Title: Selection of preference order entrepreneurial skills by using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (the case study of entrepreneurs in Iran and Malaysia)

Authors: Younos Vakil Alroaia; Rohizat Bin Baharun

Addresses: Department of Management, Semnan Branch, Islamic azad University, Semnan, Iran ' Faculty of Management, Department of Business Administration, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia

Abstract: The aim of the study is to identify and ranking the effective factors of entrepreneurs in the SMEs which are as important entrepreneurial skills for developing their activities. Entrepreneurial skills are related to the personal and interpersonal competencies of people and are expressed in their behaviour. Entrepreneurs must be able to spot a gap in the market and recognise what new product or services will fill that gap. The focus of the paper is on the development of the entrepreneur's personal entrepreneurial skills. By using Delphi method and commends of the experts' three groups of competencies of entrepreneurial skills were recognised. The FAHP method of this survey could be used for analysis and prioritising of entrepreneurial skills. Entrepreneurial skills were divided into three groups including personal, business management and technical entrepreneurial skills. The result from FAHP shows that the maximum relative weight and preference order for the third groups respectively are innovativeness, technical business management and decision making.

Keywords: entrepreneurial skills; SMEs; AHP; Malaysia; Iran.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2017.087837

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2017 Vol.32 No.4, pp.444 - 460

Received: 18 Jun 2015
Accepted: 07 Dec 2015
Published online: 06 Nov 2017 *

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