The Contribution of Social Capital to Entrepreneurial Activities’ Success: Across-Country Field Study in the Light of Social Capital Theory

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29036/3350h252

Keywords:

social capital, entrepreneurship, developing countries, youth projects, UAE, Egypt, Oman

Abstract

The present study aims to examine the role of social capital dimensions in entrepreneurial activity success. The study collected quantitative data from youth entrepreneurs of the UAE, Egypt, and Oman and across services (i.e., tourism and hospitality sector), commercial, manufacturing, agricultural, and other sectors. Structural equation modelling was used for data analysis. Findings revealed that social capital dimensions are positively and significantly contributing to youth entrepreneurial activities in the three research settings. Theoretically, this research uses the social capital theory to quantify measures to examine the contribution of social capital in successful entrepreneurship activities. No studies, or very few, have examined entrepreneurial youth activities and their relationship with social capital dimensions. There is a lack of empirical investigations of entrepreneurship activities from the perspective of social capital theory. Practically, it provides guidelines for the entrepreneurship responsible authorities in developing countries that encourage young people to start their entrepreneurial activities. It provides youth with relevant training to qualify them to build and employ social capital dimensions to support their business.

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Author Biographies

  • Mohamed S. A. Bayoumy, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Al Dhaid, UAE; Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, Egypt

    Mohamed S. Bayoumy holds a PhD in Sociological Theory from Ain Shams University, Egypt. He worked as an Associate Professor at the University of Sharjah from 2019 to 2024, and he is currently an Associate Professor at the College of Arts, Sciences, and Information Technology, University of AL Dhaid, UAE. His research interests are Issues of cultural interaction in the century of globalization and its role in tourism development. Entrepreneurship and its role in social development, socialization, and its role in developing social awareness among members of society, gender issues, social theory, social policy-making, and other Research interests.

  • Mohamed Abou-Shouk, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Al Dhaid, UAE; Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Fayoum University, Egypt

    Mohamed Abou-Shouk holds a PhD in Tourism and Hospitality from Plymouth University, UK. He is currently an Associate Professor at the College of Arts, Sciences, and Information Technology, University of Al Dhaid, UAE. His research interests are technology adoption behaviour in tourism and hospitality SMEs, e-tourism, e-commerce and e-marketing in tourism and hospitality, entrepreneurship in tourism and hospitality, and structural equation modelling-based quantitative research in tourism. His work has been published in a range of reputable journals, including Tourism Management, International Journal of Tourism Research, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, and other journals.

  • Alaa AL-Taii, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, University of Sharjah, UAE

    Alaa AL-Taii is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Sharjah. Her research focuses on applied sociology, including social policies, social work, crime prevention, and criminal justice. She has published on development policies, women's sociology, youth issues, and recidivism. With over 20 years of teaching experience, she actively supervises graduate students and contributes to research groups addressing contemporary social issues with practical recommendations.

  • Saleh Muhammad Zeki Mahmood Al-Leheabi , College of Arts, Sciences and Information technology, University of Al Sharjah, UAE

    Saleh Al-Leheabi is an Associate Professor of Islamic history and civilization, interested in studying manuscripts, documents, and social history. He contributed to the completion of many books and research in the field of specialization, with participation in conferences, scientific activities, and media programs. In addition to managing a research group that includes a number of important research projects.

  • Enaam Youssef, Sociology Department, Ajman University, Ajman, 346, United Arab Emirates; Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, Egypt

    Enaam Mohammed Youssef is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Ajman University’s College of Humanities and Sciences and the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University. She has been involved in numerous international and local conferences, implemented workshops, and contributed to academic training courses in the UAE, Egypt, and other countries. Her research has been published in the Scopus database, and she has served on scientific committees for international conferences and journals. Youssef has also chaired scientific sessions and served as deputy editor-in-chief for peer-reviewed journals. She has received several research and community awards for her impactful work in sociology and social initiatives.

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Published

2025-12-01

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 31 (2025): Journal of Tourism and Services

Section

Scientific Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Tourism and Services

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Journal of Tourism and Services (ISSN 1804-5650) is published by the Center for International Scientific Research of VŠO and VŠPP in cooperation with the following partners:

  • Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Faculty of Economics and Tourism, Croatia
  • School of Business and Administration of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal
  • Szent István University, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Hungary
  • Pan-European University, Faculty of Business, Prague, Czech Republic
  • Pan-European University, Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Law, Prague, Czech Republic
  • University of Debrecen Faculty of Economics and Business, Hungary
  • University of Zilina, Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications, Slovakia

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How to Cite

Bayoumy, M. S. A., Abou-Shouk, M., AL-Taii, A., Al-Leheabi , S. M. Z. M., & Youssef, E. (2025). The Contribution of Social Capital to Entrepreneurial Activities’ Success: Across-Country Field Study in the Light of Social Capital Theory. Journal of Tourism and Services, 16(31), 65-89. https://doi.org/10.29036/3350h252