Entrepreneurial Culture and Orientations of SME Owners/Managers in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Abstract

Purpose: This paper seeks to examine the mediating influence of entrepreneurial culture and orientations on the development of the entrepreneurial performance, spirit and endeavors of Small and Medium Enterprises owners/managers in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The paper also determines some of the problems besetting the SME owners/managers along their cultural values and entrepreneurial orientations. Design/Methodology/Approach: This paper is a qualitative study and will use a descriptive correlation research design. The survey of this paper using questionnaire is to be conducted and administered to randomly selected samples of 40 SME owners/managers and 20 SME staff in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Practical Implications: The research findings of this paper will identify those cultural and entrepreneurial orientations' attributes and challenges that need to be aligned with the efforts of the Bahraini government to affirm entrepreneurship as the new era for Bahrain's economic growth. Originality/Value: This paper is among those few studies in the Kingdom of Bahrain that explore the impact or influence of cultural attributes and entrepreneurial orientations on the performance and challenges of SME owners/managers themselves and not based on macroeconomic data. It can provide a basic overview of the obstacles and/or challenges faced by Bahraini SME owners/managers and the support required from the government and other institutions in the society. Research Limitations: The study will be limited by the number of respondents doing entrepreneurial activities in selected small and medium enterprises. The perceptions of the randomly selected SME entrepreneurs will be treated with simple statistical tools. Therefore, care will be taken in generalizing from the sample.

Entrepreneurship research in the Middle East and North Africa: trends, challenges, and sustainability issues

“…Studies revealed that SME activity is affected by financial issues, the most pressing of which is the fear of taking out a loan (Hampel-Milagrosa et al , 2015) and a lack of available financing (Bunagan and Sison, 2019). Kebaili et al (2015) have identified seven factors as the main barriers to start-ups in Qatar, namely, unavailability of funds, risk avoidance, fear of failure, market barriers, knowledge barriers, stress avoidance and attitudes towards change.…”

“…Many articles recognise the negative effects of a lack of competencies on SME activity. Some of the following barriers are mentioned: difficulty establishing administration frameworks (Arshi and Burns, 2018; Abdullah and Mansor, 2018), a lack of infrastructure and regulatory frameworks (Bjørn and Boulus-Rødje, 2018; Bunagan and Sison, 2019), a lack of cooperation between individuals, organisations and sectors within the entrepreneurial environment (Bawaneh and Al-Abbadi, 2017) and a lack of legal advisors for entrepreneurs (Abu-Jalil, 2017).…”

The flexible HRM and firm performance nexus: can empowering leadership play any contingent role?

“…Sekhar et al, 2018;Way et al, 2018;Ubeda-Garc ıa et al, 2017), however, to what length it can be instrumental for SMEs is yet to be unveiled. Harney and AlKhalaf (2021), in their review of 25 years of studies Bunagan and Sison, 2019;Joshi and Ramadhan, 2002;Khan and Khan, 1992), and an absolute absence of scholarly evidence on flexible HRM, empowering leadership, and firm performance associations. Henceforth, the present study responds to substantial gaps in the body of knowledge on the aforementioned factors and helps interested readers guide and educate about SME performance.…”

“…Moreover, in connection to Bahrain, extant literature outlines very limited credible research studies on SMEs (e.g. Bunagan and Sison, 2019; Joshi and Ramadhan, 2002; Khan and Khan, 1992), and an absolute absence of scholarly evidence on flexible HRM, empowering leadership, and firm performance associations. Henceforth, the present study responds to substantial gaps in the body of knowledge on the aforementioned factors and helps interested readers guide and educate about SME performance.…”

Business constraints, internet use, and partnership among micro and small enterprises in manufacturing: a data mining to official statistics

“…Developing sustainable MSEs is a great challenge among nations and regions. For example, a study in Bahrain suggested that the government should build up 'entrepreneurial spirits' among citizens to foster new firm establishment [4]. In this endeavor, the university's role in helping MSEs through education and training is relevant [5].…”