Entrepreneurship Programs Research Articles

Barriers to entrepreneurship: an intersectional analysis of an early-stage refugee entrepreneurship programme in the United Kingdom

PurposeThe study deploys Anthias' intersectional framework of social spaces and her concept of translocational positionality to explore the barriers to entrepreneurship for refugee entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom (UK). In particular, the study aims to assess how migrant identities require a specific form of business support.Design/methodology/approachA total of 32 semi-structured interviews with 14 refugee entrepreneurs and 18 business support agents were conducted between April and October 2022 and, together with field notes, were combined for thematic analysis in NVivo 12.FindingsOrganisational, representational, intersubjective and experiential barriers combined to create practical and psychological deterrents to entrepreneurship for refugees. However, an explicitly humanistic and de-centred approach to business support was (partially) able to counter such barriers.Practical implicationsPolicymakers and business support agencies should consider intersectional characteristics and the importance of a compassionate and individual approach when designing business support programmes for refugee entrepreneurs.Originality/valueTwo intersectional concepts of social spaces and translocational positionality are brought into conversation with each other, creating a novel approach to framing the barriers to entrepreneurship for refugees.

Practicable Vocational and Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition for job Creation and Poverty Alleviation Among Nigerian Youths

Purpose: This study examined the concepts of poverty, youth unemployment and vocational and entrepreneurial skills acquisition. It also identified the various factors responsible for poverty and youth unemployment in Nigeria. It highlighted the rationale for Nigerian youths to acquire vocational and entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance, income generation, wealth creation and employment generation for others. Theoretical Framework: The aim of vocational and entrepreneurial skills acquisition is to make it practicable in order to drive and deliver the purpose of job creation and poverty alleviation among Nigerian youths. Making it more practicable achieves the driving force to creating economic values and creative business engagements by Nigerians. The focus also provides job opportunities for the teeming Nigerian youths, channels their future to productive activities and turn to make poverty and unemployment to be things of the past if the practicability is achieved through entrepreneurial activities. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study adopted the mode of conducting literature review and conceptualization of the variables and x-rayed the reasons for poverty and unemployment and deepen how the social problems can be identified and reduced to the barest minimum in Nigeria. Findings: Our findings revealed there is serious poverty and unemployment in Nigeria. It as well suggest that it is of valuable and useful direction to promote practicable skills acquisition among Nigerian youths and that the curricula of Nigerian educational institutions should be more pragmatic and have built-in-job training programmes that would enable students to acquire relevant practicable vocational and entrepreneurial skills required for self-employment, job and wealth creation and poverty alleviation. While all stakeholders should be actively involved in the funding of vocational and entrepreneurship education. Research, Practical & Social implications: This study in its focus contributes to a better understanding of the important role being played by entrepreneurial skills acquisition in achieving practicable vocational skills and to develop entrepreneurial attitudes of Nigerian youths that will form the economic growth of the country through their engagements and make them employers of labour through their acquired practicable vocational skills acquisition to better the society. This study also contributes to a better understanding of the causes of the menace which therefore proffers solution to tackling the problem of poverty among Nigerian youths through the provision of a viable, robust, comprehensive and practical-oriented vocational and entrepreneurship education. It also expressed how the collective responsibility of all prominent Nigerians could be keyed-into supporting entrepreneurship programmes in Nigeria in the area of funding of vocational and entrepreneurship education in Nigeria which both Government at Federal, State and Local Government levels and the Non-Govermental Organisations (NGOs). Originality/value: The added value of this study provides insights on how vocational entrepreneurial skills acquisition programmes can be practicable effective in a way to structure the future of Nigerian youths and citizens for productive economic activities. It is as well sought how poverty and unemployment can be reduced and make citizens focus for economic growth and self-dependence businesses.

Penguatan Kewirausahaan berbasis SMART Marketing di Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan

The community collaboration initiative developed at SMK Negeri 7 Makassar will offer instructional sessions. This exercise comprises a total of 20 participants, with 13 being students and 7 being teachers. Every participant will receive training and guidance on how to deliver Smart Marketing-based Entrepreneurship Strengthening, which encompasses defined, quantifiable, realistic, relevant, and time-bound objectives. Moreover, equipped with expertise in management and entrepreneurship, PKM participants can enhance their self-reliance in generating employment opportunities aligned with their skill sets. The activity employs project-based learning as its methodology. Offers information regarding the significance of increasing entrepreneurship. Presents concise strategies for launching a self-sustaining enterprise and cultivating an enterprising mindset through the implementation of intelligent marketing techniques. The lecture and question and answer style is employed to elucidate the subject matter and present case examples that serve as sources of inspiration for the participants. The Entrepreneurship Program, which is centered around digital technology, provides a comprehensive understanding of the various types and roles of the digital revolution in the field of Marketing.

