Perceived social norms, psychological capital and entrepreneurial intention among undergraduate students in Bukavu

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 963-983
Author(s):  
Akilimali Ndatabaye Ephrem ◽  
Rebecca Namatovu ◽  
Edith Mwebaza Basalirwa

Purpose Entrepreneurship is important for economic growth, through its role in the provision of employment. In the recent past, a number of African universities have developed entrepreneurship education courses to facilitate the growing demand for entrepreneurs in the market. An immediate outcome anticipated from entrepreneurship education is to increase entrepreneurial intention (EI) among the participants. Unfortunately, most of the entrepreneurship education in developing economies has not been linked to an increase in the EI of students. This paper thus proposes that it is when students possess high levels of psychological capital and perceive positive social norms that entrepreneurship education will lead to positive EI. The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between perceived social norms (PSN), psychological capital and EI of university students. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire on a random sample of 196 final year entrepreneurship and business management students, from three universities in Bukavu (East of DRC). Structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings The paper provides four main findings. First, PSN and psychological capital have a positive significant effect on EI. Second, PSN contribute more to this effect than psychological capital. Third, PSN make a positive and significant effect on psychological capital. Lastly, psychological capital positively mediates the relationship between PSN and EI. Research limitations/implications This study could have benefited from a qualitative approach to have a more in-depth explanation of these relationships. The study is conducted amongst students who operate in a controlled environment. This may not reflect the actual behavior of entrepreneurs. Practical implications This work provides cues of what entrepreneurship educators should consider as they recruit and train students. Specifically, the study highlights the importance of students’ psychological capital and positive social norms in transforming entrepreneurial education into intention. Originality/value This study adds value to knowledge by highlighting the mediating role of psychological capital on the relationship between PSN and EI.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahadur Ali Soomro ◽  
Naimatullah Shah

PurposeThe present study undertook an empirical investigation of entrepreneurship education, self-efficacy, need for achievement and entrepreneurial intention among Pakistan's commerce students.Design/methodology/approachThe authors applied quantitative methods based on cross-sectional data. The commerce students of the different public sector universities are targeted through a random sampling technique. The authors used a survey questionnaire to attain the responses from respondents. Finally, 184 usable cases are utilized to assume the hypothesized paths.FindingsBy applying the structural equation modeling (SEM), the findings of the study demonstrate a significant positive effect of constructs of entrepreneurship education (EE), that is, opportunity recognition (OR) and entrepreneurship knowledge acquisition (EKA) on entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), entrepreneurial intention (EI) and need for achievement (NFA). Besides, ESE and NFA are found to be the robust predictors of EI.Practical implicationsThe findings provide significant guidelines to policy-makers and university authorities for developing useful EE courses to uplift and boost students' skills to face today's considerable business and entrepreneurship challenges. The study also helps to generate eagerness among students in selecting entrepreneurship as a career option.Originality/valueThis study suggests the confirmation of EE's significant role in developing ESE, NFA and EI among commerce students.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aidatu Abubakari ◽  
Kwame Simpe Ofori ◽  
Henry Boateng ◽  
Koffi N’Da ◽  
Robert Ebo Hinson

Purpose It is well documented in the extant literature that knowledge plays a crucial role in small and medium enterprise (SME) internationalization. Exporting SMEs from developing economies faces many challenges, including lack of knowledge about institutions in foreign markets, inadequate knowledge about foreign institutions and limited internationalization knowledge (IK). However, research on the export performance of SMEs has thus far focused on the internationalization strategies of multinational corporations. This study aims to explore the effect of foreign market knowledge on SME export performance. The authors also assessed the moderating effect of employee absorptive capacity in the knowledge-performance nexus. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted a survey design to collect data from owners/managers of SMEs exporters in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed based on convenience. Of this number, 257 usable responses were used in the final analysis. The authors tested the proposed model using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. Findings The findings show that the three types of foreign market knowledge tested in this study, namely, foreign institutional knowledge (FIK), foreign business knowledge and IK have positive and significant effects on SME exporters’ performance. It also shows that employees’ absorptive capacity affects the relationship between FIK and SME exporters’ performance. Originality/value The study demonstrates the types of knowledge relevant to SME export performance. The study further demonstrates the moderating effect of employee absorptive capacity on the relationship between knowledge and export performance. The study advances existing knowledge on SME performance, especially from an emerging economy context.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Umesh Shrivastava ◽  
Satya Ranjan Acharya

