Disentangling the individual entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs success nexus: an action-based interplay of exploration activities and entrepreneurial alertness

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Raza Bilal ◽  
Tehreem Fatima

Purpose This study aims to extend the much-held strategic entrepreneurial orientation stance and conceptualized it as a psychological disposition of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) owners. Based on this notion, the authors theorized that individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) is a precursor of success in manufacturing sector SMEs. Building on the credo of action regulation, the authors clarified the IEO and SMEs’ success association by introducing exploration activities as a conduit. Further, the authors posited that entrepreneurial alertness augments the nexus of IEO, exploration activities and SMEs success. Design/methodology/approach A three-wave survey was done by drawing a cluster-based sample of 389 SME owners in the manufacturing sector of Pakistan. The mediation and moderation analysis were done by PROCESS macro that uses bootstrapping with 5,000 draws to calculate the indirect (Model 4), conditional and conditional indirect effects (Model 7) at a 95% confidence interval. Findings The results offered empirical support to the conjectured association among IEO and SMEs’ success mediated by exploration activities. Moreover, the conditional direct (between IEO and exploration activities) and indirect impact (among IEO and SMEs’ success mediated by exploration activities) of entrepreneurial alertness was substantiated. Originality/value The authors added to the sprouting body of knowledge in the field of entrepreneurial orientation by focusing on its individual-level psychological conception. The authors have unlocked the interplay between IEO and SMEs’ success via the role of action characteristics of exploration activities and entrepreneurial alertness based on the action regulation tenet. Thus, the authors made a novel contribution by linking the micro-level entrepreneurial orientation and actions with macro-level SMEs' success.

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 718-736
Author(s):  
Swagatika Sahoo ◽  
Rajeev Kumar Panda

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of the contextual antecedents on the individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) of university graduates, which, in turn, affects their entrepreneurial intentions (EIs). Design/methodology/approach Primary data were collected in the form of 510 valid responses from engineering students across two technical universities in India, through a structured questionnaire consisting of scales adapted from the extant literature, and the data were empirically validated in this study. The reliability and validity measures of the constructs were validated through the confirmatory factor analysis, and the proposed hypotheses were validated using structural equation modelling. Findings The results of this empirical analysis validate that the contextual antecedents have a significant positive impact on students’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO), which, in turn, has a significant positive influence on EIs. Research limitations/implications This analysis depicts the significance of EO as a perceptual driver at the individual level and substantiates that the availability of resources such as startup capital, access to business information, social networks and supportive university context significantly affects the decision-making process of an individual to venture into an otherwise uncertain occupation of entrepreneurship. Practical implications The study has the likely potential to help university administrators and policymakers to allocate resources, develop strategies and provide effective entrepreneurial learning in entrepreneurship-oriented courses aimed at honing entrepreneurial skills and self-confidence of the university students. This holistic model can be used as a tool for resource planning and prioritising in order to provide the desired contextual support essential for fostering the IEO of the university students towards adopting entrepreneurial career, thereby assisting them to achieve their career goals and the broader objective of nation-building. Originality/value This study adopts an innovative approach to empirically validate the EO construct at the individual level, which has been studied at the organisation (firm) level till today. This research explores the relevant contextual antecedents and analyses their impact on IEO as well as the explanatory capacity of IEO to explain students’ EIs in the contextual backdrop of universities in a fast transitioning economy like India.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tehreem Fatima ◽  
Ahmad Raza Bilal

Purpose This study has advanced the role of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) as a precedent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) performance in the emerging economies. This study aims to use the action regulation theory (ART) to show that active social networking of SME owners acts as a conduit in the above-mentioned relationship and how the social skills of SME owners improve their ability to leverage on entrepreneurial orientation and strengthen their social networking. Design/methodology/approach A three-wave time-lagged survey approach was deployed to collect data from SME owners in the service and manufacturing sector of Pakistan through cluster sampling. The analysis of results was carried out by Models 1 and 4 of Hayes (2017) PROCESS macro. Findings The findings revealed a positive association in the IEO of SME owners and their performance through a partial mediating role of active social networking. Furthermore, SME owners’ social skills played a moderating role in linking IEO of SME owners and active development of social networks. Originality/value Based on ART, this study has targeted a scantly examined psychological perspective in SME performance research and it has shown that by having entrepreneurial orientation and social skills, SME owners can develop active social networks that are an important yet neglected performance precursor in the emerging economy of Pakistan.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 368
Author(s):  
Sílvia Rebelo ◽  
Carla Susana Marques ◽  
Gina Santos

