Description
In this such a detailed file about global entrepreneurship report 2014.
1
GLOBAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
REPORT 2 0 1 4
ADVANCING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
2
5
th
43,902 38
REPORT
EDITION
SAMPLE COUNTRIES
FIELDWORK
April to July 2014
SAMPLE
43,902 women and men aged 14 – 99 (representative target groups of the countries’ populations)
COUNTRIES
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,
Ukraine, USA. In China, Colombia, India, Mexico and South Africa only people in metropolitan areas participated.
METHOD
Face-to-face / telephone interviews
INSTITUTE
GfK Nuremberg, Germany
2
Facts & FIGURES
3 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
Preface
Steve Van Andel Doug DeVos
Chairman President
ARE ENTREPRENEURS BORN OR MADE?
For 55 years, Amway has been helping people real-
ize their potential by providing them an opportunity
to start their own business. As the business environ-
ment has grown and changed through the years, so
have the reasons people decide to venture out on
their own. In an effort to deepen our understanding
of what motivates entrepreneurs and gain greater
insight into the world in which they operate, we
have launched Amway’s Global Entrepreneurship
Report. And this year, it has yielded some intriguing
new facts.
In the 2014 edition of the Amway Global Entrepreneur-
ship Report, we explore one of the key factors for
growth and wealth – entrepreneurship education. One
aspect of our survey made the importance of entre-
preneurship education overwhelmingly clear – in 37 of
the 38 global markets participating in this year’s re-
port, people believe entrepreneurship can be taught
and that entrepreneurs are “made”. This is especially
true among Millennial or Generation Y respondents,
who are also most positive about entrepreneurship.
Those young respondents represent a big opportu-
nity for the development of the global economy and
are also of indisputable importance for the national
economies. They have the chance to emerge in a new
generation of founders.
We are excited by the results of this survey. We see
many countries encouraging entrepreneurs around
the world and we are hopeful that the fndings in this
study will help further the development of more sup-
portive environments for entrepreneurs both locally
as well as globally.
Ultimately, entrepreneurs help drive economic growth
and prosperity. So we look forward to continuing our
efforts to advance the cause of business ownership
and to inspire those with a dream of being their own
boss. We strive to help every business owner under-
stand that they have what it takes to reach their goals
and be successful.
4
KEY RESULTS OF THE AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
The Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report 2014 provides representative results
for 38 countries coming from every continent around the world on people’s opinions
of entrepreneurship. The respondents’ attitude toward entrepreneurship is gener-
ally positive worldwide. Most respondents name independence and self-fulfllment
as the most important motives for becoming self-employed. While a vast majority
of the respondents think that entrepreneurship can be taught, not even half of
the respondents think that the existing offer for entrepreneurship education is
suffcient. To respondents, basic business and leadership skills as well as practi-
cal experience are the most important components of entrepreneurship education,
which should be taught in schools, universities, and public programs. Overall, the
report yields a positive picture about the situation of entrepreneurship. However,
the situation on entrepreneurship education seems to be less bright. Policy mak-
ers are well advised to improve the offer for entrepreneurship education and to get
more people to participate, in order to encourage potential entrepreneurs to take
the necessary steps into self-employment.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, YES. BUT ME?
Entrepreneurship is an important source of renewal and competitiveness for econo-
mies. The 2014 AGER
1
shows that entrepreneurship is highly valued around the world
and that a considerable portion of the respondents can imagine starting a business
themselves. In fact, the respondents’ personal attitude toward entrepreneurship is
very positive. Seventy-fve percent of the respondents indicated having a positive
attitude. In the countries surveyed in 2013
2
, the report even observes an increase
in positive attitude, by 4 %. Furthermore, entrepreneurial potential – the portion of
respondents who can imagine starting a business – remained high (42 %) with a slight
increase by 2 % in the countries surveyed last year
2
. Finally, a person’s positive atti-
tude should foster that person’s intentions to start a business
3
. The survey refects
this: in the countries surveyed where respondents are more positive about entrepre-
neurship, more respondents can also imagine starting a business (see Figure Page 8).
Demographic groups provide a more nuanced picture. Generally, it can be inter-
preted as a positive sign for initiatives aiming to foster female entrepreneurship
that women and men are equally positive about entrepreneurship. It is only in
countries that are culturally more masculine
4
that men respond more positively to
entrepreneurship. However, the entrepreneurship potential between women and
men reveals a large gap. While there is no gender difference for positive attitude,
men are considerably more open to starting a business than women. This obser-
vation parallels with other fndings showing that women rate their entrepreneurial
capabilities similarly to men, but the intention to start a business is signifcantly
higher for men
5
.
In only a few countries is the entrepreneurship potential of women
similarly high as that for men
6
.
Management SUMMARY
PROF. DR.
