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1 – 10 of 681Rickard Enstroem and Lyle Benson
Business graduates’ enterprising capability augments their work readiness, transforming them into professionals capable of driving successful outcomes. At the core lie…
Abstract
Purpose
Business graduates’ enterprising capability augments their work readiness, transforming them into professionals capable of driving successful outcomes. At the core lie self-confidence and negotiating competence. However, embedding enterprise education and developing assessments to evidence learning is challenging. This study aims to offer a blueprint for establishing enterprise learning in the classroom and investigating the effectiveness of cultivating negotiating competence and self-confidence.
Design/methodology/approach
Modelled on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, students engage in in-class and real-life negotiations, assessing self-confidence using a scale founded in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. Open-ended reflections are also submitted. Quantitative data is analysed through multiple linear regression, while quantitative and qualitative data triangulation substantiates enterprise learning in negotiating competence and self-confidence.
Findings
Students’ reflections show that low self-confidence poses an initial barrier in negotiations, overcome with successive engagements. Quantitative analysis uncovers response-shift biases, with female and male students overestimating initial self-confidence levels. The gender and difference score type interaction reveals a more pronounced bias among female students starting from a lower baseline than male students, implying a more substantial self-confidence improvement for female students. These findings challenge traditional assumptions about gender differences in negotiations and emphasize the need for nuanced perspectives.
Originality/value
Enterprising capability is pivotal for business professionals. This study highlights the advancement of negotiating competence and self-confidence. It contributes uniquely to the development of enterprise education pedagogy. Focusing on nuanced gender differences challenges prevailing assumptions, providing a perspective to the discourse on negotiating competence and self-confidence in management training.
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Rickard Enstroem and Rodney Schmaltz
This study investigates the impact of large-scale teaching in higher education on students’ preparedness for the workforce within the context of evolving labour market demands…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the impact of large-scale teaching in higher education on students’ preparedness for the workforce within the context of evolving labour market demands, the expansion of higher education and the application of high-impact teaching strategies. It synthesizes perspectives on employer work readiness, the challenges and opportunities of large-scale teaching and strategies for fostering a dynamic academia-industry feedback loop. This multifaceted approach ensures the relevance of curricula and graduates’ preparedness while addressing the skills gap through practical recommendations for aligning teaching methodologies with employer expectations.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodically examines the multifaceted challenges and opportunities inherent in large-scale teaching. It focuses on sustaining student engagement, maintaining educational quality, personalizing learning experiences and cultivating essential soft skills in extensive student cohorts.
Findings
This study highlights the critical role of transversal skills in work readiness. It also uncovers that despite its challenges, large-scale teaching presents unique opportunities. The diversity of large student groups mirrors modern workplace complexities, and technological tools aid in personalizing learning experiences. Approaches like peer networking, innovative teaching methods, real-world simulations and collaborative resource utilization enrich education. The importance of experiential learning for augmenting large-scale teaching in honing soft skills is emphasized.
Originality/value
This manuscript contributes to the discourse on large-scale teaching, aligning it with employer expectations and the dynamic requirements of the job market. It offers a nuanced perspective on the challenges and opportunities this educational approach presents, providing insights for crafting engaging and effective learning experiences in large cohorts. The study uniquely integrates experiential learning, co-creation in education and industry-academia feedback loops, underscoring their importance in enhancing student work readiness in large-scale teaching.
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Michelle McLeod, David Roger Vaughan, Jonathan Edwards and Miguel Moital
The purpose of this paper is to examine the information flows, in terms of content and process, underpinning the sharing of knowledge by managers and owners. Such an examination…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the information flows, in terms of content and process, underpinning the sharing of knowledge by managers and owners. Such an examination reveals similarities and differences that will influence the generation and dissemination of knowledge used in tourism business operations and contribute to innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper examines information flows within the theoretical and methodological framework of social network analysis. The findings were derived from a quantitative study of tourism managers and owners of a tourism hub in South-West England.
