Culture, entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial ecosystems: evidence from Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa

Abstract

Purpose Contemporary entrepreneurial ecosystem models and frameworks advocate that culture is a criterion for entrepreneurial intention and central to entrepreneurship discourse. However, there is limited research from resource-constrained economies, such as sub-Saharan Africa and at a sub-national level. Responding to calls for bottom-up perspectives hinged on local context and heterogeneous nature, this paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding from multiple perspectives about the effect that culture and entrepreneurial intention have on the entrepreneurship process and performance in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method research design followed a sequential independent process consisting of two phases. Phase 1 included the dissemination of questionnaires to economically active participants, and 300 responses were statistically analysed. In Phase 2, 15 semi-structured interviews with influential economic development agents were conducted. Findings The results indicated that social legitimacy towards entrepreneurship existed and self-employment was viewed positively. However, self-employment endeavours were mainly necessity driven, and the systemic low levels of innovation, poor business competitiveness and the inability to scale were highlighted. The findings indicated that individuals venturing into business had a culture of being dependant on the government, lacking a risk appetite, fearing failure, with disparate groups suffering from a poor legacy of entrepreneurship. Originality/value Despite research done on the role of culture and entrepreneurial intention on entrepreneurial ecosystems, there are few case studies showing their influence at a sub-national level. This study responds to calls for studies on a sub-national level by exploring the influence that culture and entrepreneurial intention have on entrepreneurship in a resource-constrained metropole.

Graduate Work Readiness: An Insight into Entrepreneurship Education, Skills and Intention

“…The study shows that psychological factors such as personal attitude, behavioral control, and family support are crucial to instill the students' intention to become entrepreneurs. In this context, one can argue that the decision into entrepreneurship is often the result of the integration between attitudes, perceptions, and intentions of an individual that they cultivate from within a social circle, cultural and political context (Bosma & Kelly, 2019;Boucher et al, 2023;Farooq, 2018).…”

“…To sustain the current market demand, many HLIs have redesigned their curriculum to embed flexible and cross-disciplinary learning in developing multi-skilled graduates (Rădulescu et al, 2020;Selvaratnam, 2021;Valencia-Arias et al, 2022). Similarly, redesigning the education curriculum is also to encounter the transition of advanced technology and innovation in employment in the backdrop of the current global situation (Boeker et al, 2021;Boucher et al, 2023). Numerous authors have attempted to investigate this learning approach and assess its impact.…”

“…In this context, with an appropriate entrepreneurship program, the students must be willing to improve and polish the required soft and hard skills. Hence, self-efficacy or self-belief of individuals in their abilities to perform a task can be motivated by the intervention of their surroundings other than the university, such as social media, peers, family members, or individual's desire (Ahmed et al, 2021;Boucher et al, 2023). In addition, a university can run an intervention program to address students' skills needs.…”

“…In empowering entrepreneurship as part of graduate employability, graduates often regard entrepreneurship as a second choice for the career pathway. Previous studies highlighted that interest, skills, and opportunities contribute to this scenario (Almahry et al, 2018;Boucher et al, 2023;Nungsari et al, 2023). Sim et al (2023) found that educators play a crucial role as change agents in both theoretical and practical levels for implementing entrepreneurship education in schools.…”

“…Studies also found that entrepreneurship courses are often offered in higher-education non-business schools. The entrepreneurship course is perceived as a valuable option for non-business graduates to venture into (Boucher et al, 2023). While it blends and converges all disciplines (Ahmed et al, 2021), graduates entrepreneurial interest as a career option is also determined by their attitude, including entrepreneurial skills acquired from experience (Boucher et al, 2023).…”