Ekonomika a managemen
46 2014, XVII, 4 DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2014-4-004
In oduc ion
Amids he di e si y o app oaches o examine
i , one can ind di e en de ini ions o en e-
p eneu ship. D ucke iden i ied en ep eneu s
as people who see “change” as he s anda d,
and ac i ely go looking o exis ing change in
o de o exploi i [13]. The e is a long his o y o
economic esea ch on en ep eneu ship. In
‘Theo y o Economic De elopmen ’ Schumpe e
iewed he en ep eneu as an agen o change
ha is he sou ce o his amous c ea i e
des uc ion [31]. Schumpe e iden i ied an
en ep eneu could be a single pe son, he
coun y i sel , o i s agenda, can ac as an
en ep eneu [12]. He indica ed ha success ul
en ep eneu s elici widesp ead imi a ion and i
“p esupposes a g ea su plus o ce o e he
e e yday demand’ [31]. In de eloping coun ies
an en ep eneu is iden i ied as a pe son who is
sel -employed, ea ns his li ing, es ablishes his
business and has a s a us in socie y [14].
Webs e ’s Dic iona y [34] de ines en ep e-
neu ship as “c ea ion o a new, inno a i e,
p o i o ien ed, isiona y economic o ganiza ion
ha exis s in unce ain en i onmen s ca ying
some isk”. In o he wo ds, an en ep eneu can
ecognize an oppo uni y, and add alue
h ough he esou ces. Empi ical e idences sug-
ges en ep eneu ial beha iou as a unc ion o
he cha ac e is ics o he pe son and he
en i onmen [10]. Solanki and Soni [32] iewed
ha an en ep eneu may be di e en ia ed no
only in e ms o he kind o ac i i ies he pu sues
bu in he con ex o his li e s yle, a i udes,
alues and beha iou con ibu ing o he
en ep eneu ial pe sonali y. Findings sugges
ha en ep eneu ship is concei ed as
ape sonal quali y enabling indi iduals o make
decisions wi h a eaching consequences, and
success by ac ing di e en ly om o he s.
These esul s in luence o he people o change
hei mind oo. Many con ex ual ac o s may
exe an in luence on en ep eneu ial beha iou
and success [37]. En ep eneu s disco e new
sou ces o supply o ma e ials and ma ke s and
hey es ablish mo e e ec i e o ms o
o ganiza ions and pe cei e new oppo uni ies
wi h supe -no mal will powe and ene gy,
essen ial o o e come esis ance ha social
en i onmen o e s [32]. En ep eneu s ha e
been ins umen al in ini ia ing socio-economic
de elopmen .
1. En ep eneu ship in Ag icul u e
Ag icul u al de elopmen acili a es a be e
li ing s anda d o a me s by p oducing mo e
and selling mo e. Fa ming success ends o
inc ease a me s’ sel -con idence. Inc eased
con ac s wi h me chan s and go e nmen
agencies would d aw a me s in o a close
acquain ance wi h he wo ld beyond hem [22].
Compa ed wi h o he en e p ises, ag icul u e
has some unique p oblems, as i hea ily
depends on a biological ela ionship a ec ed by
he ac o s like clima e, diseases, pes s, s o age,
and luc ua ion o p ice. An en ep eneu has
li le o no con ol o e many o hese ac o s. In
he exis ing dynamic and compe i i e economic
en i onmen , collec i e e o s o a me s
empowe hem wi h g ea e con ol [22].
En ep eneu ial beha iou o a me s has an
impac on hei p o i making. En ep eneu ial
beha iou depends on a numbe o ac o s like
isk aking, eedback usage, pe sis ence, hope
o success, con idence, knowledge, manageabili y,
achie emen mo i a ion, pu suabili y, and
inno a i eness [25]. Solanki and Soni [32] ha e
iden i ied 15 indica o s o en ep eneu ial beha-
iou iz; Decision making abili y, Economic
mo i a ion, Ma ke o ien a ion, Knowledge o
imp o ed echnology, Abili y o coo dina e a ai-
lable esou ces, Risk aking abili y, Abili y o sol e
p oblems, C edi o ien a ion, Sel -con idence,
IMPACT OF GROUP INTERACTIONS ON
FARMERS’ ENTREPRENEURIAL BEHAVIOUR
H.R.M.P. Abey a hne, L.N.A.C. Jayawa dena
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474, XVII, 2014
Scien i ic o ien a ion, Communica ion skills,
Expe iences, Achie emen mo i a ion, Pe cei ing
oppo uni ies, and Pe cei ing managemen
se ices. Chaudha i e al. [9] indica ed
en ep eneu ial beha iou o be based on nine
cha ac e is ics, iz. inno a i eness, achie emen
mo i a ion, decision making, isk o ien a ion,
co-coo dina ing abili y, planning, in o ma ion
seeking beha iou , cosmopoli eness and sel -
con idence. And hey de eloped an index o
measu e he en ep eneu ial beha iou o dai y
a me s. Maye & Jencks [24] ha e indica ed
he p o ound in luence o neighbou ing pee s
on indi iduals h oughou hei li e spans.
