فصلنامه توسعه کارآفرینی
سال شانزدهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 61، پاییز 1402)

Every scientific research begins with a problem, and sometimes posing a new question is itself a great innovation in the research process. Reviewing the concepts and intellectual structure of economic schools in their development from the classical school founded by Adam Smith to the German historical school, the Austrian school and the institutional school, shows that although all these schools have promised the peace and security of humanity, the human being with Genius and complex mental powers, capacities, abilities and skills are missing in all of them. According to Kant, the human being, the goal of his creation is the realization of freedom in both negative and positive aspects. Negative freedom as a form of freedom that is the responsibility of the governments and requires the provision of suitable conditions in the surrounding environment for free choice, freedom that provides the possibility of regulating human interactions under the protection of the rule of laws and regulations or in other words external institutions. made and protects the person from the aggression of others; But freedom in its positive aspect contains a deeper meaning. In fact, the non-transformation of man is in every thought, system and ideology that is made and developed by human hands, the freedom that provides the possibility of passing through the attachments and ties of the world of the senses and directs all the efforts of a person to know himself; A knowledge that is missing for today's modern man.With the realization of this aspect of freedom, the possibility of mastery over thoughts and intellectual frameworks is provided, and as a result of this inner peace, the field of creation and creativity and the elevation of the soul is provided, both for the individual and for others. Now the question is, which of these schools has been able to secure and guarantee freedom from the domination of external powers and encroachments and the freedom for internal elevation for mankind? Who is responsible for the fulfillment of this mission and the ideal of humanity? It seems that the current world and the current economic, social and political systems have given up on this serious responsibility and have settled for the lowest and lowest aspect of human rights, i.e. natural rights and unconditional freedom under the title of "economic liberalism" and what It is contrary to the true nature of a human being, they forced him.As the review of evidence and concrete examples of many important thinkers and philosophers shows that all economic systems that provide happiness, peace and prosperity for humanity have not only promoted the dominance of powerful countries over other countries and over their own kind, but also instrumentalist view of Man, who was created "essentially for excellence", has been made the basis for maintaining their desired ideology, and there is no sign of the spirit of freedom in these societies. Therefore, dealing with this important neglect in economic schools and explaining it by being in a neutral position and citing scientific and objective evidence is an important issue in this article.

Developing and selecting a business model is one of the most vital decisions of managers and business owners in order to survive, grow and be profitable in the competitive scene. Since this decision is associated with uncertainties and complications, the development of practical tools is necessary. On the other hand, most of the existing tools are presented only from an economic point of view and pay less attention to solving social problems. Hence the purpose of the current research is to design a model for the development and selection of a business model based on social innovation.

The current research is a qualitative research that is a multiple case study terms of  the objective and a in terms of the method. In order to identify the development process and choose the business model, the interview protocol was compiled using the 5w1h method. Then, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 11 business owners active in the field of social innovation who had experience in business model development with a targeted judgment method. After coding the interviews and analyzing them, based on the results of a multiple case study and the existing literature, the proposed tools were designed, including the business model development matrix based on social innovation and the business model selection matrix based on social innovation. Also, the focus group method including 10 business owners who had experience in business model development and social innovation was used to validate and confirm the model.

The findings of the multiple case study showed that business owners generally use brainstorming sessions in the business model development phase, and in the new business model selection phase, they use expert surveys based on business strategic information. They choose the right business model. Based on this, the proposed model includes 2 stages of development and selection of a business model based on social innovation, in the first stage, possible options for business model development are created with a tool designed as a Development Matrix (DM), and in the next step to prioritize and choose the right business model with the Business Model Selection Matrix (BMSM) .

The model and tools proposed in this research are designed based on the results of the case study and the existing literature. Business model development matrix in order to use the dimensions of innovation in the business model and structuring the ideation sessions and business model selection matrix considering strategic business information are suitable tools for business model development and selection They are aimed at increasing benefits and reducing economic/social costs.

