Swedish Entrepreneurship in a Cross-Cultural Perspective

Paper in proceeding, 1988

Swedish entrepreneurs' motives to start their own business have been studied in terms of cultural values, available resources and infrastructure, as well as in relation to individual, company/industry and regional characteristics. A total of 159 Swedish entrepreneurs in five different regions have responded to an extensive questionnaire (response rate 52%). The regions were selected to obtain variation in terms of growing/declining and rural/urban areas. Of the randomly selected entrepreneurs 14.5% were female. Key findings identified that Swedish entrepreneurs were motivated by a need for independence and having total control over their endeavors. Family tradition and role models appeared to have less importance. Also apparent, were the distinct motivational differences between Sweden and other countries. The differences between the five Swedish regions however, were not significant. This study is part of an international cross-cultural study aimed at comparing the conditions and motivations for entrepreneurship in 15 countries.