title: How Spirituality Shapes the Formation of Entrepreneurial Venture: The Case of Malay Muslim Entrepreneurs

authors: Sidek, Farhana

subjects: Entrepreneurship

abstract: Studies have shown that spirituality in the workplace can positively impact the performance of individuals, work units, and organisations. What once was thought to be just a short-lived trend has now grown into an established field of study. The establishment of the special interest group for Management, Spirituality, and Religion by the Academy of Management for instance shows that spirituality is more than just a passing fad. While research on spirituality and management continue to flourish, one particular area of study that has been given less attention to spirituality is entrepreneurship. Spirituality is less likely to be considered by the traditional entrepreneurship literature in driving the behaviours of entrepreneurs. Rather, the current literature has focused on wealth creation as the entrepreneur’s driving force. Hence, researchers have turned to various approaches such as economics, personality psychology, and strategy in attempt to understand the relationship between entrepreneurs and new venture creation, which have been less successful in dealing with the more micro question of ‘how’ and ‘why’. This warrants for new approaches that can explain the relationship between the entrepreneur and new venture formation, which spirituality can offer. The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the phenomenon of entrepreneurial venture creation from the perspective of Muslim entrepreneurs. As the second largest religion in the world, Islam is often subject to stereotyping and misunderstanding due to its approximately 1.6 billion followers globally with wide ranging levels of religious commitment and practice. The complexity of the relationship between religious values and cultural values further complicates the explanation of the behaviours of Muslim entrepreneurs. In addition to the sparsity of research on the diversity and forms of values and spirituality in organisations, most spirituality studies are currently based on the Western value systems; hence the need for non-western value systems based studies. 

The overarching research question for this study is: “How does spirituality shape the formation of entrepreneurial venture?”. Three sub-questions were developed to support this important research question, that are: 1) what are the key sources of entrepreneurial opportunity for Muslim entrepreneurs? 2) how do Muslim entrepreneurs understand entrepreneurial opportunity? 3) how are the Islamic spiritual values manifested in the Muslim entrepreneurs’ process of venture formation? Using an interpretive paradigm, qualitative research was conducted, whereby 15 entrepreneurs were interviewed using narrative interview questions. Stories on how these entrepreneurs started their ventures were analysed. Findings revealed that the Muslim entrepreneurs sourced their entrepreneurial opportunities from two types of gaps. While missing products or services in the market prompted the first type of gap, the second type of gap was due to the difference between the entrepreneurs’ expectations (that are guided by their knowledge on the Shariah) and the reality. These two gaps led the entrepreneurs to embark on three different paths of process of venture creation, that are 1) accidentally found opportunity, 2) actively seeking for opportunity, and 3) spiritually-driven opportunity. In realising the opportunities that they discovered or created, the Muslim entrepreneurs manifested five important Islamic spiritual values: fardhu kifayah (communal obligation), wasatiyyah (balanced), barakah (blessings), amanah (trust), and dakwah (the call of joining the good and forbidding the bad). 

This study extends understanding of entrepreneurial behaviour involved in the process of venture formation by presenting an empirical evidence-based framework. This framework incorporates sources that trigger entrepreneurial opportunities, the micro and macro processes that entrepreneurs experienced in creating their ventures, and the dimensions of spirituality that are manifested in realising the opportunities. Secondly, this study informs the role of spirituality in the process of entrepreneurial venture creation in sourcing, evaluating, and enacting the opportunities. This study can benefits the educators and entrepreneurs as it highlights the potential of non-economic rationality in driving entrepreneurial behaviours that lead to venture creation.

