This study examined factors influencing the survival and success of 200 Finnish family and nonfamily firms in the metal‐based manufacturing industry and business services over the first three years of their operation. The features that this study reviewed include owner‐manager personality attributes, entrepreneurial competence, and motives for the start‐up. Strategic choices of the firms were also examined. The study found that family firms were better equipped to survive beyond the early entrepreneurial stage than were nonfamily businesses. The entrepreneurial abilities and resources of the family business owners enabled them to operate relatively successfully in the nearby market, often with one unique product. The family firms were more conscious of survival and family well‐being than profitability or market position. A higher mortality rate was discovered among the nonfamily firms. Failed firms were often established with unrealistic expectations, and their performance deteriorated rapidly after their early success.

IN THE PAST RESEARCH THERE HAS BEEN continued controversy over the definition of entrepreneurship and the identification of entrepreneur. By combining the ideas of entrepreneurship and linguistics, this paper takes a new approach to examining the definitions. An exploratory analysis of entrepreneurial metaphors and concepts is conducted to achieve this goal. In a quantitative analysis of entrepreneurial concepts respondents defined the terms 'entrepreneur' and 'entrepreneurship' with suggested conceptual equivalents. In an analysis of metaphor, informants formed metaphoricalexpressions of entrepreneurship. The sample consisted of 751 respondents from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Canada and Australia. Entrepreneurs perceived the concepts more positively than other respondents. The same applied to differences between females and males respectively. In a cross-cultural comparison, the Scandinavians held more favourable views than their English-speaking counterparts. This might reflect the current, very positive socio-economic climate in Northern Europe towards entrepreneurial activities. As to the entrepreneurial metaphors, they were grouped into following semantic categories: 'Machine (ry) and other PhysicalObjects', 'Warfare and Adventure', 'Sports andGames', 'Creativity and Activity', 'Nature', 'Disease', Food Items', and 'Special Features'. The metaphorical statements revealed the paradoxical nature of respondents' perceptions of entrepreneurs and their ventures. A majority of the metaphors contained very positive, even idealistic images. Especially in the Finnish sample they seemed to conjure up glorifying images of entrepreneurs as some kind of modern day heroes whose independent and industrious actions are of priceless value to society. At the same time, there were numerous metaphors with negative, cynical or downgrading undertones. The critical observations often highlighted egotistic qualities associated with entrepreneurs.

MiiK- TUUJNANEN IS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR at the University ofJyvaskyla, School of Business and Economics, Finland. Kimmiiiio Hyrsky is researcher at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Finland. The study explores Finnish franchisees' entrepreneurial chai-acteristics and the advantages and disadvantages they encounter in operating their businesses. It adds to our existing knowledge about factors affecting success and failure in developing and sustaining amicable and rmiutually beneficial franchisee-franchisor r elationships. This is particularly relevant since recent evidence suggests that franichise survival rates and profitability are not so favourable as previously thought when compared to independent small businesses. The results displayed ttie paradoxical nature of franchisor-franchisee relationships. It was found that support given by the franchisor might gradually lose some or most of its value if it is not consistently renewed and updated. Thus, for instance, franchise fees often started to become, first a source of dissatisfaction, and later even a potential source of conflict. Moreover, the results indicated that although defining a franchisor as anl enti eprenietu- is geiierallv ac ceptecl, enltrepreneurial activities by franichisees could be viewed as a paradox. I'he motivational drives of fi-anchisees seemet to chan-ge as they become iioi- e experienced. The mioi-e experieiiced o enitrepreneuirial the franchisee was the imiore likely he or she was to becone frustrated with the frarichisor's goals.

In past research there has been continuous controversy over the definition of entrepreneurship and the identification of entrepreneurs. By combining the ideas of entrepreneurship and linguistics, this paper takes a different approach to examining entrepreneurial definitions. An exploratory analysis of entrepreneurial metaphors and concepts is conducted to study informants' perceptions of these two terms. The sample consists of 751 respondents from Scandinavia, Ireland, Australia and Canada. In the quantitative analysis of entrepreneurial concepts, respondents defined the terms 'entrepreneur' and 'entrepreneurship' with suggested conceptual equivalents. In the metaphor analysis, informants came up with metaphorical expressions of entrepreneurship. Particular attention was paid to looking for differences in conceptualizations between (1) entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs, (2) males and females, and (3) Scandinavians and native English speakers. Entrepreneurial respondents perceived the concepts of entrepreneurship more positively than other respondents. The same applied to differences between females and males respectively. In the cross-cultural comparison, the Scandinavians seemed to have a more positive picture of entrepreneurship than their English-speaking counterparts. As regards the entrepreneurial metaphors, they are grouped into the following semantic categories: Machine(ry) and other Physical Objects, Warfare and Adventure, Sports and Games, Creativity and Activity, Nature, "Disease", Food Items, and Special Features.

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