Purpose -The decision one makes to engage in entrepreneurial activity is affected by many different motivators. The paper aims to focus on one specific motivator for entrepreneurial activity which is the Need for Achievement. The prevailing methods of studying achievement motivation will also be discussed as shall constructs related to Need for Achievement. The paper also examines the dynamics of achievement motivation. The dynamic ability of individual traits is important, if it were not one's traits would be constant and not capable of being changed or developed. Some of the main factors that can influence achievement motivation are also examined in the paper. Design/methodology/approach -Specifically, data from 249 entrepreneurs from the USA, 220 from China, and 173 from Latvia were used in order to examine the relationships between variables related to Need for Achievement. Findings -Goal orientation, conscientiousness, cognitive complexity, age, and gender were found to be able to account for 29.4 percent of the variance in Need for Achievement among American entrepreneurs, 45.3 percent among Chinese entrepreneurs, and 33.5 percent among Latvian entrepreneurs. Differences are found between the countries with cognitive complexity being statistically significant in the USA and China, but not in Latvia. Gender was significant in the USA and China but not in Latvia. Age was not significantly related to Need for Achievement in any of the three countries, while goal orientation and conscientiousness were significantly related to Need for Achievement in all three countries. Finally, the implications of this research as well as areas that need to be considered for future research are discussed.Research limitations/implications -The paper is limited to entrepreneurs of small to medium-sized enterprises in North America, Asia, and the Baltics. The implications of the research include that Need for Achievement is important for entrepreneurs across these three very diverse cultures and that variables related to Need for Achievement vary between the countries. As Need for Achievement is related to economic development, it is important to understand the factors which might be able to influence the Need for Achievement of entrepreneurs from around the world. Originality/value -The development of entrepreneurs is important if economies desire to have sustainable growth. Little empirical research has examined these issues with data-sets from three continents. Even less research has examined these issues among entrepreneurs. The paper addresses these areas.
One major challenge faced by expatriate managers is developing reasonable levels of worker commitment and satisfaction among host nation employees. This study adds to the growing knowledge base regarding worker motivation, commitment, satisfaction, and company image among automotive workers in Mexico. This paper uses a longitudinal MTMM methodology to verify attributes of job attitudes surrounding satisfaction and commitment thereby expanding the methodology and interpretation of prior research. Questionnaire, interview, and observational data collected over a 42-month period were used to uncover previously unexplored components to commitment and job satisfaction among Mexican workers. Results of our analyses indicated that work satisfaction, supervision, coworker relationships, pay, and promotion potential were predictive of overall job satisfaction. Also predictive of overall job satisfaction were supervisor conduct, and perception of company financial and social status. Behavioral, affective, and continuance commitment were predicted by sex, education, directive conduct, organizational status, and satisfaction with supervision. The traditional positive relationship between job commitment and job satisfaction was not supported.
PurposeThere is an established link between national cultural differences and documented variations in technological innovations across countries. To move beyond a narrow emphasis on national cultures, scholars have suggested using within‐country diversity to compensate for known limitations in national culture measures. Given that ethno‐linguistic diversity is a known source of cultural variation, this paper specifically aims to explore the relationship between culture, ethno‐linguistic diversity and national innovativeness.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers used publicly available data on patents and trademarks in a multivariate regression context to study the effects of national culture and within‐country diversity on national levels of innovativeness.FindingsThe research found that culture and ethno‐linguistic diversity are independently positively associated with national innovation. More importantly, cultural and intra‐cultural variation measures when taken together account for significantly greater variance in levels of national innovation than does national culture when measured separately.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this study points to the importance of ethno‐linguistic diversity in explaining national levels of innovativeness, there are other measures of within‐country diversity to be explored.Practical implicationsIf national culture were the sole factor in innovativeness, then companies would be limited by their host cultural legacies; since within‐country diversity is also associated with innovation, it provides entrepreneurs, government policy makers and executives with important options for increasing innovativeness.Originality/valueWhile previous studies pointed to the potential link between ethno‐linguistic diversity and innovation, prior research has generally not taken this variable into account.
Purpose: While traditional university programs primarily use regularly scheduled classes as the primary means for developing students, this program evaluation explores the direct effects of intensive entrepreneurial learning activity in the format of a hackathon. This is one of the first papers to explore the learning outcomes of hackathons as an intensive entrepreneurial pedagogy. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers implemented a pre-test/post-test model with students participating in an entrepreneurship hackathon and tested the changes in their confidence levels in the ability to craft a successful entrepreneurial venture. Findings: The results support a hackathon model of entrepreneurial learning. As the result of a one-day workshop, significant results were achieved for self-reported ability in identifying a viable entrepreneurial concept, and for having the ability to successfully launch a new venture. Further, class standing and prior entrepreneurial courses, as well as gender did not influence the learning outcomes. Importantly, while hackathon-generated increases in entrepreneurial self-efficacy proved to be statistically significant, same gains proved not to be significant in a traditional entrepreneurship class setting. Authors conclude that short, intensive entrepreneurship learning methods like hackathons may be more effective in developing entrepreneurial self-efficacy than semester long courses. Originality/value: A hackathon is likely an effective entrepreneurial learning methodology suitable for a general student population which includes students with limited knowledge of and interest in entrepreneurship. The usefulness of a hackathon for entrepreneurial learning has potential implications for educators, scholars and policy makers. For educators, a hackathon approach may outperform a number of traditional entrepreneurship pedagogies in the form of lectures, case studies, class discussions or even a business plan development over a semester-long course. A hackathon may also allow students to gain entrepreneurial skills and self-confidence much quicker and using less resources than in a traditional entrepreneurial course. The potential reasons for these findings as well as their implications are discussed along with future research areas.
This article explains the challenges faced when management‐practitioners decide to enter the academic environment and teach. The authors speak from the perspective of their own experiences with respect to transitions into the academic field and also highlight prominent literature on the subject. The framework for the paper begins with the explanation of a basic model associated with cultural transition. They identify three success factors for transition: task success; social interaction; and cultural understanding and awareness and develop strategies for each. The dual themes of the article are to reinforce the usefulness of practitioners into academia and to help smooth the environmental transition for practitioner‐academicians (PAs) by developing strategies for success.
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