Interaction of Psychological Factors in Shaping Entrepreneurial Intention Among Computer and Electrical Engineering Students


Book Description

Numerous technopreneurs start their ventures at college age, but the entrepreneurship of computer and electrical engineering (CEE) students remains under-studied. This study analysed both the combined and interactive effects of psychological factors on the entrepreneurial intentions of CEE students. In this study, entrepreneurial intention comprised two dimensions, conviction and preparation. Regarding the direct effects, the results indicated that self-efficacy affected entrepreneurial conviction the most, followed by negative emotion, intrinsic motivation, and metacognition. Negative emotion affected entrepreneurial preparation the most, followed by self-efficacy and positive emotion. The results also revealed several crucial interactive effects resulting from psychological factors. An increase in cognitive load increased the entrepreneurial intention of students exhibiting high intrinsic motivation and reduced the intention of students exhibiting low intrinsic motivation. An increase in metacognition increased the entrepreneurial conviction of students exhibiting either high or low intrinsic motivation. An increase in positive emotion reduced the entrepreneurial intention of students exhibiting high negative emotion and increased the intention of students exhibiting low negative emotion. An increase in self-efficacy increased the entrepreneurial intention of students exhibiting either high or low negative emotion.




Behavioral Determinants of Enterprise Development and Innovation


Book Description

The second issue in 2020 of the quarterly published JEMI explores enterprise development and innovation. The behavioral determinants of the economic ventures indicated by the authors is a continually developing trend of research in economic sciences. Contemporary enterprises are increasingly investing their resources in obtaining information on factors that stimulate employee behavior in order to increase efficiency or develop innovation. Behavioral approach is also used in seeking answers to questions about the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) posed by entities responsible for supporting the SME sector. In economic sciences, behavioral approaches result from an interdisciplinary view on the behavior of people participating in economic life. The behaviors of entrepreneurs, managers, other participants in an organization, clients, and entities supporting economic activities are an essential subject of research interest. The presented articles show the research perspectives that contribute to the development of a behavioral stream in economic sciences. The first article proposes a triangulation of theoretical foundations for behavioral research in economic sciences. Dominika Korzeniowska and Łukasz Sułkowski reviewed the scientific literature and analyzed 37 articles and 21 monographs selected from scientific databases. As a result of their research, the authors concluded that by adopting different research perspectives in behavioral economics, rather than just a cognitive one, it is possible to enrich both theoretical and empirical foundations in scientific research. Discovering human economic behavior can be done using methods and techniques appropriate to research, e.g. in behavioral or evolutionary trends. The authors conduct their analysis in relation to three paradigms: cognitive, behavioral and evolutionary, and then come to the conclusion that these approaches should not be treated as competitive but complementary knowledge of economic behavior. For example, the evolutionary approach in psychology makes it easier to explain the genetics of certain automatic response patterns that have developed during evolution. Its usefulness is expressed in the possibilities of creating an image of the human economic mind or economic society. In turn, the use of behavioral approaches, according to the authors, allows finding ways to eliminate the effects of mental traps appearing in the processes of making economic decisions and other problem situations. The authors in their research refer to three research trends, but ultimately encourage the search for other theories and concepts in the study of human economic behavior and their impact on business ventures. The next article presents field studies carried out in West Sumatra. The authors use psychoeconomic factors lying on the side of entrepreneurs to study failures in their business operations. An essential aspect of the research is the identification and analysis of opportunistic behavior and its impact on the success or failure of operations. Hafiz Rahman, Eri Besra, and Nurhayati conducted quantitative research using multiple and partial regression analysis on a sample of 1541 young entrepreneurs from the West Sumatra province in Indonesia, who had experienced failures in their earlier enterprises. It was found that psycho-economic factors, together with the opportunistic behavior of individuals, more or less, caused the entrepreneurial failure. The obtained research results also formed the basis for the claim that opportunistic behavior can be seen as both a source of business success and failure. The authors believe that the research should be of interest to the Indonesian government, as it suggests that the creation of entrepreneurial resilience takes place in a process that also considers the failures of undertaken enterprises. Young entrepreneurs usually draw conclusions from the mistakes they made, which is why it is postulated to support them even in situations of failure, e.g. through entrepreneurship capacity building programs. In addition to economic and business knowledge, it is necessary to build mental resilience, develop maturity, logically consider the choice of alternatives, improve decision-making processes, and deal with social pressure. The subject of interest of the author of the third article is organizational behaviors that affect high performance. Przemysław Zbierowski presented the results of his research, conducted on a sample of 406 enterprises, using the computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) technique. Based on the collected research material, the author analyzed the impact of high-performance organizational features on actual organizational performance, and the indirect impact on organizational citizenship and entrepreneurship-oriented behavior. As the author notes, his research contributes to the scientific debate in at least three ways. Firstly, it confirms that the features of high performance have a strong impact on the actual performance of the enterprise, which is not surprising but verifies the hypothesis. Secondly, it indicates entrepreneurial orientation as a partial mediator in this relationship. Finally, he discovers the very strong impact that high-performance features have on the organization's civic behavior. The article also has practical implications. The obtained research results form the basis for developing organizational citizenship and entrepreneurship orientation through the skillful use of high-performance factors. Behavioral research trends in economic sciences also include