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At least Scotland's entrepreneurs are feeling chipper. That's their job, of course.

Optimism should be their natural disposition. One doesn't get far growing companies by being gloomy.

Deloitte has surveyed them and found a Scottish sample (of around 70) much more positive than last year. One in four expects revenue to double over the next three years.

Last year, 21% expected to make no headway or to decline during 2010. That's down to only 3%, while almost all expect growth of at least 10%.

Over next year, 58% of the sample reckon on growth of more than 10%.

Takeover rules

Chief dealmaker of the day is the chairman of the Entrepreneurial Exchange, Bob Keiller. He's announced this morning that he's sold PSN oilfield services company to Wood Group for £607m, and he's reckoned to have around a 10% stake. The buy-out from Halliburton four years ago was for £180m.

That's one big company being taken over by a genuine Scottish giant, after a report last month that an Australian rival was also on the PSN trail.

PSN expects this year to earn £63m before exceptionals on turnover of £760m. It operates in 23 countries and employs 8000 people.

Put it together with Wood Group's existing production services (with Keillor in charge and on the Wood board), and that division alone has a workforce of 22,000.

Contrast that with Wellstream, based in Newcastle, which this morning agreed to a raised takeover offer from GE valuing the company at nearly £800m.

Clearly, that's a lot of consolidating for one day in the oil industry. And on Tyneside, it highlights those concerns that British corporate power is shifting overseas.

It adds to the pressure on the UK Government - in the wake Cadbury being gobbled by Kraft - to tighten takeover rules.

Negative territory

Meanwhile, the upbeat assessment of Scotland's entrepreneurs is not matched by the much more broadly-based Purchasing Managers Index.

The Markit/Bank of Scotland survey has Scottish managers still going backwards, while every other part of mainland Britain is in positive territory. The Scottish average for the past 12 months is the lowest in Britain too.

Why is it that Scotland's recovery is lagging? And why has Scotland's better-than-UK-average employment position been reversed (with the latest figures out this Wednesday)?

I looked for an answer in the annual report of the Council of Economic Advisers, out last Friday. It doesn't offer an explanation on growth.

But it does say, on government employment targets, that they are very challenging while Scotland has its current benefit regime, "specific challenges faced by some groups such as lone parents and those with drug or alcohol problems", questionable quality in employment training, and low entrepreneurship.

While a small sample of Scottish entrepreneur's have turned Tiggerish, there a list for the rest of us to be more gloomily Eyeorish about.