The influence of socio-cultural environments on the performance of nascent entrepreneurs:community culture, motivation, self-efficacy and start-up success

The importance of informal institutions and in particular culture for entrepreneurship is a subject of ongoing interest. Past research has mostly concentrated on cross-national comparisons, cultural values and the direct effects of culture on entrepreneurial behaviour, but in the main found inconsistent results. We add a fresh perspective to this research stream by turning attention to community-level culture and cultural norms. We hypothesize indirect effects of cultural norms on venture emergence: Community-level cultural norms (performance-based culture and socially supportive institutional norms) impact important supply-side variables (entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial motivation) which in turn influence nascent entrepreneurs' success in creating operational ventures (venture emergence). We test our predictions on a unique longitudinal dataset, tracking nascent entrepreneurs' venture creation efforts over a five-year time span, and find evidence supporting them. Our research contributes to a more fine-grained understanding of how culture, in particular perceptions of community cultural norms, influences venture emergence. Based on these findings, we discuss how venture creation efforts can be supported. Our research highlights the embeddedness of entrepreneurial behaviour and its immediate antecedent beliefs in the local, community context. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

The influence of socio-cultural environments on the performance of nascent entrepreneurs:an instrumental variable approach

The importance of informal institutions and in particular culture for entrepreneurship is a subject of ongoing interest. Past research has mostly concentrated on cross-national comparisons, cultural values, and the direct effects of culture on entrepreneurial behavior, but in the main found inconsistent results. The present research adds a fresh perspective to this research stream by turning attention to community-level culture and cultural norms. We hypothesize indirect effects of cultural norms on venture emergence. Specifically that community-level cultural norms (performance-based culture and socially-supportive institutional norms) impact important supply-side variables (entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial motivation) which in turn influence nascent entrepreneurs’ success in creating operational ventures (venture emergence). We test our predictions on a unique longitudinal data set (PSED II) tracking nascent entrepreneurs venture creation efforts over a 5 year time span and find evidence supporting them. Our research contributes to a more fine-grained understanding of how culture, in particular perceptions of community cultural norms, influences venture emergence. This research highlights the embeddedness of entrepreneurial behavior and its immediate antecedent beliefs in the local, community context.

A hazai kis- és közepes vállalatok szociokulturális beállítódása a hofstede-dimenziók mentén = The socio-cultural attitudes of the Hungarianc small and medium enterprises along the Hofstede dimensions

A kis- és közepes vállalkozások (KKV-k) kutatása viszonylag új, és emiatt meglehetősen feltáratlan terület, bár a megjelenő tudományos cikkek és eredmények száma és minősége évről évre jól érzékelhetően nő (Collinson – Shaw, 2001). A KKV-kutatások igen fontos sajátossága továbbá, hogy kifejezetten interdiszciplináris terület, megközelíthető a menedzsment, az innovációkutatás, a marketing, a szervezetszociológia, de akár a pszichológia felől is. Több kutatás is felveti a szociokulturális háttér jelentőségének kérdését KKV-k esetében. A szerzők kutatásuk során kvantitatív felmérést végeztek 200 vállalkozó körében a Hofstedeskála (Hofmeister et al., 2008) felhasználásával, melynek eredményeként kiderült, hogy a KKV-vezetők beállítódása jelentősen különbözik mind a hazai nagyvállalati vezetőktől, mind az általános lakosságtól. Jelen tanulmányunkban bemutatjuk azokat a Hofstede-dimenziókat, amelyek mentén karakteres különbségek jelentkeztek a vállalkozók és a nagyvállalati vezetők, valamint a társadalom összessége között. Az eredmények alapján határozottan kirajzolódnak olyan „vállalkozói” gondolkodásmódbeli sajátosságok, mint a nagyobb versenyszellem, a közvetlenebb, kevésbé hierarchikus működési stílus, a rendkívül erős, rövid távú orientáció, valamint a kockázatvállalás rendhagyóan alacsony foka. _____ Although there has been an increasing academic attention towards small and medium-sized enterprises, it is still a novel research area with a number of unanswered questions. It is also an especially interdisciplinary field as it can be approached from various viewpoints such as management, innovation, marketing, organization sociology or even psychology. Different academic disciplines have studied the influence of socio-cultural factors and concluded that they are relevant aspects of entrepreneurial activity. This paper presents the results of the authors’ quantitative research which aimed at finding patterns in the software of the minds of SME managers where they applied Hofstede’s cultural scale (Hofmeister et al., 2008). Drawing upon data from 200 Hungarian SMEs, the results indicate they have different attitude and way of thinking compared to large company managers and to the general Hungarian population. This paper points out the relevant Hofstede dimensions where significant differences have been revealed. The main finding of the study is that managers of small and medium businesses have a special mindset which can be characterized with higher level competitiveness, more direct and less hierarchic operation, extremely high level of short term orientation and low level of risk taking

