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Creative personality, opportunity recognition and the tendency to start businesses: A study of their genetic predispositions

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  • Shane, Scott
  • Nicolaou, Nicos

Abstract

We explored the effect of having a creative personality on the identification of business opportunities and the tendency to start businesses. Examining a sample of 3242 twins from the United Kingdom, which we surveyed in 2011, we confirmed that people with creative personalities are more likely than others to identify business opportunities and start businesses. We investigated how much of these associations are accounted for by a shared genetic etiology and found that common genetic influences account for a significant fraction of them. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on creative personality, opportunity recognition and entrepreneurship.

Suggested Citation

  • Shane, Scott & Nicolaou, Nicos, 2015. "Creative personality, opportunity recognition and the tendency to start businesses: A study of their genetic predispositions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 407-419.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:30:y:2015:i:3:p:407-419
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2014.04.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Creative personality; Entrepreneurship; Opportunity recognition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship

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