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Article
Publication date: 29 December 2023

Karikari Amoa-Gyarteng and Shepherd Dhliwayo

This study clarifies the intricate nature of globalization's impact on unemployment rates in South Africa. Given the heterogeneous views on globalization's effect on economic…

Abstract

Purpose

This study clarifies the intricate nature of globalization's impact on unemployment rates in South Africa. Given the heterogeneous views on globalization's effect on economic development, this study aims to offer a nuanced perspective. Furthermore, it aims to explore the mediating role of entrepreneurial development in shaping the complex relationship between globalization and unemployment.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs four key indicators to measure entrepreneurial development, globalization and unemployment rates in South Africa. Hierarchical regression is used to evaluate the relationship between globalization and unemployment rates, and how entrepreneurial development mediates this relationship. Additionally, both the Sobel test and bootstrapping analyses were employed to verify and validate the mediating relationship.

Findings

The study demonstrates that globalization constitutes a crucial determinant of (un)employment rates in South Africa. The study shows that entrepreneurial development, specifically in the context of established business ownership, but not total early-stage entrepreneurial activity, exhibits an inverse relationship with unemployment rates. Moreover, it was observed that the positive impact of globalization on entrepreneurial development in South Africa becomes evident as SMEs advance to the established stage.

Research limitations/implications

The study's concentration on South Africa constrains the applicability of the results to other nations.

Practical implications

Based on the findings of this study, it is essential for emerging economies, such as South Africa, to take measures to foster a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem that can aid in the growth and international competitiveness of young SMEs.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study represents the first endeavor to analyze the potential impact of entrepreneurial development, as measured by both nascent and mature SMEs, on the correlation between globalization and unemployment.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 October 2023

Reshmini Maharajh, Shepherd Dhliwayo and Abdella Kosa Chebo

Family businesses have a dual objective of profit making and providing opportunities for family members. This duality leads to a conflict that may bring poor team work and…

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Abstract

Purpose

Family businesses have a dual objective of profit making and providing opportunities for family members. This duality leads to a conflict that may bring poor team work and communication, which is difficult to reconcile. Thus, the study looked into how the performance of family enterprises is affected by family dynamics. Additionally, it examines the relationship's ability to be mediated by effective leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a quantitative, explanatory research approach. The study population was family-owned enterprises in KwaZulu-Natal's South Durban Basin, of which 236 were chosen using a snowball and convenience sampling technique. Data was analysed using various descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, namely, multiple regression and the standard deviation.

Findings

The finding of the study shows that family dynamics significantly influenced business performance both directly and indirectly through effective leadership. Besides, the family firms with larger employee sizes have better effective leadership that positively contributes to the business performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study recommends that family businesses should train their members to ensure leadership effectiveness.

Originality/value

This study is unique in that it was conducted in Black Townships and focusses mainly on businesses owned by families of Indian descent that need to prepare for leadership/ownership. It also contributes to academic literature on family dynamics and will encourage families to recognise the importance of strong leadership in controlling family dynamics to improve business success.

Details

Journal of Family Business Management, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-6238

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 September 2022

Shepherd Dhliwayo and Abdella Kosa Chebo

This study aims to examine the dimensions of technological innovation capability (TIC) and associated factors from the perspectives of sustainability.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the dimensions of technological innovation capability (TIC) and associated factors from the perspectives of sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have systematically reviewed publications by synthesizing and comparing the findings and arguments from previous studies.

Findings

The study locates a wide-ranging advance of sustainable TIC as a construct by demonstrating the leading dimensions and key factors interrelated to the sustainable TIC. The foremost IC that has been addressed includes process, product, marketing, R&D and knowledge ICs.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should test the extent of the contribution of TIC in intensifying the determining factors toward enhancing performance and sustainability. Besides, the undermined external aspects such as social responsibility and the natural environment should be addressed by future researchers to develop a comprehensive sustainable TIC.

