Leonel Prieto

A cross‐cultural study of motivation for self‐employment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relative levels of multiple individual and environmental factors that influence self‐employment motivation in China, Mexico, and the USA and the effect of each factor on motivation for self‐employment in each country.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to 987 students at universities in the USA (n=535), Mexico (n=195), and China (n=257). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to assure measurement model fit. Hypotheses were tested using ANOVA tests and regression analyses.Findings – Results indicate that: the USA has the individual and environmental factors most favorable to self‐employment; Mexico has the highest level of motivation for self‐employment; independence and risk taking are the best predictors of motivation for self‐employment in all three countries; the predictive capability of independence, risk taking, and social networks appears similar for China and the USA; and the predictive capability of informal institutio...

Propensity for self‐employment: contrasting the USA and Mexico

Purpose – The paper aims to test the direct and mediating effects of a set of environmental (family self‐employment background, social networks, legal system support, governmental support, and social norms) and individual (entrepreneurial self‐efficacy and risk propensity) factors on the propensity for self‐employment in the USA and Mexico.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administrated among students in three universities in the USA and in two universities in Mexico. Factor, reliability, t‐tests, and regression analyses were carried out. Mediation was assessed following Baron and Kenny.Findings – Most direct and mediating effects were higher for the USA than for Mexico. Entrepreneurial self‐efficacy fully mediated several factor relationships in both countries. Results suggest a pattern of a strong formal institutions‐individual nexus in the USA, and a strong informal institutions‐individual nexus as well as a significant impact of the individual in Mexico.Research limitations/implications – The...

Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Role of Value/Identity-Based Motivation

This study is one of the very limited empirical research efforts on the value/identity-based motivation (VIM) theory proposed by Shamir. In this research, the authors tested the relationships between VIM and the five dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as well as the moderating effects of individualistic/collectivistic orientation on the relationships between VIM and OCB dimensions. Data were collected from employees and their immediate supervisors in organizations located in the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. The results supported the hypothesized relationships between VIM and sportsmanship, civic virtue, courtesy, and altruism but failed to support the expected relationship between VIM and conscientiousness and the moderating effects. The findings of this study provide evidence for the validity of VIM as a theory of motivation for organizational behaviors, particularly in “weak situations,” and contribute to the body of knowledge regarding the antecedents of OCB.

Institutional and individual factors impacting domestic private companies in China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine several institutional and individual factors impacting business dynamics of domestic private companies in China.Design/methodology/approach – Basing the discussion on detailed interviews with business owners, the paper discusses recent and future effects of financial and legal systems, social networks, family support, informal institutions, and business peoples educational and work experiences on domestic, private companies.Findings – The unfolding interplay between formal and informal institutions appears to be crucial for the future of the private sector and the development of free market institutions. Business people, who benefit from the changing orders bring about by economic reform, now want formal institutions to provide stability and security. The Chinese state has played, and will continue to play, a central role in most institutionalization processes. In addition to further shaping and stabilizing their institutional framework, Chinese private c...