Benchmarking entrepreneurial intentions of women in the United Arab Emirates

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maqsood Ahmad Sandhu ◽  
Omer Farooq ◽  
Saba Khalid ◽  
Mariam Farooq
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Female Entrepreneurship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Education Participation ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Graduating Students

PurposeBased on the extensive literature review and the research published in the context of Western countries, this study proposes that the entrepreneurship education, participation in entrepreneurial seminars at the universities and their involvement in the activities of innovation and incubation center of the universities may foster entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) among Emirati female graduating students.Design/methodology/approachTo test the study’s hypothesized model, survey data are collected from 283 female graduating students of 19 public and private universities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The analysis of the data relies upon multiple hierarchical regression and moderation analysis in SPSS.FindingsThe results suggest that all three types of educational activities positively influence the women's EIs in the UAE. However, formal entrepreneurship courses are more effective than the participation in seminars and involvement in the activities of innovation/incubation center. The authors also found that perceived social support does not moderate the impact of education on EIs, which means that entrepreneurship education is equally effective in fostering EIs, no matter female students perceive low or high social support. On the other hand, results demonstrate that the level of gender stereotypes negatively moderates the impact of education on it. This implies that if a female student believes in a high gender stereotype, the impact of education on her EIs will be low and vice versa.Research limitations/implicationsThis study specifically focuses on women entrepreneurship and for the UAE only. However, the results can be generalized for female entrepreneurship, specifically for countries where governments are taking initiatives to foster female entrepreneurship. The study provides specific implications for the UAE public policy government.Practical implicationsAs the Government of the UAE is keenly interested to boost up the women entrepreneurial behavior, the findings of the study support that in addition to entrepreneurship education, the government should also encourage the universities to arrange entrepreneurship seminars as these seminars also increase the EIs of women. In addition, the government and the universities should also focus on the involvement of women in the incubation centers/innovation park because the incubation centers can provide the practical exposure to the women in the new business start-ups.Originality/valueThis research is among the first, which benchmarks women EIs in the UAE.

A review of the role of HEI’s in developing academic entrepreneurship

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lalit Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Developing Economies ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Knowledge Level ◽  
Entrepreneurial Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ex Post ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The prime purpose of the study is to assess the role of education in general and entrepreneurship education in particular in developing youth entrepreneurship in Uttarakhand State, India. The study also tested the methodology based on effectiveness and compared it with the traditional ex post method to find if there is any difference in results. Alternatively, the study also checked whether the students of developing economies are more likely to take up entrepreneurship as a career, which has strongly been contended by some of the recent studies. Design/methodology/approach – The role of education was assessed on two grounds: increase in general awareness and knowledge about entrepreneurship, and development of entrepreneurial intentions and inclination of students. A structured questionnaire was administered on 530 final-year students. The questionnaire tested the interest and intentions of students towards taking up entrepreneurship as a career and also evaluated the level of awareness and knowledge of entrepreneurship among the students. Cross-tabulation, mean values and t-test were used to analyse the results. Findings – The research confirmed that higher education institutions (HEIs) of Uttarakhand have not been very effective in building entrepreneurial awareness and knowledge level of students. Students who studied entrepreneurship subject showed a little better awareness and knowledge level of entrepreneurship, which was found to be statistically significant in comparison to their counterparts, but the mean scores indicated poor knowledge level. As the authors used an ex post method and method based on effectiveness of entrepreneurship education, the authors got two different results for impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions. More appropriate one being that with the observed level of awareness and knowledge level of entrepreneurship (which was very low); the authors cannot possibly determine the actual impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions. Practical implications – The research has direct implications for research scholars working in the field of determining the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions, entrepreneurship education institutions and also the policymakers. Originality/value – In comparison to most of the earlier studies done to find the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions, this study differs in its methodological approach and first of all evaluates the effectiveness and impact of entrepreneurial education in developing entrepreneurial awareness and knowledge of student. The author undertakes that if entrepreneurship education is ineffective in developing the desired level of awareness and knowledge of entrepreneurship, the actual effect of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions cannot actually be determined and the authors may not be able to get accurate outcomes of such studies. To justify the stand, author compares the traditional ex post approach with the approach based on effectiveness of the programme and brings into light the difference in outcomes. The proposed approach rests on the premises that education must be absorbed and not just delivered to assess its impact.

