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Entrepreneurial Orientation: do we actually know as much as we think we do?

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Abstract

The focus of this paper is on firm-level entrepreneurial behaviours and the processes that lead to them, known as Entrepreneurial Orientation. Despite the popularity of this construct, we argue that extant EO research suffers from major limitations linked to definitional inconsistencies and measurement issues. We present five distinct conceptualizations of EO in order to frame further research in the positivist mode. Moreover, we show that to gain a holistic and robust understanding of firm-level entrepreneurship, works from other research traditions and philosophies of science are needed. In this respect, the European research tradition and its wide variety of fields of research and research methods can offer a contextualized view of firm-level entrepreneurial behaviours and processes. Works embedded in the social constructionist philosophy of science might also offer an understanding of how, when, and why actors of different levels act do so and the likely outcomes of these actions as well as the interplay and divergence among these actors and levels. Works embedded in the pragmatic approach, illustrated by effectuation, could also contribute to a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. Finally, we call for researchers to be attentive to the need to align their conceptualizations, research methods and philosophies of science.

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... In this section we will debunk the myth of entrepreneurship. Dominant entrepreneurship research focuses on risk-taking, proactiveness, innovation, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness as key entrepreneurial behaviors and on firm creation or performance as outcomes (Randerson, 2016). Challenging the status quo and questioning this taken-for-granted truth is timelier than ever (Randerson, 2016;Randerson et al., 2016). ...
... Dominant entrepreneurship research focuses on risk-taking, proactiveness, innovation, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness as key entrepreneurial behaviors and on firm creation or performance as outcomes (Randerson, 2016). Challenging the status quo and questioning this taken-for-granted truth is timelier than ever (Randerson, 2016;Randerson et al., 2016). There is a growing acknowledgement that the bulk of entrepreneurship research is produced in or for 'Western' contexts (Ramirez-Pasillas et al., 2017;Randerson, 2016;Welter, 2011). ...
... Challenging the status quo and questioning this taken-for-granted truth is timelier than ever (Randerson, 2016;Randerson et al., 2016). There is a growing acknowledgement that the bulk of entrepreneurship research is produced in or for 'Western' contexts (Ramirez-Pasillas et al., 2017;Randerson, 2016;Welter, 2011). At best, this inhibits creating relevant knowledge for other contexts. ...
Article
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Family Entrepreneurship is a growing field of study. The purpose of this essay is to relay the momentum to academics, practitioners, and society. The essay is structured around four thought provoking questions: who is family?, what role do values play?, what is entrepreneurship?, and why is the business family and family business situation so complicated? These questions and the elements of response offered lead to a wider and deeper understanding of Family Entrepreneurship at the individual, family, and family business levels. Contributions to theory are twofold. First this essay underscores the need for a contextualized understanding and action and provides frameworks to undertake them. Second, it sheds light on the damages incurred by focussing on mainstream and generalizations by teasing out important aspects until now ignored. Contributions to practice concern a wider and deeper understanding of Family Entrepreneurship, recognizing and supporting situationally adapted behaviors as entrepreneurial, and widening the identified outcomes of these behaviors. Contributions to society are linked to the prevalence of business families and family businesses in economies and societies worldwide. Using this weight for societal impact, Family Entrepreneurship can be a beacon for transition towards economies and societies that are more collaborative, just, and sober. Received: 26 April 2023 Accepted: 05 October 2023
... As Tracey (2012) argued, leveraging the literature on entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has "the potential to provide significant steps forward in our understanding of religious organizations" (Ibid.: 106). The EO literature demonstrates that entrepreneurship is not the exclusive domain of small new ventures (Miller, 2011;Randerson, 2016) but also takes place when established organizations "take calculated risks, innovate, and pursue proactive behaviors" (Putniņš & Sauka, 2020: 712). While it mostly studies the performance effects of EO in for-profit contexts (Anderson et al., 2022;Calabrò et al., 2021;Lomberg et al., 2017;Lumpkin & Dess, 2001;McKenny et al., 2018), EO research provides several insights that have informed my analysis of EO development in a religious organization. ...
... Notwithstanding these contributions, the EO literature does not fully explain how EO materializes in religious settings because it mostly studies for-profit businesses (Al-Tabbaa et al., in press;Balasubramanian et al., 2020) and does not pay much attention to the social construction and emergence of EO (e.g., Miller, 2011;Randerson, 2016;Wales et al., 2020). ...