In today's competitive and contemporary world, unemployment has become a worrying issue and has had a profound impact on all aspects of an economy, culture, and society. In this regard, concern about employment is increasing day by day, and the trends of globalization, technological advances, and population growth have had a profound impact on the labor market. The Province of Ardabil, despite its abundant resources, is no exception to this, and is facing many problems in the field of economy and employment. Unemployment in the Province of Ardabil has become one of the most important challenges facing this region, and strategies such as employability skills that reduce unemployment in this province have been the focus of researchers and policy makers. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of designing a model of employability skills for technology and knowledge-based units based on the Strauss and Corbin approach (1989). The present study has a qualitative approach and uses the grounded theory. The statistical population of the study was the technology and knowledge-based units of Ardabil Province, from which 20 faculty members, entrepreneurs, and experts were selected using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation (15 interviews). The time-frame of this study was also between 2022 and 2023, and open, axial, and selective coding’s were used to analyze the data. The data collected through interviews and the grounded theory were analyzed. The results of this study indicate the presentation of a model of employability skills for technology and knowledge-based units in Ardabil Province, which ultimately led to the identification of 6 key concepts in the form of 34 subcategories and 19 categories and 6 main categories of strategic factors, causal conditions (macro and micro), contextual factors (educational, infrastructural and supportive), core category (soft and hard skills), intervening variables (individual, experiential and developmental), strategy (reducing bureaucracy, strategic insight, reviewing educational content, etc.) and outcome (increased employment and job diversity, specialization, equal opportunity creation, matching between labor market and skills). Introducing the employability skills model can be used by policymakers and stakeholders in technology and knowledge-based companies in addition to increasing the employability of young people. Therefore, attention to employability and acquiring skills in this field is one of the important issues that should be made a priority for the organizations concerned. In general, it can be said that the introduced model explains mechanisms that led to individual growth and prosperity, specialization in occupations, improvement in employability skills, increased employment of young people, creating equal opportunities for employment, increasing interest in business and entrepreneurship, matching between market needs and skills and increased job diversity in the target community and similar companies.

Knowing the processes of Transition from Start-up to Scale-up and removing the obstacles in front of it will determine the success or failure of the Start-up. Therefore, the current research was carried out with the aim of conceptualizing the interpretive structural of Transition barriers from Start-ups to Scale-ups.
This study is practical in terms of its objective and, given its nature, falls into the category of mixed (qualitative-quantitative) research, based on sequential-exploratory design, and data collection through descriptive and field-documentary research. The study population includes all key informants, such as entrepreneurship faculty members with relevant resumes and backgrounds, start-up owners in the transitional and existing scale-up stages, mentors, experts, and planners of relevant organizations in the start-up ecosystem of the country. In this study, three methods of inductive content analysis, Interpretive Structural Modeling, and degree of penetration and dependence analysis were used.
The results led to the identification of 12 obstacles for the Transition from Start-ups to Scale-ups, which were classified into 7 levels after analysis. Also, their level of influence and degree of dependence were determined in a range of independent, linked, and dependent influence.
Barriers to transition from startups to scale-ups in order of levels, including weaknesses in environmental analysis and continuous scanning, weakness in determining appropriate goals and strategies, weakness in reviewing and developing marketing plans, team problems and weaknesses in founder leadership and management, weakness in enhancing the value proposition, weakness in establishing and shaping the structure, weakness in normative and cultural capital within the team, weakness in creating appropriate financial capabilities and reducing costs, weakness in team learning processes and empowerment, weakness in appropriate infrastructure, processes and technologies, weakness in the preparedness of individuals' mental blocks for change, and weakness in selecting the appropriate time for scaling up. The current research has identified and analyzed a set of barriers to the Transition from Start-ups to Scale-ups, which can act as a guide with a step-by-step approach to increase the percentage of successful Transition. Also, the findings of this study can provide appropriate achievements and solutions for policymakers, planners, managers, and stakeholders in the Iranian start-up ecosystem.

