No abstract

Perceptual studies are important because of the influence of perception on individual behavior. The behavior of an individual is known to be influenced by activation of traits like stereotypes; behavior of leaders and entrepreneurs is no exception. The leadership role perspectives of entrepreneurs play an important role in the behavior of entrepreneurs as leaders of organizations. One of the important behavioral indicators of entrepreneurs is their conflict resolution styles. There is hardly any empirical research that focuses on Leadership role perspective and conflict resolution styles of an entrepreneur. The present study attempts to bridge this research gap by focusing on the relationship between two leadership role perspectives (Benevolent and Benevolent-Authoritative leadership role perspective) and conflict resolution styles (Cooperative, Competitive and Avoiding Style) of entrepreneurs who are steering small and medium enterprises (SMEs). For the study, data is collected through a self-administered online questionnaire from 238 SME entrepreneurs of Karnataka, who were selected by convenience judgmental sampling method. Descriptive statistics, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were used for analyzing the data. Leadership role perspectives and conflict resolution styles were extracted using factor analysis and thereafter, tested for reliability and validity. The results indicate that the role perception of leaders has an impact on their conflict resolution styles. The study is relevant today because entrepreneurs'/ leaders' conflict resolution style is a major concern in SMEs due to its importance in problem-solving as well as motivating and retaining employees.

Entrepreneurial ecosystem is the interacting socio-economic environment that facilitates entrepreneurs to start and develop their enterprises. A vibrant and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem is necessary for the start-up and growth of an enterprise. The entrepreneurial action would largely depend on the perception of entrepreneurs about the ecosystem. In this context, a study was designed to understand the perceptions of actors (entrepreneurs) and observers (non-entrepreneurs) on various components of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Data for this study were collected from 296 entrepreneurs and 315 non-entrepreneurs from India, who responded to a 77-item questionnaire by giving their ratings of various aspects of the ecosystem on a 5-point scale. Findings of the study showed that perceptions of the entrepreneurial ecosystem were significantly different for most of the subgroups. Most notable among these differences was those between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs, where the mean scores on all dimensions were found to be significantly higher for non-entrepreneurs than for entrepreneurs except for entrepreneurial capability which was found to be higher for entrepreneurs. Hence, the hypothesis of actor–observer bias in the perceptions of entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs is supported.

PurposeThe objective of the study was to explore the factors influencing the career decisions of students doing the students' undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programmes from urban private universities/colleges in the Indian context.Design/methodology/approachCareer decision-making is determined by different factors and is contextual. The present study explores and identifies the prominent factors influencing career decision-making. A pool of 33 questions was developed, and these questions were initially administered to a sample of 233 students. Principal component analysis with Varimax Rotation identified salient factors. In the second study, confirmatory analysis was performed based on the opinion of 304 students.FindingsThe study shows that the student's career deciding factors include (1) career clarity, (2) career exploration, (3) career reward and recognition and (4) career initiative for professional and personal growth.Originality/valueThe study focussed on career-deciding factors for UG and PG students from urban universities/colleges in the Indian context and the findings can be used for planning career counselling interventions.