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THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION INVENTORY
INSTRUCTIONS : This inventory contains 20 pair of statements. In each pair, you may agree with one statement more than the other. You have 5 points to distribute between the two statements. You may distribute the 5 points in any of the following combinations: 0- 5, 1- 4, 2- 3, 3- 2, 4- 1, 5- 0. If you agree slightly more with statement 'a' than with statement 'b', then assign 3 points to 'a' and 2 points to 'b'. If you agree completely with 'a' but do not agree with 'b', assign 5 points to 'a' and 0 points to 'b'. You cannot divide the 5 points equally between the two options; you have to choose one option over the other.
1. a. How successful an entrepreneur one will be depends on a number of factors. One's capabilities may have little to do with one's success.
b. A capable entrepreneur can always shape his/her destiny.
2. a. Entrepreneurs are born, not made.
b. It is possible for people to learn to become more enterprising even if they do not start out that way.
3. a. Whether or not a salesperson will be able to sell his / her product depends on how effective the competitors are.
b. No matter how good the competitors are, an effective salesperson always will be able to sell his / her product.
4. a. Capable entrepreneurs believe in planning their activities in advance.
b. There is no need for advance planning, because no matter how enterprising one is, there always will be chance factors that influence success.
5. a. Whether or not a person can become a successful entrepreneur depends on social and economic conditions.
b. Real entrepreneurs can always be successful, irrespective of social and economic conditions.
6. a. Entrepreneurs fail because of their own lack of ability and perceptiveness.
b. Entrepreneurs are bound to fail at least half the time, because success of failure depends on a number of factors beyond their control.
7. a. Entrepreneurs are often victims of forces they can neither understand nor control.
b. By taking an active part in economic, social and political affairs, entrepreneurs can control events that effect their businesses.
8. a. Whether or not you get a business loan depends on how fair the bank officer you deal with is.
b. Whether or not you get a business loan depends on how good your project plan is.
9. a. When purchasing raw materials or any other goods, it is wise to collect as much information as possible from various sources and then to make a final choice.
b. There is no point in collecting a lot of information, in the long run, the more you pay, the better the product is.
10. a. Whether or not you profit in business depends on how lucky you are.
b. Whether or not you make profit in business depends on how capable you are as an entrepreneur.
11. a. Some types of people can never be successful as entrepreneurs.
b. It is possible to develop entrepreneurial ability in different types of people.
12. a. Whether or not you will be a successful entrepreneur depends on the social environment into which you were born.
b. People can become successful entrepreneurs with effort and capability irrespective of the social strata from which they originated.
13. a. These days, people must depend at every point on the help, support, or mercy of others ( governments, bureaucracies, banks, etc.).
b. It is possible to generate one own's income without depending too much on the bureaucracy. What is required is a knack in dealing with people.
14.. a. The market situation today is very unpredictable. Even perceptive entrepreneurs falter quite often.
b. When an entrepreneur's prediction of the market situation is wrong, that person can blame only himself or herself for failing to read the market correctl.
15. a. With effort, people can determine their own destinies.
b. There is no point in spending time planning or doing things to change one's destiny. What is going to happen will happen.
16. a. There are many events beyond the control of entrepreneurs.
b. Entrepreneurs are the creators of their own experiences.
17. a. No matter how hard a person works, he/she will achieve only what is destined.
b. The rewards one achieves depend solely on the effort one makes.
18. a. Organisational effectiveness can be achieved by employing competent and effective people.
b. No matter how competent the employees in a compnay are, if socio-economic conditions are not good, the organisation will have problems.
19. a. Leaving things to chance and letting time take care of them helps a person to relax and enjoy life.
b. Working for things always turns out better than leaving things to chance.
20. a. The work of competent people always will be recognised.
b. No matter how competent one is, it is almost impossible to get ahead in life without contacts.

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Reproduced from the 1985 Annual " Developing Human Resources", Leonard D. Goodstein and J. Willaim Pfeiffer Edition, San Diego, California University Associates, 1985
 

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