ISABELL M. WELPE
Chair for Strategy
and Organization,
Technische Universität
München (TUM)
4
5 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
The survey results show that with increasing age respondents are less positive
about entrepreneurship as well as less open to starting their own business. With
increasing age future payments from an entrepreneurial activity become less attractive
7
,
and entrepreneurship appears less age-appropriate
8
. This presents a dilemma.
While older people who have already accumulated relevant experience are less will-
ing to start a business with increasing age, younger people will more readily start a
business but are likely to be less experienced. One way to promote entrepreneur-
ship in older age might be to increase its acceptance and attractiveness in the
society
8
. Entrepreneurship education – as discussed later in detail – may especially
assist younger people in providing the necessary skills and tools for starting a busi-
ness, and importantly help them to decide whether being self-employed is the right
career choice
9
. In fact, we fnd support for a positive relationship with education.
Respondents with a university degree are more positive about entrepreneurship
and considerably more able to imagine becoming self-employed than respondents
without a degree.
When comparing across countries two interesting facts appear. First, entrepreneur-
ial activity has been found to be lower the more individuals earn as employees
10
.
Similarly, we fnd that the higher the economic output per person in a country on
average
11
, the fewer respondents can imagine starting a business. Secondly, and
not surprisingly, countries whose culture is characterized by avoiding uncertainty
are less positive about entrepreneurship
12
since entrepreneurship involves risk and
uncertain future returns. However, despite this negative relationship, respondents’
entrepreneurial potential seems to be unrelated to the national level of uncertainty
avoidance.
Two important drivers of entrepreneurial intentions are independence and income
prospects
13
.
As with last year, respondents favor independence from an employer
or self-fulfllment clearly over income-related aspects such as return to the job
market or a second income. Importantly, the lower a country’s economic output per
capita the less important independence becomes as a driver for entrepreneurship.
The fndings pose the question as to how potential entrepreneurs can be supported
in their decision over whether starting a business is a path they wish to pursue.
Especially among young respondents, we fnd high entrepreneurial potential
14
. One
promising route in supporting people is represented by entrepreneurship education
9
.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION, YES. BUT WHERE AND WHAT?
Nearly two-thirds of the 2014 AGER respondents (63 %) believe that entrepreneur-
ship can be taught rather than entrepreneurs being born, not made. Respondents
under 35 years have the strongest belief in this fact (70 %), differing from respon-
dents aged 35 to 49 years (65 %) and those over 50 years (57 %).
The number “positive attitude
towards entrepreneurship”
consists of respondents who
state their attitude to be po-
sitive and say “I can imagine
starting my own business”
or are positive, but state
“I cannot imagine starting
my own business”
AGE GROUPS
Positive attitude towards
entrepreneurship
< 35
35 – 49
>= 50
80 %
78 %
69 %
6
TOP 3
Entrepreneurship Education
Institutions worldwide
SCHOOLS
Schools and secondary
education
STATE
Special start-up programs pro-
vided by non-proft organiza-
tions, chambers of commerce
or government programs
UNIVERSITIES
Universities, higher education
36 %
33 %
32 %
While this opinion varies across the countries surveyed, all but one are convinced
by a majority about the positive effect of entrepreneurship education (see Figure
Page 11).
Research also shows that entrepreneurship can be taught
15
.
For example, entre-
preneurship education strengthens people’s beliefs in their ability to successfully
start a business
5
, helps in evaluating entrepreneurship as a career option
9
, and
strengthens entrepreneurial intentions
16
. It is no coincidence that entrepreneurship
education has evolved into an important topic for policy makers around the world to
fght unemployment and bolster economic growth
17
.
This being said, not even half of the respondents perceive the existing offer of
entrepreneurship education as satisfactory (43 %); only 11 % state that the offer
is suffcient, with only small differences between gender and age groups. Further,
only 23 % of respondents state having participated in at least one entrepreneurship
education activity outlined in Figure Page 12. Together, this raises the question why
so few people in the countries surveyed participate in entrepreneurship education.
Therefore, it is important to assess what should be taught in entrepreneurship
education, and how
15
.
On average, respondents clearly see schools, state programs, and the univer sities
as institutions responsible for entrepreneurship education, in this respective order.
It is interesting to note that more respondents see schools and universities
responsible for teaching entrepreneurship in countries with higher participation
rates in entrepreneurship education. Offering entrepreneurship education earlier
in schools, in addition to many university programs that already exist, may help in
promoting entrepreneurship in the future – even though the results may take time
to unfold. Policy makers should seize this chance to initiate a positive culture of
entrepreneurship in the younger generation.
Research suggests that entrepreneurship education should incorporate skills and
practical experience as well as exchange and learning from active entrepreneurs
15
.
The respondents clearly state that entrepreneurship education should include
basic business and leadership skills and that entrepreneurship should be prac-
ticed
18
(see Figure Page 12). Innovation techniques, role models, and success
stories are seen as less crucial components of entrepreneurship education.
