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1 – 10 of over 4000Hasliza Hassan, Abu Bakar Sade and Muhammad Sabbir Rahman
Entrepreneurship is one of the engines to stimulate socio-economic development. This study aims to examine the relationships of entrepreneurship education, financial support and…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurship is one of the engines to stimulate socio-economic development. This study aims to examine the relationships of entrepreneurship education, financial support and market availability, with the entrepreneurial attitude among youngsters in venturing into entrepreneurship. A further discovery concerning the relationship between entrepreneurial attitudes and entrepreneurial intention is also analysed.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a survey questionnaire that was distributed to university students. A total of 425 collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling to discover the relationship among five chosen constructs.
Findings
It was found that entrepreneurship education and financial support encourage the entrepreneurial attitude of youngsters to venture into entrepreneurship. This entrepreneurial attitude is further supported by an entrepreneurial intention to become an entrepreneur. Nevertheless, market availability does not influence the youngsters to venture into entrepreneurship.
Practical implications
Entrepreneurship encouragement should focus on the entrepreneurship education and financial support to shape the entrepreneurial attitude, which, indirectly, may further influence the entrepreneurial intention.
Originality/value
As an initiative to become an entrepreneurial nation, there is a need to discover how to shape the entrepreneurial intention through entrepreneurial attitude. This study is assisting to fill the research gap by focussing on the Malaysian market.
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Macarena Torroba Diaz, Anna Bajo-Sanjuan, Ángela María Callejón Gil, Ana Rosales-Pérez and Lidia López Marfil
This study aims to build a model for the analysis of the environmental behavior of university students.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to build a model for the analysis of the environmental behavior of university students.
Design/methodology/approach
A partial least square method was adopted, and a questionnaire on intelligence, knowledge, attitude and environmental behavior was performed on 480 Spanish university students.
Findings
The results indicate that environmental intelligence positively affects university students’ environmental behavior through environmental knowledge and attitude.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusions of the present study are based on a sample drawn from Spanish university students. Therefore, new studies are needed to cover other educational institutions and cultural contexts.
Practical implications
Many university students’ environmental behavior depends on implementing educational actions that improve their environmental intelligence and knowledge.
Social implications
The study suggests that educational programs should implement strategies that maintain a sense of responsibility toward the sustainable development of university students, ensuring that future generations can live a quality life in a sustainable and safe environment.
Originality/value
The present study identifies the mechanism through which the environmental behavior of university students is formed.
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The purpose of this study is twofold: to determine if implementing a global citizenship education curriculum can aid the development of Emirati students’ social responsibility…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is twofold: to determine if implementing a global citizenship education curriculum can aid the development of Emirati students’ social responsibility competence and to experiment with different instructional strategies that aim to yield improvement in the social responsibility of students.
Design/methodology/approach
The intervention research study used a mixed-methods quasi-experimental approach to examine Emirati students’ social responsibility gains and overall perceptions of a global citizenship education curriculum. Conceptual frameworks for instructional design of service-learning were used as theoretical underpinnings. The data were collected from student reflections, field notes, questionnaires and interviews.
Findings
Both the quantitative and qualitative data indicated that the global citizenship curriculum advanced students' understanding of social responsibility and civic concepts, specifically civic awareness, social justice and diversity.
Research limitations/implications
For future studies, researchers are encouraged to expand the current study's five-week timeframe by exploring the implications of a global citizenship education curriculum over a full term or even a whole academic year.
Practical implications
The results of the present study indicate that educators should experiment with curriculum redesign to further facilitate the development of social responsibility in undergraduate students. The results also suggest that educators incorporate specific instructional strategies such as integrated reflections and intergroup dialogue on social issues.
Originality/value
Social responsibility and global citizenship education have broadly been based on Western paradigms. Few studies have explored the impact of global citizenship education on the development of students' social responsibility in the Gulf region. This study fills the gap in knowledge by lending evidence of the role of global citizenship education in undergraduate university programs in the Gulf.
