The Mediating Role of SNN and its Antecedents and Consequences

Entrepreneurs are the backbone for economic development and employment generation. Entrepreneurs use social networking extensively for developing social contacts and acquiring financial, managerial, and technical resources. UAE after the real estate bust has made deliberate efforts to make the country a hub for entrepreneurs and foreign investment. This study has examined the effect of human resources, moral support and global presence on social networking and the effect of social networking on generated ideas and business operations. Moreover, the study has also examined the mediating role of social networking on generated ideas and business operations. The questionnaire for the study was adapted from earlier studies. The sample size for the study was 193 entrepreneurs of UAE. Smart PLS 3 was used for data analysis. We have developed five direct and six indirect hypotheses. The findings are consistent with earlier studies. We found that human resource, global presence, and moral support effect social networking. Also, social networking indirectly affects idea generation and business operations. Implications for managers were drawn from the results that may help entrepreneurs to be more efficient and effective in their business ventures.Keywords: Entrepreneurship, UAE, social networking, idea generation, human resource, moral support, business operation