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Success and Failure of Microbusiness Owners in Africa A Psychological Approach
(Click to Enlarge)
Michael Frese
Book Code: Q296
ISBN: 1-56720-296-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-56720-296-0
216 pages, figures, tables
Quorum Books
Publication: 2/28/2000
List Price: $106.95 (UK Sterling Price: £59.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • Based on interviews with African entrepreneurs, Fick reflects on business practices suited to harsh political and economic circumstances, and describes the strategies and techniques which led these men and women to success. The potential for ethical business practices, and the contribution entrepreneurs make to their communities is specifically stressed. The roles of technology and leadership are also considered.
    —Reference & Research Book News     August 2002
Description: Only if they do the right thing at the right time will owners of small businesses succeed. Simple enough, but what are the factors in their psychological makeup that enable them to do it? Frese and his contributors have studied small businesses in four African countries from a psychological perspective--the first time this has been done--and report that it's the psychological aspects of their strategies, not just the strategies themselves, that contribute significantly to their success. They also prove that many of the stereotypes that seem to characterize the owners of microbusinesses are clearly incorrect. Executives, analysts, bankers, international entrepreneurs, and their academic colleagues will discover that many of the conclusions they have drawn from previous studies can not be generalized. Only by separating those that can be generalized from those that can not, can we get a true understanding of the small business entrepreneurial dynamic. Frese and his colleagues focus on South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Zambia to produce a clear overview of the research on microbusiness and entrepreneurship in developing countries. They find that psychological strategies are closely related to entrepreneurial success, but because conditions in these countries differ widely, the particulars of certain strategies and their effectiveness may also differ. They show that a number of ideas prevalent among professionals and entrepreneurship researchers in developing countries need to be challenged. Among them, that microenterprise owners who started their companies because they were unemployed do worse than those who started for other, more "positive" reasons. Also, that human capital (education) represents the most important set of variables to be considered for success (it isn't), or that employing family members decreases success (it doesn't). Well written and impeccably researched, the book is an essential contribution to corporate and academic libraries, as well as to the knowledge of individuals in business, psychology, entrepreneurial and regional studies, and related fields.
Table of Contents:
  • Psychological Success Factors of Entrepreneurship in Africa: A Selective Literature Review by Michael Frese and Machlien de Kruif
  • The Psychological Strategy Process and Socio-Demographic Variables as Predictors of Success in Micro and Small-scale Business Owners in Zambia by Madelief Keyser, Mechlien de Kruif, and Michael Frese
  • Socio-Demographic Factors, Entrepreneurial Orientation, Personal Initiative, and Environmental Problems in Uganda by Sabine Koop, Tamara de Reu, and Michael Frese
  • Problems and Coping, Strategies, and Initiative in Microbusiness Owners in South Africa by Gwenda van Steekelenburg, Maartje Lauw, Michael Frese, and Kobus Visser
  • Micro-Enterprises in Zimbabwe: On the Function of Socio-Demographic Factors, Psychological Strategies, Personal Initiative, and Goal Setting for Entrepreneurial Success by Michael Frese, Stefanie Krauss, and Christian Friedrich
  • Development and Growth of Small-Scale Entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe: A Practical View by Christian Friedrich
  • Formalization--The Major Criterion of Success in Developing Countries by David Harrison
  • For the Specialist: Methodological Issues of the Studies in Zambia, Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe by Michael Frese
  • Executive Summary, Conclusions, and Policy Implications by Michael Frese
  • Index
LC Card Number: 99-046059
LCC Class: HD62
Dewey Class: 658
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