Findings
The main finding was that network structure characteristics determine the flow of information within owners’ and managers’ social networks. The owners of smaller businesses received information from several sources and, therefore, had fewer structural constraints and reported larger structural holes. In comparison, the managers had more brokerage opportunities to disseminate the information within their social networks.
Research limitations/implications
This paper highlights knowledge sharing between tourism business managers and owners in an open network structure. First, an open network structure builds innovation through the provision of nonredundant information. This is determined through the effective size of structural holes and the dissemination of information through brokerage roles. Second, the knowledge capability of a destination is built up through the social networking of managers and owners. The generation and dissemination of knowledge in a tourism destination are facilitated by the social networking activities of managers and owners.
Practical implications
Managers and owners of tourism businesses require knowledge through information to assist with innovative business practices. The practical implication of this is that the social networks of managers and owners have different network characteristics, and that these differences result in consequences for the innovation of business practices. Another practical implication relates to the importance of managers in knowledge dissemination based on having several brokerage roles in the tourism destination.
Originality/value
These findings are important because an understanding of social networks and the flow of information is one of the keys to determining the influences on knowledge sharing within tourism destination knowledge networks of owners or managers and their potential contributions to innovation.
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Navneet Gera, Walter Vesperi, Swati Rohatgi and Neetu Jain
Entrepreneurship represents a complex decision-making process capable of influencing the conditions of a socio-economic system. For this reason, stimulating entrepreneurship is a…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurship represents a complex decision-making process capable of influencing the conditions of a socio-economic system. For this reason, stimulating entrepreneurship is a topic that has always fascinated scholars and attracted the attention of public policy makers. This study, from the perspective of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), aims to contribute to the analysis of entrepreneurial intention (EI) in university students. Factors such as entrepreneurship education (EE), mediation of personal attitude (PA), perceived behavioural control (PBC), EI, regulatory support (RS) and opportunity recognition (OR) for university students.
Design/methodology/approach
Research data was collected using a questionnaire, and a cross-sectional sample was selected from senior business and engineering students who are most likely to participate in entrepreneurial activities. The survey was conducted in the Delhi NCR region. 240 students were interviewed. Partial least square structural equation modelling using SmartPLS-4 was used to test the explanatory and predictive power of the proposed model.
Findings
The results of this study offer interesting contributions to the academic debate. First, EE has a significant impact on PA, PBC and entrepreneurial intentionality. Second, PBC, recognition of opportunities and EI have a significant impact on entrepreneurial education. Finally, PA and PBC significantly mediate the “entrepreneurial education – entrepreneurial intention” relationship.
Originality/value
Interesting elements of originality are offered by this study. First, entrepreneurship is studied as a decision-making process influenced by intentions and not behaviours. Second, the authors limited the efforts to unraveling the effect of the five variables on the formation of EI. Finally, the large size of the sample allows the authors to obtain significant results, directing future studies to other territorial contexts. Additionally, incorporating some control variables, such as gender and family background, would explore the relationship between the model variables more meaningfully.
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Mohammad Saud Khan, Bronwyn Pamela Wood, Sarfraz Dakhan and Asif Nawaz
This paper aims to examine female entrepreneurship perceptions at the nexus of understandings of Muslim behaviour in Pakistan, the “formula” of Shapero for considering…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine female entrepreneurship perceptions at the nexus of understandings of Muslim behaviour in Pakistan, the “formula” of Shapero for considering entrepreneurial intentions and the viewpoints of young Pakistani women.
Design/methodology/approach
Data collected from 555 women between 18 and 30 years of age, undertaking tertiary-level business studies in Pakistan constitute the sample of the study, and structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
This study finds that the respondents’ perceptions of Islam positively impact the formula at the feasibility component, whilst also inverting the desirability component, therefore, resulting in a “does not equal” outcome for intentions.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is one of the first to empirically examine the role of Islamic perception in shaping entrepreneurial intentions through the individual components of desirability, feasibility and propensity to act. It puts forth contextual deliberations for a meaningful heterodoxy in light of female entrepreneurship in an Islamic country.