Increasing self‐esteem for vulnerable young women: A case study of entrepreneurship training for vulnerable young women in Thailand

AbstractDisadvantaged young people who have experienced violence often have low self‐esteem due to the difficult circumstances to which they are exposed. Abuse, bullying and other forms of mistreatment have a permanent impact on their sense of self‐worth, generating negative emotions and self‐protective behaviour in order to shield themselves from further harm. As a result, these young people may struggle to maintain their self‐esteem in the context of the challenges they face. This article aims to explore how training can be used to combat this issue to build self‐esteem among vulnerable young people, through a case study of a training entrepreneurship programme for vulnerable Thai young people residing in a home for girls. Through conducting a 16‐week training programme and follow‐up interviews, the study finds that entrepreneurship training has a positive effect on building self‐esteem. Findings indicate that the young women who participated reported feeling more confident, with better self‐reliance, and more capable of pursuing future endeavours, especially since the training enhances their understanding of long‐term effects and outcomes, including employment and the impact of job creation and sustainable development. Ultimately, the study underlines the importance of entrepreneurship training to build self‐esteem and confidence in young people who are vulnerable and in need of such an opportunity.

Social Entrepreneurship Program to Improve the economic Welfare of Poor Families in Indonesia

This study aims to examine the impact of the social entrepreneurship program on the economic welfare of its beneficiaries. The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected the implementation of such programs, making it essential to understand how economic welfare has been affected during and after the pandemic. The study will assess family income levels before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and after the program’s implementation. Social entrepreneurship, as a blend of business and social values, is considered an effective tool in alleviating poverty and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in achieving zero poverty. In Indonesia, the Social Entrepreneurship Program was launched by the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2020, targeting 1,000 beneficiaries. A mixed-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods is employed in this study. The findings demonstrate an overall increase in the economic income of program beneficiaries. This rise in income has proven effective in restoring the economic welfare of the beneficiaries to pre-pandemic levels. These results are valuable in refining the social entrepreneurship program’s design and structure, particularly for poverty-stricken individuals, with the aim of enhancing family income and overall economic well-being.
 Keywords: social entrepreneurship, poverty, family income, economic welfare

The Influence of Entrepreneurship Orientation Motivation Perception of Opportinities on Entrepreneurship Practices at Vocational High School

This study aims to examine the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial motivation, and perceptions of opportunities with entrepreneurship practices of Vacational High School students. The research method used is associative (relationship). This research was conducted on class XII students majoring in Accounting at Vacational High School 3 Padang. The number of samples in this study were 100 respondents. The sampling technique is saturated sampling, because the entire population in this study is used as a respondent. Data collection was obtained from the results of direct and online distribution of questionnaires to students. Data analysis in this study uses multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between students' entrepreneurial orientation and their entrepreneurial practices. In addition, entrepreneurial motivation also has a positive influence on students' entrepreneurial practices. Perceptions of business opportunities are also positively correlated with students' entrepreneurial practices. This research provides evidence that the development of entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial motivation, and perceptions of opportunities can encourage entrepreneurial practices in Vacational High School students. The results of this study have important implications for education in vocational high schools to strengthen student entrepreneurship learning and development. In addition, this study also underlines the need for attention to these factors in designing effective entrepreneurship programs in schools.

The Potential of Meliponiculture in Forming Community Entrepreneurship Programme

The Potential of Meliponiculture in Forming Community Entrepreneurship Programme

Do entrepreneurship education activities have an impact on entrepreneurial behavior? An application of behavioral entrepreneurial intention.

Many of the world's most prosperous and secure nations owe much of their success to the contributions of their entrepreneurial spirit. Indian youth unemployment is among the worst in the world, posing serious problems for a country with the youngest population. Using the framework of planned behavior theory, this research examines how entrepreneurship courses affect future plans to start a business. We developed a theoretical framework by investigating the effect of college-level entrepreneurial programs on regional prosperity and quality of life. The research offers data from China on the connection between entrepreneurship education and the desire to start a business. The hypotheses indicate the mediating function of entrepreneurial skills in this relationship. If universities and colleges want their students to have an entrepreneurial attitude and launch successful businesses, they need to improve the way they teach entrepreneurship. The impact of entrepreneurship education and an entrepreneurial mentality on the choice to establish a company was studied by academics in the Chinese region from September 2021 to June 2022. The study's overarching goal was to investigate the connections between formal entrepreneurship education, attitudes toward entrepreneurship, the idea of planned behavior, an entrepreneurial mindset, and creative intent. We used an econometrically sound partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to do the necessary empirical computations. Education in entrepreneurship, an attitude conducive to starting a firm, the notion of planned behavior, and an entrepreneurial mindset all positively correlate with the choice to do so. The impulse to launch a new venture is highly correlated with a person's level of creativity. These findings make it quite evident that, in order to achieve the dual goals of economic development and poverty reduction, the government must increase spending and advocate for a shift in the way enterprises are organized.

