Entrepreneurial experience and opportunity identification : the role of intuition and cognitive versatility

The issue of “why, when and how” some people, but not others, discover opportunities is central to our understanding of entrepreneurship. Although there is a growing body of research in this area, opportunity identification remains an ongoing phenomenon of interest as many questions remain unanswered. One important question concerns the effects of experience on opportunity identification. Research suggests that entrepreneurs become more adept at identifying opportunities as they gain experience, but the cognitive processes underlying this relationship remain unclear. This study explores this gap in the literature by addressing the following research question: To what extent can the relationship between entrepreneurial experience and opportunity identification be explained by cognitive strategy? Guided by sound theoretical principles (Cognitive-Experiential Self- Theory) and by a critical review of the scholarly literature, this study argued first, that intuition is a key process that links experience to an enhanced ability for opportunity identification, and second that intuition is most effective when used together with analysis in a versatile cognitive strategy – an approach characterised by high levels of both intuition and analysis, and an ability to switch between them as needed. Building on these arguments, this study develops and tests a model in which intuition and cognitive versatility are hypothesised to mediate the relationship between experience and opportunity identification. Seventy-four technology-entrepreneurs completed a think-aloud protocol analysis exercise in which they generated potential business ideas for three innovative technologies. In addition, they completed an online survey that was designed to control for factors which may influence intuition, cognitive versatility and/or opportunity identification, namely cognitive style, risk perception, risk propensity, and entrepreneurial experience. The model was tested by integrating the survey data with the coded and quantified protocol data in a series of regression and mediation analyses. Consistent with prior research, this study found that experienced entrepreneurs are more proficient than novices at identifying opportunities. Extending previous research, this study shows that intuition and cognitive versatility mediate the relationship between experience and opportunity identification. Not only do experienced entrepreneurs use their intuition to help them identify potentially lucrative opportunities, they also employ a process of analysis to complement their intuition and to ensure that this intuition is not leading them astray. Overall, these results suggest that scholars need to consider cognitive versatility, rather than simply looking at intuition or analysis in isolation, and to think about how this can be shaped to benefit opportunity identification

Green jobs from a small state perspective : case studies from Malta

The thrust of the argument in this paper is that artisans can make valuable contributions to the holistic values of sustainable development. These contributions could include both environmental concerns, such as the reduction and recycling of waste and the use of local, natural materials in craft production, as well as the social aspects of developing and preserving local knowledge and skills and the provision of sustainable employment and self-actualisation opportunities. These would in turn be of value in economic terms, as they would enable artisans to develop “prosperous, vibrant enterprises” (Ferraro, White, Cox, Bebbington, & Wilson, 2011, p. 21) which incorporate all three (environmental, social and economic) elements of sustainable development, thus transforming artisans into sustainable entrepreneurs. This paper forms part of a larger research project currently being conducted among artisans in Malta, aimed at assessing the current conditions and practices of Maltese artisans and their traditional craft production in the light of creativity, innovation and sustainability. It reports on an informal preliminary round of research carried out with artisans at the Ta’ Qali Crafts Village in Malta, which sheds some light upon certain unfavourable conditions that are threatening the survival of traditional artisans in Malta. These include unfair competition from mass produced imports, an inadequate certification system for genuine crafts, uninformed and unappreciative local customers, and fluctuations in tourist rates. The paper concludes by giving an outline of the steps that should follow this preliminary research, and by making practical recommendations for the survival, prosperity and sustainability of genuine Maltese artisan enterprises in the context of a market that is not congenial to artisans.peer-reviewe

Inclusive entrepreneurship policies, country assessment notes. Malta, 2017

This Country Assessment Note is available in full at: www.oecd.org/industry/inclusive-entrepreneurship-policies-country-assessment-notes.htm, and published in abridged form as Country Profiles in The Missing Entrepreneurs: Policies for Inclusive Entrepreneurship book series by the European Commission and OECD, available at: www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/the-missing-entrepreneurs_43c2f41c-enInclusive entrepreneurship policies aim to offer all people an equal opportunity to create a sustainable business, whatever their social group. Among the key targets of inclusive entrepreneurship policies and programmes are women, youth, older people, the unemployed, migrants and people with disabilities, who all continue to face challenges in the labour market and are under-represented or disadvantaged in entrepreneurship activities. This note is the second in a series of annual country assessments on the state of inclusive entrepreneurship policies and programmes in Malta. It provides an overview and assessment of policies and programmes that support people from under-represented and disadvantaged groups in business creation and self-employment, and suggests policy actions to address gaps in the support system and to improve the quality of available support offers. The 2017 notes place a special focus on describing the characteristics of self-employment in each country. The notes are part of a wider programme of work by the OECD and the European Commission that includes ‘The Missing Entrepreneurs’ publications, a series of Policy Briefs on specific target groups, policies and issues, country reviews of youth entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurship, and the production of online policy guidance.OECDpeer-reviewe

