| Nobody can live well by escaping stress in his or her whole life. Entrepreneur experienced stress and burnout beyond ordinary person's imagination. Therefore, the goal to is to explore hiding mechanism of stressor, coping strategy and burnout.By reviewing previous literature, we confirmed that three theoretical issues were unresolved:①which kinds of features of entrepreneur's stressor and coping strategy were identified by entrepreneurs? Namely, contents of entrepreneurial stressor and coping strategy;②which kinds of features of burnout were identified by entrepreneurs? Namely, contents of burnout of entrepreneur;②how did entrepreneur appraise entrepreneurial stress? How did different coping strategy have effect on burnout? Namely, the process mechanism of entrepreneurial stressor- stress- cognition appraisal- coping strategy - burnout; A series of studies were conducted to uncover the process and mechanism of entrepreneurial stressor-coping strategy-burnout.Study one explored the construct of entrepreneurial stressor and coping strategy. We first made a semi-structured interview with 19 entrepreneurs who were different in gender, age, education, entrepreneurial stage. Secondly, a content analysis was made on the interview data. Lastly, based on the literature and interviews, entrepreneurial stressor and coping strategy questionnaire were developed and delivered to entrepreneurs (for vice-presidents whose share is over 10%)in different firms from four industries: IT industry, service industry, construction industry and manufacture industry. The 143 test questionnaires and 289 formal survey questionnaires returned. We found entrepreneurial stressor with the model of five factors, through the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.①The five factors referred to entrepreneurial involvement, rival strength, knowledge store, resource demand and management responsibility.②The study certified six coping strategy by adopting the same method. The six factors referred to self-controlled strategy basing on problem, social-controlled strategy basing on problem, escaping strategy basing on problem, self-controlled strategy basing on emotion, social-controlled strategy basing on emotion, escaping strategy basing on emotion.Study two explored the construct of burnout. We first made a semi-structured interview with 12 entrepreneurs who were different in gender, age, diploma, entrepreneurial stage. Secondly, a content analysis was made on the interview data. Lastly, based on the literatures and interviews, burnout questionnaire was developed and delivered to entrepreneurs (for vice-presidents whose share is over 10%) in different firms from four industries with IT industry, service industry, construction industry and manufacture industry. The 125 questionnaires and 215 formal survey questionnaires returned. We found that burnout is the model of four factors, through the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The four factors referred to emotional exhaustion (EE) , depersonalization of others (DP) , and sense of entrepreneurial personal accomplishment (PA) and sense of entrepreneurial personal identification (PI) .Study three made a study on entrepreneurial stressor-sense of stress-cognition appraisal-coping strategy-burnout by adopting transactional theory. The process included two parts:①when face on stressor, entrepreneur have different cognition appraisal. Then entrepreneur adopt different strategies.②different coping strategy had effect on burnout. Lastly, based on the literatures, questionnaire was developed and delivered to entrepreneurs (vice-president whose share is over 10%) in different firms from four industries: IT industry, service industry, construction industry and manufacture industry. The 289 formal survey questionnaires returned. By using multivariate statistic, Study three included two sub-studies. Sub-study one analyzed the relationship between entrepreneurial stressor, sense of stress, cognitive appraisal and coping strategy; Sub-study one includes:①the relationship between entrepreneurial stressor and sense of stress;②the relationship between sense of stress and cognitive appraisal;③the relationship between primary appraisal and second cognitive appraisal;④the relationship between cognitive appraisal and coping strategy; Sub-study two analyzed the relationship between coping strategy, sense of control and burnout. Sub-study two includes:①the relationship between coping strategy and burnout;②the moderating effect of sense of control between coping strategy and burnout.Study three analyzed the relationship between entrepreneurial stressor, sense of stress, cognitive appraisal and coping strategy; the result of sub-study one indicated that:1. The study analyzed the predicting effect of entrepreneurial stressor on sense of stress; the result indicated that entrepreneurial involvement, rival strength, knowledge store, resource demand and management responsibility all had significant predicting effects.2. The study analyzed the difference in four primary appraisal and five second recognition appraisal as they appraised as sense of stress. The result indicated that there were differences in primary appraisal as they appraised as sense of stress. There were differences in second cognitive appraisal as they appraised as sense of stress.3. The study analyzed the difference in second cognitive appraisal as they appraised as four primary appraisal. The result indicated that:①Subjects appraised more had to accept, need more information and leave it alone in encounters as they appraised as threatened situation.②Subjects appraised more had to accept, had to hold back and leave it alone in encounters as they appraised as loss situation.③Subjects appraised more could change, had to accept in encounters as they appraised as challenged situation.④Subjects appraised more could change in encounters as they appraised as benefitial situation.4. The study analyzed the relationship between primary appraisal and coping strategy. The relationship between primary appraisal and coping strategy was examined with multivariate analyzed.①Subjects appraised more escaped strategy based on problem, self-controlled strategy based on emotion, social-controlled strategy based on emotion and escaped strategy based on emotion in encounters as they appraised as threatened situation.②Subjects appraised escaped strategy based on problem, self-controlled strategy based on emotion, social-controlled strategy based on emotion and escaped strategy based on emotion in encounters as they appraised as loss situation.