Two components seem to be evaluated differently depending on the countries’
economic output
11
. The higher a country’s economic output, the higher the rating
for the importance of basic business skills. Conversely, the lower the economic
output, the higher respondents rate success stories as an important component
of entrepreneurship education.
Taken all together, a considerable proportion of the respondents have a positive
view of entrepreneurship, and many respondents can imagine starting a business.
However, policy makers should seriously consider measures to get more people
to participate in entrepreneurship education. Respondents are clear that they see
schools as the most important place for delivering and experiencing entrepre -
neurial knowledge. Exposing more people to entrepreneurship through education
may not only increase new venture creation, it could also spread a more entrepre-
neurial mindset into companies and our everyday decision-making. It will pay off.
7 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
REFERENCES
1
Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report
2
The AGER 2013 included 24 countries, all of which also participated in 2014: Positive
attitude: 2013: 70 %, 2014: 74 %; Imagine starting a business: 2013: 39 %, 2014: 41 %.
3
Krueger Jr, Reilly, & Carsrud (2000). Competing models of entrepreneurial intentions.
Journal of Business Venturing, 15 (5 – 6), 411 – 432.
4
Masculinity is a cultural dimension and “represents a preference in society for
achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success. Society at
large is more competitive.” (http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html). Countries
high in masculinity and with high gaps are, e. g., Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland.
5
Zhao, Seigert, & Hills (2005). The mediating role of self-effcacy in the development
of entre preneurial intentions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90 (6), 1265 – 1272.
6
China is the only country where more women than men can imagine starting a
business. In Belgium, Canada, Greece and Mexico less than 5 % more men than
women can imagine starting a business.
7
Levesque & Minniti (2006). The effect of aging on entrepreneurial behavior.
Journal of Business Venturing, 21 (2), 177 – 194.
8
Kautonen, Tornikoski, & Kibler (2011). Entrepreneurial intentions in the third age:
The impact of perceived age norms. Small Business Economics, 37 (2), 219 – 234.
9
von Graevenitz, Harhoff, Weber (2010). The effects of entrepreneurship education.
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 76 (1), 90 – 112.
10
Amit, Muller, & Cockburn (1995). Opportunity costs and entrepreneurial activity.
Journal of Business Venturing, 10, 95 – 106.
11
Measured as GDP per capita. Data source: World Bank data from 2012
(http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD)
12
Uncertainty avoidance is a cultural dimension and “expresses the degree to which
the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity.”
(http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html)
13
Douglas & Shepherd (2002). Self-employment as a career choice: Attitudes,
entrepreneurial intentions, and utility maximization. Entrepreneurship Theory and
Practice, 26 (3), 81 – 90.
14
Among respondents younger than 35 years 51 % can imagine starting a business.
15
Kuratko (2005). The emergence of entrepreneurship education: Development,
trends, and challenges. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29 (5), 577– 598.
16
Peterman & Kennedy (2003). Enterprise education: Infuencing students’ perceptions
of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 28 (2), 129 – 144.
17
See for example the European Commission’s Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan
(http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/entrepreneurship-2020/).
18
E. g. in business plans, competitions, simulations, mini-company programs.
8
QUESTION: How do you see entrepreneurship and can you imagine starting an own business?
Blue lines represent averages for all surveyed countries for positive attitude (vertical) and entrepreneurship
potential (horizontal). The red line depicts a linear relationship between the positive attitude towards entrepre-
neurship and the entrepreneurship potential which is measured as the portion of respondents who can imagine
starting a business.
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
60 %
70 %
80 %
50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 % 40 %
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
E
N
T
R
E
P
R
E
N
E
U
R
I
A
L
P
O
T
E
N
T
I
A
L
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
BRAZIL
CANADA
CHINA
COLOMBIA
CROATIA
DENMARK
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREAT BRITAIN
HUNGARY
INDIA
GREECE
IRELAND
ITALY
JAPAN
KOREA
LITHUANIA
MEXICO
NETHERLANDS
NORWAY
POLAND PORTUGAL
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZER-
LAND
TURKEY
UKRAINE
USA
CZECH
REPUBLIC
BELGIUM
Entrepreneurial ATTITUDE
and POTENTIAL
9 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
QUESTION: In your opinion, which aspects appeal to you as reasons to start up your own business?
