Browsing by Author "Woldesenbet, K."
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Item Open Access A Review of and Future Research Agenda on Women Entrepreneurship in Africa(Emerald, 2024-03-07) Woldesenbet, K.; Mwila, Natasha Katuta; Ogunmokun, Olapeju ComfortPurpose: This paper seeks to systematically review and synthesise existing research knowledge on African women entrepreneurship to identify gaps for future studies. Methodology/research design/approach: The paper conducted a systematic literature review of published studies from 1990-2020 on women entrepreneurship in Africa using a 5M gender aware framework of Brush, de Bruin and Welter (2009). Findings: The systematic literature review of published studies found the fragmentation, descriptive and prescriptive orientation of studies on Africa women entrepreneurship and devoid of theoretical focus. Further, women entrepreneurship studies tended to be underpinned from various disciplines, less from the entrepreneurship lens, mostly quantitative, and at its infancy stage of development. With a primary focus on development, enterprise performance, and livelihood, studies rarely attended to issues of motherhood and the nuanced understanding of women entrepreneurship’s embeddedness in family and institutional contexts of Africa. Originality: The paper contributes to a holistic understanding of women entrepreneurship in Africa by using a 5M framework to review the research knowledge. In addition, the paper not only identifies unexplored/ or less examined issues but also questions the taken-for-granted assumptions of existing knowledge and suggest adoption of context- and gender-sensitive theories and methods. Research limitations/implications: The paper questions the view that women entrepreneurship is a ‘panacea’ and unravels how family context, customary practices, poverty and, rural-urban and formal/informal divide, significantly shape and interact with African women entrepreneurs’ enterprising experience and firm performance.Item Metadata only Beyond the entrepreneurial ecosystem and mixed embeddedness approaches: A review and research agenda’,(ISBE, 2016-11) Gast, A.; Vershinina, Natalia; Woldesenbet, K.The research field of entrepreneurship is becoming increasingly vast and a large amount of new theories and approaches develop annually. With the growth of this research stream it sub-research fields such as the disciplines of ethnic entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship expand as well. Due to the increase in theories, it can easily be forgotten to test certain frameworks for their interdisciplinary validity or similar theories in different subfields emerge without a comparison to already existing theories. In this case the researcher has found two theories that appear to be similar at first glance. These are the mixed embeddedness framework the stems from research in the immigrant entrepreneurship stream and the model of the entrepreneurial ecosystem which is mainly used in the general entrepreneurship literature. In the following the researcher will give a closer insight into both theories and will compare similarities and differences of the two theories in order to determine the extent to which these theories correlate and can be connected.Item Metadata only Breaking out or Breaking in? Exploring family dynamics in planning for succession(2016) Vershinina, Natalia; Woldesenbet, K.; Kaur, Kranjit; Trehan, K.The aim of this paper is to explore family succession and continuity in Punjabi-Indian ethnic family firms in the UK using stakeholder approach. The research objectives are to analyse how household dynamics can shape activities within small family enterprises within a specific cultural and sociological context, and to examine whether these later generation family firms actively involve family members in developing family businesses, that can be sustained beyond the current generation. The transition of ownership is crucial for small family business and extant literature indicates the differences between first and later generation family firms succession processes (Zellweger et al., 2011; Nodqvist et al., 2013). British-born second and third generation ethnic minorities are determining a new multicultural image of Britain and their methods of conducting business are somewhat different from their parents. Family firms literature indicates that second generation are more likely to “break out” by seeking professional salaried employment. Hence, succession in later generation family firms is a strategic issue, and all potential family stakeholders ought to be involved in the decision-making process (Rusinovic, 2008; Sharma, 2013). In this exploratory study of Punjabi-Indian ethnic minority family firms ten family firms based in Bedfordshire were recruited. In order to analyse the extent of second and later generations’ involvement in the business, a series of qualitative focus group interviews were undertaken with four to six family members of each ethnic minority business. In explaining