Cross-Cultural Similarities and Differences in Characteristics Attributed to Entrepreneurs

Abstract

This study examines characteristics attributed to entrepreneurs in three countries and identifies similarities and differences in entrepreneurial characteristics across countries. Business students ( N = 424) from India, Turkey, and the United States rated 92 descriptors of human attributes and behaviors. For each attribute, respondents rated how characteristic it was of an entrepreneur. We found that though some characteristics were attributed to entrepreneurs across national cultures, there were also important differences in characteristics attributed to entrepreneurs in the three cultures. Following from prior literature, we did not assume the North American perspective of the entrepreneur as universal, allowing us to better understand how people in different cultures view entrepreneurs. The identification of country-specific entrepreneurship concepts can be useful for researchers interested in studying entrepreneurship internationally and practitioners interested in encouraging and training entrepreneurs in different countries. Implications of our findings and directions for future research are discussed.