Trust, personality, risk taking and entrepreneurship

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachid Zeffane
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Nascent Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Courses ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of trust, personality and risk taking on entrepreneurial intentions (EIs). In this perspective, it explores gender differences among nascent and actual entrepreneurs in the context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from two sets of populations: 370 students attending business courses in a university in the UAE (as proxies to nascent entrepreneurs) and 324 small business owners/operators (as proxies to actual entrepreneurs). The scales used in the study were borrowed from previous research and were also empirically confirmed through reliability tests. Findings – In support of previous research, analyses of variance confirmed the hypotheses that females are less inclined to become entrepreneurs and are less likely to take risk. Females were also found to be less trusting than males. Regression analysis revealed that, the intention to engage in entrepreneurship is most significantly affected by the propensity to trust. These confirm the study hypotheses. Research limitations/implications – This study is set in a single country and as such, its findings may be constrained by cultural/national specificities. Future research could consider examining the variables of this study (particularly gender differences and their relevance to the effects of trust and risk taking on EIs) in a wider cross-national context. Practical implications – The findings of this study clearly indicate that trust is an important variable that can be cultivated at the pre-entrepreneurial stage so that future entrepreneurs (females in particular) are appropriately equipped and geared to cope with risk in entrepreneurship activities. Originality/value – Research on gender, trust, risk taking and entrepreneurial behaviors in the UAE/Middle East context remains lacking. Also, studies using samples of both actual and nascent entrepreneurs remain lacking. This study fills these gaps and also provides a platform for further understanding the importance of gender differences in relation to trust, personality, risk taking and EIs.

Does entrepreneurship education influence entrepreneurial intention among students in HEI’s?

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-72
Author(s):  
Zahoor Ahmad Paray ◽  
Sumit Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
New Business ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Considering entrepreneurship education (EE) theory as a base, this paper aims to examine the impact of EE upon building entrepreneurial intentions. In addition, it investigates the impact of student’s age, gender and degree or course background in developing students entrepreneurial intentions. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 309 student respondents from higher education institution (HEI’s) was used to understand the relationship and its impact over intention building. Regression and ANOVA technique was used to understand the cause and effect as well as mean differences between the construct. Findings The results signify a positive impact of EE for stimulating the start-up intention in these interdisciplinary students of HEIs. These results resemble the existing studies in this endeavour. Findings also verify that individual intention to start a new business in terms of the theory of planned behaviour (attitude, perceived behavioural control and social norms), student background (gender and degree specialization) are positively related to individual intention to start a new business. Research limitations/implications The results confirm previous studies in this field and highlight the need for EE in HEI. The paper highlights the vitality for EE for India’s start-up growth. Originality/value This study adds to the paucity of research on EE and its impact on entrepreneurial intentions in higher education institutions in India.

Context, gender and entrepreneurial intentions

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Rienke van Ewijk ◽  
Sophia Belghiti-Mahut
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Gender Stereotypes ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Gender Effects ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Entrepreneurial Spirit ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how gender differences in entrepreneurial intentions (EI) change when entrepreneurship education (EE) is added to the force field of macro-social stimulants and inhibitors of female EI in the particular context of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a pre-post survey with entrepreneurship students and students with a similar profile enrolled in other courses (N = 246) at three universities. The three main hypotheses are evaluated through independent-samplest-tests and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate a negative effect of gender stereotypes on female students’ EI in the UAE, regardless of the course type. Furthermore, entrepreneurship courses appear to be more successful than other courses in raising the EI of students in general and female students in particular. Finally, adding EE to the equation of macro-social inhibitors and stimulants of female EI in the UAE seems to tip the balance in favor of the influence of economic affluence, rapid modernization and proactive governmental policies to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit among female residents. That is, at the end of the entrepreneurship courses, there was no significant gender difference in EI anymore and female students are significantly more likely to experience a positive change in EI than male students.Research limitations/implicationsThe literature review identifies the need for future studies to evaluate the impact of variability in sampling and methods among previous studies on gender effects in EE. Building on the findings, future studies could identify which aspects of EE are pivotal for customizing female students’ specific local interests and needs. The study is limited in the sense that the data set did not enable tests of moderators at the course level (which mostly requires more qualitative data) and individual level. In addition, the sample is not representative for all female residents in the UAE at large.Practical implicationsThis study might stimulate (UAE) policymakers to increase the scope and quality of EE. In turn, university administrators are recommended to find ways to compensate the self-selection effect (overcome likely opt-out by female students) when entrepreneurship courses are elective.Originality/valueThis exploration was inspired by the strong emphasis that Julie Weeks put on the gendered impact of macro-level factors in business enabling environments (Weeks, 2011). The empirical analysis builds on a conceptual framework that integrates Krueger’s model of EI, theory on gender stereotypes in entrepreneurship and previous literature on the role of EE (reinforcing or mitigating stereotypes). The study is executed in the relatively unexplored context of the UAE, which offers strong macro-social inhibitors for ánd stimulants of female entrepreneurship.