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Nkosivile Welcome Madinga, Jo Blanckensee, Lauren Longhurst and Nqobile Bundwini
In the wake of lockdown regulations and limited mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic, dining habits shifted towards usage of food delivery apps to avoid physical interaction…
Abstract
Purpose
In the wake of lockdown regulations and limited mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic, dining habits shifted towards usage of food delivery apps to avoid physical interaction. Nonetheless, it is unknown whether the COVID-19 pandemic had an influence on the adoption of food delivery apps. Therefore, this study examined factors influencing the adoption of food delivery apps during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the moderating effects of education and age.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 282 food delivery application users in South Africa using a web-based survey. Partial least square structural equation modelling analysis was used to test the hypotheses, while partial least squares multigroup analysis was used to examine the moderating effect of education level and age.
Findings
The results indicated that perceived ease of use has a significant impact on perceived usefulness and attitudes, perceived usefulness has an impact on attitudes and continuous intention, attitude influences continuous intention and social pressure and convenience influence attitudes. The perceived COVID-19 threat had no impact on attitudes, and education and age had no significant impact on any relationships. The findings are imperative for restaurants and mobile application designers, as they enable more effective strategic management planning.
Originality/value
This study is the first paper to empirically employ technology acceptance model to analyse the adoption of food delivery applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its uniqueness is in examining situational influence associated with the pandemic such as social pressure, perceived COVID-19 threat and convenience.
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Eugine Tafadzwa Maziriri, Brighton Nyagadza, Tinashe Chuchu and Gideon Mazuruse
This study aims to determine the antecedents that influence attitudes towards the use of environmentally friendly household appliance products and consumers' green purchase…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to determine the antecedents that influence attitudes towards the use of environmentally friendly household appliance products and consumers' green purchase intention among consumers in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 329 consumers in Harare, Zimbabwe's commercial capital who were served from five using a structured questionnaire via an online web-based cross-sectional survey. Hypothesised relationships were tested through structural equation modelling with the aid of Smart PLS software.
Findings
Green product awareness, social influence, perceived benefit and attitude towards green appliances were found to have a significant positive effect on green purchase intention.
Research limitations/implications
The study's findings may not be generalised to other contexts as sample data was only collected in Zimbabwe. Complementary cross-sectional research studies can be done in other parts of the world to enable cross-cultural comparisons and methodological validations.
Practical implications
The green appliance and energy saving practices are vastly growing, with many multinational appliance companies introducing green products within their product lines and adopting the concept of sustainability through modifications in production, design and consumption of household appliance products that encompass fewer harmful consequences on the environment in response to their concerns about the scarcity of natural resources, environmental well-being and the potential detriment of future generations.
Originality/value
Notwithstanding the limitations of the current study, the results have the potential to contribute to an improved understanding of influence attitudes towards the use of environmentally friendly household appliance products.
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Md. Meraz Ahmed, Naveed Sultana, Suhandoko Astri Dwi Jayanti, Yosi Mardoni and Helmiatin Helmiatin
The purpose of the study was to explore the attitude of faculty members and students of two open universities – Bangladesh Open University (BOU) and Universitas Terbuka (UT) (Open…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to explore the attitude of faculty members and students of two open universities – Bangladesh Open University (BOU) and Universitas Terbuka (UT) (Open University of Indonesia) towards entrepreneurship development courses of massive open online courses (MOOCs).
Design/methodology/approach
The mixed-method research design was employed for this study. A self-structured survey questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. A total of 66 faculty members and 149 tertiary level students of BOU and UT were selected as respondents. These respondents were selected using purposive sampling techniques. Data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques.
Findings
The findings revealed that both universities' faculty members and students possessed a positive attitude towards entrepreneurship development courses of MOOCs (EDCM). However, this positive attitude of both groups was significantly different.
