Graduate School of Business Publications

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Graduate School of Business Publications

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    Relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial goal intentions: psychological traits as mediators
    (2020) Ndofirepi, T.M.
    Despite the commonly held view that entrepreneurship education and training nurtures future entrepreneurs, little is known about the mechanism through which this intervention impacts on its intended outcomes. The purpose of this study was to test if selected psychological traits (need for achievement, risk-taking propensity, internal locus of control) mediated the predictive relationship between the perceived effects of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions. A crosssectional survey of a sample of 308 vocational education students in Zimbabwe was used for this purpose. The results show that the effects of entrepreneurship education variable had a positive and statistically significant relationship with need for achievement, risk-taking propensity, internal locus of control and entrepreneurial goal intentions. Moreover, need for achievement, risk-taking propensity and internal locus of control accounted for a statistically significant amount of variance in entrepreneurial intentions. However, of the three psychological traits, only need for achievement partially mediated the relationship between the effects of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial goal intentions. The outcome has implications on the design and focus of entrepreneurship education programmes.
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    Relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial goal intentions: psychological traits as mediators
    (2022) Ndofirepi, T.M.
    Despite the commonly held view that entrepreneurship education and training nurtures future entrepreneurs, little is known about the mechanism through which this intervention impacts on its intended outcomes. The purpose of this study was to test if selected psychological traits (need for achievement, risk-taking propensity, internal locus of control) mediated the predictive relationship between the perceived effects of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions. A crosssectional survey of a sample of 308 vocational education students in Zimbabwe was used for this purpose. The results show that the effects of entrepreneurship education variable had a positive and statistically significant relationship with need for achievement, risk-taking propensity, internal locus of control and entrepreneurial goal intentions. Moreover, need for achievement, risk-taking propensity and internal locus of control accounted for a statistically significant amount of variance in entrepreneurial intentions. However, of the three psychological traits, only need for achievement partially mediated the relationship between the effects of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial goal intentions. The outcome has implications on the design and focus of entrepreneurship education programmes.
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    How spatial contexts, institutions and self-identity affect entrepreneurial intentions
    (2020) Ndofirepi, T.M.
    Purpose– This study aims to examine how spatial contexts, institutions and entrepreneurial self-identity affected the formation of entrepreneurial intentions of a sample of students in Zimbabwe. Design/methodology/approach– Data were obtained from 284 students enrolled in two vocational education institutions located in Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. To select the respondents, convenience sampling was used. The sample size was determined by the total number of students agreeing to participate in the research. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling (maximum likelihood estimation method). Findings– Social approval, supportive cultural environment and entrepreneurial self-identity had positive statistically significant direct effects on entrepreneurial intentions. Also, entrepreneurial self-identity partially mediated the effects of social approval and supportive cultural environment on entrepreneurial intentions. The total effect of supportive higher education institutions on entrepreneurial intentions was statistically significant, despite the direct and indirect effects being non-significant. Practical implications– The findings suggest a need to cultivate supportive social contexts and higher education institutions for nurturing entrepreneurial self-identity and entrepreneurial intentions, factors that are integral to the development of future entrepreneurs. Originality/value– The study examined the validity of a novel conceptual model based on the contribution of entrepreneurial self-identity, spatial context and institutional variables in shaping entrepreneurial intentions of selected college students in the global south.
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    Gendering the voiced complaining behavior of customers in small restaurant environments: A case of college students in Zimbabwe
    (2020) Ndofirepi, T.M.
    Understanding gender-related nuances connected to customer complaining behavior in a valuable market segment in a low-income economy is strategically important to customer relationship management practitioners in the hospitality industry. Using customer complaining behavior taxonomies and Eagly’s social role theory, this quantitative study examines how selected demographic variables, attitude toward complaining, customer loyalty, and likelihood of success affect the verbal complaining behavior of a sample of college students in Zimbabwe in restaurants contexts. The findings revealed that all the proposed predictors had statistically significant effects on voiced complaining. In addition, the gender variable moderated the influence of the non-demographic predictors. Interestingly, the likelihood of success variable had a negative influence on the respondents’ propensity to complain verbally. Based on this evidence, it is concluded that gender is integral to how college students react to service failure in restaurant environments. Consequently, marketers of related services should implement customized gender-sensitive customer complaint handling and service recovery strategies
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    Explaining the Market Acceptance of Artificial Sweeteners in a Developing Country: Evidence from Female Young Adults in Zimbabwe
    (2020) Ndofirepi, T.M.; Mamsa, N.; Rambe, P.
    This paper examines whether a proposed set of factors explains consumers’ acceptance of artificial food sweeteners in a selected developing country. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted on 938 female respondents aged between 18 and 24 who resided in the three largest cities in Zimbabwe (i.e., Harare, Bulawayo, and Gweru). Data collected in 2019 and 2020 were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The ‘health consciousness’ and ‘preference for natural products’ variables had a significant negative predictive influence on the ‘acceptance of artificial sweeteners’ variable. However, ‘trust in regulators’ had a positive effect on the same outcome variable. Moreover, the ‘negative attitude toward sugars’ variable significantly moderated the relationship between ‘preference for natural products’ and ‘acceptance of artificial sweeteners.’ These find ings have fundamental practical implications related to the marketing of food innovations in Zimbabwe where deceptive marketing strategies continue to threaten consumers’ welfare and affect their receptiveness to new products