Innovation in the community pharmacy field has extreme importance in building customer loyalty and competitiveness and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, its value was even more noted. Thus, in this study, we aimed to assess the influence of cognitive styles (rational and intuitive) on individual entrepreneurial orientation and intrapreneurship and how they impact innovation. A questionnaire was applied to 209 community pharmacy professionals in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic, and PLS-SEM was used to statistically analyze the data obtained. For the results, we perceived those cognitive styles’ (rational and intuitive) impact on individual entrepreneurial orientation and partially on intrapreneurship, and this innovation is explained by individual entrepreneurial orientation and intrapreneurship. For the theoretical implications, we have contributed to the advancement of knowledge by establishing and understanding the relationship between the different dimensions suggested and, at the practical level for management, we have perceived where to act at the individual level, to improve innovation and provide suggestions in the directions suggested here. This study is original and innovative because there are no general studies in the literature that have related all the dimensions addressed here, and there is little current research in the community pharmacy field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 771-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izaias Martins ◽  
Juan Pablo Perez

PurposeDrawing on the literature on entrepreneurial intention (EI), this paper develops and tests a model that aims to explain student EI by considering the valuation of entrepreneurship and the venture failure stigmatization in the closer environment of the respondent and the role of individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) through direct and indirect effects.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a survey method for data collection. As such, this study was conducted by considering a sample of 1,155 undergraduate students from different majors. Structural equation modeling is used to validate the theoretical model.FindingsThe findings suggest that a positive closer valuation of entrepreneurship facilitates students' EI. In turn, a closer stigma of entrepreneurial failure hinders students' EI. More importantly, IEO has a significant mediating role in both of these relationships. The findings offer important theoretical and practical implications for the field of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial behavior.Originality/valueThe paper offers a new insight relating environmental cognitive elements and their impact on EI, besides how IEO represents a determinant role shaping these relations. The proposed model is original and makes a connection between two widely validated constructs and evidences the relationship that may exist between the orientation and the real intention of setting up a business. Moreover, IEO has rarely been addressed for verifying interaction effects. This paper is one of the very first studies that applies the IEO (individual-level of entrepreneurial orientation) as a mediating variable.


2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Popov ◽  
Suzana Varga ◽  
Dragana Jelić ◽  
Bojana Dinić

Purpose Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) at the organizational level refers to the process which includes methods, practices and decision-making styles which enhance the company’s approaches to business. At the individual level, EO is assessed using the individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO: Bolton and Lane, 2012) scale, comprising three dimensions: risk-taking, innovativeness and proactiveness. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and further validate the Serbian adaptation of the IEO scale among students. Design/methodology/approach Two independent studies were conducted on total of 685 students from Serbia. In Study 1, participants completed the IEO scale, proactive personality scales, reinforcement sensitivity questionnaire and academic performance questionnaire. In Study 2, participants completed the IEO scale, proactive personality scales, HEXACO-60 and risky-choice decision tasks. Findings Results supported the three-factor structure and satisfactory reliability of the IEO scale and its subscales. Omitting one item from the innovativeness scale led to better model fit, thus resulting in a nine-item solution. Convergent validity correlations were confirmed, showing that each IEO subscale obtained the expected correlations with similar constructs. Research limitations/implications A potential problem with divergent validity is discussed from the aspect of the adequacy of the constructs chosen for its testing. Overall findings indicate that the Serbian adaptation of the IEO scale is a brief instrument with adequate psychometric properties, which makes it suitable for both research and practical purposes. The limitations of the study and the instrument are also highlighted and discussed. Originality/value The study contributes to better understanding of the nature of EO and helps its accurate assessment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 534-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Urban ◽  
Eric Wood

Purpose Innovation is a multi-dimensional phenomenon and at the firm level incorporates the behaviors and interactions of individuals and various organizational factors. Not only are entrepreneurship and innovation complementary, but a combination of the two is vital to organizational success. The purpose of this paper is to respond directly to research calls to provide an integrated model of corporate entrepreneurship (CE) which encompasses both organizational- and individual-level factors. Design/methodology/approach A model was formulated in accordance with the study hypotheses and statistically tested. A sample of 784 responses from the South African financial sector was surveyed. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test for model fit. Findings The results support the hypotheses that it is through the interaction of the firm (in establishing corporate building blocks), and the individual (through entrepreneurial alertness and metacognitions) that CE activity is realized. SEM results showed that entrepreneurial alertness had the greatest direct path impact on CE. Practical implications Managers need to understand and leverage corporate building blocks in a manner that influences employee’s respective levels of entrepreneurial alertness and metacognitions in order to foster CE. Originality/value The study is one of the first to model and empirically test causal links between corporate building blocks, entrepreneurial alertness, metacognitions, and CE at the firm level. Moreover, the study takes place in an under-researched African context, allowing for fresh insights to evolve.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haithem Zourrig ◽  
Mengxia Zhang ◽  
Kamel El Hedhli ◽  
Imene Becheur

