John O. Okpara and Jean D. Kabongo
One of the most important issues multinational corporations (MNCs) face in their global operations is expatriate failure. It is estimated that between 10 and 80 percent of…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the most important issues multinational corporations (MNCs) face in their global operations is expatriate failure. It is estimated that between 10 and 80 percent of expatriates sent on overseas assignments return home early. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of cross-cultural training (CCT) on different facets of expatriate managers’ adjustment in Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 212 western expatriate managers working in Nigeria was surveyed. Respondents were selected from four cities where they had been working for at least one year.
Findings
The main finding of this study was that expatriates’ adjustment could be predicted from different types of CCT. The findings of this research confirm the view expressed by researchers over the last two decades that both conventional and specific experimental CCT have positive effect on the facets of cross-cultural adjustment.
Research limitations/implications
Given that the authors did not collect their data over time, the cross-sectional nature of the design limits them from making definitive causal statements. In the future, more resources and efforts could be applied to safeguard larger samples of respondents, thus potentially resulting in better statistical power. A longitudinal approach could be used; such an approach may have generated a richer data source, where different patterns of adjustment could have been identified and compared over time. Data for the study were collected through questionnaire, thus any observed relations might be due in part to common method effects. Since the data were collected from four cities, there may be some concern as to the generalizability of the findings to expatriates working in other cities in Nigeria.
Practical implications
MNCs should pay more attention to CCT and management development. Ineffective CCT and management development have an adverse impact on MNCs’ effectiveness. Developing CCT programs could add value to corporations and employees especially employees who are destined for foreign assignments. In addition, developing CCT for expatriates’ spouses and children would facilitate adjustment process and may reduce failure rate.
Originality/value
Once corroborated by further studies, this exploratory research may contribute to the understanding of the adjustment of western expatriates in Nigeria. Few, if any, prior studies, have examined CCT and expatriate adjustment in Nigeria.
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Jean D. Kabongo and Patrick H. McCaskey
This study aims to assess the profiles of faculty teaching entrepreneurship courses in a sample of entrepreneurship programs in the USA for the years 2007‐2008.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the profiles of faculty teaching entrepreneurship courses in a sample of entrepreneurship programs in the USA for the years 2007‐2008.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was developed and mailed to entrepreneurship programs directors to provide information for answering questions concerning the following: educational backgrounds, primary teaching focus, research interests, publications in academic journals, and entrepreneurial experience brought into the classroom.
Findings
The results of the study demonstrate that only one‐fifth of the faculty members in the sample held a PhD in entrepreneurship or in combination with another field in a business discipline. Three out of four faculty members concentrated their teaching in the field of entrepreneurship. More than one‐third of the faculty members had a research interest in the field of entrepreneurship. One‐fourth of faculty sampled had published in entrepreneurship journals. The majority of the faculty brought entrepreneurial experience to their classrooms.
Research limitations/implications
The fact that the study depended exclusively on the data available from 218 “non‐ranked” entrepreneurship programs in the USA represents a distinct limitation. Future research is needed to compare study results with a sample incorporating top ranked entrepreneurship programs in the country.
Originality/value
This study will assist administrators and institutions in preparing new faculty to embrace the field of entrepreneurship education.
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Jean D. Kabongo and John O. Okpara
This paper aims to investigate entrepreneurship course offerings in business administration/management curricula in sub‐Saharan higher education institutions.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate entrepreneurship course offerings in business administration/management curricula in sub‐Saharan higher education institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a survey of online course catalogs to analyze entrepreneurship course offerings.
Findings
The results of the study demonstrate that most higher education institutions in the sample offer courses in entrepreneurship and/or small business management but few offer specialization in the area. Newly created institutions are more likely to offer entrepreneurship courses and specializations than traditional ones while a few operate university‐based entrepreneurship centers. The study findings are consistent with the environmental school of entrepreneurial thought.
Research limitations/implications
The study depended exclusively on online data. Several institutions were excluded from the sample because their web sites were unavailable. Future research should use a larger sample.
Practical implications
The paper will assist researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders in higher education in strengthening the discussion about enterprise and entrepreneurship education in sub‐Saharan business programmes.
Originality/value
This is the first study on the content of entrepreneurship courses in sub‐Saharan African Universities.
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Jean D. Kabongo and John O. Okpara
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possession of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the developing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possession of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the developing economy of the Democratic Republic (DR) of the Congo.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of Congolese SMEs in two major cities was conducted.
Findings
The results of the study demonstrate that nearly 51 percent of SMEs in the sample reported a cell phone number, making this tool the most popular among SMEs studied. In total, 31 percent of SMEs reported an e-mail address while only 3 percent of them reported having a firm web site. Far <1 percent reported a fax number, while none of the SMEs in the sample used a fixed telephone line. The telecommunications sector demonstrated the highest rate of ICT usage. The findings give consistency to what the body of research has concluded relative to the use of mobile telephone by SMEs in developing economies.
Originality/value
This study fills a gap in the research into ICT usage by SMEs in developing countries by analyzing a sample of SMEs in the DR Congo ever attempted.
