Module - 1 Entrepreneur
Module - 1 Entrepreneur
Module 1: Entrepreneur
Meaning of entrepreneur, evolution of concept, functions of an
Entrepreneur, types of Entrepreneur, Intrapreneur-an emerging class,
concept of Entrepreneurship, development of Entrepreneurship, the
Entrepreneurial culture, stages of Entrepreneurial process.
Module – 1
ENTREPRENEUR
Meaning of Entrepreneur-
The word entrepreneur is original from French word “Entrependre” means one who undertake
risk to start up the business.
An entrepreneur is a person who starts an enterprise. He searches for change and responds to
it.one who recognizes and manages enterprise especially involving high risk. If taken literally,
this definition seems fine, but it is quite incomplete. Researches have shown that
entrepreneurs are not necessarily high risk takers. However, a clever entrepreneur performs to
reduce risk and increase the likehood of success. The definition nowhere mentions anything
about opportunities or resources allocated to achieve the success. the only point mentioned in
the definition is regarding high risk, which might not even necessary to be successful.
One can choose your career from two broad categories of options.-wage employment or
entrepreneurship. The term “career “signifies a continuous ever evolving,ever expanding
opportunity for personal as well as business growth and development.
Entrepreneurshipcan be defined as a career in your own business (YOB) rather than wage
employment(JOB).if you opt foa a job then you will work for others.in case you opt for
entrepreneurship you will be your own boss.in case of wage employment one is engaged in
routine work carried on for others for which he receives salary or wages. He has to follow
instructions and execute plans laid down by his superior.one can choose to be employed in
government service or the public sector or the private sector.
1725: Richard Cantillon: An entrepreneur is a person who pays a certain price for a product
to resell it at an uncertain price, thereby making decisions about obtaining and using the
resources while consequently admitting the risk of enterprise.
1803: J.B. Say: An entrepreneur is an economic agent who unites all means of production-
land of one, the labour of another and the capital of yet another and thus produces a product.
By selling the product in the market he pays rent of land, wages to labour, interest on capital
and what remains is his profit. He shifts economic resources out of an area of lower and into
an area of higher productivity and greater yield.
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1934: Schumpeter: According to him entrepreneurs are innovators who use a process of
shattering the status quo of the existing products and services, to set up new products, new
services.
1961: David McClleland: An entrepreneur is a person with a high need for achievement. He
is energetic and a moderate risk taker.
1964: Peter Drucker: An entrepreneur searches for change, responds to it and exploits
opportunities. Innovation is a specific tool of an entrepreneur hence an effective entrepreneur
converts a source into a resource.
1971: Kilby: Emphasizes the role of an imitator entrepreneur who does not innovate but
imitates technologies innovated by others are very important in developing economies.
1975: Albert Shapero: Entrepreneurs take initiative, accept risk of failure and have an
internal locus of control.
Examples:
Bill Gates – The founder of Microsoft
Ratan Tata – The founder of Tata Groups
Steve Jobs – The founder of Apple
Diru Bhai Ambani – The founder of Reliance groups
Mark Zuckerberg – The founder of Face book
V G Siddarath – The founder of CCD (Cafe Coffee Day)
Management experts defines entrepreneur as a person who has a vision and generates action
plan to achieve it.to put in simple words, an entrepreneur is someone who perceives
opportunity, organizes resources needed for exploring the opportunity and exploring it.
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taken one thing seem to stand out, i.e., a person with a rare blend of qualities like
organising skill, mental ability, adventurous attitude, love for hard work, clear in goals,
objectives, highly optimistic, emotionally stable, self-confident, positive attitude with
desire to take risk is an entrepreneur
Characteristics of Entrepreneur:
Vision-An entrepreneur has a dream and he visualizes the ways and means to achieve
that dream.in doing so he visualizes market demands, socio-economic and the
technological environment and then based on the dynamics, he visualizes a future for
his business venture.
Knowledge-an entrepreneur has sound conceptual knowledge about all the
technicalities of his business.be it technical, operational, financial or market dynamics.
Desire to succeed- An entrepreneur has strong desire to succeed in life. Their dreams
are not just limited to achieving one single goal but they constantly work to achieve
higher goals.
Independence-an entrepreneur needs independence in work and decision making.
They don’t follow the rule of thumb but make their own rules and destiny.