BETTER COMPATIBILITY
OF FAMILY, LEISURE
TIME AND CAREER
SECOND INCOME
PROSPECTS
SELF-FULFILLMENT,
POSSIBILITY TO
REALIZE OWN IDEAS
INDEPENDENCE FROM
AN EMPLOYER,
BEING MY OWN BOSS
RETURN TO JOB-
MARKET, ALTERNATIVE
TO UNEMPLOYMENT
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
35 – 49 >= 50 < 35
INDEPENDENCE and
SELF-FULFILLMENT
10
DENMARK
SWEDEN
SOUTH AFRICA
INDIA
GREAT BRITAIN
NETHERLANDS
CHINA
AUSTRALIA
NORWAY
SWITZERLAND
TURKEY
POLAND
USA
FINLAND
BELGIUM
UKRAINE
IRELAND
RUSSIA
GREECE
AUSTRIA
GERMANY
AVERAGE
CZECH REPUBLIC
FRANCE
LITHUANIA
MEXICO
ITALY
JAPAN
CROATIA
KOREA
SLOVAKIA
BRAZIL
SPAIN
HUNGARY
COLOMBIA
SLOVENIA
ROMANIA
CANADA
PORTUGAL
RATHER UNFRIENDLY + VERY UNFRIENDLY DON’T KNOW VERY FRIENDLY + RATHER FRIENDLY
0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 %
0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 %
QUESTION: If you please think about politics, media coverage and the people you know: How entrepreneurship-
friendly is the society in your country in general?
Entrepreneurship-Friendliness
OF SOCIETY
11 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
CHINA MEXICO NORWAY GERMANY FINLAND INDIA ROMANIA
83 % 82 % 76 % 75 % 73 % 72 % 72 %
SOUTH AFRICA FRANCE GREECE POLAND SWEDEN USA CANADA
71 % 70 % 69 % 68 % 68 % 68 % 67 %
TURKEY AUSTRIA CROATIA COLOMBIA DENMARK ITALY SLOVENIA
67 % 65 % 65 % 64 % 64 % 64 % 64 %
AVERAGE BELGIUM LITHUANIA GREAT BRITAIN HUNGARY CZECH SPAIN
63 % 63 % 62 % 61 % 61 % REPUBLIC 59 % 59 %
AUSTRALIA KOREA SWITZERLAND IRELAND BRAZIL RUSSIA UKRAINE
58 % 58 % 58 % 56 % 54 % 53 % 52 %
NETHERLANDS PORTUGAL SLOVAKIA JAPAN
50 % 50 % 50 % 40 %
> AVERAGE < AVERAGE
QUESTION: In your opinion, can entrepreneurship be taught or are entrepreneurs on the contrary rather born
than made?
Entrepreneurship
CAN BE TAUGHT
12
QUESTION: In your opinion, which aspects of entrepreneurship education are crucial to prepare people to start
their own business?
BUSINESS SKILLS wanted
42 %
BASIC BUSINESS SKILLS, E. G. IN FINANCIAL CONTROLLING, MARKETING OR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
37 %
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS AND RHETORICAL ABILITIES, E. G. DECISION MAKING,
CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT, LEADING AND MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES
37 %
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN PRACTICE E. G. BUSINESS PLANS, BUSINESS COMPETITIONS/BUSINESS
SIMULATIONS, MINI- COMPANY PROGRAMS
31 %
INNOVATION E. G. TEACHING OF CREATIVITY AND SOLUTION APPROACHES TO PROBLEMS
28 %
ENTREPRENEURIAL ROLE MODELS: MENTORING PROGRAMS AND PERSONAL INTERACTION
WITH ENTREPRENEURS
24 %
LEARNING FROM ANALYZING ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS STORIES
13 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
QUESTION: We would like to know your opinion towards the responsibility for preparing entrepreneurs for
starting their business. Where should entrepreneurship education primarily take place?
RESPONSIBILITY for
Entrepreneurial Education
SPECIAL START-UP PROGRAMS
PROVIDED BY COMPANIES
26 % 32 %
INDIVIDUALS SHOULD BE HELD TO
LEARN ON THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY
23 %
SPECIAL START-UP PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, CHAMBERS OF
COMMERCE OR GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
SCHOOLS AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION
36 %
33 %
UNIVERSITIES,
HIGHER EDUCATION
SCHOOLS
AND SECONDARY
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITIES,
HIGHER EDUCATION
SPECIAL START-UP
PROGRAMS PROVIDED
BY COMPANIES
SPECIAL START-UP
PROGRAMS (NON-
PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS,
CHAMBERS OF COM-
MERCE, GOVERNMENT)
INDIVIDUALS SHOULD
BE HELD TO
LEARN ON THEIR OWN
RESPONSIBILITY
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
35 – 49 >= 50 < 35
14
QUESTION: In your opinion, is the existing offer of entrepreneurship education in schools, universities and other
facilities such as government programs, or private companies in your country satisfactory and suffcient?
SATISFACTION with
Entrepreneurial Education
25 %
18 %
32 %
YES, SUFFICIENT
YES, BUT COULD BE FURTHER IMPROVED
NO, BUT THERE ARE EFFORTS
NO, INSUFFICIENT
DON’T KNOW
14 %
11 %
15 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
16
doc_558407533.pdf
In this such a detailed file about global entrepreneurship report 2014.
