Stereotyping Is A Way For The Human Mind - 1940 Words

Stereotyping is derived from the human need to place new things into previously formed categories, based on other life experiences. The idea of stereotyping is a way for the human mind to cope with new things and attempt to understand them. However, as the human species has evolved, a society was created where stereotyping has lead to the generalization of groups of people. The problem being that people must first and foremost be recognized as individuals, instead of being defined as a group. One of the largest forms of stereotyping is based on race and is known as racial stereotyping. Media has always been used as a way to not only sell a product, but sell a lifestyle. Since the very beginning media has used stereotyping in order to†¦show more content†¦This will lead to internal damage within the race being affected, through self doubt – leading to low self esteem, which in-turn results in low expectations, and eventually low motivation. By the end, the negative stereotypes have now become true in some cases, which is then seen by society and the stereotypes continue to be enforced. The dangers of racial stereotyping reside mostly within the race that is stereotyped with outcomes such as low employment rates, low rates of education, and high rates of crime. Now, these stereotypes are not only encouraged by other races, but by the race being stereotyped as well. What all these different racial categories actually mean, is simply what we, as a society, have decided they should mean. Racial stereotyping, encouraged and promoted by the media, is a dangerous problem focusing on likeness, and ignoring individuality. Film: Akeelah and the Bee This movie tells a story about a young african american girl from south Los Angeles, who happens to be an amazing speller and the journey she embarks on in order to make it to the national spelling bee. Keke Palmer stars as eleven year old Akeelah, who is begging to fade into the background where she wont stand out. However, when the principal gives her an ultimatum, serve her punishment in detention, or compete in the school spelling bee, Akeelah has no choice. Soon it becomes clear that she is an extremely gifted

Socrates s Argument On The Jury - 1830 Words

Socrates’s offering to the jury is to tell the truth, despite not admitting that it is simply his truth and thus not the entire truth, he is not able to convey to the jury the importance of not killing him. A bad citizen would try to undermine the jury by committing perjury and disobeying the decision of the court. He however, wouldn’t even like it if the jury committed perjury on his behalf, â€Å"Socrates says what he means on the stand hold honesty above all else, so when he is offered a chance to escape from his execution he does not take it. By refusing to escape, he reiterates how sticking to agreements is important to him. Socrates commitment to the societal agreement between him and the city where he is allowed to live in Athens and†¦show more content†¦He would be a bad citizen if he were to leave because it would mean doing wrong, and as he agreed with Crito, doing wrong is always bad. If he acted on escaping from Athens he would be not only breakin g, but destroying the law and thus doing harm to the city. In his hypothetical argument with the law, the law states that his idea that because the courts wronged him, he should not now wrong them because the two parties are not equal. The Athenian government believes that is is bad to wrong your country because they have given him everything: his life, education and nurturing as they did with his ancestors. This argument tells Socrates, how the gods want him to care about his country more than his own family and though he does not fear death he does think of judgement from the gods. It is difficult to say whether he is a good citizen because we do not know what standard to use - to use the athenian standard of citizenship would be to not do wrong to one s country (ie leaving it and destroying the laws or corrupting it) but they also think that people should respect their country more than their own family. The modern view of citizenship where the government provides for the people and they owe nothing back save taxes and occasionally military service. Between different times and places the idea of what is good changes. Currently, our society does not hold the same values as the ancient city of Athens, consequently whenShow MoreRelatedThe Apology And Interpretation Of The Trial Of Socrates1183 Words   |  5 PagesPlato s account and interpretation of the trial of Socrates (399 BC). When the Thirty Tyrants were ruling Athens, Socrates was asked by them to help capture Leon of Salamis, a wealthy man. This arrest was to be made simply because Leon was a just Democrat and the Tyrants wanted to take his huge estate for themselves. Socrates disobeyed these orders hence why he was later executed as a traitor of Athens. Meletus was the man who then brought Socrates before a jury for prosecution. 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His father was Sophroniscus, a sculptor and stone mason from Athens and his mother was a midwife by the name of Phaenarete (30 Interesting Socrates Facts 2014). Socrates original profession was masonry and sculpting, before becoming a philosopher. On a day in 399 BC, Socrates ( roughly 71 years at the time) went to trial.Now why would anyone want to send an old man to court? Three answer is that Socrates was accused of refusing to recognize the

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Research Report free essay sample

