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1 – 10 of over 117000Entrepreneurial education in higher education has emphasized following the prospect of entrepreneurship as one of the determinants of countries' economic growth. Therefore, it is…
Abstract
Entrepreneurial education in higher education has emphasized following the prospect of entrepreneurship as one of the determinants of countries' economic growth. Therefore, it is considered necessary to assess how the current education system and learning orientation improve student's motivation to become entrepreneurs. This study evaluates all indicators included in the variables of entrepreneurial education, learning orientation, and entrepreneurship intention. While the curriculum represents entrepreneurial education, teaching method, educator competencies, and university support system, learning orientation consists of learning commitment, knowledge sharing capability, critical thinking, and vision sharing, and entrepreneurship intention are measured by abilities in writing a business plan, generating business ideas, identifying business opportunities, and innovation and business startup. The data was harvested from questionnaires completed by 123 entrepreneurship program students and was processed using PLS. This study finds that (1) curriculum significantly influences student's learning commitment and business plan writing ability, (2) teaching method influences individual knowledge sharing and business idea generation ability, (3) educator competencies do not significantly affect students critical thinking and ability to identify a business opportunity, but critical thinking influences their skill in identifying business opportunities, (4) university support system does not significantly influence student intention to innovate and start new businesses, but it significantly affects their ability to share their visions, and the ability significantly influences their intention to innovate and start new businesses.
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Muhammad Yasir, Abdul Majid and Muhammad Yasir
The purpose of this paper is to refine the relationship between environmental turbulence and start-up behavior by considering entrepreneurial-related antecedents (alertness to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to refine the relationship between environmental turbulence and start-up behavior by considering entrepreneurial-related antecedents (alertness to business ideas, entrepreneurial opportunities, and intention toward entrepreneurship) and moderating roles of entrepreneurial knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted through a self-administered survey of owner/managers of SMEs in Pakistan. Correlation, moderated hierarchical regression, and structural equation modeling approach were used for the analysis.
Findings
The results revealed that environmental turbulence positively affects the alertness to business ideas and entrepreneurial opportunities which, in turn, affect intention toward entrepreneurship. The results also suggested that entrepreneurial knowledge significantly moderates the relationship between intention toward entrepreneurship and start-up behavior.
Research limitations/implications
The changes in the market and technologies which shape the entrepreneurial behavior toward start-up activities should be longitudinally observed. The research data came from the owner/managers of SMEs industries; therefore, the findings may not be generalized to other sectors due to industry-specific difference.
Practical implications
The positive impact of environmental turbulence suggests that turbulence is a presentiment signal, calling upon the entrepreneurs to collect meaningful information as well as identify new opportunities and adjust their capabilities for any challenges and changes ahead.
Originality/value
The study confirmed the positive impact of environmental turbulence toward the creation of new ventures in the context of developing economies as well as the moderating role of entrepreneurial knowledge on the relationship between intention toward entrepreneurship and start-up behavior in small and medium enterprises.
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Carson Duan and Kamaljeet Sandhu
Years of research into immigrant entrepreneurship motivation (IEM) call for a synthesis of the field to note field developments and identify thematic antecedents and measurement…
Abstract
Purpose
Years of research into immigrant entrepreneurship motivation (IEM) call for a synthesis of the field to note field developments and identify thematic antecedents and measurement elements. The paper aims to fill this literature review gap in IEM field. Improving existing analytical frameworks and establishing a research agenda are also goals of the research.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting the PRISMA procedure, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted. This produced 53 IEM research papers (internationally, from 1974 to 2020) from a database search and other sources, each of which was reviewed based on extracted variables, findings and suggestions. A well-accepted entrepreneurial motivation model is used for thematic measurement analyzes.
Findings
IEM research has gained attention over the past 25 years as to the number of publications, research foci and antecedent discoveries. The review suggests that there are six motivational thematic dimensions: individual characteristics, personal experiences and circumstances, personal values, business ideas and opportunities, goal-setting and self-efficacy and immigrant entrepreneurial ecosystem (IEE). The results also reveal a relationship between entrepreneurship motivations and the IEE which is one of the keys recommended future research strands.
Research limitations/implications
This research contributes to entrepreneurship literature by providing a chronological timeline of IEM field development and antecedent discoveries. The review suggests applying the IEE and its associated components to investigate host and home countries’ interactive effects on IEM.
Practical implications
The research provides guidance for policymakers and practitioners concerning available policy instruments and IEM determinants in addition to individual factors.
Originality/value
This study is the first SLR on IEM. It presents a holistic view of the IEM field.
