Search Results (14)

This research examines the link between business models and entrepreneurial capabilities among social assistance program participants who are aging adults in an emerging economic environment. The research targets the insufficient use of entrepreneurial abilities in seniors to advance their active aging potential while enhancing their life quality. This study collected data from selected participants by using Osterwalder and Pigneur’s business model framework as a basis for their structured questionnaire, which followed a quantitative–qualitative method. Researchers applied Spearman’s Rho statistical methods to measure relations between business elements and skills in self-confidence, creativity, initiative, perseverance, and teamwork demonstrated by entrepreneurs. The study results clearly showed that properly executed business models create substantial growth in entrepreneurial abilities among people of advanced age. This study contributes novel empirical evidence from a rural Peruvian context, confirming that structured business model training is positively associated with entrepreneurial outcomes among elderly populations. The findings (r = 0.755, p < 0.001) support the urgency of integrating capability-building into social assistance schemes. These results emphasize how targeted training programs should empower this population since this initiative supports Sustainable Development Goals like “Decent Work and Economic Growth” (SDG 8) and “Reduced Inequalities” (SDG 10). The analysis demonstrates that teaching entrepreneurial abilities to mature individuals leads to better social entrepreneurship sustainability together with superior economic involvement and social connections. Full article

Introduction: Agri-food systems in Europe are predominantly male-dominated. Female food entrepreneurs can play a key role in the development of novel, sustainable food products. The aim of the present study was to gain an increased understanding of the various barriers which female agri-food entrepreneurs situated in rural areas perceive as hindrances to their entrepreneurial growth and development. Methodology: A total of five separate focus groups (n = 29 participants; 18 females) were carried out with agri-food entrepreneurs throughout Europe (Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Italy). The discussions were semi-structured and revolved around individuals’ perceptions of the support received from their surrounding infrastructure and their opinions on mentorship programmes. A reflective thematic analysis was conducted following verbatim transcription of the conversations from the focus groups. Findings: Three major themes were identified: 1. Business Initiation and Development, 2. Perceived Barriers, and 3. Mentorship Programmes. Of these central themes, each of these themes was further divided into accompanying sub-themes. The most often-cited theme was the lack of adequate financial support and experiencing frustration with the complexity of funding application administrative processes. Socio-cultural support was oftentimes lacking, with participants noting they often felt more senior, experienced entrepreneurs gatekept information to avoid their development and expansion. Females in particular experienced gender-discriminatory behaviour from peers and those more senior than themselves. Finally, the vast majority of participants were aware of the benefits of an online presence but lacked confidence in their digital abilities and were unsure where to source the relevant support. Conclusions: These findings highlight a range of issues that need to be addressed to improve the infrastructure surrounding agri-food entrepreneurs throughout Europe and sustain the food sector. This knowledge may be used to guide policymakers and those at decision-making levels. Full article

As older people have accumulated more developed networks, stronger financial positions and a greater ability to leverage resources and create more credible businesses, they are better placed to start new and more successful businesses than the younger generation. This paper presents the research that has been conducted for the ENTRUST project, which aims at designing an entrepreneurship training programme for people aged 50+ who are interested in creating new businesses to foster the sustainable development of rural areas and to provide services to tourists or other businesses that support tourism in rural areas. The results of the surveys for potential 50+ entrepreneurs (72 respondents) and experts in rural development and tourism organizations (100 respondents) show that there are perceived business opportunities in rural areas for experienced 50+ professionals. There is also a high demand for training targeted at rural tourism entrepreneurs. The interviews of experienced 50+ entrepreneurs (8) who work in cooperation with the rural community show that 50+ entrepreneurs find their work meaningful and that they want to continue working “as long as their health allows”. They greatly value the opportunity to develop the rural area and to be involved in preserving its historical and cultural heritage. Full article