... The historical data I collected are qualitative, making them suitable for unraveling the processes that lead to organization-level entrepreneurial behaviors (Randerson, 2016;Wales, 2016). The CofE archives were my main data source. ...
Article
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Plain English Summary How do traditional religious organizations end up embracing entrepreneurial ideas? This historical case study of the Church of England answers that question. Religious organizations, especially those facing decline, are increasingly feeling the pressure to launch entrepreneurial initiatives. When such initiatives are seen as violations of religious beliefs, they tend to be resisted. How religious organizations overcome such resistance, and how they try to combine entrepreneurial and religious principles, is unclear. My study shows that the Church of England became more entrepreneurial after it (1) slowly arrived at a common understanding of what entrepreneurship meant to them and (2) continued building on entrepreneurial ideas that were previously accepted or rejected. The main implication of this study is that, while religious organizations may be slow to combine entrepreneurial and religious values, the process is difficult to stop once it has been set in motion.
... Emulating behavioral economics, family entrepreneurship is interested in the behavior of individuals, groups and organizations . As such, entrepreneurship, for example, relates to entrepreneurial behaviors that include, but is not restricted to, the taken-for-granted "Western" views (Randerson, 2016). Equally, how families in all of their diversity (so, beyond the legal or biological ...
... Mainstream family business and entrepreneurship research focuses on risk-taking, proactiveness, innovation, autonomy and competitive aggressiveness as key entrepreneurial behaviors and on firm creation or performance as outcomes (Randerson, 2016). Challenging the status quo and questioning this taken-for-granted truth is timelier than ever (Randerson, 2016;Randerson et al., 2016): attuned with current similar questioning in other disciplines in and beyond management, the time is ripe to begin the process of decolonizing practice and scholarship (Randerson, 2023). ...
... Mainstream family business and entrepreneurship research focuses on risk-taking, proactiveness, innovation, autonomy and competitive aggressiveness as key entrepreneurial behaviors and on firm creation or performance as outcomes (Randerson, 2016). Challenging the status quo and questioning this taken-for-granted truth is timelier than ever (Randerson, 2016;Randerson et al., 2016): attuned with current similar questioning in other disciplines in and beyond management, the time is ripe to begin the process of decolonizing practice and scholarship (Randerson, 2023). Indeed, voices are growing, highlighting that until now, the assumptions embedded in entrepreneurship are Western, male-dominated, propagating, and reinforcing patriarchal social structures, occulting or repressing minorities. ...
Article
Purpose The author synthesizes research at the genesis of the field of family entrepreneurship, allowing to distinguish it from the field of family business. Indeed, family entrepreneurship is at the intersection of family, entrepreneurship and family business and is dedicated to the understanding of entrepreneurial behaviors of family, family members and family businesses. Here, the author emphasizes the importance of context as well as bidirectional relationships to grasp the multiplicity of behaviors and their antecedents and outcomes. The author offers an overview of possible futures: how family entrepreneurship can be instrumental in understanding and taking action in face of ecological, economic and societal issues. Design/methodology/approach The author synthesizes, critically assesses and integrates extant research, offering a state of the art of the field of family entrepreneurship accessible to a wide audience of readers. Findings The author reviews and integrates the literature that undergirds family entrepreneurship, flushing out its idiosyncratic value relative to family business. The author underscores how framing situations and issues with family entrepreneurship is a promising avenue to better understand and navigate pending ecological, economic and societal stakes. Originality/value This perspectives paper distinguishes family entrepreneurship from family business, the former building on and expanding the latter. It highlights how the augmented view is useful to understand entrepreneurial behaviors of families, family members and family businesses because it triangulates family, entrepreneurship and family business. Consequently, the present state of the art provides a useful synthesis and perspectives of possible futures. The originality of this research relies in offering a snapshot integrating prior research at the genesis of the field and demonstrating how the field can fruitfully support future research and practice, in particular to address grand challenges and wicked problems.
... Prior research on EO has advocated more qualitative studies (e.g. Randerson, 2016;Wales, 2016) to compare EO between organizations and, more generally, to question the how and why of EO (Boers and Henschel, 2022;Wales et al., 2021). This is particularly important for EO in family firms (Zellweger and Sieger, 2012), let alone immigrant startups with high family engagement. ...
