Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business

Department

Continuing Education

First Advisor

Dr. Angela Wright

Abstract

This Research Study looks at the Irish entrepreneurial landscape in the aftermath of the collapse of the Celtic Tiger, particularly at the small businesses sector. This study also looks at what entrepreneurs think of the effectiveness of the current policies in Ireland in helping entrepreneurs and businesses to cope and survive the current recession. The study looks at people who lost their businesses during the collapse of the Celtic Tiger and asks the question 'Can these people be supported to start-up back into business again?’

A qualitative research approach was undertaken in this study using the semi-structured interview method to capture the experiences, thoughts and opinions of people involved in Irish entrepreneurial life, especially during and after the Celtic Tiger era. The ‘Grounded Theory’ of qualitative analysis was used the identify patterns, trends and facts to base the findings of this research on. This research study is exploratory and inductive in nature where the findings would prove to be new and lead further study being carried out to get a more thorough picture of what is happening in Irish entrepreneurship in the aftermath of the collapse of the Celtic Tiger. Based on the findings in this research this research makes recommendations for further research.

The main findings from this study are that Ireland is rapidly loosing its traditional negative view of entrepreneurial failure as a result of the collapse of the Celtic Tiger. This study finds there are two reasons for this in attitude. First is the extent of entrepreneurial failure in Ireland as a result of the economic collapse in 2008. The second is the fact that traditional Irish role models such as Sean Quinn, Ivan Yeats and Westlife’s Shane Filan have suffered entrepreneurial failure as a result of the economic collapse. This study will be of benefit to those who wish to do further future studies into entrepreneurial activities in Ireland post Celtic Tiger.

Access Level

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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