Therese Durkan

Entrepreneurial Behaviour in the Nz Retail Sector: an Investigation into the Value of Corporate Entrepreneurship Amongst Larger Companies Therese Durkan

Corporate entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship are terms used to describe entrepreneurial behaviour in an established, larger organisation and incorporates an ambitious though simple objective, to gain competitive advantage by encouraging innovation at all levels in the organisation. To focus on the important issue of intrapreneuring as part of corporate entrepreneurship practise the main aim of this research was to explore the ways in which large companies in the New Zealand retail sector value corporate entrepreneurship. The findings suggest intrapreneuring is seen as a central part of corporate entrepreneurship practice and is widely recognised as important by organisations. The results also demonstrate that many large organisations value entrepreneurship, although to a varying degree. However, the majority of interviewees see themselves, as individuals, in a more entrepreneurial light than their organisations, suggesting that intrapreneurship may occur despite the organisation rather than because of it.