Profiling the tropical entrepreneur

Eijdenberg, Emiel L.;Chaiechi, Taha

Abstract

Amongst the different existing types of entrepreneurs (e.g., portfolio entrepreneurs, serial entrepreneurs, and social entrepreneurs), an important one has been overlooked: the tropical entrepreneur. While most of the world’s socioeconomically disadvantaged people live in the tropics, they are all dependent on endangered tropical natural resources. Rapid migration and urbanization require tropical cities to expand rapidly, and in doing so, they become increasingly attractive to entrepreneurs. This phenomenon calls for an exploration of the profile of the entrepreneur based in the tropics, seen through a climatological and geographical lens. This chapter’s point of departure is a review of relevant literature. Subsequently, based on quantitative and descriptive analyses of n = 81 surveys collected between October 2020 and March 2021, we empirically assessed what a tropical location means to entrepreneurs. On a granular level, the findings indicate how gender, age groups, and education levels result in different perceptions of tropical locations’ coastal proximity, presence of infectious diseases, and agricultural productivity. Our findings also open avenues for future research and provide clear takeaways for practitioners and entrepreneurs in the tropics.

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Publication Name

Business, Industry, and Trade in the Tropics

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ISBN/ISSN

9781003153580

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Publisher

Routledge

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Publisher Location

Abingdon, Oxon, UK

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DOI

10.4324/9781003153580-2