the research presented in the fourth article regarding employee behavior and their development stimulated by managerial coaching. Ghulam Abid, Saira Ahmed, Tehmina Fiaz Qazi, and Komal Sarwar filled the research gap in the field of sustainable employee development in the organization. The research conducted by them is pioneering. The authors relate to the context of work and individual differences in promoting a thriving workplace. The intervention mechanism of self-efficacy and prosocial motivation in the relationship between managerial coaching and thriving at work was explored using a sequential mediation approach. Data were analyzed using Hayes' Process Model 6 based on 1,000 bootstrap resampling with an actual sample of 221 respondents. The obtained results confirm that managerial coaching increases employee self-efficacy. The goal of coaching is to increase the employee's sense of self-efficacy in connection with a particular activity so that he or she can perform his or her tasks effectively and efficiently. Efficiency among employees directly activates positive moods that help engage employees and trigger prosocial behavior. This study contributes to the detection of awareness related to the links between prosocial motivation and employee development and provides an additional, comprehensive analysis of the procedure for obtaining the positive effects of managerial coaching. Another group of articles relates to the behavioral aspects of developing innovation in enterprises in relation to employees, as well as the implementation of innovation by customers. Determinants of innovation in enterprises have become the subject of the research interests of Izabella Steinerowska-Streb and Grzegorz Głód. The authors presented the results of their research, which was conducted on a sample of 353 Polish family businesses. In the course of the conducted research, it was possible to determine whether family businesses that introduced the creative ideas of their employees were more innovative than others. The company's innovativeness can be expressed in the product, process, marketing, or organizational area. The authors also examined the relationship between the innovation of family businesses and their involvement in activities that stimulate creative thinking, build trust in the workplace, stimulate employee development, and support team integration. The study revealed that family businesses that are aware of the importance of creative employees, and that bring their employees' creative ideas into business practice, are more innovative than other family businesses. In addition, it was found that an increase in company innovation exists when the company supports employee development. Interesting behavioral aspects are presented in the research on employee resistance to implementing technological innovations. Çiğdem Sıcakyüz and Oya Hacire Yüregir conducted a study of medical personnel at a public hospital in Adana, Turkey, to investigate the reasons for employee resistance to implementing an IT system. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was expanded to include factors such as affective commitment, gender, and age. Based on the data collected from 291 surveys, a regression analysis was conducted, which led to the formulation of conclusions regarding the usefulness of information technology, its ease of use, and affective commitment. It was examined whether demographic factors such as age, gender, position, and tenure are associated with resistance to implemented technological innovations. The results of this study confirm earlier models of technology acceptance. The practical implications of the study relate to the need to increase employee participation in making decisions about the change process. The examined resistance of employees to technological innovations should also be treated as an essential voice in the discussion of problems related to managing change in the organization. In the article presented by Neema Mori and Rosallia Mlambiti, attention was focused on the acceptance of product innovation by customers. The research was carried out in Tanzania using the example of mobile banking services. To examine the impact of demographic factors on the adoption of innovative mobile banking services, Rogers' Diffusion Innovation Theory (DIT) was applied to 416 clients of a leading bank in Tanzania. Regression results showed a positive and significant relationship between income level and education on the one hand, and the adoption of mobile banking on the other. Practical implications refer to the recommendations to develop promotional practices and awareness campaigns and capture customer demographic profiles to encourage them to use mobile banking. The study showed the importance of using the situational theory to adopt innovative technologies in banking services in Tanzania. The authors indicate that this approach to research issues, broadens the understanding of the importance of demographic factors, especially in relation to the Sub-Saharan African region, and also contributes to a better understanding of mobile banking from the point of view of the bank's customers in Tanzania. The last article covers a bibliometric analysis of published research results in the field of business innovation, its financing, and policy framework. The analysis was based on the resources of the Web of Science Core Collection using Vosviewer for the period 1990–2019. The researched publications were divided according to the research area, and then the research gaps were identified. In total, 437 articles were found that went through various stages of selection. 32 publications were analyzed in detail, and the study presents citations received by each of these selected publications and their summaries. Thematically grouped summaries show the areas that the researchers paid more or less attention to. The conducted research allowed the authors to state that the countries involved in a higher level of innovation had a higher level of publication. Few studies on this topic have been developed in emerging economies such as Africa and Asia, excluding China and Taiwan. A similar situation was noted for countries in the Middle East. Most of the research comes from the United States and European countries. The article also refers to aspects such as the time horizon of research, approach, and research methods. The results of the presented research allow readers to get acquainted with the current state of publications on the subject of financing innovation and policy in this field. The editors express the hope that the articles presented will contribute to the development of knowledge on behavioral aspects of the functioning of enterprises and the development of innovation. The authors' extension of the research perspective with behavioral determinants, strengthens our belief in the legitimacy of supporting this research trend in JEMI. We thank all the researchers and authors for enriching their studies, broadening the perspective of resolving complex management problems, and developing innovation in organizations dispersed in geographical, economic, and cultural terms. We hope all readers will find this second issue of JEMI in 2020 both interesting and informative.




