Strategic improvisation, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and performance: The role of corporate entrepreneurship and organisational culture

Global competition, dynamic environment and shrinking resources have created a lot of pressure on today’s organizations including Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Hence, the need for effective human resource that is capable of not only ensuring efficient utilization of resources but also responding to rapid dynamism of today’s environment to enhance HEIs performance and relevance. Previous studies mainly concentrate on top management aspect of ensuring HEIs turn around, neglecting middle and lower level managers. Drawing from the Resource Base Theory (RBT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), the study examines the indirect role of corporate entrepreneurship (CE) and organizational culture (OC) on the relationships between leaders’ strategic improvisation (SI), entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and performance. Data were generated from 229 academic leaders from ten HEIs in Kano, which were analyzed using PLS-SEM version 3.0. The findings of the direct relationship between SI, CE and performance were supported, while that of ESE reported an insignificant relationship, hence, rejected. Similarly, the result also indicates that CE depends on SI and ESE behaviour of academic leaders in HEIs. As postulated the mediating role of CE on SI, ESE and performance relationship was also established in the study. However, the moderating role of OC on the relationship between SI and performance and ESE and performance was not significantly established. The leaders’ SI, ESE, CE which were mainly used in private settings to explain performance is a novel contribution to knowledge and HEIs management. The finding is a wakeup call for HEIs management to identify and appreciate these factors in the study in order for them to play the needed role for national development. Future studies should include more samples as well as using organization as unit of analysis. The debate about the hierarchical level at which the strategic and entrepreneurial behaviour of managers is most beneficial is also another avenue for future studies

Entrepreneurial intention among foreign students in UUM: A case of Nigerian students

Government all over the developing countries is doing enough to ensure that students now engage in entrepreneurship activities so as to reduce the level of unemployment among graduates. However, there is still lack of entrepreneurial intention among students. This study examined the entrepreneurial intention among foreign students in UUM. It was revealed that factors such as entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial skill and enabling and supportive environment were key factors responsible for the lack of entrepreneurial intention among the students for building their entrepreneurial intention. In particular, the study examined the influence of entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial skill and environmental factor on the entrepreneurial intention of the Nigerian students in UUM. Due to this, a cross-section study with quantitative questionnaire approach was conducted among Nigerian students in UUM. A convenient sampling technique was used to select 155 students who participated in the study through self-administered procedure. Overall, the result obtained shows that entrepreneurial skill and entrepreneurial orientations are significantly related to entrepreneurial intention while on the contrary; the result also shows that environmental factor was not significantly related to entrepreneurial intention. The implication of this study shows that Nigerian student in UUM have both entrepreneurial skill and entrepreneurial orientation to engage in entrepreneurial activities, as such the university assist them by providing an enabling and supportive environment that would enable the student to achieve their entrepreneurial intention in Malaysia. Finally, the theoretical and the practical aspects were clearly highlighted in addition to the limitation of the study and suggestion for future study

The effect of entrepreneurship training on the capacity building program of Kano state enterprise development training institutes

Kano state enterprise development training institutes were established with the expectation to further promote and increase the number of small enterprises owners, improve the sustenance of small businesses, and reduce unemployment in the society.The institutes have graduated many students some of whom have ventured into businesses and others did not start any.Even those that have started hardly sustaining them beyond six months.It is against this backdrop, the study therefore aimed at understanding the effect of entrepreneurship training on the capacity building program with concerns to training quality, trainers competence, and availability and functionality of training facilities in the institutes.A survey research design was used, hence primary data were collected through questionnaire. A sample of 370 respondents were selected using convenient sampling technique. With the use of multiple regression analysis, the results of the study showed that training quality, trainers competence and training facilities have significant effect on capacity building effectiveness. The study thus recommended that the training institutes should standardise the admission process, curricula and improve on post training support activities.They should also determine trainers training needs and should send them for further training.The institutes should provide up-to-date training facilities with effective maintenance mechanism.Also, the study make some recommendations for future studies to in-corporate other effective variables like government political will and funding that could explain the remaining variance in capacity building effectiveness

Mediating Effect of Entrepreneurial Skills on the Relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation and Entrepreneurial Intention

The uncertainty nature of today’s environment and the increase in unemployment across the globe necessitate the need to improve entrepreneurial activities among graduates. Although, prior studies have documented empirical support of entrepreneurial orientation to entrepreneurial intention, the role of entrepreneurial skills has not been fully documented. Also, the effect of entrepreneurial orientation differs with individual cultures. Hence, the study examined the mediating role of entrepreneurial skills on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention using a sample of 143 Nigerian students. This study used a quantitative research approach, while the Partial Least Square Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. The findings of the study revealed that both entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial skills have positive relationships with entrepreneurial orientation. In addition, entrepreneurial skills mediate the relationships between entrepreneurial orientation and entrepreneurial intention. The findings of this study reinforce the assumption that EO shapes the activities of entrepreneurs, while their ES, in terms of negotiating, opportunity recognition and networking ability increases on a daily basis which will lead to entrepreneurial success

Linking Human Capital, Information Technology and Material Handling Equipment to Warehouse Operations Performance

