This paper explores the potential of microfinance in post-conflict economies, and speci-fically examines policy considerations for the case of Iraq. It presents important condi-tions of the post-conflict economy, and examines three critical requirements for suc-cessful microfinance operations,...

This study explores individual and country-level environmental drivers of informal “seed” investment. We examine four types of informal investors based on business ownership experience (or no such experience) and close family relationship with investee (or no such relationship): “classic love...

We investigate whether the supply of Venture Capital (VC) in Germany is driven by spatial influences. The study is based on information from more than 300 VC investments made in Germany between 2004 and 2005. We find evidence that the geographical distance between a VC company and the portfolio...

It is now widely acknowledged that the entrepreneurial capacity in an economy is a key determinant of economic growth and productivity improvements. This paper uses survey data from the 15 EU Member States and the US to establish the effect of demographic and other variables on latent and actual...

This thesis gives a voice to the chronically poor people of rural Bangladesh, enabling them to tell their own stories about the nature of their financial decision making which is taking place within the marketing systems that are operating in all poor villages in the region. Financial decision...

Small- and medium-sized businesses make a significant contribution to the economies of Western countries. Government, industry, and educators commonly train business managers to improve their skills and knowledge in order to improve the performance of these firms. Owner-manager financial skill...

Financial planning in its broadest terms is now in the spotlight as it draws interest from a wide range of groups including consumers, regulators, government, the financial services industry, accountants and most importantly educators. This paper presents a descriptive analysis which provides a...

The important role of efficiency in the health care foodservice sector has been widely addressed in the literature. Different methods for assessing performance have been proposed. In general, most measures were calculated as simple ratios such as food and labour cost per meal or limited...

This thesis examines the determinants of corporate performance and likelihood of default of Jordanian publicly listed companies. Despite the large body of work that has investigated the determinants of corporate performance and default, no comprehensive study has emerged in an emerging market....