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1 – 10 of 75Emma O'Brien and Thomas M. Cooney
While supporting entrepreneurship through government intervention has become a global phenomenon, the OECD (2021) has identified that several communities (including women, youth…
Abstract
Purpose
While supporting entrepreneurship through government intervention has become a global phenomenon, the OECD (2021) has identified that several communities (including women, youth, seniors, unemployed and immigrants) remain under-represented in terms of entrepreneurial activity. Inclusive entrepreneurship policies seek to enhance economic and social inclusion and emphasise the significant contribution that people from within these communities could make to local and regional development if appropriate support was offered. The purpose of this study is to examine how higher education institutions (HEIs) can co-create inclusive entrepreneurial training initiatives with local communities that support economic and social inclusion.
Design/methodology/approach
This in-depth qualitative study draws on the experiences of multiple stakeholders to highlight how an HEI can enhance entrepreneurial activity within under-represented and disadvantaged communities through its community engagement initiatives. The research was conducted through a revelatory case study of an Irish HEI that is newly constituted and is developing an inner-city campus with a focus on community benefit. Rich qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and participant observation of an HEI community engagement initiative with disadvantaged communities. Thematic analysis methods were used in the processes of generating codes, categories and themes leading to the findings of this study.
Findings
The study identified that broadening the interpretation of entrepreneurial activity to value creation and developing enterprising behaviour has significant relevance for disadvantaged communities. These communities may not have the capacity to start a business yet might benefit from the personal development aspects of entrepreneurial education. Moreover, findings indicate how HEIs are uniquely positioned to develop inclusive entrepreneurial education initiatives to redress social inequalities in their regions.
Originality/value
As an original contribution to knowledge, this paper extends traditional education frameworks to identify individual, collective and system-level considerations in the design and development of inclusive entrepreneurial education initiatives. This study contributes an evidence-based framework to guide HEIs and their regional partners in the future development of inclusive, tailored support through entrepreneurial education.
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Gabriela Flores, M. Fernanda Garcia, Hazel Nguyen, María del Carmen Triana and Christine Choirat
This study investigates the relationship between child gender and a CEO’s top management hiring decisions.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the relationship between child gender and a CEO’s top management hiring decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
Hypotheses were tested using secondary data on 121 S&P 500 male CEOs, their children, and their top management teams.
Findings
Results indicate that child gender is associated with a male CEO’s TMT hiring decisions. Specifically, we find that male CEOs with only daughters were significantly more likely to hire women to their TMTs than male CEOs with only sons and those with both sons and daughters.
Practical implications
This study provides evidence for the roles of familiarity, learning, and empathy in reducing gender biases in selection decisions. Top management hiring decisions have wide implications for organizational settings in general and for the breaking of the glass ceiling in particular.
Social implications
Reducing gender bias in top manager hiring decisions directly relates to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 of achieving gender equality as women are consistently under-represented at the top of organizations across the world.
Originality/value
By focusing on the hiring of top managers, this study includes hiring decisions that directly impact firm operations. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between child gender and executive hiring decisions with a US S&P 500 sample.
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Grace Ese-osa Idahosa, Dina Zoe Belluigi and Nandita Banerjee Dhawan
In the past decade, against increasing global inequality, higher education has grappled with increased demands for social justice, transformation and decolonisation. While a lot…
Abstract
Purpose
In the past decade, against increasing global inequality, higher education has grappled with increased demands for social justice, transformation and decolonisation. While a lot of research in South Africa has focused on the (im)possibilities of fostering racial, gendered, socio-economic and cultural change, the connection of such change to questions of sustainability has been less explored. The purpose of this paper is to specifically explore the agency of academics to foster transformative initiatives for sustainability within the context of institutions historically serving under-represented populations.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative methodology, this paper highlights the importance of considering sustainability in processes of transformation. This paper is specifically interested in how academic faculty and those in assigned leadership positions view their agency in relation to promoting transformation for sustainability at the institutional level. Drawing on data generated from semi-structured interviews with 13 participants at an historically Black university in South Africa, this paper details academics' and leaders’ experiences and perceptions of their agency.
