Przedsiębiorczość iZarządzanie
Entrepreneurship and Management
University od Social Sciences Publishing House
ISSN 1733–2486
Volume XVI, Issue 2, pp. 89–107
DOI 10.1515/eam-2015-0019
Michał Chmielecki
University of Social Sciences
Robert Seliga
University of Social Sciences
AComparaveStudyofAtudestowards
EntrepreneurshipbetweenPolishandBrishStudents
Abstract
Background
Entrepreneurship connues to gain momentum as a signicant and relevant eld of
research. Policy makers in the rush to smulate entrepreneurship in various coun-
tries, oen rely on the success stories and prescripons documented in the entrepre-
neurship literature in which most studies are set in the United States.
Research aims
The arcle present exploratory study addresses the subject of cross-cultural dieren-
ces in atudes towards entrepreneurship by focusing aenon on two parcular ty-
pes of cultures of entrepreneurship Brish and Polish.
Method
The quantave research (survey) was conducted in May 2014 among 153 Polish and
94 Brish graduate and postgraduate management students .
90
Key ndings
The ndings have some disncve implicaons for government, policy makers and edu-
cators through determining the atudes towards entrepreneurship among students.
Keywords: culture, entrepreneurship, atudes, approaches, survey, analyses.
Introduconandbackground
While entrepreneurship is one of the most studied topics in economics and
business research, ndings have not been consistent regarding the attitudes to-
wards and perceptions of entrepreneurship in dierent cultural and economic
contexts.
However, entrepreneurship continues to gain momentum as asignicant
and relevant eld of research. Policy makers in the rush to stimulate entrepre-
neurship in various countries, often rely on the success stories and prescrip-
tions documented in the entrepreneurship literature. Given that most of the
social science research in general, and entrepreneurship research in particular,
has been generated in the U.S. and transferability to contexts where the task
and psychic environments may be vastly dierent remains in question [om-
as, Shenkar, Clarke 1994, pp. 675–686]. International comparative studies of
attitudes towards entrepreneurship are still quite rare.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs have already been described as the makers of new worlds [Czar-
niawaka & Wol 1991], innovators and catalysts of change who continuously
do things that have not been done before and who do not t established pat-
terns [Schumpeter 1965]. ey identify, assess, evaluate, manage and trans-
fer risk [Deakins 1999]. Literature on entrepreneurs has stemmed from three
main sources:
1. economic writers who stress the role of the entrepreneur in economic
development;
2. social and business writers who stress the inuence of the social and
business environment on entrepreneurship;
3. psychologists who focus on the personality traits of entrepreneurs
[Deakins 1999].
Academics have been dening characteristics of entrepreneurs for many
years. See table 1. For the summary of this research.
Michał Chmielecki, Robert Seliga
91
Table 1. Characteristics of entrepreneurs
Date Author/s Characteristics
1848 Mill Risk bearing
1917 Weber Source of formal authority
1934 Schumpeter Innovation
1954 Sutton Desire for responsibility
1959 Hartman Source of formal authority
1961 McClelland
Risk taking, need for
achievement
1963 Davids
Ambition, desire for
independence
1964 Pickle Drive, human relations
1971 Palmer Risk measurement
1973 Winter Need for power
1974 Borland Internal locus of power
Source: based on J.A. Timmons, S. Spinelli (2007), New Venture Creation: Entrepreneurship
for the 21st Century, 7/e, McGraw-Hill, Irwin.
At the same time the concepts of entrepreneurship have been changing.
Most popular concepts are presented in table 2.
A Comparave Study of Atudes towards Entrepreneurship...
92
Table 2. e concepts of entrepreneurship
Author The concept of entrepreneurship
R.W. Grin
[1996, pp. 730–
731]
The process of organizing and running abusiness and
taking the risk involved and performing an active role in
management.
St.P. Robbins
D.A. DeCenzo
[2002, p. 104]
The process of initiating business start up, organizing the
necessary resources and take risks in pursuit of the prize.
R.D. Hisrich
M.P. Peters
[1992, p. 10]
The process of creating something dierent, because of its
value in the framework of which necessary time and eort is
devoted to achieve this goal, assuming the accompanying
nancial, psychological and social risk, and expecting
obtaining nancial rewards and personal satisfaction.
B. Piasecki
[2001, p. 25]
Entrepreneurship is the process:
- which includes the action taken for the analysis
of opportunities of start and development (or just
development) of the venture, its nancing and the possibility
of meeting the eects of such action;
- which can take many dierent forms and shapes,
including initiation of aventure, creativity and innovation
in developing new products or services, managing an
existing venture in such away that it develops quickly and
continuously, seeking nancial and material supply sources
for potentially growing number of ventures, accepting risk in
the development of new or expansion of existing ventures
(these elements are the part of the entrepreneurial process,
although not all of them must participate in each activity).
F.L. Frey
[1993, pp.
27–28]
Starting aventure and (or) its growth, which occurs through
the use of innovation, by management assuming the risk.
Michał Chmielecki, Robert Seliga
93
J. Penc
[1997, p. 335]
The behavior of aperson or organization that relies on
seeking and applying new solutions, which require more
energy, initiative and resourcefulness and the ability to
estimate the necessary eort and possible benets available
under existing constraints and opportunities, and the
willingness to take risk and responsibility for their decisions
and actions.
J. Timmons
[1990, p. 5]
The process of creating or identifying opportunities and
using them despite of their current resources (...). It is
an creative act of an entrepreneur who nds in him and
devotes enough energy to initiate and build acompany or
organization, rather than just observe, analyze and describe
it.
N. Churchill
[1983, p. 27]
The process of discovery and development of capabilities
to create new value through innovation, acquisition of
necessary resources and managing the process of value
creation.
J.A. Schumpeter
[1960, p. 60]
Recognizing opportunities for implementation of ventures
that are protable and risk-taking to implement them.
W. Adamczyk
[1996]
An organized sequential process oriented under certain
circumstances at using innovative idea in order to generate
benets in the market.
S. Sudoł
[2002, p. 33]
Feature (way of behaving) of entrepreneurs and companies,
that means the willingness and ability to undertake and
solve creative and innovative new problems, while taking
into consideration its risks, the ability to use the available
opportunities and exibility to adapt to changing conditions
T. Kraśnicka
[1999, p. 98]
Entrepreneurship is an activity that stands out by: activity
and dynamism, innovation, looking for changes and reacting
to them, perceiving opportunities and their use, regardless
of the resources (at the moment), willingness to take risks,
which main motive is to multiply the capital.
Source: A.S. omas, O. Shenkar, L.D. Clarke (1994); Grin R.W. (1996); Robbins
St.P., DeCenzo D. (2002); Hisrich R.D., Peters M.P. (1992); Piasecki B. (red.). (2001);
Frey R.F. (1993); Penc J. (1997); Timmons J. (1990); Churchill N., Levis V. (1983);
Schumpeter J.A. (1960); Adamczyk W. (1996); Sudoł St. (2002) Cit. ‘s. Ł. Sułkowski,
Barriers to entrepreneurship in the management of hospitals in Poland, L’entrepreneur face
aux politiques publiques europeennes, ed. C. Martin, T. Rkibi, PGV/ ISLA, Lisboa 2012.
A Comparave Study of Atudes towards Entrepreneurship...