Optimism-entrepreneur are highly optimistic about achieving their vision.
Value addition-entrepreneurs do not follow the conventional rules of thumb. They
have a constant desire to introduce something new to existing business. they create
innovate or even add value to the existing products/services and therefore, stand out in
market.
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Leadership-an entrepreneur exhibits the qualities of a leader. they are good planners,
organizers have good communication skills are empathetic towards their employees
are good decision makers, take initiatives to implement plans and are result oriented.
Risk taking ability-Frank Knight has identified risk taking ability as the most integral
element in defining entrepreneurial characteristics.
Types of Entrepreneur:
Innovative Entrepreneurs: Innovating entrepreneurs are dynamic & enthusiastic. They are
interested in introducing new projects and they experiment and conduct permutation and
combinations of ideas to yield new products and services.; using new raw materials trying
new methods of production; discovering new markets; & re-organising the enterprise. Such
entrepreneurs are found only in developed economies.
Drone Entrepreneurs:Drone Entrepreneurs are not open to creativity and change they do not
like changing the working of organisations with the changing times. . They are conservative in
their outlooks. They continue with the old method at the cost of reduced turnover & market
share. They are purchased out of the market in long run.
Achiever-these types of Entrepreneurs have personal desires to excel. The only drive that
pushes them is the desire to achieve something in life, the desire to make a mark in society,
the desire to prove their excellence.no matter how many hurdles come in their way, they are
totally determined. They do not need any external stimulus but are self-driven. Their
characteristics can be termed as achievement personified. They can rightly be called as go-
getters. This personality will often cause them to build their business around their own
personal brand. These Entrepreneurs have dreams and dare to fulfil their dreams.
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Idea generator-these kinds ofEntrepreneurs are highly creative people who0 are always in
search of innovative ideas for setting up new business ventures. they have the ability to sense
the demand much ahead of others. they enjoy the first movers advantage and are able to skim
higher profits from the market. they can rightly be given the title of essence of
Entrepreneurship.
Based on ownership-
Pure Entrepreneurs: individuals who are the founders of the business. They are the ones
who conceptualize a business plan and then put in efforts to make the plan a success. Ex-
Dhirubhai ambani
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Second generation operators of family-owned business-They are the individuals who have
inherited the business from their fathers and forefathers. like mukesh ambani and anil ambani
sons of dhirubhai ambani of the reliance group now split into two .
Franchises- Franchises has been derived from a french word which means free.it is a method
of doing business wherein the parent owner (the franchiser)licenses his trademarks and tired
and proved methods of doing business ton a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment.
Here franchisees has not conceptualized the business but has invested his money and time in
the business. Example-NIIT
First Generation Entrepreneurs: Are those who started the business on their own efforts
and skill. These people are entrepreneurs in the real sense. They will have all the qualities of
an entrepreneur.
Small Entrepreneurs: Individuals who carry on small operation on small scale are called
small entrepreneurs. The investment made would be comparatively less. They use more of
labours less or no technology. Production is limited & they generally cater to the needs of
local people.
Medium-scale Entrepreneurs: Medium Scale Entrepreneurs are bigger than small scale
entrepreneurs but smaller than large-scale entrepreneurs. Investment in technology and other
resources more or less equal. They cater to bigger market comparatively.
Large scale Entrepreneurs: Group of individual who come to establish a large scale
enterprises may be considered a large scale entrepreneurs. Heavy investment is made and
mass production is undertaken. They cater to the needs of national and international markets.
Based on Gender-
Men Entrepreneur
Women Entrepreneur
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Private Entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs other than the government are called private
entrepreneurs. Most of the entrepreneurs in our country are being run by private entrepreneur.
The primary objective of private entrepreneurs is maximum profit
Forced Entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs who start enterprises on the external pressure may be
called forced entrepreneurs. People who do not get job which suits their qualification may
start their own enterprises.
Artisan Entrepreneurs: Skilled person in rural areas are considered are artisan
entrepreneurs. These people acquire their skill through inheritance and training since
childhood. They are blacksmith, carpenter, shoemaker, potter, weavers, and like.
INTRAPRENEURS:
The term intrapreneur emerged during the 1970s.several senior executives of big corporations
left their jobs to start their own small business because the top bosses in these corporations
were not receptive to innovative ideas. These executives turned entrepreneur achieved
phenomenal success in their new ventures; posing a threat to the corporations they had left.
