| This dissertation examined entrepreneurs' job satisfaction. The study showed that entrepreneurs are statistically more satisfied with their job relative to non-entrepreneurs at the same organizational level.; Three established approaches to job satisfaction were used to examine entrepreneurs' job satisfaction. First, the situational approach argues that job characteristics predict job satisfaction, and it explained 22 percent of variance. Second, the dispositional approach states that personal dispositions influence job satisfaction. This approach accounted for 24 percent of unique variance in entrepreneurs' job satisfaction. Third, the interactional approach suggests that the fit between person and environment affect job satisfaction and explained nine percent of variance. The results for the entrepreneurs and for the control group of non-entrepreneurs were in alignment with satisfaction literature. More specifically, the job characteristics of task variety, autonomy, and feedback from the work were positively associated with entrepreneurial job satisfaction. The personality factors of conscientiousness and extroversion were positively associated and neuroticism was negatively associated with entrepreneurial job satisfaction. The fit between entrepreneur and the entrepreneurial environment, measured by lack of stress, was positively associated with job satisfaction.; A literature review revealed that no study today has examined the three approaches simultaneously on one data set. Therefore, an integrated job satisfaction model was proposed that was based on integrating the three approaches, whereby each approach could "compete" for explaining variance in job satisfaction. The integrated model explained 38 percent of variance in entrepreneurial job satisfaction, which was more than any of the three approaches did individually. Additionally, the integrated model fit the data better than any of the three approaches did individually. Therefore, the integrated model is superior to the three established approaches to job satisfaction that exist in the literature.; The present study made contributions to the literature by creating an understanding of entrepreneurial job satisfaction by extending and finding support for the three established approaches to job satisfaction into the area of entrepreneurship, and by proposing and finding support for a more holistic and integrated job satisfaction model for both entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs. |