Originality/value

This study reviews the various researches in the subject matter of sustainable TIC to show the developments as well as to provide comprehensive understandings in the subject.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 May 2008

Shepherd Dhliwayo

The purpose of this paper is to present a prospective entrepreneurship training model based on experiential learning which will enable the “production” of small business owners or…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a prospective entrepreneurship training model based on experiential learning which will enable the “production” of small business owners or entrepreneurs which is not being achieved by the current methods.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper. It analyses the current approaches in use, identifying inherent weaknesses and the gaps that need to be filled. Through literature reviews and case cites it provides a model that integrates experiential learning into entrepreneurship education.

Findings

The paper shows that appropriate experiential training can truly be integrated into entrepreneurship education in South Africa as in disciplines such as engineering or nursing.

Research limitation/implications

The model needs to be test implemented to find its efficacy. Just like any model, it may need refinement.

Originality/value

The prospective model is an attempt to produce entrepreneurs and small business owners. This is critical in South Africa where entrepreneurs/business start‐ups are in critical shortage. No known study on work integrated learning (WIL) in entrepreneurship in higher education has been conducted in South Africa or such a model presented.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 50 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 March 2018

Nuno Caseiro and Arnaldo Coelho

This study aims to investigate the influence of business intelligence (BI) in startups competitiveness, contributing to a gap in literature as this relationship is normally more…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influence of business intelligence (BI) in startups competitiveness, contributing to a gap in literature as this relationship is normally more focused on stablished businesses. The mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) was taken in to account in the proposed research model.

Design/methodology/approach

The model was tested using structural equation modeling. A total of 228 valid questionnaires were collected from a research sample comprised of incubated startups from several European countries.

Findings

The results point to significant mediating role of EO in the impact of BI on competitiveness. The direct impact of BI on competitiveness was not confirmed.

Research limitations/implications

The results highlight the importance that BI can have in startups competitiveness, namely, reinforcing the role of pro-activeness, innovativeness and risk taking – the traditional dimensions of EO, providing the information needed for more supported decisions.

Originality/value

Although there are several approaches to BI, namely, in a more technical perspective, this paper addresses the topic in a managerial and decisional point of view, and studies it regarding his impact in startups competitiveness, thru the mediating effect of EO.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, vol. 28 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 26 June 2024

Bice Della Piana, Secil Bayraktar and Alfredo Jimenez

Entrepreneurial mindsets differ in diverse cultural contexts affecting the perceptions of business opportunity as well as the strategic posture and how to network to successfully…

Abstract

Entrepreneurial mindsets differ in diverse cultural contexts affecting the perceptions of business opportunity as well as the strategic posture and how to network to successfully implement it. For example, many scholars have shown that risk taking and proactiveness (i.e., characteristics of the strategic posture) are affected by cultural characteristics. The aim of the chapter is to shed light on the relationship between socio-cultural practices (using the GLOBE cultural theoretical framework) and entrepreneurial behavior understanding how culture may foster or hinder the entrepreneurial mindsets. The authors discuss how certain cultural dimensions may be linked to various aspects of entrepreneurial mindsets. Furthermore, the authors make some reflections with regard to the contextual conditions shaped by cultural factors that seem to be the most appropriate to spread the Humane Entrepreneurship Model.

Article
Publication date: 27 March 2019

Sule Ishola Omotosho and Hod Anyigba

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize corporate entrepreneurial strategy using collaborative dynamics of contingency and agency theories, and to demonstrate how some…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize corporate entrepreneurial strategy using collaborative dynamics of contingency and agency theories, and to demonstrate how some constructs of these two theories are integrated to support long-term strategies of entrepreneurial firms in sustaining their competitive advantages and enhancing their performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Review of literature on strategic entrepreneurship, firm growth, contingency and agency theories were explored to support the conceptualized framework of the entrepreneurial strategy developed in this paper. The authors adopt a vignette approach to problematize theoretical gaps identified. The vignette was also used to embody the entrepreneurial strategy matrix developed.

