AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT
ITALY AND UNITED STATES IN COMPARISON
ARE ENTREPRENEURS
BORN OR MADE?
2 RAPPORTO GLOBALE AMWAY SULL‘IMPRENDITORIALITA 2014
Fieldwork:
• April – July 2014
Sample:
• 43.902 men and women aged 14-99 (representative target groups of the countries’ populations)
Countries:
• 38 countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland,
Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia,
Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, USA)
Method:
• Face-to-face/telephone interviews
Institute:
• Gfk Nuremberg, Germany
SURVEY DESIGN
INTRO AND OBJECTIVES
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The Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report examines how topics such as self-employment,
entrepreneurial spirit and professional freedom are perceived in the current economic and
labor scenario.
The project, commissioned by Amway to Gfk Nuremberg, in cooperation with the Technical
University of Munich, has come to its fifth edition and, since 2013, became a global scale
initiative. For the 2014 edition of the report, the investigated sample has been extended
from 24 to 38 countries worldwide.
This document focuses in particular in comparing data from Italy and the United States of
America.
Each edition of the Amway report examined in depth a specific subject matter. The central
theme of 2014 is the importance of entrepreneurial education.
V
V
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INTRO AND OBJECTIVES
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Each and every edition of the Amway report opens with two major data: respondents’ attitude towards
entrepreneurship and their subsequent «entrepreneurial potential», meaning their ability to imagine
themselves as self-employed.
Positive attitude:
• Both in Italy and the United States the attitude towards this topic remains positive and, in both
cases, increasing of +6% if compared with the data measured in the previous edition of the
report. It is worth mentioning though, that the USA average is considerably lower than both
global (75%) and European (73%) figures.
Entrepreneurial potential:
• The entrepreneurship potential is referring to those who, independently from their opinion on
self-employment, can actually imagine themselves taking the risk and being able to start a
business on their own. In this case, data are essentially aligned with both global (42%) and
European (38%) average.
ATTITUDE TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP
HOW DO PEOPLE SEE SELF-EMPLOYMENT
5 RAPPORTO GLOBALE AMWAY SULL‘IMPRENDITORIALITA 2014
44
62
43
75
0 20 40 60 80
Entrepreneurial
potential
Positive attitude
Paesi AGER 2014
USA
ITALY
ITALY
USA
+ 6%
+ 6%
+ 2%
+ 2%
ATTITUDE TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP
HOW DO PEOPLE SEE SELF-EMPLOYMENT
6 RAPPORTO GLOBALE AMWAY SULL‘IMPRENDITORIALITA 2014
WHAT ABOUT THE YOUNG?
POSITIVE ATTITUDE AMONG under 35
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS POTENTIAL
Under 35:
In all categories examined by the survey
young respondents always record answers
more positive than the respective national
average.
Italians under 35 years old, in particular,
seem much more keen on self-
employment if compared with their
American peers.
It is worth to pay attention to the
percentage gap of entrepreneurial
potential in Italy among young people as
well: +16% if compared with the national
average (while it is only +1% in the USA).
USA
USA
ITALY
ITALY
7 RAPPORTO GLOBALE AMWAY SULL‘IMPRENDITORIALITA 2014
Women
Men
72%
77%
36%
51%
WHAT ABOUT WOMEN?
62%
63%
41%
47%
attitude potential
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Return to job market
18%
Second income prospects
Self-fulfillment
43%
39%
21%
Independence from an employer
Better work/family time compatibility
21%
WHY ITALIANS WOULD START A BUSINESS ON THEIR OWN?
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Return to job market 41%
Second income prospects
Independence from an employer
60%
59%
53%
Self-fulfillment
Better work/family time compatibility
49%
WHY AMERICANS WOULD START A BUSINESS ON THEIR OWN?
10 RAPPORTO GLOBALE AMWAY SULL‘IMPRENDITORIALITA 2014
62
37
5
91
0 20 40 60 80 100
No
Yes
Paesi AGER 2014
Paesi AGER 2014
USA
ITALY
FEAR OF FAILURE: AN OBSTACLE TO STARTING A BUSINESS?*
USA
*Data from 2013 edition
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CAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP BE TAUGHT?
64%
YES
OF italians
YES
68% Of americans
Under 35:
Also in this case, people under 35 years
old top results considerably higher than
the respective national average.
Indeed, 70% of young italians and 73%
of young americans think
entrepreneurs are made rather than
born.
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Chambers of Commerce, non-profit organizations
Start-up programs provided by companies
Schools, secondary education
Universities, higher education
Self-made
33%
27%
38%
29%
23%
26%
17%
46%
48%
26%
ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION: WHERE?
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Teaching problem solving, innovation, creativity 26%
Analyzing successful case histories
Business skills and basic financial/marketing knowledge
33%
32%
31%
Simulations and entrepreneurship in practice
Entrepreneurial role models and mentoring programs
27%
ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION: HOW?
14 RAPPORTO GLOBALE AMWAY SULL‘IMPRENDITORIALITA 2014
Simulations and entrepreneurship in practice 27%
Entrepreneurial role models and mentoring programs
Business skills and basic financial/marketing knowledge
48%
39%
32%
Leadership and management skills
Teaching problem solving, innovation, creativity
31%
ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION: HOW?
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Practice
Business skills
Mentoring
Leadership
Business skills
Problem solving
What entrepreneurship education should focus on?
Opinions in Italy and the United States deeply diverge when it comes to what should be the most important
aspect upon which establish a successful entrepreneurship educational path.
• Italians believe that practical experience is the key factor to learn how to run a business, including
business plan exercise and mini-company or marketing simulations.
• On the other hand, Americans think that learning how to lead, through management skills, rhetorical
abilities, decision making and motivating employees, is the most crucial aspect.
ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION: HOW?
ITALY USA
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31
61
64
34
0 20 40 60 80
Insufficient
Sufficient
Paesi AGER 2014
Paesi AGER 2014
USA
ITALY
ITALY
USA
IS EDUCATION OFFER IN MY COUNTRY SUFFICIENT?
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27
69
57
40
0 20 40 60 80
Insufficient
Sufficient
Paesi AGER 2014
Paesi AGER 2014
USA
ITALY
ITALIY
USA
IS EDUCATION OFFER IN MY COUNTRY SUFFICIENT? UNDER 35
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30
60
54
44
0 20 40 60 80
Unfavorable
Friendly
Paesi AGER 2014
USA
ITALY
ITALY
USA
IS MY COUNTRY ENTREPRENEURSHIP-FRIENDLY?
+ 9%
- 13%
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V Despite the economic crisis the attitude towards entrepreneurship grows positive in both
Italy and USA.
Young people are the more positive towards this topic and, in particular, it is among the
under 35 age group that a stronger entrepreneurial potential can be recorded.
In both Italy and the United States, in line with the other examined countries, people think
that entrepreneurship can be taught through a specific training and education.
For Italians, an entrepreneurship educational path takes mainly place thanks to Chambers
of Commerce, and start-up programs promoted by non-profit organizations. On the other
hand, in the USA the entrepreneurial skills should be mainly taught in schools and
universities.
In Italy the key learning aspects for a successful start-up are the basic business skills and,
most important, the entrepreneurship in practice. On the other hand, in the United States
a true entrepreneur must have leadership and management skills above all.
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...RECAP
AMWAY GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP REPORT
2014
ENTREPRENEURS
ARE MADE