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Research introduction
This research was conducted as a formal study, and followed a cross sectional, ex post facto statistical design. The data collection method was achieved through interrogation in a field setting following a restrictive element selection criterion.
The population was composed of the membership database of the JCCI (Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce & Industry). A compact disk with the total membership database was obtained, and the necessary access codes received, allowing access to the total population with their respective contact details.
An in-depth structured self-administered questionnaire (which attempted to extract data necessary to provide a descriptive relation of the two independent variables present in successful entrepreneurial ventures) was e-mailed and hand delivered to the identified sample, randomly selected from the population.
Parameters of interest where elements that had more than three years of entrepreneurial success in their firm, met the conditions of entrepreneur as defined earlier in this paper and firms that met the size criteria as discussed earlier. This ensured respondents uniquely qualified to provide the desired information.
Instrument design
Existing measuring instruments were combined and expanded or reduced as required for this study. New original measures were also introduced. Besides the biographic measures, the instrument would have to measure for:
• Entrepreneurial success
• Business knowledge and
• Work experience
Some of the existing measuring instruments are:
• Miller’s original scale (Miller & Friesen 1982) consisting of various items used to measure entrepreneurial orientation. The Cronbach’s Alpha value of the scale is 0.64.
• The Entrepreneurial Intensity (EI) scale (Gundry & Welsch 2001)
• The Entrepreneurial Profile Questionnaire (EPQ) (Gundry & Welsch 2001) and • Honing’s (1998) survey instrument which scored an extremely high incidence (95%) of instrument reliability. The Cronbach Alpha’s value of the scale was 0.73 in 1997 and in 1998 somewhat higher, at 0.75.
Variables of interest where assessed via a written, confidential instrument employed to measure various items per study construct.
The primary objective of any measuring instrument will be the elimination of measurement errors, the problems associated with the reliability or validity of the procedures used to measure the variables (Grimm & Yarnold 1995).
Three criteria (Cooper & Schindler 2001: 210) are used to evaluate a measurement tool:
• Validity
• Reliability and
• Practicality
Validity, is a characteristic of measurement. Validity refers to the establishment of evidence that the measurement is actually measuring the intended construct.
The question that must be answered is, does the test measure what the researcher actually wishes to measure?.
Differences found with the measurement tool, must reflect true differences among respondents drawn from a population. Validity-construct relates to the degree to which a research instrument is able to measure or infer the presence of an abstract property.
Measures can be reliable without being valid, but cannot be valid without being reliable. There are several approaches for establishing construct validity. These include (1) content validity, (2) the substantive component of construct validity, (3) the structural component of construct validity, and (4) external validity (Chandler & Lyon 2001).
Reliability is a characteristic of measurement (Cooper & Schindler 2001) concerned with accuracy, precision, and consistency: a necessary but not sufficient condition for validity (if the measure is not reliable, it cannot be valid). Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of a score from a measurement scale.
Chapter 1- Introduction
1.1 Research introduction
1.2 Objectives of the study
1.3 Hypotheses
1.4 The study variable entrepreneur operationalised
Chapter 2 – Entrepreneurial Success
2.1 Literature review on entrepreneurial success
2.2 Growth
2.3 Entrepreneurial satisfaction
Chapter 3 – Entrepreneurial business knowledge
3.1 Literature review on entrepreneurial business knowledge
3.2 Entrepreneur’s education
3.3 Entrepreneur’s training
Chapter 4 – Entrepreneurial work experience
4.1 Literature review on entrepreneurial work experience
4.2 Network experience
4.3 Role models
4.4 Entrepreneur’s experience
Chapter 5 – Research methodology
5.1 Research introduction
5.2 Instrument design
5.3 Data collection
5.4 Brief outline of statistical tests employed
Chapter 6 – Analysis
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Descriptive analysis
6.3 Statistical test results
6.4 Measure of association results of the different items of the dependent variable entrepreneur success
6.5 Analysis between the first independent variable, business knowledge and entrepreneur success
6.6 Analysis between the second independent variable, work experience and the dependant variable entrepreneur success
6.7 Descriptive analysis of path dependant entrepreneurs and knowledge gained from previous employ
Chapter 7 – Research limitations
7.1 Introduction to the limitations of the research
7.2 Measuring less successful entrepreneurs and enterprise failure
7.3 Lack of audited financial statements
Chapter 8 – Findings and conclusions
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Statistical analyses
8.3 Descriptive statistical analyses
8.4 Entrepreneurial satisfaction measured against the other growth items and financial ratios
8.5 First independent variable, business knowledge, measured against the dependent variable entrepreneur success, in terms of their enterprise’s growth items and financial ratios
8.6 Second independent variable, work experience, measured against the dependent variable entrepreneur success, in terms of their enterprise’s growth items and financial ratios
8.7 Conclusion
9. Bibliography
