Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

Litzky, Barrie; Winkel, Doan; Hance, Jennifer; Howell, Ryan

2020 Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

doi: 10.1108/jsbed-07-2019-0241

The purpose of this study was to investigate the personal and contextual factors that influence entrepreneurial intention between two student populations from the United States and Portugal.Design/methodology/approachThe data were obtained through the Entrepreneurship Education Project, a large study that collected over 17,000 responses from students in 70 countries. A subset of this data resulted in 3,008 responses from students in the United States and 1,026 respondents in Portugal. The model predicted that entrepreneurial intention would be influenced by entrepreneurial capital and entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), and that the model results would be stronger in the US than in Portugal.FindingsThe main effect hypotheses were supported while moderating effect hypotheses were not, although post hoc analysis revealed some interesting culturally relevant anecdotes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the generalizability of previously established antecedents of entrepreneurial intention to two highly different cultural contexts – the United States and individuals from Portugal. The cross-sectional, correlational nature of the survey limits the findings to one point in time.Practical implicationsFindings suggest that having the opportunity to start a business as part of entrepreneurship education may provide useful in not only enhancing ESE but also in entrepreneurial intentions. Programs might consider including starting a business, either a new venture, or as part of a corporate program as part of the degree requirement. It may be that starting a business will provide critical experience students need to choose entrepreneurship as a career.Originality/valueThis research explored the similarities and differences in characteristics between students from a highly individualistic nation with low uncertainty avoidance (United States) and one that is more collectivist and less uncertainty avoidant (Portugal). Findings highlight the importance of entrepreneurial capital, ESE and the role that culture plays in students' entrepreneurial intentions.

Depaoli, Paolo; Za, Stefano; Scornavacca, Eusebio

2020 Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

doi: 10.1108/jsbed-06-2020-0219

E-business maturity models have been widely used to guide the process of digital transformation of business. However, these models have been criticized for their predominantly technocentric approach, which is poorly suited for SMEs. The purpose of this paper is to produce a holistic, nonlinear e-business development model for SMEs that takes into account the interactions of the organization in the pursuit of its business objectives.Design/methodology/approachBased on the literature review, this paper proposes a nonlinear digital development model for SMEs that factors in the interactions between digital technologies and organizational processes. The model is applied to three cases using a qualitative research approach.FindingsThe analysis of the cases demonstrates how the model recognizes that SMEs have an agile and flexible operating structure and reduces the role of technology in order to refocus the entrepreneurs on the relationship among business goals, organizational capabilities and communication requirements.Practical implicationsThe proposed model helps the business owners to clarify and better understand what kind of interaction levels exist between the relevant actors in the pursuit of the firm's goals and to identify the best mix of digital and nondigital communication methods to support their work. It also assists policymakers to overcome technological bias when assessing the current state of play of e-business development in the SME universe and formulate actions that support the development of digitally oriented SMEs.Originality/valueThis paper proposes a novel, nonlinear, interaction-based development model for SMEs in order to complement previous technocentric models focusing mainly on a mechanist perspective of e-business maturity models.

Sultan, Suhail; Sultan, Wasim I.M.

2020 Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

doi: 10.1108/jsbed-06-2020-0226

This study addresses the impact of the corona crisis on the performance of women small- to medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and explores the adopted innovative strategies by these women to stay in their businesses.Design/methodology/approachBoth quantitative and qualitative methods are used in this cross-sectional country-level survey. A representative sample of 260 Palestinian women businesses completed the questionnaire. As well, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with 15 female entrepreneurs who succeeded to survive to collect qualitative data. Frequencies, cross-tabulations and Chi-Square tests are used to analyze quantitative data and thematic analysis is used to analyze the qualitative one.FindingsThe main findings show that the corona crisis harms the performance of many women MSMEs in terms of production, turnover profit. To reduce their lost sales during the crisis, women are more likely to benefit from social media and promotions than other methods. This study highlights the innovation strategies applied by the women MSMEs who managed to survive such as, among others, cash management and digital marketing.Practical implicationsThe innovation strategies could be a road map for other women struggling MSMEs businesses to re-enter businesses again.Originality/valueSo far, little research has focused on women MSMEs in developing countries. The identified innovation strategies will potentially help aspiring women MSMEs to survive during the economic crisis.

Preedy, Sarah; Jones, Paul; Maas, Gideon; Duckett, Hilary

2020 Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

doi: 10.1108/jsbed-12-2019-0408

This study contributes towards increased understanding of the perceived value of extracurricular enterprise activities from an entrepreneurial learning perspective. Past decades have witnessed a global increase in the provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education alongside a growing suite of extracurricular enterprise activities. However, there is a paucity of research examining how entrepreneurial learning might be understood in the context of these activities.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on an empirical study of student and educator participants across 24 United Kingdom (UK) universities using semi-structured surveys and in-depth interviews. Three main learning theories drawn from the entrepreneurial learning literature: experiential, social and self-directed learning provided a conceptual framework to frame the research phenomenon.FindingsFindings posit that extracurricular enterprise activities provide perceived value in the experiential and social learning opportunities afforded for students. However, these activities are restricted in enabling the experiential learning cycle to be completed due to limited reflection opportunities. Positioning these extracurricular activities outside the main curriculum also empowers participants to self-direct aspects of their learning and develop their autonomous learning capabilities.Originality/valueThe existing literature focusses upon the entrepreneurial learning processes of established entrepreneurs rather than latent and nascent entrepreneurs within a higher education (HE) setting. The limited literature examining HE entrepreneurial learning does so by concentrating upon entrepreneurial learning resulting from in-curricular activities. This study offers novel insights into students’ entrepreneurial learning processes, highlighting the importance of experiential, social and self-directed learning opportunities to the entrepreneurial learning process and the perceived value of extracurricular activities as a platform for these types of learning.

