Work Plan

The ForEMOsT project consists of 5 work packages (WP), organized into two phases as follows:
Phase 1
WP1 (6 months: Month1-Month 6) -Testing for equivalence of survey items with DIF. (Supervising Partner – UoC)
Set up of the research team and finalization of research plans. Pretests/pilots of measurement instruments (for example, womens’ cultural orientation, self-construal, perceived feasibility, desirability, attitudes, entrepreneurial intention, and others using cross sectional surveys with male and female students, and employed men and women, from different parts of Greece etc.) using cross sectional surveys with male -female students, self-employed men – women, from different parts of Greece. We will apply Differential Item Functional Analysis (DIF) as the main analytical tool for the examination the measurement instruments at the item level, which provides insight into whether women (in comparison to men) and different women subgroups (e.g., employed-entrepreneurially oriented, employed-non entrepreneurially oriented, unemployed) may be responding to items differently than their male counterparts. This procedure will examine if the survey items of the instruments that we are going to use, in the next phase, function differently across gender.
Phase 2
WP2 (7 months: Month3-Month9) – Entrepreneurial intention models (Supervising Partner – UoM)
Testing for gender differences in entrepreneurial motivation, using entrepreneurial intention models. Our purpose is to develop an integrated model combining the existing theories (theory of planned behavior; entrepreneurial event model etc.) and provide an in-depth analysis of entrepreneurial motivation. Empirical data will be collected with surveys using the instruments finalized in phase 1, from male and female university students, entrepreneurs, and workers.WP3 (7 months: Month5-Month11) – Entrepreneurial growth models (Supervising Partner – TUC )
Testing for gender differences in business growth models. The purpose of this WP is to examine whether men and women are equally motivated to expand their businesses, by exploring the relationship between an entrepreneur’s gender and his/her attitudes towards becoming a growth oriented entrepreneur. Empirical data will be collected with surveys using the instruments finalized in phase 1, from male and female entrepreneurs. Also, based on the results from WP1 & WP2 where different sources of differences in social identity and entrepreneurial motivation were identified between men and women and also between entrepreneurial and less entrepreneurial women, we will experimentally manipulate some of those factors in order to determine whether changes in women’ cognitions regarding those factors may result in changes in motivation/emotion towards entrepreneurship.WP4 (12 months: Month 1-Month12 – Publicity and dissemination of research results (Supervising Partner – ERGANI )
Once the scientific results are gathered and female entrepreneurial model is established managerial implications will be exploited. For that reason Ergani will be used as a liaison between theory and practice bringing together theoretical results with female entrepreneurial needs. The goal is through the exploitation of theoretical conclusions a managerial learning protocol – instrument to be created and then applied to the stakeholder publics. Target audiences could be university students and/also potential entrepreneurs and social agents.
WP5 (12 months: Month1-Month 12). Project management of ForEMOsT. (Supervising Partner – TUC)
ForEMOsT will be managed by a Project Management Committee (PMC) in which all partners will be represented by one representative. The PMC will be chaired by Professor Vassilis Moustakis, who also takes the role of the ForEMOsT Project Manager. The first PMC meeting will coincide with project start. There will be an interim meeting during the sixth month of the project and a final PMC meeting, which will coincide with the completion of ForEMOsT. The interim PMC meeting may be held either by physical presence of the PMC or via teleconference.  PMC meetings will be used to review progress and to plan activities. Specifically, during the final PMC meeting the assessment from the ForEMOsT review Committee will be considered and the final project report will be approved. Aside from the PMC meetings, the PMC will be in contact on an almost daily basis via teleconference means to resolve any difficulties arising. The cost of WP5 incorporates the cost for the Review Committee as well as the cost for reporting to project funding authorities, cost of meetings (travel and subsistence) and the cost of preparing the final project report.