Evolving Enterprise Competences as a Consequence of Response to Changes in the Environment


Book Description

In presenting this issue entitled Evolving Enterprise Competences in Response to Changes in the Environment, we want to focus your attention on organizational competence in the context of its competitiveness in the market. The competitive advantage of a modern organization results from competences that enable the adaptation of market mechanisms, internal coordination of activities and resources, consistent building of human potential and development of business capabilities. Organizations' competences in creating innovation, using advanced information and communication technologies (ICT), and building human capital are particularly strongly articulated today. Organizations in the 20th century were oriented towards creating a sustainable competitive advantage based on key competences that ensured a stable growth in market share. Contemporary 21st-century organizations have understood that gaining a competitive advantage results from competences that allow them to succeed in new fields and quickly reconfigure business models. Every company should know the competences that will enable it to use opportunities, differentiate itself from other market players and implement its own development strategies. The diverse research issues in the collected articles allow you to build and assess a broad perspective of the opportunities that companies use in the market and the various competence gaps that deprive them of these opportunities. The first article by Mirna Leko Šimić, Antun Biloš, and Josipa Mijoč presents empirical evidence on the relationship between the use of e-business tools and the export efficiency of Croatian companies. The authors set themselves the goal of determining the level of implementation of e-business tools in Croatian exporting companies and examining their impact on export results. In the analysis of the level of implementation of e-business tools, the OECD e-commerce maturity model was used, which measures several aspects of ICT readiness and the intensity of websites and e-commerce in exporting companies. Researchers were able to determine that the implementation of e-business tools in Croatian companies requires improvement, especially in market research, communication, and online sales. An interesting observation is the indication of a higher level of e-business advancement in companies oriented on geographically and culturally distant markets (markets outside the EU) in relation to companies exporting mainly to the regional and EU markets. The authors are convinced that the research results can serve as a starting point for making comparative analyzes in comparison with similar economies in terms of market maturity and that this knowledge-building could significantly contribute to developing the competence of exporting enterprises in the field of e-business development. The article by Aleksander Jakimowicz and Daniel Rzeczkowski refers to the issues of innovation in industrial processing enterprises. The authors analyzed the propensity of enterprises to implement innovation in the years 2012 - 2014 following the negative shock of the global financial crisis in the years 2008-2010. As a result of the conducted research, a relatively low propensity for innovation, and caution in undertaking it, was found. At the same time, a growing tendency to take up activities in the field of eco-innovation and the feeling of a slow reduction in the impact of innovation barriers have been noticed. Appropriate stimulation of the environment and financial support in the field of eco-innovation are examples of overcoming the negative effects of an external shock in the form of psychological barriers and excessive caution in implementing innovation. The authors note that the main value of the article is its innovative and strictly empirical approach to the problems of innovation. The unique and comprehensive analysis of the relationships between sixty-three variables describing the innovation activity of enterprises can become a potential benchmark for similar analyses in the future. The article by Victoria Konovalenko Slettli addresses the problems of education in the field of transformational entrepreneurship, with a particular emphasis on adults. The author shares the view that transformational entrepreneurship is expressed in the capacity and intended action for change in the life of the entrepreneur and organization, which, in turn, contributes to social change and is characterized by the emergence of a new qualitative dimension of possibilities. The article is based on a pilot study of the implementation of the Transformative Learning Circles (TLC) model in Scandinavian countries, which was developed by the Nordic Network for Adult Learning. The study significantly fits into the development of knowledge about entrepreneurship learning. Key factors affecting entrepreneurship learning have been linked to specific learning processes. In addition, the way of combining these factors in one learning model is illustrated to increase the learning effect of transformational entrepreneurship, which today can be classified as key competences contributing to the development of an enterprise. The next two articles refer directly to the functioning of people in the organization and constitute an important voice in the discussion on the key competences of the organization in the field of building human capital and gaining a competitive advantage. The article by Ambreen Sarwar, Muhammad Ibrahim