Examines the motivation for achievement as a psychological factor that shapes economic development. Refuting arguments based on race, climate, or population growth, the book instead argues for cultural customs and motivations - especially the motivation for achievement - as the major catalysts of economic growth. Considering the Protestant Reformation, the rise of capitalism, parents' influences on sons, and folklore and children's stories as shaping cultural motivations for achievement, the book hypothesizes that a high level of achievement motivation precedes economic growth. This is supported through qualitative analysis of the achievement motive, as well as of other psychological factors - including entrepreneurial behavior and characteristics, and available sources of achievement in past and present highly achieving societies. It is the achievement motive - and not merely the profit motive or the desire for material gain - that has advanced societies economically. Consequently, individuals are not merely products of their environment, as many social scientists have asserted, but also creators of the environment, as they manipulate it in various ways in the search for achievement. Finally, a plan is hypothesized to accelerate economic growth in developing countries, by encouraging and supplementing their achievement motives through mobilizing the greater achievement resources of developed countries. The conclusion is not just that motivations shape economic progress, but that current influences on future people's motivations and values will determine economic growth in the long run. Thus, it is most beneficial for a society to concentrate its resources on creating an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and a strong ideological base for achievement. (CJC)

The Achieving Society

textThis paper is an introduction to the special issue from the 3rd Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Research Conference held in Washington, D.C., in 2008. The paper has three objectives. First, to discuss the importance of the three stages of economic development, the factor-driven stage, the efficiency-driven stage and the innovation-driven stage. Second, to examine the empirical evidence on the relationship between stages of economic development and entrepreneurship. Third, to present a summary of the papers in the context of the theory.

Entrepreneurship, economic development and institutions

This article analyzes the content and evolution of research based on the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) project. We conducted a rigorous search of articles published in journals within the Thomson Reuters’ Social Sciences Citation Index® through an exploratory analysis focused on articles using GEM data. The main findings of this study reveal that the institutional approach is the most commonly used conceptual framework. Also, although there are still few academic publications using GEM data, the number of articles is increasing, as are opportunities for future research.

Gem Research: Achievements and Challenges

.......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... vi Table of

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Relationships between Entrepreneurial Factors and the Technical Efficiency of Eastern and Non-eastern Private Manufacturing SMEs in China

The North East of England is a slow growth region which will benefit from the development of more High Growth Small Firms (HGSFs). This research integrates Black Swan Events (Taleb, 2007) and Trigger Point (Brown and Mawson, 2011) theories into Black Swan Trigger Events (BSTEs). BSTEs are unpredictable occurrences that trigger rapid growth in small firms. By exploring the research question “An exploration of how Black Swan Trigger Events (BSTEs) impact High Growth Small Firms (HGSFs)?” Using case studies based in the North East of England this thesis addresses gaps in HGSF research and increases academic understanding of the process of high growth firms.

Adopting a phenomenological approach, evidence from five HGSF case studies is analysed using an adapted soft systems methodology of rich pictures and causal mapping. As each firm experienced BSTEs, it underwent a process of developing the capabilities to deal with the unpredictable occurrences and the opportunities these BSTEs presented. Recruiting appropriate people, exploring and developing markets, identifying strategic opportunities, putting apposite systems in place, innovating and networking and mentoring were all strongly evidenced. The thesis considers this evidence of actions taken and decisions made in the context of the process of knowledge development or capabilities to manage rapid growth post a BSTE. The actions and decisions post the BSTEs, identified from this evidence, were categorised into six distinguishable absorptive capacity domains (ACDs): 1. People; Recruitment and Development, 2. Market; Customers and Sales, 3. Strategy and Entrepreneurial Orientation, 4. Operations and Formal Systems, 5. Innovation; Product and Process, 6. Networking and Mentoring.

The thesis provides academic and practical insights into the process of growth experienced by HGSFs as well as recommended policy support for HGSFs. It develops the actions that static firms can take to improve their prospects of becoming an HGSF and a develops a propensity framework for identifying nascent HGSFs.

An exploration of how Black Swan Trigger Events impact High Growth Small Firms : case studies from the North East of England

textSeveral drivers of entrepreneurial aspirations and entrepreneurial motivations are investigated using country-level data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for the years 2005 and 2006. We estimate a two-equation model explaining aspirations using motivations and socioeconomic variables, and explaining motivations using socioeconomic variables. We find that countries with a higher incidence of increase-wealth-motivated entrepreneurs tend to have a higher prevalence of high-job-growth and export-oriented entrepreneurship and that a country's level of social security relates negatively to the prevalence of innovative, high-job-growth, and export-oriented entrepreneurship. We also find that the increase-wealth motive mediates the relationship between socioeconomic variables and entrepreneurial aspirations.

A.R. Thurik

Papers

Entrepreneurial aspirations, motivations, and their drivers