Gender gaps in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship: the impact of human and social capital

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate gender gaps in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship and illuminate the underlying mechanism of why women are less likely to create ventures in order to take advantage of the opportunity than men.Design/methodology/approachBy drawing on human/social capital theory and expanding extant gender-related entrepreneurship literature, this study addresses how human and social capital mediates the relationship between gender and opportunity-driven entrepreneurship. A sample of 115,367 individuals across 62 countries drawn from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor of 2016 was examined using multilevel logistic regression and Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) mediation analysis.FindingsFindings of this study demonstrate that women’s lack of entrepreneurial relevant knowledge and skills, intrapreneurship experience as well as social networks with other entrepreneurs contribute to women’s less likelihood of engaging in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship than their male counterparts.Originality/valueCompared to previous research mainly investigating macro-level determinants, this study further explores the explanatory factors affecting gender gaps in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship from the individual level. The findings provide an implication for public policy and give a direction to rethinking how to promote opportunity-driven entrepreneurship, especially for that led by women.

How Intellectual Capital Predicts Innovation Output in EU Regions. Implications for Sustainable Development

Intellectual capital is an overarching concept that includes the intangible, human-related factors that are relevant to the innovation process, such as human capital and social capital. In the present study, intellectual capital was assessed by indicators measuring different aspects of human and social capital. Factor analysis demonstrated the existence of three underlying factors, with all variables of the model having important contributions to them. A linear regression analysis indicated that 8 out of the 12 variables of intellectual capital used have a statistically significant impact on the measure of innovation output. These findings were discussed and their implications for policy were considered. The paper provides research evidence on the importance of intellectual capital for innovation output and discusses potential ways to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the context of the next generation of sustainable smart specialisation strategies.

Volunteering in Russia: History and attitudes of the contemporary youth

The article considers the issue of the youth participation in volunteering as a form of social activity and at the same time the direction of the youth policy. The analysis of the empirical data follows a short review of the history of volunteering in the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods. The authors explain this movements contradictory nature by the social-political trends in the development of civil society and by the organizational influence of the authorities. The contemporary Russian volunteering is presented on the basis of the online survey data on two cohorts of the adult urban youth - 18-24 and 25-34 years old (N=705 and N=714). The samples represent the social-demographic and geographical features of two groups. The mathematical methods of analysis allowed to identify the scale of participation and the types of volunteer activities for both cohorts, social attitudes and real involvement in the volunteer movement, and an expected gap between them, which can be explained by a complex motivation for volunteering. We identified the following motivation models: the promotion model implies mercantile and career motives, the capital model - the growth of human and social capital, and the value model - beliefs and expectations of public recognition and respect. The second model is especially relevant for the younger cohort. The survey revealed the opinions of the youth as a social group about the factors that hinder participation in volunteering. Young people were critical of their group, and named social indifference as the first problem, then comes the lack of time, insufficient encouragement and public recognition. The research proved that the potential of volunteering is much higher than the youths participation in it. The development of this activity together with overcoming its bureaucratization can become an incentive for reducing the youths social apathy.

The Second Generation Electromobility in Polish Urban Public Transport: The Factors and Mechanisms of Spatial Development

One of the key challenges on the road to sustainable mobility is the development of low/zero emission urban public transport (UPT). This is crucial in order to meet environmental requirements aiming at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. In some countries (e.g., Poland) reduction of air pollution is also an important reason behind the implementation of low/zero emission UPT. The aim of this study is to investigate the factors and mechanisms influencing the development of modern electromobility in Polish UPT. We have examined all 242 UPT systems in the country in terms of the characteristics of the relevant urban municipalities, such as size, economic prosperity, level of human and social capital, development paths of urban public transport in the long term as well as the institutional context and proximity and connections to other cities with experience in electromobility. Classification and statistical methods are used based on a variety of approaches, as assigning a score to various preliminarily identified indicators or applying correlation between quantities to verify the formulated hypotheses. Our analysis demonstrates that electromobility adoption is the result of a combination of favourable economic, urban, social and technological characteristic features of a given city. Zero or low emission buses are more common in large cities which are highly positioned in urban hierarchy, economically sound and which are characterized by a well-developed tertiary economy as well as by high human capital. An additional factor that positively influences the implementation of electromobility—in particular at the very first stage—is proximity to the location of low emission bus producers. The leadership in modern electromobility can be understood as part of a broader, proactive development policy of the cities aimed at improving the quality of life of their residents. This is especially important in medium-sized towns where utilizing electric vehicles can be an instrument to maintain or even develop their role and status. The results of the article may provide a basis for creating sustainable urban policies, especially sustainable mobility and improving environmental quality.

