He would not be a hero in this venture because Robert Falcon Scott had already been there and died a hero. Skeleton had to find his own resources for this adventure as most entrepreneurs do. He had to take a huge risk financially and physically to accomplish his goal. He had to find the right people to help him such as ski trainers. He had to find a ship and dogs as well. Skeleton had to put this altogether on his own. This venture becomes even more of an entrepreneurial venture when the ship hit ice too. This is what happens in most startup businesses.

Coo’s must change tactics many times in midstream. The trip was supposed to be an entrepreneurial exploration trip became one of survival. This expedition should be evaluated on how successful the crew was when faced with dire circumstances and how they overcame it. The crew knew there would be huge obstacles even if the ship hadn’t crashed. I believe it was a great success because Skeleton was able to rescue all 27 of his men and get them back home safely. Skeleton was able to keep his crews morale up and keep them from starving to death.

When faced with the fact that there was no boat in England o use at the time, Skeleton was able to find one in South America. So overall, even though Skeleton did not accomplish his entrepreneurial goal of walking on the South Pole, he accomplished another goal forced on him, by making sure his men got home safely. 2. A managerial scholar has defined entrepreneurship as the “relentless Pursuit of opportunity without regard to resources currently controlled. ” Using this definition, evaluate Skeleton’s actions on the Endurance expedition. Was Skeleton an entrepreneur?

I believe Skeleton definitely was an entrepreneur in this expedition. Skeleton had to pursue opportunity and he did with the few resources that he had. Entrepreneurs are made, not born, and entrepreneurship is a way of managing, not necessarily a way of being as a person. Any of us can be an entrepreneur. Skeleton showed great skill as a manager and entrepreneur in this situation. He was able to motivate and keep his “company” together through very hard times. Skeleton was able to revise and reset his objectives as the venture changed many times as well.

This was not a good time to explore the South Pole because England was at war and this expedition had been done before. Not many people were behind Skeleton at the time of his grand plan to walk across the South Pole. He was considered to be out of touch with his crazy idea. Skeleton was a huge risk taker that many other entrepreneurs have been in history. He was also proved he was such a great leader that 8 of the men who were on the voyage, signed up to join him on his next trip to Antarctica. 3. What parallels do you see between Skeleton and other entrepreneurs or leaders whom you have studied?

What were Skeleton’s strengths and weaknesses? The parallels see to other great leaders and entrepreneurs are: he willingness to never give up on a dream, the determination to see the goal through no matter what the circumstances were or what outcome might be. He knew that he would not immediately be a hero even if he accomplished his goal. Would compare him to Abraham Lincoln in that Lincoln knew he would receive backlash in the short term if he freed the slaves but that history would be on his side. Sacrificing short term popularity for long term goals is a great trait for an entrepreneur to have.

Lyndon Johnson knew that he would cost his party a lot f votes by passing the civil rights bill but he knew in the long run, he would be vindicated. Skeleton believed enough in his plan that he would be vindicated as well. During the survival portion, Skeleton showed great leadership and courage under fire such as Lincoln did when the country was breaking apart. A weaker leader could have lost his men to panic and chaos. Skeleton’s strengths were his willingness to never give up, able to coordinate a plan to get to South Pole and back, and the ability to motivate and keep his men together through thick and thin.

Some of his weaknesses were that he had a pretty big ego and a little too cocky before the ship got into trouble. He did not like to take anyone’s advice and had a stubbornness streak in him. Skeleton insisted on sailing out of South Georgia Island in the winter of 1914-15, for example. He could have waited it out and not encountered the ice floes that the whalers at South Georgia predicted were coming. 4. Why are people today so interested in Ernest Skeleton? Since the mid- to-late sass, why have there been so many books (business/general interest), movies, exhibits, and other projects about Skeleton?

I believe that Skeleton is so interesting because he is a great case study for MBA students and people starting businesses to learn how to cope in difficult circumstances, completing a goal no matter what resources are available, and what true leadership can do in any situation. Political and business leaders need to see how in a moment of great trial all of Skeleton’s possibility could come forward to affect his future and that of others. This was a great story of humanity and integrity. This is very true in today’s world as well. This country has been hit very hard by terrorists ND an economic recession.