scholarly journals The development of entrepreneurial potential among higher education students

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina Varamäki ◽  
Sanna Joensuu ◽  
Erno Tornikoski ◽  
Anmari Viljamaa
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Young People ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Perceived Behavioral Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of how entrepreneurial potential is developed among young people. Changes in individuals’ entrepreneurial intentions and the antecedents of intentions are investigated, as well as the impact of entrepreneurship education on the changes. Design/methodology/approach – Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is applied. Longitudinal data from 197 HE students, in their first and third year of studies, is examined using path analysis. Findings – Overall the entrepreneurial intentions of HE students decreased over time. Intentions decreased particularly for those with high initial level of intentions, whereas the group with increasing intentions rose from low to neutral level of intentions. Changes in attitudes and perceived behavioral control have a significant positive impact. Versatile entrepreneurship courses have direct effect on changes in attitudes. Changes in attitudes have a dual role, as they influence change in both intentions and perceived behavioral control. The developed model explains 19 percent of the variance among women and 28 percent among men, suggesting gender differences in development of intentions. Research limitations/implications – Only one way of developing entrepreneurial potential in young people (i.e. education) is covered. The empirical sample is limited to one university. Practical implications – The results suggest versatile methods of entrepreneurship education are more effective in developing intentions than perhaps purely active modes. Gender differences should be considered when designing interventions to foster entrepreneurial potential. Originality/value – The research confirms with longitudinal individual-level data the applicability of TPB on entrepreneurial intentions and demonstrates the mediated impact of versatile entrepreneurship courses on changes in intentions.

scholarly journals Entrepreneurship education as an arena for career reflection: the shift of students' career preferences after a business planning course

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 877-896
Author(s):  
Kjersti Kjos Longva ◽  
Øivind Strand ◽  
Mark Pasquine
Keyword(s):  
Conjoint Analysis ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Business Planning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Career Preferences

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) in the form of a business planning course on students' career intentions and preferences. While there is extensive research in which traditional survey scales have been applied to study students' entrepreneurial intentions, this study takes a novel approach by extending the construct of entrepreneurial intention to include preferences for intrapreneurship and team entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the use of conjoint analysis captures students' unconscious decision-making processes when presented with different career opportunity scenarios, thereby overcoming many of the limitations of self-reported survey measures.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a quasi-experimental design with a novel application of conjoint analysis in EE research. A two-part survey combining a traditional questionnaire with conjoint analysis was distributed to students enrolled in a business planning course at two campuses of a Norwegian university, resulting in 99 matched pre- and post-test responses.FindingsTwo main findings arise from the study. First, there is a significant decrease in entrepreneurial intention among students in the EE course. Second, the conjoint analysis contributes to a better understanding of this decrease by illustrating how students shift their career preferences from entrepreneurship to employment during the EE course. This suggests that EE provides a space for students' career reflections where they can explore, commit to and reconsider entrepreneurship as a career.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of the study is that it focuses on a small sample of undergraduate students from two campus locations in Norway. Thus, further investigation is still necessary to establish whether the findings are valid in other contexts. The research has implications for higher educational institutions, policymakers and researchers in the field of EE.Practical implicationsThe study contributes with a novel perspective on EE as a trigger for career reflection, a perspective that is important for educators teaching EE courses, as well as for higher education institutions who decide to implement EE in study programmes.Originality/valueBy focusing on the development of students' career preferences through conjoint analysis, the study expands knowledge on the impact of EE on students' careers, while also accentuating the value of the application of conjoint analysis in research on EE.

Entrepreneurship education and undergraduate students’ self- and paid-employment intentions

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Innocent Otache
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Paid Employment ◽  
The Government ◽  
Graduate Unemployment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conceptually explore the relationship between Entrepreneurship Education (EE) and undergraduate students’ self- and paid-employment intentions. Specifically, the paper aims to examine the effect of paid-employment intention on the relationship between EE and self-employment intention. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviewed extensively related literature on EE, entrepreneurial intentions and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The detailed literature review undertaken formed the basis for the development of the conceptual framework. Findings It is found that undergraduate students have two opposing employment intentions within them, namely, self- and paid-employment intentions. The two employment intentions interact and have a tendency to dominate each other, and consequently lead to different employment behaviours. The dominant employment intention determines whether a graduate will exhibit self- or paid-employment behaviour. This confirms that graduates are faced with two career paths or choices, namely, self- and paid-employment. Research limitations/implications It is not an empirical paper. Thus, the conceptual framework needs to be further empirically tested. More specifically, the proposition that undergraduate students’ paid-employment intentions moderate the impact of EE on their self-employment intentions needs to be empirically validated. Practical implications This paper provides some insightful and practical implications for the government and the policymakers in the education sector, particularly in tackling the menace of graduate unemployment and its associated problems. It provides an insight into the problem of graduate unemployment. The government and the policymakers should initiate enlightenment programmes that will reorient undergraduate students away from having the mentality of securing paid-jobs after graduation. Equally, undergraduate students should be enlightened about the difficulties in securing paid-jobs and the benefits of being a self-employed graduate. Originality/value It is the first to explore the moderating effect of undergraduate students’ paid-employment intentions on the relationship between EE and their self-employment intentions. Therefore, it makes a valuable contribution to the existing literature on EE and entrepreneurial intentions. It further strengthens the TPB by applying it to explain how undergraduate students’ paid-employment intentions could neutralise the impact of EE on their self-employment intentions.