Indi idual’s en y o en ep eneu ship ( ely on
heo ies o social no ms and indi idual
a i udes) posi s ha in en ions p ecede en y
and a i udes p ecede in en ions [21].
1.1 G oups and In e ac ions
The alue o a ela ionship is also de ined by
he social con ex a ound he ela ionship [6].
Ma in [23] de ined a g oup as “ wo o mo e
pe sons engaged in social in e ac ions”. In his
si ua ion each membe o he g oup is awa e o
he o he membe s and ge s in luenced by hem
and ice e sa. Bass [3] called a collec ion o
people as a g oup, i he exis ence o such
collec ion was ewa ding o i s membe s.
Woolcock and Na ayan [38], and Padmaja and
Ban ilan [27] de ined social capi al as he
“no ms and ne wo ks ha enable people o do
collec i e ac ions”. Goleman e al. we e o he
iew ha bene i s o bonding social capi al
should be ealized in in en ional change by
ha ing a ne wo k o us ing, suppo i e, and
mu ually ein o cing ela ionships ha acili a e
one’s e o s o change [17]. Social capi al
ea u es in social o ganiza ions based on
ne wo ks o in e ac ion, and no ms o ecip oci y
and us acili a ing coo dina ion and coope-
a ion o mu ual bene i [29]. A e iew o social
psychology li e a u e shows ha wo ypes o
g oup in e ac ions exis in g oup p ocesses, i.e.
ask, and social in e ac ions, which coexis and
a e equally impo an o a g oup [8].
Concep ually, g oup unc ional ac i i ies o
p oduc ion o e lap wi h g oup ask in e ac ions,
whe eas g oup unc ional ac i i ies o membe
suppo and g oup well-being o e lap wi h g oup
social in e ac ions. The main cha ac e is ics o
no ma i e in luence, such as g oup ela ion-
ships, mo ali y o ca e, seeking subjec i e
i ue, g oup no ms, p e e ences, main aining
ha mony, e c., a e essen ially cen e ed on
ela ionships be ween g oup membe s o
needs/ p e e ences o membe s [2]. In e pe -
sonal ela ions a e he impo an aspec s o
social li e and i is easily achie ed a g oup
si ua ions [15]. A g oup has been iden i ied as
as age whe e membe s mee and nego ia e
pe sonal in e es s [23]. And some membe s y
o ob ain powe and s a us h ough g oups and
o ganiza ions. Padmaja and Ba ilan [27] we e
o he iew ha “beha iou o a pe son is
go e ned by in e ac ions and in e ela ions wi h
o he people”. P e y and Wo d [28] iewed
ac o s such as age, educa ion, gende , g oup
size, he e ogenei y o membe s, esou ce ul-
ness o membe s, and p e ious expe ience on
collec i e ac ions, in luence collec i e ac ions.
Howe e , K uijssen e al. [22] epo ed ha
collec i e ac i i ies we e always no possible in
he esou celess a me g oups. Acco dingly, lack
o capi al makes i di icul o main ain g oups
among poo a me s. Fa me g oups educe
ansac ion cos , imp o e ma ke ing acili ies,
educe cos o cul i a ion, and acili a e o he
se ices [15]. O he bene i s o a me g oups
a e; ini ia ing and es ablishing cul u e o
coope a ion and coo dina ion o hei own
bene i s [24], conduc ing collec i e ac ions o
o e come common p oblems [4], imp o ing
esou ce managemen s a egies esul ing in
g ow h o local ma ke and u al economy [4],
de eloping ne wo ks among membe s and
acili a e membe s o sha e ideas and ind ways
o mu ual suppo . Fa me s’ g oups ha e been
ound o help ex ension agen s o imp o e
membe a me s’ knowledge and p ac ical skills
o ag icul u al echnologies [29]. En ep e-
neu ial ac ion was ound embedded in social
in e ac ions wi h o he indi iduals [30]. Au io
and Wennbe g [1] e ealed s ong g oup-le el
e ec s on en ep eneu ial beha iou s. They
ound nea ly 50% o he o al a iance in
en ep eneu ial beha iou s esides be ween
social g oups, and no a ibu able o indi idual
le el cha ac e is ics. Fu he , he in luence o
g oup-le el a i udes and social no ms on
indi idual le el en ep eneu ial beha iou s was
up o h ee imes as s ong as he in luence o
indi idual-le el a i udes and no ms. Abo e
indings indica ed ha indi idual-le el en ep e-
neu ship o a g ea e deg ee is a e lec ion o
g oup-le el disposi ions. I sugges ed he
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48 2014, XVII, 4
dominan , indi idual-cen ic and disposi ional
explana ions o en ep eneu ship a e he e o e,
a bes , incomple e.
