Confronted with an increasing diversity of social and global challenges, innovation competitions become an increasingly important tool to spur innovation amongst entrepreneurs. Based on a case study on three finalists of the Wendy Schmidt Oil Clean-Up XChallenge, this thesis aims to investigate what factors motivate entrepreneurs to take part in an innovation competition. Due to the fact that four years after the closure of the challenge nine out of ten finalists were still actively in the oil clean-up business, the authors further investigate on what the main motivational factors for continuing business after participation in an innovation competition are. Data was collected via in-depth interviews and analysed by applying the model of entrepreneurial motivation by Naffiziger, Hornsby and Kuratko (1994) as well as Gimeno, Folta, Cooper and Woo’s (1997) threshold model. Further, the authors conducted a case study on the finalists of the Wendy Schmidt Oil Clean-Up XChallenge, which was an innovation competition, initiated by the XPrize Foundation in 2010. The competition was a reaction to the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 and aimed for finding better and more efficient oil clean-up solutions. Ten finalists were selected to test their inventions at one of the world’s largest testing facilities for oil spill clean-up technology. The findings suggest that the motivators for participation in an innovation competition include a desire for increased publicity and reputation, as well as the opportunity to test the technology. It was also found that factors such as the goal of the organisation and the perception of one’s product and business idea play key roles in the decision to participate in an innovation competition. Furthermore, the research shows that the business environment and a need for achievement influence the decision to partake. With regards to the motivational factors that encourage sustained entrepreneurship after participating in an innovation competition, it was found that the correlation between expectations, both regarding the outcome and the implementation process, upon entering the competition and the actual outcome, does not have a large impact upon whether operations are continued after the innovation competition has ended. Instead, it was found that the main motives for continuing operations are a strong psychic attachment to the business, as well as high costs of switching to another area of commerce.

This study examined a sample of entrepreneurs operating in South Africa. Motivation of entrepreneurs in shopping malls in Gauteng province was investigated. A survey of 50 entrepreneurs in South Africa was conducted face-to-face interviews. Principle component analysis (PCA) identified the most important motivation factors among entrepreneurs in South Africa. Results indicated that family security and extrinsic rewards are the most important motivation factors. “To be closer to my family”, “to maintain my personal freedom” were the highly rated motivation items which were used in the questionnaire. These results were compared with the results of previous studies which examined Nigerian, Ghanaian and Kenyan entrepreneurs as well as entrepreneurs in Turkey, Venezuela, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, and India. This findings of the current study suggested that motivation factors of entrepreneurs in South Africa are different than other African countries which were used in this study as comparison countries. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Sustainability and sustainable development are concerned as major topics in the current business and academic context. Although business entities are seen as a cause of the problem, they are similarly seen as a solution helping the world to survive from this enormous challenge. The current academic literature underlines the role of sustainable entrepreneurship as a decisive force, which helps to transform the profit-oriented paradigm into the “new industrial revolution”. In this context the motivating factors and their interactions behind the sustainable entrepreneurship are further unclear, which has lead to the following research questions: (1)  What entrepreneurial motivations in Finland affect entrepreneur’s decision to form and exploit sustainability-oriented opportunities? (2)  What institutional motivations in Finland affect entrepreneur’s decision to form and exploit sustainability-oriented opportunities? (3)  What are the interactions between entrepreneurial and institutional motivations affecting entrepreneur’s decision to form and exploit sustainability-oriented opportunities in Finland? The theoretical framework was constructed with a strong emphasis on entrepreneurial processes and opportunity theories. The main deviation from the conventional entrepreneurship towards the sustainable entrepreneurship was drawn through the wider nature of value creation in terms of triple bottom line approach. In addition the main motivational concepts were mirrored through the entrepreneurial motivations literature and the institutional theory, which provided effective theoretical lenses for the purpose of the empirical study.  The empirical study was conducted in Finland as a multiple case study with an exploratory research approach. The data was collected from sustainability-driven entrepreneurs and experts who had personal knowledge related to the phenomenon. More practical data collection methods were semi-structured interviews and questionnaires concerning entrepreneurial motivations. These selected methodological choices enabled accumulation of a rich set of data and provided further possibilities for fruitful data analysis.  The study indicated that human motivations related to the conventional entrepreneurship research are feasible in enhancing sustainable entrepreneurship. In the similar vein entrepreneurial motivations concerning self-realization, opportunities, personal values and prior experience have motivational effects on the sustainability-driven entrepreneur. Institutional motivations towards sustainable entrepreneurship are influential for the sustainability-oriented opportunity process. The analysis indicated that for example governmental incentives, consumption norms and social networks are motivating factors for sustainability-driven entrepreneurs. Finally the study indicated that both motivational sources have co-evolutive interactions throughout the process, but the intensity of these interactions similarly varied.

