JWEE

Notes from the Editor-in-Chief

Mirjana Radović-Marković — 2024-11-27

The Influence of Entrepreneurial Identity and Maternal Identity Centrality on Creative Opportunity Search Strategies and Action Likelihood

Sabina Ibrahimović İldokuz — 2024-06-03

Based on existing theoretical and empirical studies, this paper’s purpose is to examine the agents relevant to the process of mumpreneurs’ creative search and action likelihood toward new opportunities with an emphasis on two main identities: maternal and entrepreneurial as experienced by mumpreneurs in Turkey. The study examines the significance of both entrepreneurial and maternal identities on the use of creative strategies while searching for potential new opportunities and action likelihood toward these opportunities. Data for the study was collected using survey methodology on mumpreneurs in major urban cities of Turkey. The structural model measures entrepreneurial identity and maternal identity centrality, creative search strategies and action likelihood using a sample of 302 mumpreneurs: 169 part-time and 133 full-time mumpreneurs. Study findings reveal that between the two identities, entrepreneurial identity has a stronger positive effect on the use of creative strategies and action likelihood while maternal identity had a positive but quite low impact on the same variables. The use of creative strategies had a significantly positive and high impact on action likelihood. ‘Years of experience’ control variable has been found to have a significant negative influence on creative opportunity search strategies and action likelihood. This study helps us understand how motherhood’s powerful emotions and attachment to identities, which are highly central to the self, affect the entrepreneurial decision-making process.

A Gender Perspective Analysis of the Interaction between Public and Private Sector Employment – A Study of Western Balkan Countries

Bernard Dosti — 2024-06-14

This paper examines the connection between expanding public-sector employment and its impact on private-sector job growth. Our focus is on understanding whether public hiring “crowds in” or “crowds out” private jobs, and further, if crowding out occurs, whether it leads to “partial crowding out” (reducing unemployment), “full crowding out” (no change in unemployment), or “more than full crowding out” (increased unemployment). This paper uses data from 2006 to 2022 from five Western Balkan (WB) countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH), Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The findings show a strong negative link between public and private sector job growth. Similar to the unemployment model, the results suggest “full crowding out,” meaning each new job in the public sector leads to roughly one fewer job in the private sector. This implies that adding public jobs does not create new jobs overall, but simply shifts them from one sector to another. Also, traditional gender roles shape labor markets in the WB, leading to lower labor force participation rates for women compared to men and influencing the dynamics between public and private employment sectors.

Women's Empowerment in The Framework of Developing Innovative Behavior for Women's Entrepreneurial Success

Eviatiwi Kusumaningtyas Sugiyanto — 2024-07-01

The current study has several inconsistencies in the research findings regarding the association between structural and psychological empowerment and business success or performance. In addition, there is a gap phenomenon that occurs in Indonesia: although women's economic power is growing, their contribution to GDP is still relatively small, and their level of business innovation is low. By including the mediating variable of innovative behavior, this study seeks to close the research gap regarding the impact of psychological and structural empowerment on business success. 96 women entrepreneurs in Semarang City, Indonesia were the sample of this study. The data collection method is done by distributing questionnaires via Google Forms. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the WrapPLS 8.0 software was the analysis technique employed. The findings demonstrated that innovative behavior and entrepreneurial success were significantly enhanced by psychological and structural empowerment. Additionally, there is a strong positive correlation between innovative behavior and entrepreneurial success. Innovative behavior may operate as a mediating variable in the relationship between structural empowerment and entrepreneurial success. However, regarding psychological empowerment in entrepreneurial success, innovative behavior fails to be a mediating variable.

Financial Inclusion - A Driving Force for Women's Entrepreneurship Development

Marija Antonijević — 2024-08-21

The financial inclusion of women has become an important issue for the academic community and policymakers as it is one of the crucial factors for the development of women’s entrepreneurship. This study examines the impact of socio-demographic factors on women's financial inclusion in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia). The data from the Global Findex Database 2021 were used. Financial inclusion is measured by the financial inclusion index modified by the inclusion of digital payments variables. The sample consisted of 2,683 women from the Western Balkans region. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the influence of age, education, employment status and income on financial inclusion. The results indicate that education, employment status and income have a positive influence on women's financial inclusion. However, an inverted U-shaped relationship was found between age and financial inclusion, suggesting that inclusion increases up to a certain point and then decreases.

Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Intention, Reasoning, Self-Efficacy, and Education Preferences Among University Students: an Entrepreneurial Event Theory Perspective

Ivan Paunovic — 2024-08-26

This study presents a gender-focused perspective of entrepreneurship education programs, aiming to understand variations in entrepreneurial intention, reasoning on entrepreneurship, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial education preferences. The present research grounds on Entrepreneurial Event Theory to examine entrepreneurial intention, desirability, and feasibility in the context of entrepreneurship education. The research was conducted in Germany in 2021 and included a sample of 156 university students. The study deploys the Mann-Whitney U Test to examine gender differences among university students regarding entrepreneurship. The findings highlight a heightened perception of risk among female students, influencing their focus on positive/negative entrepreneurial events compared to male students. Moreover, the research reveals a greater inclination among females to engage in both curricular and extracurricular entrepreneurship education activities, corroborating previous studies suggesting greater benefits for female students in such programs. The study also underscores the importance of distinguishing between curricular and extracurricular offerings, indicating promising avenues for future entrepreneurship education research. Overall, this investigation contributes new insights and explanations regarding gender dynamics in entrepreneurship education, shedding light on potential areas for further exploration in the field.

Sustainable Entrepreneurial Orientation (SEO), and Organizational Performance: A Gender-Moderated Perspective in Peru

Luz Andrea Lazarte Aguirre — 2024-08-27

Sustainable Entrepreneurial Orientation (SEO) is an emergent concept and a complex dynamic capability that could explain the behavioral predisposition of individuals and organizations to contribute to sustainable development. This study examined the impact of decision-makers' SEO on the organizational performance of their companies. In addition, the study evaluated the moderating role of gender in the relationship between SEO and performance. The approach of the study was explanatory and non-experimental. It used a PLS-SEM technique on a sample of 121 decision-makers of micro and small enterprises operating in different sectors in Peru, a highly entrepreneurial country in Latin America. After validating the SEO measurement from the individual perspective, the results showed that SEO does affect performance. However, the moderating role of gender on the SEO-performance relationship was not empirically validated. This study contributes to the literature on sustainable entrepreneurship by confirming that the phenomenon of SEO, typically assessed at the organizational level, is also an important antecedent of organizational performance when viewed from the individual perspective. Although the moderating effect of gender was not proven, this study provides insightful directions on the SEO-performance relationship. Thus, by validating the SEO instrument that considers its components from an individual perspective, the literature on this strategic orientation has been expanded.

Promoting Economic Inclusivity in Serbia - Recommendations for Enhancing National and Local Policies in Women's Entrepreneurship

Sonja Đuričin — 2024-09-18

The aim of the research is to assess current practices supporting women's entrepreneurship and employment in Serbia. Based on the findings, recommendations are developed to enhance national and local policies in this area, alongside indicators for monitoring progress. The research includes an analysis of the legal and institutional framework, supplemented by data from surveys of local self-government unit (LSGU) representatives and focus groups involving women entrepreneurs and city administration officials. The research spans the period from 2019 to 2022. Key findings underscore significant barriers encountered by women entrepreneurs, such as inadequate access to financial resources, limited educational programs, and a lack of mentorship opportunities. Recommendations encompass the introduction of specialized support programs, the integration of a gender perspective across all facets of the legal and institutional framework, and ongoing alignment with European and international standards. These proposals are expected to bolster national and local policies, thereby fostering improved economic participation and sustainability in women's entrepreneurship. Future research should concentrate on the long-term impacts of these policies and comparative analyses with countries that have adopted advanced, gender-sensitive entrepreneurial policies.

