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Are Entrepreneurs Born or Made?

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The Robert Gordon University | BSM 2530 Launching a New Venture | Are entrepreneurs born or made? |

ID: 1011838
2011-3-19
Word Count: 2,438 |

Introduction

The term entrepreneur is not a recent invention. It was first coined in the eighteenth century by Richard Cantillon, who identified the risk-bearing function of an entrepreneur (Jennings et al. 1994). According to Morrison (1999 p30), entrepreneurs can be regarded as “first among equals in the process of wealth creation”. Moreover, entrepreneurs are presented as economic heroes (Cannon 1991), who “combining the ability to innovate and challenge the established equilibrium of economy and society whilst in the process of recreating it” (Morrison 1999 p28).

There are two schools of …show more content…

Kuratko and Hodegetts (1998) put forward the argument that entrepreneurship is a discipline that can be taught and mastered like any others.

Whatever the exact ratios are it is clear that personality is now understood as having an inborn component and an environment component. In so far as the entrepreneur is a function of personality we would conclude that entrepreneurs are both born and made. Burns (2001) bring together the various factors which have been identified as contributory to entrepreneurial behaviour. He classifies them into four distinct groups, which are now described and illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Influences on owner-managers and entrepreneurs

This model proposes that entrepreneurs are, in fact, both born and made. Whilst they do have certain personal character traits that they may be born with, they are also shaped by their history and experience of life. This comprises their antecedent influences and the culture of the society they are brought up in. Some cultures encourage entrepreneurial activity. Others discourage it. What is more, the situations entrepreneurs find themselves in can influence the decision. According to Bolton (2000), situation triggers are ‘dynamic’ environmental factors, which provide the spark that lights the flame. This can be an introduction to something or somebody, a change of circumstances such as redundancy and so on. All these factors influence the decision,

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