Entrepreneurship in Estonia: Profiles of Entrepreneurs
1995; Wiley; Volume: 33; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0047-2778
Autores Tópico(s)Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences
ResumoFollowing the democratic revolution that closed out a ruined Soviet system in 1990, the emergence of independent Baltic states set in motion a drive toward a free and private enterprise economy in that part of the world. For these three nations, the transition is proving to be a challenging experience as governments strive to develop their own legal, economic, and commercial structures for a free market economy. While many of the people of the Baltics feel the process will take a long time before benefits are felt, there is some confidence among them that things will work out. They point to the experience in Poland and its relative success (Dandridge and Dziedziczak 1992). Within the last decade, Poland has moved from a state-controlled society to an economy in which 58 percent of all employment is in the private sector, and this sector produces 50 percent of the nation's GNP (Michaels 1993). There is a small but growing cadre of entrepreneurs in the Baltics who are starting their own businesses and/or are improving the way they manage existing state enterprises in spite of a shattered infrastructure (Olivier 1991) and the attitudes of the old order. The government of Estonia believes that the keys to growth and overcoming many of the factors that inhibit its economy are the entrepreneur and a supportive environment (Maggina 1992). To some extent, the American model of successful growth may be seen as a guide to the Estonian movement (Kirchoff and Phillips 1987), and the country has come a long way toward that model. At the same time a part of the drive to free enterprise comes also from Estonia's association with Finland. Estonians come from the same ethnic origins as the Fins, and both languages share the same roots. For the last decade, Estonians have watched and learned considerably from Finnish television. Defining the Estonian Entrepreneur There is the argument that human values are consistent across national borders; that the psychological and personal profiles presumably characteristic of entrepreneurs (Brockhouse 1980) may apply to Estonians as well as Westerners. This argument holds that it is the internal motivations of an individual that direct the drive to go it alone, often despite a hostile economic environment. Locus of control, job security, achievement needs, familial demographics, and satisfaction are said to be factors of common concern to all entrepreneurs in varying degrees. To gain insight into Estonian entrepreneurs and their problems, a number of business people were interviewed in the Estonian cities of Tallinn and Parnu during February of 1993. Most had started their companies within the last two years, though some worked in state-owned businesses which had been in operation for twenty years or more. All of the individuals who were interviewed shared similar demographic profiles. They were married, had modest families, and had earned a college education. They were aware that the road ahead would be difficult, and there were few illusions that they would become wealthy overnight. In fact, independence was of more importance to them than money. Every one of the dozen individuals who were studied exhibited some or many of the classic entrepreneurial traits. These individuals represent a growing body of business people who are the engine of the Estonian economy in transition. Within the last two years, approximately 20,000 enterprises have been registered with municipal authorities in Estonia. These are comprised of about 1,000 state-run and institutional operations in the process of conversion; about 2,000 cooperatives, municipal and joint ventures, subsidiaries, and foreign corporations; and about 17,000 newly-formed, privately-owned companies and cooperatives. (These estimates were developed from information provided by the Parnu Municipal Statistics Office.) Many of the latter group consist of one person or were part-time operations. In a number of cases they are enterprises that were formed for a single event and are now dormant. …
Referência(s)