Effects of entrepreneurial quality towards new venture creation: A multiple case study of successful new ventures in e- commerce in Malaysia

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Studies on entrepreneurship gained attention only thirty years ago and had since highlighted new venture creations and the processes towards quality entrepreneurial growth. Nonetheless, past researches had overlooked e-commerce ventures as one of the aspects of the psychology of entrepreneurship. A critical element in entrepreneurship, an entrepreneur, would be responsible for the creation and establishment of new ventures with suitable personality traits, cognition and motivation. This study, therefore, aimed to describe the importance of personality traits, cognition and motivation that can impact e-commerce new ventures creations in Malaysia.Methodology: This study was designed as data for this study were collected using interviews on 12 entrepreneurs who ventured into e-commerce. These interviews were carried out from May 2013 to December 2014 using a multiple case study approach.Findings: Results from this study showed that seven personality traits, which were creativity, risk-taking, inspiration, autonomy and freedom, tolerance to ambiguity, diligence and persistence, as well as optimism, were the integral influence for new ventures in e-commerce. Cognitive aspects, such as personal background and experiences, as well as both internal and external motivation, also contributed to the creation of new ventures and developed their businesses. The need for achievement and interest were related to internal motivation, while interactions and networking with family members, customers, and industries, boosted external motivation. Contributions: It is hoped that the Malaysian government would encourage more entrepreneurial activities within the country by identifying personality traits, motivation, and cognitive factors in potential entrepreneurs to expand the creations of new ventures further that can boost the economy of the country in the future. In addition, the recommendation of future study should explore the quantitative method to examine the relationship for each variable towards new venture creation in e-commerce.