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Zhenkuo Ding, Xiaoying Yang, Sheng Huang and Xiaohua Ouyang
The aim of this paper is to investigate (1) whether the different dimensions of internationalization experience have different effects on internationalization speed? (2) And how…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to investigate (1) whether the different dimensions of internationalization experience have different effects on internationalization speed? (2) And how the degree of digitalization plays a moderating role in these relationships?
Design/methodology/approach
The authors test the hypotheses on a sample of 431 Chinese listed companies export data from 2007 to 2016, using multiple regression analysis.
Findings
The international expansion experience to developed economies will accelerate the internationalization speed of MNCs, while international expansion experience to emerging economies has an inverted U-shaped relationship with internationalization speed. The digitalization degree weakens the relationship between international experience and internationalization speed, whether it is international expansion experience to developed or emerging economies.
Originality/value
By decomposing the dimensions of international experience and considering the degree of digitalization as a new moderating variable, the paper helps to clarify the debate on the relationship between international experience and speed of internationalization, thus contributing to the internationalization speed literature and the digital technology perspective. Revealing the process of international experience affecting internationalization speed has implications for MNCs to achieve high-quality and rapid internationalization.
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Denise Adriana Johann, Andrieli de Fátima Paz Nunes, Geovane Barbosa dos Santos, Deoclécio Junior Cardoso da Silva, Sirlene Aparecida Takeda Bresciani and Luis Felipe Dias Lopes
Design thinking (DT) is still a relatively new methodology in the context of entrepreneurial education, which presents itself as an important tool for the development of…
Abstract
Purpose
Design thinking (DT) is still a relatively new methodology in the context of entrepreneurial education, which presents itself as an important tool for the development of entrepreneurial skills when inserted into the educational system. This research aimed to analyze studies about DT related to the entrepreneurial mindset in international journals over a period of ten years (2009–2019). Entrepreneurial education has been a constant in academic debates as well as practices and methodologies to apply this education, and such context has moved educational institutions to adopt practices and initiatives focused on the theme.
Design/methodology/approach
The tool used in the present study was the bibliometric database of the Web of Science through the words “Design Thinking” (DT) and “Entrepreneurial Education”. The research is characterized as descriptive and quantitative, and 146 publications were investigated in the period from 2009 to 2019, in the respective database.
Findings
The study also highlighted the new generation of young students forcing a change in education with an approach centered on the individual. Speech does not prevail in the teachers but in the students, and the teacher educator starts to collaborate for this new educational demand with didactics relevant to the world in this way preparing these young people and delivering society to critical, proactive and participatory individuals.
Originality/value
In the course of the study, we observed practices and examples of schools and universities that have adapted ways to allow new interactions in the school environment by promoting and encouraging innovative education.
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Linghua Qin, Naveed Akhtar, Qamar Farooq and Syed Hussain Mustafa Gillani
Previous research features the international experience of managers in the decisions regarding internationalisation speed. However, the vitality of the role a chairperson plays in…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous research features the international experience of managers in the decisions regarding internationalisation speed. However, the vitality of the role a chairperson plays in shaping the internationalisation decisions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from emerging economies is intriguing. Moreover, the decision-making process and leadership context of SME internationalisation are not fully understood. Drawing upon the upper echelons decision-making theory and the cognitive perspectives of decision, this paper examines the impact of a chairperson's previous experience on the post-entry speed of internationalisation, highlighting the conditioning effects of leadership contingencies – the functional variety and power of the chairperson.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a panel data set of Chinese SMEs active from 2010 to 2019 to test the research hypotheses. A feasible generalised least-squares estimator was applied to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that the international experience of a chairperson speeds up the depth and breadth of the post-entry speed of internationalisation. However, the strength of these relationships depends on the leadership context. The chairperson's functional variety alleviates the influence of international experience, whilst the power of the chairperson reinforces its impact.
Originality/value
The results show that the international experience of a chairperson speeds up the depth and breadth of the post-entry speed of internationalisation. However, the strength of these relationships depends on the leadership context. The chairperson's functional variety alleviates the influence of international experience, whilst the power of the chairperson reinforces its impact.
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Clavis Nwehfor Fubah, Jonathan Mukiza Kansheba, Mutaju Isaack Marobhe and Abdollah Mohammadparast Tabas
The purpose of this article was to review the existing literature on youth entrepreneurship (YE), focusing on the context, methodological and theoretical approaches employed…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article was to review the existing literature on youth entrepreneurship (YE), focusing on the context, methodological and theoretical approaches employed, alongside any emerging themes on the subject.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted, drawing on an evidence base of 77 articles identified from different databases. These articles were either published in Association of Business Schools (ABS list 2021 edition) or Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) listed journals.
Findings
The review revealed that the majority of research on the topic has been conducted in Africa, employing a quantitative methodology. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has been the dominant theoretical lens used by scholars. The four major themes covered on the topic to date include (1) entrepreneurial motivations; (2) entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) and entrepreneurial attitudes (EAs); (3) entrepreneurial competencies, education, training, and support, and (4) innovation and technology adoption.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this SLR is the first review that addresses this fast-growing area of research. This paper incorporated insights on YE across academic disciplines. It also provided a nuanced discussion of the major themes covered in the research and suggested directions for future research.