Another possible connotation for the SMEs is the small manufacturing enterprises. Small and medium enterprises, both in size and shape, are not uniform across the globe. This asymmetry comes in the way of any effort of their integration. The way they are defined depends on the stage of economic development and the broad policy purposes for which the definition is used. According to a World Bank study, there are said to be more than 60 definitions of small and medium industries used in 75 countries surveyed. The most commonly used definitions relate to either size of employment and/ or quantum of capital investment/ fixed assets. As the process of economic development leads to changes in industrial sector shares in GDP and the contribution of sub-sectors within industry, the definition is extended to include not only manufacturing industries but all enterprises which fall within or below the defined cut-off point. In the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries in general, the definition is restricted to SMIs in the manufacturing sector only, whereas in the OECD group, the definition is broadened to include all Small and Medium Enterprises. Though employment and turnover are also used to define small industries, as these indicators are implicit in the requirement for registration under the Factories Act. Therefore, the contribution of SME sector to the GDP in different countries is not on comparable parameters. Still, in both developed and developing economies, they were accorded special status, specific dispensations and particular attention. Definition of Small Medium Enterprise in the Context of Bangladesh Despite the fact that a large number of SMEs in Bangladesh operate in the informal sector, they are perceived as the leading vehicle for growth of the national economy, encompassing a multiplier effect on employment, GDP growth as well as having a significant impact on poverty alleviation. a. For manufacturing activities enterprises shall be categorized using the following definition (fixed investment implies exclusion of land and building, and valuation on the basis of current replacement cost only):  ¦ Small enterprise: An enterprise should be treated as small if, in today’s market prices, the replacement cost of plant, machinery and other parts/components, fixtures, support utility, and associated technical services by way of capitalized costs (of turn-key consultancy services, for example), etc, excluding land and building, were to be up to Tk. 15 million; Medium enterprise: An enterprise would be treated as medium if, in today’s market prices, the replacement cost of plant, machinery, and other parts/components, fixtures, support utility, and associated technical services (such as turn-key consultancy), etc, excluding land and building, were to be up to Tk. 100 million; b. For non-manufacturing activities (such as trading or other services), the Taskf orce defines:  ¦ Small enterprise: An enterprise should be treated as small if it has less than 25 workers, in full-time equivalents;  ¦ Medium enterprise: An enterprise would be treated as medium if it has between 25 and 100 employees; SMEs have undergone significant structural changes over time in terms of product composition, degree of capitalization and market penetration in order to adjust to changes in technology, market demand and market access brought by globalization and market liberalization. However the environment remains inadequate to foster their position, scale up, integrate and compete in the regional and global markets. Despite the odds, SMEs in all sectors manage to overcome these challenges and operate efficiently, with resilience and using great adaptive and innovative capacities. These are the engines of change to unlock the potential of SMEs’ development towards sustainable development and inclusive growth. Bangladesh has taken up the social entrepreneurship model and innovative entrepreneurs are venturing into trade. Overall Condition of SME in Bangladesh In the context of Bangladesh, the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can be considered as a vital instrument for poverty alleviation and ensure the rapid industrialization. Different countries and organizations define SME differently. The Government of Bangladesh has categorized SME into two broad classes – Manufacturing enterprise Manufacturing enterprises can be divided into two categories. Small enterprise: an enterprise would be treated as small if, in current market prices, the replacement cost of plant, machinery and other parts/components, fixtures, support utility, and associated technical services by way of capitalized costs (of turn-key consultancy services, for example), etc, excluding land and building, were to up to Tk. 15 million. Medium enterprise: an enterprise would be treated as medium if, in current market prices, the replacement cost of plant, machinery and other parts/components, fixtures, support utility, and associated technical services by way of capitalized costs (of turn-key consultancy services, for example), etc, excluding land and building, were to up to Tk. 100 million. Non-manufacturing activities (such as trading or other services) Non-manufacturing activities can be divided into two categories. Small enterprise: an enterprise should be treated as small if it has less than 25 workers, in full-time equivalents; Medium enterprise: an enterprise should be treated as small if it has between 25 and 100 employees. According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics different enterprises are defined as; No. of employees Micro 0-9 Small 10-49 Medium 