Purpose Disadvantaged students face social exclusion and undergo a different treatment than mainstream students. This alters their entrepreneurial intention subsequently. This study aims to investigate the factors affecting disadvantaged students’ intention in their willingness to undergo entrepreneurship education as a vocational course. The variables include self-efficacy, need for achievement (nAch) and family background. The paper further examines whether entrepreneurship education intention enhances their entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a deductive quantitative study as the chosen approach as it ensures complete anonymity and hence researcher bias is minimized. The sample consists of the third year, final year and postgraduate first year disadvantaged students from different streams of engineering, economics, arts and commerce. The study was conducted with a total of 319 students completing the questionnaire which used a five-point Likert scale. Findings Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the results show that willingness of disadvantaged students to study entrepreneurship as a vocational course is highly driven by their family background followed by self-efficacy and nAch. The results further strengthen the TPB and has implications for educators of entrepreneurship and a possibility of a widening of entrepreneurship education in disadvantaged community. Research limitations/implications The study measured attitudes and willingness with intentions, but not actual behavior as this was a cross-sectional study. Also, repeated observations could not be made and dynamics of change could not be captured. Originality/value This is one of the few studies focused on entrepreneurial intention of students who are socially excluded and therefore it offers a possibility of widening of entrepreneurship education in countries such as India which display a collectivist culture and provides an intention-based linkage to entrepreneurship education among disadvantaged students. This study also puts subjective norm as a strong predictor of intentions which previous studies have refuted. The findings also suggest that there is a strong intent to study entrepreneurship among disadvantaged students in India, which makes entrepreneurship education a seemingly acceptable choice of education and suggests promise for its wider reach and penetration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-706
Author(s):  
Maria Järlström ◽  
Tiina Brandt ◽  
Anni Rajala

PurposeThis study aims to advance a holistic and integrated view to understand the relationship between career capital and career success among knowledge workers.Design/methodology/approachThe study examines the associations of three forms of career capital – human, social and psychological capital – on career success. Career success is measured through a subjective evaluation of career satisfaction and an objective evaluation of promotion. The data are drawn from 624 knowledge workers from Finland with an academic degree in business studies. The model is tested through structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results stress the importance of psychological capital as an important career resource among knowledge workers. Therefore, our findings contribute to career research by supporting the argument that context and/or occupational group matters in the relationship between career capital and career success.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross-sectional data partly restrict our ability to delimit an impact. Further research using a longitudinal design would be required to confirm longitudinal effects. The respondents were a relatively homogeneous group of knowledge workers, and thus, the results are not generalized to other samples. The Finnish context (e.g., a high-quality education system, welfare society, dual-earner model) may also include special aspects that may have an effect on results limiting generalization to different contexts rather than Nordic ones.Practical implicationsCareer capital is an important element of taking charge of one's career, which is expected in current working life scenarios. Given psychological capital has an impact on employees' career success, employees' psychological capital could be supported in organizations to help them to adapt to career changes. Employers benefit from individuals who are willing to invest in their work, and therefore, the employers should be aware of the individual factors that affect employees' career success.Social implicationsThe meaning of career success may be context and culture related, as might its predictors. Hence, perceived career success may benefit and spill over to several stakeholders such as employers, family members and friends through its effects of positive energy and well-being. Career counselors could place more emphasis than currently on developing the psychological capital of their clients. The findings are important for other practitioners as well, such as human resource (HR) professionals who might consider dedicated programs fostering psychological capital qualities, which seem to relate to career success among knowledge workers.Originality/valueA research model that considers career capital as an integrated entity is presented rather than focusing on a single form of career capital. Contextual issues were included by focusing on knowledge workers who represent careerists in a welfare society. These findings could advance career theory and provide developmental guidelines to help employers, HR and career-oriented individuals to build successful careers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-604
Author(s):  
The Nguyen Huynh ◽  
Nguyen Thuy An Hua

