Determinants of agripreneurship venture performance in Ghana’s metropolises: Empirical evidence from Accra and Kumasi

This dissertation aims to provide theoretical and empirical evidence on which information signals can explain venture investments and performance. The first two studies are empirical, employing film industry as the ideal setting to support the theoretical framework. A film is considered a new venture (project-based), film producer and director are considered the core members of the new venture founding team (VFT), film’s script represents the new venture’s business idea and the distributor represents an intermediary that legitimates the VFT in the market. The first study explains how investors decrease new venture “liability of newness” through two main signals: the VFT reputation and the socio-political legitimacy of the new venture idea. I find that VFT reputation enhances the socio-political legitimacy of a new venture idea, which on its own decreases the effect of VFT reputation on attracting potential investors. The second study, combining signaling and agency theories, explore signals that determine new venture performance. Results find that VFT reputation is an agent’s “value signal” for venture investors (principals respect to a VFT) that is mediated by the investment of an intermediary in the new venture, which represents an efficient “commitment signal” to maximize the new venture performance. The intermediary considered assumes a special “dual role” in the VFT-investors’ relationship: it is an agent with respect to investors and, at the same time, it is a principal to the VFT. Finally, the third study is a literature review proposing a new operational model for established and new ventures that aim to acquire competitive advantage through three relevant signals: reputation, legitimacy and status. The model explains how managers and venture founders, through the acquisition of venture’s legitimacy and network status, could strategically affect the corporate reputation of their venture, leading it to higher societal status and greater competitive advantage.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the new engine of future economic development. As a new force in the market economy, the issue of whether AI is related to the higher performance of new ventures in emerging economies still requires empirical evidence. Using content analysis and taking the 2010–2019 A-share listed new ventures as panel data, this paper tests the relationship and boundary conditions of AI orientation (AIO) on the performance of new ventures from the perspective of absorptive capacity. We find that AIO is positively related to new venture performance, where firm growth and the level of regional economic development have a significant positive moderating effect. This paper provides empirical evidence on the relationship between AIO and new venture performance.

Monetary policy, foreign direct investment, and the stock market continue to dominate in discussions in developing countries. However, the linkage between the three variables in empirical literature remains unclear. This study aims to test two separate hypotheses: Firstly, the study examines the effects of monetary policy on stock market performance in Ghana. Secondly, the study also empirically investigates the effect of foreign direct investment on stock market performance in Ghana. Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model was employed as an estimation strategy to examine the short and long-run effects using annual time series data from 1990 to 2019. The study revealed that monetary policy rate and money supply exerts a statistically significant negative and a positive effect on stock market performance in both the long and short-run in Ghana, respectively. It was also found that foreign direct investment has significant and a positive effect on stock market performance in Ghana in both the long and short run. Total capital stock and volume traded were also found to exert significant positive and negative impacts on stock market performance both in the short and long run respectively. Based on our findings, we recommend that expansionary monetary policy will be a better option to be carried out to improve the stock market performance in Ghana. Furthermore, government and private partnership may ensure the effective management of the macroeconomic variables to attract foreign direct investment into Ghana to boost stock market performance.

The importance of women’s entrepreneurial role has recently emerged in creative industries (CIs) literature because of the recognition of entrepreneurship as a significant tool for improving employability and enforcement of women artists and creatives. CIs provide a domain for women to build and sustain their economic empowerment by developing skills, finding jobs, working flexibly, achieving work-life balance, and generating income. This study seeks to disclose the predicting role of critical factors of entrepreneurship on women’s venture performance in CIs in Maryland. Drawing on the relevant literature, the study examines simultaneously the effect of a bundle of personal and social factors pertinent to women’s entrepreneurial activities in creatives industries using a survey (n = 138) and structural equation modeling as a methodological tool. The results reveal that entrepreneurial and artistic orientation, networking, and creative personality impact statistically significant women’s venture performance in CIs. Mentoring does not exert a statistically significant impact on women’s venture performance in CIs. The study contributes to entrepreneurship research, women entrepreneurs in CIs, and entrepreneurship for community and economic development. Additionally, its practical contribution is related to knowledge enrichment for community organizations, community developers, and decision-makers to support women entrepreneurs’ venture performance in CIs in their communities.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of different types of networking, namely, business networking, financial networking and political networking, on the performance of new ventures and the extent to which competitive advantage influences the process.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through a structured questionnaire using sample size of 319 newly established ventures in Pakistan – an emerging economy. The hypotheses were tested with structural equation modeling by using AMOS 21.FindingsResults of the study indicate that business networking, financial networking and political networking significantly and positively contribute to new ventures performance and competitive advantage. Results also show that competitive advantage is a strong mediator between financial networking and new venture performance, as well as between business networking and new venture performance, respectively. However, in case of relationship between political networking and new venture performance, competitive advantage plays only a partial mediating role.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that the owners and managers of new ventures should devote considerable efforts to developing all the three types of networks; in particular these networks are important for newly established ventures operating in emerging markets to access resources and to enhance performance.Originality/valueExtensive review of available literature indicates that this is the first paper to assess the impact of networking on new ventures’ performance with a mediating role of competitive advantage. This study contributes to the existing literature through empirical evidence.