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Inge Birkbak Larsen and Helle Neergaard
This research presents and evaluates a method for assessing the entrepreneurial mindset (EM) of students in higher education.
Abstract
Purpose
This research presents and evaluates a method for assessing the entrepreneurial mindset (EM) of students in higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
The research considers EM a multi-variable psychological construct, which can be broken down into several conceptual sub-categories. Using data from a master course in entrepreneurship, the authors show how these categories can be applied to analyze students’ written reflections to identify linguistic markers of EM.
Findings
The research reports three main findings: analyzing student reflections is an appropriate method to explore the state and development of students’ EM; the theoretically-derived EM categories can be nuanced and extended with insight from contextualized empirical insights; and student reflections reveal counter-EM categories that represent challenges in the educator’s endeavor to foster students’ EM.
Research limitations/implications
The commitment of resources to researching EM requires the dedication of efforts to develop methods for assessing the state and development of students’ EM. The framework can be applied to enhance the theoretical rigor and methodological transparency of studies of EM in entrepreneurship education.
Practical implications
The framework can be of value to educators who currently struggle to assess if and how their educational design fosters EM attributes.
Originality/value
This inquiry contributes to the critical research discussion about how to operationalize EM in entrepreneurship education studies. The operationalization of a psychological concept such as EM is highly important because a research focus cannot be maintained on something that cannot be studied in a meaningful way.
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Kasimu Sendawula, Shamirah Najjinda, Marion Nanyanzi, Saadat Nakyejwe Lubowa Kimuli and Ahmad Walugembe
The purpose of this study is to explore how the personal traits of the informal entrepreneurs influence their formalization decisions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore how the personal traits of the informal entrepreneurs influence their formalization decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a qualitative approach using a multicase design in which 28 informal entrepreneurs situated in Kampala district, Uganda, were engaged. An interview guide, recorders and note books were used in data collection.
Findings
The results indicate that the traits of informal and semiformal entrepreneurs are distinct. Informal entrepreneurs have been noted to be more courageous and resilient, while their semiformal counterparts have greater passion for their businesses. It is thus observed that the formalization prospects are higher for the semiformal entrepreneurs than for their informal counterparts. Entrepreneurs that would be willing to formalize their businesses are discouraged by distance, technology and the cost of involving middlemen. Whereas the resilient entrepreneurs are noted to work through these challenges, the passive ones in both the informal and semiformal categories will not formalize their businesses by giving such excuses.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the extant literature on informal entrepreneurship by providing initial empirical evidence on how the personal traits of the entrepreneurs influence their formalization decisions specifically.
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George Okello Candiya Bongomin, Charles Akol Malinga, Alain Manzi Amani and Rebecca Balinda
The main purpose of this paper is to establish whether trust plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to establish whether trust plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises in under-developed financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa. The main focus of this paper is to specifically test whether relational social capital built by young women from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups can be more effective in promoting economic exchange in under-developed financial markets since interpersonal trust has recently been found to harbor group collusion, especially among kins. Overall, the paper distinguishes trust among individuals based on their age, gender and ethnic diversity.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used structural equation model to test whether trust significantly mediates the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises using Analysis of Moments Structures (AMOS) based on recommendations by Hair et al. (2022) and Baron and Kenny (1986).
Findings
The findings from this study revealed that trust significantly and positively mediate the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of young women microenterprises in under-developed financial markets in sub-Saharan Africa. Trust developed from relational social capital among young women from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups create a stronger basis for economic exchange in under-developed financial markets.
Research limitations/implications
While this study generates a positive evidence on the impact of access to microcredit on survival of young women microenterprises, the results cannot be over emphasized and generalized because the data were collected from only a single developing country. Future research may extend the current study to include other developing countries to make a more justified comprehensive analysis.