Findings
This study reveals the adverse interactional dynamics within higher education institutions, which negatively impact academics’ participation as key agents in change processes. Positional and identity challenges faced reveal the persistence of colonial and apartheid legacies of racism, sexism, Afrophobia and xenophobia – which casts a shadow on possible trajectories of transformation and sustainability. This has serious implications for the common good, given South Africa's regional import for knowledge production and decolonisation within universities; its key role in the African 2063 Agenda; and the wider global Sustainable Development agenda.
Originality/value
This study highlights insufficient engagement with the sustainability of transformation efforts within the context of South Africa. This study also emphasises the relation between transformation imperatives and racial, socio-economic, gender and epistemic justice imperatives of sustainable development.
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Carlos Fernando Ordóñez Vizcaíno, Cecilia Téllez Valle and Pilar Giráldez Puig
The aim of this paper is to analyse the spillover effects of microcredit on the economy of Ecuador, with a particular focus on its potential as a poverty alleviation mechanism.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to analyse the spillover effects of microcredit on the economy of Ecuador, with a particular focus on its potential as a poverty alleviation mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
To address our research questions, we take into account the distance between cantons (Ecuador’s own administrative distribution) by adopting a spatial autoregressive (SAR) model. To this end, a database will be constructed with macroeconomic information about the country, broken down by canton (administrative division of Ecuador), and in a 2019 cross section, with a total of 1,331 microcredit operations in all 221 of Ecuador’s cantons.
Findings
We find a positive effect of microcredit on these neighbouring regions in terms of wealth generation.
Research limitations/implications
We acknowledge that this study is limited to Ecuadorian cantons. Nonetheless, it is crucial to emphasize that focussing on an under-represented developing country like Ecuador adds significant value to the research.
Practical implications
Facilitating access to microcredit is one of the main solutions to address the goals proposed in the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Social implications
Microcredit activity contributes to the creation of value and wealth in Ecuador, exerting a spillover effect in neighbouring areas that can generate positive multiplier effects and alleviate poverty. For all of the above reasons, our proposal for the country is to support and promote microcredit as one of the main solutions to address the goals proposed in the SDGs.
Originality/value
The novelty of this study lies in the use of spatial econometrics to observe the indirect effects of microcredit on the regions bordering the canton in which it was issued, thus examining the spatial effects of microcredit on wealth distribution.
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Liuyu Huang, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh and Stella Xin Yin
Public service announcements (PSAs) have been shown to be effective instruments that raise awareness, educate society, and change behaviors and attitudes. Many governments and…
Abstract
Purpose
Public service announcements (PSAs) have been shown to be effective instruments that raise awareness, educate society, and change behaviors and attitudes. Many governments and organizations have utilized PSAs on social media to promote online safety among children and youth. However, we have limited understanding of the range of topics that these PSAs address and how they present their content to audiences. This study provides an inventory of the types of online safety topics that current PSAs address and a catalogue of the types of persuasive features employed by PSAs.
Design/methodology/approach
A content analysis of 220 YouTube PSA videos on online safety was conducted. Various topics under the umbrella of online safety were identified. Guided by the prospect theory and exemplification theory, different persuasive features employed in the PSAs were sought.
Findings
The findings highlight that the primary focus of these PSAs is on online safety behaviors and general instructions on online hygiene. Interestingly, nearly half of the videos employ a neutral frame, while a significant portion provides no evidential support. Additionally, video length was associated with the number of views and likes it gathered but not with the number of comments.
Originality/value
The inventory of PSAs can help researchers, practitioners, and policymakers better understand the type of content being produced and disseminated online as well as identify topics that are either over or under-represented. Further, the catalogue of the types of persuasive features employed by PSAs would be helpful in guiding research, practice, and policymaking in the context of creating effective online safety videos.
