This research focused on assessing the perception of student´s at Umeå School of Business and Economics towards entrepreneurial success. Moreover this research focused on comparing student’s perception and perception of importance of entrepreneurial success, which has been defined three dimensionally. The conceptual definition of entrepreneurial success has emerged from the existing literature and could be explained as follow: entrepreneurial success is a cluster of financial performance, operational performance and Satisfaction (which refers to the entrepreneur’s satisfaction. We identified that the literature was remaining in some ways nebulous when it was to officially define the notion of entrepreneurial success. This notion has been somehow associated to the perception of entrepreneurial success, because of the approach or methods that have been used to assess it. Moreover, we have identified that some factors have been confirmed as influencing the perception of entrepreneurial success, however these results were not targeted students, but mainly entrepreneurs. We formulated the following research question: Which factors influence the perception and the perception of importance of entrepreneurial success, among Umea University‘s students? This research has been conducted by including all master program students and bachelor students in graduating class at Umeå School of Business and Economics, to examine their perception of entrepreneurial success generally and additionally compare their perception in order to determine whether some factors were influencing their perceptions. The conceptual model has been created in order to determine whether the selected variables: Gender, age, background and perception of entrepreneurship as a culture is influencing two aspects: the perception of entrepreneurial success and the perception of importance of the entrepreneurial success. These two aspects have been underlined by the two first questions of our questionnaire, and have been defined according the same dimensions: Financial performance, Operational performance and satisfaction These previous four variables have permitted to form groups in order to attest of potential differences of perceptions. From all the analysis that have been proceeded. It has been found that not all the components from the conceptual model were likely to be considered as influencing the perception of entrepreneurial success and the perception of importance of entrepreneurial success.

This study investigated the role of business knowledge and work experience, as antecedents towards explaining entrepreneurial success. The encouragement of entrepreneurial activities has been recommended as a way to stimulate economic growth. On of the most critical issues facing developing countries is to understand where entrepreneurs originate from and what characteristics are relevant to their success. Although entrepreneurs act as catalysts of economic activity for the entire economy many of them fail. Most entrepreneurs often start a new venture ignorant of many key dimensions of running their businesses and must obtain the necessary information if they are to survive. Entrepreneurial competency, largely acquired on an individual basis, consists of a combination of skills, knowledge and resources that distinguish an entrepreneur from his or her competitors. This research study reviewed the two constructs namely entrepreneurial business knowledge and work experience, from the available literature and through scientific empirical research reported their effects on entrepreneurial success. Entrepreneurial business knowledge refers to the ascribe roles for managerial expertise in entrepreneurial success and entails, to varying degrees marketing, financial management/book-keeping, self-supervision, and, if applicable, the supervision of paid employees or unpaid family workers, among other activities. Experience refers to the knowledge or ability of an individual gained due to circumstances in a particular job, organisation, or industry. Some researchers have indicated that a lack of business knowledge and/or business experience hinders firm growth and entrepreneurial success. Despite some of the significant findings, a large amount of the variance in business knowledge and work experience remained unexplained. This unexplained variance, however, was consistent with other investigations. There was tentative evidence to support the role of business knowledge and work experience, as entrepreneurial success antecedents. However the evidence was not conclusive and further in depth research would have to done in order to reach a conclusive finding. Copyright 2004, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Barreira, JCD 2004, The influence of business knowledge and work experience, as antecedents to entrepreneurial success, PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-08232004-100614 / > / Thesis (PhD (Entrepreneurship))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Business Management / unrestricted

Successful entrepreneurial activity is important for a healthy economy and can be a major source of job creation. While the concept of entrepreneurship has been around for quite some time, researchers continue to explore the factors that underlie entrepreneurial performance. Specifically, researchers have sought to further examine why some entrepreneurial ventures are more successful than others. the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) has gained the attention of researchers and practitioners alike. Practitioners have realized that employees can no longer be perceived as biological machines that are capable of leaving their feelings, norms, and attitudes at home when they go to work. Researchers are embracing the concept of emotional intelligence because of its relationship with efficiency, productivity, sales, revenues, quality of service, customer loyalty, employee recruitment and retention, employee commitment, employee health and satisfaction, and morale. While there is considerable evidence documenting the effects of emotional intelligence on leadership performance, job performance in large firms, and educational performance, very little research has examined how emotional intelligence affects entrepreneurial performance and the variables that account for this relationship. Individuals in entrepreneurial occupations face business situations that necessitate unique skills and abilities in social interactions. Emotional intelligence has implications for entrepreneurial situations and social interactions such as negotiation, obtaining and organizing resources, identifying and exploiting opportunities, managing stress, obtaining and maintaining customers, and providing leadership. the primary purpose of this study is to investigate emotional intelligence in the context of entrepreneurship. in addition, the study will shed light on the mediating effects of individual competencies, organizational tasks, and the environmental culture and climate. the results of the study provide insights for emotional intelligence researchers, entrepreneurship researchers, individuals with entrepreneurial aspirations, academic institutions, as well as government and financial entities that provide resources to new ventures.

