Attributions About Entrepreneurship: A Framework and Process for Analyzing Reasons for Starting a Business

The use of attribution theory as a framework and methodology is described (in comparison with more traditional qualitative methods) for evaluating the responses of nascent entrepreneurs and explaining the choices they make when they become involved in business startup activities. A theoretical background for attributional coding is used to describe the process and to offer a model for training and testing its accuracy. The advantages of the PSED (the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics) data set are explained as well as the date when these data will enter the public domain. The PSED involves the identification of nascent entrepreneurs using a random telephone survey procedure. The findings suggest that the following techniques will improve the ways coders analyze answers to attributional questions: (1) by conducting the equivalent of preliminary analysis; (2) by encouraging independence and verifying consistency; (3) by avoiding over-interpretation; (4) by standardizing; (5) by attending to the coder's comfort level; and (6) by training. Recommendations are made for ways in which this coding scheme might be used in further research studies. It is suggested that the attributional framework should advance the understanding of business creation.(CBS)