ARTICLE INFO

ABSTRACT

Received date: 13/08/2015

Accepted date: 08/08/2016

This study investigates the impacts of entrepreneurial characteristics on firm performance, based on asurvey of 807 private firms in 2004 and 2009 in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) in Vietnam. Controlling for firm characteristics and industry characteristics, this study found that entrepreneurial characteristics are directly related to firm performance. Specifically, the results show that there is partial support for an inverted U-shaped relationship between tenure and firm performance. While entrepreneurs with higher education and higher levels of informal education are strongly associated with higher firm performance, entrepreneur’s risk-averse behaviour has no connection. The study reinforces the importance of entrepreneurs in private firms in the MRD in comparison with the earlier empirical evidence and suggests further research in the future.

KEYWORDS

Entrepreneurial characteristics, firm performance

Cited as: Tu, P.A. and Diem, N.H., 2016. Entrepreneurial characteristics and private firm performance in the Mekong river Delta. Can Tho University Journal of Science. Vol 3: 38-48.