Spontaneous order and social norms. Hayek’s theory of socio-cultural evolution

Hayek’s theory of socio-cultural evolution is a generalization of his theory on spontaneous market order. Hayek explains both the emergence of market and social institutions serving as a social basis for that order within the framework of a unified evolutionary logic. This logic interprets the emergence and survival of spontaneous order and group-level rules of conduct as an unintended consequence of human action. In order to explain the emergence of social norms exclusively on the basis of methodological individualism, one would have to give up an exclusively evolutionary explanation of these norms. Since Hayek applies the invisible-hand explanation to the investigation of social norms, he combines the position of methodological individualism with functionalist-evolutionary arguments in his analysis. Hayek’s theory of socio-cultural evolution represents a theory in the framework of which methodological individualism and functionalism do not crowd out but complement each other.

Spontaneous order and social norms. Hayek’s theory of socio-cultural evolution

Hayek's theory of socio-cultural evolution is a generalization of his theory on spontaneous market order. Hayek explains both the emergence of market and social institutions serving as a social basis for that order within the framework of a unified evolutionary logic. This logic interprets the emergence and survival of spontaneous order and group-level rules of conduct as an unintended consequence of human action. In order to explain the emergence of social norms exclusively on the basis of methodological individualism, one would have to give up an exclusively evolutionary explanation of these norms. Since Hayek applies the invisiblehand explanation to the investigation of social norms, he combines the position of methodological individualism with functionalist-evolutionary arguments in his analysis. Hayek's theory of socio-cultural evolution represents a theory in the framework of which methodological individualism and functionalism do not crowd out but complement each other.

El uso de las redes en la gestión socio-cultural de proyectos artísticos. Tres casos prácticos

A lo largo de este estudio exponemos el conjunto de indagaciones y resultados que hemos obtenido al analizar el contexto actual en un trabajo de campo estructurado en tres casos prácticos. Para ello nos situamos en un momento histórico sin precedentes donde las generaciones más jóvenes son testigos de un nuevo proceso de aprendizaje invertido. Estas son ahora los encargadas de enseñar a sus padres a manejar las nuevas tecnologías que están apoderándose de nuestra cotidianeidad. Mediante un análisis del estado de la cuestión, exponemos las fases más significativas del desarrollo tecnológico en la era de internet. Asistimos a una reconceptualización del lenguaje debido a la invasión de las TIC. Es el momento de repensar la cultura y revisar los roles de la educación en búsqueda de contenidos de calidad para las nuevas generaciones que viven un panorama cultural decadente. Proponemos utilizar el desarrollo tecnológico en beneficio de liberar la cultura mediante herramientas participativas, estructuras horizontales y mayor acceso a los contenidos. La interdisciplinearidad es la clave para conjugar exitosamente Arte, tecnología, cultura y comunicación. Por ello los artistas y profesionales del sector que emplean su capacidad creativa junto a su poder de innovación, son capaces de ofrecer una respuesta mejor hacia la comprensión del nuevo planteamiento. Por eso, cuanto más fomentemos un perfil versátil entre los gestores, mejor podremos dinamizar las estructuras periféricas, ámbitos marginales y contextos hostiles con la intención de recuperar la esencia de los conceptos más básicos. Dinamizar la cultura y el arte...

Exploring Perceptions of Middle Class Urban Indian Women Regarding Socio-Cultural Deterrents Influencing Participation in Adult and Continuing Educational Programs