These types of entrepreneurs came to be known as “Intrapreneurs”
An Intrapreneur is an inside entrepreneur within a large firm, who uses entrepreneurial skills
without incurring the risks associated with those activities. Intrapreneurs are usually
employees within a company who are assigned to work on a special idea or project, and they
are instructed to develop the project like an entrepreneur would. Intrapreneurs usually have
the resources and capabilities of the firm at their disposal.
Intrepreneurs are the people working in big organisations holding key position. They are
quite innovative and bring many changes in products and the methods of production.
They possess all the qualities of entrepreneurs. They have many new ideas which are
converted into product or service or anything that satisfies human wants or needs. They may
or may not undertake research and development for the purpose. They appear to be de-factor
owners of the organisation in which they are seen working and by their acts, deeds and talents
they can be easily mistaken to be so. But the main difference between entrepreneurs and
intrepreneurs is the element of risk. The former is prepared to take-up while the later does not.
Top managements in big establishments encourage people holding key positions to come out
with new ideas so that they can bring in changes in product and services offered by them.
More the variety of products more is the goodwill enjoyed by the organisation. The fast
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changing markets and consumer preferences have increased the role of intrepreneurs in the
success of big organisations. To develop successful innovation, a corporation should establish
a conducive organizational climate. The process of establishing Intrapreneurship within an
existing organisation requires the commitment of management, particularly top management.
The organization must carefully choose leaders, develop general guidelines for ventures and
delineate expectations. Training sessions are an important part of the process. A system of
incentive and reward should be also in place as a means of encouragement. This climate
creates a person who develops into an Intrapreneur with all the skills, talents, ability etc that is
required to hold the reins of venture. Such people are now on the raise and are emerging as a
class.
Characteristics:
Intrapreneurs bridge the gap between inventors and mangers. They take new ideas and
turn them into profitable realities.
They have vision and courage to realize it.
They can imagine what business prospects will follow from the way customers
respond to their innovations.
They have ability to plan necessary steps for actualization of the idea.
They have high need for achievement and they take moderate calculated risk.
They are dedicated to their work that they shut out other concerns. Including their
family life.
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enterprise.
Operation An entrepreneur operates from out- On the contrary, an intrapreneur
side. operates from within the
organisation itself.
Core objective To increase competitive strength To innovate something new of
and market sustainability of the socio economic value.
organization.
Decisions Collaborative decisions to execute Independent decisions to execute
dreams. dreams.
Concept of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship can be described as a process of action an entrepreneur undertakes to
establish his enterprise. Entrepreneurship is a creative activity. It is the ability to create and
build something from practically nothing. It is a knack of sensing opportunity where others
see chaos, contradiction and confusion. Entrepreneurship is the attitude of mind to seek
opportunities, take calculated risks and derive benefits by setting up a venture.
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Definition of Entrepreneurship
B. HIGGINS: “ The function of seeing investment & production opportunities; organising an
enterprise to undertake a new production process; raising capital; hiring labour, arranging for
raw material, finding a site & combining these factors of production into a going concern;
introducing new techniques, new commodities, discovering new sources of natural resources
& selecting top-managers for day-to-day operations.”
SCHUMPETER: “Entrepreneurship is based on purposeful & systematic innovation. It
includes not only the independent businessman but also company directions & managers who
actually carryout innovative functions.”
Enterprise
Entrepreneur is a person who starts an enterprise. The process of creation is called
entrepreneurship. The entrepreneur is the actor and entrepreneurship is the act. The outcome
of the actor and the act is called the enterprise. An enterprise is the business organization that
is formed and which provides goods and services, creates jobs, contributes to national income,
exports and overall economic development.
Evolution of Entrepreneurship:
The industrial health of a society depends on the level of entrepreneurship existing in it. A
country might remain backward not because of lack of natural resources or dearth of capital
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[as it is many times believed] but because of lack of entrepreneurial talents or it inability to
tap the latent entrepreneurial talents existing in that society. Entrepreneurs historically have
altered the direction of national economies, industry or markets- Japan, Singapore, Korea,
Taiwan to name a few.
