Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of temporal construal theory on entrepreneurial intention models using a three-country study. Inclusion of temporal construal theory in intent models would suggest path dependent influence on intent, and more specifically, that intent may be subdivided into temporally based categories, broadly codified as short-term and long-term intent. Design/methodology/approach – A quasi-experimental study of 1,046 university students in business and engineering from the USA, Mexico, and Spain was conducted. A temporal construal model of intent is proposed, including measures of short-term and long-term intent. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), part of the perceived behavioral control in the theory of planned behavior, is utilized to structure the model antecedents. Findings – The results suggest the existence of differences in individual entrepreneurial intent measures depending on the individual’s perception of when the entrepreneurial event is anticipated to occur in their lives. Utilizing an ESE construct, the authors demonstrated that short-term entrepreneurial intent significantly mediates the effect of ESE on long-term entrepreneurial intent. Furthermore, the results identify a mediating model that does not depend on regional country differences, thus supporting the generalizability of the findings. Originality/value – The paper bridges temporal construal theory and entrepreneurial intentions to qualify the path dependent effects of this psychological phenomena and its impact on identifying nascent entrepreneurs. The multi-country results indicate the ability to generalize the findings into a more complete theoretical model of entrepreneurial intention and suggests potential improvements in predictive models that currently use single or averaged measures of entrepreneurial intent.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated theory to explain the effect of regional culture on high-technology micro and small (HTMS) firm outcomes. The integrated culture-social capital outcomes (CSCO) model examines the impact of culture on performance and evolution of HTMS firms through the mediating effect of intra-firm and inter-firm social capital. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical insights from social capital and culture are combined with the results of previous empirical observations to explain cross-cultural differences in the performance of HTMS firms. The authors then propose the CSCO model as a means to integrate and advance theory building. Findings The CSCO model explains the impact of culture on performance and evolution of HTMS firms through intra-firm and inter-firm social capital networks. Cultural context affects the performance of high-tech micro and small firms through the nature and structure of the networks involved in building and exploiting inter-firm and intra-firm social capital. Moreover, regional culture indirectly influences the balance between positive and negative effects of social capital on firm performance. These observations explain inconsistent findings from past empirical research and contribute to understanding the “embeddedness paradox” of social capital. Research limitations/implications The present model is not comprehensive. It does not account for many contextual factors identified in organizational network and cluster literature that contribute to the development of HTMS firms. Future research should consider the relationships between the three dimensions of social capital and seek to test the model with rigorous data collection and analysis. Originality/value While past studies focus on the direct relationship between regional culture and firm performance, this paper proposes the mediating effect of internal and external social capital between cultural context and firm performance. This proposal contributes to social capital and entrepreneurship literature and provides a potential explanation for inconsistent findings in past empirical research.

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