Regional ICT access and entrepreneurship: Evidence from China

Examining the influence of technological self-efficacy, perceived trust, security, and electronic word of mouth on ICT usage in the education sector

The context of education has changed due to revolutionary developments in the information communication technology (ICT) industry in the post-COVID era. Innovative learning methods were introduced in the education sector to promote quality education. The students find it more convenient to use ICT tools to integrate their knowledge-seeking. China has recently paid more attention to developing and adopting electronic infrastructure. The study assesses the effect of technology self-efficacy (TSE) on ICT acceptance and implementation in China's education sector. It also analyzed the role of perceived trust, perceived security, and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in integrating digital information sharing and interaction tools. Data is collected from 382 business students at Chinese universities. The results revealed that perceived trust mediates the relationship between TSE and the actual use of ICT tools, intention to use ICT tools for information, and intention to use ICT tools for interaction. Further, perceived security and eWOM significantly moderate the relationship between TSE and perceived trust. The findings indicate that it is essential to offer assistance and instruction to students in the educational sector so they can use ICT technology more frequently. It is also crucial for organizations to establish a supportive culture and provide the necessary technological resources to facilitate the use of ICT.

The impact of mobile Internet use on mental distress among Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the rapid development of digital technology, mobile Internet use is increasing in popularity in China. Previous studies have shown that mobile Internet use has a positive or negative effect on mental distress. Using CFPS2020 data, this paper finds that mobile Internet use significantly alleviates mental distress in Chinese adults. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that mobile Internet use can significantly alleviate mental distress among adults between the ages of 30 and 70, without a bachelor's degree or residing outside the province of Hubei. Furthermore, mobile Internet use significantly reduces mental distress through two mediators: trust and happiness. It also shows that watching short videos or learning online is associated with reduced mental distress, as opposed to online shopping, chatting, or playing games. However, the mental distress of new mobile Internet users in 2020 has not been alleviated. This paper enriches the relevant theoretical research and provides a practical reference for using the mobile Internet to ease mental distress during epidemics.

E-commerce Adoption and Technical Efficiency of Wheat Production in China

Improving technical efficiency (TE) is crucial for the sustainable growth of smallholder agriculture in developing countries. While there has been a large literature investigating the determinants of smallholders’ agricultural technical efficiency, little is known about the effect of e-commerce on agriculture and crop production efficiency despite the growing importance of rural e-commerce in developing countries. This study, therefore, bridges the research gap by examining the impact of e-commerce adoption on TE using household survey data of wheat farmers in China. We employ the combination of propensity score matching (PSM) and a selectivity-corrected stochastic production frontier model to address the possible selection biases stemming from both observable and unobservable factors. We found that e-commerce adoption would lead to a 2.75 per cent increase in the technical efficiency of wheat production. Our study also complements the existing research of rural e-commerce, which mainly focuses on the benefits of e-commerce from the perspective of market opportunity and farmers’ welfare.

Social commerce isn’t the cherry on the cake, its the new cake! How consumers’ attitudes and eWOM influence online purchase intention in China

Purpose

In the recent decade, social media popularity and growth have boosted the development of social commerce (SC). This study aims to explore the significant impact of guanxi (关系) elements (ganqing 感情, renqing 人情 and xinren 信任) on online purchase intentions. Furthermore, this study investigated the moderating role of social support between electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and online purchase intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted on 309 consumers who had online purchasing experience through WeChat, a famous social media application in China. Structural equational modeling was used to test all hypotheses.

Findings

The results indicate that guanxi elements are positively related to eWOM, affective attitude and online purchase intentions in SC. Additionally, social support has a significant moderating role between eWOM intention and online purchase intention.

Practical implications

Considering the effects of guanxi elements on eWOM affective attitude and online purchase intention in Chinese SC, online retailers are advised to carefully develop their marketing strategies to retain and attract new consumers. Furthermore, online retailers can use the findings from this study to understand the consequences when online purchase intention is strongly influenced by guanxi elements.

Originality/value

This research extends the current literature by applying the notion of guanxi components to the sense of SC and relating the notion of guanxi components and consumer decisions. The results show an understanding of the reality by which guanxi elements may affect the intention of eWOM sharing and boost online purchase intention.

