Unit I Overview of Entrepreneurship
Unit I Overview of Entrepreneurship
Unit I Overview of Entrepreneurship
UNIT I
OVERVIEW OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Introduction
Most people spend a large part of their lives working for somebody else. Several of
them eventually rise to positions of wealth and power, but the rest languish in
unchallenging and low-paying jobs. However, there is a selected few who strikes it out on
their own. Rather than working for others, they put up their own business and find
themselves successful. Thus, they considered entrepreneurship as a rewarding endeavor.
On the other hand, the government encourages people to become employers rather
than mere employees. This is because the government considers the vital role of
entrepreneurship in economic development. And in order to support this activity, the
government enacted several laws and policies.
Aside from being creative, the entrepreneur possesses ten important competencies
needed to successfully operate the business and to overcome various challenges and
problems. An emerging concept called intrapreneurship is also a growing concern in the
corporate world. This is necessary so that the organization will remain competitive and
profitable.
During the ancient times, people were nomadic. They transferred from one place to
another to satisfy their needs. As they developed their way of life, they learned or acquired
necessary skills for settling down. This early settlements was called early civilizations.
In Babylon for instance, the people developed their skills in business. The trade
between the people was characterized as lively buying and selling. The seafarers were also
enterprising people who sailed to other places to trade their goods. With this, early cities
were built up.
In like manner, the Black haired people chose to settle down in China because they
believed that the place had highly improved forms of trade, government, art, and science.
Man's mobility therefore not only facilitated in the flourishing of trade but also
facilitated in the widespread sharing of knowledge. It is evident that even during the early
times, entrepreneurship had already been observed since people made use of their skills to
develop and to improve their way of life. Although there were new processes that had
been introduced, still they seek for the better ones. This, however, does not limit other
people to continue looking for other ways to improve more their lives.
Peter Drucker (1970). For him, entrepreneurship is about taking risk. The
entrepreneur is the kind of person that is willing to put his career and financial security on
the line for an idea, spending his time and capital in an uncertain venture.
1. theories which view economic growth as a natural and inevitable process ( general
explanations of economic development)
2. theories that explain economic development as a rational process brought about
when men respond to opportunities (economic explanations of development)
3. socio-psychological theories
5. Climatic conditions determine the energy level of people and, in turn, its rate of
development. Ellsworth Huntington concluded that extremes of temperatures as
well as high fluctuation of climatic conditions would have a detrimental effect on the
energy levels of people. An average temperature is the most stimulating climate.
6. The challenge of the natural environment is responsible for the rise of civilization. A
country for instance that has an absolute advantage would really have a more
developed economy over the others.
In contrast to this point of view, John Maynard Keynes pointed out that capitalists or
entrepreneurs are most likely to invest their resources when there is demand for the
community. With increasing demand by an increasing population, capitalists would
most likely invest more.
Socio-Psychological Theory
Categories of Enterprises
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In a bid to bolster financial support for small business, President Arroyo on signed
into law the Magna Carta for Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (MSMEs) or
Republic Act 9501.
The law aims to strengthen financial support to small businesses by addressing the
problem of lack of capital and access to credit and is part of the priority legislative agenda
crafted by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) for the
remaining session days of Congress.
RA 9501 requires banks and lending institutions to allocate at least eight percent of
their loan portfolio to micro and small enterprises.
The present law requires only a six percent minimum allocation for micro and small
enterprises and a minimum of two percent for medium enterprises.
Firms will now be considered as micro enterprises when they have total assets of
not more than P3 million, up from the previous threshold amount of P1.5 million.
Small enterprises will be those with total assets of P3 million to not more than P15
million.
Medium enterprises are those with total assets of P15 million to P100 million, from
the previous threshold amount of P60 million. (Arroyo signs MSME law; redefines micro,
small traders
05/23/2008 | 07:23 PM http://www.gmanews.tv/story/97000/Arroyo-signs-MSME-law-
redefines-micro-small-traders)
The figure below shows that majority of the businesses that operate in the country
are micro, small and medium enterprises. Eighty-eight per cent (88.45%) are micro
enterprises.
