Eleanor Shaw

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Associate Principal at University of Strathclyde

This paper examines the influence of founding team entrepreneurial experience (for‐profit and non‐profit) on social enterprise performance and also considers the contingent effects of two forms of external financial capital (commercial and philanthropic finance), through the lens of both human capital and institutional logics. Using a global datase...

We explore the experiences of LGBT* ethnic minority entrepreneurs, their changing locations and their entrepreneurial activities. Using a unique mixed-method approach which collected empirical data from Germany and the Netherlands, the paper combines an ethnographic fieldwork of intersectional entrepreneurs, community activists and policy-makers wi...

Synthesising Insights from Micro, Meso, and Macro-Level Studies Cities, regions, and countries are concerned with their innovative capacity, entrepreneurial activity, and, by extension, their competitive position in the globalised world. The focus of economic and innovation policy has seen a shift from the latter towards regional and city-level ‘pl...

This article applies an intersectional lens to analyze the lived experience of 11 women migrant entrepreneurs based in the UK. We adopt structuration as our ontology to analyze intersectionality in entrepreneurship at the interplay of macro-level structures and micro-level agency, addressing tensions between determinism and subjectivism. Findings s...

We examine the impact of social entrepreneurship orientation (SEO), a behavioral measure of the social entrepreneurship of the organization, on the social and financial performance of a sample of Austrian firms. Despite growing research interests in social entrepreneurship, the field remains fragmented and this has led to calls for a careful examin...

Although entrepreneurial practices and processes are evolving and changing globally, models of entrepreneurship remain masculinized, embedded in advanced economies and associated with notions of individual agency, heroism and control. Rarely is defiance considered. In this paper, we explore the defiance practices of displaced women operating in the...

This article explores the activities involved in embedding a small firm in its industrial context. Inductive analysis of longitudinal, case study data collected from a small firm in the creative industries highlights the use of networks and networking as embedding mechanisms. Key emergent themes include the impacts of pre-embeddedness (defined as t...

Collaborative arrangements and partnerships are increasingly perceived as the lifeblood of social entrepreneurship. How, why and when collaboration occurs across the social entrepreneurial ecosystem is an emergent area of research emphasis with potential to contribute to and develop new theories as well as provide practical insights. This introduct...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of social enterprise on individual and community health and well-being. It focusses on community food initiatives, their impact on the social determinants of health and the influence of structure on their outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Using an interpretive qualitative approach t...

Purpose Despite growing scholarly interest in social entrepreneurs and the social enterprises (SE) they create, few studies have examined the hybridity of SE including, surprisingly, whether they adopt an entrepreneurial orientation (EO). One explanation for this may be the continuing lack of an appropriate scale measuring social entrepreneurship o...

A later version of this article has been accepted for publication in IJMR. Festivals are an important sub-field within event studies which, until recently, have not been studied as separate experiences. A systematic review of the emerging literature on festivals reveals several key characteristics. While festivals are diverse in nature and geograph...

This paper presents a research agenda for understanding how entrepreneurs accrue social capital in the digital age. We develop a conceptual framework with 12 research propositions that specify how the unique technical capabilities of social network sites impact entrepreneurs' bridging and bonding social capital online. These propositions are inform...

In this chapter, we set out a research agenda for extending and deepening our understanding of embeddedness in various contexts. Specifically, we advocate Bourdieu’s theory of practice as a conceptual frame for furthering our understanding of entrepreneurial embeddedness. We argue that it is time to question the primacy of economic capital and to,...

This article explores how and why entrepreneurs convert their available economic, cultural, social and symbolic capital. We utilise Bourdieu’s theory of practice as a conceptual framework to explore the lived experiences of 10 craft entrepreneurs. This study reveals that transforming capital is a natural and enjoyable process, with our findings hig...

The role of Bourdieu’s non-material forms of capital (cultural, social and symbolic) in the entrepreneurial process has received little dedicated research attention. Similarly, the link between occupationally distinct entrepreneurship and accumulation of non-material capitals is understudied. Addressing this, we examine the non-material capitals of...

This paper develops theoretical understanding of the involvement of wealthy entrepreneurs in socially transformative projects by offering a foundational theory of philanthropic identity narratives. We show that these narratives are structured according to the metaphorical framework of the journey, through which actors envision and make sense of per...