As opposed to only having subject knowledge, the necessity of skills has repeatedly been emphasized as essential to succeed in the practical world. Being able to adjust to new circumstances is crucial, especially in today’s world, where uncertainty, volatility, ambiguity, and complexity are ubiquitous. Experiential Learning Theory can be implemented during innovative pedagogical approaches to better prepare students for entering the market as successful entrepreneurs in such a tumultuous time—for instance, an entrepreneurial course might incorporate using business simulation games, such as MonsoonSim and prototype developing software, including Justinmind to experience enhanced experiential learning with thematic goals. In order to strengthen the quality of teaching and learning and foster self-directed learners better equipped to cope with existing challenges, this study investigates the processes of implementing a business simulation game along with prototype development software and distinguishes it from a typical classroom experience. The sample consists of students enrolled in a short summer entrepreneurial course designed by the United Arab Emirates University at the request of the Ministry of Education, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), for secondary and higher secondary school graduates. The students from private and government schools across all seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates participated in this course. The online flipped classroom was carefully designed by blending several approaches during the pre-class, in-class, and post-class activities. In order to provide an advanced learning experience, a web-based business simulation game (MosoonSim) and online prototype development software, Justinmind, were introduced during the course. The qualitative and quantitative results show that incorporating business simulation games had a significantly positive impact on students’ learning outcomes, such as critical and higher-order thinking, idea creation, and problem-solving capabilities, and improved engagement through an easy, enjoyable, and interactive environment. Furthermore, findings show that the learning outcomes are significantly influenced by the attributes of the group members and their consistency during group activities in a flipped classroom, and assigning a dedicated instructor or a senior group member having solid background knowledge in a particular subject can assist in significantly enhancing the learning outcomes of a whole group. Full article

The Saudi Arabian government has promoted the tourism industry as a way to achieve the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by diversifying the economy and reducing overdependence on the oil sector. To align with this, several universities in Saudi Arabia have started providing tourism education. Accordingly, several academic programs and university incubators were launched to prepare workers and entrepreneurs for the industry. This study examines the role of support given by university incubators—embedded in networking support, financial support, and training support—in enhancing entrepreneurship intention among tourism graduates. Furthermore, the study examines the mediating role of personal attitude in the aforementioned relationship. Data were collected from a sample of 750 senior students at tourism and hospitality management colleges in Saudi Arabian public universities. All of the research participants have had access to these incubators. Using structural equation modeling, the study shows that the personal attitude of graduates partially mediates the impact of networking support as a dimension of university incubator support and entrepreneurship intention. However, the personal attitude of graduates was found to fully mediate the relationships between financial and training support and entrepreneurship. Future research implications and limitations are elaborated. Full article

Technological advancements have created a plethora of opportunities for entrepreneurs to develop and extend their business operations. Hence, internet has promoted to the emergence of digital entrepreneurship as a growing form of entrepreneurship among many entrepreneurs, especially digital natives. This research examines to what extent personal traits of digital natives’ impact on their digital entrepreneurship intention. The research examined the direct impact of the big five personal traits, i.e., openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, on digital entrepreneurship intention and the indirect impact through personal attitude. For this purpose, a pre-examined questionnaire was directed to senior students in computer sciences and information technology colleges at public universities in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The results of structural equation modeling using SmartPLS (version 4) confirmed a direct positive and significant impact of the big five personal traits on personal attitude. However, the results revealed that the impact of the big five personal traits (except agreeableness) on digital entrepreneurship intention were positive but insignificant. Additionally, a mediating effect was confirmed for personal attitude in the link between personal traits and digital entrepreneurship intention among senior students in KSA higher education. The results contributed to the research gap in relation to personal traits and its impact on personal attitude and ultimatly on digital entrepreneurship intention, especially among digital natives. Several impactions were merged and discussed for scholars, policy makers and educators in higher education institutions. Full article

