Generative AI is a pathway of boosting hope via entrepreneurial resilience: evidence from SMEs of emerging economies

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Aria

Generative AI is examined as a mechanism for boosting hope through entrepreneurial resilience in small and medium enterprises operating during economic slowdown. The study addresses a research gap because prior work has rarely tested how Gen AI influences entrepreneurial resilience and hope, and has not clarified the mediating processes. Using a grounded framework based on dynamic capabilities and broadening and building, the research tests hypotheses with manager survey data from Lahore, Pakistan.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/methodology/approach

Findings

Originality/value

Introduction

Background and rationale

JSMA 18,4 778 Received 11 January 2025 Revised 15 May 2025 24 June 2025 Accepted 28 July 2025 Journal of Strategy and Management Vol. 18 No. 4, 2025 pp. 778-792 © Emerald Publishing Limited e-ISSN: 1755-4268 p-ISSN: 1755-425X DOI 10.1108/JSMA-01-2025-0010 Generative AI is a pathway of boosting hope via entrepreneurial resilience: evidence from SMEs of emerging economies Lucky Ali Department of Information and Technology, University of Gujrat – Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat, Pakistan Sobia Shabeer Faculty of Management and Administration Sciences, University of Gujrat – Hafiz Hayat Campus, Gujrat, Pakistan and Department ofBusiness Education, The University of Chenab, Gujrat, Pakistan, and Tehreem Fatima Malik Firoz Khan Noon Business School, University ofSargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan Abstract Purpose – Gen AI has received significant attention across various industries. Scholars have performed this empirical research to learn how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) use Gen AI to manage an economic slowdown. Despite the trendy topic, limited studies have tested Gen AI’s influence on entrepreneurial resilience and hope. To fill this gap, scholars have a grounded framework in the theories of dynamic capability, broadening and building and developed hypotheses. Design/methodology/approach–A cross-sectional design was applied to test the proposed hypotheses. About 220 useable responses from managers of small businesses in Lahore, Pakistan. SPSS 26 software was utilized to test the model, and Preacher and Hayes’ PROCESS macro mediation technique was applied. Findings – The findings showed that Gen AI impacted hope and entrepreneurial resilience. Further, entrepreneurial resilience was linked with hope and entrepreneurial resilience also mediated the relationship between Gen AI and hope. Originality/value – The body of knowledge has received attention on artificial intelligence because it has several AI technologies, one of which is Gen AI. This research is distinct as it identifies that Gen AI can generate positive emotions, but is not positioned in the existing frameworks. Keywords Generative artificial intelligence, Entrepreneurial resilience, Hope, Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) Paper type Research article 1. Introduction Globally, artificial intelligence (AI) is a known technology and it has a subfield,“Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI)” that has received huge media coverage and divergent points of view (Moser et al., 2024). Industry reports showed that Gen AI could improve world GDP by 7%(Feuerriegel et al., 2024). To get the benefits of Gen AI, organizations are stimulated to make investments to increase the process innovations that automate and optimize the internal procedures and product innovation because it minimizes the research and development cost, helping them to introduce novel products that can give a competitive advantage (Raisch and Fomina, 2024) . Consequently, Gen AI contributes to businesses’ Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research. Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest. financial and market share growth (Babina et al., 2024) . The Gen AI market is estimated to Journal of Strategy increase the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) by about 46.47% from 2024 to 2030 and Management (Statista, 2024). However, adopting Gen Al applications has become challenging and crucial for businesses (Rogers, 2003) . Furthermore, Pakistan is a developing country with a population of 240.5 million at the end of 2023, which is expected to reach 511 million in 2,100 (Make, 2024). Pakistan is the fifth country globally with 64% youth. Because of this human capital, this country has tremendous potential for development, despite low economic 779 conditions at the start of 2024 such as tightening monetary policy, political instability, external and fiscal imbalances that in

FAQs

What relationship does the research test between Gen AI, entrepreneurial resilience, and hope?

The study proposes and tests how generative AI affects hope and entrepreneurial resilience, and whether entrepreneurial resilience mediates the relationship between Gen AI and hope.

What methodological approach is used in the study?

A cross-sectional design is used with about 220 usable responses from managers of small businesses in Lahore, Pakistan. SPSS 26 and Preacher and Hayes’ PROCESS macro mediation technique are applied.

Why is the research considered distinct in the existing literature?

It identifies that Gen AI can generate positive emotions such as hope, while positioning this insight within a mediating framework that is not fully covered by existing models.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by Aria