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Sikini Labastilla, Maria Regina Hechanova, Antover Tuliao, Mariel Rizza C. Tee, Jigette Cyril Zalun and Romeo Canonoy Jr
This study aims to evaluate the delivery of a virtual community-based mental health and substance use program for Filipino drug users during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the delivery of a virtual community-based mental health and substance use program for Filipino drug users during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
It used a randomized control longitudinal design with data collected prior to the program and every two months for 10 months. The programs focused on building recovery skills, life skills and family modules. Program length ranged from a brief intervention of three sessions to 24 sessions depending on whether clients were low risk, moderate risk or those arrested for drug use.
Findings
Results revealed significant improvements in recovery skills of participants in the treatment group compared to those in the control group. Mental health illness symptoms decreased for both control and treatment groups; however, no differences were found in recovery capital and cravings.
Research limitations/implications
The lack of significant changes in certain variables, such as recovery capital, requires more data to understand the barriers to enable greater recovery. The study was limited to virtual delivery of rehabilitation services conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies may wish to compare modalities of online and onsite delivery to enable a comparison of effectiveness.
Practical implications
Results suggest the feasibility of virtual delivery of mental health and substance use treatment implemented by trained paraprofessionals. However, it also highlights the necessity to build the capacity of service providers and address connectivity challenges.
Social implications
Stigma and discrimination prevent people who use drugs from seeking treatment. Virtual delivery of mental health and substance use treatment can provide a platform where people can seek help while maintaining some privacy.
Originality/value
The study provides evidence from under-represented populations – persons who use drugs in the Philippines.
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Ma Regina M. Hechanova, Trixia Anne C. Co, Jayson Soliman, Ana Maria Isabel Castro Guevara, Antover P. Tuliao, Nephtaly Botor and Ma Veronica Felipe
Drug prevention programs typically focus on providing information on the effects of drugs and developing refusal skills. However, there is evidence that adolescents use substances…
Abstract
Purpose
Drug prevention programs typically focus on providing information on the effects of drugs and developing refusal skills. However, there is evidence that adolescents use substances to cope with stress. As such, integrating mental health literacy is important in prevention programs. The purpose of this study was to test a video-based mental health and substance prevention program for Filipino youth.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a cluster randomized trial and mixed methods design with 623 Filipino adolescents from 12 to 18 years old. The program consisted of six sessions focusing on stress, adaptive coping, effects of substances and drug refusal skills. It uses short psychoeducation videos along with self-reflection, and discussions to increase learner engagement.
Findings
Results revealed a significant increase in knowledge and negative attitudes toward substance of participants in the intervention group compared to the control group. Those in the intervention group reported improved use of adaptive coping skills particularly cognitive reappraisal, social support, problem-solving and relaxation compared to the control group.
Originality/value
This study adds to the literature on prevention from under-represented and non-Western contexts such as the Philippines. This study highlights how technology-mediated and integrated mental health and substance use programs can be useful in countries with few resources for mental health.
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It aims to understand crowdfunding’s effect on women’s entrepreneurship and summarize key findings, methods, and challenges women face in using crowdfunding for financing.
Abstract
Purpose
It aims to understand crowdfunding’s effect on women’s entrepreneurship and summarize key findings, methods, and challenges women face in using crowdfunding for financing.
Design/methodology/approach
This literature review examines 36 empirical studies on crowdfunding use by women entrepreneurs. It follows the PRISMA framework, using Scopus and citation tracking to categorize studies on crowdfunding’s potential to empower women financially and address their barriers to accessing finance.
Findings
The review identified seven key themes: opportunities and challenges for women in crowdfunding, equity crowdfunding’s potential, gender differences in crowdfunding outcomes, the role of social capital and networks, investor trust and decision-making, the influence of language, communication, and platform design, and the importance of considering intersectionality and context. Crowdfunding offers women entrepreneurs access to capital and helps them overcome traditional financing barriers. Women-led campaigns achieve comparable or even higher success rates compared to their male counterparts. However, under-representation, lower funding requests, pitching difficulties, and limited access to networks remain as challenges.
Research limitations/implications
This study has limitations inherent to systematic reviews, including potential methodological flaws or biases in the included studies and the exclusion of relevant studies due to time and resource constraints.