Abdullah, Muddassar Sarfraz, and Muhammad Kashif Imran presents research on employees working in both public and private sector banks in Pakistan. It proves the relationship between ostracism, stress, and the self-efficacy of employees. As a result of the conducted research, the authors conclude that the self-efficacy of employees, or belief in their own effectiveness, reduces the perception of stress and mitigates the negative effects of ostracism. The study shows that people with a higher sense of self-efficacy would be less affected by the negative effects of stress and ostracism. Although a certain level of stress is considered essential for efficient work, high-stress levels are harmful. Highly efficacious people are less prone to stress in the face of mistreatment; they focus more on their capabilities than on the behavior of others. Perhaps the development of employee's efficacy should be included in the key competences of the organization, especially since the authors recognized self-efficacy as one of the dimensions of psychological capital, along with hope, optimism, and resilience of employees. The authors postulate to examine the impact of these dimensions on the relationship between stress and ostracism or other forms of ill-treatment in the workplace. The latest article by Michał Ujm and Tomasz Ingram presents research in which the main attention was focused on the impact of human resource management practices on individual employee involvement. Task uncertainty was treated as a moderating variable in the research, which was conducted among members of international teams who are recruiting employees. The authors analyzed the collected material from the perspective of the theory of abilities, motivation, and opportunities (Ability-Motivation-Opportunity theory - AMO). As a result, they verified two research hypotheses and received support for the first hypothesis which proved that AMO practices affect the organizational commitment of employees. The second hypothesis was verified negatively. It has been proven that skills-only human resource management practices do not increase employee involvement. The loyalty of employees who are aware of their competences is not high unless they are properly motivated. The conducted research once again confirms the need to include employee motivation as one of the organization's key competences in its competition strategy. We hope that the collected articles, as well as the perspective created for their analysis, will allow you to develop an idea of the importance of an organization's competences. Acquiring a competitive advantage requires continuous development of the scope and structure of competences, as was presented in the first article on e-tools in businesses, or continuous stimulation to use them, as illustrated in the article on innovation. Continuous development of the organization's competences is necessary for developing business ventures. Initiatives in this area were presented in the third article highlighting the case of Nordic transformation wheels. Equally strongly emphasized are competences used to shape working conditions, stimulating employee attitudes and relationships, and developing the benefits of employee involvement in the company's development. The editors thank all the authors who wanted to share the results of their research work in the Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation (JEMI) and wish all readers the satisfaction of using time well spent reading the collected articles.




The Factors Shaping Entrepreneurial Intentions


Book Description

This book is a combination of chapters exploring the entrepreneurial attributes of university students and specifically their intentions to become entrepreneurs. It provides detailed insights into the personal and environmental factors that affect university students’ decisions to establish their own businesses. The first six chapters explore these factors through an exploratory approach and provide descriptive data on students’ entrepreneurial attributes such as self-regulation, self-efficacy, skills, metacognition (knowledge of cognition and regulation of cognition) and subjective and social norms of entrepreneurship. In these chapters, the authors provide an overall picture of entrepreneurial attributes among students from both public and private universities. The last three chapters examine students’ entrepreneurial intentions using the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) techniques. The chapters explain the interactions between personal (attitudes toward entrepreneurship and self-efficacy) and environmental (social and family norms and education) factors, and investigate how these factors affect students’ entrepreneurial career choice. This book will be of great importance to, and helpful for, policy makers who wish to develop entrepreneurial activities and quality entrepreneurs in their countries; educators who intend to develop entrepreneurship education and training programs and improve entrepreneurial knowledge and competencies among students; and entrepreneurship teachers and lecturers who endeavour to develop students’ entrepreneurial knowledge and competencies. It will also be of interest to students who wish to regulate their motivation, knowledge and thoughts towards learning entrepreneurship; real and nascent entrepreneurs who want to better understand how they can learn entrepreneurial knowledge and skills; and researchers who aim to conduct studies on entrepreneurial attributes and intentions, particularly among students.