Social Intelligence Management in the Context of Promoting Professional Self-Education: Gender Aspects

Daniela Palaščáková — 2024-09-25

The importance of lifelong learning and professional self-education in the modern world is beyond doubt. The search for external and internal incentives to increase people's interest in self-development is an important task for management sciences. External motivation includes the efforts of managers and HR managers to encourage employees to learn. In childhood and adolescence, parents, teachers and professors perform this function. However, it is important to understand what internal factors affect the desire for new knowledge and experience. According to numerous studies, social intelligence plays this role, as it affects the formation of positive qualities of a person from a social point of view. The purpose of this research was to verify the correlation between the level of social intelligence of an individual and his/her desire for self-development and additional training. The survey was conducted on a sample of students from a private online school that provides soft skills, financial and digital literacy training. The research results have complemented the previous survey among senior university students to form a comprehensive picture. High statistical reliability (p≤0.001***) was found for a significant relationship between social intelligence and its components and the desire to study further. The research results indicate the importance of developing a person’s social intelligence in order to stimulate professional self-education. Increasing the level of employees’ competence has a positive influence on their loyalty to the corporate culture, enhancing the personnel security of enterprises.

Exploring Gender Disparities in Digital Skills: Evidence from the Serbian Tourism Sector

Aleksandra Bradić-Martinović — 2024-10-08

The paper examines the digital skills of key stakeholders in the Serbian tourism industry (supply side) to identify potential gender gaps in digital proficiency. Employing a cross-sectional survey of 418 participants within the tourism industry, we utilized binomial logistic regression to parse out the effects of gender relative to other socio-demographic variables on digital skills. The descriptive results based on DigComp 2.0 methodology reveal notable gender differences, with women showing higher levels of information and communication skills but lagging men in problem-solving and content manipulation skills. However, the binomial logistic regression analysis indicates that gender does not significantly predict digital skill levels in the Serbian tourism sector. Instead, age and education are significant factors, with older individuals less likely to possess advanced digital skills and higher education levels correlating with greater digital proficiency. These findings underscore the critical role of education (formal and informal) in digital skills building, suggesting that comprehensive and targeted educational initiatives could effectively enhance digital skills and competencies across the sector.

Women-Led Social Entrepreneurship

Jussara Palmer Torres — 2024-10-16

This study uses a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of 30 women leaders in Peruvian social entrepreneurship. Through in-depth interviews analyzed using Moustakas's (1994) methodology, the research proposes a framework for understanding the initiation and development of women-led social enterprises, considering individual, social, cultural, and institutional factors. It also examines the impact of these ventures on the leaders and society, as well as the resources utilized. The findings offer insights for policymakers aiming to support entrepreneurial ecosystems. This study is unique in its focus on Peru, a country with the highest women labor force participation in Latin America and strong entrepreneurial activity.

The Influence of Women’s Leadership on Organizational Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals: A Discriminant Analysis Approach

Manohar Kapse — 2024-11-04

Although it seems that the roles of leaders in sustainable development are extremely important, it is not entirely clear whether the obstacles for women leaders in this context have really changed and to what extent there is still gender discrimination in this domain. In line with this, the study investigates the relationship between the gender of the leaders and the alignment of organizations with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. With the growing emphasis on sustainability in business practices, understanding how leadership, particularly CEO gender, influences corporate sustainability initiatives is crucial. The research adopts a quantitative approach to analyze data from organizations led by both male and female CEOs across various industries. By considering the 17 SDGs as independent variables, the study aims to discern whether organizations led by female CEOs exhibit a stronger commitment to specific sustainability goals compared to those led by male CEOs. The analysis seeks to uncover patterns in goal prioritization and explore whether gendered leadership affects sustainability outcomes. The findings are expected to provide insights into how leadership characteristics impact an organization’s sustainability strategies and could suggest future policies and practices aimed at enhancing gender diversity in leadership roles.

Empowering entrepreneurial success through the development of interpersonal skills and business plans in women entrepreneurs

Yuri Reina Marín — 2024-11-25

Women's entrepreneurial success can be achieved through the development of soft skills and the development of business plans to enhance business management skills. The study evaluated the impact of an entrepreneurial program focused on soft skills and business plan development through a pre-experimental methodology; a pre-and post-test was conducted on 28 women participants of the "Emprende Mujer" group over eight sessions. The main findings revealed a significant improvement in the soft skills of the women, as well as overcoming the lack of knowledge about the structure of a business plan, with a value of (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, the business program proved to be effective for women entrepreneurs in search of business sustainability. This study highlights the importance of acquiring soft skills through experience. At the same time, the creation and development of business plans require educational intervention by specialists, as a lack of knowledge in key areas such as marketing and operations can hinder the growth of ventures.

List of reviewers for the year 2024

Marija Antonijević — 2024-11-27