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The government also provides policies and infrastructures to speed up the growth of the
economy.
interest of consumers. The government can close the firm down when it is
proven that something harmful is being done to the public.
5. Decentralization and localization. With this, there has been an increase in
the participation of local government in crucial business activities. The
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for instance implements various
efforts such as consolidating business registration requirements, buyer-
supplier matching, streamlining financial requirements of government
financing institutions (GFIs) and other similar initiatives toward reducing the
cost of doing business. The Department of Interior and Local Government
(DILG) provides one-stop shops to address complaints and other concerns
about the local government. Both aforementioned agencies offer business
counseling as well as service facilities such as fax, computer and the like
through SME centers.
Programs for the promotion, expansion, and growth of small and medium industries
are grouped into three broad categories namely financial assistance, technology/production
assistance, marketing assistance and training assistance.
Financial Assistance
continuously being provided to SMEs through the various development and implementing
office of the Department of Trade and Industry, governmental and non-governmental
agencies and various external organizations, among others.
Training Assistance
LESSON 1
SUMMARY
Entrepreneurship has been practiced even during the early times. There were
notable individuals who contributed to its development which helps us to better
understand the concept today. Entrepreneurship has been associated with economic
development. The topic on the different theories must have helped you identify what
theory supports entrepreneurship.
As entrepreneurship becomes widely accepted, efforts were made for its further
development. In the Philippines, enterprises were categorized into Micro, Small and
Medium in order to determine what needs more assistance and in what way. The
government supports entrepreneurship in various ways. It could be in the form of laws or
more specific assistance along financial, marketing or technical.
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LESSON 2
DEFINITION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ENTREPRENEUR AND THE TEN PERSONAL
ENTREPRENEURIAL COMPETENCIES
Definition of entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneur
The word entrepreneur originates from the French word, entreprendre, which
means "to undertake." In a business context, it means to start a business. The Merriam-
Webster Dictionary presents the definition of an entrepreneur as one who organizes,
manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.
Wealth is created when such innovation results in new demand. From this
viewpoint, one can define the function of the entrepreneur as one of combining various
input factors in an innovative manner to generate value to the customer with the hope that
this value will exceed the cost of the input factors, thus generating superior returns that
result in the creation of wealth.
Man is vital in the success of any business endeavor. He mobilizes resources and
makes use of his skills to look for better ways of doing things. He continuously looks for
opportunities for the improvement of the organization. When faced with problems, he
persistently looks for the best alternative to solve the problem.
Achievement Cluster
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1. Opportunity seeking. This means that he readily identifies opportunities for going
into business. He sees and acts on new opportunities. He seizes unusual
opportunities to obtain financing, equipment, land, workspace or assistance.
2. Commitment to the work contract. Once he accepts a job, he accepts full
responsibility for the satisfaction of the customer.
3. Persistence. When faced with obstacles, he takes repeated or different actions to
overcome them.
4. Risk taking. He is however a cautious risk taker because he takes moderate risks,
after assessing the advantages and disadvantages personally.
5. Demand for efficiency and quality. He acts to do things that meet or surpass
existing standards of excellence or improve on past performance. He strive to do
things better, faster, and cheaper.
Planning Cluster
6. Goal setting. He sets clear and specific short-term objectives and long-term goals.
7. Information seeking. He personally seeks information on clients, suppliers, and or
competitors and makes positive efforts in finding relevant information for the
benefit of the business. He consults for business and technical advice from experts.
8. Systematic planning and monitoring. Before making plans, the entrepreneur
gathers all the necessary data and follows a process in order to reach goals. He
monitors his activities and evaluates alternatives when problems crop up.
Power Cluster
9. Persuasion and networking. He links with other individuals, agencies and other
groups to maintain business contacts. He also uses deliberate strategies to
influence or persuade others.
10. Self-confidence. He has strong belief in his own abilities.
LESSON 2
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SUMMARY
Ethics and social responsibility are two important values in any entrepreneurial
undertaking. There is a very evident link between ethics and social responsibility: a socially
responsible firm should be an ethical firm and an ethical firm should be socially responsible.
