David Anthony Kirby, Iman El-Kaffass and Felicity Healey-Benson
The study considers how entrepreneurship and its leaders need to adapt to address the sustainability challenge.
Abstract
Purpose
The study considers how entrepreneurship and its leaders need to adapt to address the sustainability challenge.
Design/methodology/approach
It adopts a grounded theory style approach and is based on a case study derived from non-participant observation and secondary data.
Findings
The research findings suggest that to address the sustainability challenge requires a new approach to entrepreneurship that is based on systems thinking and the principle of harmony. It suggests the need for less emphasis to be placed on “making as much money as possible” and that there should be broader focus on the development of community entrepreneurship and the creation of civic entrepreneurs.
Research limitations/implications
The research introduces a new approach to entrepreneurship in order to address the sustainability challenge and this has implications for entrepreneurial leadership.
Practical implications
The concept, known as Harmonious Entrepreneurship, requires the integration of the four main approaches to entrepreneurship (economic, eco, humane and social), abandonment of the Friedman (1970) mantra that the responsibility of business is to make as much money as possible and a change in the mindset and competence requirement of the entrepreneurial leader.
Social implications
The findings imply the need to change the way entrepreneurship is taught and entrepreneurial leaders are trained and developed. Also they suggest the need to focus on community entrepreneurship and the creation of Civic Entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
The article introduces a new, more holistic approach to entrepreneurship in order to address the sustainability challenge. It is based on a study of the vision and achievement of an Islamic entrepreneur and has implications for entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial leadership and entrepreneurship education and training. It will be of interest to entrepreneurship scholars, educationalists and those concerned with the promotion and development of entrepreneurship, as well as all agencies and individuals concerned with the future of the planet and its people. Recommendations are made for further research and verification.
Details
Keywords
David Anthony Kirby, Iman El-Kaffass and Felicity Healey-Benson
The purpose of this research is to examine the evolution of entrepreneurship, explain the reasons for why it is not contributing significantly to the global sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to examine the evolution of entrepreneurship, explain the reasons for why it is not contributing significantly to the global sustainability challenge and propose a new approach and business model to better enable it to do so.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopts a grounded theory–style approach based on case study production and analysis using secondary data and, where appropriate, personal observation.
Findings
The paper concludes that entrepreneurship has failed to address the sustainability challenge because of its emphasis on “making as much money as possible” and its failure to appreciate that the planet is a system. It concludes that for any solution to be successful it must be based on systems thinking and should integrate or harmonise the traditional, separately applied approaches to entrepreneurship in order to produce a business model with a Triple Bottom Line, whereby Profit, Planet and People are in Harmony.
Research limitations/implications
While the proposed model is based on a real-life case, it needs to be tested in different politico-economic contexts and industry sectors. It has the potential, though, to impact very considerably the traditional thinking on entrepreneurship and its application.
Practical implications
The proposed new approach will have significant implications for entrepreneurship education and training, including the adoption of a stakeholder rather than shareholder approach to management.
Social implications
Sustainability is arguably the most urgent and critical problem facing contemporary society. The proposed model provides a potential solution to that problem, particularly at the local community level.
Originality/value
The research proposes a new approach to entrepreneurship that breaks with the Friedman (1970) mantra that the purpose of business is to “make as much money as possible”.
Details
Keywords
Zuzana Sýkorová, Dana Hague, Ondřej Dvouletý and David Anthony Procházka
This study aims to explore the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) into recruitment by considering its potential to maximize the effectiveness of the human resources…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) into recruitment by considering its potential to maximize the effectiveness of the human resources (HR) processes, challenges associated with the implementation, and ethical concerns.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach was used to reach the stated objectives within the context of the small open economy – the Czech Republic. Interviews were conducted with four participants, Czech-based recruiters, each with five or more years of experience in their field. The interviews were conducted in Autumn 2023 within the online platform. The answers were transcribed and thematically analyzed.
Findings
The participants who were interviewed heavily emphasized the importance of the role of the human factor in recruitment, yet several observations and insights were obtained. In particular, some interviewees indicated a possible usage of a chatbot for the first round of the candidates' selection, but they see it as problematic in the final decision on the position fulfilment, where the human factor is not replaceable so far. The key ethical challenges of the broader implementation of AI in the recruitment practices of the respondents remain the risks regarding privacy and data protection, especially the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation.
Originality/value
This article delivers pertinent insights for recruiters on using AI in recruitment, bringing forth a more subtle understanding of the faceted subject of AI-based recruitment.
Details
Keywords
Ondřej Dvouletý, Marko Orel and David Anthony Procházka
This research aims to better understand the factors and determinants that shape the job satisfaction of European family business owners.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to better understand the factors and determinants that shape the job satisfaction of European family business owners.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on a unique sample of 11,362 European family business owners surveyed within the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU LFS) framework, and the main findings were obtained by estimating ordered logistic regression models.
Findings
The authors show that only 26.8% of European family business owners are women, which underlines the gender imbalance in family business ownership, and the authors' results also report that their job satisfaction is significantly lower compared to males. The authors also find the highest job satisfaction amongst family business owners with master-level degrees and point out several interesting statistically significant differences across the industry focus of the family business.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the body of knowledge on the job satisfaction of family business owners by conducting a large-scale study based on a statistically representative sample of European respondents.