our findings, we introduce a concept of “reverse break-out”, indicating that the later generation family stakeholders, show interest in being actively involved in shaping the family business. They show willingness to succeed and develop the business by diversifying away from cultural proclivity. Despite their aspirations to enter professional trajectory, the long-standing family business setting provides a platform for their ambitions to be realised. “Reverse break-out” actions of family members balance unstable and divergent stakeholder interests within Punjabi-Indian households. The unique dataset illustrated the power, influence and dynamics of relationships in the later generation family firms, as well as positive changes in family values and the impact of different family stakeholders have on succession planning.Item Open Access Comparing Family and Nonfamily Firms’ Strategic Effects on Regional Development: Evidence from Kenya(Routledge, 2020) Murithi, W.; Woldesenbet, K.Family firms, by being major economic and social actors, contribute to employment, revenue, gross domestic products and socially oriented activities worldwide. Scholars argue that family firms outperform nonfamily firms, but little is known on how and why family firms contribute differently to regional development in comparison to non-family firms. This chapter addresses this knowledge gap by examining two interrelated questions: 1) Do family and nonfamily firms contribute differently to regional development? 2) What are the firm underlying strategic behaviours which help explain the differentiated contribution by both set of firms? The empirical evidence is drawn from the quantitative analysis of survey data from 307 firms operating in Kenya. The findings of the study showed that the strategic behaviours (entrepreneurial orientation, decision making process and social network use) are different in both types of firms. These differences in their strategic behaviour explain the extent to which these firms contribute to regional development and the moderating role of family involvement. The chapter discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings as well as the study limitations.Item Metadata only Constructing and extending legitimacy, and exemplifying social orientation to manage competing institutional logics(2016) Woldesenbet, K.The purpose of this paper is to examine how managers of economic organizations in volatile national settings, deal with the challenge of handling competing logics. The testbed for the investigation was a transitional economy. The research reported here contrasts the sense-making and logic-building work of two groups of strategic managers: one group in state-owned and state protected settings, and another group in competitive market settings. Previous work suggests that organisations with an established status are less likely to undertake radical changes due to fear of losing benefits. The study reported here reveals how the erstwhile protected state-owned organizations responded by seeking to extend their legitimacy claims whereas the emergent private sector organisations sought to construct a new legitimacy – in part by adopting some of the logics used by state-firms.Item Open Access Deconstructing the myth: African women entrepreneurs’ access to resources(Palgrave Macmillan, 2021-12-16) Woldesenbet, K.; Mwila, Natasha Katuta; Ogunmokun, Olapeju ComfortWomen entrepreneurship in Africa has seen an impressive leap amidst coping with multifaceted challenges at individual, meso and macro levels. Whilst various motives can drive women entrepreneurship in an African context, less is known about the extent to which women entrepreneurs are able to access and use enterprising resources. To address this gap, this chapter conducted the systematic literature review of published articles from the period 1990-2020 in prominent data bases such as ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Google Scholar and ProQuest. The review found that, overall, studies on the women’s access to, and use of, resources have been a very recent phenomenon, have received an extremely limited attention by scholars, theoretically fragmented, methodologically quantitative and were not able to develop cumulative knowledge on this area. The bias towards cause-effect and gender differences’ explanations in view of mainstreaming women entrepreneurship ‘inadvertently’ led to not only to narrow understanding and theoretical underdevelopment of the field but also to “focus on assumed, innate sex differences that perpetuate the gender gaps.Item Open Access Do ‘Harambee Spirit’ and ‘Familiness’ share their meanings in the context of ICT Sector Family Businesses in Kenya?