What impacts crowdfunding awareness and intention to adopt it and use it? An analysis of regional differences in Zimbabwe.

This research investigates how crowdfunding awareness influences the intention to adopt and use crowdfunding in Zimbabwe, analysing regional differences. Given the economic challenges and limited credit access for SMEs in Zimbabwe, understanding the impact of crowdfunding awareness and intention is crucial. A survey was conducted, gathering data from a sample of 213 respondents via an online questionnaire. The findings indicate that subjective norms and economic education positively influence crowdfunding awareness. Attitudes towards crowdfunding are shaped by factors such as enjoyment, social trust, and perceived regulatory authority. Financial contribution intention is influenced by factors including financial contribution behaviour and age, with positive relationships found for enjoyment and financial contribution behaviour and a negative effect for age. However, fundraiser familiarity, subjective norms, awareness, self-efficacy, perceived IT infrastructure, and perceived regulatory infrastructure do not significantly impact financial contribution intention in Zimbabwe. Additionally, the study identifies regional differences in crowdfunding awareness, with higher awareness levels among urban residents than rural residents. Nevertheless, no significant disparities were observed in the intention to adopt and use crowdfunding between urban and rural residents

Crowdfunding awareness and adoption intentions in Africa: Empirical evidence from Tanzania

Purpose – Crowdfunding is a viable alternative to access finance to overcome the limited capital problem among developing countries. Despite the low rate of crowdfunding adoption in Africa, there is a dearth of literature on the continent, specifically on adoption drivers and behavioural intentions. This thesis aims to investigate the drivers of crowdfunding adoption intentions in Africa and fully understand the impact of awareness on crowdfunding, both as an antecedent and a dependent variable. Design/Methodology/approach – The hypotheses developed are based on the extended theory of planned behaviour by incorporating the challenges highlighted in previous conceptual papers. This study utilises an approach based on quantitative research. An online survey was administered that collected data from 471 respondents in Tanzania. The authors further used PLS-SEM for analysis and implemented several quality tests to ensure the robustness of the results. Findings – The empirical results in this study reveal that attitudes and interests towards crowdfunding and prior contribution experiences are the crucial drivers of crowdfunding contribution intentions. Furthermore, education and training, as well as subjective norms, play an essential role in increasing crowdfunding awareness. Also, crowdfunding awareness was found to have a positive and significant influence on interest, self-efficacy, and perceived behavioural control. Finally, awareness, interest, perceived IT infrastructure and social trust had a favourable impact on attitude towards crowdfunding. Originality/value – First, the study provides empirical insight into the crowdfunding concept in the sluggish growth context. Second, it clarifies the impact of awareness on crowdfunding, both as an antecedent and dependent variable (identification of effective strategies for increasing awareness among potential backers). Third, it further helps to refine existing models and develop new ones that better reflect the unique characteristics of different regions. Keywords Crowdfunding, Theory of planned behaviour, Awareness, Adoption, Intentions, Africa, Tanzania

Crowdfunding awareness and adoption intentions in Africa: Empirical evidence from Tanzania

Purpose – Crowdfunding is a viable alternative to access finance to overcome the limited capital problem among developing countries. Despite the low rate of crowdfunding adoption in Africa, there is a dearth of literature on the continent, specifically on adoption drivers and behavioural intentions. This thesis aims to investigate the drivers of crowdfunding adoption intentions in Africa and fully understand the impact of awareness on crowdfunding, both as an antecedent and a dependent variable. Design/Methodology/approach – The hypotheses developed are based on the extended theory of planned behaviour by incorporating the challenges highlighted in previous conceptual papers. This study utilises an approach based on quantitative research. An online survey was administered that collected data from 471 respondents in Tanzania. The authors further used PLS-SEM for analysis and implemented several quality tests to ensure the robustness of the results. Findings – The empirical results in this study reveal that attitudes and interests towards crowdfunding and prior contribution experiences are the crucial drivers of crowdfunding contribution intentions. Furthermore, education and training, as well as subjective norms, play an essential role in increasing crowdfunding awareness. Also, crowdfunding awareness was found to have a positive and significant influence on interest, self-efficacy, and perceived behavioural control. Finally, awareness, interest, perceived IT infrastructure and social trust had a favourable impact on attitude towards crowdfunding. Originality/value – First, the study provides empirical insight into the crowdfunding concept in the sluggish growth context. Second, it clarifies the impact of awareness on crowdfunding, both as an antecedent and dependent variable (identification of effective strategies for increasing awareness among potential backers). Third, it further helps to refine existing models and develop new ones that better reflect the unique characteristics of different regions. Keywords Crowdfunding, Theory of planned behaviour, Awareness, Adoption, Intentions, Africa, Tanzania