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Saeed Mirvahedi and Sussie Morrish
This paper aims to investigate the distinctive role of serendipity in opportunity exploration. The study specifically explores how serendipity happens and the pattern of its…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the distinctive role of serendipity in opportunity exploration. The study specifically explores how serendipity happens and the pattern of its occurrence. The paper attempts to break new ground in the study of serendipity within the entrepreneurship area. Serendipity is quite established in scientific literature and investigating this concept in the context of entrepreneurship contributes towards the discourse on why some firms are able to discover and realise opportunities that seem to present themselves sometimes out of nowhere.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses multiple case studies, cross-country approaches and the causal mapping method.
Findings
The findings suggest that serendipity is likely to take place at the early stages of firm formation. In addition to the three patterns of serendipity that are well-known in accidental scientific discoveries, the authors identify and introduce “entrepreneurial serendipity” as a distinctive pattern in entrepreneurship, whereby entrepreneurs look for any opportunity to start a business and explore an appropriate opportunity that comes along.
Research limitations/implications
This research has several limitations that offer new opportunities for future research. Further research can be undertaken to compare successful fast-growth firms with unsuccessful firms to determine how entrepreneurs were exposed to serendipity and to what extent they were able to exploit and realise opportunities. A comparative study would also enhance the authors’ interpretation of the role of serendipity in these two types of firms and demonstrate the different levels of serendipity they are potentially exposed to. The debate on serendipity could benefit from quantitative research and some tangible measures of serendipity can be developed.
Practical implications
The findings help entrepreneurs understand elements involved in opportunity exploration. The role of serendipity and its sources offer some suggestions on how entrepreneurs can potentially expose themselves to serendipity. The role of networks is crucial to doing business, and entrepreneurs should be aware of expanding their personal and business networks. Being engaged in friendly, professional and academic networks helps in finding new opportunities. Perseverance, being alert to changes in the environment and commitment to clients in terms of high-quality products and services are other elements that may open new windows of opportunity.
Originality/value
This paper provides empirical evidence that serendipity does play an important role in nearly every investigated business, regardless of their size and age. Serendipity potentially leads to new opportunities and entrepreneurs can explore them to achieve growth. By investigating grown firms in New Zealand and Iran, the authors identified a new pattern of serendipity in terms of opportunity discovery. This unique pattern, entrepreneurial serendipity, is characterised by finding an unspecified opportunity through an orderly or haphazard search, which could happen with either high or low levels of knowledge.
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Discusses the terms entrepreneur and entrepreneurship, emphasises the economic and social importance of entrepreneurs and summarises key research findings to produce a model of…
Abstract
Discusses the terms entrepreneur and entrepreneurship, emphasises the economic and social importance of entrepreneurs and summarises key research findings to produce a model of outcomes and capital created by entrepreneurs. Shows how entrepreneurs can be found in many walks of life, not just business, and explains that they are responsible for creating social and artistic capital as well as financial wealth. Concludes with reflections on the challenges faced, in part by educationalists, in trying to develop both more entrepreneurs and more enterprise in organisations.
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Kalle Piirainen, Samuli Kortelainen, Kalle Elfvengren and Markku Tuominen
The purpose of this paper is to examine challenges in the front end of innovation (FEI) and to propose a scenario‐based approach to alleviate some of these problems, particularly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine challenges in the front end of innovation (FEI) and to propose a scenario‐based approach to alleviate some of these problems, particularly as regards uncertainty in opportunity recognition.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper answers the main research question through a literature review and a case study. The paper employs the design‐oriented approach to propose an artifact which solves the underlined problem, and validate the artifact through the case study.
Findings
According to the literature review, scenarios should offer a viable method for opportunity recognition. The case study supports the theoretical proposition, and suggests that scenarios can be used to alleviate the effect of uncertainty in the FEI.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical results are limited to the level of proof‐of‐concept. The scenario process as such was rated positively, which corresponds to the theory and previous similar experiments, but the benefits of the scenario approach have yet to be verified. Practical implications are a novel method for finding and assessing new business concepts.
Originality/value
The main contribution of this paper is the formed process artifact to alleviate the challenges in the FEI. The scenario approach can be used to probe the near future for business development purposes.
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Edgar Muñiz-Avila, Geraldina Silveyra-Leon and Laura Alheli Segarra-Perez
It is well known that entrepreneurship is a complex phenomenon, which takes place under great uncertainty. Much of the existing research that explores the venture creation process…
Abstract
It is well known that entrepreneurship is a complex phenomenon, which takes place under great uncertainty. Much of the existing research that explores the venture creation process has assumed a linear, unitary process. The proposal presented in this chapter involves the venture creation process viewed as an iterative, non-linear, feedback-driven system called the Startup Path – a framework that brings together the entrepreneur as an individual, with its journey on the venture creation process.
