The Effectiveness of Goal Setting and Accountability in Group-Based Entrepreneurship Initiatives in Creating Entrepreneurial Human Capital and Accelerating Business Growth

AbstractGiven that recent research on entrepreneurial behavior and success has established skill variety as a central human capital factor, researchers, educators, and policymakers have turned their interest to a deeper understanding of the formation of skill variety. Based on human capital theory and the competence growth approach in developmental psychology (highlighting long-term, age-appropriate, and cumulative skill-growth processes), we hypothesize that a broad, early variety orientation in adolescence is a developmental precursor of such entrepreneurial human capital in adulthood. This was confirmed in an analysis of prospective longitudinal data via structural equation modeling and serial mediation tests. We also find that an entrepreneurial constellation of personality traits, but not entrepreneurial parents, predicts early variety orientation, skill variety, and entrepreneurial intentions. By shedding new light on the long-term formation of entrepreneurial human capital, the results suggest that establishing and benefiting from an early variety orientation is not only an important developmental mechanism in entrepreneurial careers but gives those with an entrepreneurial personality an early head start in their vocational entrepreneurial development. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

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Health as Human Capital in Entrepreneurship: Individual, Extension, and Substitution Effects on Entrepreneurial Success

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice ◽

10.1177/1042258719867559 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 18-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Isabella Hatak ◽

Haibo Zhou

Keyword(s):

Human Capital ◽

Substitution Effects ◽

Entrepreneurial Success ◽

Capital Theory ◽

Biological Sex ◽

Different Types ◽

Spousal Health ◽

Important Extension ◽

Entrepreneurial Human Capital

This study investigates how entrepreneurial health and spousal health influence monetary and non-monetary entrepreneurial success. Drawing on human capital theory in combination with a family embeddedness perspective on entrepreneurship and applying actor–partner interdependence models to longitudinal data, we conclude that overall spousal health constitutes an important extension of entrepreneurs’ human capital influencing entrepreneurial success. This study further contributes to human capital research by offering interesting insights and novel theorizing on substitution effects for different types of entrepreneurial human capital, and adds to a biological perspective on entrepreneurship by considering the differential role of biological sex in the health–success relationship.

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Intangible resources and the growth of women businesses

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies ◽

10.1108/jeee-05-2019-0070 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 329-355 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cynthia Ayorkor Sallah ◽

Livingstone Divine Caesar

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Human Capital ◽

Women Entrepreneurs ◽

Intangible Assets ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Second Phase ◽

Business Growth ◽

Content Type ◽

Intangible Resources ◽

Reputational Capital

Purpose Intangible assets are widely considered as key success factors for the growth of businesses in various economies. While the relationship between intangible assets or resources and business growth or performance have been extensively researched in advanced economies, there is limited understanding of the complexity of the phenomenon in developing/emerging markets. In Ghana specifically, there is a dearth of research on the impact of intangible assets on the growth of women businesses. Consequently, this paper aims to investigate how intangible assets available to women entrepreneurs contribute to the performance of their businesses. Design/methodology/approach Using an exploratory sequential research design (a type of mixed methods design), the data collection was organized into two main phases. The first phase was the qualitative phase where nine respondents were interviewed, and the responses were analysed using thematic analysis. The second phase was the quantitative phase where some 264 questionnaires were collected and analysed using multiple regression analysis. Findings Specifically, the findings focused on three intangible resources: social capital, human capital and reputational capital. The study found that, social, human and reputational capital all significantly contributed to the growth of women businesses. The study also showed a positive and significant effect of social capital, reputational capital and human capital on business growth. Practical implications These findings have implications for women entrepreneurs in Ghana. If they must grow their businesses, then using intangible assets alone may not be able to deliver growth in the required proportions. Serious consideration must be given to the significant impact of intra and extra industry networking and the social competency skills of the entrepreneur. The rationality of this assertion hinges on the findings made from this study that social competence can be effectively used to further enhance the effects of the value of one’s intangible assets. Originality/value Policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa and specifically Ghana have accorded high priority to private sector entrepreneurship towards reduction in the dependence of the citizenry on government for jobs. Perhaps, this paper adds to the growing body of knowledge on female entrepreneurship in Ghana to understand how intangible assets available to women entrepreneurs contribute to the performance of their businesses.

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