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Article
Publication date: 20 March 2007

Sara B. Marcketti and Joy M. Kozar

For the continued vitality and success of small businesses, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the effective behaviors of small business owners. The main purpose of…

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Abstract

Purpose

For the continued vitality and success of small businesses, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the effective behaviors of small business owners. The main purpose of this paper is to further the understanding of the relational leadership framework as used by a successful small business owner.

Design/methodology/approach

Data on the small business owner participating in this study were gathered via formal and informal interviews.

Findings

Results of this paper suggest that the profit potential of an organization as well as employee retention can be improved through leadership that embraces the five key components of the relational leadership framework: inclusiveness, empowerment, purposefulness, ethics, and process‐orientation.

Practical implications

Given the challenges of owning and operating a small firm in today's competitive business climate, it is worthwhile for entrepreneurs to use this case study as an example in effectively managing their organizations.

Originality/value

An important contribution of this paper is the identification of strategies related to the relational leadership framework as applied to the small business environment.

Details

The Learning Organization, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-6474

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 August 2011

Joy M. Kozar and Sara B. Marcketti

The purpose of this study is to measure undergraduate students' ethical and materialistic values, and the correlation of these variables with the purchase of counterfeit apparel…

3028

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to measure undergraduate students' ethical and materialistic values, and the correlation of these variables with the purchase of counterfeit apparel products.

Design/methodology/approach

Students (n=741) were surveyed via an online method. Instrument items from the Muncy‐Vitell consumer ethics scale and the values‐oriented materialism scale ascertained students' values of ethics and materialism. Previous purchasing behavior of counterfeit apparel goods was also assessed.

Findings

A significant relationship between materialism and ethics was found. Those participants who reported to be more ethical in their decision making were those that held less materialistic values. Ethics and materialism were also significantly related to the purchase behavior of counterfeit apparel goods. Consumers holding stronger ethical values and who were less materialistic were less likely to report purchasing counterfeit apparel products.

Practical implications

Findings are useful in understanding the values orientation of consumers who purchase counterfeit apparel goods. Segmenting consumer groups of varying ethical beliefs and materialistic tendencies and targeting them through appropriate marketing messages could be successful in encouraging greater socially responsible purchase behavior.

Originality/value

Since purchasing counterfeit products is specifically a consumption activity related to brand prestige and image, it seems plausible that a relationship between an individual's materialistic values and purchase behavior of counterfeit apparel goods could exist. Moreover, given previous findings that more materialistic consumers also tend to be less ethically‐minded, exploring the relationship between consumers' ethical perceptions and their purchase behavior of counterfeit products is useful.

Details

Social Responsibility Journal, vol. 7 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-1117

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2010

Jennifer Yurchisin and Sara B. Marcketti

This study aims to examine the characteristics of ethnographic textile collectors and compare them with the literature regarding fair trade consumers to explore the existence of a…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the characteristics of ethnographic textile collectors and compare them with the literature regarding fair trade consumers to explore the existence of a possible consumption constellation between collecting and fair trade purchasing.

Design/methodology/approach

Purposive sampling was used for the study as it maximized the attainment of significant information related to ethnographic textile collecting. Qualitative data from ethnographic textile collectors (n=12) were collected.

Findings

Results suggested that collectors were interested in purchasing high quality, authentic products that expressed their identity and individuality. These are similarities shared with fair trade consumers. Furthermore, collectors' motives to help artisans overcome poverty were evident; a similar value guides fair trade purchasing.

Research limitations/implications

The predominantly female sample of academics may not be representative of the average ethnographic textile collector.

Practical implications

Understanding the multiplicity of products and activities representative of one consumer group's lifestyle is beneficial to both for‐profit and non‐profit organizations in terms of product promotion or donation solicitation. The understanding of these consumers' lifestyle can, in turn, help marketers design and implement effective advertising and fundraising campaigns that improve the livelihood and wellbeing of excluded and disadvantaged people in developing countries.