Development of Entrepreneurship:
Towards the end of the sixties, two significant contributions were made in the field of
entrepreneurship .One was that there is a positive linkage between entrepreneurship and
economic development and the other was regarding the emergence of a strong hypothesis that
entrepreneurship can be developed through planned efforts1. Consequently planners realized
that absence of a strong entrepreneurial base acts as a
serious handicap in the industrial development of a region. The identification and
development of first generation entrepreneurs through Entrepreneurial Development
Programmes is an important strategy. There is a growing realization that presence of resources
and favourable government policies cannot automatically manufacture economic
development. It is the entrepreneurial spirit of the people, which can transform the economy
of that region. Both the quantity and quality of entrepreneurs are of utmost
significance for achieving the goal of economic development. The myth that entrepreneurs are
born with some innate traits is fortunately no longer held. You will learn more about this in
the lesson on motivation. Many research studies have brought out that entrepreneurship can be
taught and learned. Entrepreneurship is a discipline and like all disciplines it has models,
processes and case studies, which can help an individual to study this subject. The necessary
competencies required of a successful entrepreneur can be acquired through training and
development. Numerous courses in entrepreneurship are being taught all over the world in
schools and colleges, seminars and conferences are being organized and EDPs are 1 [Sharma
K.M. ‘Economic Development in India, New Thrust on Small Scale Industries’, in Sammi
Udin et.al. [ed.] Entrepreneurship Development in India. Mittal Publications, New Delhi
1990, p. 23] being conducted. The thinking today is why just create managers why not create
people who can absorb managers.
One can acquire the traits and learn the skills for becoming an entrepreneur e.g. a person can
learn to be achievement oriented, self- confident, perseverant etc. which are all part of the
characteristics of a successful entrepreneur.
Usually the model used for entrepreneurial education has three phases:
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Stimulatory Phase- This phase involves planned publicity for opportunities, motivation
training and help and guidance in selection of product or service.
Support Phase- This provides help in registration of units, arrangement of finance as well as
land, sheds, power, water, common facility centres etc. Help is also provided in marketing of
products.
Sustenance Phase- Once the enterprise is set up then help is provided for modernization,
diversification, additional finance etc.
Entrepreneurship and economic development:
Entrepreneurship is basically concerned with creating wealth through production of goods and
services. this result is process of upward change whereby the real per capita income of a
country rises overtime or in other words. economic development takes place. Thus
Entrepreneurial development is key to economic devlopnment.in fact it is one of the most
critical inputs in the economic development of a region.it speeds up the process of activating
factors of production leading to a higher rate of economic growth, dispersal of economic
activities and development of backward regions. If a region is unable to throw up a sufficient
number of entrepreneurs then alien Entrepreneurs usually step in t provide goods and services
needed by people.
However the profits earned by these Entrepreneurs are usally not ploughed back repatriated to
their place of region.as a result development in that region cannot take place.DR. MM Akhori
refers to thispractices “The leach effect “the above reiterates the importance Entrepreneurship
development for fuelling economic growth of a region. Entrepreneurship begets and also
injects entrepreneurship by starting a chain reaction when the Entrepreneur continuously tries
to improve the quality of existing goods and services and add new ones.Ex:when computers
came into the market there was continuous improvement in the models,their functions etc. like
first generation computers, personal computers, laptop, plamtops etc. not only had this
forecasted the development of the software industry, computer education institutes, computer
maintenance and stationary units etc. But also other industries like banking railways,
education, travel, films, medical and legal transciptions, BPO etc. IN this manner by
harnessing the entrepreneurial talent a society comes of traditional lethargy to modern
industrial culture. India needs entrepreneurs to capitalize on new opportunities and to create
wealth and new jobs.
In recent years, the following are the areas where entrepreneurs have contributed towards the
economy most importantly in developing economies.
1. Product evaluation process
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Entrepreneurial Culture
The concept of culture is used to distinguish human societies from animal groups. The
customs, ideas and attitudes shared by a group, which make up its culture, are transmitted
from generation to generation by learning processes rather than biological inheritance.
Adherence to these customs and attitudes is regulated by systems of rewards & punishments
peculiar to each culture. Language and other symbolic media are the chief vehicles of culture
transmission but many behaviour patterns are acquired through experience alone.
