Some Problems in Using Subjective Measures of Effectiveness to Evaluate Entrepreneurial Assistance Programs

Abstract

Two samples of entrepreneurs and small business owners who received assistance from entrepreneurship training programs were used to Investigate the relationships between (1) subjective measures of client satisfaction, (2) perceptions of performance Improvements attributable to the programs, and (3) objective measures of post-assistance business performance. The results show that subjective measures are not correlated with either attributions of performance or actual performance. Clients’ attributions of the portion of performance improvements attributed to the programs are generally correlated with the objective measurements. An implication seems to be that program evaluations relying exclusively upon participants’ satisfaction or subjective judgments of program effectiveness may lead to erroneous conclusions about a program's impact on venture performance. Conversely, measures of attribution, used In conjunction with objective measures, may be useful to support claims for causal connections between assistance programs and subsequent client performance.

Towards Entrepreneurial Learning Competencies: The Perspective of Built Environment Students

“…The literal definition of this French term (entrepreneur) is "to undertake" or "go between" referring to the position an individual assume when pursuing an opportunity. Since the introduction of entrepreneurship education by the United States in the 1940s, the concept has been adopted and integrated into education in many countries as a component of new economic strategy for fostering job creation (McMullan et al, 2001). It has become such an important part of education.…”

Création d’emplois ou création de connaissances, quelle mesure de performance pour l’incubateur ? L’influence des caractéristiques des projets sélectionnés dans le processus d’incubation

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Public Business Advice in the Founding Process: An Empirical Evaluation of Subjective and Economic Effects

“…This information will provide deeper insights into the effects of business advice (McMullan et al, 2001) since it is comprised of the personal judgment of the most central actor in both the business advice process and the firm formation process, that is, the entrepreneur. Nascent entrepreneurs self-select into business advice schemes and make decisions about the scope and intensity of services they use (Chrisman & McMullan, 2000).…”

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