Influence of cultural values on entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation among Small and Medium Enterprise owners in Tanzania: Mediation Effects of Innovativeness.

Kamwela, Baraka Hebron (2023) Influence of cultural values on entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation among Small and Medium Enterprise owners in Tanzania: Mediation Effects of Innovativeness. Doctoral thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

This study examined the influence of cultural values on entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation among Small and Medium-scale Enterprise (SME) owners in Tanzania through the mediation effects of innovativeness. Mediation effects of innovativeness were assessed to explain the mechanism through which cultural values influence entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation among SME owners. The study employed positivism research philosophy and explanatory research design. Proportionate sampling and systematic random sampling were used to obtain a sample of 370 SME owners who were studied. The findings from Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling path analysis show that individualism, masculinity and power distance cultural values have a positive significant direct influence on entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation. Long-term orientation, indulgence and uncertainty avoidance have an insignificant direct influence on entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation. The Mediation effects reveal that innovativeness significantly and positively mediates the relationship between individualism, power distance, indulgence, uncertainty avoidance and entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation. Furthermore, the findings also reveal insignificant mediation effects for long-term orientation and masculinity values. Basing on these findings, not all cultural values have direct and straight forward effects on entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation. The study recommends that policy makers, governments authorities and SME owners toincorporate individualism, masculinity, low power distance, indulgence values in their business strategies, plans and interventions aimed at promoting suitable business environment that stimulates innovativeness and entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation. Keywords: Cultural Values, Innovativeness, Entrepreneurship, Opportunity Exploitation

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