Start-up Success in a Small Island State: A Study among Entrepreneurs in Malta

This study focuses on entrepreneurs in the small island state of Malta and investigates whether starting up and running an enterprise is facilitated or hindered by being in a small island environment. Specifically it asks (1) whether being on a small island, on the periphery of a major market facilitates or hinders entrepreneurship and start-up success; (2) whether Malta’s cultural context and enterprise environment affect entrepreneurship and start-up success; (3) what the key success factors among Maltese start-ups are; and (4) how are creativity and innovation reflected in Maltese start-ups. Qualitative research among 13 start-ups is supported by telephone-based research among a sample of 90 respondents. Findings contribute to the pool of business expertise and context-specific information from small island states that is often missing from the international literature

The effects of intuition and analysis on high-tech opportunity exploitation decisions.

In the dynamic high-tech industry, entrepreneurs need to make timely decisions on various matters including opportunity identification and exploitation. Past research found intuition to positively predict the number and innovativeness of opportunities identified by high-tech entrepreneurs. However, insufficient research has been published on intuition in opportunity exploitation, which is necessary for business creation and growth. Guided by dual-process theory, which posits that intuition should be studied together with analysis, this study addresses the above-mentioned gap in the literature through the following research question: How are intuition and analysis related to entrepreneurs’ decisions to exploit high-tech opportunities? Data was gathered from 74 entrepreneurs using a mixed-methods approach comprising an online survey and verbal protocol analysis. A key finding of this study is that there was a greater amount of analytical than intuitive processing during high-tech opportunity exploitation decision-making, suggesting that entrepreneurs engage in more deliberate processes such as interpreting, convergent thinking and mental simulation at this stage, in an attempt to select the most promising option. Nevertheless, intuition was positively associated, while analysis was negatively associated, with the number of opportunities that participants decided they would exploit. This suggests that intuition plays an important role in opportunity exploitation, as it enables entrepreneurs to make decisions to pursue promising avenues, thereby counteracting the so-called ‘paralysis by analysis’.peer-reviewe

Inclusive entrepreneurship policies, country assessment notes. Malta, 2020

This Country Assessment Note is available in full at: www.oecd.org/industry/inclusive-entrepreneurship-policies-country-assessment-notes.htm, and published in abridged form as Country Profiles in The Missing Entrepreneurs: Policies for Inclusive Entrepreneurship book series by the European Commission and OECD, available at: www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/the-missing-entrepreneurs_43c2f41c-enInclusive entrepreneurship policies seek to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to create a sustainable business for those with realistic potential, regardless of their background. Business creation by people from under-represented and disadvantaged groups (e.g. women, youth, seniors, immigrants, the unemployed, people who experience disability) helps generate jobs, thereby fighting social and financial exclusion while stimulating economic growth. This note is the fourth country assessment note on the state of inclusive entrepreneurship policies and programmes in Malta. It provides an overview of the entrepreneurship activities by women, youth, seniors, immigrants and the unemployed. It also provides an assessment of policies and programmes that support people from under-represented and disadvantaged groups in business creation and self-employment, and suggests policy actions to address gaps in the support system and to improve the quality of available support offers. The 2020 notes include a special section on entrepreneurship support for people who experience disability. These country-specific notes are part of a wider programme of work by the OECD and the European Commission that includes “The Missing Entrepreneurs” publications, the Better Entrepreneurship Policy Tool (www.betterentrepreneurship.eu), a series of Policy Briefs on specific target groups, policies and issues, and national policy reviews of youth entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurship.OECDpeer-reviewe

Inclusive entrepreneurship policies, country assessment notes. Malta, 2016

This Country Assessment Note is available in full at: www.oecd.org/industry/inclusive-entrepreneurship-policies-country-assessment-notes.htm, and published in abridged form as Country Profiles in The Missing Entrepreneurs: Policies for Inclusive Entrepreneurship book series by the European Commission and OECD, available at: www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/the-missing-entrepreneurs_43c2f41c-enInclusive entrepreneurship policies aim to offer all people an equal opportunity to create a sustainable business, whatever their social group. Among the key targets of inclusive entrepreneurship policies and programmes are women, youth, older people, the unemployed, migrants and people with disabilities, who all continue to face challenges in the labour market and are under-represented or disadvantaged in entrepreneurship activities. This note is part of a series of annual country assessments on the state of inclusive entrepreneurship policies and programmes in Malta. It provides an overview and assessment of policies and programmes that support people from under-represented and disadvantaged groups in business creation and self-employment and suggests policy actions to address gaps in the support system and to improve the quality of available support offers. The notes cover national-level policies and programmes and, where relevant, sub-national initiatives and actions by the non-governmental sector. The notes are part of a wider programme of work by the OECD and the European Commission that includes ‘The Missing Entrepreneurs’ publications, a series of Policy Briefs on specific target groups, policies and issues, country reviews of youth entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurship, and the production of online policy guidance.OECDpeer-reviewe

Are STEM students creative thinkers?