(EURAM, 2017-03-21) Murithi, W.; Woldesenbet, K.; Vershinina, NataliaThis paper examines the two seemingly unrelated concepts of ‘Familiness’ and ‘Harambee Spirit’ in the context of Kenya. The key questions addressed in this paper are ‘to what extent are family firms, in particular, those operating in ICT sector, are embedded in ‘Harambee spirit’ and how does such embeddedness shape the family firms’ business operations? Based on the purposively selected three family ICT firms and relevant literature, the study provides evidence which shows the presence of main features of the ‘Harambee spirit’ and ‘Familiness’, and that some elements of these overlap. Furthermore, the study found variations in the extent to which some ‘Familiness” features were observed in sample firms. In a wider plane, the study furthers our understanding of how both the family and the national cultural contexts shape the behaviour of firms.Item Metadata only The dynamics of product and process innovations in UK banking.(Inder Science, 2006) Batiz-Lazo, B.; Woldesenbet, K.Item Metadata only Engaging with super-diversity: New migrant businesses and the research–policy nexus(Sage, 2012) Ram, M.; Jones, T. P.; Edwards, Paul; Kiselinchev, Alexander; Muchenje, Lovemore; Woldesenbet, K.Item Open Access Entrepreneurial Attitudes among University Students: The Role of Institutional Environments and Cultural Norms(2021-06-27) Ogunsade, Adekunle; Obembe, Demola; Woldesenbet, K.; Kolade, OluwaseunItem Metadata only Ethnic minority business support in the West Midlands: challenges and developments.(Pion, 2012) Ram, M.; Trehan, K.; Rouse, J.; Woldesenbet, K.; Jones, T. P.Item Metadata only Examining the Corporate Social Responsibility Contribution to Environmental Sustainability in Developing Countries: The Role of Accountability Perspectives”(2015-06) Jeremiah, M.; Woldesenbet, K.; Vershinina, NataliaThere has been a significant policy shift in several organisations particularly in the mining, and oil and gas industries attempting to implement effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspectives in the last two decades. Voluntary approach is at the centre of the debate presently. Its non-mandatory perspective to corporate environmental sustainability makes it popular among firms, governments and global development actors. However, commitment to its implementation and contribution to environmental sustainability differs greatly in developed and developing countries. The authors believe that, voluntary CSR is almost incapable of enabling the envisaged sustainable development in developing countries because of poor governance and state weakness coupled with business pursuit of corporate profits at the detriment of the local environment. Therefore, we propose that an accountability approach to CSR will enable business corporations to significantly contribute to environmental sustainability especially in developing countries where legal institutions are relatively weak. We use Diagrams and Table to illustrate how accountability approach to CSR could lead to environmental sustainability where there is weak legal framework. This is our main contribution to literature on environmental sustainability. The conceptual framework for applicability of accountability approach to CSR is also highlighted and discussed.Item Open Access Firm Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Regional Economic Development: The moderating effect of family involvement in the firm.(British Academy of Management, 2018-09) Murithi, W.; Woldesenbet, K.The present research aims to improve the scholar’s understanding of the relationship between firm entrepreneurial behaviour (family and nonfamily firms) and regional economic development (RED). Following the proposition from the extant literature that family firms contribute more to regional economic development- GDP, job opportunities and wealth creation, the authors investigate the possible causes of this differences. The authors consider entrepreneurial orientation (EO) to be a composite construct that is integrated and related other independent variables, that with strategic decision making and building bridging social capital. Using information from 307 Kenyan firms, results show that in both types of firms (1) EO positively influences RED, but the effect of family firms EO to RED is twice that of nonfamily firms, (2) strategic decision making negatively influence RED, and the effect in family firms is twice that of nonfamily firms, (3) development of bridging social capital positively influences RED, however the effect of nonfamily firms is twice that of family firms. Family involvement in the management and strategic decision making in the firm moderates the relationship between firm entrepreneurial behaviour and RED.Item Open Access Firms’ Contribution to Regional Economic Development: Unravelling Some Explanatory and Moderating Variables(EURAM, 2019-06) Woldesenbet, K.; Murithi, W.Drawing on entrepreneurial orientation (EO), family business, strategic decision-making (SDM) and social capital (SC) theories, we investigated whether the family and non-family firms contribute differently to regional economic development (RED) and the moderating role of family involvement in firms. Using survey research design and data from 307 Kenyan firms, the findings of the study showed that: a) Firms’ EO positively influences RED, but the effect of family firms’ EO on RED is twice that of nonfamily firms; b) the relationship between strategic decision-making and RED is negative and this is more pronounced in family firms than nonfamily firms; c) Bridging social capital’s (BSC) influence on firms’ contributions to RED is positive, but nonfamily firms’ BSC effect is twice that of family firms; d) family involvement moderates the effects of firms’ contribution to RED. The overall conclusion of this study is that better understanding of firms’ effect on RED can be achieved by using a range of theories in combination, as such use would help to unpack the underlying mechanisms through which firms influence RED. Finally, theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Item Metadata only Fostering Entrepreneurial Activities through Microfinance in Nigeria(European Research Conference on Microfinance (ERCM), 2017-03) Babajide, A.; Obembe, Demola; Solomon, O. Helen; Woldesenbet, K.This paper examines the mechanisms by which microfinance loans foster entrepreneurship using social capital. Our empirical data was gathered through questionnaire survey of 317 active small business borrowers in Nigeria. Two models were considered for this study, social capital as a measure of social network and social capital as a measure of trust among group members were tested. On microfinance and social network on entrepreneurial success our study shows that: a) microloans obtained on group membership platform enhances entrepreneurial success of borrowers; b) further probing of the sex of respondents interacted with relationship with loan officers shows that female respondents perceive their relationship with their loan officers yield better entrepreneurial success. Female borrowers also perceived their group membership as the platform for their entrepreneurial success. On pre-loan training and level of education, we found that borrowers with lower levels of education receiving microloans were more successful in their entrepreneurial activities than borrowers with higher levels of education. In the same vein, borrowers with lower levels of education perceived the relationship with their loan officers enhances their entrepreneurial activities more so than respondents with higher levels of education. c) On trust as a measure of social capital, microloan show positive significant impact on entrepreneurial success. Further probing shows that borrowers with lower levels of education are more trusting of their group members than borrowers with higher education levels and this we believe enhances their entrepreneurial success. Also, borrowers with lower level of education believe that group membership enhance their access to microloan although result obtained is not statistically significant at 5 percent. In the same vein, borrowers with lower education levels perceived their group membership enhance their welfare while borrowers with higher education levels do not. We also observed gender differences in loan access such that female borrowers perceived group membership enhances ability to access loans while male respondents did not see any connection between group membership and loan access. Interacting this with entrepreneurial success resulted in a negative influence which implies that access to loan on the platform of group membership does not enhance entrepreneurial success of the respondents. Furthermore, female borrowers perceive group membership enhances their welfare and have positive impact on their entrepreneurial success but not male borrowers. The result also suggests that female borrowers place more trust on their group members which in turn enhance their entrepreneurial success. Further robust check shows that both models are of good fit and statistically significant at 1 percent. This study thus extends the entrepreneurship literature to microfinance and provides empirical insight into the significance of social capital in facilitating microfinance contribution to business creation and growth.Item Open Access How does national culture enable or constrain entrepreneurship? Exploring the role of Harambee in Kenya(Emerald Insight, 2018-08-13) Vershinina, Natalia; Woldesenbet, K.; Murithi, W.The paper seeks to conceptualise how various value dimensions of Harambee, the Kenyan culture, affect the fostering of entrepreneurial behaviours. Theoretically, we draw upon perspectives that view culture as a toolkit and use cultural variables provided by Hofstede to examine the links between national culture and entrepreneurial endeavours in an African context. The paper is based on review and synthesis of accessible secondary sources (published research, country specific reports, policy documents, firm level empirical evidences, etc.,) on the topic and related areas to understand and advance research propositions on the link between enterprising efforts and national culture specific to Kenyan context. Several theoretical propositions are offered on themes of collective reliance, social