University of Twente Student Theses

Login

The influence of uncertainty (in)tolerance on decision-making behaviour of entrepreneurs

Ruiter, K.J. (2021) The influence of uncertainty (in)tolerance on decision-making behaviour of entrepreneurs.

[img] PDF
1MB
Abstract:What an entrepreneur decides is related to how it is decided: the decision logic. Scholars have asked for a better understanding of the effects of individual-level variables such as personality traits on entrepreneurial decision-making research. This study examined the relation between the attitude towards uncertainty and the decision-making behaviour of entrepreneurs. To examine this, 20 semi-structured interviews were held with craft beer brewers from the Netherlands. The interviews were coded by 2 students and 1 effectuation expert based on the 4 dimensions of effectuation and causation. The attitude towards uncertainty was measured for both prospective, inhibitory, and general anxiety based on the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. The results show no clear relation between effectual and causal decision-making and the uncertainty (in)tolerance of entrepreneurs, but rather a relation between the levels of anxiety and some dimensions of entrepreneurial decision-making. The conclusion that the attitude towards uncertainty influences only certain aspects of decision-making behaviour gives us a better understanding of how entrepreneurial decision-making processes take place and challenges some previous studies. As this study took place during the covid-19 pandemic, future (longitudinal) research could investigate what the (long-term) influence is of the covid-19 pandemic on the attitude towards uncertainty and the decision-making behaviour of entrepreneurs.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:Business Administration MSc (60644)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/86264
Export this item as:BibTeX
EndNote
HTML Citation
Reference Manager

 

Repository Staff Only: item control page