Magister Commercii - MCom / The research identified Site C area of Khayelitsha, a township in the Western Cape province of South Africa, as the case study. Khayelitsha has an estimated population of 1.2 million people, and has about 22 sub-sections or areas. Khayelitsha is made up of old formal areas and new informal/formal areas. Site C, is an area which was built up around one of the old formal areas, and contains a high number of informal settlements, RDP houses, and informal backyard dwellers. The study’s primary objective is to identify what factors the business owners themselves regard as being critical for their own personal success, as well as that of the business they own. The secondary objectives were to determine what the make-up of these identified success factors were, and what their respective contribution was to the overall success of the business, as well as what interventions (if any) could make these identified success factors more effective. Qualitative data was requested from each of the participants over the various questionnaire development phases, to obtain a basic and detailed picture of each owner and their business, and to enable a detailed descriptive analysis of each participant. During the literature reviews of the Small Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) sector in South Africa, many sources identified the possible failure factors. These failure factors had extensive references to studies which focused primarily on the small and medium enterprises versus the micro enterprises component. The level of data available on micro enterprises indicated a significantly lower level of relevant data, than the data available on the small and medium enterprises component. The identification of the success factors is equally important as a valuable contributor to understanding the significant failure rate of start-up businesses within the SMME sector in South Africa. This thesis will consult literature studies that discuss these challenges. It will have an emphasis on the micro enterprise sub-sector within the broader SMME sector. The inequitable number of data between the micro enterprises and the small to medium enterprises is confirmed by the literature review. The core focus of the research is to hear from the established micro entrepreneurs themselves and what they identified over the course of their business existence, as being the key factors that enabled their success to date, as well as moving toward the future. The findings indicated that success factors are indeed identifiable from the entrepreneurs themselves. These factors included the education and training level of the entrepreneur, the entrepreneurial capacity of the entrepreneur, the access to financial resources, the specific business retail mix and the uniqueness of the specific business within its immediate locality. Whilst the owners’ success (and by default the business as well) is the priority of this research, the equally important failure rate of small business initiatives in South Africa is of concern, and are the proverbial other side of the coin. Small businesses are playing a vital part in our global economy and in particular in terms of job creation and poverty alleviation. The two pillars of the governments micro enterprise rollout is through the Department of Social Development via poverty alleviation programs which have at their core, essentially micro enterprise formation. The other pillar is via the Department of Trade and Industry in respect of job creation and empowerment as objectives. In South Africa much emphasis throughout the Integrated Small Business Strategy is placed by national, provincial and local governments on Small, Medium and Micro enterprises (SMMEs), to drive job creation and poverty alleviation. Therefore, an investigation into the factors contributing to the success of SMMEs is of vital importance. Recent changes in statistical data gathering methodologies have enabled greater understanding of the contribution of especially the smaller enterprises in the informal sector. The extensive literature consulted, put this figure as high as 80% of economic activity in developing countries. This by itself makes it critically important as an employment option for the retrenched, school leavers, graduates and the unemployed in general. Only willing participants were interviewed and were randomly selected based on the criterion of being in business continuously, for at least 5 years. This target population’s value is unique because they fall into the 20% category of small businesses who survive the first 3.5 years of business, as well as being in the even more elite and valuable niche of 2.10% of South Africans who are running firms older than 3.5 years. These two features are both exceptional and generates’ a unique further study opportunity. The opportunity is to identify why the other 80% of start-ups failed over the initial 12 - 48 month period since start-up. The specific focus area of this research is to identify the success factors of retail micro enterprises located within the case study area, being Site C Khayelitsha. The broad findings of the study of successful retail micro-enterprise owners in Site C Khayelitsha, indicate that their prior quality of education, the presence of role models in their social circle influenced their motivational aspect to start a business, their personal management skills levels were a significant feature in their success as well their exposure to, and understanding of business and how it works; were all crucial to their success.