50-99 Large Above 99 Research Paper Analysis Based on the topic ‘small business’ in the context of any country other than Bangladesh but matches with the Bangladesh context, we have searched and selected the following three research papers. Paper-1 The owner/manager’s mentality and the financial performance of SMEs Paper-2 Strategy development by small scale industries in India Paper-3 Is entrepreneurial competency and business success relationship contingent upon business environment? A study of Malaysian SMEs Of the three now we will analyze each paper and explain ‘the problem of research’, ‘methodology’ and ‘findings’. The owner/manager’s mentality and the financial performance of SMEs Problem of the Research Despite the fact that the mentality of owner/managers is an important aspect of their personality characteristics no prior study has made any attempt to examine its possible impact on enterprise performance during various stages of growth. Therefore, based on a questionnaire survey conducted in Sri Lanka, this study attempts to examine this aspect of small to medium enterprises (SMEs). Methodology Based on a review of the literature, a conceptual model was constructed as the initial step in this research for visualizing and testing the relationship between owner/managers’ personality styles, operational approaches and financial performance. The model was then extended to reflect the relationship between owner/manager’s mentality styles and financial performance over all stages of enterprise growth. [pic] Figure: Basic relationship between owner/manager’s mentality and enterprise performance Findings The results of the study show that there is a strong relationship between owner/managers’ mentality and financial performance of their enterprises. Moreover, when owner/managers of these enterprises become more entrepreneurial minded in the introductory and decline stages their performance tends to be higher. However, this relationship is not seen to be significant in the growth and maturity stages. Strategy development by small scale industries in India Problem of the Research In the present scenario of e-globalization, small scale industries (SSIs) are considered engine for economic growth all over the world. After markets globalization, SSIs are facing many pressures and constraints to sustain their competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to examine various issues in context of Indian SSIs such as nature of pressures and constraints, competitive priorities, competencies development, areas of investment, and their relationship with performance. Methodology For collecting data, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. In total, 75 valid responses were received. Statistical analysis of data acquired from survey is done by reliability test, t-test, and correlation analysis. Figure: Framework for study Findings Cost reduction, quality improvement, and delivery in time have emerged as major challenges for SSIs. Market research, welfare of employees, and research and development are found as major areas for investment. Use of information technology, training of employees, and research and development has significant relationship with performance. Is entrepreneurial competency and business success relationship contingent upon business environment? A study of Malaysian SMEs Problem of the Research The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effect of entrepreneurial competencies and the moderating effect of business environment on business success in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Methodology A sample of 212 Malaysian SME owner-founders participated in this study. The structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure was used to test the proposed model. Figure: Theoretical framework Findings The results showed that entrepreneurial competencies were strong predictors of business success in SMEs in Malaysia. It was also found that the association between entrepreneurial competencies and business success was more strongly evident in hostile and dynamic environments than in more benign and stable environments. It was suggested that understanding business success through the lens of entrepreneurial competencies is important because it provides entrepreneurs with knowledge about the way they should operate their business and encourages them to be conscious of the potential positive or negative impacts of their own behavior. Self-report was used as the source of all data. This approach, even though criticized by some, was deemed necessary because of difficulties associated with the independent assessment of each of these variables. Nevertheless, future studies should identify ways to obtain competency data from multiple informants to minimize the possibility of response bias. We have selected the first research paper out of three to apply it here in the context of Bangladesh. The findings of this particular study can be useful to SMEs in any country as they show how the mentality of owner/managers is likely to affect the financial performance of their enterprises differently during different stages of growth. Of the three now we will analyze the 1st research paper which we have selected to apply in the context of Bangladesh. The owner/manager’s mentality and the financial performance of SMEs 1. Introduction Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the economies of both developed and developing countries. This role, however, depends on the financial performance of each enterprise (Neck, 1987). Financial performance, in turn, depends on numerous factors both internal and external