Title: Factors effective on entrepreneurship in small and medium enterprise

Authors: Abolfazl Rohani; Elham Keshavarz; Arezu Keshavarz

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Payame Noor University, P.O. Box 19395-3697, Tehran, Iran ' Management Department, Payame Noor University, P.O. Box 19395-3697, Tehran, Iran ' Management Department, Payame Noor University, P.O. Box 19395-3697, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: Generally, business environment consists of some factors that influence corporation performance but managers are not able to change them easily. If an entrepreneur has sufficient and appropriate knowledge of the environment, he is able to set up and manage a business effectively. He will avoid some risks and so his rate of success will increase. Environment suitable to entrepreneurial activity has its potential impact on steady and long term development in a special region. In this study, firms including oil pipeline and telecommunication, oil product distribution company, national gas company were ranked regarding to sub-scales related to different levels of factors effective on success in small and medium enterprises of petroleum industry by using fuzzy hierarchical analysis (FAHP) and fuzzy TOPSIS. The results obtained from both methods indicate that pipeline and telecommunication company in petroleum industry are more important than national gas company and oil product distribution company in oil industry.

Keywords: entrepreneurship benefits; fuzzy TOPSIS; fuzzy AHP; analytical hierarchy process; FAHP; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; petroleum industry; oil industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2015.068529

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2015 Vol.20 No.4, pp.481 - 500

Published online: 22 Apr 2015 *

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