Entrepreneurial behaviour in a large traditional firm: exploring key drivers

Innovative use of resources to pursue opportunities has become vital for all organizations. Even large traditional firms operating in stable and mature markets increasingly stress entrepreneurial initiative as a key element in their strategic long-term orientation. While traditional management literature has identified contextual features that foster entrepreneurial activity, little research has looked at why -in the same objective organizational context- some managers act entrepreneurially and others do not. I recognize the importance of context in shaping managerial behaviour. However, while differences in the behavioural context might explain variance in entrepreneurial behaviour between companies, they fail to explain variance within the same company. Drawing on literature in entrepreneurship, strategic management, organizational behaviour and social cognitive theory, I present a model on the micro-foundations of entrepreneurial behaviour in large traditional organizations. I propose that entrepreneurial behaviour is largely affected by managers' subjective interpretations of their supportive context and their set of cognitive and emotional characteristics. Furthermore -acknowledging a proactive role of individuals in controlling their own behaviour and cognition- I introduce entrepreneurial self-efficacy beliefs -defined as managers' perceived capability to perform entrepreneurial tasks- as a critical influencer of actual entrepreneurial behaviour. I empirically test this model and use structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze data from 150 middle managers of a large European financial service company striving to become "entrepreneurial". Preliminary findings reveal that managers' subjective interpretations of their sociopolitical support and access to resources significantly stimulate entrepreneurial behaviour. Contrary to the predictions of the literature, individual cognitive and emotional characteristics do not affect entrepreneurial behaviour directly, but are critical in shaping managers' perceptions of their "playground for action". Furthermore, findings suggest that managers' entrepreneurial self-efficacy beliefs are a powerful predictor of entrepreneurial behaviour. They are critical to translate perceptions of context and individual characteristics into behaviour, and represent an important cognitive and motivational device to steer and regulate entrepreneurial behaviour. Based on an explorative yet rigorous research design, this study broadens our understanding of the main determinants of entrepreneurial behaviour within established organizations and consolidates various streams of literature. Last but not least, it offers valuable insights for managerial practice on how to encourage entrepreneurial behaviour across multiple levels of the organization.Entrepreneurship; intrapreneurship; emotional intelligence

Decision making processes in people with symptoms of acute myocardial infarction: qualitative study

Objective To identify, the themes that influence decision making processes used by patients with symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. Design Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. Setting Two district hospitals in North Yorkshire. Participants 22 patients admitted to hospital with confirmed second, third, or fourth acute myocardial infarction. Main outcome measure Patients' perceptions of their experience between the onset of symptoms and the decision to seek medical help. Results Six main themes that influence the decision making process were identified: appraisal of In symptoms, perceived risk, previous experience, psychological and emotional factors, use of the NHS, and context of the event. Conclusions Knowledge of symptoms may not be enough to promote prompt action in the event of an acute myocardial infarction. Cognitive and emotional processes, individual beliefs and values, and the influence of the context of the event should also be considered in individual interventions designed to reduce delay in the event of symptoms of acute myocardial infarction

What does not happen: quantifying embodied engagement using NIMI and self-adaptors

Previous research into the quantification of embodied intellectual and emotional engagement using non-verbal movement parameters has not yielded consistent results across different studies. Our research introduces NIMI (Non-Instrumental Movement Inhibition) as an alternative parameter. We propose that the absence of certain types of possible movements can be a more holistic proxy for cognitive engagement with media (in seated persons) than searching for the presence of other movements. Rather than analyzing total movement as an indicator of engagement, our research team distinguishes between instrumental movements (i.e. physical movement serving a direct purpose in the given situation) and non-instrumental movements, and investigates them in the context of the narrative rhythm of the stimulus. We demonstrate that NIMI occurs by showing viewers’ movement levels entrained (i.e. synchronised) to the repeating narrative rhythm of a timed computer-presented quiz. Finally, we discuss the role of objective metrics of engagement in future context-aware analysis of human behaviour in audience research, interactive media and responsive system and interface design

Quantum-like modeling of the order effect in decision making: POVM viewpoint on the Wang-Busemeyer QQ-equality

In recent years, quantum mechanics has been actively used in areas outside of physics, such as psychology, sociology, theory of decision-making, game theory, and others. In particular, quantum mechanics is used to explain the paradoxes arising in cognitive psychology and decision making. Wang and Busemeyer invented a quantum model and approach as well as non-parametric equality (so-called QQ-equality), explaining the questions order effect. The primary objective of this note is to test the possibility to expand the Wang-Busemeyer model by considering questions which are mathematically represented by positive operator valued measures. We found that, for such observables, the QQ-equality can be violated. But, we also showed that, in principle, it is possible to reduce expanded model to the original Wang-Busemeyer model by expanding the context of the questions

ERP analysis of cognitive sequencing : a left-anterior negativity related to structural transformation processing