to the enterprise. Among them, the personality characteristics of those who manage the enterprise are universally regarded as one of the most powerful set of factors having either positive or negative impact on its financial performance. However, although the mentality of owner/managers is an important aspect of their personality characteristics no prior study has made any attempt to examine its possible impact on the financial performance of their businesses. Moreover, even the studies that focused on the relationship between personality characteristics and financial performance have confined their investigations to a single period of time. Nevertheless, the literature shows that usually financial performance of enterprises varies dramatically during different stages of growth (Penrose, 1963). Similarly, the impact of mentality styles of owner/managers on financial performance of their enterprises may also vary from stage to stage depending on the nature of those factors. 2. Statement of the problem This study attempts to examine whether there exists a relationship between the mentality of owner/managers and the financial performance of their enterprises and, if so, whether it varies between different growth stages of an enterprise. In attempting to examine the above relationship, this study concentrates on two distinctive mentality styles of owner/managers: entrepreneurial mentality and administrative mentality. Since no similar research has been reported in the past this study takes its own independent approach and presents its analysis and findings as a novel addition to the small business literature. Moreover, the findings of this study can be useful to SMEs in Bangladesh as they show how the mentality styles of owner/managers is likely to affect the financial performance of their enterprises differently during different stages of growth. . Literature Review The literature in this area suggests that owner/managers’ personalities, particularly their personal values, influence the strategies they adopt in operating their businesses and, in turn, the financial performance of those businesses (Bamberger, 1983; Thompson and Strickland, 1986; O’Farrell and Hitchins, 1988; Kotey and Meredith, 1997). A lthough personal values differ among individuals, people with similar personal values can be grouped together to form a personal value type. Accordingly, Kotey and Meredith (1997) have identified two distinct personal values as â€Å"entrepreneurial† and â€Å"conservative†. According to them and several other researchers, successful owner/managers are those associated with the personal value type referred to as entrepreneurial (Kotey and Meredith, 1997; Rockeach, 1973; England, 1975; Cunningham and Lischeron, 1991; Selver, 1988; DeCarlo and Lyon, 1980; Birch, 1987). Research has also indicated that entrepreneurs and managers have different goals and decision-making styles (Carland and Carland, 1992; Richard, 1989; Smith et al. 1988). According to Schumpeter (1934), the key ingredient of entrepreneurship lies in the individual’s innovativeness, which is also referred to as creativity, or discovery. Entrepreneurship, in this view, is regarded as â€Å"the opportunity-seeking style of management that sparks innovation† (Patterson, 1985). Several researchers have recognized creativity and innovati on as conditions inherent in the role of entrepreneurship (Olson, 1985; Timmons, 1978) which separate entrepreneurs from managers (Carland and Carland, 1991; Carland et al. , 1988; Swayne and Tucker, 1973; Timmons, 1978). Intuition is also widely recognized as another important entrepreneurial quality. It refers to the ability of an individual to recognize an opportunity and make the appropriate decision on time. Iacocca (1984) defines this as a feel for the problem and an ability to make a decision when others are still looking for facts. As suggested by Mill (1984), however, risk-bearing is the key factor in distinguishing an entrepreneur from a manager. A distinctly higher need for achievement is often said to be associated with entrepreneurs (McClelland, 1965). According to McClelland and Winter (1969), a manager tends to be high in need for power and lower in need for achievement. Evidence also suggests that entrepreneurs are higher in achievement motivation than are managers (Begley and Boyd, 1987; Carland and Carland, 1991). The successful entrepreneur is also described as having strong drives for independence with an exceptional belief in himself (or herself) and his (her) abilities (Roscoe, 1973). According to Lachman (1980), entrepreneurs have unique personal values and attitudes towards work and life, such as honesty, duty, responsibility and ethical behavior. They attach greater importance to these values and attitudes in operating their organizations. Being consistent with these values, self-esteem, which is closely associated with individualism, is also referred to as a noticeable attribute of entrepreneurs (Cunningham and Lischeron, 1991). Moreover, as noted by Fiedler (1966), entrepreneurs are described as leaders of people who have the ability to adapt their leadership style to the needs of people. Similarly, alertness to opportunities is widely recognized as another distinctive characteristic of entrepreneurs. It allows existing businesses to develop and diversify their activities in other areas. Thus, entrepreneurs are believed to be more flexible than administrators with regard to making timely changes to their operational and management systems. A firm’s stage of growth has long been postulated as a contingency factor of major importance for strategic planning. It has been suggested that the effectiveness of a firm’s strategic planning process is contingent on its stage of growth (Hofer, 1975; Vozikis and Glueck, 1980; Robinson et al. , 1984). Based on the results of a survey conducted on a sample of small businesses in the USA, Eggers and Leahy (1995) have reported that different managerial skills are needed in each stage for optimum performance and therefore owner/managers need to change their management style according to the demands of firm growth. 