Practical implications
Crowdfunding can be promoted as a viable financing option for women entrepreneurs and design targeted initiatives to support them. Building social capital, enhancing financial literacy, and creating networking opportunities can contribute to their success in navigating crowdfunding platforms effectively.
Originality/value
This review offers a comprehensive analysis of empirical studies conducted between 2012 and 2023. It provides up-to-date insights, identifies key themes, and offers actionable recommendations for policymakers and organizations seeking to support women entrepreneurs in effectively accessing and utilizing crowdfunding platforms.
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Luke Fletcher, Valerio Incerti and Caroline Essers
This study aims to draw upon entrepreneurial network resource and social identity theories to advance the understanding of LGBT entrepreneurial behavior. The authors focus on what…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to draw upon entrepreneurial network resource and social identity theories to advance the understanding of LGBT entrepreneurial behavior. The authors focus on what resources are acquired by LGBT entrepreneurs from LGBT-specific networks, such as entrepreneurs’ associations or chambers of commerce, and why they might engage with them.
Design/methodology/approach
As an initial scoping exercise, Study 1 quantitatively examined the different resources acquired via a survey of 109 LGBT entrepreneurs from the UK, mainland Europe and North America. Building on these findings, Study 2 qualitatively explored why LGBT entrepreneurs acquire resources from and engage with LGBT-specific networks via interviews with 23 LGBT entrepreneurs (with representation from the UK, Mainland Europe and North America).
Findings
Study 1 indicates that being more involved in LGBT-specific networks is associated with stronger resource acquisition, particularly those that are relational and psychological in nature. Study 2 reveals that such networks can act as psychologically safe holding environments where resources that fulfil needs for belonging and uniqueness are acquired. However, certain challenges and issues arise when trying to meet all members' needs.
Practical implications
The findings underscore the need for LGBT networks that are run for, and by, LGBT entrepreneurs. Such networks allow LGBT entrepreneurs to be more authentic about, and empowered by, their LGBT identity in their business such that they can develop a stronger sense of individual and collective pride in being part of an LGBT entrepreneurial community. Yet, there is a need to understand the variety of identities and needs across the LGBT community.
Originality/value
The authors advance our understanding of LGBT entrepreneurs by connecting knowledge on entrepreneurship with that on applied psychology. The authors develop an original contribution by focusing on how LGBT entrepreneurs use LGBT-specific networks to meet important psychological and relational needs, thus speaking to the importance of developing an LGBT entrepreneurial community that enables LGBT entrepreneurs to express their LGBT and entrepreneurial identities.
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Terrance Fitzsimmons, Miriam S. Yates, Ree Jordan and Victor J. Callan
This article details a research approach that created impact through suspending assumptions of Western research methods and positioning Indigenous research partners as experts and…
Abstract
Purpose
This article details a research approach that created impact through suspending assumptions of Western research methods and positioning Indigenous research partners as experts and co-creators of the research process.
Design/methodology/approach
The research partnership placed Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing at the center of research design and methodological choices. At all decision-making points upon commencement of the research, Indigenous (non-academic) research partners were engaged and determined the outcomes of the research partnership.
Findings
The impact of this research partnership was three-fold. First, this partnership impacted women directly through employment of Australian Indigenous Environmental Rangers as research associates. Second, the partnership increased awareness and collectivism of Indigenous women’s voices as leaders and advocates for policy change, bringing a new cohort of women rangers wishing to participate as research associates in the project. Third, was the establishment of a National Forum and the formal application for a $1,000,000 Australian Research Council Linkage Project grant to continue research at the National Forum.
Originality/value
We offer readers the opportunity to observe our process of engaging in effective research collaborations with Australian Indigenous peoples who are typically not included as co-creators and equal partners in Western academic research. The research collaboration centered upon Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing to amplify impact. We demonstrate the impact of framing the research as storytelling, so enabling data collection through the culturally safe methods of “dadirri” as well as the “yarning circle”, both of which privilege Indigenous knowledge systems.
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