1.2 Ne wo k Linkages
Social con ex is impo an o deepe unde -
s anding o en ep eneu ship ac i i ies and he
na u e o in ol emen s [35]. Johannison [19]
iden i ied a high deg ee o ne wo k linkages
and ies in wo u al egions in Sweden, indica-
ing ha in some ci cums ances he ne wo k
may lead o di ec suppo in aising inance,
in e ading and coope a i e e o s. In a S i
Lankan s udy, Wijekoon, and Jayawa dena [36]
ound posi i e signi ican ela ionships ‘be ween
he use o in o ma ion sou ces and pe sonal
ac o s, iz. age, social pa icipa ion, deg ee o
exposu e o mass media, inno a i eness, and
isk o ien a ion’. They iden i ied ellow a me s
o be he mos a ailable in o ma ion sou ce.
Johannisson [19] poin ed ou ha he
en ep eneu is a ne wo king pe son and ha
he pe sonal ne wo k is he ehicle by which he
es ablished en ep eneu exchanges in o ma ion
while he acqui es esou ces om he
en i onmen . In he conduc o a collabo a i e
ask, he e a e a ying le els o in e ac ion
among g oup membe s. I has been ound ha
main cha ac e is ics o in o ma ional in luence
such as in o ma ion sha ing, ac ual and ask
messages, a ional decision model, e c., a e
e lec ed in ask ac i i ies o asking o and
gi ing in o ma ion, sugges ions, and di ec ions
[2]. Social in e ac ions e e o pa icula o ms
o ex e nali ies, in which he ac ions o a e e-
ence g oup a ec an indi idual’s p e e ences.
The e e ence g oup depends on he con ex
and is mos ly i consis s o an indi idual’s
amily, neighbou s, iends o pee s in social
in e ac ions. C ea i ely accessing social ne wo ks
o mobilize inancial and o he esou ces
needed o business c ea ion and expansion
has been obse ed in many s udies [16], [18].
This heo y add esses he e ec s ha indi iduals
ha e on o he s who come in o con ac wi h
hem. In e pe sonal a ac ion heo y [7] posi s
ha indi iduals wi h simila belie s a e a ac ed
o each o he , hus ein o cing a sha ed se o
a i udes and beha iou s. Bo h hese heo ies
p edic ha indi iduals will ha e a i udes and
beha iou s simila o hose wi h whom hey
in e ac . Iden i ica ion o social capi al opens
ab oade iew owa ds social s uc u es and
p ocesses, social alues and no ms. Signi ican
di e ences ha e been ound in Eas Asia in
how social capi al wo ks in China and Vie nam,
han in Japan o Ko ea [26]. Padmaja and
Ban ilan [27] ha e iden i ied ha , beha iou o
ape son is go e ned by in e ac ions and
in e ela ions wi h o he people. The di e en
ways how b idging ne wo ks con ibu e o
en ep eneu ial ac i i ies has been con i med in
empi ical indings [5].
1.3 Scope o he S udy
Empi ical indings sugges he in luence o
g oup in e ac ions in he en ep eneu ial beha-
iou o a me s. Howe e , he e is a dea h o
s udies in examining he abo e using compa-
a i e g oups o ege able a me s p ac icing
one season, and wo seasons pe yea
espec i ely. This s udy was ocused on
examining ‘whe he he e is an impac om
g oup in e ac ions o imp o e en ep eneu ial
beha iou o a me s? and, wha a e he
esul ing e ec s?.’ Gene al objec i e o he
s udy was o examine he impac o g oup
beha iou on he en ep eneu ial beha iou o
ege able a me s. Speci ic objec i es o he
s udy we e o iden i y, and assess he majo
en ep eneu ial beha iou al cha ac e is ics o
a me s, and o examine he ela ionship
be ween he g oup in e ac ions and
en ep eneu ial beha iou o a me s.
2. Me hodology
The epis emological app oach o his esea ch
s udy was posi i ism. Acco dingly he unde line
me hodological aim was exposu e. The esea ch
design consis ed o wo case s udies, using wo
samples o ege able a me s p ac icing
espec i ely a single season, and wo seasons
( h oughou he yea ) annually. The choice o
abo e wo ypes o a me o ganisa ions was
mean o cap u e he in icacies ha a me s
ge exposed in a ming con inuously, and only
du ing a de ined pe iod (single season) pe
yea . These condi ions a e nume ous, a y and
in ol e di e ing socio-cul u al conno a ions,
especially in an Asian con ex . Acco dingly,
ou come o his s udy was ocused on es ing
exis ing heo y in di e en backg ound condi ions.
En ep eneu ship p ac i ione s, policymake s,
and academics alike ha e shown a g owing
in e es in he con ex ual ac o s in which
en ep eneu ial ac i i ies ake place [33].
