, content, method, duration, trainers etc., is in a fledgling stage and requires further research to determine the "right training intervention mix" serving the needs of the non homogeneous entrepreneurial category. Originality/value -Although entrepreneurship creativity and innovation are viewed as the "creation of the future", little has been done to train entrepreneurs to participate creatively in the innovation economy. The present paper traces these needs.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a mentor training intervention for experienced entrepreneurs in order to support and advise new and early stage female entrepreneurs in an attempt to enrich the limited literature of empirical data in the area of mentor training intervention assessment. Design/methodology/approach -For the evaluation of the mentor training programme, a three-level process has been used (reactions to training, knowledge and skills, behavior). Empirical research consists of quantitative research and different questionnaires were used to obtain information from respondents on a post basis. The sample consists of 52 mentors (experienced entrepreneurs) and 52 female mentees (early stage entrepreneurs). Descriptive statistics were generated by the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. Findings -Mentors responded positively to the training, they acquired knowledge and improved their skills, and they were able to transfer their improved knowledge and skills to their mentoring relationship and to their personal and professional lives. Research limitations/implications -Findings are based on preliminary research and a more comprehensive evaluation could be devised using pre-and post-programme evaluation and resultant relationships could be further evaluated through a qualitative study. Practical implications -A mentor training intervention evaluation is needed to enhance delivery of mentoring functions tailored to the needs of female entrepreneurs. This study serves as a starting-point for further research in the field of female entrepreneurial learning and particularly mentor training to policy makers, academics and professionals. Originality/value -Although the literature on female entrepreneurship, mentoring and training is growing, very little has been done to assess mentor training interventions. The present paper is one of the first to address and explore this issue.

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Successful entrepreneurial activities are a function of human venture and environmental conditions, since the key to improving entrepreneurial perceptions and attitudes within society and within Higher Education (HE) institutions lies in education. The purpose of this paper is to address issues surrounding entrepreneurial education in HE in Greece, and describes the delivery and evaluation of two programs. The programs were offered by a public university and a public technological & educational institute designed to create opportunities for learning entrepreneurial capacities, in order to develop a framework for the design and implementation of such activities. Research results, concerning (i) the programs' concept and (ii) the degree that the programs influence the students' knowledge, skills and attitudes towards the undertaking of entrepreneurial activities, provide useful information for academicians, educators, educational managers and policy makers, concerning the design of similar programs. The methodology used brings in the description of each program's structure (in terms of its formation, development, implementation and evaluation) and the evaluation of its effectiveness, based on a pre- and post-analysis of students' perceptions from each institution. Data were collected from 904 students, with both business and scientific-technological studies background. The analysis of data provides useful conclusions in relation to (i) the design of entrepreneurial education, (i.e. emphasis should be placed on the networking with the business world, the laboratory assistance, the mentoring process, the participants' scientific background) and (ii) the accomplishment of the two programs' objectives in "developing potential entrepreneurs", which seems to be moderately positive.