PurposeThis study examines the relationship between task-oriented leadership style, psychological capital, job satisfaction and organizational commitment: evidence from Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThe method employed in the research is the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for testing hypotheses of data collected from a sample of 800 employees working in small and medium-sized enterprises in Vietnam.FindingsThe results show that the task-oriented leadership style has a positive impact on organizational commitment, limits job satisfaction and no obvious association with the psychological capital of employees. Besides, job satisfaction and psychological capital play an important role in the organizational commitment of employees in small and medium-sized enterprises of Vietnam.Originality/valueThis paper aims to shed light on a less fully explored topic for organizational behavior in small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging markets like Vietnam. In contrast to extensive studies on the participative and supportive leader, this study focuses on task-oriented leadership style in the testing and analysis to understand the theory of leadership style, psychological capital, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in emerging markets and provides more knowledge on employee behavior management for companies in Vietnam. This is a unique contribution to the original value of this article.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Agus Wibowo ◽  
Sri Umi Mintarti Widjaja ◽  
Sugeng Hadi Utomo ◽  
Djoko Dwi Kusumojanto ◽  
Cipto Wardoyo ◽  
...  

Purpose Stimulating new business creating has been a decisive issue and the Indonesian Government is responding to this issue by providing entrepreneurship programs for Islamic students. This study aims to examine the impact of Islamic values and entrepreneurship education to predict Islamic students’ intention for business, as well as investigates the mediating role of entrepreneurial inspiration and attitudes. Design/methodology/approach The study estimates primary data obtained from a sample of 381 Islamic boarding students in a selected area in Indonesia who incorporated entrepreneurial education and practices. In addition, structural equation modeling has been incorporated to answer the hypotheses raised in the research. Findings The findings strengthen the study of the influence of Islamic values that affects both directly and through inspiration and motivation on students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Additionally, it found the direct and indirect influences of entrepreneurship education on intentions for entrepreneurship through inspiration and motivation. Research limitations/implications This study has been cramped to draw a limited geographical area in Indonesia and the research’s implication is used for relevant themes in Islamic entrepreneurship. Practical implications The findings of this research give insights to promote students’ entrepreneurial intention from Islamic schools. Social implications The findings of this study offer a broader knowledge to enhance entrepreneurs through economic education in Islamic boarding schools. Originality/value These results provide insights into the important effects of Islamic values, particularly in the context of Islamic boarding schools. The findings suggest that Islamic values be an important contextual factor for Islamic boarding school students’ entrepreneurial intentions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanieh Alipour Bazkiaei ◽  
Noor Ullah Khan ◽  
Ateeq-ur-Rehman Irshad ◽  
Adeel Ahmed

PurposeEntrepreneurship is a vital source of job creation and a key driver in promoting economic growth. The Malaysian government encourages higher educational institutions (HEIs) to develop more competitive and innovative graduates for the economy so that Malaysia achieves high-income nation status by 2025. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of attitude toward entrepreneurship (ATE) in the relationship between key psychological factors, that is, subjective norm (SN), perceived behavior control (PBC), big-five (BF) personality traits, entrepreneurial motivation (EM) and educational factors (EFs) with entrepreneurial intention (EI) among Malaysian university students.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a quantitative design based on a positivist approach. The adopted questionnaire was used as the survey instrument. The primary data were collected from a sample of 251 final-year students in the management field who were enrolled in research-intensive Malaysian universities. Data were analyzed through the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique using AMOS 24 software.FindingsFindings confirmed that the BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN, ATE and EFs were positively related to EI. Furthermore, ATE mediated the relationship between BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN, EF, and EI among Malaysian university students.Research limitations/implicationsThis research provides critical insights into the key antecedents, for example, psychological and EFs, in explaining the EI of university students and future graduates. However, results can only be generalized to research-intensive Malaysian universities.Originality/valueThis study investigated the relationship between psychological factors, that is, BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN and EFs in predicting EI of Malaysian university students. ATE mediated the relationship between BF personality traits, EM, PBC, SN, EF and EI among these students.


