Entrepreneurs flourish where ruthless business traits are worshipped
About one in eight people in the US have set up their own businesses, while in places such as Belize, Burkina Faso and Peru, that figure is closer to one in four
Maybe Travis Kalanick and Steve Jobs were onto something.There are more entrepreneurs in countries where ruthless business traits are held in higher esteem — even after controlling for gender, education level and GDP per capita, according to a review by researchers at Aston Business School in the UK and Kansas State University in the USAbout one in eight people in the US have set up their own businesses. In places such as Belize, Burkina Faso and Peru, that figure is closer to one in four, according to data gathered by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor consortium, a study group coordinated out of the Aston Business School and the University of Strathclyde Business School.In most areas of the world, charisma is seen as a desirable trait. Think of bosses such as Richard Branson, who has brokered audacious deals for his Virgin group of companies — including plans for space travel — by dint of his personality. But characteristics vital to self-preservation are more highly valued in co...
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