http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/entreprene_3878.mp3
Perceptions of entrepreneurship vary drastically from nation to nation, according to research spearheaded by two educators in Missouri State University's management department, Drs. Elizabeth Rozell and Wesley Scroggins.
For example, in the United States, common characteristics of entrepreneurship include: risk-taking propensity, need for achievement and creativity. In Guatemala, entrepreneurs are commonly thought of as people with strong family connections who tend to be dishonest. And in Germany, the researchers have discovered, there isn't even a word for entrepreneur.
Rozell, the Kenneth E. Meyer endowed professor of management; and Scroggins, an associate professor of management, launched the Entrepreneurship Work in Organizations Requiring Leadership Development (E-WORLD) project with the help of a two-year, $71,200 grant from Missouri State University's provost's office and additional support of $237,000 from the dean of the College of Business Administration (COBA). E-WORLD is designed to be a cross-cultural research initiative based on data collected by scholars from countries around the globe.
In the first year, Rozell and Scroggins traveled abroad visiting universities and established a network of more than 40 academic collaborators worldwide who are assisting in the study, which began with a comprehensive survey of entrepreneurship and will result in deep analysis of international business practices.
"Ultimately, we want to take this information and develop training programs for people who want to do business in other countries," Rozell said. "This is a mammoth project, and the volume of data we're collecting is impressive. The interest that we've had worldwide has surprised us and is overwhelming."
Objectives of the E-WORLD project include the investigation of several theoretical issues. Researchers also want to explore answers to a number of questions, such as:
- Are different entrepreneurial characteristics needed for success in different international cultures?
- What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur in various countries?
- Which characteristics of successful entrepreneurs are specific to which international cultures?
- Which characteristics are universal, meaning they are needed across most all international cultures?
"I am delighted to say that the E-WORLD research project being conducted by Drs. Rozell and Scroggins is truly outstanding and has world-wide ramifications," said Dr. Ron Bottin, COBA dean. "When completed, the results will give the College of Business Administration at Missouri State University an international reputation. A spin-off of this project will be the further internationalization of the business faculty as we have already been contacted by 12 faculty from business programs in eight countries who wish to visit Missouri State to pursue exchange and research collaborations with our faculty."
Rozell described the project as "long-term," explaining that it will take at least two more years to gather all of the data and analyze it. "Trying to understand the differences in perceptions of entrepreneurship on this large of a scale is quite an undertaking," she said.
Just more than a year into the project, progress is being made and information is being shared internationally. The focus group data collected from the initial surveys has produced five academic papers that have been presented at some of the top academic international conferences around the world. Titles include: "The EWORLD Project: An International Investigation into Implicit Views of the Entrepreneur," "Cultural Prototypes of the Successful Entrepreneur: A Cross-cultural Comparison of Ireland, Guatemala, and China," and "Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs in Bulgaria." Those papers will result in journal publications available to the business world and anyone interested in entrepreneurship, Rozell said.
For more information on the E-WORLD project, visit the Web site at http://www.missouristate.edu/eworld/default.htm or contact Rozell or Scroggins.