Human capital, information technology and material handling equipment are considered as the vital resources needed by organization in operating warehouse effectively and efficiently. However, there are very few previous studies that have proved conclusively the relationships between these resources and warehouse operation performance. Hence, this study is conducted to determine these relationships in order to explain better how these resources should be given priority. A set of questionnaires were developed for a population of 1,589 licensed manufacturing warehouses in Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 800 warehouse managers participated in the study. The data were collected via mail and 102 valid responses were analysed. The study found that all these resources had positive and significant relationship with warehouse operations performance. The study concluded that human capital should be given high priority in the warehouse operations to enable firms achieve high performance

Internationalizing higher education in Nigeria: Essential tool for social and economic development

This conceptual paper highlights the significance of internationalizing higher education as a global phenomenon and discusses some of the potentials for developing nations with specific reference to Nigeria. The paper also dwell on examining Malaysia’s commitment to internationalization, the contributions it makes in the educational sub sector as well as the role it plays in the nation’s social and economic development.The paper concludes by discussing implications of the internationalization policy, benefits and suggests some measures that can positively contribute to effective implementation of the policy in the developing world

Strategic improvisation and HEIs performance: the moderating role of organizational culture

Purpose - This study aims to explore the relationships between strategic improvisation, organizational culture and higher education institutions (HEIs) performance. The dynamic nature of today’s environment, increased population and demand and budget cuts have created a lot of pressure on HEIs around the world. Hence, the need for effective human resource capable of providing advanced policies for efficiency and sustainability of these institutions. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 229 questionnaires were filled and returned by academic leaders from HEIs in Kano state, Nigeria. The study used partial least squares path modelling to test the hypotheses postulated. Findings - The major findings indicate that both strategic improvisation and organizational culture dimensions have direct relationship with HEIs performance. However, only innovative culture moderates the relationship between strategic improvisation and HEIs, while bureaucratic culture and supportive culture fail to support the proposed hypothesis. Research limitations/implications - More studies are needed to further validate the impact of strategic improvisation (SI) on other public sector performance. Also, future studies should use longitudinal approach to establish at which stage SI has more impact on performance. Also, future studies should identify the difference that exists between units, department and faculty leaders, as some are more likely to engage in SI due to the nature of their specialization. Practical implications - It is obvious that HEIs performance is not only limited to organizational factors but also individual characteristics such as ability to improvise. Hence, HEIs should consider SI ability during employment to ensure efficiency, performance and sustainability. Moreover, organizational culture of HEIs needs to be updated and to be more flexible in accommodating new initiatives or failure to encourage display of such ability. Originality/value - Previous studies especially in the for profit sector have demonstrated the role of SI and organizational culture on performance. Thus, the present study is one of the early studies in the non-profit sector, specifically the HEIs. Moreover, the inconsistent result of the previous findings necessitates the study to test the moderating effect of organizational culture

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy dimensions and higher education institution performance

A detailed literature review provided consistent justification for the effect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) on entrepreneurial intention. Recently,the literature yielded similar relationship on the link between ESE to firm performance.Although there are a significant number of studies on this effect that was mostly conducted in the private sector, they mainly focused on the composite ESE construct. The present study replicated and validated these findings with data from the public sector, specifically, higher education institutions (HEIs).Moreover, the study focused on the individual effect of all dimensions of ESE identified by Chen, Greene, and Crick (1998). Using PLS-SEM and non-probability sampling, the data were collected from 180 academic leaders from selected HEIs in Kano, Nigeria.The findings indicated that three dimensions of ESE (financial control ESE, innovation ESE, and risk taking ESE) were found to be significantly related to HEI performance, while two (management ESE and marketing ESE) were insignificantly related to HEI performance.The practical implication and suggestion for future study are also discussed

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy dimensions and higher education institution performance

A detailed literature review provided consistent justification for the effect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) on entrepreneurial intention. Recently,the literature yielded similar relationship on the link between ESE to firm performance.Although there are a significant number of studies on this effect that was mostly conducted in the private sector, they mainly focused on the composite ESE construct. The present study replicated and validated these findings with data from the public sector, specifically, higher education institutions (HEIs).Moreover, the study focused on the individual effect of all dimensions of ESE identified by Chen, Greene, and Crick (1998). Using PLS-SEM and non-probability sampling, the data were collected from 180 academic leaders from selected HEIs in Kano, Nigeria.The findings indicated that three dimensions of ESE (financial control ESE, innovation ESE, and risk taking ESE) were found to be significantly related to HEI performance, while two (management ESE and marketing ESE) were insignificantly related to HEI performance.The practical implication and suggestion for future study are also discussed

Linking Intrapreneurial Risk-Taking to Academic Leaders’ Performance

Although significant relationships have been recorded between the variables of individual-level risk-taking propensity and performance in many sectors, the effect of this relationship remains less studied particularly as it relates to the individual performance of academic leaders operating in public universities. Hence, this study is aimed to determine the significant effect of intrapreneurial risk-taking on its relationship to academic leaders’ performance in Malaysian public universities. A quantitative research design based on the questionnaire survey was used to collect data. A total of 246 usable responses were received from middle-level academic leaders of twenty public universities throughout the country. They mostly comprised of faculty deans, academic heads of department, directors of academic centre of excellence, and programme chairpersons. The findings revealed a significant and positive relationship between intrapreneurial risk-taking behaviour andperformance