Details
Keywords
David Anthony Kirby and Iman El-Kaffass
The article is intended to consider how entrepreneurship needs to adapt if it is to address the global sustainability challenge. The intention is to propose a new business model…
Abstract
Purpose
The article is intended to consider how entrepreneurship needs to adapt if it is to address the global sustainability challenge. The intention is to propose a new business model that recognises the interconnectedness of the global ecosystem.
Design/methodology/approach
The article analyses two case studies purposively written to demonstrate the difference between the traditional entrepreneurship approach, dating back to the 19th century and the proposed harmonised one. Both cases are based on secondary data and personal field observation.
Findings
While the two cases focus on wealth creation, job generation and innovation, the traditional approach is shown to have had a long-term deleterious impact on both society and the environment, whereas the proposed harmonised approach impacts positively. The article recognises the multifaceted nature of the sustainability challenge and that the three elements (economy/commerce, society and environment) are interconnected. If there is a change in the status of one the other, connected facets will change or will need to be changed. Thus any solution needs to address all three facets.
Social implications
The proposed business model will be of interest to scholars and practitioners of entrepreneurship and sustainability, as well as to policy makers and educators.
Originality/value
Apart from proposing a new business model that will address the sustainability challenge, the article provides a definition of harmonious entrepreneurship and identifies the conditions required for it to be met, as well as the characteristics of the harmonious entrepreneur.
Details
Keywords
This is the story of an ageing fitness fanatic and the financial sharks who circled his empire before destroying it. Peter Gosnell, The Daily Telegraph 17/4/2003:29. In 2001…
Abstract
This is the story of an ageing fitness fanatic and the financial sharks who circled his empire before destroying it. Peter Gosnell, The Daily Telegraph 17/4/2003:29. In 2001, Australian company HIH Insurance was placed into liquidation, with severe financial losses and devastating consequences for its employees and policyholders. Dubbed as ‘Australia’s biggest corporate collapse’ (Westfield 2003:241), the HIH case attracted a great deal of attention, not only because of its adverse economic and social impacts but also because it reads like a moral tale in which senior executives of a major business corporation infringe ethical principles and are chastised in the end for their greed, hubris and lack of social responsibility. An examination of media texts published as the case unfolded reveals a strong sense of moral indignation with the social consequences of the HIH collapse, reflected in particular in representations of the shamed executives as greedy, dishonest, arrogant and ruthless. This paper examines the discursive processes that generate representations of HIH senior executives in such dysfunctional terms. Its main contention is that these negative representations can be linked to the growing influence of discourses such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), conceptualised here as a counter‐hegemonic discourse that emerges in an era of increased reflexivity to challenge the legitimacy of dominant discourses of global capitalism. The structuring effects of these discourses are explored in this paper through a methodological framework that borrows from discourse analysis and narrative analysis. This framework reveals links between texts, discourses and macro‐systemic context ‐ or ‐ to borrow from Schegloff (1992) ‐ between proximate and distal contexts The first section of the paper discusses the methodological framework used in the study; the second section provides a brief overview of the broad social context within which the HIH narrative unfolds, and the third part examines the textual construction of the HIH narrative as a moral tale of advanced capitalism, paying particular attention to the portrayal of its key protagonists.
Details
Keywords
Globalization, says a recent study, “is in danger of becoming, if it has not already become, the cliche of our times: the big idea which encompasses everything from global…
Abstract
Globalization, says a recent study, “is in danger of becoming, if it has not already become, the cliche of our times: the big idea which encompasses everything from global financial markets to the Internet but which delivers little substantive insight into the contemporary human condition.” That study, although lamenting that globalization “lacks precise definition,” nevertheless defines it as “a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions — assessed in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact — generating transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction, and the exercise of power.” Public debates on globalization often generate more political heat than analytical light; yet we cannot avoid studying globalization for, as the Finnish scholar Raimo Väyrynen notes, “it is an important, pervasive historical trend whose consequences will be accentuated in the new millennium.”
Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some…
Abstract
Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.
Details
Keywords
This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/09596119010001495. When citing the…
Abstract
This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/09596119010001495. When citing the article, please cite: David Luke, Anthony Ingold, (1990), “Planning for Industry: A Study in Curriculum Design”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 2 Iss: 2.
David Porteous and Anthony Goodman
This study aims to present the findings from an ongoing evaluation of a partnership project between a youth justice service and an independent charity that supports the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present the findings from an ongoing evaluation of a partnership project between a youth justice service and an independent charity that supports the involvement of children with lived experience of youth justice services in work with other young people who have offended and with policy makers and service providers.
Design/methodology/approach
The research involved the secondary analysis of project records and 15 semi-structured interviews with youth justice managers and practitioners and the charity’s staff as well as representatives from external organisations with whom it has worked. The analysis focuses on the nature of activities undertaken, the “theory of change” driving these activities, the perceived benefits of the work as well as some of the challenges involved.
Findings
The findings suggest positive outcomes for children in terms of increased engagement and participation, improvements in confidence and self-esteem and the development of personal, social, health and educational skills. The project represents a compelling example of what child-first diversion looks like in practice.
Originality/value
The article adds to existing knowledge of the benefits and challenges of involving children with recent experience of the youth justice system in service delivery and in co-production work with policy makers and service providers. It also offers insights into recent changes in youth justice policy in England and Wales, in particular the commitment to treating children as children first.