4. Conceptual Model From a review of the above literature, a conceptual model (Figure 1) was constructed as the initial step in this study for visualizing and testing the relationship between owner/managers† personality styles, operational approaches and financial performance. The model was then extended, as shown in Figure 2, to reflect the relationship between owner/manager’s mentality styles and financial performance over all stages of firm growth. Based on the existing literature and the authors† own understanding of the nature of owner/managers, the owner/manager’s role is divided into two distinct categories as â€Å"entrepreneur† and â€Å"administrator†, and the state of mind associated with each role is referred to as â€Å"entrepreneurial mentality† and â€Å"administrative mentality†. It is hypothesized that these two mentality styles influence the firm’s managerial policies, strategies and decisions, which ultimately determine its financial performance. Figure 2 is based on the commonly held view that a business enterprise during its life cycle goes through four different stages of growth – introduction, growth, maturity, and decline (Gorchels, 2000). The curve shown in the diagram represents the level of sales revenue for a typical firm. During the introductory stage, the firm earns slow revenue while spending for advertising and recouping product planning and development costs. If the firm becomes successful in its operations, it will then enter a growth stage with accelerating sales. The maturity stage is marked by a leveling of sales. The decline stage is a period of continuous declining of sales. Figure 2 also portrays the possible impact of owner/manager’s mentality on the firm’s performance in revenue generation throughout these four stages. [pic] Figure 1: Basic relationship between owner/manager’s mentality and enterprise performance [pic] Figure 2: Relationship between owner/manager’s mentality and enterprise performance during all stages of firm’s growth . Questions and Hypotheses H1: There is a strong relationship between owner/managers’ mentality and financial performance of their enterprises. Moreover, owner/managers with an entrepreneurial mentality have achieved higher performance in sales than their counterparts with an administrative mentality. H2: When owner/managers of these enterprises become more entrepreneurial minded in the introductory and decline stages their performance tends to be higher. 6. Methodology/Approach Based on the existing literature of the nature of owner/managers, the wner/manager’s role is divided into two distinct categories as â€Å"entrepreneur† and â€Å"administrator†, and the state of mind associated with each role is referred to as â€Å"entrepreneurial mentality† and â€Å"administrative mentality†. It is hypothesized that these two mentality styles influence the firm’s managerial policies, strategies and decisions, which ultimately determine its financial performance. To empirically test the impact of owner/managers’ mentality on financial performance of firms as portrayed in the conceptual model in Figures 1 and 2, a questionnaire survey will be conducted on a sample of SMEs in Bangladesh. The questionnaire is prepared in English and will be either mailed or personally distributed to each of the owners of the 60 firms selected for the survey. We will follow the qualitative approach for our research. Qualitative research studies are focused on differences in quality, rather than differences in quantity. Results are in words or pictures rather than numbers. Qualitative studies usually have fewer participants than quantitative studies because the depth of the data collection does not allow for large numbers of participants. For our purpose we have selected a sample size of 60 small business owners. It is common knowledge particularly in developing countries that many owner/managers of small businesses are often reluctant to disclose the amounts of their profits or sales revenue to external parties. Therefore, for the purpose of identifying the level of financial performance in each sample firm, the respondents in our survey will be asked to select one of five given situations that described the changes in sales revenue over the last three operating years. The five situations given are: (1) substantial increase; (2) slight increase; (3) no significant change; (4) slight decrease; and (5) substantial decrease. When represented in a questionnaire it will represent a 5-point likert scale. Similarly, in order to gain an understanding of the current stage of growth in each firm, the respondents will be asked to use their knowledge of the firm’s historical development and personal judgement and identify the development or growth stage applicable to their firms from the four stages specified in the questionnaire – introductory stage, growth stage, maturity state, and declining stage. Based on a review of existing literature, ten major qualities or attributes of entrepreneurs were identified for the purpose of distinguishing owner/managers with an entrepreneurial mentality from those with an administrative mentality. These