The object of the study was emotional intelligence. The subject of the study was emotional intelligence as a factor of entrepreneurial success. The master's thesis consists of an introduction, three chapters, conclusion, a list of literature (74 sources) and applications, including forms of applied techniques, research data. The volume of the master's thesis is 133 pages, on which are placed 6 figures and 2 tables. The introduction reveals the relevance of the research problem, the problem, the purpose and objectives of the research, the object and subject of the research, the main hypothesis are formulated, the methods, practical and theoretical significance are specified. The first chapter include a review of foreign and domestic literature on the topic of the study: approaches to the concept of intelligence, the concept of emotional intelligence, psychological characteristics of the personality of a successful entrepreneur. Conclusions on the first chapter are the results of the study of theoretical material. The two chapter is devoted to the empirical part of the study. It provides a description of the progress of the study and interpretation of the results. Based on the data obtained, it is demonstrated that emotional intelligence is as a factor of the success of entrepreneurial activity. The conclusions of chapter 2 include the main results of the empirical study. The third chapter is devoted to the formed training aimed at increasing the level of emotional intelligence. In conclusion, the results of the theoretical and empirical parts of the work, as well as conclusions on the hypotheses put forward, the practical significance of the study. The results of the study have practical importance for the enterprise in which this study was conducted. / Объектом исследования является эмоциональный интеллект. Предметом исследования – эмоциональный интеллект как фактор успешности предпринимательской деятельности. Магистерская диссертация состоит из введения, трех глав, заключения, списка литературы (74 источников) и приложений, включающих в себя бланки применявшихся методик, данные по исследованию. Объем магистерской диссертации 133 страниц, на которых размещены 6 рисунков и 2 таблицы. Во введении раскрывается актуальность проблемы исследования, проблематика, ставятся цель и задачи исследования, определяются объект и предмет исследования, формулируется основная и частные гипотезы, указываются методы исследования, практическая и теоретическая значимость. Первая глава включает в себя обзор иностранной и отечественной литературы по теме исследования: подходы к понятию интеллекта, понятие эмоционального интеллекта, психологические особенности личности успешного предпринимателя. Выводы по первой главе представляют собой итоги по изучению теоретического материала. Вторая глава посвящена эмпирической части исследования. В ней представлено описание хода исследования и интерпретация полученных результатов. На основе полученных данных продемонстрировано, что эмоциональный интеллект является фактором успешности предпринимательской деятельности. Выводы по главе 2 включают в себя основные результаты эмпирического исследования. Третья глава посвящена сформированному тренингу, направленному на увеличение уровня эмоционального интеллекта. В заключении в обобщенном виде изложены результаты теоретической и эмпирической частей работы, а также выводы по выдвинутым гипотезам, обоснована практическая значимость исследования. Результаты исследования имеют практическую значимость для предприятия, в рамках которого проводилось данное исследование.