Unlike its childhood counterpart, adult and continuing education is a voluntary activity, where adult learners partake in educational programs for the sake of realizing some explicit or implicit goal. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between socio-cultural influences and deterrents to participation of middle class urban Indian women in adult and continuing educational programs. Darkenwald and Merriam’s (1982) theory of non-participation was selected as the theoretical lens used to guide this study. This study involved collecting qualitative data to analyze participant views and was collected through 16 semi-structured interviews to explore participants’ individual perceptions concerning socio-cultural deterrents influencing participation of middle class urban Indian women in adult and continuing educational programs. Qualitative data were analyzed to discover emerging themes and sub-themes. In the second phase of the study, a modified Deterrent to Participation Scale – General (DPS-G) was used to measure data collected from the surveys completed by participants, that included specific demographic questions. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the relationships between the demographic questions and the deterrent identified on the DPS-G. The interview and survey data were used convergently to understand the relationship between socio-cultural influences and deterrents impacting participant participation in adult and continuing educational programs. The findings of the study indicated that the biggest socio-cultural influence deterring participation among middle class urban Indian women in adult and continuing educational programs is marriage. It is an Indian social norm that comes with a set of pre-defined roles and expectations, and married women find themselves consumed by fulfilling the marital and familial expectations and responsibilities and participation in adult and continuing educational program is furthest from their mind. Middle class urban Indian women do realize the importance of educational pursuits, but do not feel that they can, after marriage. They are open, however, to pursuing adult educational programs in the form of short-term skill development programs leading to income generation, although they would lead primarily to home-based work enterprises.

El concepto de competencia comunicativa/ socio cultural en el proceso de adquisición de lenguas extranjeras

El objetivo de este trabajo es reflexionar acerca de lo que se entendió y e entiende por competencia comunicativa/ sociolinguistica o cultural en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras. A lo largo del siglo XX el término fue cobrando nuevas dimensiones recibiendo aportes tanto de la antropología como de la lingüística y la sociología y el desplazamiento de "lo local a lo global" también tiene un correlato en lo pedagógico generando interrogantes en torno a dónde nos concentrarnos como docentes cuando hablamos de competencia comunicativa intercultural, o qué entendemos cuando se habla de multiculturalidad en el aula en la cual todos los actores supuestamente pertenecen a una misma cultura nacional. En el presente trabajo se tiene en cuenta la enseñanza de una lengua extranjera en la Argentina

"Secretary in Fashion" and "Love-Letters": a study of socio-cultural and pragmatic-linguistic features in the late 17th century English language

Epistolary manuals are conspicuous historical documents for the pedagogy of letter writing; however, their actual usage as manuals by letter writers is unknown. "Secretary in Fashion" by Serre (1668), an epistolary manual, and "Love-Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister" (1684), an epistolary novel attributed to Behn, both give insights into epistolary conventions. Their inception and nature is interesting, considering their historical context. Despite the Restoration of Charles II, 17th century England was in a confused political state; as a result, texts regarding social convention or politics interested contemporary readers (the novel is inspired by a scandal of Lord Grey, an ardent Whig opposing Charles II). Past epistolary studies focus on 18th rather than 17th century manuals; the latter is typically used as supplementary information. Similarly, past epistolary fiction studies focus on 18th century texts; moreover, linguistic studies on Behn and the novel are deficient. Thus, this study addresses the research questions: 1) What are the socio-cultural and pragmaticlinguistic features represented in "Secretary in Fashion"? 2) What are the socio-cultural and pragmatic-linguistic features represented in "Love-Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister", and do any of these features correlate with the features represented in "Secretary in Fashion"? How far do the characteristic linguistic features of "Love-Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister" correlate with the practices recommended by the manual? Both texts were qualitatively analysed from an historical pragmatic perspective, which observes the potential effects of the socio-cultural and historical context. Also, as the texts concern shared discourses, comparisons were made with Gricean and Politeness Theory. The results show that the manual is a typical 17th century epistolary manual, aligning particularly with the "Academies of Complements", as it concerns the social conventions of the gentry. The novel mainly upheld instructions on form and matter; deviations occurred due to the amatory nature of some letters, and the narrative force affecting the style. Unfortunately, neither research question elucidates the actual usage of manuals. However, this study does show the epistolary practices of two writers, within specific contexts. It reveals that their 17th century English language use is affected by socialisation, in terms of social conventions concerning social rank, age, and gender; therefore, context varies language use. Also, their popularity reveals the interests of the 17th century society. Interest in epistolary-related texts, surely piques the interest of the modern reader as to why such epistolary-related texts were interesting.