Feminist theory, Gender and Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding promotes financial democracy through advancement in ICT for minorities in finance. While crowdfunding has reduced the underrepresentation of females in entrepreneurial finance, little attention has been paid to the influence of context on the discussion on gender in entrepreneurial finance. We examine this by applying feminist theory. By this, we argue that the gender effects of certain factors that have been generally associated with one gender may vary with place. From Finland, a gender equal context, we analyse survey data from 556 contributors of the largest reward crowdfunding platform. The findings show that certain factors that prior studies have shown to be associated with female contributors are more significantly associated with males in the study’s context. The findings support the argument that male contributors in an effort to change their ‘historical dominance’ to gain traction and legitimacy within an ‘equal society’ may have to be socially and morally sensitive

The hero’s journey: how social entrepreneurs take indirect and direct actions to address societal challenges

L’emprenedoria social com a mètode innovador per afrontar els reptes socials ha esdevingut cada vegada més popular en les darreres dècades. La investigació teòrica sobre aquest fenomen ha estat especialment fèrtil atès que se situa al nexe entre l’emprenedoria i la creació de valor social, cosa que ha obert àmplies vies per a noves investigacions. Aquesta tesi es basa en les literatures sobre emprenedoria i emprenedoria social, proporcionant nous elements sobre el paper de les pràctiques discursives indirectes dels emprenedors socials i les seves accions directes per fer front als reptes de la societat. Utilitzant conceptes teòrics de la literatura sobre moviments socials, crowdfunding i identitat social, els diferents capítols d’aquesta tesi examinen les tàctiques de marc motivacional de les empreses socials, les apel·lacions cognitives i emocionals en les narratives emprenedores en entorns prosocials i la interacció entre la identitat social i l’acció emprenedora en el cas de comunitats marginades. En aquesta tesi s’utilitzen metodologies qualitatives i quantitatives per investigar empíricament aquestes pràctiques indirectes i accions directes dels emprenedors socials i les seves empreses. Aquesta tesi desenvolupa el coneixement sobre l’àmbit de l’emprenedoria social al centrar-se específicament en les estratègies per fer front als reptes socials a través del marc motivacional, les apel·lacions cognitives i emocionals i l’emprenedoria social interna i, amb això, pretén fer una contribució tant teòrica com pràctica.El emprendimiento social como método innovador para abordar los desafíos sociales se ha vuelto cada vez más popular en las últimas décadas. La investigación teórica sobre este fenómeno ha sido particularmente fértil, ya que se sitúa en el nexo entre el emprendimiento y la creación de valor social, lo que ha abierto vías para exploraciones novedosas. Esta tesis se basa en la literatura sobre el emprendimiento y el emprendimiento social, proporcionando nuevos elementos sobre el papel de las prácticas discursivas indirectas de los emprendedores sociales y sus acciones directas para abordar los desafíos sociales. Utilizando conceptos teóricos de la literatura sobre movimientos sociales, crowdfunding e identidad social, los diferentes capítulos de esta tesis examinan las tácticas de marco motivacional de las empresas sociales, las apelaciones cognitivas y emocionales en las narrativas empresariales en entornos prosociales y la interacción entre la identidad social y la acción empresarial en el caso de comunidades marginadas. En esta tesis se emplean metodologías cualitativas y cuantitativas para investigar empíricamente estas prácticas indirectas y acciones directas de los emprendedores sociales y sus emprendimientos. Esta tesis desarrolla el conocimiento sobre el campo del emprendimiento social al enfocarse específicamente en las estrategias para encarar los desafíos sociales a través del marco motivacional, las apelaciones cognitivas y emocionales y el emprendimiento social interno y, con ello, tiene como objetivo hacer una contribución tanto teórica como práctica.Social entrepreneurship as an innovative approach to tackle societal challenges has become increasingly popular in the past decades. Theoretically, research on this phenomenon has been particularly fruitful as it is situated at the nexus of entrepreneurship and social value creation, which has opened up ample avenues for novel explorations. This thesis builds on the entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship literatures by providing insight into the role of social entrepreneurs’ indirect discursive practices and direct entrepreneurial actions to address societal challenges. Drawing on theoretical concepts from the literature on social movements, crowdfunding, and social identity, the different chapters of this thesis examine the motivational framing tactics of social enterprises, the cognitive and emotional appeals in entrepreneurial narratives in prosocial settings, and the interaction between social identity and entrepreneurial action in the case of marginalized communities. In this thesis, qualitative and quantitative methodologies are employed to empirically investigate these indirect practices and direct actions of social entrepreneurs and their ventures. This thesis further develops our knowledge about the social entrepreneurship field by specifically focusing on the approaches to address societal challenges through motivational framing, cognitive and emotional appeals, and insider social entrepreneurship and, therewith, aims to make both a theoretical and practical contribution