The present study examined the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and business success in the context of SMEs in Australia and Malaysia. A “mixed-method” approach was adopted whereby two studies were conducted in a sequential fashion (Study 1 and Study 2). In Study 1, a qualitative method was adopted in which individual interviews were conducted with 20 entrepreneurs – 10 from Australia and 10 from Malaysia – who operated SMEs in the manufacturing and service sectors. The aim was to elicit behaviours that delineate competencies, and thus enable the identification of entrepreneurial competencies that are context-specific and of relevance in the current business environment. A content analysis of the interview data identified 12 competency domains: Strategic; Commitment; Conceptual; Opportunity; Organising and Leading; Relationship; Learning; Personal; Technical; Ethical; Social Responsibility; and Familism. Importantly, nine of these categories were well represented in existing models of entrepreneurial competencies, thereby providing evidence that these models offer a reasonable degree of cross-cultural generalisability. However, three new categories emerged, namely, Ethical, Social Responsibility, and Familism (broadly concerned with the role of “family” in building business success). There was evidence for Ethical and Social Responsibility competencies in both the Australian and Malaysian data, whereas Familism was specific to the Malaysian data and may well reflect the collectivist orientation of Malaysian culture. The identification of these additional categories of entrepreneurial competencies suggests that the existing models may need to be revised to further enhance their applicability to the measurement of entrepreneurial competencies in different cultural contexts. Study 2 Part 1 proceeded with validating the model of entrepreneurial competencies. This involved determining the psychometric rigour of the model and establishing the psychometric properties of all dependent variables (measures of business success) and covariates (i.e., business environment and entrepreneurs’ cultural orientations) using a sample of 391 SME entrepreneurs (179 Australians and 212 Malaysians). The two best fit models of entrepreneurial competencies – the “Comprehensive” model and the “Parsimonious” model – are fully described. The Comprehensive model revealed that all twelve competency areas were perceived as relevant to SME outcomes by entrepreneurs in Australia and Malaysia, even though the behaviours that defined the Organising and Leading competency domain, as well as the Familism competency domain (later renamed “Supporting and Cooperating” for Australia due to the omission of items related to “family”) were somewhat different. The other 10 competency areas identified in the Comprehensive model appeared to be invariant across countries. On the other hand, the Parsimonious model of entrepreneurial competencies showed that, although some competency areas were universal in nature (i.e., Conceptual, Opportunity, Learning, and Ethical), others were country specific (i.e., Relationship, Social Responsibility, and Familism). It was argued that the differences could be traced to cultural variations between the countries, in particular the extent of Individualism versus Collectivism. Study 2 Part 2 tested the causal pathway between entrepreneurial competencies and business success and the possible influence of covariates using a structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure. The results showed that entrepreneurial competencies were strong predictors of business success in SMEs for both Australia and Malaysia. It was also found that both Benign and Stable business environments were significantly related to business success in Australia whereas only a Stable environment was significantly linked with success in Malaysia. Moreover, environmental variables showed a less strong path to success than competencies. When the Parsimonious model of entrepreneurial competencies was used in the model estimation, the association between entrepreneurial competencies and business success was more strongly evident in Hostile and Dynamic environments than in more Benign and Stable environments (for both Australia and Malaysia). The results also showed that cultural orientations (both Collectivism and Tolerance for Ambiguity) have positive effects on entrepreneurial competencies in Malaysia but not in Australia (i.e., Individualism and Tolerance for Ambiguity). The effect of education on entrepreneurial competencies was mixed; significant for only the Comprehensive model for Australia but significant for both Comprehensive and Parsimonious models for Malaysia. The effects of training before and after start up, as well as previous work experience on entrepreneurial competencies appeared to be nonsignificant in both contexts. On the basis of the results of the thesis, it was concluded that self-reported entrepreneurial competencies are predictive of self-reports of success in both Malaysian and Australian SMEs. The models that describe success in both countries are consistent with existing models of entrepreneurial competency although differences in the behaviours that define a domain are evidenced between countries as are the domains that successfully define a parsimonious model in each country. These results are interpreted as supporting a training agenda that identifies entrepreneurial skills as a critical pre-requisite to business success for SMEs. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1297548 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Graduate School of Business, 2007

