https://hdl.handle.net/10259/7419 2026-05-07T08:03:36Z https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11003 Training entrepreneurs in culturally diverse countries. Influence of Social Norms on Entrepreneurial Intention Barrero Ahedo, Jesús P.; Delgado García, Juan Bautista; Pérez-Fernández, Héctor One of the most influential factors in people's lives is the place of birth. At the educational and employment level, our future is often determined by social and cultural factors associated with the country or region where we are born. This study explores the extent to which National Culture conditions the influence of Social Norms on the Entrepreneurial Intention of business students. We focus on the components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour proposed by Ajzen and on Hofstede's dimensions of National Culture. To test our hypotheses we surveyed 352 business students at universities or business schools in seven countries with large cultural differences. The results of PLS analyses show that the effect of Social Norms on Entrepreneurial Intention is larger among individuals from national cultures with high Power Distance, low Individualism and Short-Term Orientation. These effects of national culture should be considered when designing entrepreneurship education programmes. 2024-11-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10259/11001 Cultural influences on the gender gap in entrepreneurship: social hierarchy and tradition Barrero Ahedo, Jesús P.; Delgado García, Juan Bautista Purpose This study examines the impact of social hierarchy and traditions on the gender gap in entrepreneurial intention, providing insights for designing culturally tailored policies to reduce this gap. Design/methodology/approach Data from 352 business students across seven culturally diverse countries, including Mediterranean nations (Spain, Italy, Morocco) and South American nations (Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay), were analyzed. Entrepreneurial intention was examined through Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), with Hofstede’s power distance and long-term orientation serving as key indicators of their impact on the gender gap in entrepreneurial intention. Analysis was conducted using the partial least squares (PLS) algorithm with SMART-PLS software. Findings Power distance negatively and significantly moderates the relationship between the gender gap and entrepreneurial intention, while long-term orientation positively and significantly moderates this relationship. Results indicate that the gender gap in entrepreneurship is smaller in highly hierarchical and traditional societies. Practical implications Policies to reduce the gender gap in entrepreneurship should be culturally tailored rather than universally applied. In egalitarian societies, measures should focus on work-life balance and economic incentives, while hierarchical societies should prioritize eliminating gender stereotypes and structural barriers. Long-term oriented societies should enhance women’s access to financial resources, whereas short-term oriented societies should emphasize entrepreneurial training and education to leverage women’s adaptability and opportunity recognition skills. Originality/value This study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by demonstrating how hierarchical structures and cultural traditions shape entrepreneurial opportunities based on gender, reinforcing the need for context-specific policy interventions. 2025-07-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10259/9222 Women directors, educational background and firm value of Spanish listed companies Molinero Díez, Patricia; Blanco Mazagatos, Virginia; García Rodríguez, Íñigo; Romero Merino, María Elena Purpose – This study aims to evaluate changes in the presence of women on Spanish boards after the Unified Good Governance Code of Listed Companies (2006) and the Organic Law 3/2007 on Gender Equality, and this study compares the educational background of women and men directors. Also, this study analyses the influence of gender diversity and educational background of women directors on economic performance, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and, ultimately, firm value. In addition, this study explores the differences in board gender composition and its effect on firm value during the crisis and post-crisis periods. Finally, this study analyses the different influence of women directors depending on their typology. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a system of structural equations and a sample of 4,101 directors of 30 Spanish companies listed on IBEX-35 over 2008–2017. Findings – The results show that women’s presence on boards has grown since 2008, and they have higher educational background than men. This study finds that women directors improve economic performance and CSR, though results are non-significant for firm value. Women directors with a bachelor’s or master’s degree increase economic and social performance but reduce firm value. Women directors with business or industry-related studies positively influence CSR but business specialisation negatively affects economic performance and firm value. Originality/value – This study analyses the direct and indirect effect of women directors on firm value, the influence of their educational background and the potential differences arising from the economic situation (crisis) and the type of board position they hold. 2022-08-22T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10259/9220 The influence of the positive affective trait on the willingness to act entrepreneurially: The mediating effect of opportunity evaluation Díaz Portugal, Celia; Delgado García, Juan Bautista; Blanco Mazagatos, Virginia This article extends previous literature on opportunity evaluation by analysing how positive affect influences opportunity evaluation and the subsequent willingness to act entrepreneurially. We draw on two mediational channels (i.e., the affect-to-affect-to-outcome and affect-to-cognition routes) regarding the influence of affect on positive outcomes upon arguments that opportunity evaluation comprises of the cognitive representations of the focal opportunity and of oneself. Specifically, we analyse the mediating effects of the image of the opportunity and self-efficacy in the relationship between positive affect and the willingness to act entrepreneurially. We test our hypotheses on a sample of nascent entrepreneurs participating in training programmes in six Spanish incubators whom were asked to evaluate their own opportunities. Our findings show that positive affect exerts a positive indirect effect through the image of the opportunity, but do not indicate any mediating effect of self-efficacy. These findings may help entrepreneurs understand the affective subjectivity of their opportunity assessments. 2022-01-04T00:00:00Z