Vital characteristics of successful entrepreneurs : self-perception of selected entrepreneurs in Northeastern Thailand | |
| Author | Amornwan Rangkoon |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.DBA-SOM-19-03 |
| Subject(s) | Entrepreneurship--Thailand--Northeastern Success in business--Thailand--Northeastern |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. DBA-SOM-19-03 |
| Abstract | One of the most common questions that business students have is what are the characteristics that successful business people should possess? To answer this question, this study investigated the key characteristics that have been perceived to contribute to the success of prosperous entrepreneurs in Northeastern Thailand. Three hundred and fifty successful entrepreneurs were selected according to identified criteria. First group, two hundred successful entrepreneurs were selected in 2010-11(Data1), in-depth interviews were conducted in which the entrepreneurs were observed and recorded during the interview process. The collected data was analyzed using the Atlas.ti program (content analysis) which counted the number of times each characteristic was mentioned during the interview. The data was then used to calculate a frequency-weighted average score (FWA) for each of the characteristics for success. The Pareto Method was used to select key characteristics for success based on the five following categories: (1) Gender, (2) Age, (3) Education, (4) Types of Businesses, and (5) Lengths of Time in business. A Venn diagram was applied to identify the common vital characteristics among the five categories. The results revealed that there were three characteristics with high FWA scores at the intersection: Joy of Developing, Integrity, and Striving. These three characteristics are common vital personality traits for all of the five previously mentioned categories. Furthermore, when we looked at more details in each category, we found that entrepreneurs have different perceptions concerning the most important characteristics that they feel have contributed to their success. (1) Gender: Successful female entrepreneurs had emphasized characteristic of ‘Giving importance to the staff’, while successful male entrepreneurs had emphasized the characteristic of ‘Integrity’ (2) Age: Successful entrepreneurs in all age groups had chosen ‘Integrity’ as the most important characteristic. (3) Education: At all educational levels, successful entrepreneurs unanimously had selected ‘Integrity’ as the most important characteristic related to their success. (4) Types of Businesses: For successful entrepreneurs, engaged in manufacturing businesses, 'Joy of Developing/ Improving /Changing' had ranked first on their list. For those in Retail/Wholesale businesses had believed that ‘Integrity’ was the most important characteristic, while those engaged in Service businesses had felt that ‘Being Customer-oriented' was the most important in the service sector. Successful entrepreneurs in complete businesses had placed importance on ‘Joy of learning’ and had ranked it first on their list. (5) Length of Time in Business: Successful entrepreneurs, who had been in business for 10-20 years, had felt that ‘Joy of learning’ was their most important characteristic. Successful entrepreneurs, with 21-30 years in business and those with over 30 years had felt that the characteristic of ‘Integrity’ was the most important. A Triangulation approach was employed with a further two groups (75 successful entrepreneurs each) between 2012-13 (Data 2) and 2014-15 (Data3), respectively to confirm the findings. The results revealed the same three characteristics as outstanding personality traits of successful entrepreneurs in the Northeastern region. The findings of this study have implications for business students and entrepreneurs, as well as for policy makers. |
| Year | 2019 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology.Dissertation ; no. DBA-SOM-19-03 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Management |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (Publication code = DBA-SM, SM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Winai Wongsurawat (Co-Chairperson);Vimolwan Yukongdi (Co-Chairperson); |
| Examination Committee(s) | Igel, Barbara;Huynh Trung Luong; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2019 |