qualities include innovation and creativity, intuition, risk-taking, distinctly higher need for achievement, independence, exceptionally high self confidence, unique personal values and attitudes towards work and life, self-esteem, individuality, adaptability of leadership style to the needs of people, alertness to new opportunities, and flexibility. On the basis of these entrepreneurial qualities, ten questions will be included in our survey questionnaire for the purpose of identifying the nature of each owner/manager’s mentality. For each question, two alternative answers will be provided to the respondents requesting them to indicate their choice. One of these two answers or alternatives is designed to signify one of the entrepreneurial qualities cited above. When a respondent selects this particular alternative he (she) would be counted as an owner/manager with entrepreneurial mentality. Similarly, if the respondent selects the other alternative he (she) would be counted as an owner/manager with administrative mentality. This qualitative approach will provide a depth and richness of data not possible with quantitative data. Although there are fewer participants, we will generally know more details about each participant. 7. Data Analysis: Following the procedure described in the previous section, the mentality points of owner/managers were calculated on the basis of their responses given to the ten questions included in the questionnaire. The results are presented in the table below. Since the total number of points applicable were 10, owner/managers with a score higher than 5 were identified as those possessing a greater degree of entrepreneurial mentality and a lesser degree of administrative mentality. The opposite was true for those who received a lower-than-average score. Of the total number of 60 owner/managers, nearly 83. 3 percent were identified as more entrepreneurial minded as against 16. 7 percent of those with a greater degree of administrative mentality. Table 1: Frequency distribution of mentality points Mentality points scale |Number of owner/managers | |1 |0 | |2 |0 | |3 |0 | |4 |5 | |5 |5 | |6 |10 | |7 |15 | |8 |13 | |9 |9 | |10 |3 | Total 60 ** 1-5 refers administrative mentality 1-10 refers entrepreneurial mentality The average mentality score was found to be 7. One interesting observation is that almost all of the respondents said no when they were asked whether they value achievement over money. That is the reason why not so many of the respondents scored a perfect 10 in terms of mentality points (only three individuals scored a perfect 10). It also provides an interesting insight into the socio-economic condition and the mind-set of small business owners. It gives hint to the fact that money is the primary motivating factor for most small business owners in Bangladesh. The survey results also indicate a significant relationship between owner/managers† mentality and performance in sales. 28. 6 percent of owner/managers with an administrative mentality reported a slight increase in sales while 71. 4 percent owner/managers with an entrepreneurial mentality reported a substantial increase in sales. Thus, these results show that owner/managers with an entrepreneurial mentality have achieved higher performance in sales than their counterparts with an administrative mentality. For the purpose of examining whether the owner/manager’s mentality affected the sales performance differently in different stages of growth, the data acquired from questionnaire survey was further processed according to the stages of growth. The â€Å"substantial† and â€Å"slight† increase/decrease groups have been combined to form two main groups as â€Å"Increase in sales† and â€Å"Decrease in sales†. After processing survey data and reviewing individual opinion of owners/managers, there appears to be a strong relationship between owner/manager’s mentality style and enterprise performance in all stages of firm growth. However, this relationship is significant only in the introductory and decline stages. This suggests that when owner/managers become more entrepreneurial minded in their strategies, decisions and actions operating performance tends to be higher in the introductory and decline stages. In the growth and maturity stages, however, this relationship is not seen to be so important. In other words, during these two stages there is no significant difference between entrepreneurial minded owner/managers and administrative minded owner/managers with regard to the impact of their mentality on enterprise performance. It may be that since firms obviously have higher revenues and profits during growth and maturity stages the difference in the owner/managers’ mentality styles cannot make a significant difference in performance during these two stages. 