In almost all successful business firms there have been leaders who revived and changed the
culture and course of those firms. In most cases such changes are based on retaining and
developing what is good in an existing culture and adding to it new elements that will
stimulate growth. A total rejection of all that existing can be devastating. Therefore the skill in
reforming the culture of a company is to identify and retain the pride and honour in what is
good while recognising what is to be rejected or modified. At the same time the management
of the firm should seek, generate and embrace new ideas and practices that can energise the
firm and propel it forward with new vigour. A culture is usually divided into sub-culture
based upon geography, language, ethnic background, human characteristics and such other
qualities that stem out from human characteristics. In recent years this has the effect of the
alien culture too. For an entrepreneur the culture is, therefore, a sum total of all these
interacting innate factors.
Like nations, business firms also have their distinctive cultures & need to inculcate these
aspects into managing affairs. Many firms are not aware of their culture or sensitive to its
distinct characteristics. They become aware of it when they have to induct managers and other
personnel from other firms with different cultures or even more acutely when mergers and
acquisitions take place. Perhaps this is the reason why international human resource
management has developed itself into a discipline and has become a part and parcel of
academic studies in MBA.
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1. Identification & evaluation of the opportunities: It is very difficult task. Most good
business opportunities do not suddenly appear, but rather result from an entrepreneur’s
alertness to possibilities or in some cases, the establishment of mechanism that identify
potential opportunities. For example, entrepreneur asks at every cocktail party whether anyone
is using a product that does not adequately fulfil its intended purpose. This person is
constantly looking for need and an opportunity to create a better product. Another
entrepreneur always monitors the play habits and toys of her nieces and nephews. This is her
way of looking for any unique toy product niche for a new venture. In this stage the
entrepreneur needs to develop his thinking on the following aspects side by side.
(a) Opportunity assessment,
(b) Creation & length of opportunity,
(c) Real & perceived value of opportunity,
(d) Risk & returns involved in the opportunity,
(e) Opportunity versus personal skill and goals,
(f) Competitive environment,
(g) National priorities & State’s intentions.
It is important to mention here that opportunity here could of marketing a visible, tangible
physical product service & may involve technical logistics too. Sometimes technical oriented
business opportunities are conceptualised while working on some other related or even
unconnected projects. It is also very pertinent to mention here that business opportunity or
idea may spring up from consumers, business associates, bankers, channel members, technical
people, reports citations or demand-supply gap reports of the state etc. What ever is the
opportunity or source of idea opportunity analysis needs to be undertaken. Opportunity
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2. Developing Business Plan: A good business plan must be developed in order to explicit
the defined opportunity. It is as good as a preparation of a report. This is perhaps the most
time consuming but an important process. An Entrepreneur usually would not have prepared a
business plan before and may not have the resources available to do a good job. Even if the
Entrepreneur has prepared a plan before, it may not be for the opportunity for one on hand at
present. Although the preparation needs lot of information & expertise the information varies
from the type of product, service or targeted consumers. The following are the important
issues that are considered under the development of a business plan.
(a) Develop a Report / Business Plan:
(i) Title page
(ii) Table of contents
(iii) Executive Summary
(iv) Major section:
(1) Description of business
(2) Technology plan
(3) Marketing plan
(4) Financial plan
(5) Production plan
(6) Organisation plan
(7) Operational plan
(8) Summary
(v) Appendix (Exhibits).
3. Determine the Resources Required: This process starts with an appraisal of the
entrepreneur’s present resources. Any resources that are critical need to be differentiated from
those that are just helpful. Care must be taken not to underestimate the amount and variety of
resources needed. The downside risk associated with insufficient or inappropriate resources
should also be assessed. Here resources would also mean the talent, skills, expertise, and
knowledge, name of the sponsor besides usual resources like men, money, machine, materials
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& management. It is in this phase that besides listing various resources side by side the
suppliers are also listed. This ensures scientific approach such that an entrepreneur can
structure a deal that enables the resources to re acquired at the lowest possible cost and least
loss of control.
4. Manage the Enterprise: This phase involves implementing a management style and
structure, as well as determining the key variables for success. A control system must be
established, so that any problem areas can be quickly identified and resolved. Some
entrepreneurs have difficulty managing and growing the venture they created.
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Assignment Questions:
List out the successful Indian Entrepreneurs
Internal and external Problems faced by entrepreneurs
List out the failure Indian Entrepreneurs
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