... Omisakin et al., 2016;Wang and Altinay, 2012), whereas EO as a process evolving over time and having multiple dimensions remains under-researched. Although the family significantly influences immigrants' various EO dimensions, it has not attracted as much attention as in the general entrepreneurship literature (Kreiser et al., 2010;Lumpkin and Dess, 1996;Nordqvist and Zellweger, 2010;Randerson, 2016). So far, studies of immigrant entrepreneurship have not dismantled the concept of family, instead treating it as a unified unit regardless of its heterogeneity (Bagwell, 2008(Bagwell, , 2015. ...
... Boers and Henschel, 2022). By applying a qualitative approach, it is possible to analyze how and why EO exists and develops over time, which is impossible with single, snapshot quantitative study designs (Randerson, 2016;Wales, 2016). The authors relied on cases of immigrant startups located in Sweden, where immigrants account for 20% of the population (SCB, 2022) and immigrant businesses have contributed significantly to the economy in recent decades (Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, 2016). ...
Article
Full-text available
Purpose This study explores how the family influences the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) process in immigrant businesses. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on inductive multiple-case studies using 34 in-depth interviews. This paper relies on three cases of immigrant entrepreneurs originating from Mexico and Colombia that established firms in Sweden. Findings The results suggest that EO development trajectories vary in the presence of family roles (i.e. inspirers, backers and partners), resulting in the immigrant family business configurations of family-role-influenced proactiveness, risk-taking and innovation. Originality/value The immigrant family configurations drive three EO-enabling scenarios: (1) home-country framing, (2) family backing and (3) transnational translating. Immigrant family dynamics facilitate the development of EO over time through reciprocal interaction processes across contexts. This study indicates that, through family dynamics, EO develops as mutually interactive processes between the immigrant entrepreneur's family in the home and host countries.
... Over the last three decades, the concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO), which is considered a firm-level phenomenon, has become widely known in strategic management and entrepreneurship research (Covin & Wales, 2019;Randerson, 2016;Saha et al., 2017;Shan et al., 2016;Wales, 2016) whereas EO has yet to be described, and various researchers have clarified the term in different ways (George & Marino, 2011;Lechner & Gudmundsson, 2014). According to Khan et al. (2021), EO is a strategy development method that facilitates enterprises' creative processes, proactive strategy adjustment, and risk-taking to obtain a competitive advantage. ...
... Moreover, EO is categorized as a vital organizational mechanism that assists a company in surviving and improving its overall efficiency (Khalili et al., 2013;Tajeddini et al., 2006). Additionally, the concept of EO as innovation, proactivity and risk-taking supports the notion that companies possess the same entrepreneurial behaviors that individuals do (Randerson, 2016), and innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness have a strong correlation with each other, according to Rauch et al. (2009), which is relevant to Miller's (1983) conceptualization of firm-level entrepreneurship. Wales et al. (2013) claim that multidimensional approaches have increased recently, while researchers often explore EO as a uni-dimensional. ...
... Vidic(2013) EO comprises a combination of entrepreneurial activities and strategic orientation in the firm that impact entrepreneurial decision-making, such as proactiveness, innovation, and risk-taking. Randerson (2016) The concept of EO as innovation, proactivity and risk-taking supports the notion that companies possess the same entrepreneurial behaviors as individuals. Semrau et al. (2016) Entrepreneurship entails acquiring ideas, turning these into goods or services, and then forming a business to bring the goods to consumers. ...