The present study examined the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and business success in the context of SMEs in Australia and Malaysia. A “mixed-method” approach was adopted whereby two studies were conducted in a sequential fashion (Study 1 and Study 2). In Study 1, a qualitative method was adopted in which individual interviews were conducted with 20 entrepreneurs – 10 from Australia and 10 from Malaysia – who operated SMEs in the manufacturing and service sectors. The aim was to elicit behaviours that delineate competencies, and thus enable the identification of entrepreneurial competencies that are context-specific and of relevance in the current business environment. A content analysis of the interview data identified 12 competency domains: Strategic; Commitment; Conceptual; Opportunity; Organising and Leading; Relationship; Learning; Personal; Technical; Ethical; Social Responsibility; and Familism. Importantly, nine of these categories were well represented in existing models of entrepreneurial competencies, thereby providing evidence that these models offer a reasonable degree of cross-cultural generalisability. However, three new categories emerged, namely, Ethical, Social Responsibility, and Familism (broadly concerned with the role of “family” in building business success). There was evidence for Ethical and Social Responsibility competencies in both the Australian and Malaysian data, whereas Familism was specific to the Malaysian data and may well reflect the collectivist orientation of Malaysian culture. The identification of these additional categories of entrepreneurial competencies suggests that the existing models may need to be revised to further enhance their applicability to the measurement of entrepreneurial competencies in different cultural contexts. Study 2 Part 1 proceeded with validating the model of entrepreneurial competencies. This involved determining the psychometric rigour of the model and establishing the psychometric properties of all dependent variables (measures of business success) and covariates (i.e., business environment and entrepreneurs’ cultural orientations) using a sample of 391 SME entrepreneurs (179 Australians and 212 Malaysians). The two best fit models of entrepreneurial competencies – the “Comprehensive” model and the “Parsimonious” model – are fully described. The Comprehensive model revealed that all twelve competency areas were perceived as relevant to SME outcomes by entrepreneurs in Australia and Malaysia, even though the behaviours that defined the Organising and Leading competency domain, as well as the Familism competency domain (later renamed “Supporting and Cooperating” for Australia due to the omission of items related to “family”) were somewhat different. The other 10 competency areas identified in the Comprehensive model appeared to be invariant across countries. On the other hand, the Parsimonious model of entrepreneurial competencies showed that, although some competency areas were universal in nature (i.e., Conceptual, Opportunity, Learning, and Ethical), others were country specific (i.e., Relationship, Social Responsibility, and Familism). It was argued that the differences could be traced to cultural variations between the countries, in particular the extent of Individualism versus Collectivism. Study 2 Part 2 tested the causal pathway between entrepreneurial competencies and business success and the possible influence of covariates using a structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure. The results showed that entrepreneurial competencies were strong predictors of business success in SMEs for both Australia and Malaysia. It was also found that both Benign and Stable business environments were significantly related to business success in Australia whereas only a Stable environment was significantly linked with success in Malaysia. Moreover, environmental variables showed a less strong path to success than competencies. When the Parsimonious model of entrepreneurial competencies was used in the model estimation, the association between entrepreneurial competencies and business success was more strongly evident in Hostile and Dynamic environments than in more Benign and Stable environments (for both Australia and Malaysia). The results also showed that cultural orientations (both Collectivism and Tolerance for Ambiguity) have positive effects on entrepreneurial competencies in Malaysia but not in Australia (i.e., Individualism and Tolerance for Ambiguity). The effect of education on entrepreneurial competencies was mixed; significant for only the Comprehensive model for Australia but significant for both Comprehensive and Parsimonious models for Malaysia. The effects of training before and after start up, as well as previous work experience on entrepreneurial competencies appeared to be nonsignificant in both contexts. On the basis of the results of the thesis, it was concluded that self-reported entrepreneurial competencies are predictive of self-reports of success in both Malaysian and Australian SMEs. The models that describe success in both countries are consistent with existing models of entrepreneurial competency although differences in the behaviours that define a domain are evidenced between countries as are the domains that successfully define a parsimonious model in each country. These results are interpreted as supporting a training agenda that identifies entrepreneurial skills as a critical pre-requisite to business success for SMEs. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1297548 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Graduate School of Business, 2007

The entrepreneur as an economic agent is highlighted as being important by several researchers, mainly through their contribution to innovation and economic development. Yet there is no universal definition of what is characterized as being an entrepreneur. The elements affecting success of entrepreneurs has previously not been outlined extensively, the aim of this study is therefore to determine the factors of entrepreneurial success in Sweden. This is made possible by adopting a statistical prosopography and reproducing the method used by Nuvolari, Toninelli &amp; Vasta (2015). The method involves collecting qualitative information found in the Dictionary of Swedish National Biography and from a list of the most prominent entrepreneurs in Sweden, published by the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. The qualitative information is then rewritten into quantitative data, which enables the use of factor analysis along with ordinary least square regressions. The standardized research allows for comparison of other studies involving entrepreneurs active in different countries. In addition, the model is expanded using a cluster analysis, allowing for identifying structures and patterns within the sample of entrepreneurs. The study concludes that entrepreneurial success appears to be a multi-dimensional phenomenon, also shown in other case studies adopting similar method. The level of innovation intensity proves to enhance success of all dimensions. While an entrepreneur’s educational level is shown to have a positive relationship with the economic success, it appeared to be negatively related to the aspect of social mobility. Moreover, involvement in politics is also shown to have a negative impact on economic success. Finally, the cluster analysis proved the existence of six different types of entrepreneurs within the sample.

