scholarly journals Female entrepreneurial networking in the marketing services sector

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carley Foster ◽  
Clare Brindley
Keyword(s):  
Relationship Building ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Value Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Services Sector ◽  
Template Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
As Relationship

Purpose Networking is a key element of entrepreneurial and SME activity. The skills required to network share similarities to those of a marketer and can be associated with feminine traits, such as relationship building. Yet, little is known about how female SME marketers engage in networking. This study aims to address this gap by exploring how self-employed female services marketers build, use and value networks over the lifetime of their business. Design/methodology/approach In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with 26 self-employed women working in the UK marketing services sector. Template analysis was used to analyse the materials. Findings A model encapsulates the fluid nature of the networking activity throughout the lifetime of the participants’ businesses by illustrating which networks the women used and their perceived value. Networking led to multi-directional outsourcing opportunities and philanthropic marketing activity, all of which supported the success of the SME. Despite support from family, friends and the community, these were not regarded as networks by the women. Practical implications At the individual level, insights are offered into which networking activity is more valuable for female entrepreneurs working in the sector. For policymakers, the study indicates that participants did not see value in the formal, government networks and the women did not engage with professional bodies. More creative solutions to supporting female marketing entrepreneurs are required. Originality/value The study is original, in that it offers qualitative insights into how self-employed female marketers use and value networks throughout the lifetime of their business. It concentrates on one sector (marketing services) and so answers criticisms that studies in entrepreneurship do not consider specific sectors. In contrast to studies which focus on one stage of the business lifecycle, this research contributes to a holistic, longitudinal understanding of entrepreneurial female networking activity in marketing. More generally, it contributes to the paucity of literature which explores the reality of working in the marketing services sector.

scholarly journals The use of Twitter for innovation in business markets

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 587-601
Author(s):  
Helen Cripps ◽  
Abhay Singh ◽  
Thomas Mejtoft ◽  
Jari Salo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
B2b Marketing ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the use of Twitter in business as a medium for knowledge sharing and to crowdsource information to support innovation and enhance business relationships in the context of business-to-business (B2B) marketing.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a combination of methodologies for gathering data in 52 face-to-face interviews across five countries and the downloaded posts from each of the interviewees' Twitter accounts. The tweets were analysed using structural topic modelling (STM), and then compared to the interview data. This method enabled triangulation between stated use of Twitter and respondent's actual tweets.FindingsThe research confirmed that individuals used Twitter as a source of information, ideas, promotion and innovation within their industry. Twitter facilitates building relevant business relationships through the exchange of new, expert and high-quality information within like-minded communities in real time, between companies and with their suppliers, customers and also their peers.Research limitations/implicationsAs this study covered five countries, further comparative research on the use of Twitter in the B2B context is called for. Further investigation of the formalisation of social media strategies and return on investment for social media marketing efforts is also warranted.Practical implicationsThis research highlights the business relationship building capacity of Twitter as it enables customer and peer conversations that eventually support the development of product and service innovations. Twitter has the capacity for marketers to inform and engage customers and peers in their networks on wider topics thereby building the brand of the individual users and their companies simultaneously.Originality/valueThis study focuses on interactions at the individual level illustrating that Twitter is used for both customer and peer interactions that can lead to the sourcing of ideas, knowledge and ultimately innovation. The study is novel in its methodological approach of combining structured interviews and text mining that found the topics of the interviewees' tweets aligned with their interview responses.

