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Article
Publication date: 2 November 2017

Etienne St-Jean, Miruna Radu-Lefebvre and Cynthia Mathieu

One of the main goals of entrepreneurial mentoring programs is to strengthen the mentees’ self-efficacy. However, the conditions in which entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) is…

2027

Abstract

Purpose

One of the main goals of entrepreneurial mentoring programs is to strengthen the mentees’ self-efficacy. However, the conditions in which entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) is developed through mentoring are not yet fully explored. The purpose of this paper is to test the combined effects of mentee’s learning goal orientation (LGO) and perceived similarity with the mentor and demonstrates the role of these two variables in mentoring relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study is based on a sample of 360 novice Canadian entrepreneurs who completed an online questionnaire. The authors used a cross-sectional analysis as research design.

Findings

Findings indicate that the development of ESE is optimal when mentees present low levels of LGO and perceive high similarities between their mentor and themselves. Mentees with high LGO decreased their level of ESE with more in-depth mentoring received.

Research limitations/implications

This study investigated a formal mentoring program with volunteer (unpaid) mentors. Generalization to informal mentoring relationships needs to be tested.

Practical implications

The study shows that, in order to effectively develop self-efficacy in a mentoring situation, LGO should be taken into account. Mentors can be trained to modify mentees’ LGO to increase their impact on this mindset and mentees’ ESE.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical study that demonstrates the effects of mentoring on ESE and reveals a triple moderating effect of LGO and perceived similarity in mentoring relationships.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 May 2022

Etienne St-Jean and Amélie Jacquemin

Mentoring appears to be a good support practice to reduce entrepreneurial doubt, amongst other things. Although perceived similarity could foster the mentoring relationship…

294

Abstract

Purpose

Mentoring appears to be a good support practice to reduce entrepreneurial doubt, amongst other things. Although perceived similarity could foster the mentoring relationship, gender dyad composition may also influence doubt reduction for entrepreneurs because of the potential gender stereotype in entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors performed longitudinal research based on an initial sample of 170 entrepreneurs supported by a mentor to investigate the evolution of entrepreneurial doubt.

Findings

This study demonstrates that doubt can be reduced with mentoring, but only temporarily for male mentees. Gender stereotypes may be at play when it comes to receiving the support of a female mentor as entrepreneurship is still, unfortunately, a “male-dominated world.” Receiving support from mentors perceived as highly similar within the dyad does not reduce entrepreneurial doubt. Trusting the mentor is an important aspect, besides gender, in reducing entrepreneurial doubt.

Originality/value

The research provides insights into the gendered effect of mentoring to reduce entrepreneurial doubt. It shows that gender dyad composition should be taken into consideration when studying mentoring or other similar support to entrepreneurs.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 August 2022

Etienne St-Jean, Maripier Tremblay, Franck Barès and Monica Simionato

A career in entrepreneurship is stressful, especially during the start-up phase. Training programs for these nascent entrepreneurs are designed to improve entrepreneurial…

1518

Abstract

Purpose

A career in entrepreneurship is stressful, especially during the start-up phase. Training programs for these nascent entrepreneurs are designed to improve entrepreneurial competencies and, more generally to generate learnings. Although learning outcomes can reduce stress, the conditions under which this can happen are not fully understood. The study looks particularly at the effect of learning, interaction with other participants and gender.

Design/methodology/approach

A six-month three-wave longitudinal study of 120 nascent entrepreneurs has been conducted to investigate the before-and-after effects of training on stress reduction. The training is specially designed to develop competencies, share knowledge about business creation and support the development of the project, not to reduce per se stress.

Findings

The training has no direct effect on stress levels. However, results indicate that interacting with others has a positive moderating effect on training as stress reduction, just as gender has. Specifically, women reduce their stress through training while men see theirs increasing. The authors conclude that breaking isolation through training is a relevant way to reduce entrepreneurial stress for nascent entrepreneurs.

Research limitations/implications

Training programs offer different ways to deliver the learning content (online, in cohorts, in the continuous entrance, etc.). The findings of this study suggest ensuring that the participants will have opportunities to interact with others as it reduces the stress on nascent entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, the authors cannot demonstrate that this has a long-term effect as our timeframe is limited to six months.

Originality/value

This research investigates the stress-reduction effect of training, which is not a common outcome studied related to training. This highlights the importance of looking at other more distal outcomes as nascent entrepreneurs may seek other peripheral outcomes from training, like seeking a sense of belonging or wanting to break isolation.