③Subjects appraised more self-controlled strategy based on problem and social controlled strategy based on problem in encounters as they appraised as challenged situation.④Subjects appraised more self-controlled strategy based on problem and social controlled strategy based on problem in encounters as they appraised as beneficial situation.5. The study analyzed the relation between second appraisal and coping strategy. The relationship between second appraisal and coping strategy was examined with multivariate analyzed.①Subjects appraised more self-controlled strategy based on problem, social controlled strategy based on problem, escaped strategy based on emotion in encounters as they appraised as could change situation.②Subjects appraised escaped strategy based on emotion in encounters as they appraised had to accept.③Subjects appraised more self-controlled strategy based on problem, social controlled strategy based on problem, escaped strategy based on problem and social controlled strategy based on emotion in encounters as they appraised as need more information situation.④Subjects appraised more self-controlled strategy based on emotion, social controlled strategy based on emotion and escaped strategy based on problem in encounters as they appraised as had to hold back situation.⑤Subjects appraised social controlled strategy based on emotion in encounters as they appraised leave it alone.6. The study analyzed predictive effect of the interaction effect of primary appraisal and second cognitive appraisal on coping strategy too. The result indicated that:①In the model of self-controlled strategy based on problem, the interaction effect of threaten and hold back situation, loss and could change situation, loss and have to accept, loss and hold back, challenge and hold back situation, benefit and could change situation, benefit and need more information situation, benefit and leave it alone could predict dependent variables significantly;②In the model of social-controlled strategy based on problem, the interaction effect of threaten and could change situation, threaten and have to accept, threaten and hold back situation, threaten and leave it alone, loss and could change situation, loss and need more information, loss and hold back situation, challenge and could change situation, benefit and have to accept, benefit and need more information could predict dependent variables significantly;③In the model of escaped strategy based on problem, the interaction effect of threaten and have to accept, loss and could change situation, loss and need more information, challenge and could change situation, challenge and need more information, benefit and leave it alone could predict dependent variables significantly;The result also indicated that:①In the model of self-controlled strategy based on emotion, the interaction effect of threaten and could change situation, loss and have to accept, loss and need more information, loss and hold back situation, challenge and could change situation, challenge and hold back situation, challenge and leave it alone, benefit and hold back situation could predict dependent variables significantly;②In the model of social-controlled strategy based on emotion, the interaction effect of threaten and could change situation, threaten and leave it alone, loss and could change situation, loss and leave it alone, challenge and could change situation, challenge and hold back situation, challenge and leave it alone, benefit and hold back situation could predict dependent variables significantly;③In the model of escaped strategy based on emotion, the interaction effect of threaten and could change situation, threaten and leave it alone, loss and could change situation, challenge and have to accept, challenge and need more information, challenge and leave it alone, benefit and could change situation, benefit and need more information, benefit and leave it alone could predict dependent variables signifieantly;Study 3 also analyzed the relationship between coping strategy and burnout. The result of sub-study two indicated that:1. The relationship between coping strategy and burnout. The relationship between coping strategy and burnout was examined with multivariate analyzed. We certified results as follows: The multivariate statistic of six coping strategies was significant, indicating that there was a difference in the coping strategy in encounters with burnout outcomes. The univariate tests indicated that:①There was a significant difference in stakes in self-controlled strategy based on problem in emotional exhaustion, personal sense of achievement, personal sense of identification.②There was a significant difference in stakes in social-controlled strategy based on problem in emotional exhaustion, personal sense of achievement, personal sense of identification.③There was a significant difference in stakes in escaped strategy based on problem in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization.④There was a significant difference in stakes in self-controlled strategy based on emotion in depersonalization and sense of personal achievement⑤There was a significant difference in stakes in social-controlled strategy based on emotion in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal sense of identification.⑥There was a significant difference in stakes in escaped strategy based on emotion in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.2. In addition, sub-study two analyzed the moderated effect of locus of control between coping strategy and burnout. The result indicated that locus of control moderated the relationship between coping strategy and burnout. We found some interesting conclusions. The study explored: locus of control was the moderator of relationship between coping strategy and burnout; internal locus of control negatively moderated the relationship between self-controlled strategy based on problem and sense of achievement; internal locus of control negatively moderated the relationship between social-controlled strategy based on problem and sense of achievement; internal locus of control negatively moderated the relationship between escaped strategy based on problem and emotional exhaustion; All in all, we covered the whole process mechanism of coping between the entrepreneurial stressor and burnout.Finally, we summarized the main conclusions, theoretical progresses, practical implications, research limitations and future directions. |
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