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Innovative opportunity pursuit, human capital and business ownership experience in an emerging region: evidence from Ghana

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Abstract

This study explores whether an entrepreneur’s ability to assemble and leverage human capital, particularly specific human capital relating to prior business ownership experience, is associated with seven types of product and work practices innovation in an emerging region, namely, Ghana. Logistic regression estimation revealed that portfolio entrepreneurs were more likely than novice entrepreneurs to report ‘innovation tried’. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that portfolio entrepreneurs were more likely than other entrepreneurs to report ‘innovation tried and introduced’. If the goals of policy are to increase the ‘quality’ of new business start-ups and maximize investment returns, there is a case to target assistance to portfolio entrepreneurs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK

    Paul J. A. Robson

  2. First Capital Plus Savings and Loans Limited, Accra, Ghana

    Charles K. Akuetteh

  3. Durham Business School, Durham University, Mill Hill Lane, Durham, DH1 3LB, UK

    Paul Westhead

  4. Bodø Graduate School of Business, Bodo, Norway

    Paul Westhead

  5. Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    Mike Wright

  6. University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium

    Mike Wright

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  1. Paul J. A. Robson
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  2. Charles K. Akuetteh
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  3. Paul Westhead
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  4. Mike Wright
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Correspondence to Paul J. A. Robson.

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Robson, P.J.A., Akuetteh, C.K., Westhead, P. et al. Innovative opportunity pursuit, human capital and business ownership experience in an emerging region: evidence from Ghana. Small Bus Econ 39, 603–625 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-011-9333-8

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