| This dissertation presents a model of the goal establishment-attainment process for entrepreneurs. The model integrates tenets of goal setting theory, expectancy theory, social cognitive theory, resource allocation perspective, control theory, and self-management theory to explore the underresearched domain of entrepreneurs' goal-driven cognitive processes. Specifically, the question of how entrepreneurs' self-efficacy and perceptions of goal dimensions predict subsequent goal progress and future goal attainment is examined. To understand this process, two focal constructs are investigated. The first relates to goal progress, both as influenced by goal dimensions and as predictive of goal attainment. The second relates to self-efficacy as a predictor of goal dimensions, goal progress, and goal attainment.; The model consists of six variables: self-efficacy, goal challenge, goal potency, goal momentum, goal discouragement, and goal attainment. Longitudinal data are examined in three waves across a three-month timeframe; data are from entrepreneurs in the early stages of business establishment.; Analyses reveal four contributions to the literature. First, two cognitive paths are discovered. The first path, a downward goal establishment-attainment path, is represented by the relationships between low self-efficacy, high goal challenge, high goal discouragement, and low or no attainment. The second, an upward goal establishment-attainment path, is represented by the relationships among high self-efficacy, high goal potency, high goal momentum, and high levels of attainment.; A second contribution to the literature is the successful identification and examination of multiple, self-set goals in a field setting for entrepreneurs. Seventy-two entrepreneurs responded to three waves of questionnaires, resulting in a total of 2,502 goals (an average of 34.75 goals per entrepreneur). The third contribution is methodological—the results strongly support using both between- and within-persons statistical analyses in future research on multiple goals. Finally, the fourth contribution is empirical support for the eleven goal categories used in this research (personal, financial, customer, marketing, product, operations, family, people/employees, organizational, competitive, and strategic). Exploratory analyses reveal differences in self-efficacy, goal dimensions, goal progress, and attainment across the eleven categories of work-related goals. Taken together, the contributions have the potential to serve as a catalyst for future goal-setting research in the entrepreneurial domain. |
