• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.125-140
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• 2023

Careful preparation for a start-up can lower the risk of failure and create a successful business model. However, there are still challenges for middle-aged entrepreneurs, as start-up services and policies are often not readily accessible or fully utilized. Despite active research on middle-aged start-ups, previous studies have not delved deeply into the demographics of start-up preparation and various preparation behaviors. In response to this, a study was conducted to identify which start-up support services middle-aged entrepreneurs use, and how start-up preparation can be classified based on this. Data from 324 middle-aged tech start-up owners, based in Seoul and who started their businesses within the past 7 years, was collected and analyzed. The results showed that middle-aged entrepreneurs had moderate start-up preparation, with the greatest focus on the preparation period and the least focus on start-up education. Latent Profile Analysis revealed three groups of start-up preparation types among middle-aged entrepreneurs: "Overall Tribal Type," "Lack of Start-up Education Type," and "Comprehensive Preparation Type." BCH was performed on start-up satisfaction, start-up competence, fear of failure, access to start-up services, and support needs for middle-aged entrepreneurs based on the preparation type. The results showed that "Overall Tribal Type" had statistically lower start-up satisfaction, competence, and service accessibility compared to the other groups. Meanwhile, "Comprehensive Preparation Type" had a statistically lower fear of failure than the other types. "Overall Tribal Type" also had lower accessibility to middle-aged start-up services. All types had a high recognition of the need for support for specialized middle-aged start-ups. The findings highlight the need for more comprehensive support for middle-aged entrepreneurs. This could include expanding support projects to enhance their level of preparation, providing customized support based on their level of preparation, and improving the visibility and accessibility of start-up support services for middle-aged individuals. Additionally, specialized education that addresses the characteristics of middle-aged individuals should be provided.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.159-174
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• 2022

Entrepreneurs should continuously invest resource and capital for a long time to get tangible business results. In order to be successful, despite difficulties, it is essential for entrepreneurs to continue entrepreneurial businesses without giving up too early. Thus, it can be said that organizational commitment of entrepreneurs is essential for success. According to previous studies, the organizational commitment of entrepreneurs has a significant effect on organizing, establishments of new firms and new product developments. The purpose of this article is to examine the relationships among learning orientation, innovativeness and organizational commitment of entrepreneurs. Especially, we focus on the mediating effect of innovativeness in the relationship between learning orientation and organizational commitment and the moderating effect of career relevance among the relationships. Based on empirical analysis, we reported the following results. First, learning orientation, innovativeness and career relevance of entrepreneurs had significant positive effects on organizational commitment. Second, it was found that innovativeness of entrepreneurs has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between learning orientation and organizational commitment. Third, using Baron & Kenny's hierarchical multiple regression analysis, we examined the moderating effect of career relevance among the relationships of learning orientation, innovativeness and organizational commitment. Third, because the interaction term was found to be positively significant, it was concluded there is a moderating effect of career relevance between learning orientation and innovativeness. This means, when career relevance was higher than average, the influence of learning orientation on innovation increases even more. Fourth, it was also found there is a moderating effect of career relevance between learning orientation and organizational commitment. However, the results of the mediated moderating effect analysis showed the moderating effect of career relevance between learning orientation and organization commitment is an indirect effect of moderating effect of career relevance between learning orientation and innovativeness mediated by innovativeness.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.49-65
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• 2022

