ABSTRACT
This presents the lead article in the series on task role motivation; it was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology (Miner, Smith, and Bracker 1989), as was its follow-up study (Miner, Smith, and Bracker 1994). Further evidence on the follow-up results contained here is presented in Miner, Smith, and Bracker (1992a). All of this research deals with a sample of entrepreneurs obtained from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Smith was instrumental in securing this sample and in designing the research itself. Bracker contributed to the analysis. At the time he was employed at an entrepreneurial firm in the medical technology field located in Rochester, New York called Biosurge. He subsequently returned to a faculty position, one of several he held during his career. Smith, as previously, continued his long-term association with the marketing department at the University of Oregon where he specialized in entrepreneurship.
