Proceedings of 11th International Business and Social Science Research Conference
8 - 9 January, 2015, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai, UAE. ISBN: 978-1-922069-70-2
The Moderating Effects of Ultra Diverse Population on
Entrepreneurial Perceptions and Intentions: A UAE Perspective
Shahin Bahrami
This study aims to examine the behavioral aspects of entrepreneurial propensity in a regional
context. Various antecedents such as gender, culture and attitude toward risk have been widely
reported as having a moderating effect on perceptions and actions toward entrepreneurship. This
study focused on two specific factors of family support and attitude toward risk decisions. While
published findings in the entrepreneurial intent literature indicate both of these antecedents having
a moderating effect on intention toward becoming entrepreneurs; with family support showing a
positive relationship and risk showing a negative relationship particularly in the context of female
gender, this regional study was not able to validate those findings. The reason was attributed to
the geographical location of the study characterized as having an unusually high population
diversity. It has been reported that expats compose 88% of the UAE population
(www.emirates247.com). Data was gathered from a sample of over 200 participants who indicated
having a propensity for opening their own business in the near future. The results showed that the
previously reported correlation between increased likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur when a
close family member owns and runs their own business was not validated by this study. Likewise,
the effects of gender related behavior toward risk suggesting that females are more risk averse
than males was not validated by this study either. The correlations found were statistically
insignificant. This study thus expands the existing literature by showing that an unusually high
population diversity may yield unexpected results, and cause the findings to deviate from the
previously reported findings of the studies that were conducted using less diverse research
samples.
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Dr. Shahin Bahrami, Associate professor of Management, School of Business Administration, American
University in Dubai, P.O. Box 28282, Dubai, UAE. Email: sbahrami@aud.edu