Exploring Entrepreneurs’ Motivation: Comparison of Croatia, European Post-socialist and Developed Countries

Abstract

This article explores the entrepreneurial profiles of Croatian entrepreneurs and compares them with the profiles of entrepreneurs of post-socialist and developed European countries. Specifically, logistic regression analysis was used to find the best descriptors of the opportunity and necessity-driven entrepreneurs in Croatia, post-socialist and developed European countries. Results indicate that chances for engaging in opportunity-driven entrepreneurship in Croatia are increasing for men and those who perceive their income level and competencies for running a business as high. The likelihood of engagement in opportunity-driven entrepreneurial activity in the post-socialist context has been related to the age rather than gender and innovations in the product/market matrix or higher export expectations. The developed countries’ datasets reveal that opportunity-driven entrepreneurs have been related to higher expectations of growth through new job openings.

The Effect of Threat of Job Loss on Entrepreneurial Intentions and Gestation Actions

“…It influences how potential entrepreneurs perceive risky business opportunities (Krueger and Brazeal ), and motivates them to persist (Cardon and Kirk ). Extant literature shows that when individuals perceive themselves as capable of performing entrepreneurial tasks, they are more likely to have strong entrepreneurial intentions and thus more likely to engage in entrepreneurial activity (Borozan and Pfeifer ; Cardon and Kirk ; Dawson and Henley ; Kautonen, van Gelderen, and Fink ). Drnovšek, Wincent, and Cardon () posits that the higher self‐efficacy beliefs, the stronger the entrepreneurial intention and the converse is also true—low self‐efficacy beliefs lead to weak entrepreneurial intentions.…”

“…The Rubicon theory of action phases holds that at the initial stage the key task is goal selection, which is dependent on motivational aspects of desirability and feasibility (Delanoë‐Gueguen and Fayolle ; Gollwitzer ); an argument ubiquitously supported by proponents of entrepreneurial intentions models (see, for example, Borozan and Pfeifer ; Hindle, Klyver, and Jennings ; Krueger, Reilly, and Carsrud ; Schlaegel and Koenig ). Most literature, however, apply gestation activities to indicate progress toward venture creation after the Rubicon is crossed—that is the post‐decision phase.…”

Desperate entrepreneurs: no opportunities, no skills

“…From the perspective of policy making, it is essential to take this fact into account, as measures that stimulate entrepreneurial engagement are more or less the same for opportunity and necessity entrepreneurs, while their impact is diametrically opposed. As shown by Borozan and Pfeifer (2014), Bone size fits all^is not a promising approach when the aim is to promote entrepreneurial activities that positively influence economic growth.…”

The expat-preneur: conceptualizing a growing international career phenomenon

“…We contend that expat-preneurs are becoming involved in new venture opportunities at an increasing rate, whether anticipated before moving abroad or after moving abroad when they recognize opportunities and engage in entrepreneurial activity as a source of employment. Unlike "necessity entrepreneurs," such as low-skilled migrants who generally have little economic choice and are pushed into entrepreneurial activity for self-support, expatpreneurs are "opportunity entrepreneurs" who have more flexibility and options to allow enterprise exploration, and tend to have higher marketable skills, which they utilize in observing, recognizing, pursuing, and exploiting local opportunities, as well as in potentially making greater local economic contributions (Borozan, 2014;Deli, 2011;Block and Wagner, 2010).…”