Exposing institutional influences on entrepreneurship among Kuwaiti youth Item Type Thesis Authors Almethen, Abdullah K.M.K. Rights <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by- nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. Download date 04/10/2021 14:04:56 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10454/16046 University of Bradford eThesis This thesis is hosted in Bradford Scholars – The University of Bradford Open Access repository. Visit the repository for full metadata or to contact the repository team © University of Bradford. This work is licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence. EXPOSING INSTITUTIONAL INFLUENCES ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP AMONG KUWAITI YOUTH A. K. M. K. ALMETHEN PHD 2015 EXPOSING INSTITUTIONAL INFLUENCE ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP AMONG KUWAITI YOUTH Abdullah Kh M Kh ALMETHEN Submitted For the Degree Of Doctor of Philosophy School of Management University of Bradford 2015 Abstract Abdullah Kh M Kh AlMethen This research focuses on the influence of institutions on entrepreneurship among Kuwaiti youth. It aims to capture the role played by institutions on youth entrepreneurship at the backdrop of a dampening ‘spirit’ for it. This research is currently very important due to various economic and geo-political factors leading to an economic downturn, which has led to the need for entrepreneurial ventures. It reviews and consolidates concepts and factors purported to facilitate and increase entrepreneurship for the benefit of the society and economy of Kuwait. This research uses a social constructionist approach to make sense of how institutions influence Kuwaiti youth in their quest to become entrepreneurs. It exposes institutional endorsement and legitimacy from formal and informal institutions. It shows the use of regulative, normative and cognitive dimensions and influences on entrepreneurial intentions and actions. This research shows how institutions interact with Kuwaiti youth and what role they play in the formulation of intentions and actions concerning entrepreneurship. A number of key formal and informal institutions have come to the fore that influence one another (in)directly as living entities, and likewise influence the youth (in)directly. The research contribution also shows that young people have to approach some key institutions and in return their desire to become entrepreneurs is strengthened or weakened depending on how institutions respond and what role they are willing to play in their lives. Key words: Entrepreneurship, Institutional Theory, Kuwaiti youth, Social constructionism. ii Acknowledgements To begin with, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor Dr. Caroline Parkinson and former advisor Prof. Christos Kalantaridis for their continuous support of my PhD study and related research, for their patience, motivation, and immense knowledge. Their guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this thesis. I would also like to thank Dr. Rana Tassabehji for her advice, always offered generously. I would also like to thank Ms. Jackie Franklin for all the administrative support that often goes unnoticed. Thank you all for believing in me and standing by me through this process ... words are not enough to express my gratitude. iii Dedication I would like to extend my deepest appreciation and gratitude to my beloved wife, Wafaa Eddamirhi for her undying support and patience. Also, I would like to consider all my children, Khaled, Shaikha, Fouz, Mohammad and Hamza AL-Methen for their invaluable inspiration along the journey. Last but not least, I would like to dedicate my work to my late parents, Khaled AL-Methen & Fatmah AL-Nuaimi for their continues words of wisdom and encouragement for perusing knowledge and success. iv Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................... iii Dedication ..................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................... v List of Figures .............................................................................................. xi List of Tables ............................................................................................... xii Glossary ...................................................................................................... xiii Chapter 1: Introduction .............................................................................. 14 1.1. Chapter Introduction ............................................................ 14 1.2. Background to the Research ............................................ 15 1.3. Research on Entrepreneurship in Kuwait ........................ 16 1.4. Research Aims and Questions .......................................... 21 1.5. Organization of the Thesis ................................................. 23 1.6. Chapter Conclusion ............................................................. 25 Chapter 2: Kuwait in Context ..................................................................... 26 2.1. Chapter Introduction ................................................................ 26 2.2. Kuwait as a Relevant Study Context ....................................... 27 2.2.1. The Demographic Challenge ........................................................ 28 2.2.2. Over-Reliance on Oil Energy ........................................................ 29 v 2.2.3. The Fiscal Challenge ................................................................... 31 2.3. Ease of Doing Business in Kuwait ........................................... 33 2.4. Kuwait’s Institutions ................................................................. 35 2.4.1. Formal Institutions ........................................................................... 36 2.4.1.1. Ruling Family as Kuwait Government ......................................... 36 2.4.1.2. Welfare State and Its Implications on Entrepreneurship ................ 39 2.4.2. Informal Institutions ......................................................................... 42 2.4.2.1. The Working Family .................................................................. 42 2.4.2.1.1. Working Family’s Role in Current Times .......................... 44 2.4.2.2. Business Families ..................................................................... 47 2.4.2.3. Diwaniya as Instruments in Informal Institutions ........................... 48 2.4.2.4. Wassita as an Informal Institutions ............................................. 51 2.5. Importance of the Kuwaiti Context to Wider Understanding of Entrepreneurship ....................................................................................... 52 2.6. Conclusion ............................................................................... 59 Chapter 3: Literature Review ..................................................................... 61 3.1. Introduction and Definitions ..................................................... 61 3.2. Institutions ............................................................................. 63 3.2.1. Formal Institutions ..................................................................... 71 3.2.2. Informal Institutions ................................................................... 77 3.2.3. Institutions and Society ............................................................. 83 vi 3.3. Entrepreneurial Intentions and Actions ........................... 90 3.3.1. Entrepreneurial Process Definition ........................................... 90 3.3.2. Factors Affecting the Entrepreneurial Process ........................ 96 3.4. Young People’s Perspective of Entrepreneurship ......... 99 3.5. Entrepreneurship in the Context of High Wealth Economies ............................................................................................. 103 3.6. Conclusion ........................................................................... 108 Chapter 4: Methodology ........................................................................... 112 4.1. Chapter Introduction .......................................................... 112 4.2. Choice of Philosophical Paradigm .................................. 113 4.3. Data Collection ................................................................... 121 4.3.1. Selection of Research Interviewees ....................................... 124 4.3.2. Interviewees ............................................................................. 128 4.4. Data Analysis ...................................................................... 130 4.4.1. Interview Transcription and Translation ................................. 131 4.4.2. Coding Process ........................................................................ 133 4.5. Ethical Considerations ...................................................... 134 4.6. Conclusion ............................................................................. 135 Chapter 5: Results .................................................................................... 136 5.1. Chapter