This study conducted an exploratory study based on in-depth interviews to understand the characteristics and capabilities of female entrepreneurs to promote women entrepreneurship. Therefore, in this study, through in-depth interviews with eight female entrepreneurs, the main contents of entrepreneurial attitudes (need for independence, development desire, favorable conditions), start-up entry rate, start-up motivation, start-up activities and constraints were analyzed. As a result, first, it was found that the entrepreneurial attitude of female entrepreneurs has a strong motivation for successful management based on a feeling of self-satisfaction, has characteristics that prioritize independence and self-actualization, and favorable conditions for starting a business are important. Second, it was found that women's individual differences from men and social structural factors had no significant effect on the entry rate of women. Third, it was found that the most important entrepreneurship motivation for women is the spirit of challenge, self-satisfaction, and the desire to balance work and family. Fourth, female entrepreneurs showed little difference in perception between male and female entrepreneurs in terms of resource access, but there was some discrimination in the network. Fifth, the main industries of female entrepreneurs are small businesses, and there is a tendency to be concentrated in industries with low profit margins and low growth and sales. Finally, it was found that barriers to women's entrepreneurship still exist. Based on the results of this study, the following implications are suggested. First, this study is differentiated in that it mainly identified the characteristics of women's experiences and social environments while starting a business and running a business. Second, in the case of female entrepreneurs, there is a need to spread a positive awareness of women entrepreneurship by arguing that the barriers to entrepreneurship unique to women are not high and can be sufficiently overcome. Lastly, although opportunistic start-ups based on women's social experience or management ability in work life are important for women's entrepreneurship, government support policies are needed to promote professional technology start-ups.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.133-150
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to develop a female entrepreneurial competency model. For the purpose, two Focus Group Interviews (FGI) were conducted with seven outstanding female entrepreneurs, and three expert reviews were conducted. In addition, in order to verify the validity of the provisional female entrepreneur competency model derived from the FGI and competency modeling expert review, the female entrepreneur competency model was finally confirmed through a survey of 442 female entrepreneurs. The results were as follows. First, a female entrepreneur competency model consisting of 6 competency groups and 25 competencies of entrepreneurship, emotion, business management, relationship management, strategic management, and multitasking, and 75 behavioral indicators describing each competency was developed. Second, sensibility and multitasking are competencies that reflect the characteristics of female entrepreneurs. In particular, 'social sense', which is the ability to be considerate of others in the emotional competency group and the ability to respond well to subtle nuances, and the multitasking competency group's unique strengths are women's ability to perform various tasks at the same time. The 'work-family control ability' of a female entrepreneur who maintains a balance between 'multi-tasking' and work and family is a representative competency of only female entrepreneurs. Third, the developed female entrepreneurship competency model is meaningful in that it not only increases female entrepreneurial competency so that prospective female entrepreneurs can successfully run a business through entrepreneurship education, but it also makes it easy for existing female entrepreneurs to reflect and improve their competencies. If we provide appropriate training programs to female entrepreneurs based on their competency, it will be possible to effectively enhance the entrepreneurial competency, which is the key to strengthening the competitiveness of female entrepreneurs. The female entrepreneur competency model developed through this study can provide a basis for future research on competency diagnosis and education needs analysis.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.163-172
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• 2005

Since the financial turmoil in 1997, both the national and local governments have initiated a variety of policy measures to support small and medium-size firms to strengthen the national and regional economies. It is no doubt that such policies contributed to establish better business environment for them. However, many analytical reports and academic studies in recent years diagnose that the economy conditions for the small and medium-size firms are in crisis because many policy measures are made based on the supply-side approach rather than demand-side consideration. In order for the governments' efforts to be more realistic and effective, it is necessary to see what the policy target groups(that is. the small and medium-size entrepreneurs) want. This study surveyed entrepreneurs in Hwaseung city, Kyonggi-do, which has more than three-thousands of small and medium-size firms. It finds that in spite of locational advantages and a variety of policy supports from the provincial and local governments, they need more financial supports, more effective mass transportation system for commuting workers. less bureaucratic barriers, and so on.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.12
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• pp.3856-3862
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• 2009

The aim of this study is to examine the factors influencing managerial performances of women entrepreneur's characteristics and entrepreneurial supporting policy. This model tests various theoretical research hypotheses relating to characteristics of women entrepreneurs and an entrepreneurial supporting policy. The model is used by SPSS 15.0 for analysis on the sample collected from 130 respondents. The result of hypothesis testing are as follows: need for achievement, risk-taking propensity, vision, opportunity perception and entrepreneurial supporting policy influence positively managerial performances. The results of this study will provide practical implications on success of women entrepreneurs.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

