Ewald Kibler

Regional social legitimacy of entrepreneurship: Implications for entrepreneurial intention and start-up behaviour

Kibler E., Kautonen T. and Fink M. Regional social legitimacy of entrepreneurship: implications for entrepreneurial intention and start-up behaviour, Regional Studies. A new understanding of the role of regional culture in the emergence of business start-up behaviour is developed. The focal construct is regional social legitimacy: the perception of the desirability and appropriateness of entrepreneurship in a region. The econometric analysis utilizes a combination of bespoke longitudinal survey data from 65 regions in Austria and Finland, and variables capturing regional socio-economic characteristics derived from official statistics. The study demonstrates that, and explains how, regional social legitimacy influences the relationships between individual entrepreneurial beliefs, intentions and start-up behaviour and how these interaction effects are conditioned by the socio-economic characteristics of the region.

Formation of Entrepreneurial Intentions in a Regional Context

Research on the impact of the regional environment in the very early phase of the business start-up process is currently limited. This paper contributes to the literature by analysing the influence of regional factors on the formation of entrepreneurial intentions within the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) framework. The rationale is based on the previous literature which posits that regional conditions have implications for individual perceptions, which, in turn, constitute the foundation of the three antecedents of intention in the TPB model: attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control. A multilevel analysis based on a random sample of 834 Finnish working-age individuals, combined with the official national statistics at the municipality level supports the proposition that regional conditions have an indirect impact on the intent to become an entrepreneur. The population density, the level of education, income and wealth and the rate of public and manufacturing sector employment of a region are found to moderate the individual formation of entrepreneurial intentions. This study supports further development of the theoretical understanding of entrepreneurial intentions by demonstrating that regional characteristics are important moderating influences in the TPB model.

Understanding place-based entrepreneurship in rural Central Europe: A comparative institutional analysis

This article provides new insight into the local institutional embeddedness of entrepreneurial behaviour. By introducing a sociological institutional framework for place-based entrepreneurship, it adds to the knowledge of the role of regulative, normative and cognitive institutions in local entrepreneurial practices in rural Central Europe. Based on extensive case studies in regions located across five countries, the analysis suggests that the influence of regulative institutions on local entrepreneurship is tempered, if not superseded, by specific place-dependent normative and cognitive institutions, and that the fit between the different institutions is decisive for the emergence of entrepreneurial practices in a specific location. The article provides explanations of why and under which conditions entrepreneurs show different change practices in rural transition and non-transition contexts. The study concludes that institutional mechanisms are place-bound, and that a place-sensitive institutional approach can serve as a fruitful way forward for developing our contextualised knowledge of entrepreneurial behaviour.

The Moral Legitimacy of Entrepreneurs: An Analysis of Early-Stage Entrepreneurship Across 26 Countries

This article develops our socio-cultural understanding of entrepreneurship by examining the influence of the moral legitimacy of entrepreneurs upon an individual’s engagement in early-stage entrepreneurship. A multilevel analysis conducted across 26 countries demonstrates that the higher the perceived degree of moral legitimacy, the more likely an individual is to consider starting a business, to begin preparing a business and to progress to actually found and run the business. We conclude that moral norms in society are an important influence upon early-stage entrepreneurship; thus, it is critical to legitimize the position of entrepreneurs as moral and beneficial for society as a whole.

Can social exclusion against 'older entrepreneurs' be managed?

This paper investigates how sources of social exclusion and support emerge within an “older” entrepreneurs immediate environment, and how this affects the development of their small business. Based on 22 in‐depth interviews in ondon, nited ingdom, we suggest how older entrepreneurs with different backgrounds are able to manage social exclusion, and identify four coping strategies—passive negotiation, active negotiation, modification, and avoidance. We argue that, if “older entrepreneurship” (people starting a business aged 50 or older) is to flourish, both entrepreneurs and support initiatives need to become sensitive to the diversity of sources of discrimination and strategies to manage them.

CALL FOR PAPERS.Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Sustainability in Natural Resourse-Intensive Economies

Background In facing the challenges of reducing detrimental environmental and societal impacts created by unsustainable business practices, the development of innovations and entrepreneurship for sustainability has gained special attention. They are recognized as the engine in the transformation of current business processes and key factors in creating sustainable prosperity (Hall et al. 2010). ------------------------------------------------------ Important dates • Final date for submissions: 1 September 2014 • Notification to author: Last Week of October 2014 • Online Publications: 3rd Week of November 2014.

Volunteer Retention in Prosocial Venturing: The Role of Emotional Connectivity:

This study develops an understanding of the role of emotional connectivity for volunteer retention in prosocial business venturing. By embedding it in organizational ambivalence theory, our analysis of four volunteer-dependent community ventures reveals two mechanisms through which entrepreneurs strengthen volunteers’ emotional connectivity. We first identify emotion-focused practices that form volunteers’ emotional attachment to the venture, and then demonstrate how duality-focused practices, in the form of managing inherent organizational duality, complement emotion-focused practices to foster volunteers’ emotional loyalty to the venture. Theorizing from our findings, we introduce a model of managing volunteers’ emotional connectivity, and conclude by discussing its implications for prosocial venture research on volunteerism and affective commitment.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Uncovering Older Entrepreneur Diversity through Motivations, Emotions and Mentoring Needs

Policymakers and scholars have increasingly drawn attention to the growing challenges emerging from the ageing of populations, particularly in advanced economies (OECD 2006; Finlayson 2009; Platman 2003; Weber and Shaper 2004; Wainwright and Kibler 2014). In the British context, one of the more visible policy interventions has been to increase the state pensionable age (SPA), in addition to promoting the extension of people’s working lives through the removal of ageist legislation and the implementation of the 2010 Equality Act (BIS 2011). Scholars have also observed how governments, particularly in Anglo-American economies, have started to transfer retirement planning from the state, placing more responsibility upon individuals to plan their financial activities and secure a comfortable retirement (Langley 2006; Finlayson 2009). While these interventions can be viewed as a reaction to manage the increased costs associated with ageing populations (Morris and Mallier 2003), working in retirement age beyond the SPA often brings difficulties to older employees who can face age-related discrimination in organisations (Porcellato et al. 2010), in addition to health problems (Black 2008) and the need to meet caring responsibilities (Walker et al. 2007).