Entrepreneurial Entrepreneurial mmotivations from the otivations from the sstudents and tudents and eentrepreneurs’ ntrepreneurs’
pperspectives: erspectives: A A ccase ase sstudy of the tudy of the CReBUS CReBUS pprojectroject
Dr.paed. Svetlana SurikovaDr.paed. Tamara Pigozne
University of Latvia
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
The International Conference “Entrepreneurship Education - A Priority for the Higher Education Institutions – CReBUS”
October 8-9, 2012, Bucharest, Romania
Empirical research purpose
• To identify students/graduates and young entrepreneurs’ motives, needs, interests in order to develop e-mentoring system of business start-up for CReBUS e-Learning Community.
Research stages
The CReBUS project research was carried out during the period of four months with active participation and contribution of all project partners from Romania, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Latvia: – research preparation stage – concept of the needs analysis
was developed as well as two online questionnaires for entrepreneurs and students/graduates were designed using Google forms (December 2010 – January 2011);
– data collection stage – e-survey by using online questionnaires among entrepreneurs and students/graduates was carried out (February 2011);
– data processing and analysis stage – internal and external versions of the transnational needs analysis report was developed (March 2011).
Research sample
10 10
21
14
54
5 5
10
3
26
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Austria Italy Latvia Spain Romania
Students/graduates
Entrepreneurs
Theoretical background
• study of students’ motives, interests, and behavioral intentions for business start-up (Shinnar, Pruett, Toney, 2009);
• factor analysis of entrepreneurs’ motivations (Thompson, 1999; Robshaw, 2001; Cull, 2006; Benzing, Chu, Kara, 2009);
• multi-country survey of students’ attitudes towards the enterprise (Kopycińska, Bernat, Korpysa, 2009).
Students’ motivations for business start-up
(by Shinnar, Pruett, Toney, 2009:154) • The chance to implement my own ideas; • Personal independence; • Creating something of my own; • The opportunity to be financially independent; • Improving my quality of life; • Being at the head of an organization; • Building personal wealth; • Managing people; • Making more money than by working for wages; • Receiving fair compensation; • Creating jobs; • Having more free time; • Dissatisfaction in a professional occupation; • The difficulty of finding the right job; • Following a family tradition; • Gaining high social status.
Entrepreneurs’ motivational factors
(by Benzing, Chu, Kara, 2009:69) • To be my own boss;• To be able to use my past experience and training;• To prove I can do;• To increase my income;• To provide jobs for family members;• For my own satisfaction and growth;• So I will always have job security;• To build a business to pass on;• To maintain my personal freedom;• To be closer to my family;• To have fun.
Proposed definition
Entrepreneurial motivation is a dynamic system of individual's causally interrelated entrepreneurial needs, interests, motives, and emotions.
Importance of the motives of business and life activity for students/graduates and entrepreneurs
2,87
3,34
3,45
3,47
3,49
3,52
3,6
2,91
3,39
3,51
3,51
3,51
3,5
3,64
2,8
3,24
3,31
3,37
3,45
3,57
3,51
2,4 2,6 2,8 3 3,2 3,4 3,6 3,8
gaining high social status
increasing financial situation
to possess self-actualization
to be successful
the chance to implement own ideas
to be independent
improving quality of life
Entrepreneurs
Students/graduates
Total
Empirical finding 1.1
Importance of the motives of business and life activity for respondents by country
According to the results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test there were statistically significant differences between respondents’ responses in the represented countries:– Gaining high social status and to be successful were more important
motives for Latvian and Romanian respondents than for Austrian, Italian and Spanish respondents (p=0.001; p=0.003);
– Increasing your financial situation was less important motive for Austrian respondents than for respondents from Latvia, Romania, Spain and Italy (p=0.011);
– To possess self-actualization was less important motive for Austrian and Italian respondents than for the respondents from Latvia, Romania and Spain (p=0.046).
Empirical finding 1.2
Students/graduates’ motivation in attending entrepreneurship training
Empirical finding 2.1
The most frequently mentioned students/graduates’ responses to the open-ended question “What would motivate you to attend entrepreneurship training?” were the following: – self-development, learning (n=54) – supportive environment (n=38) – interest to learn from experienced
entrepreneurs (n=29)
Students/graduates’ motivation in attending entrepreneurship training (some examples of responses)
Empirical finding 2.2
Empirical finding 3.1Entrepreneurs’ motivation in supporting of e-mentoring
The most frequently mentioned entrepreneurs’ motivation in online mentoring of a youngster who wanted to start a business were – opportunities to help someone, to use their past
experience and training (n=17)– opportunities of collaboration, networking,
new contacts (n=10).
Empirical finding 3.2Entrepreneurs’ motivation in supporting of e-mentoring
(some examples of responses)
Summary
• According to the empirical findings of the CReBUS project research the following important motives of business and life activity were identified: to improve the quality of life; to be independent; to have the chance to implement own ideas.
• Self-development and learning, supportive environment and interest to learn from experienced entrepreneurs were the most popular students/graduates’ motivations to attend an entrepreneurship training.
• Opportunities to help someone, to use their past experience and training as well as opportunities of collaboration, networking and new contacts were the most frequently mentioned entrepreneurs’ motivations to provide e-mentoring for start-ups.