Digital and Social Media Marketing


Book Description

This book examines issues and implications of digital and social media marketing for emerging markets. These markets necessitate substantial adaptations of developed theories and approaches employed in the Western world. The book investigates problems specific to emerging markets, while identifying new theoretical constructs and practical applications of digital marketing. It addresses topics such as electronic word of mouth (eWOM), demographic differences in digital marketing, mobile marketing, search engine advertising, among others. A radical increase in both temporal and geographical reach is empowering consumers to exert influence on brands, products, and services. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and digital media are having a significant impact on the way people communicate and fulfil their socio-economic, emotional and material needs. These technologies are also being harnessed by businesses for various purposes including distribution and selling of goods, retailing of consumer services, customer relationship management, and influencing consumer behaviour by employing digital marketing practices. This book considers this, as it examines the practice and research related to digital and social media marketing.




Innovation for Sustainable Development - Review of Kyrgyzstan


Book Description

Innovation for Sustainable Development Review of Kyrgyzstan contains the outcomes of a policy advisory exercise that drew on the experience accumulated by the UNECE in the identification of good practices and policy lessons in the area of knowledge-based development, with particular reference to the problems of countries with economies in transition. It provides a set of recommendations and policy options to stimulate innovation activity in the country, enhance its innovation capacity and improve the overall efficiency of the national innovation system.




Understanding the Educational and Career Pathways of Engineers


Book Description

Engineering skills and knowledge are foundational to technological innovation and development that drive long-term economic growth and help solve societal challenges. Therefore, to ensure national competitiveness and quality of life it is important to understand and to continuously adapt and improve the educational and career pathways of engineers in the United States. To gather this understanding it is necessary to study the people with the engineering skills and knowledge as well as the evolving system of institutions, policies, markets, people, and other resources that together prepare, deploy, and replenish the nation's engineering workforce. This report explores the characteristics and career choices of engineering graduates, particularly those with a BS or MS degree, who constitute the vast majority of degreed engineers, as well as the characteristics of those with non-engineering degrees who are employed as engineers in the United States. It provides insight into their educational and career pathways and related decision making, the forces that influence their decisions, and the implications for major elements of engineering education-to-workforce pathways.




Thoughtful Interaction Design


Book Description

The authors of Thoughtful Interaction Design go beyond the usual technical concerns of usability and usefulness to consider interaction design from a design perspective. The shaping of digital artifacts is a design process that influences the form and functions of workplaces, schools, communication, and culture; the successful interaction designer must use both ethical and aesthetic judgment to create designs that are appropriate to a given environment. This book is not a how-to manual, but a collection of tools for thought about interaction design. Working with information technology—called by the authors "the material without qualities"—interaction designers create not a static object but a dynamic pattern of interactivity. The design vision is closely linked to context and not simply focused on the technology. The authors' action-oriented and context-dependent design theory, drawing on design theorist Donald Schön's concept of the reflective practitioner, helps designers deal with complex design challenges created by new technology and new knowledge. Their approach, based on a foundation of thoughtfulness that acknowledges the designer's responsibility not only for the functional qualities of the design product but for the ethical and aesthetic qualities as well, fills the need for a theory of interaction design that can increase and nurture design knowledge. From this perspective they address the fundamental question of what kind of knowledge an aspiring designer needs, discussing the process of design, the designer, design methods and techniques, the design product and its qualities, and conditions for interaction design.




Competitiveness in Emerging Markets


Book Description

This book presents a collection of interrelated research advances in the field of technological entrepreneurship from the perspective of competition in emerging markets. Featuring contributions by scholars from different fields of interest, it provides a mix of theoretical developments, insights and research methods used to uncover the unexplored aspects of competitiveness in emerging markets in an age characterized by disruptive technologies.