Adomako, Samuel

2020 Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

doi: 10.1108/jsbed-03-2020-0065

The purpose of this paper was to examine the joint effects of regulatory focus, entrepreneurial persistence and institutional support on new venture performance.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a random survey approach to sample 204 new ventures from Ghana. The moderated mediation method was used to analyse the survey data.FindingsThe findings from this paper show that entrepreneurs' promotion focus positively relates to persistence while prevent focus negatively influences persistence. In addition, persistence mediates the link between regulatory focus (promotion and prevention focus) and new venture performance. These relationships are positively moderated by perceived institutional support.Research limitations/implicationsUsing data from only the manufacturing sector in Ghana limits the generalisability of this paper. In addition, persistence is not observed or measured directly in this paper but is only used as self-reporting variable that captures an individual's tendency to persist.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is threefold. First, this paper contributes to regulatory focus literature by enhancing our knowledge on how self-regulation could help explain entrepreneurial decision-making. Second, this paper broadens self-regulation literature by adding institutional context as a moderating variable. Third, this paper helps clarify the potential role of persistence in entrepreneurship.

Kulkov, Ignat; Berggren, Björn; Eriksson, Kent; Hellström, Magnus; Wikstrom, Kim

2020 Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

doi: 10.1108/jsbed-09-2019-0308

This paper focuses on medical device university spin-offs (USOs), taking into account the peculiarities of financial and nonfinancial support and intellectual property rights (IPRs). The authors declare that these parameters play a significant role in business development at the early stages.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical data consist of individual and group interviews in Finland and Sweden, which are later inductively analyzed.FindingsThe results show that public financial support contributes to the formation and start of sales stages in small countries and local markets. However, at the validation stage, approaches for supporting entrepreneurship in the field of medical devices may differ. The ownership of IPRs assists in the development of entrepreneurship in the region due to the transfer of research results and researchers to the industry and increases the number of spin-offs and the cooperation of universities with business.Originality/valueThis contribution is in the identification of the key parameters for the formation, support and development of the USOs from the point of view of the availability of financial resources and the ownership of IPRs.

Bedő, Zsolt; Erdős, Katalin; Pittaway, Luke

2020 Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

doi: 10.1108/jsbed-02-2020-0060

Research on entrepreneurial ecosystems has advanced over recent years and has become a popular topic. Despite the interest, previous work has focused on entrepreneurial ecosystems in large cities in the United States. Ecosystems in small cities, underpopulated rural areas, university towns and outside the USA have not been considered much. This paper begins to address this deficit by reviewing three groups of literature.Design/methodology/approachFrom the review, the paper builds a conceptual framework to consider entrepreneurial ecosystems led by universities. After summarizing the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurial universities and entrepreneurship education, the paper suggests a conceptual framework outlying the structure, components and mechanisms that enable universities to operate as catalysts in the creation of entrepreneurial ecosystems.FindingsIt is evident that on many of the “ingredients” of a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem, a resource-constrained environment would have many gaps. Building an entrepreneurship ecosystem in such contexts would be inherently challenging. The model presented suggests that the presence of a university in such locations should enhance the prospects of progress but that the nature of the university itself would impact any outcomes. Universities that make concerted efforts to be entrepreneurial and that have entrepreneurship programmes have strategies available to them that can enhance entrepreneurship ecosystems over time.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is to show “how” a university and its entrepreneurship programme can operationally address deficits in a local ecosystem and how it might bring about positive change. The paper also opens new avenues for entrepreneurship education researchers.

Mungila Hillemane, Bala Subrahmanya

2020 Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development

doi: 10.1108/jsbed-07-2019-0233

Bangalore has gained international recognition as a technology start-up hub for its vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to explore the structure and gap that exist with respect to the entrepreneurial ecosystem for tech start-ups in Bangalore.Design/methodology/approachA Delphi technique based four stage interaction with the experts/stakeholders belonging to different components of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (as identified from the literature) in the context of Bangalore is conducted, to gather primary data. This enabled us to define the structure of entrepreneurial ecosystem and analyse the gap that exists between an ideal ecosystem feasible in the Indian context and that one that prevailed in Bangalore.FindingsThe prevailing entrepreneurial ecosystem for tech start-ups in Bangalore is significantly different (lower) relative to an ideal ecosystem feasible in the Indian economic environment, as prescribed by the Delphi experts, both at the aggregate level and at an individual component level. The step-wise (backward) logistic regression analysis revealed that Bangalore ecosystem is primarily lacking in terms of one of the Triple Helices, namely, role of education and research institutions, and two of the five indispensable components, namely, market maturity and mentorship.Research limitations/implicationsIt is essential to strengthen and promote the Triple Helix base and the five indispensable components in an entrepreneurial ecosystem, to accelerate the emergence and growth of tech start-ups.Practical implicationsIt brings out the nature of entrepreneurial ecosystem structure and the gap between what can be considered an ideal ecosystem and what prevails in Bangalore currently.Originality/valueThis is a primary data based study, which has value for regional policy makers in strategizing to promote Bangalore ecosystem, and for researchers in undertaking “ecosystem gap analysis”.