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2.1 Ope a ionaliza ion o Resea ch
S i Lanka was selec ed o he s udy due o he
a ailabili y o compa a i e g oups o ege able
a me s p ac icing only a single season, and
bo h seasons pe yea wi hin geog aphically close
by loca ions. S i Lanka has 22 adminis a i e
dis ic s. Ma ale dis ic has been among he
op 4 dis ic s p oducing high amoun o
ege ables in S i Lanka. Fa me o ganiza ions
o Ma ale dis ic in S i Lanka was selec ed as
he sampling ame o he s udy. Ma ale has
o e 220 a me O ganiza ions. An explo a o y
esea ch o iden i y he a me g oups, and
ac i i ies was conduc ed wi h he pa icipa ion
o communi y leade s and go e nmen
Ag icul u al Ins uc o s (AIs’). Acco dingly,
Naula, and Dambulla Di isional Sec e a ia (DS)
a eas we e selec ed om he Ma ale dis ic .
Naula DS a ea consis ed o a me o ganisa-
ions g owing ege ables h oughou he yea ,
namely du ing he seasons o Yala and Maha.
Howe e , majo i y o a me s in Dambulla DS
a ea cul i a ed ege ables only du ing he Yala
season. Two a me o ganiza ions we e selec ed
om he wo DS a eas. Sinha a me O ga-
niza ion om Naula DS a ea and Mahasen
a me O ganiza ion om Dambulla DS a ea
we e selec ed o he s udy. Among he 75
a me o ganiza ions in Naula DS a ea, Sinha
a me o ganiza ion was among he mos ac i e
a me o ganiza ions, as pe he epo s o AIs’.
Simila ly, among he 90 a me o ganiza ions in
Dambulla DS a ea, Mahasen a me o ganiza-
ion was among he mos success ul. S a i ied
andom sampling was used o selec a sample
o 60 ege able a me s, 30 each om hese
wo a me o ganiza ions. Fa ming expe ience,
Age, and con inui y in a ming we e iden i ied
as he majo c i e ia o he selec ion o a me
o ganisa ions.
2.2 Resea ch Ins umen s and Da a
Analysis
P ima y da a we e collec ed h ough
aques ionnai e su ey, which was ollowed by
in o mal discussions and key in o man
discussions. The en ep eneu ial beha iou
scale de eloped by Chaudha i e al. [9], was
inco po a ed in o he ques ionnai e o assess
he en ep eneu ial beha iou o a me s.
Assessmen o g oup in e ac ions was based
on he i e s a emen s (co e ing he di e ing
aspec s) used o assessing g oup in e ac ions
in oduced by Kaplan and Mille [20] o
esea ch on g oup decision making. I included
decision making ac i i ies in di e en s ages. I
had a Like scale o answe s in he ange o 1
(No a all) o 5 (Ve y high) o each s a emen .
Da a we e analysed using he S a is ical
Package o Social Sciences. Desc ip i e da a
we e p esen ed using abula analysis and
ela ionships we e es ed h ough co ela ion
es s, and using 2-independen sample - es s
(Mann Whi ney Tes ) o non-pa ame ic da a.
3. Findings
3.1 G oup In e ac ions among
Responden s
G oup in e ac ions o a me s we e assessed
by measu ing hei in ol emen in g oup ac i i-
ies o selec ed eigh p ac ices in ege able
cul i a ion. The eigh iden i ied ac i i ies we e
namely; seasonal planning, c op selec ion, land
p epa a ion and ield plan ing, i iga ion wa e
dis ibu ion, con olling o pes s and diseases,
pa icipa ing in aining p og ammes, ha es ing,
and selling. G oup in e ac ions o each p ac ice
we e measu ed using i e s a emen s. These
i e s a emen s we e measu ed using a 5 poin
Like scale, and esponses a e depic ed in
able 1. Table 2 depic s he ca ego iza ion o g oup
in e ac ions o p ac ices as low, mode a e, and high.
Tab. 1: Sco ing pa e n o g oup in e ac ions
Answe Sco e Maximum sco e o a single p ac ice
Ve y high 5 25
High 4 20
Low 3 15
Ve y low 2 10
No a all 1 5
Sou ce: Au ho s’ classi ica ion
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50 2014, XVII, 4
3.1.1 G oup In e ac ions in Seasonal
Planning, and Selec ion o C ops
In Mahasen a me g oup, in e ac ions in
seasonal planning we e high. They had a g oup
no m ha 80% o he membe s o he a me
o ganiza ion should pa icipa e a he seasonal
planning. O he wise hey ha e o pay a ine.
Bu in Sinha a me g oup 86.7% o a me s
had esponded ha hei g oup in e ac ions
we e a a mode a e le el. They had no g oup
no m o in ol emen o g oup membe s like in
Mahasen Fa me O ganiza ion. Fo y eigh
pe cen o he esponden s had mode a e g oup
in e ac ions in c op selec ion. In Mahasen
a me g oup, 60% pe cei ed a high le el o
g oup in e ac ions in c op selec ion. Bu in
Sinha a me g oup, he e we e no high g oup
in e ac ions in c op selec ion. Mahasen a me
g oup had a p e seasonal mee ing o decide
c ops o he season, and 80% o membe s’
pa icipa ion was conside ed a no m. Majo i y
o he membe s pa icipa ed o he mee ing and
in ol ed in c op selec ion. In Sinha a me
g oup, he e was no such no m o membe s’
pa icipa ion o he p e seasonal mee ing.