Crowdfunding success : a systematic literature review 2010-2017

Author's accepted manuscript (postprint).acceptedVersio

Entrepreneurial passion: A systematic review and research opportunities

In this paper, we conduct a systematic review on the topic of entrepreneurial passion. We summarize the empirical findings of studies based on the four major conceptualizations of passion: passion for work, the dualistic model of passion, entrepreneurial passion, and perceived passion. Moreover, we analyze 63 published papers in the literature and identify potential research opportunities in this area. First, research on the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and firm performance needs further examination; we need comprehensive and more nuanced studies on this relationship, focusing on diverse types of passion. Second, distinctive mechanisms based on different types of passion would enhance our understanding of how passion influences firm performance and other outcomes. Third, it is essential that future studies carefully match theoretical arguments and measurements, based on the frameworks of passion. Fourth, scholars should conduct empirical research on entrepreneurial passion in various cultural contexts. Fifth, theoretical justifications and contextual appropriateness for each framework of passion are critical to advance the literature. Lastly, scholars need to utilize unified terminologies of passion

Making the World a Better Place: How Crowdfunding Increases Consumer Demand for Social-Good Products

Crowdfunding has emerged as an alternative means of financing new ventures wherein a large number of individuals collectively back a project. This research specifically looks at reward based crowdfunding, where those who take part in the crowdfunding process receive the new product for which funding is sought in return for their financial support. This work illustrates that consumers make fundamentally different decisions when considering contributing their money to crowdfund versus purchase a product. Six studies demonstrate that compared to a traditional purchase, crowdfunding more strongly activates an interdependent mindset and, as a result, increases consumer demand for social-good products (i.e., products with positive social and/or environmental impact). The research further highlights that an active involvement in the crowdfunding process is necessary to increase demand for social-good products: When a previously crowdfunded product is already to market, the effect is eliminated. Finally, it is demonstrated that crowdfunding participants exhibit an increased demand for social-good products only when collective efficacy (i.e., one’s belief in the collective’s ability to bring about change is high

Unpacking opportunity recognition for sustainable entrepreneurship

Sustainable entrepreneurs can find solutions to the largest challenges that humanity faces by starting a new company. However, to be able to do that, they first need to recognize a business opportunity. Therefore, I analyse the following question: where, how, and why do entrepreneurs recognize business opportunities for a sustainable business? To recognize a business opportunity is crucial for entrepreneurs, because without a business opportunity, there is no entrepreneurship. Opportunity recognition is essentially a match of (1) resources that the entrepreneur has access to, and (2) a need, interest or want in the market. The entrepreneur combines these into an idea and a plan for a new venture. Sustainable entrepreneurs need to first recognize a sustainability problem and find a market solution to this problem, before they can recognize a sustainable opportunity. My research shows that: (1) sustainable entrepreneurs recognize opportunities at places in the Netherlands where there already is a concentration of entrepreneurs in the same sector, (2) identity, values and problem recognition conjointly explain why entrepreneurs recognize sustainable opportunities, (3) entrepreneurs recognize sustainable opportunities through identity processes and the translation of complex into specific problems, and (4) they create opportunities by fostering a sustainable consumer culture in market niches. These findings help to unpack the concept of sustainable opportunity recognition. The findings can also aid (aspiring) entrepreneurs to recognize new sustainable opportunities, help teachers to learn students to recognize new opportunities and to help policy makers to stimulate sustainable entrepreneurship based on regional characteristics