To distinguish the two, corporate social responsibility is about responsibility to all
stakeholders while ethics is about morally correct behavior. (http://courseblog-
entrepreneurship.blogspot.com/2013/03/notes-ethics-and-social-responsibility.html)
1. Intellectual property is artistic and industrial creations of the mind. Examples are
copyright, patent and trademark. Copyright is the exclusive right to perform,
display, copy or distribute an artistic work. A patent is the exclusive right to make,
use, or sell a device or process. A trademark is a symbol that indicates that the use
of a brand or brand name is legally protected and cannot be used by other
businesses.
So, an entrepreneur must be aware of the above concepts and be conscious on the
things they use and introduce in order not to encounter problems regarding
intellectual property.
Corporate social responsibility means that businesses act in ways that balance profit
and growth with the good of the society. This means that if you do good, you will do well.
For instance, treating your employees ethically like providing them with the right salary and
other compensation will lead to employee satisfaction and loyalty which are beneficial to
the successful operations of an enterprise. Entrepreneurs are responsible to the following:
1) individuals; 2) environment; and 3) community.
(https://www.district205.net/cms/lib07/IL01001003/Centricity/Domain/116/Chapter_5-
W.pdf)
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Responsibility to individuals
How can the entrepreneur become responsible to the environment? Some ways are
enumerated below:
1. Sustainable design. The entrepreneur must offer products which will not harm
the environment which may result to resource depletion.
2. Alternative energy. The entrepreneur may support the use of fossil-fuel
alternatives such as solar, wind and hydrogen power whichever is applicable. In
which case, the entrepreneur helps in controlling pollution that harms the
environment.
3. Organics. The growing number of people consuming organic produce is a good
start for entrepreneurs. Offering organic produce will not only benefit the
customers but the environment as well.
4. Fair trade. This is a way of doing business based on principles of social and
environmental responsibility and promoting sustainable growth. Without proper
planning and monitoring, the entrepreneur may lead to overproduction which
may lead to overconsumption of natural resources which causes natural
depletion.
The entrepreneur may adopt the following initiatives for the benefit of the
community:
LESSON 3
SUMMARY
Ethics and social responsibility are two different words but they are so much related.
Businesses behaving ethically are socially responsible businesses. There are ethical concerns
and issues for the entrepreneur. These concerns need to be addressed in order to avoid
problems along the way. Corporate social responsibility is a way of balancing profit and
responsibility to the society. Entrepreneurs are responsible to individuals, to the
environment and to the community.
1. Wealth creation and sharing. When entrepreneurs start their business, they invest
and mobilize resources. For instance, when they invest their money, other resources
such as labor and land are utilized, thus owners of land get income through leasing or
sale. Hired labor get compensated which results to increased consumption which will
also benefit other types of businesses. When entrepreneurs succeed in their
businesses, individuals are then attracted to invest their resources.
2. Creation of jobs. Entrepreneurs are job creators. The vast number of micro, small and
medium enterprises in the country employs a number of individuals which aids in
economic development.
3. Balanced regional development. Entrepreneurs locate their businesses in both urban
and rural areas, in cities or even in small communities. With this scattered operations,
infrastructure improvements are expected to facilitate a more efficient and effective
delivery of services.
4. Growth in GDP and Per Capita Income. The use of the various resources like land,
labor and capital add up to the national income, national product and per capita
income of the country.
5. Increase in the standard of living. Entrepreneurs improve the standard of living not
only by providing employment but also by introducing innovations that make the
quality of life better.
6. Foreign market expansion through exports. A growing enterprise definitely would
want to expand sales in a saturated market by considering operating in foreign markets
through exporting.
7. Community development. An enterprise established in a community aids in its
development. An enterprise’s need for better infrastructure for education and training,
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healthcare and other public services paves the way of attracting other businesses to
invest and eventually contribute to the community’s development.
Trends in entrepreneurship
9. Working from home. Almost every startup is leveraging the power of remote work.
And many startups are taking that to the next level and going completely online.
Startups like Knack and Toggl are 100% virtual.
10. Marketing is getting more interactive. Twitter/Facebook is an example. Users
comment or retweet. Social media marketing is making marketing a two-way
conversation.