Majo i y o he Sinha G oup a me s had
decided sui able c ops o season indi idually,
wi h low g oup in e ac ions.
3.1.2 G oup In e ac ions in Land
P epa a ion, Field Plan ing, and
I iga ion Wa e Dis ibu ion
Eigh y wo pe cen o a me s pe cei ed g oup
in e ac ions in land p epa a ion and ield
plan ing o be low. In Sinha a me g oup all he
a me s pe cei ed gi ing in o ma ion, sha ing
in o ma ion among g oup membe s, and helping
each o he o be a a low le el. In Mahasen
a me g oup also majo i y o he a me s
(63.3%) pe cei ed g oup in e ac ions o be low.
This could also be due o non-p ac icing o he
adi ional labou sha ing sys em by many
a me s. They ied o manage a ming ac i i ies
by hemsel es using hi ed labou . Fo y pe cen
o he esponden s o Mahasen a me g oup,
and he en i e Sinha a me g oup pe cei ed
in e ac ions in i iga ion wa e dis ibu ion o be
a a low le el. Though he en i e membe ship
should ge in ol ed in deciding he da es, and
du a ion o i iga ion wa e dis ibu ion, i has
been decided by he commi ee membe s o
a me g oups.
3.1.3 G oup In e ac ions in Con olling o
Pes s and Diseases in Vege able
Cul i a ion, and T aining P og ammes
Eigh y i e pe cen o he o al esponden s
ound g oup in e ac ions in con olling o pes s
and diseases a a low le el. Whene e pes
a acks o diseases occu ed, a me s had used
o ge ad ices om ag ochemical selle s and
had used chemicals as emedy. Sha ing o
in o ma ion, ge ing ad ices om subjec ma e
specialis s, and adhe ing o he con ol measu es
in an ou b eak as a g oup, we e a a low le el.
Deciding aining p og ammes, sha ing knowledge
om aining p og ammes, and selec ing
membe s o aining p og ammes based on
hei p e e ences we e low among o e all
esponden s, as 60% o hem pe cei ed so. In
Mahasen a me g oup, in e ac ions we e mode a e
in pa icipa ing o aining p og ammes, and
hey had pa icipa ed o a leas i e aining
p og ammes pe yea . On he con a y, membe s
o Sinha a me g oup had pa icipa ed o only
one o wo aining p og ammes pe yea .
3.1.4 G oup In e ac ions in Ha es ing o
C op and Selling
Sha ing in o ma ion o new p ac ices among
membe s, deciding he ha es ing pe iod as
ag oup, and sha ing o labou a ha es ing we e
low among a me s. Due o ime limi a ions
mos o he a me s we e eluc an o wo k as
ag oup, and hey sha ed ha es ing ac i i ies
wi h amily membe s, and hi ed labou . Sha ing
in o ma ion abou new ma ke s, p ices, place o
selling and ba gaining o a easonable p ice o
Tab. 2: Ca ego iza ion o g oup in e ac ions by hei sco es
G oup in e ac ions ca ego y Sco e
Low ≤15
Mode a e 16–20
High ≥21
Sou ce: Au ho s’ classi ica ion
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514, XVII, 2014
hei p oduc s as a g oup we e a low le el in
bo h a me g oups. Almos 95% o o al espon-
den s pe cei ed ha g oup in e ac ions we e
low in selling o p oduce. They pe cei ed di icul ies
in selling p oduc s in Dambulla Dedica ed Eco-
nomic Cen e as a g oup due o he in luence o
middlemen. Majo i y o he a me s a emp ed
o sell hei p oduc s o a highe p ice indi i-
dually. O e all g oup in e ac ions among a me s
we e a a mode a e le el. As shown below in
Figu e 1, 67% o he a me s pe cei ed hei
g oup in e ac ions in ege able cul i a ion as
mode a e.
Pe cen age dis ibu ion o
Fig. 1: esponden s by g oup
in e ac ions
Sou ce: Su ey da a
3.2 Task In e ac ions and Social
In e ac ions o he Responden s
Task in e ac ion among a me s was a a mo-
de a e le el. They included ou ine asks ha
need he suppo o ellow a me s du ing di e en
s ages in a ming. Se en y wo pe cen o he
a me s esponded ha , sha ing o in o ma ion;
sugges ions, di ec ions, and a ional decision
making o he g oup we e a mode a e le els.
Social ask in e ac ion o he esponden s was
a mode a e le el. Majo i y (55%) esponded
ha , con o mi y o no ms, conside a ion abou
p e e ences o g oup membe s, and mo ali y o
ca e o he g oup we e a mode a e le els.
Mahasen g oup had 78 membe s, in compa-
ison o Sinha a me g oup’s 172 membe s.
