According to the managerial and economic literature, not all individuals generically described as entrepreneurs are capable of starting up and/or running “entrepreneurial ventures”; this term can be defined as firms that usually operate in the more innovative and predictable sectors of future growth and make a decisive contribution to local development. When such a distinction has not been made, some scholars argue that policies supporting entrepreneurship have frequently led to results which were less satisfactory than expected given the huge investment of financial resources and energy. In support of this view, the paper aims to assess whether entrepreneurs in economically depressed areas have sufficient or adequate personal characteristics to run entrepreneurial ventures. The initial results of an empirical survey of a sample of 101 southern Italian entrepreneurs, aimed at examining subjective aspects such as personal traits, motivation and experiences, are discussed. It emerges that local entrepreneurs generally lack the personal characteristics that would make them true entrepreneurs in the Schumpeterian sense, while their firms cannot be defined as entrepreneurial ventures.

Entrepreneurial Characteristics and Business Performance: the Initial Results of a Field Study

MANCINO, Alessandra;PASSARO, Renato;THOMAS, Antonio
2006-01-01

Abstract

According to the managerial and economic literature, not all individuals generically described as entrepreneurs are capable of starting up and/or running “entrepreneurial ventures”; this term can be defined as firms that usually operate in the more innovative and predictable sectors of future growth and make a decisive contribution to local development. When such a distinction has not been made, some scholars argue that policies supporting entrepreneurship have frequently led to results which were less satisfactory than expected given the huge investment of financial resources and energy. In support of this view, the paper aims to assess whether entrepreneurs in economically depressed areas have sufficient or adequate personal characteristics to run entrepreneurial ventures. The initial results of an empirical survey of a sample of 101 southern Italian entrepreneurs, aimed at examining subjective aspects such as personal traits, motivation and experiences, are discussed. It emerges that local entrepreneurs generally lack the personal characteristics that would make them true entrepreneurs in the Schumpeterian sense, while their firms cannot be defined as entrepreneurial ventures.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11367/18911
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