scholarly journals Achieving radical change

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel Hyndman ◽  
Mariannunziata Liguori
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Practice Variation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Incremental Change ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Perceived Outcomes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on strategies and “spoken discourses” used to construct legitimation around change at the individual level. Comparing changes in financial accounting, budgeting and performance management at two government levels (Westminster and Scotland), it explores the use of legitimation strategies in the implementation of accounting change and its perceived outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on semi-structured interviews, six legitimation/delegitimation strategies are used to code the transcribed data. Patterns with the perceived outcomes of change are explored. Findings Changes introduced to enhance “rational” decision making are often received as pushed by some source of authority. Regardless of the interviewees’ background and level, the results suggest that for radical accounting change to embed, it is necessary for it to be perceived as rational, rather than merely driven by authorisation-based pressures. Conversely, incremental change is associated with modest legitimation via rationalisation and delegitimation based on pathos and rationalisation. Research limitations/implications The study deals with actors’ legitimation strategies and perceptions of change. These may not correspond to actual substantial change. Taken-for-granted ideas often remain “under the radar”, therefore care must be taken in interpreting the results. The focus of the empirical study is on the UK, therefore conclusions are restricted to this context. Originality/value Existing studies struggle to explain organisations’ heterogeneity and practice variation; this study sheds light on how individual legitimation, which may lead to different organisational results, occurs. Differences in how actors interpret changes may be based on their position (central vs devolved administration) and on their ownership of the changes.

scholarly journals Job separation rates of immigrants and natives in the UK during the Great Recession

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1036-1054
Author(s):  
Dafni Papoutsaki
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
The Business Cycle ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the probability of job separations of immigrants and natives in the UK before and during the economic crisis of 2008. Design/methodology/approach A mixed proportional hazard duration model with a semi-parametric piecewise constant baseline hazard is used on a data sample of inflows into employment. Findings It is found that the crisis increased the probability of exits to unemployment for all groups, while immigrants from the new countries of the European Union seemed to have the lowest hazard towards unemployment even after controlling for their demographic and labour market characteristics. More specifically, even when we account for the fact that they tend to cluster in jobs that are most vulnerable to the business cycle, they are still less likely to exit dependent employment than natives. However, this migrant group is adversely affected by the crisis the most. Research limitations/implications Possible implications of out-migration of the lower performers are discussed. Originality/value This paper makes use of the panel element of the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey, and uses duration analysis on the individual level to assess the labour market outcomes of natives and immigrants in the UK.

Scandals of abuse: policy responses in intellectual disabilities

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 107-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Mark Halladay ◽  
Charlene Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Descriptive Case Study ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare two scandals related to the care of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the USA and the UK. Design/methodology/approach – A descriptive case study methodology was used to conduct an in-depth qualitative analysis of the two scandals to examine the process of scandal development, and to survey the policy response against policy trends and theories of abuse in each case. The two cases were systematically analysed against a theoretical framework derived from Bonnie and Wallace (2003) theoretical framework for understanding abuse based on its sociocultural context, the social embeddedness of organisations providing care, and the individual level characteristics and interactions of subjects and carers. Findings – In both cases the process of scandal construction was comparable, and each case offered confirmatory support to extant theories of abuse, and to wider policy trends within I/DD. Research limitations/implications – The study examines only the short-term policy responses to the scandals in two countries, based on published material only. Originality/value – This paper contributes an international comparison of the similarities and differences in the social construction of scandal and the policy responses to abuse and neglect of a vulnerable population using systematic analytical frameworks.

Business owners’ features and access to entrepreneurial resources: new insights for accelerator acceptance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Ermilina ◽  
Matthew Farrell ◽  
Fatemeh Askarzadeh ◽  
Jing Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Country Of Birth ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Gender And Education ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Purpose For new ventures, access to entrepreneurship assistantship is the main source of growth and innovativeness. Accelerators, a growing provider of entrepreneurial resources, offer such assistantship. This study aims to identify several factors that might account for a startup’s acceptance of accelerator programs. Particularly, this paper examines the impact of a lead founder’s country of birth, gender and education on accelerator acceptance. Design/methodology/approach This study tests the framework with logit regression for a sample of 10,298 observations for startups in 166 countries over 2016–2018. Findings This study finds that entrepreneurs from developing countries are less likely to be accepted by accelerators than entrepreneurs from developed economies. Counterintuitively, this study also finds an advantage for female entrepreneurs in accelerator acceptance. Further, the results suggest a positive impact on education. Building on signaling theory, this paper argues and shows that accelerators do not evaluate applicants uniformly. Practical implications Our comparative study enhances business owners’ insight for application to entrepreneurial resources and has meaningful implications for women’s entrepreneurship. For policy-making purposes, this study offers more insight on economic development for entrepreneurs’ access to global resources. Originality/value Despite the extant literature demonstrating the benefits of accelerators, determinants of acceptance to these programs, particularly at the individual level, are underexplored. This is the first study that shows the rarely acknowledged link between a lead founder’s country of birth, gender and education level on accelerator acceptance. Here, this study extends entrepreneurship literature and shows some sources of variation in access to international accelerator programs.