The chapter presents findings from a study of the effects of work life programmes on employees attitudes and behaviour in the Indonesian higher education sector. Work attitudes and behaviours examined include organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB) , in–role performance, and organizational commitment. These employee attitudes and behaviours were selected to be tested as it is generally claimed by employers that adopting formal organizational support on work and family issues could improve attitudes and behaviours, which in turn will benefit the organization. The relationship between work life balance programmes and employee behaviours and attitudes was tested via a survey across Indonesian higher education institutions.

The empirical literature on Special economic zones (SEZs) has shown that SEZs have become critical policy tools for advancing economic and firm performance, especially in developing economies where financial capital, human capital, technology and technical know‐how to drive these performances are in limited supply. While the importance and effects of SEZs cannot be overemphasised and are well documented, particularly in Asia, SEZs' operationalisation, structure and policy practice appear to vary, especially in Ghana and hence a need to examine SEZ effects on firm performance in Ghana. Thus, following the difference in the structure and practice of SEZs and its limited empirical evidence in African emerging economies, this present study employs analysis of variance, treatment estimation and regression models covering 328 firms between 2018 and 2021 to shed insights on how SEZ dynamics/features affect firm performance (measured with total factor productivity, labour productivity, profitability, revenue generation and value added) in Ghana. Our results suggest firms operating under SEZ dynamics have varying significant effects on firm performance. Thus, while firms registered as SEZ firms and operating in SEZ enclaves and firms registered as SEZ firms and operating outside SEZ enclaves have significant positive effects on the performance indicators of firms, firms that are not registered as SEZ firms and operating outside SEZ enclaves detracted firm performance. Clearly, firms that possess SEZ dynamics/features tend to promote performance of firms as denoted in the empirical literature and theoretical approaches to SEZ. Arguably, the tax holidays, cheaper tariffs and infrastructural benefits derived by SEZ registered firms boost their productivity, revenue and profit performance higher than non‐SEZ registered firms. These results suggest policymakers/government should reduce administrative bottlenecks of registering as SEZ firms and operating in SEZ enclaves to increase the number of SEZ firm operations to induce performance and create room for fiscal revenue.

The central role agriculture plays in the development of Ghana’s economy has been recognized by several authors, particularly because Ghana’s economy is basically agrarian. Nevertheless, the contributions agriculture can make to economic development depend on the policy environment within which agriculture thrives. Several policies, both general and specific to agriculture, which have been pursued under various governments have either promoted or mitigated against the performance of agriculture in Ghana. This paper reviews the various policies under which Ghana's agricultural sector has operated since independence, and provides a synthesis of the major existing policies and recent changes and how these have affected the agricultural sector. The analysis shows that the socialist model of the 1960s contrasted sharply with the liberalized market approach of the 1980s and 1990s, particularly under structural adjustment. These differing policy orientations have had significant effects on agricultural performance in Ghana, and the roles of agriculture at different periods. For instance, the policy effects of agricultural activities on the environment, such as the promotion of export commodities, the exploitation of timber and forest resources, mining, and indiscriminate sale and use of agro-chemicals in Ghana have been negative. On the other hand, promotion of cash and export crops through government policy incentives have improved rural incomes for farmers that cultivate such crops, and helped to reduce poverty among this group. In general, the policy effects on agriculture in Ghana have been mixed.