Entrepreneurial hope plays an important role in entrepreneurship, but theoretical and practical understanding of what it is and what it does is lacking. This study examined the effects of entrepreneurs' hope on their emotional exhaustion and psychological well-being. Psychological well-being was classified into three dimensions: self-acceptance, personal growth, and positive relationships. Data were collected from 156 CEOs of entrepreneurial firms. Results of this study indicated that entrepreneurs' hope was negatively related to emotional exhaustion, but positively related to self-acceptance, personal growth, and positive relationships. Results also indicated that emotional exhaustion was negatively related to self-acceptance, personal growth, and positive relationships. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of the results were discussed.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.235-248
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• 2019

This study empirically analyzes how the career orientation factors of startup entrepreneurs affect entrepreneurial satisfaction as well as business sustainability. We propose directions for startup sustainability and development. Based on previous research, we defined the career orientation of entrepreneurs through the five orientation factors of security, autonomy, technical competence, managerial competence, and entrepreneurial creativity. We constructed a research model to determine whether these factors have a causal relationship with entrepreneurial satisfaction or business sustainability through the medium of organizational entrepreneurship. We surveyed startups in Korea using a questionnaire and collected and analyzed a total of 282 points of survey data. The analysis results demonstrated that the entrepreneurial creativity and managerial competence of the members of a startup can play an important role within entrepreneurial satisfaction and business sustainability. Both autonomy and technical competence exhibited no effect on entrepreneurial satisfaction and business sustainability through the medium of entrepreneurship, while security showed a negative effect. In order to improve entrepreneurial satisfaction and achieve business sustainability, we confirmed that it was more important for startups to consider the creativity and business management competences of entrepreneurs rather than pursue business security or have a technology-oriented attitude.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.49-57
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• 2018

Purpose - This paper explores the perceptions held by native grocery shop-owners of their foreign counterparts to ascertain if there are lessons to be shared especially regarding operational/survival strategies. Research design, data and methodology - A questionnaire was used to collect data from 121 subjects who were purposively selected. The data was processed and analysed with the aid of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences(SPSS) software. Results - The study found that native South Africans hold the perception that immigrants have operational advantage over them. The study also found that with bulk buying, immigrants' stores stock a larger variety of groceries while their items are sold cheaper. It is also arguable from the standpoint of the findings that immigrant grocery store owners avoid expensive lifestyles which often is common among natives who own informal grocery shops. Conclusions - It is the position of this paper that adopting the strategies utilized by immigrant entrepreneurs, informal grocery shops owned by native South Africans are likely to see an improvement in their township-based grocery stores. A major merit of this study beyond its novelty is its potential to advance learnership and collaboration between immigrant entrepreneurs and their native counterparts.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.79-102
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• 2018

In an entrepreneurial ecosystem, the failure rate of startups is extremely high at 90%, and every startup that fails becomes an orphan. This phenomenon leads to higher costs of failure for the entrepreneurs in the ecosystem. Failed startups have many lessons to offer to the ecosystem and offer guidance to the potential entrepreneur, and this area is not fully explored compared to the literature on successful startups. We use a case based method distinguishing a failed startup and a successful startup, studying the entrepreneurial characteristics and firm level factors which cause the failures, in the technology startup ecosystem of Bangalore. We study one of the modes of exit adopted by failed startup entrepreneurs and draw key lessons on causes that culminate in failures. We have identified that factors such as the time to minimum viable product cycle, time for revenue realization, founders' complementary skillsets, age of founders with their domain expertise, personality type of founders, attitude towards financial independence and willingness to avail mentorship at critical stages, will decisively differentiate failed startups from the successful ones. Accordingly, implications have been derived for potential entrepreneurs for reducing the cost of failures in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.