The study focuses on the significance of entrepreneurial start-up businesses in driving economic growth and employment. It emphasizes that financing plays a crucial role in sustaining these businesses and their development. Challenges such as reduced market share, high costs, intense competition, reliance on traditional financing models, and strong international competitors hinder the progress of start-ups. Insufficient and untimely financing leads to many start-ups being unable to compete effectively. Therefore, the research aims to design a microfinance model to address this issue and ensure the sustainability of entrepreneurial start-up businesses.

The current research is interpretive in terms of approach, in terms of practical purpose, in terms of nature, it is a survey, and a qualitative method to collect and analyze the obtained data, and using the qualitative method of foundation data and semi-structured interview to data collection and analysis were used. 18 interviews were conducted using theory-based sampling method The time domain of this research is between the years 1401-1402. In this research, the open, central and selective three-stage method was used to code the data. SPSS software and average and percentage statistical tests were used to analyze the information of the first part, that is, the part describing the characteristics of experts. In the qualitative part, the method of data analysis is data coding in three stages, using Atlas Ti software.

The study aimed to design a sustainable microfinance model for start-up entrepreneurial businesses. The model consists of six main components: driving factors (development, income generation, growth, and institutional factors), the main category (microfinance in the sustainability of start-up entrepreneurial businesses), strategies (intra-organizational strategies for facility provision and repayment), contextual factors (legal, economic, and social environment), intervening factors (external and internal organizational factors), and consequences (macro and micro-level outcomes).

Therefore, it can be stated that providing microfinance through financial institutions can lead to the growth and development of businesses. The obtained factors in the research model are causal factors in encouraging banks to provide microfinance facilities. In the business development sub-code, the two factors of business sustainability facilities and getting points to start-up businesses are the factors that start-up businesses are encouraged to use micro financing. Microfinance not only brings benefits to start-up businesses, yes, it will always include benefits for the bank that provides the credit. Therefore, more attention should be paid to this sector in policy making and budgeting.

This paper aims to comprehensively review the conceptualizations of "business resilience" in the context of entrepreneurship and gather different perspectives on the topic. The goal is to provide conceptual clarity and enhance theoretical and practical outcomes in entrepreneurship research.

This research is a descriptive study carried out using the qualitative meta-analysis (QMA) method. The purpose of this method is to qualitatively summarize a set of researches in terms of concepts, methods, results, context, etc. This method especially is used when the central issue has been investigated from various perspectives. By searching for research published between 2000 to 2020, containing “resilience” in the title, approximately 10,500 records were found. Filtering the document and journal titles with certain words led to 1260 records. At this stage, a group of papers was selected for further analysis by reviewing titles and abstracts. After detailed examination, 85 studies were selected for qualitative analysis and coding. Thereafter, subsequent steps for conducting a qualitative meta-analysis research including the appraisal of primary studies, preparing data, data analysis and credibility checks are followed.

The final results of the analysis are provided in three main parts. At first, the definitions of resilience were categorized into six groups. Then, similar concepts to resilience were classified into four groups based on crisis occurrence time. Finally, a network of related concepts to business resilience was developed. This network has eight parts. According to this conceptual network, resilience is assumed to have three main definitions in general. Some define “resilient business” as “a business that has survived after the disaster”, some assume it to be “a business that has recovered to the same performance level in comparison to the pre-disaster state”, and others describe it as “a business that has improved its performance to a higher level”. Also, resilience has been explained at four levels: “regional economic resilience”, “social resilience”, “business resilience”, and “resilience of the entrepreneur”. Moreover, resilience has been studied by three main approaches, namely “engineering”, “ecological” and “adaptive”. Considering the required duration to evaluate resilience, some believe that resilience could be evaluated at any “point” in time, while others declare that it is necessary to consider a “duration” of time for evaluation.