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of Taekwondo training on leadership and the relationship between the leadership of girl’s middle school students and community spirit and to provide basic materials for various educational program development to nurture leadership that can be used in Taekwondo Gym. In this study, preliminary survey was made on the parents of Taekwondo Gym. This study was performed according to the following study procedures. First, on 250 girl’s middle school students of the students who have been trained in Taekwondo Gym. in Daegu for more than six months were selected through Convenience Sampling and were asked to answer the survey in self-administration method. Among the 250 returned answers, 238 answers ex-cluding insincere or incomplete ones were analyzed as valid samples. Second, statistical verification was made according to the purpose of material analysis using SPSS Program 23.0. General characteristics were identified by frequency analysis and for the reliability verification cronbach s α coefficient was calculated. Taekwondo train-ing factors, leadership skill factors and community spirit factors were analyzed for the factor analysis, while the effects of Taekwondo training factors on the leadership and community spirit factors were analyzed by multi regression analysis. The following conclusions were made according to the above research methods and material analysis methods. First, in the effects of Taekwondo training on leadership skill, emotional factors, living attitude factors influenced decision making factors, and emotional factors, social factors, physical factors and living atti-tude factors influenced self-understanding factors. Second, in the effects of Taekwondo training on community spirit, social factors and living attitude factors of Taekwondo training influenced altruism factors and emotional factors and social factors influenced social responsibility factors. Third, in the effects of leadership skill on com-munity spirit, self-understanding factors and leadership factors influenced altruism and self-understanding fac-tors influenced significantly on social responsibility factors. As such, it was found that Taekonwdo training influ-enced leadership skill and community spirit.

Food suppliers' perceptions and practical implementation of food safety regulations in Taiwan

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze entrepreneurs' coping strategies used to face stakeholders' expectations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws from the general management, role theory, and entrepreneurship literature to develop hypotheses that are tested by using hierarchical regression techniques on a sample of 183 Slovenian entrepreneurs. The paper develops and tests four coping strategies (structural role redefinition, personal role redefinition, reactive role behavior, and passive role behavior) to assess influence on new venture performance. The analysis examines moderating effects of entrepreneurs' perceived role‐related stress.FindingsResults reveal that coping strategies focused on reducing expectations and/or working harder to meet expectations positively affect new venture performance. However, entrepreneurs' focus on suppressing perceived expectations negatively influences new venture performance. Furthermore, entrepreneurs' role‐related stress moderates the relationship between reactive role behavior and new venture performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides a better understanding of types of coping strategies available to entrepreneurs and practical consequences for new venture performance. It also explores why some entrepreneurs perform well and why some may quit early being an entrepreneur while others remain and prosper in their role. Possible study limitations are discussed due to sample characteristics and measurement.Practical implicationsThe study results are relevant for practising and nascent entrepreneurs, support organizations, and policy makers since empirical evidence can be used in designing entrepreneurs' training and competency‐building programs.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to illustrate effects on early entrepreneurial performance of coping strategies to meet stakeholders' expectations and, indirectly, entrepreneurs' ability to endure establishing a new venture.

Relatedness and corporate venturing: Does it really matter?

Entrepreneurs, as initiators of entrepreneurial activities, have long been one of important research objects in the field of entrepreneurship research and, however, there has been no study reported on how entrepreneurial traits influence venture performance from a perspective of entrepreneurial orientation. This study explored the relationship between entrepreneurial traits and venture performance by focusing on the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation and the moderating role of entrepreneurial environment perception. Using time-lagged data from 321 private enterprises in China, the results reveal that entrepreneurial traits are positively related to venture performance, and this link is mediated by entrepreneurial orientation. Additionally, moderated path analysis indicates that entrepreneurial environment perception strengthens the direct effect of the entrepreneurial traits on entrepreneurial orientation and its indirect effect on venture performance. This study extends the scope of entrepreneurial traits research, and provides evidence for arguments that entrepreneurship in the context of China.

