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A Study of Socio-Economic Background of Entrepreneurs from Semi-Urban Centers in Maharashtra

Entrepreneurs are growth drivers and change agents. Entrepreneurship is developed in a conducive, encouraging and supporting social, cultural, economical, technical and political environment. The quality of entrepreneurial force depends on these environmental factors. Social environmental factors such as, family background, caste and religion, social mobility and marginality determines entrepreneurial behavior. The teaching that one should earn his/her livelihood at own, motivates young ones to engage themselves in economic activities. Social status and identity are also significant contributors to entrepreneurship development. How favorable economic environment supports entrepreneurship growth in a big way, can be seen from industrially advanced countries such as, USA, Japan and Germany. This paper is an attempt to highlight on socio-economic background of small entrepreneurs from emerging semi-urban development centers in the state of Maharashtra. The sample entrepreneurs (274) were selected deliberately from four blocks/talukas as these are fast developing business centers. The sample constituted 55.47 percent male respondents and 44.53 percent female respondents having different socio-economic backgrounds. The researcher has tried to examine as to whether there is association between educational, occupational and social backgrounds and entrepreneurial skills developed among the respondent entrepreneurs? What are the influential factors motivating them to select entrepreneurship? The skill levels of the entrepreneurs were classified as high, medium and low on the basis of average score computed on the basis of responses obtained in relation to 11 entrepreneurial skills. The inference of the study is that entrepreneurship skills depend on educational, occupational and social background of the entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs, as the study disclosed, have a very strong will to achieve, to be ahead of others, self-reliance and creation of separate identity coupled with making money/wealth out of their ventures.