The impact of entrepreneurship education and cultural context on entrepreneurial intentions of Ukrainian students: the mediating role of attitudes and perceived control

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Mykolenko ◽  
Inna Ippolitova ◽  
Hanna Doroshenko ◽  
Svitlana Strapchuk
Keyword(s):  
Perceived Control ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Attitudes ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of the research is to test empirically whether the variables of personal attitudes towards entrepreneurship and perceived control mediate the relationship between entrepreneurship education and intentions of Ukrainian students to become entrepreneurs; to determine whether personal attitudes mediate the relationship between cultural context and entrepreneurial intentions.Design/methodology/approachThe research project carried out jointly by four Kharkiv universities used 349 survey responses from senior students majoring in business and economics and management and marketing. The data was analysed using Partial Least Squares regression.FindingsEducation and employed teaching methods, in particular, positively affect students' attitudes towards entrepreneurship, their perceived capability to start a business and indirectly influence entrepreneurial intentions. However, attendance of entrepreneurship-related courses itself does not enhance perceived control and has no significant effect on personal attitudes. The study also shows that cultural context has a positive influence on students' attitudes towards entrepreneurship and, therefore, indirectly impacts their intentions to become entrepreneurs.Research limitations/implicationsFirstly, the students participating in the study were from one country. And secondly, the paper deals with pre-educational entrepreneurial intentions.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that a practice-based approach to entrepreneurship education is a key to raising entrepreneurial awareness of young people in countries whose national cultures are built on collectivist values.Originality/valueThe results of the study are of value for teaching staff, who can actually influence students' entrepreneurial self-awareness, and for university management in the context of contemporary education reforms and the latest requirements to education process.

Demographic factors as determinants of e-governance adoption

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaa Aldin Abdul Rahim A. Al Athmay
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of demographic factors as determinants of citizens’ perceptions toward two dimensions of e-governance, namely: e-openness and e-participation. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was administered to collect data from three locations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Demographic data were analyzed to test two dimensions, namely: e-openness and e-participation of e-governance underpinning five demographic variables. More specifically t-test and the Scheffe method of multiple comparisons were conducted on a sample of 1,500 respondents to measure the significance of gender, age, educational level, nationality and type of employment in relation to the aforementioned dimensions of e-governance. Findings – Findings indicate that, with the exception of nationality, all other demographic variables including gender, age, education and type of employment clearly explain differences among the respondents of e-governance. Furthermore, our findings suggest that respondents perceive moderate satisfaction with one dimension, namely, e-openness, but less satisfaction with the other dimension of e-governance, namely: e-participation. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited by the exclusive emphasis of the influence of five independent demographic factors on only two dimensions of e-governance. In addition, the sample represents highly educated and experienced respondents of Internet use and thus the results might be biased. Future studies may look beyond the demographic variables by evaluating UAE citizens’ attitudes and behavior towards the adoption of e-services. Furthermore, future research could be an in-depth examination, through focus groups, of the factors that impede an active interaction in the UAE. To overcome the possibility of biasness of the results, future work should include non-users and comparing the adoption behavior of online and offline users. Practical implications – The key findings are useful for policy-makers and decision-makers for a real understanding of the needs of the citizens and to re-conceptualize the government Web sites as an interactive channel of communication in enhancing transparency and participation and, therefore, to contribute to democratic process. Originality/value – The primary value of this research lies in extending the understanding of citizens’ perceptions of two dimensions of e-governance according to their demographic attributes. The two dimensions of e-governance identified in this study are neither studied before in the context of Arab countries nor explored in relation to the identified demographic variables. Furthermore, this study combines the two dimensions (e-openness and e-participation) and is in contrast with previous studies which examined these two dimensions separately.

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