Advancing Methods in Entrepreneurship Education Impact Research: The Benefits and Limitations of Register Data

With the increasing introduction of entrepreneurship education, supported by governments and policymakers, questions on their effect have occurred. Thus, several studies on their impact have also emerged over the years. However, many of these studies have issues related to control groups, students’ self-selection into the education, unclear objectives and vague descriptions of the education, or no contextual considerations in the studies’ design. In addition, although there have been many calls for studies investigating behavioural outcomes over a longer timeframe, few studies have answered the calls. As a continuous evaluation of graduates in many instances would be costly and time-consuming, not to mention the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient response rate over time, a potential source for evidence is register data, for instance, from public records. In this conceptual paper, I discuss the issues of the current evaluation practices of entrepreneurship education before the use of register data is introduced in consideration of long-term evaluation and common methodological issues. I present potential evaluation examples using register data on a particular program in entrepreneurship. The potential benefits and limitations of using such data are addressed, along with potential avenues for future research using register data in entrepreneurship education impact research.

Demand pull versus resource push training approaches to entrepreneurship: A field experiment

AbstractResearch SummaryWe compare the efficacy of two broad approaches to entrepreneurship training: a training prioritizing demand‐side activities versus a training prioritizing resource‐side activities. We do so by running a field experiment inside a 6‐month entrepreneurship program involving 236 early‐stage entrepreneurs. Inspired by our training, the first group invested more time interacting with potential customers and developing a deep understanding of customer needs and problems. The other group, in contrast, spent more time identifying and exploiting their core resources such as their network. Our results reveal that the training prioritizing demand‐side activities is substantially more effective. At the end of the program, the group exposed to the demand‐side training acquired more than twice the number of customers and generated revenues 65% higher than the other group.Managerial SummaryIn this paper, we aim to identify effective practices for supporting nascent entrepreneurs amidst the proliferation of entrepreneurship training programs. In particular, we launched a 6‐month entrepreneurship program involving 236 early‐stage entrepreneurs and exposed them to different training approaches. We discovered that a training approach focused on demand‐side activities, such as identifying customer persona, collecting reliable customer information, and interpreting their feedback, is more effective in improving new venture performance than a training approach focused on resource‐side activities such as helping entrepreneurs identify and leverage their resources and capabilities. Our findings emphasize the importance of developing skills related to customer analysis, market understanding, and collecting customer feedback during the early stages of a startup journey and can provide insights for designing effective entrepreneurship programs.

Institutionalized Social Entrepreneurship in Indonesia: A report on the challenges of state-driven social entrepreneurship promotion within the Five Cities' social assistance program

ABSTRACT The landscape of social entrepreneurship has undergone rapid evolution within business and non-profit sectors in recent years. However, there is a more recent trend in Indonesia, where social entrepreneurship is formally practised in public policy. This new approach represents an initiative related to what we call Institutionalized Social Entrepreneurship (ISE). In this article, we investigate the challenges faced while implementing experimental measures to transform cash transfers into social entrepreneurship programs based on 43 interviews with key stakeholders and end-users spreading over five regions. Our research findings indicate a lack of shared understanding among stakeholders when implementing social entrepreneurship programs. Furthermore, the beneficiaries face difficulties distinguishing between social entrepreneurship programs and regular cash transfers, leading to ineffective program outcomes and significant challenges in achieving community development objectives. This issue is exacerbated by an unbalanced power distribution between government and non-government actors involved in program implementation, which can potentially limit the program’s effectiveness and efficiency. Its unfolding transformation of social assistance and the application of social entrepreneurship in Indonesia highlight a new deal for welfare that responds to uncertain post-pandemic circumstances. This study adds to the literature on social entrepreneurship by highlighting the complexities of the state-society relationship in ISE.