Antecedents to cognitive business model evaluation: a dynamic managerial capabilities perspective

The increasing misalignment between the technological and economic domains in today’s digitalized global economy puts managers under constant pressure to redesign firms’ business models. Business model innovation has thus become a critical managerial challenge to develop and sustain competitive advantages. Building on the dynamic managerial capabilities perspective, we argue that managers are at the heart of strategic change through business model innovation. We hypothesize that decision-making regarding business model innovation is the outcome of how managers cognitively process information. We further reason that while managerial human capital and social capital reinforce each other, they also promote managers’ ability to consciously evaluate options for business model innovation. Our empirical study builds on a sample of firms operating primarily within the Industry 4.0 sector. The results significantly confirm managerial human and social capital as two crucial antecedents to cognitive business model innovation. Contrary to the literature, the data set does not show a significant positive relationship between managerial human and social capital. Our main contributions to the literature are twofold; from a methodological perspective, we are one of the first to construct a multidimensional measurement of dynamic managerial capabilities, while from a theoretical and practical perspective, our findings further underline the relevance of dynamic managerial capabilities for business model innovation. Finally, we discuss theoretical and practical implications and propose future avenues for research.

Communities, Climate Change Adaptation and Win–Win Solutions

Engaging with communities at the grassroots level and empowering local institutions are critical for building resilient communities in South Asia in the context of numerous vulnerabilities created by climate change. This chapter summarises the key lessons that document how communities are adapting by reinventing traditional practices, adopting new technologies, or building human and social capital. These lessons are important because they provide pathways for others to learn from and for policies and practices to evolve to build resilience among vulnerable populations. Local adaptation by communities also helps meet the larger sustainable development challenges of the region.

Seaweed Aquaculture in Indonesia Contributes to Social and Economic Aspects of Livelihoods and Community Wellbeing

Seaweed farming in Indonesia is carried out throughout much of the archipelago and is mainly undertaken by smallholder farmers. Indonesia is the largest global producer of the red seaweeds Kappaphycus and Eucheuma, which are used to produce carrageenan, and is a major producer of Gracilaria, which is used to produce agar. Seaweed farming is attractive to farmers in rural coastal communities because capital and operating costs are low, farming techniques are not technically demanding, labour requirements are relatively low (allowing farmers to engage in other livelihoods), and production cycles are short (30–45 days), providing regular income. Using reported values for seaweed-farming income, we conclude that seaweed farming can, but does not always, lift rural households above the Indonesian poverty line. In addition to direct financial benefits, seaweed farming also contributes to human and social capital within seaweed farming households and communities. Achieving continued economic and social benefits from seaweed farming will require additional policy development, as well as research and development to support improved and more consistent seaweed productivity and improved product quality at the farm level, provision of effective extension and technical support services, and diversification of the existing value chains in order to reduce the impacts of price fluctuations that are associated with limited global commodity chains.

Voice as a Signal of Human and Social Capital in Team Assembly Decisions

Team membership in today’s open talent economy is more fluid and interchangeable than ever before. In light of these dynamics, we consider how team members’ signaling of human and social capital, in the form of challenging or supportive voice, informs our understanding of how individuals across an organizational network self-assemble into temporary work teams. We test our hypotheses in two separate multiwave studies and find support for our hypotheses above and beyond the effects of homophily. In Study 1, we find support for a human capital pathway in which challenging voice in a team fosters perceptions of quality work that enhance one’s personal reputation in the broader network. Personal reputation, in turn, predicts team assembly decisions. In Study 2, we consider a social capital pathway alongside the human capital pathway. We find that supportive voice in a team fosters friendship that enhances the extent to which one is trusted in the broader network, and trust subsequently influences team assembly decisions. Potential team members appear to prioritize the social capital signaled by supportive voice more so than the human capital signaled by challenging voice, although those who possess both human and social capital are also highly sought during team formation. We discuss the implications of these findings for the literatures on voice and team assembly.