<p>Title: Female entrepreneurs in Sweden and Thailand – differences and similarities in motivation.</p><p>Problem: Female entrepreneur is an interesting topic in the entrepreneurship field of study since there are a few numbers of researches that show that female-owned businesses are gradually becoming an important factor to contribute growth in the global economy. The study of ‘how’ to start business and ‘how’ to keep the business successful and sustainable in global business world is the focus in most of the research. Still, what motivates an entrepreneur to start business is one interesting topic for further and deeper study in the field of entrepreneurship and especially female entrepreneurship. In addition to the motivation of becoming an entrepreneur, other factors that could have possibility in influencing the motivation as well as similarities and differences on motivation when comparing in nationalities are interesting to focus on in the study.</p><p>Aim: To describe the motivational factors for entrepreneurs, with focus on female entrepreneurs, and compare these factors with female entrepreneurs in Sweden and Thailand.</p><p>Method: Relevant literature review and conceptual framework were selected from entrepreneurship field, including male and female entrepreneurs, motivation and entrepreneurial motivation. Interview, both personal interview and e-mail interview, and questionnaire were used in data collection for the empirical data part. With application of literature review, conceptual framework, and empirical data, the analysis and conclusion parts are concluded and lead to the answer of the research question.</p><p>Result: Swedish and Thai female entrepreneurs are similar in motivation of starting the business in term of pull factors, such as need for independence, want to be one’s own boss, need for autonomy, and want for self-achievement. While we have no evidence that education background and career experience had an influence on the motivation of an entrepreneur to start the business, we did find however, that family background showed a result with some weight in influencing motivation from a majority of the respondents in the study.</p>

Title: Female entrepreneurs in Sweden and Thailand – differences and similarities in motivation. Problem: Female entrepreneur is an interesting topic in the entrepreneurship field of study since there are a few numbers of researches that show that female-owned businesses are gradually becoming an important factor to contribute growth in the global economy. The study of ‘how’ to start business and ‘how’ to keep the business successful and sustainable in global business world is the focus in most of the research. Still, what motivates an entrepreneur to start business is one interesting topic for further and deeper study in the field of entrepreneurship and especially female entrepreneurship. In addition to the motivation of becoming an entrepreneur, other factors that could have possibility in influencing the motivation as well as similarities and differences on motivation when comparing in nationalities are interesting to focus on in the study. Aim: To describe the motivational factors for entrepreneurs, with focus on female entrepreneurs, and compare these factors with female entrepreneurs in Sweden and Thailand. Method: Relevant literature review and conceptual framework were selected from entrepreneurship field, including male and female entrepreneurs, motivation and entrepreneurial motivation. Interview, both personal interview and e-mail interview, and questionnaire were used in data collection for the empirical data part. With application of literature review, conceptual framework, and empirical data, the analysis and conclusion parts are concluded and lead to the answer of the research question. Result: Swedish and Thai female entrepreneurs are similar in motivation of starting the business in term of pull factors, such as need for independence, want to be one’s own boss, need for autonomy, and want for self-achievement. While we have no evidence that education background and career experience had an influence on the motivation of an entrepreneur to start the business, we did find however, that family background showed a result with some weight in influencing motivation from a majority of the respondents in the study.

When highly successful entrepreneurs with big technology-based ideas are at the center of the academic and business discussions, this research concentrated on exploring the motivations of everyday entrepreneurs in Malmö. Most of the time everyday entrepreneurs are not considered to be worthy of observation, analysis or an inspiration for others. As they seem far away from being highly financially successful, curiosity was, if not for a big-scale profitable business, then why did they become entrepreneurs? The psychological aspects of the entrepreneurial decision-making process were explored during this research, as „motivation‟is at the heart of this thesis. Researchers have conducted extensive studies on psychological traits that separates entrepreneurs from general people. 4 most discussed indicators of entrepreneurial motivation were employed in this study as a foundational framework to understand the psychology of everyday entrepreneurs. Additionally, the theory of storytellingwas the tool for the interviewees to express themselves and facilitator of critical thinking for the researcher. Stories of 17 everyday entrepreneurs in Malmö is the basis of this research. This is a qualitative study conducted with semi-structured interviews standing on the philosophy of social constructivism. Connections between indicators of entrepreneurial motivation and the core features of human agency was established from the collected empirical data. Studying previous contexts of these everyday entrepreneurs and the journey of their becoming self-employed revealed their status regarding social exclusion and how they created opportunities to be socially included. The significance of human agency in entrepreneurial motivation studies and a new perspective of social exclusion in the light of human agency is situated at the departure of this thesis.

