Types of Entrepreneur and Strategic Level Goal Setting

Abstract

Vesa Routamaa and Jukka Vesalainen are with the University of Vaasa, Finland. Their paper reports on the findings of an empirical study which aimed to find out what kind of entrepreneurs are best able to react to the management problems caused by the growth of firms. It was found that the manager type of entrepreneur was growth oriented but risk avoiding in comparison with the classical entrepreneur. Differences were found in goal setting which, against the background of the growth orientation of the entrepreneurs, could be interpreted to lead either to controlled or uncontrolled growth. The results indicated that even the manager type of entrepreneur at his best could not attain such a firm hold as a professional manager. To be an entrepreneur and a managing director did not always go together.

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