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11. Consumers are in control. You can’t manipulate or trick people into buying your
product. That just doesn’t work today. Being honest works. They can also easily give
feedback. Negative feedback instantly ruins your reputation.
12. The Internet of Things is here. Internet of Things (or IoT) connects devices to the
Internet to open up new possibilities for using those devices. Apps to control those
devices through IoT are in demand. Data from wearable devices or even your
fridge.
13. Automation is rising. Chatbots and digital assistants are increasing. They are also
getting intelligent. Some even answer like a human would do.
Entrepreneurs face a lot of issues and challenges as they operate their businesses.
The following are some of these challenges: (https://www.deluxe.com/sbrc/financial/top-
10-challenges-faced-entrepreneurs-today-solved)
Aside from the above issues and challenges, Neil Patel also identified other issues
and challenges: (https://thegrittifund.com/entrepreneurship-ecosystem/trends-issues-
challenges/)
11. Difficulty Keeping up with innovations or being the visionary. With the large
number of competitors emerging, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up
innovating. On top of that, investors want a better product. Knowing when to
change is becoming key.
12. Harder navigating regulation and compliance. More and more regulations and
bureaucratic red tapes have emerged. Many startups are bringing in a consultant
to help with these areas rather than trying to understand the complexities
themselves.
13. Exploding data. With 90% of the world’s data was created in the past two years
and managing, keeping safe and extracting insights from the ever-increasing
amounts of data your company produces is becoming difficult.
14. Maintaining reputation is getting tougher. With sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor,
customers can voice any displeasure so much more publicly and loudly than ever
before. Businesses need to continually monitor and maintain their online
reputations.
LESSON 4
SUMMARY
General instruction: Complete the learning activities below and submit to your instructor
through the link provided. The file name format will be LASTNAME-FIRSTNAME-UNIT I
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A 63-year-old farmer, one day, went to Chicago to see the advertising and marketing
firm of Gersonm, Howe and Johnson. You see, this farmer was totally obsessed with his
new product, which actually took him at least ten years to develop. For the past 4,000 year
or so, nobody has ever perfected the 100% popability of corn.
That’s right, POPCORN. This man’s passion, his masterpiece, his business was the good
old popcorn we bring to the moviehouse. And for four years, after having discovered the
rick to its “popability” (an exact moisture content of the kernel would blast the kernel apart
when steamed, allowing it to be fluffier and lighter), he wore down his car tires and shoe-
leather going from farmer to processor to retailer. But nobody paid attention too his
popcorn. Their reason, there are over 80 brands of popcorn and they have no room for
another most especially when it costs two and a half times as much.
Disappointed and discouraged over his foolishness to pursue his dream, he thought of
settling with his old as a county agricultural agent. Then a memory from his Sunday school
classes during his childhood stuck him. It was a passage from the Bible that says, For by
wise guidance you can wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory (Proverbs
2:6). After some thought, the farmer decided it was time to get his ego out of the way and
admit that he does need some help on the ins and outs of big-time marketing. Back in
Chicago, he found himself seated in front of two young copywriters, a retailing expert and
Mr. Gersonn, the president of the marketing firm. “Talk to us about popcorn,”the president
said.
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The farmer, whose name was Orville, began talking-explaining his convictions to
send this product out for others to enjoy. Well he actually talked about his popcorn for full
three hours, while the consultants sat down listening.
After one week, Orville came back for the marketing schemes that these fellows
formulated. However, he found them ridiculous when he heard them. One, they wanted to
use his full name for a brand name. They wanted to call it Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet
Popping Corn. Second, they wanted to put his picture in the packaging. He could not
believe he paid $13,000 for someone who could come up with these so-called marketing
strategies! If people balked ate the price before, what would they say now with a funny
name and a funny face?
Convinced however that this was God’s way… he test marketed his newly branded
product in the biggest retailer in Chicago – Marshall fields. And the rest of course, is history.
Orville Redenbacher began filling warehouses with huge stocks of his gourmet popcorn. In
fact, he could hardly keep up with the orders. Today, Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet
Popping Corn is a product of Hunt-Wesson Foods. You can actually buy them in
supermarkets, convenience and online stores in the Philippines.