Since the inception of the First National Economic and Social Development Plan in 1961, agriculture in Thailand was deliberately planned by the Thai Government to generate foreign exchange earnings needed to stimulate industrial development through importsubstitution policy at least until 1976. Monoculture was introduced to replace the traditional practice of self-sufficient farming while domestic prices were kept at perpetually low level through various forms of export tax in order to generate income for the government as well as to keep the labour cost of production at low level to be conducive for industrial development. Agriculture in Thailand is now at the cross-road as to whether the Thai Government should promote the expansion of these new forms of agriculture to provide strong economic bases for small farmers as well as national economic and social security. At the same time, it should continue supporting the agro-industries basically for export, when there is no conflict of interest in terms of resources and environment between the two forms of agricultural practices. Agriculture in Thailand until 1976 Before the launch of the First National Economic Development Plan in 1961, Thailand was basically an agrarian society. In 1960, more than 80 per cent of the country's population was still in the agricultural sector, with agricultural products accounting for 36.7 per cent of the GDP, while the size of the GDP then was only US$20 billion at current price (Suchinda 1995, p. 10). Foreign exchange earnings were generated by narrow ranges of primary products. They were basically rice, tin, rubber and teak. The country was, and is still, basically self-sufficient in food and other related agricultural products. The National Economic and Social Development Plans (as they were later called) since their inception in 1961 until the Seventh one (1992-96) placed strong emphasis on rapid expansion through industrialization. As a result, the agricultural sector has been made subservient to that of industry deliberately through the national development policy. There has been considerable shift in the emphasis in the Eighth National Economic and Social Development Plan (1997-2001). The human factor is made central to all national development efforts. Much more emphasis is now placed on the improvement in quality of life of the underprivileged as well as on sustainable development. Although industrial and service sectors were the country's ultimate development goal, foreign exchange earnings from the agricultural sector was a prerequisite for the said development objective. From the inception of the First Plan, diversification of agricultural products were made for exports from three items, namely rice, rubber and teak. The new products included upland crops such as jute, maize, sugar-cane and cassava. Unfortunately, newly diversified products were achieved at the cost of more destruction of virgin forest lands, and the farming method adopted was basically monoculture. Consequently, additional foreign exchange earnings were gained at the cost of rapid destruction of forest lands and rapid deterioration in the quality and quantity of water supply as well as quality of soil suitable for agriculture due mainly to soil erosion. It was estimated that the annual rate of top soil loss from monoculture for upland crops in Thailand ranges from 25 tons to 75 tons per acre per year depending on the amount of rainfall and soil coverage by plants (Tongpan 1995, p. 41). As a result, yield per area has been reduced progressively by time. For example a five-centimeter loss of top soil will result in 22 per cent reduction of corn production, and 15-centimeter loss of top soil will result in 50 per cent production loss, accordingly (Tongpan 1995, p. 41). In spite of such long-term undesirable consequences, the rapid increase in cultivable areas resulted in absolute increase in agricultural products. For example in 1961 while forest occupied 53. …

PurposeGrounded in human capital theory and resource‐based view, this paper aims to examine the effect of the entrepreneur's human capital and the venture's resources on the performance of small‐ and medium‐sized tourism ventures (SMTVs) in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 247 SMTVs, defined as tourism establishments employing less than 100 employees in the Western and Central regions of Ghana. Hypotheses derived from human capital and resource‐based theories were tested to assess the relationship between the theories and SMTV performance.FindingsThe study found a significant positive relationship between education, experience and performance. However, the hypothesised positive relationship between entrepreneurial family background and SMTV performance was inconsistent with prior studies. The findings with respect to the hypothesised relationship between venture resources and SMTV performance were mixed.Research limitations/implicationsThe study suffers from industry‐specific, size‐specific and region‐specific limitations. Another limitation is the focus on human capital and venture resources as the determinants of tourism venture performance.Practical implicationsKnowing that education and experience per se impact on tourism venture performance, it behoves entrepreneurs in the tourism industry to endeavour to acquire the requisite education and experience. The finding has policy implications in the provision of tailor‐made training and incubation programs for SMTV entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe study adds to the understanding of the unique nature of entrepreneurship in tourism by identifying the significance of human capital factors and venture resources on the performance of tourism ventures.