8. Conclusion: The main conclusion of this study is that there is a strong relationship between owner/managers’ mentality and financial performance of their enterprises. Moreover, it can also be concluded that when owner/managers of SMEs are more entrepreneurial minded in the introductory and decline stages their performance tends to be higher. This suggests that owner/managers need to become more entrepreneurial oriented in their strategies, decisions and actions in order to achieve better performance in the introductory and decline stages. However, this relationship is not seen to be significant in the growth and maturity stages. It may be that a combination of both entrepreneurial and administrative mentalities is needed for achieving high performance in the growth and maturity stages. However, the validity of these results cannot be verified as no comparative studies have been reported in the literature. It should be noted that the above conclusions should be treated with caution as the results of our investigation have been constrained by a number of limitations. Primarily, some of the questions and alternative answers provided in our survey questionnaire for identifying the two styles of mentality may have conveyed different meanings to different respondents. Similarly, the small sample size does not permit generalization of results to all manufacturing firms in the SME sector. In addition, the results of this study were subject to the limitations commonly associated with all mail surveys in respect of the reliability and accuracy of information. Despite the above limitations, this research was unique in several respects and would provide some useful insights to many owner/managers in the SME sector. Since the survey was confined to only 60 SMEs in a single country it would be useful to replicate it using larger samples under different country settings. In doing so, it is important to devote a special attention to the few limitations noted above. References http://www. made-from-india. com/article_detail. php? artid=326 Dunn, Karen; Mondal, Abdul Hye Report on the review of the Decent Work Country Programme: Bangladesh 2006-2009 / ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok: ILO, 2010, vi, 80 p. National Policy Review Forum 2003, Industrial Policy, Privatization and SME International Journal of Business and Management: Performance Evaluation of SMEs of Bangladesh, Vol. 4, No. 7. July 2009 The owner/manager’s mentality and the financial performance of SMEs Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development Vol. 15 No. 1, 2008. pp. 150-161. Emerald Group Publishing Limited- 1462-6004 DOI 10. 1108/14626000810850892 Strategy development by small scale industries in India Industrial Management Data Systems Vol. 110 No. 7, 2010. pp. 1073-1093 Emerald Group Publishing Limited- 0263-5577 DOI 10. 1108/02635571011069112 Is entrepreneurial competency and business success relationship contingent upon business environment? A study of Malaysian SMEs International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior Research Vol. 16 No. 3, 2010. pp. 182-203 Emerald Group Publishing Limited- 1355-2554 DOI 10. 1108/13552551011042780 Bamberger, I. 1983), â€Å"Value systems, strategies and performance of small and medium-sized firms†, International Small Business Journal, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp. 25-39. Beam, H. H. and Thomas, A. C. (1989), â€Å"Could you succeed in small business? † , Business Horizons, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 65-9. Begley, T. and Boyd, D. (1987), â€Å"A comparison of entrepreneurs and managers of small business firms†, Journal of Management, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 99-108. Birch, D. L. (1987), â€Å"Yankee Doodle Dandy†, Inc. , 9, July, pp. 33-6. Carland, J. A. and Carland, J. W. (1991), â€Å"An empirical investigation into the distinctions between male and female entrepreneurs and managers†, International Small Business Journal, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 62-72. Carland, J. W. and Carland, J. A. 1992), â€Å"Managers, small business owners and entrepreneurs: the cognitive dimension†, Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 55-62. Carland, J. W. , Hoy, F. and Carland, J. A. (1988), â€Å"Who is an entrepreneur? † American Journal of Small Business, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 33-9. Chushokigyo, C. (1981), Chushokigoyo Shoroppo, The Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises, Tokyo. Cunningham, J. B. and Lischeron, J. (1991), â€Å"Defining entrepreneurship†, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 45-61. DeCarlo, J. F. and Lyon, P. R. (1980), â€Å"Towards a contingency theory of entrepreneurship†, Journal of Small Business Management, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp. 37-42. Eggers, J. H. nd Leahy, K. T. (1995), â€Å"Entrepreneurial leadership†, Business Quarterly, Vol. 39 Appendix This research is conducted for academic purposes only. So please do not hesitate to answer. Your information will be kept confidential. ? Please select one of the five situations given below that describes the changes in sales revenue of your company over the last three operating years. ? Please identify the development or growth stage applicable to your company from the four stages specified below. Measurement of Mentality 1. Do you use innovation and creativity in making decision? Yes No 2. Do you rely on intuition while making decisions? Yes No 3. Do you take calculated risk while making decisions? Yes No 4. 6. Do you value your achievement as the owner over money? Yes No 5. Do you have confidence in your ability to succeed? Yes No 6. Do your decisions reflect your personal values and attitude towards work? Yes No 7. Do your decisions reflect your individuality and self-esteem? Yes No 8. Do you adapt your leadership style to the needs of your workers? Yes No 9. Are you always alert to new opportunities? Yes No 10. Do you prefer to be independent while making decisions? Yes No 2 3 4 5 Substantial slight no significant slight substantial increase increase change decrease decrease 1 2 3 4 Introductory stage growth stage maturity stage decline stage Thank you for your cooperation. Performance/ Competitiveness 1. Business cost 2. Market Pressures 3. Constraints Strategy development 1. Competitive priorities 2. Competency 3. Investment in different areas Business environment