A NEW ENTREPRENEURIAL CAREER MODEL BASED ON THE LIFE AND CAREER DECISIONS OF STEVE JOBS

摘要

The meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and spectacular comeback associated with Steve Jobs' career path is a vivid example of the risks and rewards associated with following an entrepreneurial career. Steve Jobs' life and career combine to create a compelling story on many levels. There is the rags to riches story of an adopted child who achieves cult like adoration from the customers who buy his products. There are spectacular failures along with undreamed of successes. There is a hero who bravely battles cancer and a genius whose work is cut short at the age of fifty-six. At the heart of the story, there is an entrepreneur. While there is much research on the factors leading to an individual's decision to become an entrepreneur [17], there is less research on how they live out their entrepreneurial careers. Some research has focused on entrepreneurs' growth intentions [2], but very little has examined the career stages of entrepreneurs as their careers evolve. Other research has explored how different variables at different stages of a person's life may influence them to become entrepreneurs [18]. However, there is not much research on the influence of these variables on later career stages.