Originality/value

The paper furthers the knowledge base and understanding of these different consumer segments by providing evidence of a consumption constellation between ethnographic textile collectors and fair trade consumers.

Details

Social Responsibility Journal, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-1117

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 June 2015

Nancy Hodges, Kittichai Watchravesringkan, Jennifer Yurchisin, Elena Karpova, Sara Marcketti, Jane Hegland, Ruoh-Nan Yan and Michelle Childs

– The purpose of this study was to explore strategies used by successful female entrepreneurs to manage the challenges of running a small apparel business.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore strategies used by successful female entrepreneurs to manage the challenges of running a small apparel business.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research design was used. Primary and secondary data were collected on small business in three countries: Russia, South Africa and Thailand. In-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 11 female small apparel business owners. Businesses ranged from tailoring and custom clothing shops, to small-scale design and production, as well as small apparel retail stores.

Findings

Three emergent themes highlight the similarities and differences that surfaced across the participants’ narratives. Key issues within the thematic areas point to the need for these women to be creative in finding resources to start and grow their small apparel businesses, and to manage the competition that they face within this industry.

Research limitations/implications

It is difficult to generalize the findings of this study beyond the sample. Implications of the findings for understanding the needs of female apparel entrepreneurs and small business owners are considered.

Originality/value

Despite the significance of women to the apparel industry as well as small business ownership, thus far, the role of women as apparel entrepreneurs and small business owners has been under-examined in the literature. This study offers insight into what it is like for women seeking to succeed as apparel entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 July 2009

Jennifer Yurchisin, Yoo Jin Kwon and Sara B. Marcketti

The purpose of this paper is to compare personal characteristics of buyers of rubber charity bracelets with those of non‐buyers so that a deeper understanding of the success of…

2293

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare personal characteristics of buyers of rubber charity bracelets with those of non‐buyers so that a deeper understanding of the success of this cause‐related fashion product may be attained.

Design/methodology/approach

A convenience sample of 244 individuals in Texas and Iowa was gathered via a survey method. Items on the questionnaire were contained within three sections: assessing participants' level of fashion involvement and celebrity involvement; participants' attitudes toward the consumption of cause‐related fashion products; and demographic information.

Findings

Results from this study indicated individuals who purchased rubber charity bracelets were more involved with fashion and celebrities than individuals who did not purchase rubber charity bracelets and that those who purchased the bracelets had purchased significantly more cause‐related fashion products than those who had not purchased any bracelets. Purchasers of bracelets were significantly less involved with the cause than those who had not purchased any bracelets. Purchasers did not have a significantly more positive attitude toward purchasing cause‐related fashion products than those who had not bought any bracelets.

Research limitations/implications

The predominately female sample of young adults may not be representative of the average US consumer.

Practical implications

This study provides useful information to manufacturers and sellers of cause‐related products. Future efforts to manufacture and sell cause‐related products should focus on developing products that incorporate fashion trends with celebrity endorsers.

Originality/value

This paper provides useful information for organizations wishing to create similarly successful cause‐related fashion products.

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 March 2011

Sara B. Marcketti, Susan W. Arendt and Mack C. Shelley

The purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership practice scores and leadership behaviors of students before and after participation in an event management course.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership practice scores and leadership behaviors of students before and after participation in an event management course.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed methods approach was utilized. The Student‐Leadership Practice Inventory (S‐LPI) was administered to a sample of 184 students in three semesters of an event management course. Students completed the S‐LPI at the beginning and at the end of the course. The students also wrote reflections of their leadership behaviors and understandings.

Findings

Results of the study showed that students' mean leadership scores increased significantly for all practice areas between pre and post. Also, all correlations between pre and post scores were statistically significant, indicating that responses at pre and post followed similar patterns, with students who scored higher on the pre‐test also tending to score higher on the post‐test. Reflections from students demonstrated significant understanding of effective leadership behaviors and learning.

Research limitations/implications

The sample was college students enrolled in an event management course at one university; therefore results may not be generalized to all students.