Details

New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2574-8904

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 July 2021

Francis Milot-Lapointe, Sika Joëlle Prisca Boua and Etienne St-Jean

Following an incursion into the business world as an entrepreneur, many people go back to being salaried workers or unemployed. Using self-determination theory (SDT), this study…

Abstract

Purpose

Following an incursion into the business world as an entrepreneur, many people go back to being salaried workers or unemployed. Using self-determination theory (SDT), this study aims to test the effects of self-determined motivation of Ivorian agricultural entrepreneurs on career retention, career satisfaction and subjective well-being.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample under study consisted of 171 agricultural entrepreneurs in the Ivory Coast who owned their businesses. Research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The findings reveal that the degree of self-determination in the motivation of Ivorian agricultural entrepreneurs does not have a direct effect on their intention as to whether or not to remain an entrepreneur. The findings nevertheless show that the more the degree of motivation of Ivorian agricultural entrepreneurs is self-determined, the greater satisfaction they experience with their entrepreneurial career and the higher their subjective well-being. The findings also show that satisfaction with the entrepreneurial career is a predictor of career retention among Ivorian agricultural entrepreneurs. In addition, career retention and subjective well-being are reciprocally linked, as are subjective well-being and career satisfaction.

Practical implications

Career retention of agricultural entrepreneurs in the Ivory Coast can be achieved through career satisfaction and self-determined motivation.

Originality/value

Based on previous studies on SDT in an organizational context, this study is, to the best of the knowledge, the first to have tested a theoretical model that can explain career retention, career satisfaction and subjective well-being among entrepreneurs. This research brings to light these processes among agricultural entrepreneurs in Ivory Coast.

Details

Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6204

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 March 2023

Dominique Biron and Etienne St-Jean

Longer life expectancy brings a new phenomenon: senior entrepreneurship. Whereas starting a business involves investing energy, time, money or other types of resources, ageing is…

Abstract

Purpose

Longer life expectancy brings a new phenomenon: senior entrepreneurship. Whereas starting a business involves investing energy, time, money or other types of resources, ageing is somewhat incompatible with these terms. Research on the impact of time perception on the entrepreneurial process is rather scarce. Considering the lack of knowledge related to the impact of time perception on the entrepreneurship process, this study aims to answer the following research question: how does temporal perception influence the entrepreneurial process?

Design/methodology/approach

Senior entrepreneurs are the most relevant category of individuals from which the impact of time perception could be observed, as they are objectively closer to the end of their careers than younger entrepreneurs. Therefore, longitudinal research was conducted by interviewing five senior entrepreneurs at 4-year intervals.

Findings

Results show that there are two types of temporal perception in entrepreneurship: temporal perception of the entrepreneur's career and temporal perception of the enterprise's development. When these two-time perspectives are not synchronized with the entrepreneur's vision, the entrepreneur develops strategies for seeking to re-establish synchronicity between the temporal perspective (TP) of their entrepreneurial career and that of the business development. The senior entrepreneur is distinguished from a traditional entrepreneur by a limited TP of their entrepreneurial career combined with the notions of bridge employment and generativity.

Research limitations/implications

The number of cases under study did not allow us to examine every possible type of situation. The sampling of the cases under study did not offer great diversity in terms of gender, as the study had only men. However, the range of ages at startup, from 50 to 65 years, provides greater diversity, as does the range of business segments that included the service, manufacturing and retail food industries.

Originality/value

Entrepreneurs with a limited career time perspective correspond to senior entrepreneurs, while others who have an open career prospect, regardless of their age, correspond to any other form of an entrepreneur. This study has also been able to identify that an entrepreneur who realizes their limited entrepreneurial career horizon and perceives a temporal purpose of their company in the service of the involved parties tends to plan the entrepreneurial exit phase.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 36 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2018

Matthias Pepin and Etienne St-Jean

Many countries around the world have now introduced entrepreneurship into their curricula and educational practices, starting at the elementary school level. However, recent…

Abstract

Purpose

Many countries around the world have now introduced entrepreneurship into their curricula and educational practices, starting at the elementary school level. However, recent studies show the relative (un)effectiveness of K-12 enterprise education on diverse learning outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to report on a research aimed at assessing the impacts of enterprise education on students’ entrepreneurial attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a quasi-experiment between May and June 2017 to assess the entrepreneurial potential of students at Elementary Cycle 3 (10–12 years) in Quebec, Canada. Relying on attitude theory, the authors used Athayde’s Attitudes toward Enterprise for Young People test, which assesses students’ entrepreneurial potential through four entrepreneurial attitudes (leadership, creativity, achievement and personal control). The experimental group consisted of 11 classes which had conducted an entrepreneurial project during the 2016–2017 school year (n = 208 students), while the 7 classes of the control group had not (n=151 students).

Findings

At first glance, data showed no difference between the two groups. Further investigation showed that private and Freinet (public) schools’ students, both from the control group, show significantly higher leadership scores than those of the experimental group. In-depth analyses also show that increasing the number of entrepreneurial projects significantly impacted three of the four attitudes assessed, although negligibly.