Workers in the wood industry are continually exposed to a wide range of risks. Some risks are potentially high and may lead to serious work-related accidents or occupational diseases. It is a sector where physical work is predominant and where high-risk machinery is used. There is also the age factor, as the age of the workforce increases the risks of loss of skills, particularly physical skills. This study analyses the impact of age on the occupational safety and health management in the wood industry. To this end, a qualitative analysis was carried out through semi-structured in-depth interviews. A total of 52 interviews were conducted with wood-based entrepreneurs, occupational safety technicians and experts from Galicia (Spain). The results show that there is a growing concern to integrate the older group in occupational safety and health management due to the increasing work life. The older group is not the one with the greatest number of occupational accidents (8.3%), but rather the one that needs better working conditions in the face of physical deterioration, considering that a large proportion of senior workers is transferred to administrative tasks. Consequently, the proportion of older workers performing physical tasks, which are the tasks with the highest associated risk, is lower. Full article

In the 21st century, society has been undergoing a technology-driven transformation which heralds a new revolution that has potential to strengthen the position of an individual and community but may also lead to the marginalization of certain groups. The Internet of Things takes advantage of the technology’s potential to improve digital competencies and the quality of life in society. The purpose of this paper is to obtain information about the digital competencies and needs of contemporary seniors and pre-senior age people, as well as socially sensitive groups from Poland’s rural areas. To strength the level of internet infrastructure in rural areas, power line communication (PLC) systems that utilize high-voltage line(s) between transformer substations are presented as a cost-effective communication tool. PowerLink IP has made PLC systems today more attractive and efficient than ever before. Based on nation-wide representative surveys conducted in deliberately selected groups, we collected information on digital competencies and formulated recommendations pertaining to the structure and contents of an innovative internet portal as regards offering, sharing, and the availability of commercial and social services targeted at seniors and other dependent groups. The recommended portal combines the needs of target groups with interests of entrepreneurs, self-government authorities, and NGOs. Full article

The concept of artificial intelligence (AI) is the transformation of inanimate objects into intelligent beings that can reason similarly to humans. Computer systems are capable of imitating a number of human intelligence functions, such as learning, reasoning, problem solving, speech recognition, and planning. In this regard, artificial intelligence applications have been developed to assist corporations and entrepreneurs in making business decisions. Hence, the aim of the study is to investigate the adoption of AI applications at the Vietnamese organizational level. Using the core structures of the technology–organization–environment (TOE), the theoretical model was constructed based on how technical and environmental elements influence companies’ technological innovation adoption decisions. Ten critical factors related to AI adoption are identified. To test the model, data were obtained from 193 senior managers who are directly in charge of information systems in both private and public companies in Vietnam. Subsequently, the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach was used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that technical compatibility, relative advantage, technical complexity, technical capability, managerial capability, organizational readiness, government involvement, market uncertainty, and vendor partnership are significantly related to AI application adoption. Interestingly, the study results indicated that the relationship between organization size and AI adoption was not statistically significant. Therefore, the suggested adoption of the AI application could contribute to the existing research on the adoption of AI through the TOE. Finally, the significant government law implications and future research directions are further addressed. Full article

This paper aims to propose an integrated theoretical model with which to identify the personal characteristics, behaviors, and competencies of individuals who have successfully seen a senior cohousing project through to the residential stability phase. Numerous early-stage senior cohousing projects are registered each year. However, only a few of them are actually built, and when they are, the construction process takes an average of 10 years. Would-be cohousing residents have to put their tenacity and other competencies to the test to overcome the obstacles in their path before their residential complex is completed. The model proposed here analyzes senior cohousing initiatives as entrepreneurial undertakings. To this end, it draws upon a comprehensive review of the literature on entrepreneurship to identify the personal characteristics, behaviors, and competencies typical of entrepreneurs. In this model, participants in senior cohousing projects make use of these entrepreneurial competencies to help them overcome the obstacles to completing their housing development. However, for the would-be cohousing residents, the objective is not simply to build the residential complex but to enjoy the satisfaction and well-being this housing typology offers. Here, too, we find their entrepreneurial competencies can play a role. Full article