The literature on business resilience is rich at the individual and business levels but lacks research at macro levels. Integrating ecological and adaptive approaches with the engineering approach would contribute significantly to the field. It is suggested to categorize concepts into "active-passive" and "absorptive-adaptive" dualities and avoid the use of numerous overlapping terms and definitions found in the literature.

The aim of this paper is to provide a framework for classifying the performance of venture capital (VC) firms and extracting characteristics that are effective in their success. For this purpose, two key performance indicators were recognized by reviewing previous studies, including: rate of return and the number of successful exits of startups. Using the opinions of 5 experts active in the field of venture capital, the classification framework of the Alcaire-Foster method was set. Out of 35 Iranian venture capital firms, 15 firms participated in this research. Based on the collected information and in the framework of the mentioned method, 4 firms were in the top category, 7 firms were in the middle category and 4 firms were in the less successful category. Factors affecting the success of venture capital, such as reputation, experience, capital size, project stage, field of activity, geographical proximity with start-ups were studied in top and less successful firms. Then, the common characteristics of every VC category were explained by the method of negative center of agreement. The obtained results show that the top VC firms have bigger size of capital. The said firms have invested the most in internet businesses and have allocated a large share of their investment portfolio to activities such as internet stores, education, medicine and information technology; Also, high activity history, large number of investments, and short distance from start-ups were identified as other factors affecting the success of top venture capital firms in Iran.A

The concept of "Lean start-up" is intriguing but vague in its implementation. To the best of our knowledge, measuring the level of leanness of a start-up is not possible yet. However, there are some models for lean assessment in mature companies. This research aims to determine the criteria and design a framework for conforming to lean start-up criteria. The goal is to create a valuable guide for evaluating the degree of leanness of start-up businesses and pave the way for their leanness.

This research follows an applied and analytical approach conducted in two phases. We developed a framework for lean start-up conformance in the first phase through five steps. Initially, papers on "lean measurement" and "lean start-up" were searched and reviewed, resulting in 187 unique criteria. In the next step, the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) reduced the number of criteria to 52. Subsequently, the CREAM method (acronym for "Clear," "Relevant," "Economic," "Adequate," and "Monitorable") was used to assess the quality of the remaining criteria. Only 38 criteria could pass the CREAM requirement and were qualified for remaining as final criteria. Hierarchical cluster analysis, conducted using MATLAB software, categorized the remaining criteria into 7 dimensions. Finally, the group best-worst method (G-BWM) was used to weight the criteria and dimensions. These steps were conducted through 35 rounds of expert opinion collection through 4 questionnaires and yielded in a lean start-up conformance framework. In the second phase, the created framework was applied to 35 start-up businesses in Fars Science and Technology Park, and the output data was analyzed using the one-sample t-test in SPSS software.

This research developed a framework of 7 dimensions and 38 criteria to measure the degree of leanness in start-up businesses. The framework dimensions, namely "customer analysis," "quality of product manufacturing," "improvement of production system," "management and personnel," "Muda," "internal processes," and "market analysis," have been assigned respective weights of 0.256, 0.149, 0.149, 0.089, 0.076, 0.120, and 0.188. Also, applying the framework to the start-up businesses of Fars Science and Technology Park revealed the extent of their leanness and uncovered the gap to the ideal state of leanness. The average score of leanness in the investigated businesses was found to be 80 percent.

The designed framework is a useful guide for measuring and enhancing the degree of leanness in start-up businesses. Notably, the "customer analysis" dimension emerged with the highest weight among the dimensions, while "identifying customer needs" exhibited the highest weight among the criteria in the framework. Applying the framework highlighted the need for start-up businesses in Fars Science and Technology Park to focus on enhancing "internal processes," "Muda," and "market analysis." Future research endeavors could explore extensions of the framework using Fuzzy or gray logic or customize it according to the lifecycle of start-ups.