How entrepreneurship programs foster students’ study engagement and entrepreneurship competence: Insights from job demands-resources theory

Building on the job demands-resources theory, this study aims to investigate how characteristics of entrepreneurship programs foster students’ study engagement and entrepreneurship competence. Longitudinal data were collected at three time points. A total of 154 Dutch students completed a questionnaire before, halfway, and at the end of an entrepreneurship program. The results of structural equation modelling demonstrated that program demands, such as a challenging learning environment and clear goals and standards, positively related to study engagement. In turn, study engagement was associated with entrepreneurship competence among students. Teacher-student relationships, as program resources, positively related to study engagement. However, the impact of student-student relationships on study engagement was not significant when compared to teacher-student relationships. This study contributes to entrepreneurship education research by providing empirical insights into the relationships between challenge demands, program resources, study engagement, and subsequent entrepreneurship competence. The findings also have practical implications for enhancing teaching effectiveness of entrepreneurship programs.

Increasing Young Entrepreneurs Through the WMP DISPORA Program

The aim of this service activity is to encourage economic growth in the Garut Regency community through young entrepreneurs in the fields of finance, education and training. The method used is the mentoring method. The Youth and Sports Service (Dispora) carries out entrepreneurial assistance activities by opening the Young Youth Entrepreneurship (WMP) program. Beginner Young Entrepreneurs (WMP) is a form of appreciation from the government to young people who are active in the business world, and have shown results and have the potential to develop. This WMP program provides opportunities for young entrepreneurs who have been running a business for at least three months who pass the business plan criteria and selection to receive assistance in the form of capital, education and soft skills training. Capital assistance can be in the form of money or goods, while to increase entrepreneurial knowledge capacity, one way is by holding soft skills training and WMP comparative studies. The result of this service activity is strengthening education and capital skills for young business actors in Garut Regency which encourages community economic growth through the WMP program. This WMP program contributes to the creation of new jobs, increases economic growth and is one component in supporting a healthy business environment and encouraging the vision of the Garut Regency government 2019-2024.

An educational program affirming immigrant entrepreneurship, critical consciousness, and cultural strengths

AbstractThis study reports on the experiences of immigrants in a culturally responsive community entrepreneurship program named Poder. Immigrants make up a sizable proportion of the workforce and contribute to the US economy by creating jobs through entrepreneurship endeavors. However, research about culturally responsive programs for the immigrant community to assist in exploring entrepreneurship opportunities is lacking. The consensual qualitative research (CQR) method was implemented to analyze the interviews of 11 immigrant students, who participated in the 5‐week program at a community college. Analyses revealed that students engaged in critical consciousness regarding barriers to entrepreneurship, educational values and barriers, achievement values, and the unique experience of immigrant entrepreneurs. Students addressed cultural advantages to reduce barriers during the program by engaging supports, family, technology, and community as resources. These strategies may be helpful to scholars, educators, and practitioners seeking to support immigrants in pursuing community entrepreneurship as educational and career pathways.

Public Theology, the Church and Youth Development in Ghana

The article is an examination of theological insights that Public Theology provides for the development of young people in Ghana. The article argued that the church is strategically positioned to make significant responses to contemporary challenges confronting youth development through its Public Theology. The study affirmed that the churches provide spiritual guidance, Christian education, entrepreneurship programmes, support systems and youth-focused ministries which help the youth to develop a sense of purpose and a strong moral compass such as integrity, compassion and social responsibility. The young people however face the challenge of unemployment, moral decadence, social neglect, relationships and the effects of corruption. The study recommends that through its theological resources, the church must play a vital role in youth development by paying attention to the socialization processes of the youth at home, church and school. Moreover, attention must be paid to mentoring which facilitates the process of discovering the right persons for leadership, entrepreneurship, social transformation and advocacy for young people to be empowered to make significant contributions to church growth and nation building. Keywords: African Christianity, Public Theology, Youth Development

The online entrepreneurship program effect on young people's self-efficacy and intention: an experiment in Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, China and Romania

Purpose Entrepreneurship can help tackle economic problems, such as unemployment. It is often promoted through education programs. There is a limited comprehensive and rigorous understanding of how entrepreneurship education programs and their ubiquitous distance delivery affect young people's entrepreneurial self-efficacy and intention, particularly in non-formal settings. The purpose of this study is to address this gap. Design/methodology/approach Underpinned by the Social Cognitive Theory, this paper investigates the effects of one entrepreneurship education program in a study with 145 young people from five countries aged 18 to 25 years, 62 Intervention and 83 Control participants. The program's impact on the participants' entrepreneurial intention and self-efficacy (across six sub-dimensions) was assessed in a one-off two-week quasi-experiment. Ex-ante and ex-post self-reported data were collected about the participants. Findings One-way analyses of covariance were performed to assess separately for changes in the Intervention participants' answers, relative to the Control group. The results of this study suggest the program significantly affected all measures. Originality/value These findings contribute to the discussions on the education programs’ effectiveness in promoting entrepreneurship. As a result, they may contribute to entrepreneurship education overcoming geographical and socio-economic hurdles (cost, time and entry barriers) to advance the development of industry, economy and community worldwide.