3.3 En ep eneu ial Beha iou
Cha ac e is ics o Responden s
Responden s we e assessed o he ollowing
en cha ac e is ics ha we e iden i ied in hei
en ep eneu ial beha iou .
i.) Planning abili y o he esponden s:
Planning abili y o he esponden s was
measu ed by using i e s a emen s, each o
hem we e alloca ed sco es om 1 o 5. To al
sco es below 10 we e ca ego ized as low;
10–15 sco es we e ca ego ized as mode a e,
and sco es o e 15 was ca ego ized as high.
Almos 70% o he esponden s had planned
hei cul i a ion ac i i ies well. In Mahasen
a me g oup planning abili y o he
esponden s was highe han a Sinha a me
g oup. Fa me s in he Mahasen a me g oup
had adop ing he seasonal plan. And hose who
could no ollow ha had o pay a ine. Bu in
Sinha a me g oup he e was no such ule.
ii.) Coo dina ing abili y o he esponden s:
Coo dina ing abili y o he a me s was
measu ed by using ou s a emen s alloca ing
sco es om 1 o 5. To al sco es below 8 we e
ca ego ized as low, sco es om 8–12 we e
ca ego ized as mode a e, and sco es o e 12
we e ca ego ized as high. Thi y se en pe cen
o he esponden s had a high coo dina ing
abili y. They decided he equi ed amoun o
land, capi al, and inpu s o hei cul i a ion well
in ad ance. Bu 31.4% o a me s had decided
hem jus a he momen , and he es (31.6%)
had ne e planned a all.
iii.) In o ma ion seeking beha iou o he
esponden s: In o ma ion seeking beha iou
o he a me s was measu ed by using 14 in-
o ma ion sou ces and hei equency o usage
by a me s. F equencies we e gi en sco es
om 1 o 3. To al sco es below 18, we e ca e-
go ized as low, 18 and 28 as mode a e and sco es
o e 28 was ca ego ized as high in o ma ion
seeking beha iou . Abou 85% o esponden s
had a mode a e in o ma ion seeking beha iou .
Majo i y o he a me s had no used ele ision,
adio, newspape s, elephone, and NGO o ice s
o ge in o ma ion equen ly. Mos o hem had
used amily membe s, iends, ela i es, ag icul-
u e ins uc o s (AI’s), ag icul u e esea ch and
p oduc ion assis an s (ARPA’s) equen ly o
ge in o ma ion. The e was no a single a me
ha ing a low le el o in o ma ion seeking
beha iou .
i .) Inno a i eness o he esponden s:
Inno a i eness o he esponden s was mea-
su ed by using i e p ac ices which we e
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Ekonomika a managemen
52 2014, XVII, 4
in oduced ecen ly o ege able cul i a ion
and we e alloca ed sco es om 0 o 3, based
on he numbe o yea s hey had used hem.
To al sco es below 5 we e ca ego ized as low,
sco es om 6 and 10 we e ca ego ized as
mode a e, and sco es o e 10 we e ca ego ized
as high. Se en y i e pe cen o he esponden s
had a mode a e le el o inno a i eness. Mos
o hem had ne e sea ched o new ma ke s.
Howe e , hey used plas ic ays o anspo
hei p oduc s. Mahasen a me g oup had 30%
o ame s wi h a high le el o inno a i eness.
Mos o hem used Neem based ex ac o s as
pes icides, imp o ed seeds, and sp aye
i iga ion me hods o cul i a ions.
.) Risk o ien a ion o he esponden s:
Risk o ien a ion o he esponden s was
measu ed by using ou s a emen s, assigning
sco es om 1 o 5. To al sco es o below 8 we e
ca ego ized as low, sco es 8 and 12 we e
ca ego ized as mode a e, and sco es o e 12
we e ca ego ized as high. The e was no much
di e ence in he isk o ien a ion be ween he
wo a me g oups. Six y h ee pe cen o espon-
den s had a mode a e le el o isk o ien a ion.
Majo i y (62%) conside ed ege able cul i a ion
as isky and hey op ed o y new p ac ices
only a e seeing success ul esul s o o he
a me s.
i.) Decision making abili y o he
esponden s: Decision making abili y o he
esponden s was measu ed using eigh
p ac ices and alloca ing sco es (1 o 3) based
on app oach o aking decisions. To al sco es
below 13 we e ca ego ized as low, 13 o 19 as
mode a e, and o e 19 we e ca ego ized as
high. Nine y pe cen o he a me s had high
le el o decision making abili y. Mos o he
a me s decided on hei cul i a ions h ough
hei own expe iences. Majo i y o a me s we e
no hough ul o p ac icing sp inkle o d ip
i iga ion, and c op insu ance.
ii.) Oppo uni y seeking beha iou o
he esponden s: Oppo uni y seeking beha-
iou o he esponden s was measu ed by using
i e si ua ions a me s could c ea e oppo u-
ni ies and hei making use o hem. Sco es o
1 and 2 we e alloca ed acco dingly. To al sco es
below 7 we e ca ego ized as low, sco es be -
ween 7 and 9 we e ca ego ized as mode a e,
and sco es o e 9 we e ca ego ized as high.
