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Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective
This paper investigates the embeddedness of digital entrepreneurship in the entrepreneurs' indigenous value system by examining the influence of ‘Ubuntu’ on digital entrepreneurship activities in the South African context. We do so through an interpretive field study of two innovation clusters...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Default Article |
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2021
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/2134/22210651.v1 |
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| _version_ | 1818165490749538304 |
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| author | Mumin Abubakre Isam Faik Marcia Mkansi |
| author_facet | Mumin Abubakre Isam Faik Marcia Mkansi |
| author_sort | Mumin Abubakre (12248108) |
| collection | Figshare |
| description | This paper investigates the embeddedness of digital entrepreneurship in the entrepreneurs' indigenous value system by examining the influence of ‘Ubuntu’ on digital entrepreneurship activities in the South African context. We do so through an interpretive field study of two innovation clusters in South Africa. Our findings reveal Ubuntu as the basis of a community orientation to digital entrepreneurship that offers an alternative to the prevalent heroic view in which digital entrepreneurship narratives are centred around the individual entrepreneur(s). They also highlight the tensions faced by digital entrepreneurs as they attempt to uphold the Ubuntu values of humility, reciprocity, and benevolence while operating in a competitive and fast-paced environment. In addition, our study indicates that the way entrepreneurs draw on their indigenous value system is dynamic, giving rise to what we call digital Ubuntu, reflecting a reworking of Ubuntu values into their increasingly digital reality. The concept of digital Ubuntu brings to light how indigenous values can become entangled with the capabilities of digital technologies and highlights the need for indigenous perspectives to advance our understanding of the diversity of digital phenomena, such as digital entrepreneurship, across cultural contexts. |
| format | Default Article |
| id | rr-article-22210651 |
| institution | Loughborough University |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| record_format | Figshare |
| spelling | rr-article-222106512021-06-17T00:00:00Z Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective Mumin Abubakre (12248108) Isam Faik (14715181) Marcia Mkansi (10500845) Commerce, management, tourism and services Information systems community digital entrepreneurship digital Ubuntu South Africa Ubuntu <p>This paper investigates the embeddedness of digital entrepreneurship in the entrepreneurs' indigenous value system by examining the influence of ‘Ubuntu’ on digital entrepreneurship activities in the South African context. We do so through an interpretive field study of two innovation clusters in South Africa. Our findings reveal Ubuntu as the basis of a community orientation to digital entrepreneurship that offers an alternative to the prevalent heroic view in which digital entrepreneurship narratives are centred around the individual entrepreneur(s). They also highlight the tensions faced by digital entrepreneurs as they attempt to uphold the Ubuntu values of humility, reciprocity, and benevolence while operating in a competitive and fast-paced environment. In addition, our study indicates that the way entrepreneurs draw on their indigenous value system is dynamic, giving rise to what we call digital Ubuntu, reflecting a reworking of Ubuntu values into their increasingly digital reality. The concept of digital Ubuntu brings to light how indigenous values can become entangled with the capabilities of digital technologies and highlights the need for indigenous perspectives to advance our understanding of the diversity of digital phenomena, such as digital entrepreneurship, across cultural contexts.</p> 2021-06-17T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 2134/22210651.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Digital_entrepreneurship_and_indigenous_value_systems_An_Ubuntu_perspective/22210651 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 |
| spellingShingle | Commerce, management, tourism and services Information systems community digital entrepreneurship digital Ubuntu South Africa Ubuntu Mumin Abubakre Isam Faik Marcia Mkansi Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective |
| title | Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective |
| title_full | Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective |
| title_fullStr | Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective |
| title_short | Digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: An Ubuntu perspective |
| title_sort | digital entrepreneurship and indigenous value systems: an ubuntu perspective |
| topic | Commerce, management, tourism and services Information systems community digital entrepreneurship digital Ubuntu South Africa Ubuntu |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/2134/22210651.v1 |