Abstract

Abstract
The chapter presents an entrepreneurial perspective to rural tourism. It is based on the utilization of endogenous resources that exist within a rural region, and leads to a group of business opportunities related to tourism, craftwork, and agriculture, which are taken into account to define the strategic objectives for the ADRIMAG region. The chapter follows a qualitative approach to business opportunities. Through our analysis, it was possible to create, in a simple manner, a group of business opportunities based on the endogenous resources of the region. With this study, we expect to bring forth an entrepreneurial perspective that will sustainably foster tourism development within rural regions, but with high potential for tourism attraction.

Abstract
The direct relationship between national cultural practice and entrepreneurship activities is analyzed in this chapter, based on the analysis of 44 countries. Datasets from 2012 and 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report are used to characterize three types of entrepreneurship: Early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA); necessity-driven entrepreneurship (NDE) and opportunity-driven (ODE) entrepreneurship. Data sets on national cultural values are used to analyze five dimensions of Hofstede's work on cultural values (power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, long/short term orientation, and uncertainty avoidance). For that, the authors use the Values Survey Module 2013, which has been adapted from Hofstede 's previous work from 2010 and 2008. The main conclusion is that the three types of entrepreneurship analyzed in this chapter are differently explained by the cultural and expanded models. If the country of origin and the type of economy are useful to explain TEA, they are of no added value to explain necessity-driven or opportunity-driven entrepreneurship.

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This paper proposes a conceptual model that analyses the factors influencing the export performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and integrates international entrepreneurship theory and international strategies. Rooted in an extensive bibliography that provides the basis for key constructs, the proposed model brings together the fundamentals of SMEs' internationalisation processes that influence these enterprises' export performance. The model highlights three important factors: industry-, environment- and firm-related aspects affecting firms' entrepreneurial orientation. The model contributes to a better understanding of the key factors affecting the export performance of SMEs, providing a simple structure that can be strategically used by entrepreneurs when launching their firms into international markets. The model complements previous approaches but offers a more integrative approach based on research that ventures further into a little explored area of the literature on internationalisation theories. Copyright © 2017 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Abstract
Social entrepreneurship is emerging as an innovative approach for dealing with complex social and environmental needs, and is an important lever for the development of a sustainable society. Social entrepreneurship and related concepts have had a growing attention in the academy, giving rise to dissimilar approaches in the United States of America and in Western Europe. Despite the importance of the Third Sector in Portugal, it has been difficult to set ideal definitions for social entrepreneurship, social entrepreneur and social enterprises. By means of a qualitative study involving four Portuguese social ventures, this chapter identifies contemporary socio-cultural and economic factors that foster social innovation and intervention in Portugal, and contributes to understand the role of social entrepreneur in this context.

Abstract
Innovation is a driver of economic growth, wealth and prosperity. On the other hand, corruption emerges as a worldwide problem responsible for sapping resources, inequality, human suffering and poverty. This study hypothesizes that national culture, measured using Hofstede 's six cultural dimensions, have an impact on corruption and innovation, and that highly corrupt nations are less innovative. Data were obtained from Hofstede's, Transparency International, and Global Innovation websites for the year 2012. The findings support the claim that most national culture aspects have an impact on corruption, although their impact on innovation is less measurable. Corruption was found to have a strong and negative effect on innovation. Our results draw attention to the usefulness of Hofstede's six-dimension framework in research and the need for further analysis on how corruption influences innovation through mechanisms other than national culture.