Entrepreneur's Personality, Education and Venture Effectiveness: Perceptions of Palestinian Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Two hundred and eighty five entrepreneurs, prospective entrepreneurs and the lay public in the West Bank, Palestine, were surveyed to determine their motivations for business ownership, the factors contributing to their success and the challenges they faced. Based on survey responses, the personality variable has been found to be a major determinant of success in an economically disadvantaged, politically unstable and culturally traditional environment as exists in the Palestinian Society. The public attitudes have a tremendous impact on how Palestinian entrepreneurs view themselves and their role in the community. More weight was assigned to internal or subjective factors (personality characteristics and social competence) than to external or objective factors (economic, political) in the achievement of business success. The results have very significant implications for the design and implementation of training courses for both prospective and operating entrepreneurs in Palestine and possibly elsewhere in the world. 251 J. Dev. Entrepreneurship 2011.16:251-268. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com by INDIANA UNIVERSITY @ BLOOMINGTON on 03/16/15. For personal use only. J. Dev. Entrepreneurship 2011.16:251-268. Downloaded from www.worldscientific.com by INDIANA UNIVERSITY @ BLOOMINGTON on 03/16/15. For personal use only.

Intrapreneurial behavior: an empirical investigation of personality traits

“…Personality is considered a major determinant of entrepreneurial success (Elmuti et al, 2011).The role of personality in entrepreneurship is an area of research that has resurfaced in the last decade. To extend the understanding of personality in the entrepreneurial process, meta-analyses have started to examine the link between personality and both entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial performance (Rauch and Frese, 2007;Zhao et al, 2010).…”

The interplay between SME owner-managers and the brand-as-a-person

“…Owner-managers use their businesses as platforms from which to express their social and personal identities. Therefore, of importance to the study is the identification of the entrepreneur's characteristics, including their personalities as a major determinant of SMEs' success (Elmuti et al, 2011;Kozubíková et al, 2015;Owens et al, 2013) and strategies (Odoom et al, 2017), especially in relation to the creation and development of the brand-as-a-person metaphor. The brand becomes a symbol and a platform for establishing brand authenticity, as reflects the owner-manager's personality and value system (Blombäck and Brunninge, 2013).…”

What motivates ecopreneurs in the United States to create value?

“…There is a lack of literature linking the motives of ecopreneurs with impact and success (Kirkwood & Walton, ). However, a large number of studies have been conducted on entrepreneurial motives (Baron, Zhao, & Miao, ; Cranfield, Henson, & Holliday, ; Wang, Prieto, & Hinrichs, ) and on entrepreneurial success factors (Elmuti, Khoury, & Abdul‐Rahim, ). Some study both entrepreneurial motives and entrepreneurial success (Cranfield et al, ; Le & Raven, ; Shinnar & Young, ).…”

“…However, it does not evaluate how motives are linked to benefits. Other studies investigate if entrepreneurial success is related to personality, skills (Ras & Vermeulen, ), and environment (Elmuti et al, ) but the role of motivation is ignored.…”