Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics

10–25

Authors: Saber Khosravi, Mahnaz Ahmadi, Mahtab Barazandeh

Purpose- Just before the approval of the Bayh dole Act, universities and colleges in the United States of America were used to be associations with the main aim focused on research and education and they could not imagine taking other missions. The approval of this act gave universities the right to submit and take advantage of their research results and academic achievements as intellectual properties which were done by governmental budget. Still over fifty years the Bayh dole Act is considered as the most inspiring act and significant factor in salient development of innovation and its consequent national productivity in the 1990s economy of America. With the encouraging economic and financial outcomes, many other countries like Iran got enthusiastic to authorize and implement the same act. Although Islamic Republic of Iran with developing economy has approved similar academic commercialization rules, they were not successful in practice. Consequently they could not result to similar effects of the Bayh dole Act such as the mutation in development of academic innovation or the commercialization of knowledge base products in universities and, apparently they could not even increase the transfer technology offices (TTO) or the number of university patents and products either. Design/methodology/approach- This article first introduces the background and the contexts of the Bayh dole passage in America and then explains the Act’s main outcomes in America’s innovation and academic commercialization system. Also it takes a brief look at the similar rules and regulations in other countries including Singapore, China and India. Findings- Moreover, this article contains the comparative study of these regulations and related acts in other countries, especially in America, and their similarities and differences. Finally, by interviewing the Iranian inventors and experts, the defect of internal acts, factors and reasons of their disappointed implementation are illustrated. Research paper

45–81

Authors: Gunjan Kumar

Purpose- Entrepreneurs propose; institutions facilitate; markets decide; knowledge grows and development occurs. This process of development with growth of knowledge through institutions and entrepreneurship may be of interest for many. But the topic ‘Institutions and Entrepreneurship’ overlaps several areas of research, and therefore works are fragmented. Design/methodology/approach- The paper pulls together these various strains of research. Various theoretical and empirical studies have been discussed related to this but are of course not exhaustive. Findings- The contributions of both the classical and modern literatures are equally important in understanding the two related and valuable concepts of Institutions and Entrepreneurship. Identifying the variables through which the mechanism of Institutions affect the quantity and quality of Entrepreneurship of a region are crucial. The paper advocates the study of Institutions in a cluster; in a general framework rather than in isolation. The efficiency of an institutional set up hinges on the various complementary elements and therefore there is a need of coherence among all related variables to deliver a unified and mutually reinforcing environment. Research paper

98–120

Authors: Mohammad Javad JamehBozorgi, Seyed Hadi Hashemi Dashtaki

Purpose- This study explores the self-gifting customer behavior of entrepreneurs across two cultures, Eastern and Western of districts of Iran, and identifies the motivations and feelings associated with the self-gifting practice. Design/methodology/approach- The research includes a literature review of feelings and motivations in the buying context, culture and the importance of cross-cultural studies in the consumer behavior context, and the concept of self-gifting and its evolution. An empirical research undertaken to explore the feelings and motivations for self-gifting among consumers from six different providences divided in an equal numerical manner to represent the two different cultures. The findings of this qualitative research are analyzed by categorizing the responses into five dimensions or themes which have been identified as most relevant. This was followed by a cross-cultural comparison for each of the previously identified themes. Findings- With the exception of two interviewees who by the nature of their job pay attention to advertisements the rest of the respondents ignored any commercial in this respect. Taking into consideration the findings that motives and feelings vary across cultures it can be suggested that ads that try to encourage a self-gifting behavior in Eastern provinces should not follow solely the Western approach. In contrast with the Western individual prioritization, Eastern people are group-oriented thus a self-gift is meant to be shared. Research limitations/implications- In order to avoid any cultural mistake and a low target rate of response self-gifting message customization is advisable. For instance, in West durable and expensive products can be advertised as self-gifts while in the East consumable products and products suitable for sharing can benefit from self-gift-oriented messages. In contrast, experiential self-gifts such as trips can be marketed in a similar way in both East and West. Due to the lack of financial support and time constraints the interviews were not preceded by a complete series of pilot studies. In addition to this, the qualitative analysis as such is vulnerable from the point of view of generalisability, validity and reliability. The interpretivist research philosophy adopted that focuses on the uniqueness of the individuals can also be considered a barrier towards absolute generalisability. Thus, no universal application of the studies’ results has been assumed. However, the study gives some useful insights into the nature of self-gifting behavior across the division East-West and as such provides material for future research on the topic. Research paper

21-40

Authors: Amran Awang, Ima Ilyani Ibrahim, Siti Azreena Ayub

Purpose- This study focuses on the factors influencing students’ choice of selecting entrepreneurship as their career after graduation. The paper aims to gain more understanding of how personality traits, entrepreneurship knowledge-experience and current economic environment affect entrepreneurial career among polytechnic students in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach- A theoretical framework based on a literature review is developed. Empirical results were derived from a quantitative approach based on survey method and a cross sectional study. Hypothesis testing were executed where multiple regression analysis utilized to verify the direct relationship between independent variables and dependent variables. Findings- Personality traits and favorable economic environment were proven important in explaining students intention to choose entrepreneurial career as their career choice after they graduated from study. Practical implications- The results shall aid polytechnics management in formulating their curriculum and programs that fit students’ priorities that they shall choose their future undertaking as an entrepreneur. Malaysian public policy regarding higher education should consider some changes required in higher learning institutions in the country. Annual budget and higher learning institutions entrepreneurship programs shall be revised accordingly after considering the results of the study. Originality/value- Entrepreneurial intention inquiries in Malaysian institutions have been very limited and an established framework need more serious efforts. This study contributes to entrepreneurial intention body of knowledge. Research Paper Keywords: entrepreneurial career, personality traits, economic environments, knowledge and experience, Malaysia.

63–73

Authors: Majid Hosseinzadeh, Seyyed Mostafa Razavi, Davood Hosseinzadeh

Purpose- Today, entrepreneurship has become a necessity for economic development in different countries. Therefore, entrepreneurship training could be a solution in order to reach this goal. But it should be considered that for being more successful, these courses should be effective and efficient. Design/methodology/approach- In this study, a survey is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of these courses between 265 trained individuals between in a two years period. Random sampling is done and then 113 individuals were selected to conduct the survey. Cronbach's alpha was calculated (0.967) and some hypotheses were tested. Findings- Results reveal that output effectiveness was significant, and the courses were considered to be at an acceptable level. But there were some limitations as follows: (i) lack of access to a large number of trainers, which might affect the generalization level of the findings; and (ii) finding appropriate measures to test the mentioned hypotheses. Research Implications- The findings of this research might be used by policy makers, trainers and even tutors in the field of entrepreneurship. Originality/value- The research is among the first studies in the area of evaluating entrepreneurship training courses conducted in Iran. Research Paper Keywords: Effectiveness, Output, Training, Entrepreneurship.