This research qualitatively investigates the activities that female Bangladeshi entrepreneurs perform to become successful in their ventures with the support of microfinancing. Microfinancing is a loan transfer of a small amount to a small business borrower who lacks access to commercial banking services and has significantly assisted entrepreneurs. Microfinancing has a positive socio-economic impact on those females who do not have access to traditional banking. In-depth research concerning factors affecting the entrepreneurial intention of females remains relatively scarce. This research examined entrepreneurial work characteristics that assist female entrepreneurs in becoming successful. Based on interviews with 34 female entrepreneurs from the five regions (Dhaka, Tangail, Manikganj, Gazipur, and Cumilla) of Bangladesh between the ages of 27 to 70, this study sought to identify the significant categories of start-up companies related to the development of entrepreneurship among the rural women borrowers through microfinancing (microcredit program). Specifically, this study examined obstacles faced by females of Bangladesh and explored how they overcame those barriers and became successful small business entrepreneurs. A grounded theory approach was used to categorize critical obstructions and facilitating factors, and role congruity theory helped inform the nature of the emerging categories. The top five types of businesses found in this study were room renting, retail store, vegetable business, tailoring business, and livestock farm. The following nine themes emerged from analysis as vital factors influencing the nature and outcome of the small business ventures: 1) the amount of microloan fund, 2) changes in business categories, 3) employees, 4) training and business issues, 5) advantages of microfinancing, 6) disadvantages of microfinancing, 7) sholo shiddhanto (16-decisions), 8) potential unique obstacles, and 9) perceived success.Most importantly, a wide range of advantages was documented. From a role congruity theory perspective, this suggests that microfinancing allows the women to operate their small businesses in a manner that will enable them to maintain high congruity or fit with their family roles and other lifestyle requirements. The findings of this study assisted with a further understanding of this new phenomenon of microfinance entrepreneurial work. This study also illustrates areas needing additional review and research by exploring and deciphering how perceptions and conventions interplay with the specific challenges the women entrepreneurs of Bangladesh face. Theoretical and practical implications for how stories about women entrepreneurs can benefit organizational decision making are also discussed.

Magister Economicae - MEcon / Entrepreneurship has been regarded as a solution to various developmental challenges such as unemployment, inequality, and poverty, which are inherent among the marginalised populations. However, the high rate of failure of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) remain an impediment to the use of entrepreneurship as a means to ameliorate the challenges. This is especially the case among young entrepreneurs. In addition, given the imperativeness of financial literacy in the success of SMEs, this study determines the influences of financial literacy on entrepreneurial success within the marginalised communities. It also explores and identifies the reasons why failure rates are high among young entrepreneurs in the economically disadvantaged community of Khayelitsha, Cape Town. This study employs a concurrent mixed methods design, making use of both quantitative and qualitative data. A survey is conducted in Khayelitsha using the snowballing sampling technique due to difficulty in accessing young entrepreneurs. The quantitative data from the survey provides demographic and socioeconomic information on young entrepreneurs