A major objective of cognitive neuroscience is to identify those neurocomputational processes that may be shared by multiple cognitive functions vs those that are highly specifc. This problem of identifying general vs specialized functions is of particular interest in the domain of language processing. Within this domain, event related brain potential (ERP) studies have demonstrated a left anterior negativity (LAN) in a range 300 to 700 ms, associated with syntactic processing, often linked to grammatical function words. These words have little or no semantic content, but rather play a role in encoding syntactic structure required for parsing. In the current study we test the hypothesis that the LAN reflects the operation of a more general sequence processing capability in which special symbols encode structural information that, when combined with past elements in the sequence, allows the prediction of successor elements. We recorded ERPs during a non-linguistic sequencing task that required subjects (nà10) to process special symbols possessing the functional property defined above. When compared to ERPs in a control condition, function symbol processing elicits a left anterior negative shift between with temporal and spatial characteristics quite similar to the LAN described during function word processing in language, supporting our hypothesis. These results are discussed in the context of related studies of syntactic and cognitive sequence processing

Relations between Tourism and Sport in the Context of Tourism as an Academic Discipline

The specific objective of the paper is to discuss the mutual relations between tourism and sport and, in a wider context, to draw the reader’s attention to the potentially excessive range of research goals in tourism as a discipline. Within the scope of discussion, the author looks at tourism as a social activity and a conceptual and research subject. Research questions, the signposts of intellectual debate, come down to whether tourism shares any common areas with sport (in its widest sense). If so, is such activity still tourism activity? Or perhaps these types of ‘sport-tourist’ activities should be excluded from discussion on tourism as an academic discipline because of their non-tourist character? The author assumes that there is an exploratory and cognitive zone between these two areas of social activity, going beyond both tourism and sport. Tourist activity and sport activity in fact differ from each other

"Where did I park my car?" : a mixed methods investigation on mild cognitive impairment diagnosis in New Zealand : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is defined as an objective impairment in cognitive function which spares everyday functional ability. The syndrome is shrouded in controversy regarding definition, cut-off criteria, and clinical utility. Consequently, it is an uncertain label for the client being diagnosed by their healthcare practitioner. To date, minimal research in New Zealand has focused on MCI within specialist assessment services. Reasons for this paucity of literature will be discussed throughout this thesis. The current research aimed to identify how practitioners deliver and perceive cognitive impairment diagnosis, and examine how clients respond to receiving this diagnosis. Client experiences were framed within the common sense model (CSM). This theory originates from health psychology, where coping behaviour is said to be influenced by the cognitive representations that a person has about their condition. Although the framework is previously discussed in relation to chronic illness, international researchers have started to examine the utility of the model in explaining MCI diagnosis response. Given this context, the CSM framework guided the client-focused components of this thesis. In Study One, 57 practitioners who diagnose cognitive impairment completed a questionnaire on labels applied to MCI and beliefs about the value of diagnosis delivery. Responses were analysed using content analysis to gain an impression of professional practice. Cognitive disorder - not otherwise specified (CD-NOS), early dementia, and normal ageing were reported to additionally label the symptoms of MCI in clinical practice. In Study Two, client responses were examined in a small clinical sample (N = 9) diagnosed with MCI and CD-NOS. Participants were interviewed twice within six months of initial diagnosis. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to gain insight into how people cope and make sense of their diagnosis over time. Descriptive analyses were also undertaken with a subset of Study Two data to examine changes and differences in coping strategies over time. Findings suggest that participants may not see their diagnosis as an illness or significant health threat in the first six months following diagnosis. This prompts a question on the suitability of an illness model with reference to diagnosis response. Findings from this research add to the literature by highlighting practice associated with an evolving form of clinical diagnosis in NZ

The impact of sensory processing on executive and cognitive functions in children with autism spectrum disorder in the school context

Theoretical approaches propose a hierarchical organization of sensory and higher­order cognitive processes, in which sensory processing influence sorne cognitive and executive functions. Aims: The main objective of this study was to analyze whether sensory processing dysfunctions can predict the cognitive and executive dysfunctions evaluated in a group of children with leve! 2 autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the school context. Methods and procedures: Two groups of children participated: an ASD group (n = 40) and a group of children with typical development (the comparison group, n = 40). The children's sensory processing was evaluated based on their teachers' perceptions, and the children's executive and cognitive functions were evaluated using direct performance measures. Resulcs: In the ASD group, the sensory processing difficulties predicted executive and cognitive dysfunctions in the specific domains of inhibitory control, auditory sustained attention, and short-term verbal memory, after controlling the possible effect of ASD severity. Moreover, the ASD group showed higher levels of sensory, executive, and cognitive dysfunction than the comparison group. Conclusions and implications: Future research should investigate whether adequate sensory in­terventions in children with ASD in the school context can improve these specific executive and cognitive functions