https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/15195 Sun, 18 Oct 2026 03:00:37 GMT 2026-10-18T03:00:37Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149678 Title: Entrepreneurs’ use of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) as a strategic resource for securing funding Abstract: Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices are increasingly promoted as drivers of firm performance and improved access to capital. However, limited empirical research examines how entrepreneurs themselves understand and communicate ESG-related resources when seeking external financing. Grounded in Barney’s (1991) Resource-Based View (RBV) and extended through ESG-oriented adaptations and Spence’s (1973) signaling theory, this study explores how entrepreneurs in British Columbia conceptualize ESG practices as strategic resources and attempt to leverage them in lending contexts. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 entrepreneurs from diverse industries across British Columbia. The study investigated three core research questions addressing how entrepreneurs communicate ESG-related resources to financial institutions, which ESG practices are perceived as strategic assets, and how these practices are believed to influence financing outcomes. Thematic analysis revealed that ESG capabilities - particularly environmental innovation, employee wellbeing, and community engagement - are deeply embedded within participating firms’ missions, values, and stakeholder relationships. Entrepreneurs frequently framed these practices as indicators of long-term resilience, risk mitigation, and ethical leadership. Despite this internal commitment, findings indicate that translating ESG resources into consistent financing advantages remains uneven. Many entrepreneurs lacked formalized metrics or standardized reporting mechanisms or the time needed to find funding, limiting their ability to signal ESG value credibly to lenders. Financial institutions were perceived to prioritize traditional financial indicators, with ESG considerations often treated as supplementary rather than decisive. As a result, information asymmetries persisted between entrepreneurs and lenders, constraining the strategic potential of ESG signaling. This study contributes to the literature by offering an entrepreneur-centered perspective on ESG as a strategic resource, through an RBV and signaling theory lens, highlighting gaps between ESG integration at the firm level and its recognition in financial decision-making. The findings suggest implications for entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and policymakers, emphasizing the need for clearer ESG frameworks, improved communication mechanisms, and greater institutional alignment to unlock the financing potential of ESG-driven resources. Description: M. CI(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149678 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149676 Title: Exploring the role of reflective thinking in entrepreneurial burnout recovery Abstract: This dissertation explores the role of reflective thinking in entrepreneurs’ experiences of burnout and movement toward recovery under sustained pressure. The study investigates how entrepreneurs experience burnout, how reflective thinking shapes the interpretation of stress and decision-making under pressure, and how reflective processes may support recovery experiences. Drawing on Paul and Elder’s critical thinking framework, supported by Sosu’s critical thinking dispositions and Kember’s model of reflection, and conceptualising burnout through Maslach and Leiter’s multidimensional model, the research adopts a qualitative design. Data were generated through twelve semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs, complemented by the Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Survey (MBI-GS), and analysed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial burnout is a cumulative and structurally embedded phenomenon shaped by sustained pressure, blurred boundaries, and responsibility, and experienced as a multidimensional condition affecting emotional, cognitive, relational, and physical functioning. Sustained pressure progressively constrained reflective capacity, narrowing attention and reinforcing reactive patterns of reasoning. In contrast, recovery was associated with increased self-awareness, reflective questioning, identity re-evaluation, and the reconsideration of assumptions. Entrepreneurs who engaged in more intentional reflective processes demonstrated greater cognitive clarity, emotional regulation, and resilience. The study suggests that reflective thinking is not, on its own, sufficient to prevent burnout. However, it appears to play an important role in recovery by facilitating recognition, reinterpretation, and more adaptive responses to stress. The findings highlight the value of reflective awareness within entrepreneurial contexts and suggest that entrepreneurial education and support initiatives may benefit from promoting reflective and self-regulatory practices that strengthen resilience and support long-term wellbeing. Description: M. CI(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149676 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149674 Title: An intervention study of possibility thinking through collaborative storytelling with junior years teachers in Malta Abstract: Drawing on Possibility Thinking studies and creativity, this study explores junior years teachers’ perceptions of Possibility Thinking through the use of collaborative storytelling as a means to enhance creative teaching. The research was guided by two primary questions: i. How can Possibility Thinking enhance creative teaching through the use of collaborative storytelling? ii. How do teachers teaching junior years in Malta perceive the use of Possibility Thinking through collaborative storytelling as a method to facilitate creative teaching? Following a review of relevant literature, a conceptual framework was developed, drawing on existing theories and adapted to suit the study’s context. In the first stage of this study, dyadic interviews and mini focus groups explored teachers’ initial concepts of creativity, recognising the importance of creativity in education but revealing common misconceptions. The second stage involved the intervention, during which teachers were introduced to Possibility Thinking tools and collaborative storytelling techniques, while also collaborated to create a story, and then, given time to implement these approaches with their students. The final stage involved follow-up dyadic interviews and mini focus groups to assess changes in teachers’ perceptions and practices. The findings indicate that time constraints and a demanding curriculum were identified as key barriers to foster Possibility Thinking. The intervention contributed to a shift in perceptions, thus enhancing teachers’ creative self-efficacy. Teachers acknowledged that, with appropriate tools, creativity can be effectively fostered in teachers, thus positively impacting student learning. Description: M. CI(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149674 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141997 Title: Senior entrepreneurship : late call or new beginning? Abstract: The importance of senior entrepreneurship is attracting increasing attention from academia and policymakers. Longer life expectancy, reduced retirement pensions, and enhanced well-being in older age which allows individuals to stay active in the workplace until later in life, are some of the main drivers of this growing trend. While some studies have explored senior entrepreneurship, the field remains underdeveloped, with several gaps yet to be addressed. One such gap concerns the intentions and motivations of senior entrepreneurs, which are plausibly different from those of younger entrepreneurs, but which are not yet adequately understood. This study addresses this gap by exploring the motivations and intentions underlying older individuals’ decisions to pursue senior entrepreneurship. The study adopts an exploratory qualitative design that allows a deeper understanding of senior entrepreneurs’ perspectives and the discovery of aspects of their journeys still unobserved. The aim is to distinguish and link the intentions and motivations of senior entrepreneurs, thereby deepening understanding of these two key antecedents to senior entrepreneurship. A theoretical model was constructed to underpin the study by building on and extending transferable theory from psychology and entrepreneurship, using the Theory of Planned Behavior and elements of the Entrepreneurial Event Model for intentions, and the Theory of Self-Determination for motivations. The field research was based on semi-structured interviews involving 28 participants (14 senior entrepreneurs and 14 younger entrepreneurs) that were conducted to explore the initial framework. Data were analyzed through a process of Thematic Analysis and comparative analysis between seniors and younger entrepreneurs using Directed Content Analysis. Four themes were identified, namely: (i) ‘Autonomy and Aspirations’; (ii) ‘Entrepreneurial Intentions (EI) and Trigger Events’; (iii) ‘Hierarchy of Constructs’; and (iv) ‘Entrepreneurship as ‘Therapy’’. The study contributes to the literature on senior entrepreneurship by developing, empirically testing, and refining a comprehensive conceptual model of intentions and motivation in senior entrepreneurship. In so doing, it reveals insights into the complex journeys of senior individuals who decide to become entrepreneurs by shedding light on the different roles played by motivations and intentions and how they relate to one another in the senior entrepreneurial journey. Description: Ph.D.(Melit.) Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/141997 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z