Practical implications

Results of this study suggest that involvement in an event management course in which students were engaged and responsible for the outcomes of their learning may have positively impacted these students' leadership behaviors.

Originality/value

This paper furthers the knowledge base and understanding of students' leadership growth through involvement in a university course as measured by the S‐LPI.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 32 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 2 March 2012

186

Abstract

Details

Social Responsibility Journal, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1747-1117

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2016

Carin Nordström, Charlotta Agneta Sirén, Sara Thorgren and Joakim Wincent

The purpose of this paper is to draw on the theory of choice overload to examine how entrepreneurial tenure and involvement in entrepreneurial teams influence passion for engaging…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw on the theory of choice overload to examine how entrepreneurial tenure and involvement in entrepreneurial teams influence passion for engaging in entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was administered to 262 Swedish hybrid entrepreneurs, which refers to individuals who engage in entrepreneurship while also maintaining wage work; this arrangement is becoming more and more common in the Nordic economies. Hypotheses proposed associations between the entrepreneurial tenure (the length of engagement in the side business) and entrepreneurial teams (leading the business with one or more team members) with passion for entrepreneurship. Logistic regression was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Results from logistic regression support the hypotheses with three findings: the longer the individual has had the side business, the less likely passion to be the main motive behind entrepreneurship; passion is less likely to be the main motive behind entrepreneurship among those who are part of an entrepreneurial team; and, involvement in an entrepreneurial team strengthens the negative association between entrepreneurial tenure and passion for entrepreneurship.

Research limitations/implications

The data are limited to the creative sector in Sweden and to the hybrid entrepreneurship context.

Practical implications

The results support the impact of choice overload and the notions that entrepreneurship passion will decrease the longer the business is up running and if the venturing occurs with another team member. In practice, this means that interventions for re-kindling passion in entrepreneurship should focus on dealing with choice overload under conditions of long-term tenure and team-funded ventures. If entrepreneurs want to maintain high levels of passion, quick and isolated entrepreneurial processes reduce the choice overload that may threaten maintaining a high passion for entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

This study is the first to apply choice theory to an entrepreneurship context and to find support for possible negative effects of choice overload on passion for entrepreneurship.

Details

Baltic Journal of Management, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5265

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 March 2024

Kassa Woldesenbet Beta, Natasha Katuta Mwila and Olapeju Ogunmokun

This paper seeks to systematically review and synthesise existing research knowledge on African women entrepreneurship to identify gaps for future studies.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to systematically review and synthesise existing research knowledge on African women entrepreneurship to identify gaps for future studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducted a systematic literature review of published studies from 1990 to 2020 on women entrepreneurship in Africa using a 5M gender aware framework of Brush et al. (2009).

Findings

The systematic literature review of published studies found the fragmentation, descriptive and prescriptive orientation of studies on Africa women entrepreneurship and devoid of theoretical focus. Further, women entrepreneurship studies tended to be underpinned from various disciplines, less from the entrepreneurship lens, mostly quantitative, and at its infancy stage of development. With a primary focus on development, enterprise performance and livelihood, studies rarely attended to issues of motherhood and the nuanced understanding of women entrepreneurship’s embeddedness in family and institutional contexts of Africa.

Research limitations/implications

The paper questions the view that women entrepreneurship is a “panacea” and unravels how family context, customary practices, poverty and, rural-urban and formal/informal divide, significantly shape and interact with African women entrepreneurs’ enterprising experience and firm performance.

Practical implications

The findings and analyses indicate that any initiatives to support women empowerment via entrepreneurship should consider the socially constructed nature of women entrepreneurship and the subtle interplay of the African institutional contexts’ intricacies, spatial and locational differences which significantly influence women entrepreneurs’ choices, motivations and goals for enterprising.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to a holistic understanding of women entrepreneurship in Africa by using a 5M framework to review the research knowledge. In addition, the paper not only identifies unexplored/or less examined issues but also questions the taken-for-granted assumptions of existing knowledge and suggest adoption of context- and gender-sensitive theories and methods.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

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