Research limitations/implications

Taken together, those results question the relevance of single entrepreneurial activities in developing students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. They also suggest the positive impact of a progressive, constructivist pedagogy in developing such entrepreneurial attitudes. Moreover, the paper raises several factors likely to impact students’ entrepreneurial attitudes for further research.

Originality/value

K-12 enterprise education remains an understudied context, largely crossed by unproven statements. This research contributes to understand and give direction to educational initiatives targeting the development of young students’ entrepreneurial attitudes.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2020

Étienne St-Jean and Marc Duhamel

The purpose of this research is to determine whether dissatisfaction with salaried work and low potential for work–life balance can explain a person's intention to go into…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to determine whether dissatisfaction with salaried work and low potential for work–life balance can explain a person's intention to go into business using the entrepreneurial event model from Shapero and Sokol (1982) and whether these factors are more prevalent for women than men.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 36,129 salaried workers from 70 countries from the 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Adult Population Survey is assembled to test the entrepreneurial event model's prediction.

Findings

In innovation-driven economies, job satisfaction and work–life balance in the current occupation decrease the likelihood of having the intention to start a business for a salaried person. The impact of work–life balance on the intention to start a business in the same for men and women.

Research limitations/implications

In innovation-driven economies, organizations relying on employees with strong entrepreneurial potential to innovate and develop markets should also take into consideration job satisfaction and work–life balance factors to keep them engaged in entrepreneurial activities. A longitudinal analysis of the impact of institutional, economic and cultural factors associated with job satisfaction and work–life balance would be needed to identify the causal impacts.

Originality/value

Findings suggest that displacement factors related to the entrepreneurial event model (Shapero and Sokol, 1982) are relevant to study career transition from salaried work to entrepreneurship, and vice-versa.

Propósito

Esta investigación investiga si la insatisfacción con el empleo actual aumenta la intención de crear su propio negocio. El propósito es ver si la insatisfacción con el trabajo asalariado y el bajo potencial de equilibrio entre la vida laboral y la personal pueden explicar la intención de una persona de entrar en el negocio más allá de los indicadores generalmente utilizados en investigaciones anteriores, como la autoeficacia o el reconocimiento de oportunidades. Además, descubrir si estos factores son más frecuentes en las mujeres que en los hombres es también uno de los objetivos.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Se reunió una muestra de 36 129 trabajadores asalariados de 70 países de la Encuesta de población adulta del Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2013 para probar la predicción del modelo de evento empresarial de que la falta de equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida laboral de un empleado son factores de desplazamiento en una transición de carrera empresarial.

Resultados

La satisfacción laboral y el equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida en el trabajo actual disminuyen la probabilidad de que una persona asalariada desarrolle la intención de iniciar un nuevo negocio en los próximos tres años, pero solo para los países impulsados por la innovación. El impacto del equilibrio trabajo-vida en la intención de iniciar un negocio en el mismo para hombres y mujeres.

Limitaciones / implicaciones de la investigación

Se necesitaría un análisis detallado del impacto de los factores institucionales, económicos o culturales en este proceso, por ejemplo, el acceso a guarderías infantiles subvencionadas u oportunidades comerciales en el mercado. Sin embargo, en los países más desarrollados, las organizaciones que dependen de empleados con un fuerte potencial empresarial para innovar y desarrollar mercados deben tener en cuenta su satisfacción laboral y el equilibrio entre la vida laboral y familiar, para mantenerlos comprometidos y no verlos irse para comenzar su negocio propio.

Originalidad/valor

Los hallazgos sugieren que los factores de desplazamiento relacionados con el modelo de evento empresarial (Shapero y Sokol, 1982) son relevantes para estudiar la transición de la carrera del trabajo asalariado al espíritu empresarial, y viceversa.

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2018

Etienne St-Jean and François Labelle

When pursuing a sustainable orientation (SO), entrepreneurs can resolve environmental and social problems and act as change agents by pursuing opportunities related to market…

1780

Abstract

Purpose

When pursuing a sustainable orientation (SO), entrepreneurs can resolve environmental and social problems and act as change agents by pursuing opportunities related to market failures. While many studies focus on entrepreneurial intention, very few try to explain entrepreneurial behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the circumstances under which people could be led to become sustainable entrepreneurs. It examines the effect of SO, as well as the entrepreneurial motivation to change society as key drivers of entrepreneurial behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses were tested in three waves (six-month interval) on a sample of 197 university students that are neither entrepreneurs, nor involved in any entrepreneurial processes. The authors measured entrepreneurial behaviour as a dependent variable and used subjective norms towards entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial attitude as well as entrepreneurial motivation and SO as independent variables.