text: How Spirituality Shapes the Formation of Entrepreneurial Venture: The Case of Malay Muslim Entrepreneurs Studies have shown that spirituality in the workplace can positively impact the performance of individuals, work units, and organisations. What once was thought to be just a short-lived trend has now grown into an established field of study. The establishment of the special interest group for Management, Spirituality, and Religion by the Academy of Management for instance shows that spirituality is more than just a passing fad. While research on spirituality and management continue to flourish, one particular area of study that has been given less attention to spirituality is entrepreneurship. Spirituality is less likely to be considered by the traditional entrepreneurship literature in driving the behaviours of entrepreneurs. Rather, the current literature has focused on wealth creation as the entrepreneur’s driving force. Hence, researchers have turned to various approaches such as economics, personality psychology, and strategy in attempt to understand the relationship between entrepreneurs and new venture creation, which have been less successful in dealing with the more micro question of ‘how’ and ‘why’. This warrants for new approaches that can explain the relationship between the entrepreneur and new venture formation, which spirituality can offer. The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the phenomenon of entrepreneurial venture creation from the perspective of Muslim entrepreneurs. As the second largest religion in the world, Islam is often subject to stereotyping and misunderstanding due to its approximately 1.6 billion followers globally with wide ranging levels of religious commitment and practice. The complexity of the relationship between religious values and cultural values further complicates the explanation of the behaviours of Muslim entrepreneurs. In addition to the sparsity of research on the diversity and forms of values and spirituality in organisations, most spirituality studies are currently based on the Western value systems; hence the need for non-western value systems based studies. 

The overarching research question for this study is: “How does spirituality shape the formation of entrepreneurial venture?”. Three sub-questions were developed to support this important research question, that are: 1) what are the key sources of entrepreneurial opportunity for Muslim entrepreneurs? 2) how do Muslim entrepreneurs understand entrepreneurial opportunity? 3) how are the Islamic spiritual values manifested in the Muslim entrepreneurs’ process of venture formation? Using an interpretive paradigm, qualitative research was conducted, whereby 15 entrepreneurs were interviewed using narrative interview questions. Stories on how these entrepreneurs started their ventures were analysed. Findings revealed that the Muslim entrepreneurs sourced their entrepreneurial opportunities from two types of gaps. While missing products or services in the market prompted the first type of gap, the second type of gap was due to the difference between the entrepreneurs’ expectations (that are guided by their knowledge on the Shariah) and the reality. These two gaps led the entrepreneurs to embark on three different paths of process of venture creation, that are 1) accidentally found opportunity, 2) actively seeking for opportunity, and 3) spiritually-driven opportunity. In realising the opportunities that they discovered or created, the Muslim entrepreneurs manifested five important Islamic spiritual values: fardhu kifayah (communal obligation), wasatiyyah (balanced), barakah (blessings), amanah (trust), and dakwah (the call of joining the good and forbidding the bad). 

This study extends understanding of entrepreneurial behaviour involved in the process of venture formation by presenting an empirical evidence-based framework. This framework incorporates sources that trigger entrepreneurial opportunities, the micro and macro processes that entrepreneurs experienced in creating their ventures, and the dimensions of spirituality that are manifested in realising the opportunities. Secondly, this study informs the role of spirituality in the process of entrepreneurial venture creation in sourcing, evaluating, and enacting the opportunities. This study can benefits the educators and entrepreneurs as it highlights the potential of non-economic rationality in driving entrepreneurial behaviours that lead to venture creation.

year: 2016

title: COVID-19, capital flows and sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa

authors: Shittu, Waliu Olawale

abstract: The Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region suffered severe economic impacts from COVID-19, despite experiencing some of the lowest numbers of cases and deaths from the pandemic. The attainment of sustainable development in the region was significantly affected partly because of the region’s huge reliance on industrialised economies who were most hit by the pandemic. The SSA countries covered 33 of the 45 countries listed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as least developed countries (LDCs) requiring significant assistance. Moreover, the countries in the region experience some of the lowest inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI), both in comparison to other regions and to the flow of other foreign capitals into SSA. Again, as these countries were more vulnerable to economic shocks because of their lower resilience capacities, the attainment of sustainable development was significantly threatened when COVID-19 resulted in reduced economic activity, foreign investment and deteriorating socio-economic inequalities. Although earlier studies have concentrated on the impact of various cross-border capital flows on economic growth and some development indicators, those studies have not empirically evaluated how this global shock has impacted the inflows of foreign capital and their effects on sustainable development. In view of these, this thesis provides three empirical studies, using data from SSA countries over the period 2000 – 2022.