Purpose This study aims to apply McCornack’s (1992) information manipulation theory to the context of fraud and investigates the effects of culture on perceived deceptiveness. Design/methodology/approach In total, 400 Chinese consumers and an equal-size sample of Canadian consumers were recruited to fill an online survey. The survey integrates four scenarios of insurance fraud and measures of perceived deceptiveness, cultural tightness and horizontal-vertical idiocentrism allocentrism, in addition to some control variables. Findings Results show that at the societal level of culture, perceived deceptiveness is higher in individualistic than in collectivistic cultures. When accounting for the level of situational constraint, cultural tightness was found to magnify the perceived deceptiveness. At the individual level of culture, vertical-allocentrism and vertical-idiocentrism were found to weigh against the perception of deceptiveness. Originality/value Understanding cultural differences in perceived deceptiveness is helpful to spot sources of consumers’ vulnerability to fraud tolerance among a culturally diverse public.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Awais Ahmad Tipu

Purpose This paper aims to review the academic literature on business plan competitions in developed and emerging economies to assess the contribution to the knowledge so far and identify research gaps. Design/methodology/approach A variety of databases (such as ABI/Inform Global, Academic Search Complete, Business Source Premier and Emerald Full Text) were used to find peer-reviewed journal articles. Regardless of time, different search terms were used to find relevant journal articles such as business plan competitions, business plan contests, business plan teams, business plan judges, business plan development and business plan scores. After a careful review of the identified articles, a total of 22 articles were included in the final review. The articles in the final set were manually coded using the thematic codes. Findings Despite the popularity of business plan competitions, limited academic literature exists, particularly in the context of emerging economies. A total of 16 out of 22 studies are conducted in developed economies. The findings suggest that the literature on business plan competitions is largely centered on the structure of business plan competitions, the characteristics of the participating teams and the benefits of business plan competitions. The individual level benefits of business plan competitions include the development of entrepreneurial skills, opportunity for networking and access to mentors. Business plan competitions can be better aligned with public policy, particularly in case of emerging economies. Therefore, a more focused and integrated approach among industry, academia and government in encouraging business plan competitions could potentially make a far-reaching impact in establishing an enterprising society. While much is known about the structure and the benefits of business plan competitions, there are various research gaps which need to be addressed. Originality/value The current paper is the first identifiable review of the literature on business plan competitions. The proposed questions for future research will potentially help in addressing the identified research gaps.


Author(s):  
Heather Getha-Taylor ◽  
Alexa Haddock-Bigwarfe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine public service motivation (PSM) and the connection with collaborative attitudes among a sample of homeland security actors representing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Design/methodology/approach – This study examines relationships between measures of PSM and collaboration using original survey data and hierarchical multiple regression. Findings – Findings reveal strong positive relationships between PSM measures and attitudes toward collaboration at the individual and organizational level. Research limitations/implications – Survey results are cross-sectional and are from respondents participating in a single state's homeland security summit. Practical implications – It is expected that results can be used to enhance collaboration at the individual and organizational levels. At the organizational level, results can be used for matching individuals with collaborative opportunities. At the individual level, results can be used for enhanced self-reflection and effectiveness purposes. Originality/value – This study provides insights on the relationship between PSM measures and collaborative attitudes. The research contributes to the body of scholarly work connecting PSM and correlates of interest.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Hasenjager ◽  
William Hoppitt ◽  
Ellouise Leadbeater

AbstractHoneybees famously use waggle dances to communicate foraging locations to nestmates in the hive, thereby recruiting them to those sites. The decision to dance is governed by rules that, when operating collectively, are assumed to direct foragers to the most profitable locations with little input from potential recruits, who are presumed to respond similarly to any dance regardless of its information content. Yet variation in receiver responses can qualitatively alter collective outcomes. Here, we use network-based diffusion analysis to compare the collective influence of dance information during recruitment to feeders at different distances. We further assess how any such effects might be achieved at the individual level by dance-followers either persisting with known sites when novel targets are distant and/or seeking more accurate spatial information to guide long-distance searches. Contrary to predictions, we found no evidence that dance-followers’ responses depended on target distance. While dance information was always key to feeder discovery, its importance did not vary with feeder distance, and bees were in fact quicker to abandon previously rewarding sites for distant alternatives. These findings provide empirical support for the longstanding assumption that self-organized foraging by honeybee colonies relies heavily on signal performance rules with limited input from recipients.


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