Kiefer Presents Research at Internationally Acclaimed Business Conference

At the annual USASBE conference in Salt Lake City, business professor Kip Kiefer, Parul Manocha of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and Richard Hunt of Virginia Polytechnic University presented their paper titled “Entrepreneurship Under Constraint: Intentions-Action Conversion in MENA Regions.” The study examines how and under what conditions entrepreneurial intention turns into action in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Their findings suggest that efforts to narrow the intention-action gap in the MENA region depend not only on cultivating entrepreneurial aspiration but also on strengthening enabling conditions, such as reducing bureaucratic frictions, legitimizing hybrid entry, building supports for diverse groups of entrepreneurs, and expanding digital infrastructure.

Founded in 1981, the USASBE is a professional academic organization dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship education, research, and practice and brings together educators, researchers, program directors, and entrepreneurship ecosystem leaders from higher education, nonprofits, businesses, and the public sector. Its work includes an annual national conference, the peer-reviewed journal Entrepreneurship Education & Pedagogy, professional certifications and development programs, and special interest groups focused on areas such as social, international, minority, and women’s entrepreneurship.