Adriana Zait

Entrepreneurial propensity in a transition economy: exploring micro‐level and meso‐level cultural antecedents

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze antecedents of entrepreneurship propensity in two separate studies, at individual and organizational levels. The first study proposes that the effect of individual cultural values on entrepreneurial propensity is mediated by the locus of control. The second study focuses on the interaction effect between the individuals need for autonomy and a bureaucratic culture characterized by high centralization and high formalization.Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of surveys of business students and retail salespeople in Romania and regression analysis.Findings – Internal locus of control predicts entrepreneurship propensity. Mediation effects were not supported. Centralization and formalization stimulate entrepreneurial propensity, especially in salespeople with a high need for autonomy. In general, the individual cultural values approach generated weak results, while the organizational culture approach showed strong support for the hypotheses.Researc...

Word-of-mouth generation and brand communication strategy: Findings from an experimental study explored with PLS-SEM

Purpose Emerged from a theoretical contradiction, the purpose of this paper is to investigate whether perceptions and behaviors toward new brands depend on the priority assigned to promote the company’s intentions (warmth) vs its abilities (competence). Design/methodology/approach The research uses a two-level single factor experiment to test the effects of launch communication strategy (warmth-competence vs competence-warmth) on people’s perceptions and behavioral intents, and applies partial least squares structural equation modeling to explore the collected data. Findings Results offer valuable insights into the usage of communication strategy with a view to favor brand perception, referrals, and sales, laying stress on the underlying mechanisms. Research finds that warmth-competence communication strategy has a higher positive influence on brand perception than the reversed strategy. Revealing people’s proneness to promote the new companies perceived as warm and competent, results indicate that perception of warmth mediates word-of-mouth propensity. Research limitations/implications The present study brings novel insights for corporate communication, showing that people’s propensity to advocate on behalf of new brands is driven by the perception of company’s warmth. Explaining connections between communication strategy, brand perception, and WOM propensity (supportive or denigrating), the current study adds contributions to the previous findings on warmth and competence stereotypes applied to consumer-brand interactions. Practical implications From a managerial perspective, findings offer practical hints about how to use launch communication to improve brand perception and consumer supportive behaviors. Originality/value The present study brings novel insights for corporate communication, showing that people’s propensity to advocate on behalf of new brands is driven by the perception of company’s warmth. Explaining connections between communication strategy, brand perception, and word-of-mouth propensity, the current study adds contributions to the previous findings on warmth and competence stereotypes applied to consumer-brand interactions.

How Reliable are Measurement Scales? External Factors with Indirect Influence on Reliability Estimators☆

Abstract In social economic researches we often need to measure non-observable, latent variables. For this we use special research instruments, with uni and multi dimensional scales designed for measuring the constructs of interest. Validity and reliability of these scales are crucial and special tests have been developed in this respect. Reliability concerns often arise, due to external factors that can influence the power and significance of such tests. Even for standardized instruments variations are possible, and they could seriously affect research results. The purpose of the present study is to investigate if and how external factors could influence a largely used reliability estimator - Cronbach Alpha. Several scales commonly used in marketing researches were tested, using a bootstrapping technique. Results show that important differences in the values of Cronbach Alpha are possible due to indirect influence from external factors - respondents’ age, gender, level of study, religiousness, rural/urban living, survey type and relevance of the research subject for the participants to the survey.

Lonely thoughts on the meaning of education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer some personal thoughts into the meaning of education in Romania.Design/methodology/approach – This paper explores a model of four stages of student teacher interactions and the rigidity of teacher behavior in past times. The model is presented: students as dependent, interested, involved and/or self‐directed related to teachers as experts, motivators, facilitators and/or delegators. The paper then expresses the frustrations of modern teaching and the appropriate interactions according to the model.Findings – Although there are some good professors and good students, who understand what education is, what they can offer and can get, as partners in the educational process, their number is too small, and the pace of adapting to the system of the others (new students or young assistants) is too fast.Originality/value – The paper stresses the necessary movement away from excessive and oppressive upper level decision‐making behavior in education.

The Sharing Economy in Post-communist Societies: Insights from Romania

This chapter presents the results of a qualitative study on the sharing economy themes such as: peer-to-peer accommodation, transportation, item-sharing and crowdfunding. The study is based on in-depth interviews conducted with 63 participants from two of Romania’s four largest university cities. The results depict country’s specifics and indicate the main reasons which motivate or impede Romanians’ participation as consumers and providers in each of the four areas. Finding a considerable level of reluctance to item-sharing, positive attitudes towards crowdfunding and an increased demand in accommodation and transportation domains (coupled with scarce internal offers), the chapter indicates the most promising domains of the sharing economy development in Romania, and highlights contextual factors related to the post-communist specificity. Offering valuable insights for researchers and entrepreneurs, this section has the merit of introducing the first report regarding the perspectives on the sharing economy development in Romania, and it is, to date, one of the few academic works offering on-topic insights from Eastern-Europe.

Exploring the Practice of Making Informal Payments in the Health Sector: Some Lessons from Greece

This chapter explores the prevalence of informal payments in public healthcare services in Greece. To evaluate the relationship between extra payments or valuable gifts (apart from official fees) and the level of acceptability of corruption, as well as the socio-spatial variations in the tendency to offer informal payments, data from a 2013 Eurobarometer survey is reported. Using logistic regression analysis, the finding is that patients with a high acceptability of corruption, those considering corruption as a very widespread phenomenon and those located in rural areas are more likely to offer, apart from official fees, extra payments or valuable gifts for healthcare services. The chapter concludes by discussing the health policy implications.

Conceptualization and Operationalisation of Specific Variables in Exploratory Researches – An Example for Business Negotiation

In exploratory researches we are looking for clues, trying to get a better picture of the research variables and relationships. Besides variables already studied, identified in the literature review, we might deal with specific variables – for the investigated subject and socio-cultural region – the ones that might lead us to new explanations and theories. These new variables can be depicted from in-depth interviews and informal discussions with intervening actors, through a process of identification, conceptualization (obtaining theoretical definitions), and operationalisation (suggesting ways for the measurement of the identified variables). The present paper offers an example of such a process for a particular subject – identifying potential specific influences on the business negotiation behaviour. The focus is on the methodological aspects of such a research endeavour.

EXPLORING PHD STUDENTS’ CONCERNS REGARDING DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Abstract Tertiary education involves specific perceived issues among PhD candidates that lead to several self-destructive behaviors regarding the research process and the quality of the doctoral thesis. Studying the emotional mechanisms behind the process of doctoral research offers useful insights for both PhD candidates and PhD supervisors. A qualitative approach involving a concept analysis method was used to investigate the concerns about the doctoral process of a group of PhD candidates enrolled in the first year at the Doctoral School of Economics and Business Administration of Iași, Romania. Both spontaneous and induced responses were considered. The order of concerns and the fact that some of them were mentioned together were also taken into account. Most of the concerns are related to time-management. Results are discussed and several recommendations are made.

Effects of Homophily and Gender-Product Congruency on Word-of-Mouth Influence - General Overview and Proposed Experimentation

One of the most widely accepted notions in consumer behavior is that word-of-mouth (WOM) communication is one of the ways in which this influence manifests itself in shaping consumers attitudes and behaviors. The WOM can have an important role from a managerial standpoint. The widespread implications, together with the intrinsic fascination of the topic created the basis for a reach academic literature. The purpose of this article is just to offer an overview - by no means exhaustive - of this topic and to propose an experiment. A further step will be the actual experimentation with two populations of undergraduate students, one in USA and one in Romania, to check also for cultural differences.