Findings

This paper suggests that the effectiveness of corporate entrepreneurial strategies is influenced by the impacts of contingent environment and agency problem of goal conflicts. It provides some propositions for qualitative and empirical research that will extend the rigours of strategic entrepreneurship literature.

Practical implications

This paper highlights the implications of understanding and adopting diverse competitive and sustenance strategies. It provides avenues for entrepreneurial firms to take cognizance and use of the contingency and agency approaches to influence their long-term strategic directions to stay competitive. Institutional authorities will also benefit from having a conceptual reference and guide to further improve their entrepreneurship policies.

Originality/value

The authors took three novel steps to address the existing gap in the literature. First, the theories of entrepreneurship, contingency and agency were bound together and unified as a single framework to conceptualize entrepreneurial strategy. Second, the identified gaps were embodied in a vignette to problematize the theoretical issues and lastly, some testable propositions were put forward to explain different forms of entrepreneurial strategy. The authors also developed a corporate entrepreneurial strategy matrix based on the Covin and Miles (1999) forms of corporate entrepreneurship. It forms the basis for the propositions.

Details

Journal of Strategy and Management, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-425X

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Entrepreneurship Education in Africa: A Contextual Model for Competencies and Pedagogies in Developing Countries
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-702-7

Article
Publication date: 10 October 2024

Olivia Scheibel, Oleksiy Osiyevskyy and Amir Bahman Radnejad

Scholars have extensively studied the concept of strategic entrepreneurship (SE), shedding light on its antecedents, dynamics and outcomes. However, a notable gap exists in…

Abstract

Purpose

Scholars have extensively studied the concept of strategic entrepreneurship (SE), shedding light on its antecedents, dynamics and outcomes. However, a notable gap exists in understanding the reliability of its performance implications, which explains the inherent risks as well as the possibility of yielding outliers (instances of exceptionally high or low performance). Addressing this gap, this study aims to present a detailed analysis of the implications of SE for the variance of resulting performance distribution.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual study uses the deductive theory-building approach to dissect the four dimensions of SE (entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneurial leadership and culture, managing resources strategically and applying creativity and developing innovations) as presented by Ireland et al.’s (2003) model, offering theoretical propositions on how each of them influences the variability of resulting performance distribution.

Findings

This study demonstrates that the strategic entrepreneurship (SE) dimensions have distinct impacts on the reliability/variability of performance outcomes, acting as boosters or attenuators in the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) context.

Originality/value

The study uniquely links each component of SE with outcome variability in VUCA environments, thereby shifting the focus from traditional performance metrics to outcome variability. This approach complements the existing body of knowledge on the performance implications of the SE construct by integrating a previously neglected critical perspective on the reliability of resulting performance distribution. These insights allow subsequent investigation of SE’s outcomes, including explaining the likelihood of obtaining positive outlier performance or firm failure.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 December 2021

Kevin C. Cox, Jason Lortie and Ratan J.S. Dheer

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence that national levels of social capital have on entrepreneurial activity. Specifically, we argue that national and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence that national levels of social capital have on entrepreneurial activity. Specifically, we argue that national and regional level social capital positively influences the ability of entrepreneurs to mobilize and access important resources thereby positively impacting the rate of entrepreneurship within nations and regions.

Design/methodology/approach

We advance a multilevel and multidimensional conceptualization of social capital. Then based on a dataset of 68 nations and 665 within-nation regions, we empirically evaluate the effects of social capital at the national and regional level in explaining differences in entrepreneurial activity across nations and regions using a combination of regression analysis and multilevel hierarchical linear modeling (HLM).

Findings

Our findings emphasize the importance of formulating a multilevel conceptualization of social capital for entrepreneurship research. We discuss the results, provide implications for public policy and suggest avenues for future research.

Originality/value

The overwhelming majority of entrepreneurship research focused on investigating the implications of social capital reside at the individual level of analysis. Our unique inquiry is an inaugural effort to consider this important implications at the macro and meso-level of analysis by examining both regional and national-level effects.

Details

Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5794

Keywords

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