1
GLOBAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
REPORT 2 0 1 4
ADVANCING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION
2
5
th
43,902 38
REPORT
EDITION
SAMPLE COUNTRIES
FIELDWORK
April to July 2014
SAMPLE
43,902 women and men aged 14 – 99 (representative target groups of the countries’ populations)
COUNTRIES
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,
Ukraine, USA. In China, Colombia, India, Mexico and South Africa only people in metropolitan areas participated.
METHOD
Face-to-face / telephone interviews
INSTITUTE
GfK Nuremberg, Germany
2
Facts & FIGURES
3 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
Preface
Steve Van Andel Doug DeVos
Chairman President
ARE ENTREPRENEURS BORN OR MADE?
For 55 years, Amway has been helping people real-
ize their potential by providing them an opportunity
to start their own business. As the business environ-
ment has grown and changed through the years, so
have the reasons people decide to venture out on
their own. In an effort to deepen our understanding
of what motivates entrepreneurs and gain greater
insight into the world in which they operate, we
have launched Amway’s Global Entrepreneurship
Report. And this year, it has yielded some intriguing
new facts.
In the 2014 edition of the Amway Global Entrepreneur-
ship Report, we explore one of the key factors for
growth and wealth – entrepreneurship education. One
aspect of our survey made the importance of entre-
preneurship education overwhelmingly clear – in 37 of
the 38 global markets participating in this year’s re-
port, people believe entrepreneurship can be taught
and that entrepreneurs are “made”. This is especially
true among Millennial or Generation Y respondents,
who are also most positive about entrepreneurship.
Those young respondents represent a big opportu-
nity for the development of the global economy and
are also of indisputable importance for the national
economies. They have the chance to emerge in a new
generation of founders.
We are excited by the results of this survey. We see
many countries encouraging entrepreneurs around
the world and we are hopeful that the fndings in this
study will help further the development of more sup-
portive environments for entrepreneurs both locally
as well as globally.
Ultimately, entrepreneurs help drive economic growth
and prosperity. So we look forward to continuing our
efforts to advance the cause of business ownership
and to inspire those with a dream of being their own
boss. We strive to help every business owner under-
stand that they have what it takes to reach their goals
and be successful.
4
KEY RESULTS OF THE AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
The Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report 2014 provides representative results
for 38 countries coming from every continent around the world on people’s opinions
of entrepreneurship. The respondents’ attitude toward entrepreneurship is gener-
ally positive worldwide. Most respondents name independence and self-fulfllment
as the most important motives for becoming self-employed. While a vast majority
of the respondents think that entrepreneurship can be taught, not even half of
the respondents think that the existing offer for entrepreneurship education is
suffcient. To respondents, basic business and leadership skills as well as practi-
cal experience are the most important components of entrepreneurship education,
which should be taught in schools, universities, and public programs. Overall, the
report yields a positive picture about the situation of entrepreneurship. However,
the situation on entrepreneurship education seems to be less bright. Policy mak-
ers are well advised to improve the offer for entrepreneurship education and to get
more people to participate, in order to encourage potential entrepreneurs to take
the necessary steps into self-employment.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, YES. BUT ME?
Entrepreneurship is an important source of renewal and competitiveness for econo-
mies. The 2014 AGER
1
shows that entrepreneurship is highly valued around the world
and that a considerable portion of the respondents can imagine starting a business
themselves. In fact, the respondents’ personal attitude toward entrepreneurship is
very positive. Seventy-fve percent of the respondents indicated having a positive
attitude. In the countries surveyed in 2013
2
, the report even observes an increase
in positive attitude, by 4 %. Furthermore, entrepreneurial potential – the portion of
respondents who can imagine starting a business – remained high (42 %) with a slight
increase by 2 % in the countries surveyed last year
2
. Finally, a person’s positive atti-
tude should foster that person’s intentions to start a business
3
. The survey refects
this: in the countries surveyed where respondents are more positive about entrepre-
neurship, more respondents can also imagine starting a business (see Figure Page 8).
Demographic groups provide a more nuanced picture. Generally, it can be inter-
preted as a positive sign for initiatives aiming to foster female entrepreneurship
that women and men are equally positive about entrepreneurship. It is only in
countries that are culturally more masculine
4
that men respond more positively to
entrepreneurship. However, the entrepreneurship potential between women and
men reveals a large gap. While there is no gender difference for positive attitude,
men are considerably more open to starting a business than women. This obser-
vation parallels with other fndings showing that women rate their entrepreneurial
capabilities similarly to men, but the intention to start a business is signifcantly
higher for men
5
.
In only a few countries is the entrepreneurship potential of women
similarly high as that for men
6
.
Management SUMMARY
PROF. DR.
