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This study explores whether an entrepreneur's ability to assemble and leverage human capital, particularly specific human capital relating to prior business ownership experience, is associated with seven types of product and work practices innovation in an emerging region, namely, Ghana. Logistic regression estimation revealed that portfolio entrepreneurs were more likely than novice entrepreneurs to report ' innovation tried'. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that portfolio entrepreneurs were more likely than other entrepreneurs to report ' innovation tried and introduced'. If the goals of policy are to increase the 'quality' of new business start-ups and maximize investment returns, there is a case to target assistance to portfolio entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines whether human capital, particularly prior business ownership experience, is associated with the opportunity exploitation outcome relating to the intensity of exporting. A distinction is made between entrepreneurs who acquire their business ownership experience sequentially (that is, serial entrepreneurs) or concurrently (that is, portfolio entrepreneurs). Using survey data from 432 entrepreneurs in Ghana, this study explores whether human capital theory relating to prior business ownership experience is associated with superior exporting intensity. Notably, portfolio entrepreneurs reported higher exporting intensities than other entrepreneurs. The case for customized assistance to each type of entrepreneur with regard to prior business ownership experience is made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts a multi-level theoretical framework to examine data from 496 entrepreneurs in Ghana. Seven types of innovation activity are analysed against three categories of variables: the characteristics of the entrepreneur, the internal competencies of the firm, and firm location. Across all respondents, the incidence of incremental innovation was far greater than novel innovation. The extent of innovation was related to the education level of the entrepreneur. Firm size and involvement in exporting were positively related to innovation, but firm growth is less systematically so. Innovation was greater in firms located in conurbations compared to firms located in large and small towns. We conclude with suggestions for policy to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cursory review of the industrial policies of most nations suggests that exporting matters. Identifying exporting firms and facilitating their endeavours (or encouraging others to emulate them) are familiar policy themes, and studies of the relationship between firm characteristics and the propensity to export are common in the academic literature. Yet, the context for the bulk of these studies is provided by developed economies. To the extent that international trade relies upon specialisation and that broad differences exist in the patterns of specialisation between developed and developing economies, one wonders how well findings may be generalised to a developing context. Drawing upon firm-level data from a recent survey of small enterprises in Ghana (n = 500), the current study is concerned with identifying the characteristics of exporters in the three main non-governmental sectors of the Ghanaian economy (manufacturing, services and agriculture). Our interest is in Ghanaian economic development imperatives and in the extent of congruence between the findings of this study and previous developed economy studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]