Originality/value
The policy recommendations could provide a strategic approach to developing various types of courses within the MOOC, which are attractive as a means of developing entrepreneurship in Bangladesh and Indonesia. It also aggressively promotes EDCM for the academic community in particular and society, in general, to elaborate on their entrepreneurial spirit. Nevertheless, before introducing MOOCs, an empirical study regarding MOOCs readiness is essential for both universities.
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This research aimed to assess the leadership role of principals in the implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aimed to assess the leadership role of principals in the implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed qualitative research approach to assess the leadership role of principals in the implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. Data were gathered from a small sample of six principals from six selected secondary schools which were engaged in the implementation of a peace education programme, and data were analysed using thematic content analyses.
Findings
Findings of the study suggest that principals possess a low level of understanding or awareness of their leadership role in the implementation of peace education. The study pointed out the constraints such as time constraints and learners' negative attitudes and social influences hinder the effective implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools.
Research limitations/implications
First, the data were self-reported and therefore subject to social desirability bias; participants may have provided socially desirable responses rather than their true belief or experiences. Thus, participants may have overstated their role in and commitment to the peace education programme.
Originality/value
Studies that aim to explore alternative approaches to combat violence, such as peace education, are still limited in South Africa. Hence, this paper served to close that gap by contributing to the growing body of research on the leadership role of the principal in the implementation of peace education in the school and exploring barriers hampering its effective implementation.
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Ali Dehghanpour Farashah and Tomas Blomquist
Migrants play an essential role in economic and societal outcomes of the host society, both as members of the workforce and as citizens. However, integration and finding…
Abstract
Purpose
Migrants play an essential role in economic and societal outcomes of the host society, both as members of the workforce and as citizens. However, integration and finding employment after migration remain critical issues. The purpose of this paper is to employ an evidence-based quantitative approach to identify migrant workers’ most important qualifications from an employer perspective and to explore factors that influence employer perception of migrants.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses European Social Survey data that contain responses from managers in European countries in 2014 (n=2,828) and 2016 (n=3,014). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling are used to analyse the data.
Findings
For managers, migrants’ commitment to the host country’s way of life is more important than their job skills, educational level and language proficiency. The effects of managers’ individual characteristics, including demographics, expectancies and personal values, on their general attitude towards migrants are also quantified.
Practical implications
The study’s outcomes can assist migrants to develop the qualifications most valued by employers, and allow policymakers to integrate the organizational perspective into policies and initiatives for integration of migrant labour.
Originality/value
Through HR practices, organizations significantly affect migrants’ career outcomes. Yet research on migrant workers from an organizational and managerial perspective is limited. This study identifies migrant workers’ most important qualifications from an employer perspective. It also explores which individual characteristics most influence organizational decision-makers’ perception. Utilizing a cross-cultural and longitudinal data set provides a unique opportunity to generate generalizable findings.
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Anna Chwiłkowska-Kubala, Małgorzata Spychała and Tomasz Stachurski
We aimed to identify factors that influence student engagement in distance learning.
Abstract
Purpose
We aimed to identify factors that influence student engagement in distance learning.
Design/methodology/approach
The research involved a group of 671 students from economic and technical higher education institutions in Poland. We collected the data with the CAWI technique and an original survey. Next, we processed the data using principal component analysis and then used the extracted components as predictors in the induced smoothing LASSO regression model.
Findings
The components of the students’ attitude toward remote classes learning conditions are: satisfaction with teachers’ approach, attitude to distance learning, the system of students’ values and motivation, IT infrastructure of the university, building a network of contacts and communication skills. The final model consisted of seven statistically significant variables, encompassing the student’s sex, level of studies and the first five extracted PCs. Student’s system of values and motivation as well as attitude toward distance learning, were those variables that had the biggest influence on student engagement.
Practical implications
The research result suggests that in addition to students’ system of values and motivation and their attitude toward distance learning, the satisfaction level of teachers’ attitude is one of the three most important factors that influence student engagement during the distance learning process.