Abou 52% o esponden s had a high le el o
oppo uni y seeking beha iou . Access o
subsidies and c edi acili ies h ough a me
o ganiza ions, pa icipa ing o aining
p og ammes, and use o in o ma ion sou ces o
ob ain p ice de ails we e a a mode a e le el.
Six y pe cen o he membe s o Mahasen
a me g oup had a high oppo uni y seeking
beha iou . They had many oppo uni ies han
Sinha a me g oup iz; conduc ing aining
p og ammes, c edi acili ies, and in o ma ion
sys em o Dialog (mobile) Telecom Company.
iii.) Achie emen mo i a ion o he
esponden s: Achie emen mo i a ion o he
esponden s was measu ed by using en
s a emen s awa ding sco es o 1 o 2. To al
sco es below 7 we e ca ego ized as low, sco es
be ween 7 and 8 we e ca ego ized as mo-
de a e, and sco es o e 8 we e ca ego ized as
high. Abou 52% o o al esponden s had a high
achie emen mo i a ion. Mo i a ion le els o
ea n highe p o i s, o be a well-known a me ,
and o accomplish asks be e han o he s
we e a mode a e le els. Majo i y (60%) in
Mahasen g oup had a high le el o achie e-
men mo i a ion. They ocused highe p o i s,
and we e ambi ious in a ming p o ession.
ix.) Sel -con idence o he esponden s:
Sel -con idence o he esponden s was mea-
su ed by using i e s a emen s, alloca ing
sco es o 1 o 2. To al sco es below 8 we e
ca ego ized as low, sco es be ween 8 and 10
we e ca ego ized as mode a e, and sco es
o e 10 we e ca ego ized as high. Abou 47%
o he esponden s had a mode a e le el o sel -
con idence. Majo i y lacked con idence in p o i
making h ough ege able cul i a ion, and mos
o hem elied on o he s in ca ying ou a ming
ac i i ies. They did no ake he ini ia i e in c op
selec ion, deciding ime o land p epa a ion,
plan ing, ha es ing and selling e c. Fa me s
pe cei ed hey we e mode a e in adap ing o
new si ua ions, concen a ing on a ask, and
saying he igh opinion a he igh ime.
x.) Cosmopoli anisms o he esponden s:
Cosmopoli anisms o he esponden s we e
measu ed by using i e s a emen s o hei
pe cep ion, alloca ing sco es om 1 o 3. To al
sco es below 10 we e ca ego ized as low,
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Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
534, XVII, 2014
sco es be ween 10 and 12 we e ca ego ized as
mode a e, and sco es o e 12 we e ca ego-
ized as high. Fo y i e pe cen o he a me s
had a high le el o cosmopoli ans. Collec ion o
in o ma ion o success ul a me s om ou side
o illage, ge ing in o ma ion h ough mass
media, isi ing AIs and o he go e nmen al
o icials, ga he ing o ecen in o ma ion
h ough ag icul u al li e a u e and ag icul u al
exhibi ions was a a mode a e le el.
3.4 En ep eneu ial Beha iou o he
Responden s
Based on he alues ob ained om he
en ep eneu ial beha iou (Index) h ee
ca ego ies we e iden i ied. Index alue below
65 was ca ego ized as low, 65 and 75 as
mode a e, and o e 75 was ca ego ized as
high. The o e all en ep eneu ial beha iou o
he esponden s was a a mode a e le el (mean
alue o 71.186, s anda d de ia ion o 0.17).
Among he en en ep eneu ial cha ac e is ics
planning abili y and decision making abili y
we e a a high le el (mean alues we e 2.7 and
2.9 espec i ely). O he cha ac e is ics we e a
amode a e le el. As shown in Figu e 2, only
23% o he esponden s had a high le el o
en ep eneu ial beha iou .
Dis ibu ion (as a %) o
Fig. 2: esponden s’ en ep eneu ial
beha iou
Sou ce: Su ey da a
3.4.1 Rela ionship be ween G oup
In e ac ions and En ep eneu ial
Beha iou
Aposi i e signi ican ela ionship was epo ed
be ween he g oup in e ac ions o a me s and
hei en ep eneu ial beha iou ( =0.507,
p=0.001, signi ican a 0.01 le el).
Fig. 3 indica es esponden s’ wi h high g oup
in e ac ions epo ing high en ep eneu ial
beha iou . Among hose epo ing low g oup
in e ac ions, 50% o hem had low
en ep eneu ial beha iou .