Influence of socio-cultural identity of ase foundation adolescent students in their participation and attitude in the english class

Tesis (Licenciado en Lenguas Castellana, Inglés y Francés).--Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias de La Educación. Licenciatura en Lengua Castellana, Inglés y Francés, 2014

Proyecto de creación e implementación de una revista socio cultural en la parroquia San Miguel de Porotos del cantón Azogues

El presente proyecto Creación e Implementación de una Revista Sociocultural en la parroquia San Miguel de Porotos del cantón Azogues, fue creado por dos estudiantes de la carrera de comunicación social con el principal objetivo de crear un vínculo comunicacional en la parroquia, y como un aporte a la conservación y difusión de la cultura. En su desarrollo se pone de manifiesto la combinación de los saberes teóricos adquiridos en la universidad con la práctica e inclusión en el campo de estudio, basado en investigación teórica complementada con la historia de la parroquia en estudio. Culturas y Tradiciones San Migueleñas, revista que abarca temas de índole cultural, religioso, social y deportivo, recoge historias innatas de los habitantes del lugar y pone en manifiesto la riqueza ancestral que posee su gente, la alfarería, el tejido de paja toquilla y su alto índice de catolicismo fueron las principales características para la elaboración de los artículos y fotografías publicados en la primera edición de este medio de comunicación. La apertura y colaboración de las autoridades parroquiales y pobladores permitieron la realización de este trabajo periodístico, el mismo que se forjó a base de entrevistas directas e involucramiento con la comunidad en diferentes espacios sociales y familiares.

El concepto de competencia comunicativa/ socio cultural en el proceso de adquisición de lenguas extranjeras

El objetivo de este trabajo es reflexionar acerca de lo que se entendió y e entiende por competencia comunicativa/ sociolinguistica o cultural en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras. A lo largo del siglo XX el término fue cobrando nuevas dimensiones recibiendo aportes tanto de la antropología como de la lingüística y la sociología y el desplazamiento de "lo local a lo global" también tiene un correlato en lo pedagógico generando interrogantes en torno a dónde nos concentrarnos como docentes cuando hablamos de competencia comunicativa intercultural, o qué entendemos cuando se habla de multiculturalidad en el aula en la cual todos los actores supuestamente pertenecen a una misma cultura nacional. En el presente trabajo se tiene en cuenta la enseñanza de una lengua extranjera en la Argentina

El concepto de competencia comunicativa/ socio cultural en el proceso de adquisición de lenguas extranjeras

El objetivo de este trabajo es reflexionar acerca de lo que se entendió y e entiende por competencia comunicativa/ sociolinguistica o cultural en la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras. A lo largo del siglo XX el término fue cobrando nuevas dimensiones recibiendo aportes tanto de la antropología como de la lingüística y la sociología y el desplazamiento de "lo local a lo global" también tiene un correlato en lo pedagógico generando interrogantes en torno a dónde nos concentrarnos como docentes cuando hablamos de competencia comunicativa intercultural, o qué entendemos cuando se habla de multiculturalidad en el aula en la cual todos los actores supuestamente pertenecen a una misma cultura nacional. En el presente trabajo se tiene en cuenta la enseñanza de una lengua extranjera en la Argentina

ABSTINENCE AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AMONG STUDENTS: THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL, FAMILY AND SOCIO-CULTURAL SPHERES

Introduction: Among young people, regular or alcohol abuse seems to ally with individual factors, which congregate to other generators behaviors health risk, in social environment, including family and school. The consumption of alcoholic beverages in the younger age groups, according to the World Development Report goes beyond 60%. In the Portuguese case, the Alentejo is the region that recorded higher consumption among schoolchildren. Objectives: This study aims to know the personal inluences of family, of belonging to the group and the school environment, on the withdrawal and consumption habits among young people. Methods: A qualitative nature of research, using comprehensive semi-structured interviews. The study was developed in a school district of Evora, Portugal. The sample consists of ten students from the 8th school grade, ive non-consumers-ive consumers aged between 13 and 15 years old. Results: The trial takes place between 12 and 14 years old as a result of curiosity, explicit or tacit motivation, “give style”, the environment, entertainment and observing behavior. Among the effects of intake indicated as motivators consumption highlight the joy of reaching states and willingness. Family members tend to encourage moderate drinking on festive occasions. family models exaggerated consumption repudiate ingestion. The elements of the group of belonging tend to motivate explicitly, the intake among consumers students. The school promotes initiatives on the theme, punctually. Conclusions: The consumption of alcohol among young people suffer the personal, family and belonging group inluences. The initiatives in school tend to have no effect.

Padrões lingüísticos e estratificação social

Este trabalho investiga o desempenho lingüístico de dois grupos de adolescentes entre 10 e 18 anos, segundo grau de escolaridade e estrato sócio-econômico. Seu principal objetivo é verificar o grau de conformidade alcançado por ambos à norma adulta de prestigio, considerando-se unicamente variantes fonológicas e avaliar, além disso, o papel da escola no ensino de habilidades consideradas necessárias à aquisição de um conjunto consistente de variantes sócio-culturais.