responsibility, enterprising, resource mobilisation, and political philanthropy to establish relationships, both positive and negative, between values of Harambee and entrepreneurial behaviours. Further, the study provides initial insights into how actors blend both collectivistic and emergent individualistic orientations and display collective identity in the process of mobilising resources and engaging in entrepreneurship. The conceptual framework presented bears a considerable relevance to advancing theory, policy and practice associated with national culture and entrepreneurial behaviour in the African context and has potential to generate valuable insights. This original study provides a springboard for studying the relationship between African cultural context and entrepreneurial behaviours.Item Open Access Institutional Environments and Youths Entrepreneurial Orientation: Evidence from Nigeria(2018) Ogunsade, Isaac A.; Obembe, Demola; Woldesenbet, K.; Vershinina, NataliaEntrepreneurial activities and venture creation among youths represent one of the key drivers of job creation and economic growth (OECD, 2016; Acs, 2006). What influences individual entrepreneur to business start-up remains an enduring issue of interest in academic research on entrepreneurship. Recent studies suggest that the institutional context plays a key role in influencing individual behaviour, as well as in facilitating entrepreneurial climate for new ventures. Consequently, this study draws on institutional theory as a valuable lens to investigate the extent to which the regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive environments affect individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) and self-employment among Nigerian youths. The study adopts a quantitative research approach, allowing for primary data collection conducted through survey questionnaire and administered to a sample of 482 student respondents. A three-stage hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses and to investigate the predictability impact of the model. The result revealed that all three predictor variables (Institutional environments) made a statistical unique contribution to the model. However, the regulative and cognitive model made a statistically significant unique contribution to impacting the individual entrepreneurial orientation among the university educated Nigerian youths.Item Embargo Institutional Pressures, Firm Resource Context and SMEs’ Sustainability in Africa(Palgrave MacMillan, 2023) Woldesenbet, K.; Ogunmokun, Olapeju ComfortThis chapter seeks to advance research propositions that help explore the relationships between SMEs’ sustainability practices and sustainability performance. Drawing on the resource-based view and institutional theory, the chapter hypothesises how the firm resource context and the coercive, normative, and mimetic institutional forces influence, positively or negatively, SMEs’ adoption of sustainability practices and their sustainability performance in Africa. The chapter develops a conceptual framework that shows the subtle interactions between the firm resources and institutional forces with sustainability practices such as sustainability-oriented innovation, lean manufacturing practices, and socially oriented practices and the sustainability performance. The chapter argues that embracing sustainability practices to achieve sustainability performance could be a ‘big uncertain call’ to SMEs as these require having developed appropriate resources and supportive institutional environment.Item Embargo The Interaction Between Family Businesses and Institutional Environment in Africa: An Exploration of Contextual Issues(Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) Murithi, William; Woldesenbet, K.Family businesses in Africa play a vital role in creation of socio-economic wealth as they operate at the intersection of social orders such as the family, the market, community, the state and corporates as well as formal and informal institutions. Family businesses are required to manage the expectations of these social orders and institutions. Although some family business researchers’ attempts to use an institutional perspective to examine the effects of institutional environment on family businesses, less is known about how they influence changes in the institutional environments and the nature of the effects of such interactions, within developing economies such as in Africa. Additionally, institutional voids, have substantial impacts on the way in which family businesses behave and operate in Africa. This chapter addresses these important gaps by advancing theoretically-and contextually- driven propositions to guide future research on the links between family, family businesses, and the institutional environments in Africa.Item Embargo Introduction to Palgrave Handbook of African Entrepreneurship(Palgrave macmillan, 2021-12-01) Kolade, Oluwaseun; Rae, David; Obembe, Demola; Woldesenbet, K.
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