The influence of culture on consumer perceptions of deceptiveness

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haithem Zourrig ◽  
Mengxia Zhang ◽  
Kamel El Hedhli ◽  
Imene Becheur
Keyword(s):  
Culturally Diverse ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Consumer Perceptions ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Information Manipulation ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Situational Constraint

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.

Business plan competitions in developed and emerging economies

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Awais Ahmad Tipu
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Business Plan ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
The Individual

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.

Public service motivation and willingness to collaborate

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Getha-Taylor ◽  
Alexa Haddock-Bigwarfe
Keyword(s):  
Homeland Security ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Original Survey ◽  
The Individual

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.

scholarly journals Bifidobacterial Succession and Correlation Networks in a Large Unselected Cohort of Mothers and Their Children

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 497-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Avershina ◽  
O. Storrø ◽  
T. Øien ◽  
R. Johnsen ◽  
R. Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Populations ◽  
Bifidobacterium Adolescentis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Correlation Networks ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Related Development ◽  
Healthy Cohort ◽  
Stool Samples ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACTBifidobacteria are a major microbial component of infant gut microbiota, which is believed to promote health benefits for the host and stimulate maturation of the immune system. Despite their perceived importance, very little is known about the natural development of and possible correlations between bifidobacteria in human populations. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed stool samples from a randomly selected healthy cohort of 87 infants and their mothers with >90% of vaginal delivery and nearly 100% breast-feeding at 4 months. Fecal material was sampled during pregnancy, at 3 and 10 days, at 4 months, and at 1 and 2 years after birth. Stool samples were predicted to be rich in the speciesBifidobacterium adolescentis,B. bifidum,B. dentium,B. breve, andB. longum. Due to high variation, we did not identify a clear age-related structure at the individual level. Within the population as a whole, however, there were clear age-related successions. Negative correlations between theB. longumgroup andB. adolescentiswere detected in adults and in 1- and 2-year-old children, whereas negative correlations betweenB. longumandB. brevewere characteristic for newborns and 4-month-old infants. The highly structured age-related development of and correlation networks between bifidobacterial species during the first 2 years of life mirrors their different or competing nutritional requirements, which in turn may be associated with specific biological functions in the development of healthy gut.

Creating a culture of employability in mental health

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi Boycott ◽  
Justine Schneider ◽  
Michael Osborne
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Supported Employment ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Early Intervention In Psychosis ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw out the lessons learned from the implementation of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to supported employment in two contrasting adult mental health teams; one “standard” CMHT, and one early intervention in psychosis (EIP) team. Design/methodology/approach – These inferences are based on the evidence from a four-year study of IPS in one mental health care provider in the UK, which began by setting up a new service, and went on to run a RCT looking at the impact of psychological input as an adjunct to IPS alone. Findings – In attempting to introduce IPS to mental health teams in Nottingham the authors came across numerous barriers, including service reorganisation, funding cuts and the wider context of recession. Differences were observed between mental health teams in the willingness to embrace IPS. The authors argue that this variability is due to differences in caseload size, recovery priorities and client profiles. The authors have learnt that perseverance, strenuous efforts to engage clinical staff and the use of IPS fidelity reviews can make a positive difference to the implementation process. Practical implications – The experience suggests that setting up an IPS service is possible even in the most challenging of times, and that EIP services may be a particularly fertile ground for this approach. The authors also discuss potential barriers to implementing new services in mental health teams. Originality/value – This paper will be of value to service development and the science of implementation in mental health.

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