Fig. 3: Responden s’ g oup in e ac ions and en ep eneu ial beha iou
Sou ce: Su ey da a
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Ekonomika a managemen
54 2014, XVII, 4
3.4.2 Di e ence in G oup In e ac ions o
he Two Fa me G oups
The 2-independen sample - es (Mann Whi ney
Tes ) eco ded a signi ican di e ence o g oup
in e ac ions (p=0.007, signi ican a 0.01 le el)
be ween Mahasen and Sinha a me g oups.
All he esponden s who eco ded high g oup
in e ac ions belonged o Mahasen a me g oup.
The e we e no esponden s epo ing high g oup
in e ac ions in Sinha a me g oup. Respon-
den s o Mahasen a me g oup had high le el
o g oup in e ac ions in seasonal planning,
selec ing o c ops, and i iga ion wa e
dis ibu ion. Mahasen a me g oup was highly
conce ned o g oup no ms and ules such as,
80% o membe s’ pa icipa ion o decision
making, ocus on 80% o membe s’ ag eemen s
o a decision, and ining o de ia ions om
g oup’s ules and egula ions. Mahasen a me
g oup had mon hly mee ings, whils Sinha
a me g oup had only seasonal mee ings held
in e e y 6 mon hs. Mahasen a me g oup had
conduc ed many socie al bene icial campaigns
in illage. This inc eased he cohesi eness
among membe s. Main aining and ebuilding o
i iga ion cannels, e o es a ion was p ac iced
by Mahasen a me g oup.
3.4.3 Di e ence in En ep eneu ial
Beha iou o he Two Fa me G oups
Acco ding o he 2-independen sample - es
(Mann Whi ney Tes ) he e was a signi ican
di e ence in en ep eneu ial beha iou
(p=0.007, signi ican a 0.01 le el) be ween he
wo a me g oups. Eigh y six pe cen o he
esponden s who had high en ep eneu ial
beha iou belonged o Mahasen a me g oup,
and he co esponding igu e was 14% in Sinha
a me g oup. In Mahasen a me g oup
planning abili y, coo dina ion abili y, and
inno a i eness o a me s we e a a highe
le el han Sinha a me g oup.
Conclusions, Limi a ions and
Fu he Resea ch
Findings o he s udy indica ed he posi i e
impac o g oup in e ac ions on en ep eneu ial
beha iou o he a me s in a me g oups.
G oup in e ac ions o a me s signi ican ly
co ela ed wi h hei en ep eneu ial beha-
iou al pa e ns. G oup in e ac ions o a me s
we e mode a e and en ep eneu ial beha iou
o he a me s was no p ominen in ege able
cul i a ion. Decision making abili y and planning
abili y o a me s we e a a high le el. Risk
o ien a ion o a me s’ was ai ly low. Fa me s’
en ep eneu ial beha iou enhanced wi h
socio-economic s a us and social pa icipa ion.
G oup in e ac ions o he a me s we e high in
seasonal planning, and selec ing o c ops. In
selling, g oup in e ac ions we e e y low.
Rela i ely small p opo iona e o membe s in
he mo e en ep eneu ial Sinha a me g oup
(in compa ison o he Mahasen g oup) indica es
he e ec i eness o ela i ely smalle g oups.
A i udes o he a me s on g oup in e ac ions
can be imp o ed h ough awa eness p og am-
mes on mu ual bene i s, eam building ac i i ies,
and wo kshops. G oup leade s could encou age
he membe s o alue heal hy in e pe sonal
ela ionships wi h he help o ad ise s o
choice. Mechanisms o imp o e small g oup
o ma ion ac i i ies h ough Fa me O gani-
za ions could be ocused.
S udy was limi ed only o wo g oups o
a me s o alling o 60 membe s. Fa me s’
beha iou s we e also assessed only based on
hei pe cep ions. The s a ic na u e o da a is
ase ious weakness o con empo a y manage-
men esea ch. This s udy also alls in o his
ca ego y as he da a collec ion (in e iewing
and su eying) was ca ied ou a a pa icula
poin in ime du ing he yea 2012. A longi u-
dinal esea ch wi h highe numbe s o a me
g oups ep esen a ion, inco po a ing mo e
objec i e da a (i.e. p o i s, and p o i abili y o
a me s, imes spen o a ming, along wi h he
eedback o key s akeholde s) is bound o
p o ide mo e insigh ul ac s.
Au ho s a e hank ul o Assoc P o esso
Ales G ega o Tomas Ba a Uni e si y in Zlin,
and he In e nal G an Agency o FaME TBU
No. IGA/FaME/2014 Enhancing Employabili y
and ca ee Success o P o essionals, o
p o iding inancial suppo o his publica ion.
Re e ences
[1] AUTIO, E. WENNBERG, K. Social A i udes
and he T ansi ion o En ep eneu ship. Summe
Con e ence 2010, Impe ial College, London
Business School, 2010. 35 p. ISBN 9812708553.
[2] BALES, R.F. In e ac ion p ocess analysis:
Ame hod o he s udy o small g oups.
Camb idge: Addison – Wesley, 1950. 228 p.
EM_04_14_zlom 1.12.2014 11:13 S ánka 54