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Explaining the off-the-books enterprise culture of Ukraine: reluctant or willing entrepreneurship?

Author

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  • Colin C. Williams
  • John Round
  • Peter Rodgers

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing realisation that beyond the realm of legitimate entrepreneurship is a large, hidden enterprise culture composed of entrepreneurs conducting some or all of their trade off-the-books. Until now, however, few have evaluated how many entrepreneurs start-up their ventures trading off-the-books and why they do so. Reporting face-to-face interviews conducted in Ukraine during 2005-2006 with 331 entrepreneurs, the finding is not only that the vast majority (90%) operate partially or wholly off-the-books, but also that they are not all driven by necessity, as a last resort and as a survival strategy into entrepreneurship. Revealing how many are willing rather than reluctant entrepreneurs; and that even those who were initially reluctant and ventured into it out of necessity, became more willing entrepreneurs over time as their business became established – the paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for both further research and public policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Colin C. Williams & John Round & Peter Rodgers, 2010. "Explaining the off-the-books enterprise culture of Ukraine: reluctant or willing entrepreneurship?," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 10(2), pages 165-180.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijesbu:v:10:y:2010:i:2:p:165-180
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Colin C. Williams & Youssef Youssef, 2014. "Is Informal Sector Entrepreneurship Necessity- or Opportunity-driven? Some Lessons from Urban Brazil," Business and Management Research, Business and Management Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 3(1), pages 41-53, March.
    2. David Smallbone & Friederike Welter, 2012. "Cross-border entrepreneurship," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(3-4), pages 95-104, April.
    3. Colin C. Williams, 2014. "Confronting the Shadow Economy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 15370.
    4. Nofal Razan Jamil & Bader Obeidat, 2019. "Reviewing the Mediating Role of Organizational Learning Capability on the Effect of Transformational Leadership on Entrepreneurial Orientation," Journal of Business & Management (COES&RJ-JBM), , vol. 7(2), pages 111-136, April.

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