The first paper evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on the nexus between remittances and sustainable development. Relying on both static and dynamic estimation techniques, the study found that remittance is positively associated with sustainable development, both before and after the threshold, subject to the absorptive capacity of the SSA economies. In effect, there is a minimum level of institutional quality and financial development, below which their effects on sustainable development would be negative; at which the stimulating effect of remittances may be reversed. In addition, COVID-19 was observed to reduce the progress towards sustainable development, directly and when interacted with remittances. 

In the second paper, the impact of the pandemic was estimated in the nexus between FDI and sustainable development. The empirical estimates showed that FDI does not exert a significant impact on sustainable development. When the effect of FDI was further analysed on economic growth, the environment, and human development, the estimates remained consistent. While COVID-19 was found to reduce the levels of economic growth, the environment, human development, and sustainable development, the interaction effect showed that FDI reduces the negative effect of COVID-19 on economic growth and sustainable development. 

The third paper measured the impact of COVID-19 on the aid – sustainable development nexus. The findings revealed that foreign aid facilitates the attainment of sustainable development and many of its goals. Even though the pandemic was found to exert a diminishing effect, foreign aid was not only found to reduce the negative effect of the pandemic but to also enhance the complementary roles of financial and institutional infrastructures on the attainment of sustainable development.

text: COVID-19, capital flows and sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa The Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region suffered severe economic impacts from COVID-19, despite experiencing some of the lowest numbers of cases and deaths from the pandemic. The attainment of sustainable development in the region was significantly affected partly because of the region’s huge reliance on industrialised economies who were most hit by the pandemic. The SSA countries covered 33 of the 45 countries listed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as least developed countries (LDCs) requiring significant assistance. Moreover, the countries in the region experience some of the lowest inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI), both in comparison to other regions and to the flow of other foreign capitals into SSA. Again, as these countries were more vulnerable to economic shocks because of their lower resilience capacities, the attainment of sustainable development was significantly threatened when COVID-19 resulted in reduced economic activity, foreign investment and deteriorating socio-economic inequalities. Although earlier studies have concentrated on the impact of various cross-border capital flows on economic growth and some development indicators, those studies have not empirically evaluated how this global shock has impacted the inflows of foreign capital and their effects on sustainable development. In view of these, this thesis provides three empirical studies, using data from SSA countries over the period 2000 – 2022.

The first paper evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on the nexus between remittances and sustainable development. Relying on both static and dynamic estimation techniques, the study found that remittance is positively associated with sustainable development, both before and after the threshold, subject to the absorptive capacity of the SSA economies. In effect, there is a minimum level of institutional quality and financial development, below which their effects on sustainable development would be negative; at which the stimulating effect of remittances may be reversed. In addition, COVID-19 was observed to reduce the progress towards sustainable development, directly and when interacted with remittances. 

In the second paper, the impact of the pandemic was estimated in the nexus between FDI and sustainable development. The empirical estimates showed that FDI does not exert a significant impact on sustainable development. When the effect of FDI was further analysed on economic growth, the environment, and human development, the estimates remained consistent. While COVID-19 was found to reduce the levels of economic growth, the environment, human development, and sustainable development, the interaction effect showed that FDI reduces the negative effect of COVID-19 on economic growth and sustainable development. 

The third paper measured the impact of COVID-19 on the aid – sustainable development nexus. The findings revealed that foreign aid facilitates the attainment of sustainable development and many of its goals. Even though the pandemic was found to exert a diminishing effect, foreign aid was not only found to reduce the negative effect of the pandemic but to also enhance the complementary roles of financial and institutional infrastructures on the attainment of sustainable development.

year: 2025

title: Prototype theory and the concept of taonga: Implications for Treaty-related issues such as the display and conservation of taonga Māori

authors: Hedley, Rangiiria

subjects: Taonga Māori

abstract: This paper examines, in the context of prototype theory, issues and problems associated with the concept of taonga, the specific aim being to provide an approach that could assist those who are concerned with the interpretation of Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi and Treaty-related issues such as the appropriate display and conservation of taonga Māori.

text: Prototype theory and the concept of taonga: Implications for Treaty-related issues such as the display and conservation of taonga Māori This paper examines, in the context of prototype theory, issues and problems associated with the concept of taonga, the specific aim being to provide an approach that could assist those who are concerned with the interpretation of Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi and Treaty-related issues such as the appropriate display and conservation of taonga Māori.

year: 2004-02