Practical implications
The findings from this study highlights the importance of using a blend of social policy guided by norms combined with formal regulations as an informal contract enforcement mechanism to achieve efficient economic exchange in under-developed financial markets. Relational social capital formed on the basis of informal norms among groups from diverse population can supplement formal laws to enforce contractual obligations in microcredit access, especially among youthful microentrepreneurs, who seems to have stronger relational behaviors than adults. Financial institutions such as banks should use informal contract enforcement system to increase the scope of financial inclusion of young microentrepreneurs, especially in unbanked rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive where formal laws are weak and sometimes not functional. The findings also show that younger people have a stronger relationship behavior than adults. Therefore, policy should create structures that can promote social activities among youth. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive through their respective Ministry of Gender, Labour and Youth Affairs should create youth clubs that can increase interaction and relational social capital among the younger population to derive economic empowerment. sub-Saharan African governments, Uganda inclusive should rely more on social policy based on relational social capital as a missing link to promote and achieve economic development.
Originality/value
This paper provides an evidence on the unique role of age, gender and ethnicity in information sharing and exchange based on social policy in the financial market to limit group collusion. The authors indicate that diversity in relational social capital among young women microentrepreneurs prohibit strategic defaults, which promotes access to microcredit for survival of women micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through socialization. High level of interaction among younger women microentrepreneurs from homogeneous and heterogeneous groups allow them to close the information gap to timely meet borrowing contractual obligations to derive economic benefits. The paper shows that younger women have more trust than older women while searching for economic value through socialization. In fact, social policy can wholly supplement formal policy to promote growth and survival of young women microenterprises, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda inclusive.
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This study examines the role of passion in gender-specific entrepreneurial responses in times of crises and how passion manifests itself in a digital environment. Entrepreneurial…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the role of passion in gender-specific entrepreneurial responses in times of crises and how passion manifests itself in a digital environment. Entrepreneurial passion feeds energy, tenacity, self-confidence and momentum, creating added value for a given economy.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach was used to conduct semi-structured interviews. To reach the research objectives, the author examined a sample of 22 female entrepreneurs and 19 male entrepreneurs in a comparative design.
Findings
The results obtained through a qualitative study prove that entrepreneurial passion is a driver of self-confidence for entrepreneurs. Moreover, the nature of entrepreneurial passion differs across gender in times of crises. Indeed, female entrepreneurs try to take their lives into their own hands by creating their own destinies. They have seized opportunities arising from purely technological progress to create their own businesses on social networks and solve the unemployment problem. Meanwhile, male entrepreneurs pursue opportunities based on market supply and demand to increase their market share and face a crisis.
Practical implications
These findings offer novel insights into research on social media entrepreneurs. This study could help new entrepreneurs highlight their abilities, particularly those that are most salient and central.
Originality/value
This study adds a new dimension to the literature on the role and nature of entrepreneurial passion in times of crises.
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Mariusz Soltanifar, Mathew Hughes, Gina O’Connor, Jeffrey G. Covin and Nadine Roijakkers
While extant literature has advanced our understanding of senior and middle managers in corporate entrepreneurship, studies have only recently attended to the role of…
Abstract
Purpose
While extant literature has advanced our understanding of senior and middle managers in corporate entrepreneurship, studies have only recently attended to the role of non-managerial employees (NMEs). These organizational members bring ideas, resources and energy to the pursuit of innovative opportunities, yet the determinants of their entrepreneurial behavior are poorly understood.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors performed a systematical literature review on the subject of NMEs in corporate entrepreneurship to identify gaps and recommend an agenda for future research.
Findings
The review revealed gaps regarding (1) the distance of NMEs from decisions on corporate strategic intent, (2) agentic choices made by NMEs to use their subject matter expertise for their employers' benefit, and the influences of (3) job characteristics and (4) organizational infrastructural support of entrepreneurial behavior.
Originality/value
The authors present a theoretical framework and directions for future research.
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