This article investigates ways through which entrepreneurship scholars can overcome some of the methodological weaknesses preventing a more refined understanding of context. It is suggested that a framework based upon insights from ethnomethodology, conversation analysis and broader ‘practice turn’ in organisation studies can offer new perspectives...

This paper explores the links between entrepreneurship, emancipation and gender within the international development arena. Through a longitudinal analysis of a micro-enterprise development project in which intermediary organizations contract traditional handicrafts from female home-based producers, we focus on the impact of contracting policies on...

The trajectory of entrepreneurship scholarship can be characterized by a trend towards functionalist approaches. This has arguably led to findings that trade the contextualization of entrepreneurial processes for abstracted theoretical generalizations. We propose a methodological response that draws on ethnomethodology and conversation analysis to...

What causes some business owners to be marginalized by a social structure that empowers others? This paper explores the relational dynamics of legitimation within a professional service venture context, using a Bourdieusian framework to elucidate the struggles for capital and legitimacy that characterize the venture development process. We identify...

Drawing on a sample of 15 qualitative depth interviews with founders of early stage ventures, this paper investigates the extent to which entrepreneurial identity drives entrepreneurs� use of online social networks. Consistent with social identity theory, entrepreneurial identity was found to shape, in part, why and how entrepreneurs use social net...

This special edition explores and analyses the complexities and possibilities of social enterprise and social innovation. While these related concepts have been subject to considerable research, policy and practitioner attention, detailed empirical studies of the processes involved, the impact of social enterprises, the effects of social innovation...

Research beyond the field of entrepreneurship has long observed the involvement of super-wealthy entrepreneurs in large-scale philanthropic endeavours, while the world’s media has endowed them with celebrity-like status. However, entrepreneurial philanthropy is largely absent from the entrepreneurship research literature. This article addresses thi...

There is a widely held belief that banks may be discriminating against female business owners. This study was designed to explore the perceptions held by bank loan officers of male and female business owners, using Bourdieu's theory of practice and Kelly's personal construct methodology. The research literature might lead to an expectation that the...

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explore the tensions and basis for conflict within relationships that embed and connect networked companies involved in the planning of advertising, with broader relevance for professional service organizations. Design/methodology/approach – Framed within a social network perspective, this interpretive study d...

This paper presents and discusses some findings of a research study that applied social network theory to small, professional business service firms. These findings demonstrate that social networks impact upon the innovative behaviour of small firms. They reveal that through the innovative use of social networks, small, professional business servic...

The purpose of this paper is to present the empirical findings of a recent qualitative study of the networks within which venture capital firms are embedded. The findings indicate that 60% of management buy-out managers' time is focused on networking activities in order to procure MBO deals through their network contacts. In addition the grounded f...

This paper focuses upon the relationship between the business and philanthropic endeavours of world-making entrepreneurs; asking why, how and to what ends these individuals seek to extend their reach in society beyond business. It presents an original model of entrepreneurial philanthropy which demonstrates how investment in philanthropic projects...

Entrepreneurial philanthropy has become significant in the domain of global social change yet, outside of the US (Schervish, 2003, 2005; Handy, 2006), contemporary entrepreneurial philanthropy has received little dedicated research. Other than a handful of papers (c.f.: Acs and Phillips, 1999; Acs, 2007), studies of the philanthropic behaviours of...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the interplay between gender, entrepreneurial capital and firm performance. Using matched sample data, the paper considers how gender shapes the possession of entrepreneurial capital and discusses the implications of capital variance for business performance. Design/methodology/approach The methodolo...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a robust theoretical framework for exploring the longitudinal impact of social capital on the performance of small business service firms. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper builds on theories of capital, particularly entrepreneurial capital, to develop a theoretically robust framework...

This paper uses theories of capital to discuss the impact of non-financial capital on small service firm reputation and performance. As the success of service firms is predicated on the ability to develop relationships and build reputation with key stakeholders, theories of capital provide a relevant conceptual framework for exploring the use of no...