Social exclusion related to the unemployment of vulnerable population groups constitutes a crucial limitation to achieving a sustainable world. In particular, young and senior populations have specific characteristics that put them at risk of exclusion from the labor market. This circumstance has motivated an attempt to foster cooperation between these age groups to enable them to develop entrepreneurial initiatives that will contribute to close this social vulnerability gap. We approach this topic by focusing on intergenerational entrepreneurship, understood as entrepreneuring projects jointly undertaken by seniors and young adults. The objective of this study was to identify the differences and complementarities between senior and young entrepreneurs with a view to enabling them to develop viable intergenerational entrepreneurial projects, with special emphasis in the motivational push, pull, and blocking factors that affect them. This kind of entrepreneurial initiative fosters knowledge transfer and experience between age groups, promotes job creation and social inclusion, improves a sense of belonging, and, thus, contributes to the construction of a stronger society serving as an engine for sustainable development. Therefore, intergenerational entrepreneurship can be considered a form of social innovation. A mixed-methods approach was utilized in this study, using quantitative data from a questionnaire as a starting point for the characterization and identification of senior and young entrepreneurial profiles, and qualitative data from focus groups, which enabled us to identify complementarities among generations. The results show that there are significant differences between youths and seniors in terms of the motivations and factors that push, pull, or block the decision to form an intergenerational entrepreneurial partnership. These differences can be interpreted as complementarities that can boost intergenerational cooperation to promote social inclusion. Full article

Mandatory nutrition labelling, introduced in Malaysia in 2003, received a “medium implementation” rating from public health experts when previously benchmarked against international best practices by our group. The rating prompted this qualitative case study to explore barriers and facilitators during the policy process. Methods incorporated semi-structured interviews supplemented with cited documents and historical mapping of local and international directions up to 2017. Case participants held senior positions in the Federal government (n = 6), food industry (n = 3) and civil society representations (n = 3). Historical mapping revealed that international directions stimulated policy processes in Malaysia but policy inertia caused implementation gaps. Barriers hindering policy processes included lack of resources, governance complexity, lack of monitoring, technical challenges, policy characteristics linked to costing, lack of sustained efforts in policy advocacy, implementer characteristics and/or industry resistance, including corporate political activities (e.g., lobbying, policy substitution). Facilitators to the policy processes were resource maximization, leadership, stakeholder partnerships or support, policy windows and industry engagement or support. Progressing policy implementation required stronger leadership, resources, inter-ministerial coordination, advocacy partnerships and an accountability monitoring system. This study provides insights for national and global policy entrepreneurs when formulating strategies towards fostering healthy food environments. Full article

Building on the active aging framework, the aim of this study, carried out between 2016 and 2018, is to analyze concrete experiences of older individuals acting as key players of social change in six local communities of five European countries (Bulgaria, Denmark, England, France, Spain). The 19 seniors involved in the study, according to social contexts, individual past experiences, knowledge, and motivations, acted as senior social entrepreneurs, trying to build a pathway towards social solutions for unmet social problems they detected in local communities. Data were collected via templates and questionnaires and analyzed using the thematic analysis. The results highlighted that the 16 local initiatives created by seniors concerned social problems such as food waste, social isolation, multicultural integration, etc. The social solutions implemented by seniors seemed to have the potential to produce social value and, to different degrees, encouraging results and impact. Since this “social experiment” provided evidence that senior social entrepreneuring could be a driver to solve societal problems, policy makers should sustain the spread of both social entrepreneurial mindset and practices at the European level, for catalyzing the active potential of older people for the benefit of European local communities. Full article

The European Commission considers the following groups of entrepreneurs: females, family businesses, liberal professions, migrants, and seniors. Disabled people are not included, and this paper could, therefore, open up a new field of research and an important issue to be considered among the European Union’s social objectives. The University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) in Spain provides an entrepreneurship education course, “Entrepreneurship and disability,” for disabled students. It is the first time that a course with these characteristics has been taught at a Spanish University, which signifies that there is no similar research of this nature. Keeping in mind its originality, this study makes an important contribution to the field. The main objective is to analyze whether the motivation to start up a business differs between students with disabilities and those without. We analyzed “before” and “after” data in order to test the potential impact of entrepreneurship education on the students’ entrepreneurial attitude. An analysis of variance with several demographic variables has allowed us to prove that the education that students received, their business experience, and their field of study have significant effects. This statistical test showed no significant differences between disabled and non-disabled students. Full article