2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1149-1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Yasir ◽  
Abdul Majid ◽  
Muhammad Yasir

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to refine the relationship between environmental turbulence and start-up behavior by considering entrepreneurial-related antecedents (alertness to business ideas, entrepreneurial opportunities, and intention toward entrepreneurship) and moderating roles of entrepreneurial knowledge. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted through a self-administered survey of owner/managers of SMEs in Pakistan. Correlation, moderated hierarchical regression, and structural equation modeling approach were used for the analysis. Findings The results revealed that environmental turbulence positively affects the alertness to business ideas and entrepreneurial opportunities which, in turn, affect intention toward entrepreneurship. The results also suggested that entrepreneurial knowledge significantly moderates the relationship between intention toward entrepreneurship and start-up behavior. Research limitations/implications The changes in the market and technologies which shape the entrepreneurial behavior toward start-up activities should be longitudinally observed. The research data came from the owner/managers of SMEs industries; therefore, the findings may not be generalized to other sectors due to industry-specific difference. Practical implications The positive impact of environmental turbulence suggests that turbulence is a presentiment signal, calling upon the entrepreneurs to collect meaningful information as well as identify new opportunities and adjust their capabilities for any challenges and changes ahead. Originality/value The study confirmed the positive impact of environmental turbulence toward the creation of new ventures in the context of developing economies as well as the moderating role of entrepreneurial knowledge on the relationship between intention toward entrepreneurship and start-up behavior in small and medium enterprises.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3442
Author(s):  
Akilimali Ndatabaye Ephrem ◽  
Paul Martin Dontsop Nguezet ◽  
McEdward Murimbika ◽  
Zoumana Bamba ◽  
Victor Manyong

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a country with a high agricultural productivity potential; however, the agribusiness sector remains unattractive to youths. This study examined the extent to which perceived social norms and psychological capital affect youths’ intentions to pursue agribusiness opportunities in the Eastern DRC. Data was collected on a sample of 600 youths. We applied Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS−SEM) in order to examine the relationship between the variables. The findings indicated that most of the youths did not select agribusiness as their top career choice. The intention to engage in agribusiness activities was significantly higher among the youths who perceived that agribusiness was socially valued and supported. Psychological capital significantly and positively affects youths’ agripreneurial intention. The findings contribute to the underlying Theory of Planned Behavior by supporting a positive mediation role of psychological capital—and the moderating roles of educational level, gender, access to land, and location—on the relationship between perceived social norms and agripreneurial intention. The paper concludes that the provision of funds is not enough to promote youth agripreneurship in an environment in which agricultural-related social norms, youths’ psychological capital, gender, access to land, educational level, and location (rural versus urban) are not thoroughly considered.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohee Jung ◽  
Hanku Kim ◽  
Seung Hwan (Shawn) Lee

PurposeAlthough graphic-based emoticons in mobile instant messenger (MIM) services became an important revenue source for their service provider, empirical research investigating factors influencing graphic-based emoticon purchase from the consumer's perspective is insufficient. The authors explore how user's achieved belongingness (acceptance or rejection) affects graphic based emoticon usage motivations and its purchase intentions.Design/methodology/approachA structural model is used to examine the relationship among individual's overall achieved belongingness, motivation factors of graphic-based emoticon usage in MIM such as perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, perceived enjoyment for others, social norm and emoticon purchase intentions. The authors collected and analyzed survey data of 279 Korean KakaoTalk users.FindingsThe analysis shows that perceived acceptance/inclusion positively impacts perceived usefulness, enjoyment and enjoyment of others in graphic-based emoticon usage. Meanwhile, perceived rejection/exclusion positively impacts perceived enjoyment and enjoyment of others but negatively influences perceived social norms. Moreover, social norms and perceived enjoyment directly affect graphic-based emoticon purchase intentions. The authors also find that perceived enjoyment of others and perceived social norms in a serial causal order mediate the relationship between perceived acceptance/inclusion (and rejection/exclusion) and emoticon purchase intentions.Research limitations/implicationsAdditional research including users from other demographic groups, such as other age groups, is required to generalize our findings and to increase external validity.Originality/valueUnique implications related to the role of user's achieved belongingness and perceived enjoyment of others in graphic-based emoticon usage in purchase intentions are found.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/ 10.1108/OIR-02-2020-0036


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