Search

This paper falls within the scope of entrepreneurship research focused on entrepreneurs as agents with individual personality traits. This paper first overviews the relevant literature – both early and current theories – of this research agenda. The main conceptual findings are then linked to the value theoretical framework developed by Shalom H. Schwartz, which seems to reflect, with limitations, on the basic content of these framings about entrepreneurial traits. Based on the Schwartzian background, this paper sheds light on the linkages among the individual value structures and specific personality traits considered important for entrepreneurial actors. The empirical portion used data from the European Social Survey to identify four distinct entrepreneurial mindsets among European entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there has been an increasing academic attention towards small and medium-sized enterprises, it is still a novel research area with a number of unanswered questions. It is also an especially interdisciplinary field as it can be approached from various viewpoints such as management, innovation, marketing, organization sociology or even psychology. Different academic disciplines have studied the influence of socio-cultural factors and concluded that they are relevant aspects of entrepreneurial activity. This paper presents the results of the authors' quantitative research which aimed at finding patterns in the software of the minds of SME managers where they applied Hofstede's cultural scale (Hofmeister et al., 2008). Drawing upon data from 200 Hungarian SMEs, the results indicate they have different attitude and way of thinking compared to large company managers and to the general Hungarian population. This paper points out the relevant Hofstede dimensions where significant differences have been revealed. The main finding of the study is that managers of small and medium businesses have a special mindset which can be characterized with higher level competitiveness, more direct and less hierarchic operation, extremely high level of short term orientation and low level of risk taking [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present paper provides an empirical analysis of the characteristics of university students as potential knowledgeintensive entrepreneurs of the future. The authors' research is explorative since the knowledge of university students and especially of the students of the University of Szeged is scarce with regard to their entrepreneurial motivations, activities and the influence of the university. The authors set two fundamental objectives: first, to explore the entrepreneurial activities of the full-time students of the University of Szeged; and second, to map the knowledge necessary for starting a business. In the first part of the paper they demonstrate the results of an empirical survey based on 840 questionnaires that aimed at the exploration of students' entrepreneurial activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]