PHD, Kent State University, 2012, College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Ambassador Crawford / Department of Management and Information Systems

This dissertation distinguishes the potential causalities of country-level entrepreneurship (CLE). The literature reveals structural differences among nations, noting that more advanced countries have an improved foundation of financial resources and stronger infrastructure of telephone and Internet lines, along with roads and railroads to adequately service businesses. I gather from the literature that there are six main factors to which references are often made. These factors can be organized into an original 2x3 model so as to provide symmetry to the study. From this matrix I infer six independent variables and determine how these variables forecast CLE intensity by taking the characteristics of a nation's abilities into account. These variables are divided into the two categories (the matrix's columns) of resources and infrastructure, and then these categories are further partitioned into three clusters each (the matrix's rows) consisting of their specific physical, movable and virtual realms. Following up with empirical research, I select and compile a data set of 183 countries and then I divide them into three classes, based upon their levels of gross national income (GNI) per capita, as the underdeveloped, developing and fully developed. (Some nations fell out of the analyses due to lack of data). My study undertakes a dual research thrust, the first of which entails hypotheses on the similarities and dissimilarities in entrepreneurial activity between the three categories of world countries from an entrepreneurial and innovative competitiveness standpoint. A dual question is: For those country classes, could my dependent variables to be tested also be viewed as new proxy variables for entrepreneurship and determined by comparison with the more customary entrepreneurship measures? The literature review uncovers that entrepreneurship researchers traditionally use either Business Entry Rate (new registrations as a percentage of the total) or New Businesses Re (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: William Acar PhD (Committee Chair); Sergey Anokhin PhD (Committee Member); Jaume Franquesa PhD (Committee Member); Michael Ellis PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Entrepreneurship; Management; Marketing