Originality/value
The main value of this article is the statistical model of student engagement during distance learning. The article fills the research gap in identifying and evaluating the impact of various factors determining student engagement in the distance learning process.
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Thiago Borges Ramalho and Denis Forte
People are increasingly responsible for making sound financial decisions to foster their financial satisfaction and well-being, which magnifies the importance of financial…
Abstract
Purpose
People are increasingly responsible for making sound financial decisions to foster their financial satisfaction and well-being, which magnifies the importance of financial literacy, and this concept and measurement is still not yet crystallized in the literature, specifically capturing different behavior perceptions. Moreover, there is not a distinction based on different classifications of behavior, such as over or underconfidence, to understand the relation between literacy and decision process. To fill this gap, this paper aims to investigate whether the financial literacy conceptual model proposed applies similarly to every group independently of their previous self-confidence perception. For this purpose and quality control, OECD (2016) data were used with a final sample of 1,487 Brazilian citizens. Quantitative analysis technique using partial least squares structural equations path modeling and differences between groups using multi-group analysis was applied. In line with general studies, when analyzing the financial literacy usual model for the group as a whole, financial knowledge construct positively influences self-confidence, and both together positively affect financial behavior. However, for individuals with low financial knowledge and low self-confidence, as well as for those with too much or too little confidence, the model did not hold. Therefore, self-confidence perception influences the way financial knowledge is used for financial decisions and should be addressed in financial education and training to be more effective.
Design/methodology/approach
To operationalize the variables and test the paper’s hypotheses, the authors used the methodology developed in OECD (2016), based on the research instrument’s Brazilian application adapted from the questionnaire developed in OECD (2015), with data initially used and made available by Garber and Koyama (2016). Based on the recommendations of Hair Jr et al. (2017a, 2017b), the authors used partial least squares modeling PLS-PM (SmartPLS 3.2.6) to estimate the structural models.
Findings
Concerning structural relationships, the final model showed knowledge with a positive influence on self-confidence, self-confidence with a positive effect on behavior and knowledge with a positive influence on behavior, both directly and, through its relationship with self-confidence, indirectly. This underscores that, for the total sample, the greater people’s knowledge and self-confidence, the better their behavior. The unexpected absence of attitude in the final model, even allowing for potential measurement problems, brings up an important reflection on the mediating effect that the self-control variable may exert between attitude and behavior. A person may believe that saving for the future is important (attitude) but whether they actually save (behavior) may depend on self-control, which is needed to prevent immediate gains from being prioritized in practice.
Research limitations/implications
The findings reported so far concern the study’s total sample. However, as expected from the literature review that provides the basis for the sixth and the most important hypothesis, respondents were found to be heterogeneous in terms of knowledge and self-confidence levels. These differences were evaluated by means of multi-group analyses that indicated that the model does not apply to respondents with low knowledge and low self-confidence and to those who are over- and underconfident. This implies inferring that financial education programs may be of little use if they only address technical knowledge development and fail to consider behavioral aspects such as those related to self-confidence, as this paper points out, and others. This signals the importance of diagnosing people’s profiles to enable developing solutions capable of minimizing the presence of behavioral biases. This need to be studied further.
Practical implications
The results imply inferring that financial education programs may be of little use if they only address technical knowledge development and fail to consider behavioral aspects such as those related to self-confidence, as this paper points out, and others. Models must be reviewed in light of natural diferences of cognition and lead to customized financial education.
Social implications
This signals the importance of diagnosing people’s profiles to enable developing solutions capable of minimizing the presence of behavioral biases. Therefore, not only training topics in personal finance but also a deeper education program since the kindergarden must be considered.
Originality/value
Its practical contribution is to suggest the development of financial education programs that also take account of the potential presence of behavioral biases, which may prevent the misallocation of (scarce) public- and private-sector funds stemming from a limited focus on developing the population’s actual financial knowledge.
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