Innovations and ICT: Do They Favour Economic Growth and Environmental Quality?

In this paper, we examine whether innovation and information and communication technology (ICT) contribute to reducing producer prices, thus promoting economic growth. We also check whether the contributions of ICT enhance environmental quality, leading to sustainable economic growth. To this end, we apply panel data techniques to the 27 EU countries over the period of recovery from the financial crisis. Our results suggest that technological progress leads to a significant reduction in producer prices. Moreover, controlling for some macroeconomics factors, ICT fosters per capita economic growth in the European countries. Finally, we found that the higher the ICT employment is, the lower greenhouse gas emissions are.

Exploration of Entrepreneurship Education by Linear Regression and Psychological Factor Analysis

To study the improvement of the entrepreneurial performance of start-ups and achieve an organic combination of entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial performance, the entrepreneurial group of college students was taken as the springboard to discuss the entrepreneurial performance of start-ups initiated by college students. First, through questionnaire design and scale selection, the results of the questionnaire survey and the reliability and validity of the scale tool were tested. Second, the variable of college students' entrepreneurial self-efficacy based on psychological factor analysis was introduced. The correlations among entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial performance were analyzed. Finally, the intermediary role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy was verified by using the hierarchical linear regression analysis method combined with the BARON three-part verification method. The results show that the response rate of the questionnaire is 92%, and the selection of research samples is scientific. The Cronbach's α reliability coefficients corresponding to each scale are all above 0.8, and the common factor variances are all above 0.7. Therefore, the reliability and validity of scale tools are good. Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial performance are significantly correlated with each other. The college students' entrepreneurial self-efficacy has a good explanatory ability and plays an intermediary role; in the entrepreneurial innovation learning dimension, its corresponding β = 0.257; in the dimension of school organizational support, the corresponding β = 0.439; in the dimension of social interaction, the corresponding β = 0.238. The results have a reference value for studying entrepreneurship education and the improvement of entrepreneurial performance from a psychological level.

Digital Entrepreneurship and its Role in Innovation Systems: A Systematic Literature Review as a Basis for Future Research Avenues for Sustainable Transitions

Digital entrepreneurship is an essential driver within the innovation system. It changes the structure, aims, and networking mechanisms of the overall business system and, ultimately, affects the various levels and dimensions of the innovation system. Bringing inevitable changes to the innovation system, digital technologies may not only provide new business opportunities but also be disruptive and cause new vulnerabilities. In order to gain a rigorous understanding of the hybrid concept of digital entrepreneurship and its role within the transformation of the innovation system, we conducted a systematic literature review. The results of 52 core papers allow for the identification of key categories of digital entrepreneurship and also its differentiation from other types of business activities. The analysis leads to the distinction of the determinants of digital entrepreneurship within three core dimensions of the innovation system, which encompass the entrepreneur (including, e.g., behavioral, competence. and mentality patterns, as well as personal outcomes and consequences of entrepreneurial activity), the entrepreneurial process (including activities that concern digitalization in organizational management processes, transformations within strategic and operational activities, and digital start-up establishment), and its relevant ecosystem (which encompasses, among others, the influence that external infrastructure and institutions have on digital entrepreneurship development). The systematization of the existing literature is highly relevant for future research that aims to understand the interrelations between the transformation of entrepreneurial structures within innovation systems as well as the socioeconomic system in general. Such understanding requires further extended research in fields related to method, content, and theory.

Exploring Perspectives of the Information Technology Industry in a South African City

The information technology (IT) industry has come to the forefront for economic development of several cities in developing countries such as India and China. Looking at the success of the IT industry in these countries, an argument has emerged that development of such industry in South African cities can revitalize their economy. Therefore, the study examined the potential of development of the IT industry in a South African city by using the case study of a largely service-oriented city—Bloemfontein. A survey research method and system dynamics modeling approach were used. Findings suggest that the city has the potential to emerge as an IT industrial city, however, there exist challenges with regards to infrastructure such as housing, built up space, energy, and attracting the knowledge workers to the city. Appropriate policy interventions to reinforce these infrastructures, which can assist to attract the knowledge workers, will enable enhancement in the earning from the IT industry. Also, the development of the IT industry will strengthen the housing and built up infrastructure for the IT industry as well as enhance the number of knowledge workers in the city.