The informal economy plays an integral role in addressing the socioeconomic issues facing many nations around the world. Informal sector entrepreneurship activities contribute 10-20% of the GDP in developed economies and up to 60% in developing economies. In South Africa, the informal sector accounts for 15-17% of total employment and about 5.2% of the country's GDP. Yet, very little attention is given to how informal sector entrepreneurship shapes individual entrepreneurial orientation and the emergence of entrepreneurial leadership, and vice versa. The lack of attention to the notions of individual entrepreneurial orientation and the emergence of entrepreneurial leadership from the informal sector is worrisome given that a significant number of now successful entrepreneurs in African contexts began their business operations within the informal sector. This article presents a multilevel analysis of the emergence of entrepreneurial leadership in the informal sector of South Africa. We draw from "rags to riches" inspirational accounts and social identity theory to develop an integrative framework on the emergence of entrepreneurial leadership in the informal sector. Short case studies of successful entrepreneurial leaders who emerged from the informal sector are presented for illustrative purposes. This paper aims to provide valuable insights into one of the understudied but rapidly growing entrepreneurial contexts, informal sector entrepreneurship, and how this context shapes individual entrepreneurial orientation and the emergence of entrepreneurial leadership. This exposes a previously hidden territory for new insights and further studies on how to advance entrepreneurship development research and praxis.
With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, businesses are adapting to the use of digitalisation which requires the digital transformation of their existing business models. However, there is limited empirical research on this phenomenon. The purpose of this study is twofold: (i) to develop a framework for businesses to digitally transform their business models and (ii) to examine literature in order to identify and analyse the constructs underlying the three concepts of Digitalisation, Digital Transformation and Business Model Innovation. The study is qualitative in nature and is based on a narrative review. Relevant articles were identified by using international bibliographic databases and scrutinised using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that the first two constructs require digital capabilities and a digital strategy. The third construct requires digital transformation in the realm of customer-centricity, resources, processes and profit. A set of propositions was formulated and the commonalities were mapped. Based upon this map, a conceptual framework was developed. The findings will assist in the development of future instruments that can guide businesses to digitally transform existing business model elements. This study aims to fill the gap on how business model innovation should be pursued through digital transformation by developing a conceptual framework.
This study identifies and discovers best practices in entrepreneurship education from highly-ranked universities and business schools globally. The study has been qualitative in nature, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 23 respondents at 12 higher education institutions. The study has made use of non-probability sampling by means of a convenience sampling approach. Data have been analyzed by means of thematic analysis. Results indicate that best practices in entrepreneurship education include little to no specialization at undergraduate level, with a strong preference for generic and widely applicable entrepreneurship modules. Individual entrepreneurship-related modules contain distinct individual themes. These modules are most commonly structured as electives, thereby allowing students to structure their courses according to areas of personal preference. At postgraduate level, it has been discovered that programs are often specialized in entrepreneurship and highly interdisciplinary in nature, most commonly with areas of specialization such as engineering and other sciences. Practical assignment and teaching tend to be favored in entrepreneurial teaching, rather than traditional classroom-based approaches. Entrepreneurship hubs and centers are mainly independent units loosely linked to a prominent university, with independent mandates and processes. The best practices identified in this study will assist universities and business schools to effectively structure entrepreneurship curriculums in line with global best practices. Keywords: entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, higher education. JEL Classification: A23, I23
Ten rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with anemia of chronic disorders (ACD) were treated with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-Hu-Epo) using a dose of 250 U/kg s.c. 3 times a week for 6 weeks, in order to evaluate its effects on the anemia, iron stores, and serum-soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) levels. All patients showed a rise in hemoglobin (Hb). Median Hb increased from 5.9 (5.5-7.0) at baseline to 6.7 (5.8-7.8) at 3 weeks and to 7.2 (5.9-8.5) mmol/l at 6 weeks during treatment. Ferritin levels decreased significantly during the 6 weeks, and five patients were iron deficient after 6 weeks of treatment. TfR levels increased significantly at 3 and 6 weeks during treatment. These preliminary findings may indicate that r-Hu-Epo is effective in improving ACD in RA. The sTfR rise may be explained by an increase in erythroid precursor cell mass or increased TfR expression and a decrease in tissue iron stores, although direct effects of Epo on TfR regulation cannot be excluded. Large double-blind studies with r-Hu-Epo in patients with RA and ACD are warranted.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.