ISABELL M. WELPE
Chair for Strategy
and Organization,
Technische Universität
München (TUM)
4
5 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
The survey results show that with increasing age respondents are less positive
about entrepreneurship as well as less open to starting their own business. With
increasing age future payments from an entrepreneurial activity become less attractive
7
,
and entrepreneurship appears less age-appropriate
8
. This presents a dilemma.
While older people who have already accumulated relevant experience are less will-
ing to start a business with increasing age, younger people will more readily start a
business but are likely to be less experienced. One way to promote entrepreneur-
ship in older age might be to increase its acceptance and attractiveness in the
society
8
. Entrepreneurship education – as discussed later in detail – may especially
assist younger people in providing the necessary skills and tools for starting a busi-
ness, and importantly help them to decide whether being self-employed is the right
career choice
9
. In fact, we fnd support for a positive relationship with education.
Respondents with a university degree are more positive about entrepreneurship
and considerably more able to imagine becoming self-employed than respondents
without a degree.
When comparing across countries two interesting facts appear. First, entrepreneur-
ial activity has been found to be lower the more individuals earn as employees
10
.
Similarly, we fnd that the higher the economic output per person in a country on
average
11
, the fewer respondents can imagine starting a business. Secondly, and
not surprisingly, countries whose culture is characterized by avoiding uncertainty
are less positive about entrepreneurship
12
since entrepreneurship involves risk and
uncertain future returns. However, despite this negative relationship, respondents’
entrepreneurial potential seems to be unrelated to the national level of uncertainty
avoidance.
Two important drivers of entrepreneurial intentions are independence and income
prospects
13
.
As with last year, respondents favor independence from an employer
or self-fulfllment clearly over income-related aspects such as return to the job
market or a second income. Importantly, the lower a country’s economic output per
capita the less important independence becomes as a driver for entrepreneurship.
The fndings pose the question as to how potential entrepreneurs can be supported
in their decision over whether starting a business is a path they wish to pursue.
Especially among young respondents, we fnd high entrepreneurial potential
14
. One
promising route in supporting people is represented by entrepreneurship education
9
.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION, YES. BUT WHERE AND WHAT?
Nearly two-thirds of the 2014 AGER respondents (63 %) believe that entrepreneur-
ship can be taught rather than entrepreneurs being born, not made. Respondents
under 35 years have the strongest belief in this fact (70 %), differing from respon-
dents aged 35 to 49 years (65 %) and those over 50 years (57 %).
The number “positive attitude
towards entrepreneurship”
consists of respondents who
state their attitude to be po-
sitive and say “I can imagine
starting my own business”
or are positive, but state
“I cannot imagine starting
my own business”
AGE GROUPS
Positive attitude towards
entrepreneurship
< 35
35 – 49
>= 50
80 %
78 %
69 %
6
TOP 3
Entrepreneurship Education
Institutions worldwide
SCHOOLS
Schools and secondary
education
STATE
Special start-up programs pro-
vided by non-proft organiza-
tions, chambers of commerce
or government programs
UNIVERSITIES
Universities, higher education
36 %
33 %
32 %
While this opinion varies across the countries surveyed, all but one are convinced
by a majority about the positive effect of entrepreneurship education (see Figure
Page 11).
Research also shows that entrepreneurship can be taught
15
.
For example, entre-
preneurship education strengthens people’s beliefs in their ability to successfully
start a business
5
, helps in evaluating entrepreneurship as a career option
9
, and
strengthens entrepreneurial intentions
16
. It is no coincidence that entrepreneurship
education has evolved into an important topic for policy makers around the world to
fght unemployment and bolster economic growth
17
.
This being said, not even half of the respondents perceive the existing offer of
entrepreneurship education as satisfactory (43 %); only 11 % state that the offer
is suffcient, with only small differences between gender and age groups. Further,
only 23 % of respondents state having participated in at least one entrepreneurship
education activity outlined in Figure Page 12. Together, this raises the question why
so few people in the countries surveyed participate in entrepreneurship education.
Therefore, it is important to assess what should be taught in entrepreneurship
education, and how
15
.
On average, respondents clearly see schools, state programs, and the univer sities
as institutions responsible for entrepreneurship education, in this respective order.
It is interesting to note that more respondents see schools and universities
responsible for teaching entrepreneurship in countries with higher participation
rates in entrepreneurship education. Offering entrepreneurship education earlier
in schools, in addition to many university programs that already exist, may help in
promoting entrepreneurship in the future – even though the results may take time
to unfold. Policy makers should seize this chance to initiate a positive culture of
entrepreneurship in the younger generation.
Research suggests that entrepreneurship education should incorporate skills and
practical experience as well as exchange and learning from active entrepreneurs
15
.
The respondents clearly state that entrepreneurship education should include
basic business and leadership skills and that entrepreneurship should be prac-
ticed
18
(see Figure Page 12). Innovation techniques, role models, and success
stories are seen as less crucial components of entrepreneurship education.