This study investigates the opportunities and constraints of women's entrepreneurship in emerging countries, focusing on quantitative data from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Women entrepreneurs play an important role in socioeconomic growth, but they confront distinct challenges due to social, institutional, and familial constraints. Using a descriptive study approach, data were obtained from 277 female entrepreneurs via a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal substantial hurdles, such as limited resource access, societal norms, and budgetary limits, as well as reasons such as empowerment, financial independence, and flexibility. The study emphasizes the need for specialized interventions, such as financial support, education, and cultural mentorship, to boost women's entrepreneurial success. Policymakers should prioritize integrated measures that include community development, resource allocation, and mentorship to create a conducive environment for women entrepreneurs. Despite its contributions, the study's geographic and methodological limitations indicate areas for future research, notably in broadening the scope to cover varied socio-cultural contexts and delving into qualitative aspects of women's entrepreneurial experiences.

Research on entrepreneurial motivation of university scientists is often determined by quantitative methods without taking into account context-related influences. According to different studies, entrepreneurial scientists found a spin-off company due to motives like independency, market opportunity, money or risk of unemployment (short-term contracts). To give a comprehensive explanation, it is important to use a qualitative research view that considers academic rank, norms and values of university scientists. The author spoke with 35 natural scientists and asked professors and research fellows for their entrepreneurial motivation. The results of this study are used to develop a typology of entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial scientists within German universities. This paper presents the key findings of the study (Sass 2011).

There are several motivational factors for why entrepreneurs start a venture, continue to run the venture and also exit the venture. A prevalent theme in previous literature regarding entrepreneurial motivation, is the dichotomy of push and pull theory. This suggests that an entrepreneur can either be a necessity entrepreneur or an opportunity entrepreneur, meaning their motivation comes from either push or pull factors. Newer research argues that push and pull factors can co-exist and also change over time, highlighting that this dichotomy is ambiguous. However, this is still an under-researched area and many researchers call for more empirical findings concerning this topic. To gather more information regarding this disagreement, a qualitative study was executed, through semi-structured interviews with Swedish entrepreneurs from different entrepreneurial phases. The findings in this study indicate that motivational push and pull factors can be present simultaneously in an individual, and also change over time, depending on dynamic internal and external factors regarding the entrepreneur themselves and/or the venture.

This study seeks to make a theoretical contribution to the rapidly growing field of International Entrepreneurship by investigating the process of internationalization of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Bell, McNaughton, Young & Crick, (2003) emphasized the need for researchers to re-conceptualize their thinking on the internationalization process of smaller firms. While there has been substantial research done on the small business internationalization and how the participation of these firms in the global economy has fuelled economic growth in a number of countries (Audretsch & Thurik, 2003; Acs, Randall Morck, Shraver & Yeung, 1997; Storey, 1994; Alam & Pacher, 2003), there is tangible evidence that SMEs in Australia are not keeping up with global trends. Studies conducted on Australian firms allude to the following reasons for their constrained presence in international markets: (i) geographic and psychic distance; (ii) costs disadvantage; (iii) overdependence on inward FDI from large foreign multinationals; (iv) a history of inward-looking and narrowly focussed economic development policies of the Australian government. These factors had the combined effect of imbalanced economic growth which was particularly detrimental to the small business sector (Australian Trade Commission, 2002; Maitland & Nicholas, 2002; Alam & Pacher, 2003). Despite the identified obstacles, some Australian SMEs have succeeded in penetrating international markets. This study involved a preliminary qualitative investigation of selected Australian SMEs and their unique internationalization process. Evidence from the case study based investigation will indicate that the respondent firms have leveraged on entrepreneurial qualities to overcome the obstacles and enhance their success in international markets. As such, the internationalization process for these selected firms is seen as an extension of and integral to their entrepreneurial behaviour. Using the lenses provided by relevant facets of the entrepreneurship, internationalization and strategy scholarly fields, this exploratory qualitative study, while building the foundation for further empirical research into the internationalization process of SMEs, can serve as a guide to researchers for ascertaining future directions in this emergent field. The findings from the study are intended to contribute to a body of knowledge encompassing the cross-border operations of SMEs. The research also has value from a practical perspective as Australian SMEs can draw from this body of knowledge as they pursue opportunities internationally.