Participation of Women in Institutionally Sponsored Entrepreneurship Programs in Serbia: Some Statistical Facts

The analysis of female entrepreneurship in Serbia is the main topic of this paper. The analysis of entrepreneurship takes into account the underrepresentation of women in the self-employed population. Studies analyzing entrepreneurial intention, self-efficacy, and self-perceived employability similarly show a lower representation of women choosing the professional path of entrepreneurs. Studies on institutional support for women who participate in entrepreneurship programs are rare. Therefore, determining how participation in institutionally sponsored active labor market policy programs influences the growth of female entrepreneurship in Serbia is the purpose of this paper. According to the results of this research, Serbia has a substantial gender difference in self-employment. Less than one third of business owners are women. Women made up almost half of those taking part in entrepreneurship training. In 2021 and 2022, they received more than half of all subsidies for entrepreneurs. However, these findings do not affect significantly the trend of self-employment in Serbia.

The Success of the University Entrepreneurial Program: The Impact of the Ability to Manage Financial Management and the Entrepreneurial Spirit of Students

Program kewirausahaan dilaksanakan di hampir sebagian besar kampus di Indonesia. Hal ini sebagai bentuk kontribusi kampus terhadap peningkatan ekonomi melalui mahasiswa sebagai agen perubahan dan kewirausahaan karena secara jumlah, Indonesia memiliki tingkat kewirausahaan yang rendah dibandingkan dengan negara ASEAN lainnya. Namun sayangnya, program ini masih menemui beberapa kendala, diantaranya kemampuan mahasiswa dalam pengelolaan keuangan. Oleh karena itu, manajemen keuangan merupakan hal mendesak yang harus dikuasai oleh mahasiswa yang ingin sukses dalam mengembangkan usahanya. Metode pengambilan sampel adalah probability sampling dan menggunakan Structural Equation Modelling Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) untuk menguji hipotesis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya pengaruh langsung dan signifikan variabel manajemen keuangan terhadap keberhasilan usaha mahasiswa. Selain itu, hasil pengujian juga menunjukkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh secara langsung dan signifikan jiwa kewirausahaan mahasiswa terhadap keberhasilan usaha. Hal ini membuktikan bahwa penguasaan manajemen keuangan dan jiwa kewirausahaan bagi mahasiswa yang menjalankan usaha sangat penting untuk keberlangsungan program kewirausahaan di kalangan mahasiswa.

E-Fest Grants Can Help Schools Fund Entrepreneurship Programs

e-Fest Grants Can Help Schools Fund Entrepreneurship Programs

EPI2C Entrepreneurship & Design Thinking

Entrepreneurship is a high-stakes, action-oriented game played on a field defined by competition and collaboration. However, across academic entrepreneurship programs, education formats range from almost exclusively classroom-based to highly experiential to hybrid. The entrepreneurship program at the authors’ institution has generally favored traditional classroom boundaries, augmented by non-mandatory experiential opportunities. Realizations derived from the covid-19 pandemic and ensuing movement to virtual instruction are driving rapid, ongoing change in the institution’s entrepreneurship program. Pandemic-driven isolation and additional isolation resulting from largely asynchronous virtual delivery of education have had negative impacts. Changes have been enacted to combat these factors that are generally antithetical to the hands-on nature of entrepreneurship, while contributing to decline in entrepreneurial performance across an array of measures. Seen in the face of the same factors, was a marked increase in business plan proposals featuring apps, creations, or other solutions emphasizing human-interaction. Relative to entrepreneurship education, these increases are taken to indicate hunger for (predominantly) face-to-face competition and collaboration. When linked with broad trends toward social and environmental responsibility, clarity emerged as to the sort of pivot needed in the trajectory of entrepreneurial and other education at the institution. The transformation in trajectory is captured by the motto “do good, make a difference, change the world”, symbolizing determination to focus on things that matter. Similarly, the pivot is captured by the acronym EPI2C, representing five targeted program aspects: “Experiential, Purposeful, Imaginative, Innovative & Creative”. Together, these drove rebranding of the program as “EPI2C Entrepreneurship & Design Thinking”, thus highlighting the enabling role of design thinking in many entrepreneurial endeavors. Delineated herein is program reinvention driven by the preceding motto; use of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) to support the motto; the role of design thinking; the relationship specific meanings and distinctions among the EPI2C descriptors; and specific program innovations. Also discussed is improved student performance associated with program reinvention.