Two components seem to be evaluated differently depending on the countries’
economic output
11
. The higher a country’s economic output, the higher the rating
for the importance of basic business skills. Conversely, the lower the economic
output, the higher respondents rate success stories as an important component
of entrepreneurship education.
Taken all together, a considerable proportion of the respondents have a positive
view of entrepreneurship, and many respondents can imagine starting a business.
However, policy makers should seriously consider measures to get more people
to participate in entrepreneurship education. Respondents are clear that they see
schools as the most important place for delivering and experiencing entrepre -
neurial knowledge. Exposing more people to entrepreneurship through education
may not only increase new venture creation, it could also spread a more entrepre-
neurial mindset into companies and our everyday decision-making. It will pay off.
7 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
REFERENCES
1
Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report
2
The AGER 2013 included 24 countries, all of which also participated in 2014: Positive
attitude: 2013: 70 %, 2014: 74 %; Imagine starting a business: 2013: 39 %, 2014: 41 %.
3
Krueger Jr, Reilly, & Carsrud (2000). Competing models of entrepreneurial intentions.
Journal of Business Venturing, 15 (5 – 6), 411 – 432.
4
Masculinity is a cultural dimension and “represents a preference in society for
achievement, heroism, assertiveness and material rewards for success. Society at
large is more competitive.” (http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html). Countries
high in masculinity and with high gaps are, e. g., Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland.
5
Zhao, Seigert, & Hills (2005). The mediating role of self-effcacy in the development
of entre preneurial intentions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90 (6), 1265 – 1272.
6
China is the only country where more women than men can imagine starting a
business. In Belgium, Canada, Greece and Mexico less than 5 % more men than
women can imagine starting a business.
7
Levesque & Minniti (2006). The effect of aging on entrepreneurial behavior.
Journal of Business Venturing, 21 (2), 177 – 194.
8
Kautonen, Tornikoski, & Kibler (2011). Entrepreneurial intentions in the third age:
The impact of perceived age norms. Small Business Economics, 37 (2), 219 – 234.
9
von Graevenitz, Harhoff, Weber (2010). The effects of entrepreneurship education.
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 76 (1), 90 – 112.
10
Amit, Muller, & Cockburn (1995). Opportunity costs and entrepreneurial activity.
Journal of Business Venturing, 10, 95 – 106.
11
Measured as GDP per capita. Data source: World Bank data from 2012
(http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD)
12
Uncertainty avoidance is a cultural dimension and “expresses the degree to which
the members of a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity.”
(http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html)
13
Douglas & Shepherd (2002). Self-employment as a career choice: Attitudes,
entrepreneurial intentions, and utility maximization. Entrepreneurship Theory and
Practice, 26 (3), 81 – 90.
14
Among respondents younger than 35 years 51 % can imagine starting a business.
15
Kuratko (2005). The emergence of entrepreneurship education: Development,
trends, and challenges. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29 (5), 577– 598.
16
Peterman & Kennedy (2003). Enterprise education: Infuencing students’ perceptions
of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 28 (2), 129 – 144.
17
See for example the European Commission’s Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan
(http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/entrepreneurship-2020/).
18
E. g. in business plans, competitions, simulations, mini-company programs.
8
QUESTION: How do you see entrepreneurship and can you imagine starting an own business?
Blue lines represent averages for all surveyed countries for positive attitude (vertical) and entrepreneurship
potential (horizontal). The red line depicts a linear relationship between the positive attitude towards entrepre-
neurship and the entrepreneurship potential which is measured as the portion of respondents who can imagine
starting a business.
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
60 %
70 %
80 %
50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 % 40 %
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
E
N
T
R
E
P
R
E
N
E
U
R
I
A
L
P
O
T
E
N
T
I
A
L
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
BRAZIL
CANADA
CHINA
COLOMBIA
CROATIA
DENMARK
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREAT BRITAIN
HUNGARY
INDIA
GREECE
IRELAND
ITALY
JAPAN
KOREA
LITHUANIA
MEXICO
NETHERLANDS
NORWAY
POLAND PORTUGAL
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZER-
LAND
TURKEY
UKRAINE
USA
CZECH
REPUBLIC
BELGIUM
Entrepreneurial ATTITUDE
and POTENTIAL
9 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
QUESTION: In your opinion, which aspects appeal to you as reasons to start up your own business?
