Developing a research framework for understanding the social realities, with special reference to Sri Lankan entrepreneurs

This paper identifies and examines issues of relevance for increasing effectiveness of entrepreneurial management research. These issues emerged from research into entrepreneurial behaviour and underlying motivations in Sri Lanka. Understanding of socially- and culturally-bound social actors, social actions and social outputs in entrepreneurial activity requires context-sensitivity, expressed through cognisance of institutional characteristics, the interface between cultural values and business, and historical and cultural forces which impact on entrepreneurship. We suggest that this requires exploration through bottom-up translations of actions consistent with the beliefs and values of the actors involved, employing qualitative methodology to ground the reality of human behaviour in deep-rooted cultural and social contexts. Thorough interpretation of holistic case studies that are capable of capturing the actors' viewpoints brings appropriate insights to the field of entrepreneurship

Green intraprenurial flexibility towards sustaining competitive advantage: A case of South Asian context

This study explores how green based intrapreneurial flexibility affects sustainable business performance of the Sri Lankan hotel industry. A survey was administered to a random sample of senior managers of hotels in Sri Lanka. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant path coefficient which explained green based intrapreneurial flexibility positively influenced sustainable competitive advantage. The findings suggest that hotel industry policy makers develop green specific intrapreneurial capabilities so that they can quickly adapt their green based product and service offerings in responding to changes of the green market requirements by focusing on green based new venture creation, green innovation, green related self-renewal exercises, and eco-friendly proactive decision making in order to sustain their competitive advantage from green initiatives

South-Asian way of taking entrepreneurial risk

This paper attempts to address the context sensitive paradox by examining entrepreneurial risk (ER) through the lens of social, cultural, political and economic and decision making. Entrepreneurial social reality of risk taking and management requires the fundamental philosophy of subjectivism and utilizes qualitative inductive case study method. The research data indicate that entrepreneurs do indeed use their social wisdom and cultural understanding more in their decision making. These findings provide a new perspective for understanding how entrepreneurs deal with the unjustifiable amount of risk associated with the complexity of indigenous society and culture in the South Asian context, which challenges the western ideologies and practices of ER

Culture of social institutions and behavioural manifestations in entrepreneurship development: a South-Asian case

This paper is based on the South Asian culture, social institutions and entrepreneurship in particular to Sri Lankan entrepreneurship. Sri Lankan culture demonstrates various complex and unique behavioral patterns. Sri Lankan entrepreneurial culture can be identified to have evolved through two different routes. One can be traced to the origins of Sri Lankan civilization and the other to the western influence, originating from the Industrial Revolution, and imposed through colonization which systematically destroyed the indigenous feudal system. Moreover, the ideology of entrepreneurship training and education in Sri Lanka is exclusively western in origin and character. Observations of this research showed that the heart and the mind of such a system often do not work together and this conflict is apparent. This article focuses on disappointment of continuation of such knowledge by questioning, how such ideologies actually take root and bear fruit in the Sri Lankan setting which demonstrates complex and unique behavioral socio-cultural patterns. This article concludes that utilizing western ideologies could further worsen the effectiveness of entrepreneurship development in Sri Lanka

Entrepreneurial drive beyond the need for achievement: a point of difference in South Asian entrepreneurial drive, inspiration and motivation

Entrepreneurial drive or aspiration is known as entrepreneurial motivation (EM) which is fundamental to entrepreneurial activities and a central theme of the literature since the inception and evolution of entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurship models that are in existence in South Asia are often based on the western ideological assumptions of the need for achievement (N-Ach) and personality trait theory. Research on how socio-cultural factors influence EM in the South Asian context, where entrepreneurs are fashioned with unique social means of existence, is indispensable. The exploratory nature of this socio-culture-based study embraces the fundamental philosophy of subjectivism. A qualitative research methodology and inductive holistic case study approach including grounded theory analysis, allowed context sensitive realities of EM in Sri Lanka to emerge. Findings of this study suggest that EM in Sri Lanka is rooted not only in a need for individual achievement, but also in the conscious or unconscious need to satisfy a sense of social intimacy. Finally, this study recommends that if people matter in entrepreneurship, then the cultural context of people must have an impact on EM in the South Asian societies

Western perspectives on entrepreneurship and their sensitivity in the context of Asian cultures

This paper explores western perspectives and discursive practices rooted in entrepreneurship, and argue their limited applicability in non-western cultures. It appears that the western entrepreneurship paradigm does not draw on the deep-rooted settings in society and culture of many developing countries. As a result, indigenous entrepreneurial realities are not well understood. The methods employed to transform western ideologies into other cultural settings were ineffective as they were not developed to be flexible to contextual variations. The different disciplinary perspectives and the reductionist approach of the western paradigm resulted in limited returns to entrepreneurship programmes since one disciplinary perspective can never handle all relevancies of entrepreneurial holism. It may be better to seek a context-sensitive alternative approach

Researching peculiarity of entrepreneurs: from positivism to social constructivism

This paper attempts to uncover the social reality of entrepreneurship from South Asian context. Socio-culturally-bound actors, social actions and outputs in entrepreneurial activity requires context-sensitivity, expressed through cognizance of institutional characteristics, the interface between cultural values and business, and historical and cultural forces which impact on entrepreneurship. Successful theories of entrepreneurship in the South Asia need to be formed in context sensitivity shaped by local culture and values. This paper, therefore, outlines the development of a research framework and a research process used to better understand links between society, community and entrepreneurial activity in the South Asia. This process brought new insights of the interplay between social realities and the field of entrepreneurial activity

Easy e-money syndrome: challenges of risk management in credit card industry in Sri Lanka

The concept of plastic money as a value of the currency is transferred from the credit of the buyer or the beneficiary through cyber space. The volume of utilizing credit cards and the risk incurred, has considerably increased due to certain vulnerabilities in the credit card industry in Sri Lanka. The research paper aims at identifying the challenges in the Sri Lankan credit card system through quantitative and qualitative approaches of research methodology. This paper has ascertained that credit card discrepancies are mainly due to the arrival of the concept of credit cards without proper IT literacy, institutional frame work, infrastructure and legal safeguards. The study recommends measures to minimize the perceived challenges of the credit card risk management by giving better awareness to the stakeholders about credit card frauds and imposing the required legal system which has to go beyond the existing British legal system used in Sri Lanka

Western perspectives on entrepreneurship and their sensitivity in the context of Asian cultures

This paper explores western perspectives and discursive practices rooted in entrepreneurship, and argue their limited applicability in non-western cultures. It appears that the western entrepreneurship paradigm does not draw on the deep-rooted settings in society and culture of many developing countries. As a result, indigenous entrepreneurial realities are not well understood. The methods employed to transform western ideologies into other cultural settings were ineffective as they were not developed to be flexible to contextual variations. The different disciplinary perspectives and the reductionist approach of the western paradigm resulted in limited returns to entrepreneurship programmes since one disciplinary perspective can never handle all relevancies of entrepreneurial holism. It may be better to seek a context-sensitive alternative approach