ENTREPRENEURSInnovation is inherently associated with risk and uncertainty, and the engagement of entrepreneurs with these is central to the innovation process. Entrepreneurs are not passive actors but, through learning, they contribute to the dynamic capabilities of the firm across the innovation process. Drawing on 57 interviews with entrepreneurs in tourism SMEs in Spain and the UK, the paper identifies how risk and uncertainty are understood to change throughout the innovation process in the key areas of technology, finance, markets and organizations. It also examines how tourism entrepreneurs respond to risk and uncertainty through a range of strategies, especially the harvesting of knowledge and networking.However, engaging with uncertainty remains elusive and relies as much on intuition as on reasoning.

Lifestyle, non-economic motives have been recognised as a significant motivational factor for tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs. However, knowledge on the subject is mainly drawn from the perspective of western developed economies, with a paucity of studies focusing on transition and developing countries. The purpose of the paper is to investigate tourism entrepreneurship within the former socialist countries, particularly focusing on Croatia. The study is based on in-depth interviews with tourism entrepreneurs in the Splitsko-dalmatinska county. The paper argues that understanding of entrepreneurship can be enhanced if theories are contextualised within a specific setting and industry sector and thus applies Morrison's (2006) 'drilling down' model in investigating tourism entrepreneurship. The results reveal a non-existence of lifestyle entrepreneurs and a conceptual model is developed to encapsulate the complex range of factors which underpin the different behaviour of the analysed entrepreneurs. Implications for entrepreneurship theory and further research are discussed.

This paper aims to explore the factors that stimulate entrepreneurship among small hotels in a former socialist economy which experienced a turbulent economic and social transition period. The study investigates how specific aspects such as a low level of competition and position of the entrepreneurs in society, acted as facilitating or inhibiting factors for entrepreneurship. The findings from in-depth interviews with 37 hotel entrepreneurs demonstrate that institutional deficiencies influence market orientation of the entrepreneurs and that the specific social context sets the conditions by which lifestyle-related motives will exist or not. They also underscore that investigation of entrepreneurs needs to take account of a broad range of sociocultural factors and not solely entrepreneurial agency. Inclusion of a transitional economic and social setting into the broader theoretical framework of hospitality entrepreneurial research demonstrates the value of a contextualized approach.

This longitudinal research positioned at the juncture of tourism, entrepreneurship and transition economies studies investigates the specific informal personal network veza of tourism entrepreneurs. The study discusses the triggers of network formation and their role and utilisation through the entire business lifecycle. Findings demonstrate that veza ties have a dual role in the lifecycle both as main facilitator of entrepreneurial activity and as driver of success of entrepreneurial ventures by providing necessary resources and overcoming barriers in a turbulent institutional environment. This study contributes to tourism social sciences by providing an integrative framework to study the emergence, formation and utilisation of entrepreneurial informal networks in tourism in transition economies.

The aim of this article is to discuss the key issues which have had significant influence on a PhD research student journey from positivism to interpretivism and the subsequent impact on the research methodology adopted. This journey is illustrated through 1) briefly analysing and reflecting upon the nature of relevant accumulated knowledge in the fields of hospitality, tourism and entrepreneurship fields; 2) critically analysing the impact of social setting on entrepreneurial behaviours and attitude; and 3) reflecting upon how the two previous points influence researcher behaviour and methodological design. Drawing upon research undertaken within the Dalmatia region of Croatia, a former socialist country, the contextual focus is small hotel owners within the hospitality industry. The article is loosely framed within a hospitality analytical lens and furthers debate on the nature of academic hospitality (Phipps and Barnett 2007) as well as proposing steps to welcome inhospitable knowledge

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Entering the European Union Croatian universities have become a part of the big European market and society. Croatia as one of the newest EU members has been facing many challenges, and one of them has been the development of the Higher education sector. In this paper we aim to explore the possibilities for academic entrepreneurship in Croatia and investigate the barriers which hinder university-industry collaboration. The study adopted the qualitative case study approach and it was conducted through in-depth interviews with respondents from the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at the University of Split. Research results indicate that Croatia is only beginning to develop its academic entrepreneurship, having only a short history of entrepreneurship education at all levels of education. Furthermore, supporting institutions for university-industry collaboration, such as the surveyed TTO, were established only in the last decade and most of the potential partners from academia and industry are still not familiar with different possibilities of the collaboration. Our study also shows that specific contextual factors, such as high bureaucracy and administrative barriers act as inhibiting factors to further development of academic entrepreneurship

Purpose – entrepreneurship scholars have argued extensively that the phenomenon of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial motivation cannot be studied in isolation from their broader socioeconomic environment. This study addresses this gap by examining the entrepreneurial motivation of hotel entrepreneurs in Northern Thailand. The study also investigates how various mediating factors and motivations to start a business shape tourism entrepreneurs' behaviour in relation to growth strategies. Design/ Methodology/ Approach – qualitative research was conducted in Northern Thailand 2012 and the follow-up study in 2019. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used. The primary data collection method was semi-structured interviews. Findings – the study identifies the coexistence of both lifestyle and growth-oriented entrepreneurs. The results show that the entrepreneurial decision to enter the hotel industry was not solely determined by the entrepreneur's own actions, but significantly by the family. The role of family in business creation is directive and not facilitative. Business growth was a desirable strategy for both lifestyle and growth-oriented entrepreneurs. Originality of the research – study shows that entrepreneurial motivation cannot be properly understood if it is studied in isolation from the wider socio-economic context. Moreover, it challenges the prevailing classification of tourism entrepreneurs into lifestyle-oriented and growthoriented.