Findings

Contrary to the expectations, sustainability orientation has a negative impact on entrepreneurial action. However, individuals who think that entrepreneurship can change society (instrumentality) exhibit higher entrepreneurial action. Furthermore, this belief positively moderates the negative impact of SO on entrepreneurial action. In other words, if someone thinks that entrepreneurship can change the world, not only he/she is more inclined to engage in entrepreneurial actions but their values of SO will not decrease their entrepreneurial action.

Research limitations/implications

A longer timeframe of longitudinal research is needed to overcome the limitation regarding the assessment of entrepreneurial action.

Practical implications

As a practical implication, educators who want to engage their institution as an engine of change towards sustainable development could highlight cases of sustainable businesses where profits, environmental and social issues were not neglected to improve the perceived feasibility and thus, entrepreneurial action.

Originality/value

Results demonstrate the negative effect of SO on entrepreneurship as a career choice, but not for those who believe that they can change society through this mean. This research highlights the relevance of Socio Cognitive Career Theory in the field of entrepreneurship, especially the neglected effect of outcome expectations on entrepreneurship as a career choice.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 24 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2023

Etienne St-Jean, Maripier Tremblay, Rahma Chouchane and Chad W. Saunders

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a career shock, like the COVID 19 pandemic, decreases entrepreneurial career commitment (ECC). The authors look at the specific…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a career shock, like the COVID 19 pandemic, decreases entrepreneurial career commitment (ECC). The authors look at the specific effect of career shock on stress and emotional exhaustion mediating the commitment, and how organizational and relational resources offset the shock to keep the entrepreneurs committed to their career.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a two-wave sample of 365 entrepreneurs collected four months apart. The authors initially recruited entrepreneurs three months after the pandemic started, then four months later, and tested these ideas with longitudinal data. The design was informed by the stress-strain-outcome (SSO) model to investigate career shock as stressors to entrepreneurs that are likely to produce emotional exhaustion and a decline in ECC.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that career shock affects stress, which in turn leads to a decline in commitment through the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion. Organizational resources (e.g. access to finance) do not impact ECC, stress or emotional exhaustion. However, relational resources (e.g. quality emotional support) are important for ECC by supporting a decrease in stress and emotional exhaustion.

Research limitations/implications

This study makes three main contributions. Firstly, it advances career shock research in entrepreneurship, emphasizing its role in explaining entrepreneurial career commitment through stress-strain mediation. Secondly, it adds to the understanding of entrepreneurial career commitment and its impact on persistence in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial exit. Lastly, it supports the relevance of the Stress-Strain-Outcome model in entrepreneurship, demonstrating how career shock can decrease entrepreneurial career commitment through stress and emotional exhaustion. Further research is needed to explore the interaction of career identity and career planning in maintaining career resilience amidst career shocks.

Practical implications

This study has practical implications for policymakers and service providers in entrepreneurship. It highlights the significance of resources, particularly relational resources, in maintaining psychological health and entrepreneurial career commitment (ECC). The findings support the importance of the Stress-Strain-Outcome (SSO) model in entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need for entrepreneurs to have access to relational resources as coping mechanisms. Policymakers and service providers should focus on enhancing entrepreneurs' capacity to acquire, protect, and develop relational resources. Additionally, the study suggests that entrepreneurs should seek access to both relational and organizational resources to effectively navigate career shocks, such as the pandemic. Further research is needed to explore the role of other types of resources, such as social capital and psychological capital, in entrepreneurial well-being and persistence.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates that a career shock affects stress, which in turn leads to a decline in commitment only through the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion. The panel/longitudinal data analysis demonstrates the causality in the process, highlighting the positive role of the entrepreneur's relational resources. Specifically, it shows that an increase in access to relational resources causes a decrease in stress and emotional exhaustion, which in turn causes ECC to improve. Entrepreneurs are ill-equipped to face a career shock if they lack these resources.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1986

Jean L. Freeman, Robert Fetter, Robert Nowbold and Jean‐Marie Rodrigues

In October 1983, a new hospital payment system was introduced in the United States which was a radical departure from traditional methods of reimbursement. Concern over continuing…

Abstract

In October 1983, a new hospital payment system was introduced in the United States which was a radical departure from traditional methods of reimbursement. Concern over continuing increases in expenditures for hospital care caused Medicare to replace its ‘cost based’ reimbursement system, in which hospital payments were based on the actual costs incurred in treating patients, with a system that pays hospitals a fixed price per case. If a patient's treatment plan costs less than the fixed rate, the hospital may keep the difference; but if its costs in providing services exceed the rate, the hospital must absorb the loss.

Details

Journal of Management in Medicine, vol. 1 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-9235

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