Entrepreneurial learning in informal apprenticeship programmes:exploring the learning process of the Igbo Apprenticeship System (IAS) in Nigeria.

This research examines the unique learning process of the Igbo Apprenticeship System (IAS). This approach to the development of enterprises and entrepreneurship, which originated in the ethnic group of communities in the South-eastern part of Nigeria, uses mimetic learning to instil in its participants knowledge and behaviours intended to create a lifelong approach and mindset to entrepreneurship development. This form of mimetic learning predates the mediaeval era and takes place outside formal educational system. As a consequence, it largely does not rely on participants having a specific level of educational achievement. Rather it required a long-term commitment from the apprentice, their family and the entrepreneur. The research expands the theoretical understanding of the entrepreneurial learning through an evaluation of an entirely experiential base using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as the critical lens to explore the antecedents of entrepreneurial intention and social learning. It evaluates and combines the available evidence into a conceptual framework that shapes the process of entrepreneurial learning as an experiential activity. Qualitative data gathered from entrepreneurs, who were former apprentices and current apprentices, are critically analysed using the illustrative case study and process tracing approach. The research contributes to the extant entrepreneurial learning process literature by identifying, reviewing and synthesizing available research into a conceptual framework that explores the process of entrepreneurial learning as an experiential process. Key issues in entrepreneurship education including the different informal learning process of the IAS and the identification of specific dynamics in the interaction and development of the learners were examined. The paper concludes with novel suggestions on how education may stimulate this learning process

Women entrepreneurship: sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the Global South post-COVID-19 pandemic.

Global economic activity is picking up as we start to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as we embark on the road to a global recovery, it is crucial to assess local economic recovery, to allow local authorities to develop adequate policies that will support economic growth. For example, for a country like South Africa, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world (statsSA) and the largest inequality gap (World Bank), the level of economic survival and recovery is crucial for everyone, including for Previously Disadvantaged Individuals (PIDs) - especially women. The pandemic has more severely affected women and women entrepreneurs, who generate 37% of the world's GDP. Moreover, they continue to encounter obstacles that prevent them from realising their full potential (World Bank, 2022). Women entrepreneurs play a critical role in the economic activities of their communities. For example, women from disadvantaged communities in Africa usually use their business profits to sustain their households and provide a better education for their children (Syden & Forget, 2012; Dolan & Scott, 2009). In turn, their children have access to better socio-economic conditions, which contributes to poverty alleviation and helps to close the inequality gap. Women entrepreneurs may be involved in various businesses and leadership positions, such as being the leaders of innovative technology businesses, owners of local businesses, or providers of health- and childcare services (Kamberidou, 2020). Women entrepreneurs are not only beneficial to their local communities; they are also a vital part of the future economic growth of countries in the Global South. This conference stream aims to provide a bird's-eye view of the need for targeted support for women entrepreneurs, who have been historically marginalised in the Global South. This is critical for economic recovery and for the sustainability of women entrepreneurship in the region

Queen Bees:How is female managers' happiness determined?

This paper aims to study the determinants of subjective happiness among working females with a focus on female managers. Drawn on a large social survey data set (N=10470) in China, this paper constructs gender development index at sub-national levels to study how institutional settings are related to female managers’ happiness. We find that female managers report higher levels of happiness than non-managerial employees. However, the promoting effect is contingent on individual characteristics and social-economic settings. The full sample regression suggests that female managers behaving in a masculine way generally report a high level of happiness. Meanwhile, female managers who refuse to support gender equality report low happiness levels. Sub-sample analysis reveals that these causalities are conditioned on regional culture. Masculine behavior and gender role orientation significantly predict subjective happiness only in gender-egalitarian regions. This study is one of the first to consider both internal (individual traits) and external (social-economic environment) factors when investigating how female managers’ happiness is impacted. Also, this study challenges the traditional wisdom on the relationship between female managers’ job satisfaction and work-home conflict. This study extends the literature by investigating the impacts of female managers’ masculine behavior on their happiness. This study is useful for promoting female managers' leadership effectiveness and happiness

Factors influencing responsiveness to feedback: on the interplay between fear, confidence, and reasoning processes

Self-appraisal has repeatedly been shown to be inadequate as a mechanism for performance improvement. This has placed greater emphasis on understanding the processes through which self-perception and external feedback interact to influence professional development. As feedback is inevitably interpreted through the lens of one’s self-perceptions it is important to understand how learners interpret, accept, and use feedback (or not) and the factors that influence those interpretations. 134 participants from 8 health professional training/continuing competence programs were recruited to participate in focus groups. Analyses were designed to (a) elicit understandings of the processes used by learners and physicians to interpret, accept and use (or not) data to inform their perceptions of their clinical performance, and (b) further understand the factors (internal and external) believed to influence interpretation of feedback. Multiple influences appear to impact upon the interpretation and uptake of feedback. These include confidence, experience, and fear of not appearing knowledgeable. Importantly, however, each could have a paradoxical effect of both increasing and decreasing receptivity. Less prevalent but nonetheless important themes suggested mechanisms through which cognitive reasoning processes might impede growth from formative feedback. Many studies have examined the effectiveness of feedback through variable interventions focused on feedback delivery. This study suggests that it is equally important to consider feedback from the perspective of how it is received. The interplay observed between fear, confidence, and reasoning processes reinforces the notion that there is no simple recipe for the delivery of effective feedback. These factors should be taken into account when trying to understand (a) why self-appraisal can be flawed, (b) why appropriate external feedback is vital (yet can be ineffective), and (c) why we may need to disentangle the goals of performance improvement from the goals of improving self-assessment

A Guide To How Business Schools Can Develop Academic Staff To Engage With Smes

The impetus for business schools to work with small firms is growing. At over 98% of the UK business population, it is essential that our education and research are relevant and useful to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and support their growth, sustainability, and resilience. The profound disruption of the global Covid-19 pandemic has consolidated this push to help bolster our small business population, as well as having profound impacts on the number of new small firms, their business models, products, and their digital transformation.Yet the take up of business school programmes among SMEs is historically low compared with larger companies. Leadership skills gaps in small firms persist, despite UK and devolved governments’ funding and focus.The Chartered Association of Business Schools (Chartered ABS) therefore invited academics from business schools around the UK to explore how schools can develop their staff to engage with SMEs. The working group’s focus was on identifying interventions to increase the amount of business school engagement with SMEs, while examining the barriers and how some schools have overcome them. It also explored enablers of engagement and based its recommendations around practice in Small Business Charter (SBC) awarded schools, and insights gained from relevant literature and policy documents. This working group has developed this report before and during the global pandemic, which has also hugely affected universities and business schools themselves.This document is designed primarily to be a practical aid to decision making for business school leaders, although it may be of interest to a wider stakeholder group, for example business engagement leads in universities, and the Small Business Charter Board.Following secondary research and case study development, and in acknowledgement of changing landscapes for both small firms and universities, recommendations have been proposed, which, for the most part, map onto the identified barriers and challenges. These recommendations are not Covid-specific, but have been evaluated in the light of the seismic changes to both small firms and business schools during this period, and are designed to support resilience and deeper collaborative relationships for recovery and growth. The significant list of recommendations is not proposed to be undertaken in its entirety; it is anticipated that readers will use this document as a resource and may well find some sections more relevant and useful than others. It is also likely that there are other staff development approaches which have proved successful to universities which are not captured here – the working group welcomes contributions which add to the recommendations made at the end of this report.</div