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This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
It isn't easy at the best of times to bring new business ideas to the market, or to go from spotting an opportunity to launching a successful product that makes your business take off and grow. How much harder, then, to do this in an emerging economy, where the problems of doing business are so much greater? Even so, it's clear that many business people consider it worthwhile to act as entrepreneurs in these conditions – and that their success is a key part of economic development. What are the factors that drive them on? And are there ways of increasing entrepreneurial intensity in an emerging economy?
Practical implications
The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.
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The purpose of this study is to identify the business strategies that entrepreneurs have formulated to establish the business with the intention of scaling up in the information…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the business strategies that entrepreneurs have formulated to establish the business with the intention of scaling up in the information technology (IT) sector in Chile, given that they have managed to scale up sustainably at an average annual rate of 73.3% and an average annual employee growth rate of 37% for four consecutive years after an establishment period of 25 months.
Design/methodology/approach
Three methodological steps were used to identify which strategic initiatives are relevant to the establishment of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the path to scaling up. The first part consisted of identifying the literature and defining the research propositions and research questions. The second part was to prepare, collect and analyse the data to conduct the research by applying, transcribing, reviewing and coding the sources of evidence to explore how SMEs are able to develop strategic initiatives for the start-up process. The final stage was to validate the research proposal to identify potential strategic initiatives identified during the multi-case study.
Findings
As a result of the data analysis and empirical findings, three deliberate strategic initiatives were identified: staying engaged with customers, delivering successful business solutions and articulating social capital. However, in crisis situations, entrepreneurs readjust their strategies based on their management skills and an emergent strategic initiative was identified as securing the financial structure and revolutionising change. While this research was not designed to identify personal attributes, it did highlight the importance of adaptation and learning as a skill to drive the business model for scaling up during the establishment of their business.
Research limitations/implications
It is clear that the study focused on Chile and cannot be replicated in other regions or sectors due to the characteristics of the sample itself, but it provides empirical evidence that there are cycles prior to scale up that need to be understood. The findings were empirically validated during the establishment phase, but the deliberate and emergent strategic initiatives that consolidated the SME to prepare for its scale-up process are not evident in the theory.
Practical implications
The IT sector will continue to grow and change after the pandemic, and the global economy will use more digital systems, creating new ways of working with the use of IT. This context will impact on SMEs where strategies, whether deliberate or emergent, will need to be part of the new business models, and therefore, caution should be exercised when using the results of this study. Public and private institutions should educate and guide entrepreneurs for the potential scaling up of their SMEs without having to wait 42 months, according to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2021-2022 (Hill et al., 2022). Scaling up can begin as early as 25 months after establishment, breaking the paradigm of the theory that the SME must be established in a period of 3.5 years. This period cannot be generalised as business opportunities in the IT sector are faster. The research also contributes by reporting that contingency planning is relevant during the establishment phase.
Social implications
Educational institutions and the public sector have made efforts to change business cultures regarding the importance of strengthening entrepreneurship, but teaching the emergent strategies that often challenge SME creation is not yet widespread in educational formats. This is a challenge not only for institutions but also for entrepreneurs trying to anticipate the constant changes in the global economy. This research provides an opportunity to create more dynamic business models with more conscious risk planning.
Originality/value
Although the literature has confirmed the findings, this research has provided a pre-scaling picture that links these two important stages on the axis of deliberate and emergent strategies. The findings confirm the importance of correctly embedding five strategic initiatives for the establishment of the SME if it is to continue on its journey towards business scale-up. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence in emerging economies on how entrepreneurs have found the right path to scale-up.
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The relationship between education and training and the currently popular theme of “enterprise culture” is explored. The expression “enterprise culture”, is at present…
Abstract
The relationship between education and training and the currently popular theme of “enterprise culture” is explored. The expression “enterprise culture”, is at present ill‐defined, if defined at all. The confusions surrounding this expression relate in turn to the failure to make proper distinctions between entrepreneurship, enterprise and small business. These terms are defined in this context, as well as “intrapreneur”. Entrepreneurs are defined in terms of a set of attributes, some of which can be measured. Small business is defined in terms of ownership and task structure. Enterprise is seen to be something that means the exercise of entrepreneurial attributes in a wide range of different situations. Intrapreneurship is the exercise of entrepreneurial attributes within a large company or bureauracy. The relationship between these redefined concepts is explored and the issue of whether entrepreneurship can be socially engineered through education and training is addressed. A definition of what constitutes “enterprise culture” is then related to education and training. This link is discussed, both in general terms and particularly in respect of university and management education. It is argued that many of the values and structures pervading in university education and university business schools may be the antithesis of entrepreneurship. In this respect, the links between entrepreneurship as practised in small business and as fostered under the “intrapreneurship” banner in large companies is explored. Finally, policy objectives in fostering entrepreneurship, small business and intrapreneurship, particularly in respect of education and training, are reviewed.
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