Successive UK governments have introduced a range of policy initiatives designed to encourage more women to start new firms. Underpinning these policies has been an explicit ambition for the UK to achieve similar participation rates as those in the US where it is widely reported that women own nearly half the stock of businesses. The data underlyin...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the emerging practice of social entrepreneurship by exploring the historical and theoretical antecedents of social enterprise and its contemporary practice. By exploring key theoretical concepts, the paper draws comparisons between “for‐profit” and social entrepreneurs. The paper seeks to discuss the...

Previous research provides unequivocal evidence that women-owned businesses start with both lower levels of overall capitalization and lower ratios of debt finance. Structural dissimilarities between male-owned and female-owned businesses explain most, but by no means all, of these contrasting funding profiles. Explanations of residual differences,...

This collection of papers adopts a sociological perspective to discuss an area of growing entrepreneurship research interest: the social-capital, trust, networks nexus. Most chapters were originally presented at the Economic Sociology Research Network of the European Sociological Association, in Helsinki, 2001 and the book presents a refreshingly E...

Despite significant research interest in small firm networks, gaps continue to exist in knowledge and understanding about the concept of a network and its relationship with small firms. This article seeks to build upon extant research by discussing some of the findings to emerge from a qualitative study of small firm networks. The findings presente...

Purpose – To advance knowledge about the relationship between small firm networks and social capital by considering the network experiences of women business owners. To engage in such research, the paper proposes a conceptual model of business owner networking which is informed by social support theory. Design/methodology/approach – To develop a c...

This study explores the types of marketing activities in which social enterprises engage and considers the extent to which these activities could be described as entrepreneurial. Interviews were done with 80 founders, chief executives, or the most senior managers or volunteers of social enterprises in the UK. A variety of enterprises were included,...

Purpose – To advance knowledge about the relationship between small firm networks and social capital by considering the network experiences of women business owners. To engage in such research, the paper proposes a conceptual model of business owner networking which is informed by social support theory. Design/methodology/approach – To develop a co...

This paper presents and discusses findings of a cross-country study of small service firm marketing behaviour. These findings demonstrate that small service firms are flexible in the marketing approaches that they adopt. They reveal that such firms are transactional and relational orientated in their marketing activities and that for growing firms,...

Entrepreneurial marketing is a term which is receiving increasing use. It essentially encompasses two very distinct areas of management: marketing and entrepreneurship. This article is dedicated to exploring the emergence of this area of theory, its history and the current developments in the interface between these two areas. Scholars from both th...

A globalizáció minden térnyerése ellenére a nemzetközi üzleti élet inkább multinacionális, mint transznacionális (globális) jellegű. Ezen sem a kereskedelem nemzetközi, sem a beruházások határokon átnyúló volta lényegében nem sokat változtat.

Provides a detailed description of the qualitative research process experienced by the author when undertaking doctoral research. Recognising that there are few articles to guide the qualitative small firm researcher, it is the intention to provide a detailed account of the process and decisions involved when undertaking qualitative small firm rese...

This paper considers the relevance which networks have for research at the Marketing/Entrepreneurship Interface. The paper argues that while there is some evidence to suggest that networks are an important tool for entrepreneurial firms, there is a need to more clearly explain what is meant by the terms “network” and “networking”. It is proposed th...

Previous research provides unequivocal evidence that women-owned businesses start with both lower levels of overall capitalization and lower ratios of debt finance. Structural dis- similarities between male-owned and female-owned businesses explain most, but by no means all, of these contrasting funding profiles. Explanations of residual difference...

Previous research provides unequivocal evidence that women-owned businesses start with both lower levels of overall capitalization and lower ratios of debt finance. Structural dissimilarities between male-owned and female-owned businesses explain most, but by no means all, of these contrasting funding profiles. Explanations of residual differences,...

Understanding networks and the role of social capital in the development of entrepreneurial ventures is a dominant theme within the entrepreneurship, yet a number of enduring gaps in our knowledge and understanding of entrepreneurial networks exist. In the search to generate a more nuanced approach to culture, power, agency and structure, organizat...

A social capital perspective is presented in this paper which helps depict the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. The findings suggest that the barriers facing women's entrepreneurship may not be just economic, they are likely to also be societal. It is therefore essential for policy makers to appreciate the interaction among business...