BETTER COMPATIBILITY
OF FAMILY, LEISURE
TIME AND CAREER
SECOND INCOME
PROSPECTS
SELF-FULFILLMENT,
POSSIBILITY TO
REALIZE OWN IDEAS
INDEPENDENCE FROM
AN EMPLOYER,
BEING MY OWN BOSS
RETURN TO JOB-
MARKET, ALTERNATIVE
TO UNEMPLOYMENT
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
35 – 49 >= 50 < 35
INDEPENDENCE and
SELF-FULFILLMENT
10
DENMARK
SWEDEN
SOUTH AFRICA
INDIA
GREAT BRITAIN
NETHERLANDS
CHINA
AUSTRALIA
NORWAY
SWITZERLAND
TURKEY
POLAND
USA
FINLAND
BELGIUM
UKRAINE
IRELAND
RUSSIA
GREECE
AUSTRIA
GERMANY
AVERAGE
CZECH REPUBLIC
FRANCE
LITHUANIA
MEXICO
ITALY
JAPAN
CROATIA
KOREA
SLOVAKIA
BRAZIL
SPAIN
HUNGARY
COLOMBIA
SLOVENIA
ROMANIA
CANADA
PORTUGAL
RATHER UNFRIENDLY + VERY UNFRIENDLY DON’T KNOW VERY FRIENDLY + RATHER FRIENDLY
0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 %
0 % 10 % 20 % 30 % 40 % 50 % 60 % 70 % 80 % 90 % 100 %
QUESTION: If you please think about politics, media coverage and the people you know: How entrepreneurship-
friendly is the society in your country in general?
Entrepreneurship-Friendliness
OF SOCIETY
11 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
CHINA MEXICO NORWAY GERMANY FINLAND INDIA ROMANIA
83 % 82 % 76 % 75 % 73 % 72 % 72 %
SOUTH AFRICA FRANCE GREECE POLAND SWEDEN USA CANADA
71 % 70 % 69 % 68 % 68 % 68 % 67 %
TURKEY AUSTRIA CROATIA COLOMBIA DENMARK ITALY SLOVENIA
67 % 65 % 65 % 64 % 64 % 64 % 64 %
AVERAGE BELGIUM LITHUANIA GREAT BRITAIN HUNGARY CZECH SPAIN
63 % 63 % 62 % 61 % 61 % REPUBLIC 59 % 59 %
AUSTRALIA KOREA SWITZERLAND IRELAND BRAZIL RUSSIA UKRAINE
58 % 58 % 58 % 56 % 54 % 53 % 52 %
NETHERLANDS PORTUGAL SLOVAKIA JAPAN
50 % 50 % 50 % 40 %
> AVERAGE < AVERAGE
QUESTION: In your opinion, can entrepreneurship be taught or are entrepreneurs on the contrary rather born
than made?
Entrepreneurship
CAN BE TAUGHT
12
QUESTION: In your opinion, which aspects of entrepreneurship education are crucial to prepare people to start
their own business?
BUSINESS SKILLS wanted
42 %
BASIC BUSINESS SKILLS, E. G. IN FINANCIAL CONTROLLING, MARKETING OR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
37 %
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS AND RHETORICAL ABILITIES, E. G. DECISION MAKING,
CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT, LEADING AND MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES
37 %
ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN PRACTICE E. G. BUSINESS PLANS, BUSINESS COMPETITIONS/BUSINESS
SIMULATIONS, MINI- COMPANY PROGRAMS
31 %
INNOVATION E. G. TEACHING OF CREATIVITY AND SOLUTION APPROACHES TO PROBLEMS
28 %
ENTREPRENEURIAL ROLE MODELS: MENTORING PROGRAMS AND PERSONAL INTERACTION
WITH ENTREPRENEURS
24 %
LEARNING FROM ANALYZING ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS STORIES
13 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
QUESTION: We would like to know your opinion towards the responsibility for preparing entrepreneurs for
starting their business. Where should entrepreneurship education primarily take place?
RESPONSIBILITY for
Entrepreneurial Education
SPECIAL START-UP PROGRAMS
PROVIDED BY COMPANIES
26 % 32 %
INDIVIDUALS SHOULD BE HELD TO
LEARN ON THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY
23 %
SPECIAL START-UP PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, CHAMBERS OF
COMMERCE OR GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
SCHOOLS AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION
36 %
33 %
UNIVERSITIES,
HIGHER EDUCATION
SCHOOLS
AND SECONDARY
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITIES,
HIGHER EDUCATION
SPECIAL START-UP
PROGRAMS PROVIDED
BY COMPANIES
SPECIAL START-UP
PROGRAMS (NON-
PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS,
CHAMBERS OF COM-
MERCE, GOVERNMENT)
INDIVIDUALS SHOULD
BE HELD TO
LEARN ON THEIR OWN
RESPONSIBILITY
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
35 – 49 >= 50 < 35
14
QUESTION: In your opinion, is the existing offer of entrepreneurship education in schools, universities and other
facilities such as government programs, or private companies in your country satisfactory and suffcient?
SATISFACTION with
Entrepreneurial Education
25 %
18 %
32 %
YES, SUFFICIENT
YES, BUT COULD BE FURTHER IMPROVED
NO, BUT THERE ARE EFFORTS
NO, INSUFFICIENT
DON’T KNOW
14 %
11 %
15 AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT 2014
16
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