Establishing Entrepreneur’s Image as an Innovator and Creator in the Post-Soviet Area

The post-Soviet societies have witnessed a worrying deterioration of public perceptions of entrepreneurship. Public rhetoric has blamed entrepreneurs for greed and immorality and reduced their role to primitive profit-seeking. Misconceptions of the entrepreneur's role in society and mistrust of entrepreneurs devalue the entrepreneurial vocation, producing a damaging influence on innovation, creativity, progress, and prosperity. Public discourse on entrepreneurship lacks intellectual rigor, professionalism, and the acknowledgement of moral values attributable to entrepreneurship. This project is aimed to enhance the understanding of the true role of an entrepreneur in society and to restore the moral foundation of entrepreneurship in the post-Soviet area. The project entails research into public perceptions of entrepreneurs through a public opinion poll and expert analysis and a publicity campaign via publications, a conference, essay and video contests, and electronic, broadcasting, and print media. The project will instigate a much-needed shift in public perceptions and an intellectual movement that will nurture the positive image and champion the moral values of entrepreneurs.