Scholarly research has increasingly examined the role of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education, and that of creativity as a transversal skill. However, far fewer studies have investigated the relationship between the two, particularly in secondary-school contexts, and they have obtained inconsistent results. This paper contributes to the literature by asking: To what extent is studying STEM associated with higher levels of creativity in a secondary-school context? The study utilises a pre-existing dataset gathered in Malta (EU) from some 400 students aged between 11 and 16 years old. It yields information on both the engagement in STEM (measured by exposure to STEM chosen by students as optional subjects, and the enjoyment of STEM considered by students to be their favourite subjects), as well as creativity levels (measured by Divergent Thinking performance on Alternate Uses Tests). Correlation analysis revealed a strong positive link between the two phenomena, lending support to the notion that STEM students tend to be more creative than other students. Using regression analysis, a model is estimated to identify the possible effects of engaging in STEM subjects on creativity, once the other co-determinants of creativity are controlled. The results indicate that both the exposure to STEM subject/s and enjoyment thereof significantly and positively predict creativity, even after controlling for the other possible determinants of creativity (such as age, gender, parental education, and participation in creative activities). These findings offer encouraging insights into 21st century education and for curriculum development as they suggest that, in addition to having value in their own right, STEM subjects can contribute to the development of creativity in young people.peer-reviewe

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Mediterranean region over 18 months: bridging the health outcomes and sustainable development goals

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, including across the Mediterranean basin. This region presents diversity in economy, culture, and societal affairs. We attempted to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the population and on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our aim being to aid in the development of COVID-19 national plans. Methods: Epidemiological data was obtained from ‘Our World in Data’ databases (January 2020 – July 2021). Case, mortality, and vaccination incidence comparisons were made across neighbouring countries. The SDG index, universal health coverage (UHC) and health workforce targets were collected for each country. Correlations between SDG targets and COVID-19 outcomes were analysed. Results: Similarities in morbidity and mortality outcomes were present across neighbouring countries, with a bidirectional relationship between cumulative fully vaccinated population and infectivity fatality rates. Positive relationships were present between SDG indexes, UHC and health workforces and COVID-19 cases, deaths, and vaccinations. Conclusion: At prima face, high-income countries seem to have sustained worse morbidity and mortality outcomes, despite having had better UHC and a greater health workforce in the pre-COVID-19 era however, one must also consider that factors such as health-seeking behaviour and underdiagnosis may have influenced this. Cross-border infectivity was, however, evident. Pan-Mediterranean action must therefore be taken to ensure COVID-19 transmissibility and mortality are reduced across borders, while ensuring an equitable health outcome across populations. Keywords: COVID-19; Mediterranean; Morbidity; Mortality; Vaccination; Sustainable Development Goals; Outcome Assessment

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Mediterranean region over 18 months : bridging the health outcomes and sustainable development goals

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, including across the Mediterranean basin. This region presents diversity in economy, culture, and societal affairs. We attempted to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on the population and on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our aim being to aid in the development of COVID-19 national plans. Methods: Epidemiological data was obtained from ‘Our World in Data’ databases (January 2020 – July 2021). Case, mortality, and vaccination incidence comparisons were made across neighbouring countries. The SDG index, universal health coverage (UHC) and health workforce targets were collected for each country. Correlations between SDG targets and COVID-19 outcomes were analysed. Results: Similarities in morbidity and mortality outcomes were present across neighbouring countries, with a bidirectional relationship between cumulative fully vaccinated population and infectivity fatality rates. Positive relationships were present between SDG indexes, UHC and health workforces and COVID-19 cases, deaths, and vaccinations. Conclusion: At prima face, high-income countries seem to have sustained worse morbidity and mortality outcomes, despite having had better UHC and a greater health workforce in the pre-COVID-19 era however, one must also consider that factors such as health-seeking behaviour and underdiagnosis may have influenced this. Cross-border infectivity was, however, evident. Pan-Mediterranean action must therefore be taken to ensure COVID-19 transmissibility and mortality are reduced across borders, while ensuring an equitable health outcome across populations.peer-reviewe