1. Entrepreneurial motivations from the
students and entrepreneurs’
perspectives: A case study of the
CReBUS project
Dr.paed. Svetlana Surikova
Dr.paed. Tamara Pigozne
University of Latvia
The International Conference “Entrepreneurship Education - A Priority for the
Higher Education Institutions – CReBUS”
October 8-9, 2012, Bucharest, Romania
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

2. Empirical research purpose
• To identify students/graduates and young
entrepreneurs’ motives, needs, interests in
order to develop e-mentoring system of
business start-up for CReBUS e-Learning
Community.

3. Research stages
The CReBUS project research was carried out during
the period of four months with active participation and
contribution of all project partners from Romania, Italy,
Spain, Austria, and Latvia:
– research preparation stage – concept of the needs analysis
was developed as well as two online questionnaires for
entrepreneurs and students/graduates were designed using
Google forms (December 2010 – January 2011);
– data collection stage – e-survey by using online questionnaires
among entrepreneurs and students/graduates was carried out
(February 2011);
– data processing and analysis stage – internal and external
versions of the transnational needs analysis report was
developed (March 2011).

4. Research sample
60
54
50
40
Students/graduates
30
26 Entrepreneurs
21
20
14
10 10 10
10
5 5
3
0
Austria Italy Latvia Spain Romania

5. Theoretical background
• study of students’ motives, interests, and
behavioral intentions for business start-up
(Shinnar, Pruett, Toney, 2009);
• factor analysis of entrepreneurs’ motivations
(Thompson, 1999; Robshaw, 2001; Cull, 2006;
Benzing, Chu, Kara, 2009);
• multi-country survey of students’ attitudes
towards the enterprise (Kopycińska, Bernat,
Korpysa, 2009).

6. Students’ motivations for business start-up
(by Shinnar, Pruett, Toney, 2009:154)
• The chance to implement my own ideas;
• Personal independence;
• Creating something of my own;
• The opportunity to be financially independent;
• Improving my quality of life;
• Being at the head of an organization;
• Building personal wealth;
• Managing people;
• Making more money than by working for wages;
• Receiving fair compensation;
• Creating jobs;
• Having more free time;
• Dissatisfaction in a professional occupation;
• The difficulty of finding the right job;
• Following a family tradition;
• Gaining high social status.

7. Entrepreneurs’ motivational factors
(by Benzing, Chu, Kara, 2009:69)
• To be my own boss;
• To be able to use my past experience and training;
• To prove I can do;
• To increase my income;
• To provide jobs for family members;
• For my own satisfaction and growth;
• So I will always have job security;
• To build a business to pass on;
• To maintain my personal freedom;
• To be closer to my family;
• To have fun.

8. Proposed definition
Entrepreneurial motivation is a
dynamic system of individual's
causally interrelated entrepreneurial
needs, interests, motives, and
emotions.

9. Empirical finding 1.1
Importance of the motives of business and life activity for
students/graduates and entrepreneurs
3,51
improving quality of life 3,64
3,6
3,57
to be independent 3,5
3,52
3,45
the chance to implement own ideas 3,51
3,49
Entrepreneurs
3,37
to be successful 3,51 Students/graduates
3,47
Total
3,31
to possess self-actualization 3,51
3,45
3,24
increasing financial situation 3,39
3,34
2,8
gaining high social status 2,91
2,87
2,4 2,6 2,8 3 3,2 3,4 3,6 3,8

10. Empirical finding 1.2
Importance of the motives of business and life activity for
respondents by country
According to the results of the Kruskal-Wallis Test there were
statistically significant differences between respondents’ responses
in the represented countries:
– Gaining high social status and to be successful were more important
motives for Latvian and Romanian respondents than for Austrian, Italian
and Spanish respondents (p=0.001; p=0.003);
– Increasing your financial situation was less important motive for Austrian
respondents than for respondents from Latvia, Romania, Spain and Italy
(p=0.011);
– To possess self-actualization was less important motive for Austrian and
Italian respondents than for the respondents from Latvia, Romania and
Spain (p=0.046).

11. Empirical finding 2.1
Students/graduates’ motivation in attending entrepreneurship training
The most frequently mentioned students/graduates’
responses to the open-ended question “What would
motivate you to attend entrepreneurship training?” were
the following:
– self-development, learning (n=54)
– supportive environment (n=38)
– interest to learn from experienced
entrepreneurs (n=29)

12. Empirical finding 2.2
Students/graduates’ motivation in attending entrepreneurship training
(some examples of responses)

13. Empirical finding 3.1
Entrepreneurs’ motivation in supporting of e-mentoring
The most frequently mentioned entrepreneurs’
motivation in online mentoring of a youngster who
wanted to start a business were
– opportunities to help someone, to use their past
experience and training (n=17)
– opportunities of collaboration, networking,
new contacts (n=10).

14. Empirical finding 3.2
Entrepreneurs’ motivation in supporting of e-mentoring
(some examples of responses)

15. Summary
• According to the empirical findings of the CReBUS
project research the following important motives of
business and life activity were identified: to improve the
quality of life; to be independent; to have the chance to
implement own ideas.
• Self-development and learning, supportive environment
and interest to learn from experienced entrepreneurs
were the most popular students/graduates’ motivations
to attend an entrepreneurship training.
• Opportunities to help someone, to use their past
experience and training as well as opportunities of
collaboration, networking and new contacts were the
most frequently mentioned entrepreneurs’ motivations to
provide e-mentoring for start-ups.

16. svetlana.surikova@lu.lv
tamara_pigozne@inbox.lv