Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy

Palalić, Ramo; Gerguri-Rashiti, Shqipe; Zeqiri, Jusuf; Dzenopoljac, Vladimir

2023 Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy

doi: 10.1108/jec-10-2023-224

Pejić Bach, Mirjana; Žmuk, Berislav; Kamenjarska, Tanja; Bašić, Maja; Morić Milovanović, Bojan

2023 Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy

doi: 10.1108/jec-04-2022-0067

This paper aims to explore and analyse stakeholders’ perceptions of the development priorities and suggests more effective strategies to assist sustainable economic growth in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the World Bank data set, which collects various stakeholders’ opinions on the UAE development. First, the exploratory factor analysis has been applied to detect the main groups of development priorities. Second, the fuzzy cluster analysis has been conducted to detect the groups of stakeholders with different attitudes towards the importance of extracted groups of priorities. Third, clusters have been compared according to demographics, media usage and shared prosperity goals.FindingsThe two main groups of development priorities have been extracted by the exploratory factor analysis: economic priorities and sustainability priorities. Four clusters have been detected according to the level of motivation when it comes to the economic and sustainability priorities: Cluster 1 (High economic – High sustainability), Cluster 2 (High economic – Medium sustainability), Cluster 3 (High economic – Low sustainability) and Cluster 4 (Low economic – Low sustainability). Members of the cluster that prefer a high level of economic and sustainability priorities (Cluster 1) also prefer more diversified economic growth providing better employment opportunities and better education and training for young people in the UAE.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations stem from the survey being conducted on a relatively small sample using the data collected by the World Bank; however, this data set allowed a comparison of various stakeholders. Future research should consider a broader sample approach, e.g. exploring and comparing all of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries; investigating the opinions of the expatriate managers living in the UAE that are not from GCC countries; and/or including other various groups that are lagging, such as female entrepreneurs.Practical implicationsSeveral practical implications were identified regarding education and media coverage. Since respondents prioritize the economic development factors over sustainability factors, a media campaign could be developed and executed to increase sustainability awareness. A campaign could target especially male citizens since the analysis indicates that males are more likely to affirm high economic and low sustainability priorities than females. There is no need for further diversification of media campaigns according to age since the analysis did not reveal relevant differences in age groups, implying there is no inter-generational gap between respondents.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by comparing the perceived importance of various development goals in the UAE, such as development priorities and shared prosperity indicators. The fuzzy cluster analysis has been used as a novel approach to detect the relevant groups of stakeholders in the UAE and their developmental priorities. The issue of media usage and demographic characteristics in this context has also been discussed.

Al Boinin, Hamda

2023 Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy

doi: 10.1108/jec-03-2022-0048

This paper aims to explore the crucial role of socio-cultural factors in the entrepreneurial experiences of women in the Gulf region.Design/methodology/approachA focused qualitative systematic analysis of 65 published articles was conducted to present existing approaches to studying women's entrepreneurship in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and identify the key socio-cultural factors impacting women's entrepreneurial realities.FindingsIt was found that gender roles, family influence, social networking and religion are among the most significant factors influencing the entrepreneurial experiences of women in the GCC.Research limitations/implicationsIt was found that the region's prevalent social norms, vis-à-vis how gender roles are defined and practiced, greatly influence the lived experiences of women entrepreneurs. The role of family support (or lack thereof) and the access to networking opportunities to start and grow ventures significantly affect women's entrepreneurial successes. The findings also point to the overarching ideological and practical guidance, Islam is believed to offer, on how life in general and businesses, in particular, should be conducted.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the burgeoning literature on women's entrepreneurship in the Gulf by promoting context-dependent knowledge. In particular, the findings highlight the importance of critical and nuanced evaluation of existing theories of gender and entrepreneurship. The examination can help policymakers develop more effective and inclusive entrepreneurship policies in the region.

Abubakar, Ahmed; Mourgan, Fatma Hassan Abdelbasset; Al Kharusi, Buthaina; Elfitori, Chadilia Mohammed

2023 Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy

doi: 10.1108/jec-03-2022-0047

This research is in response to the growing need for economic diversification in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as they seek to manage the impacts of volatile oil revenues. To this end, governments in the region are encouraging their citizens to undertake entrepreneurial activities. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of entrepreneurial education (EE), trait competitiveness (TC) and psychological capital (PC) on the entrepreneurial behavior (EB) of university students.Design/methodology/approachAs a quantitative study, primary data were collected through a survey administered to the team of young university students in Oman. Using stratified sampling techniques, 858 questionnaires were retrieved and used for the analysis out of the 1,176 sample. The analysis of the data was done using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results have established a positive influence of EE, TC and PC on the EB of university students in the GCC region. This study also found that PC acts as a bridge between EE, TC and EB.Originality/valueThis paper provides further literature evidence on the contribution of other variables like TC and PC to EB, particularly in the GCC context, by providing a model of the influence mechanism on EB. This research reveals a very unique influence of PC on the relationship between TC and EB. The findings confirm that there is no direct relationship between TC and EB. However, the relationship was established with the introduction of PC.

Syed, Raihan Taqui; Singh, Dharmendra; Agrawal, Reena; Spicer, David Philip

2023 Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy

doi: 10.1108/jec-03-2022-0045

Entrepreneurship has been recognized as a vital tool to combat youth unemployment and rising exclusion, as it is an incredible force that impacts economic development and societal growth by stimulating innovation, job creation and social empowerment. On the other hand, higher education institutions (HEIs) can foster entrepreneurship and thus develop entrepreneurial self-efficacy, self-employment, innovation, enhanced ability to risk-taking and thus result in benefiting people, society, organizations and economy. This prompted the authors to carry out an in-depth investigation of published research on entrepreneurship development and HEIs across Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study strives to analyze the work carried out until now on entrepreneurship development in HEIs across GCC countries and describe the constructs characterizing it. Bibliometric and content analysis were carried out, integrating citations in Scopus database for last 10 years. Two software packages – Bibliometric R and VOS viewer – were used to investigate the research questions and construct various visualizations of bibliometric networks. Thematic mapping of this multidimensional research area is demonstrated, and evolving trends are identified.FindingsFindings revealed that research on entrepreneurship development in HEIs is more prevalent in UAE and Saudi Arabia followed by Oman and Qatar. However, more efforts are required to further consolidate cross-national collaborations among all the GCC countries to obtain a comprehensive overview of the regional context.Originality/valueSuch a comprehensive bibliometric review coupled with content analysis on entrepreneurship development in HEIs across GCC countries has not yet been published, to the best of the authors’ knowledge.