Thesis
Social Network (SN), Inter-firm Cooperation (IFC), HRM Practices, Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), and Market Orientation (MO) are commonly characterized as separate performance antecedents. Due to competition in a dynamic environment, these factors have been the focus of attention in many strategic management studies. However, integrated models between these variables and their application to emerging economies are understudied. The study aims to investigate the determinants of SMEs and elucidate the role of these determinants in the performance of small and medium enterprises in Pakistan. Moreover, the underlining study investigates the mediating effect of innovation between inter-firm cooperation, social network, HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation and SMEs performance. Using Social Network Theory (SNT) and Resource-Based View (RBV), a conceptual model is formulated to test the hypothesis using the Structural Equation Model (SEM). This research is based on a survey of 344 small business owners and managers in Pakistan's manufacturing industry. After establishing the instrument's reliability, structural equation modeling was carried out using SPSS version 22 and AMOS 22. The study's findings are as follows. First, it was noticed that inter-firm collaboration, social networks, HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation, and market orientation had a significantly positive (+) impact on SMEs’ performance and innovation. It was especially discovered that the effect of HRM practices and marketing orientation on SME performance was higher than that of inter-firm cooperation, entrepreneurial orientation and social networks, respectively. The results demonstrated the significance of inter-firm collaboration, social networks, HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation, and innovation as strategic orientations for the success of SMEs in Pakistan. Second, it was discovered that the link between social networks, entrepreneurial orientation, and the performance of SMEs is completely mediated by innovation. However, it was discovered that innovation partially mediated the relationship between market orientation, HRM practices, inter-firm cooperation, market orientation, and performance. The mediating impact of innovation contributes to the resourcebased view (RBV) and gives owners and managers helpful insights into policy creation and execution to improve SMEs' performance in Pakistan. Based on the findings of this structural equation modeling (SEM), the research concludes that these variables are the key drivers of SMEs’ performance and should be used to improve the performance and innovation capability in the emerging economy of Pakistan's SMEs. The new theoretical knowledge output will benefit the industry, practitioners, and the research community. It also advances methodologically in how these variables influence the performance of SMEs in Pakistan. The results of this study have the following implications. To boost SMEs' performance, governments in emerging economies must establish and implement support programs that strengthen their inter-firm cooperation, HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation, social ties, and market orientation. Second, SMEs require an innovation plan to take advantage of their firm resources to improve performance.
... Specifically, Wales et al. (2013) sampled 158 journal publications and provided guidance with respect to EO dimensionality, moderating and mediating variables, and key antecedents and consequences of EO relationships. More recently, qualitative assessment has advanced the notion that fundamental tensions, yet to be resolved, may exist within the literature (e.g., Randerson, 2016). We position our work as a natural advancement in the stream of prior reviews of EO, as we investigate the consolidation of EO's empirical utilization in order to absolve or otherwise explain underlying conflicts within the extant empirical literature. ...
... While SLRs are not unknown to EO scholars specifically (e.g., Wales et al., 2013) and entrepreneurship scholars more generally (e.g., Shepherd, Wennberg, Suddaby, & Wiklund, 2019), we are not aware of previously published papers dedicated to systematically synthesizing prevailing empirical practices within EO scholarship. Given EO's preeminent status as "one of the few examples of stabilized concepts in management science" (Basso et al., 2009, p. 313), and recent debates about the validity and legitimacy of ongoing EO research (Anderson et al., 2015;Randerson, 2016), a systematic in-depth analysis of how EO is empirically captured and employed by researchers seems timely and relevant. ...
... Considering its recent introduction, it is perhaps not surprising that the reconceptualization has yet to be widely adopted when compared to more established views. Nonetheless, some (e.g., Randerson, 2016) argue that the formative versus reflective tension in EO measurement goes back all the way to Covin and Slevin's (1989) seminal article. We believe the field can advance by continuing to incorporate theoretical justification for the measurement approaches taken by authors; thus, we reiterate to others the benefit of clarifying the conceptualization and dimensionality of EO prior to operationalizing within empirical research (Covin & Wales, 2012). ...
... In that pursuit, researchers can substitute an EO scale derived from Miller (1983) or Covin and Slevin (1991) in place of measures like civic pride and social capital. As Randerson (2016) noted, many EO scales were adapted to fit various populations and industries. Thus, there may be significant benefit in developing an EO scale specifically for the MSE context. ...
... Future work must seek to examine how MSEs can affect changes in these psychological predispositions. In western nations, entrepreneurship is more valued than other areas of the world such as Eastern Europe and parts of Asia (Randerson, 2016;Shinato et al., 2013). Thus, sport economists and psychological researchers must consider how culture alters EO. ...
... Operationalising entrepreneurship activities can be done in myriad ways. Suggestions for operationalising entrepreneurship include: fluctuations in share price (Miller, 2011), sales in new markets (Randerson, 2016) rates of self-employment (Salgado-Banda, 2007), the number of new entrants (Beck and Levine, 2001), spending on research & development (R&D; Miller, 1983;Lumpkin and Dess, 1996), excessive leverage (Baird and Thomas, 1985), corporate venture capital activity (Burgelman, 1983), the prominence of engineering and technologist hires (Miller and Friesen, 1982), and the breadth and depth of patents produced (Randerson, 2016;Salgado-Banda, 2007). However, it is also true that entrepreneurship is complex and there is no consensus in favour of any single macro level proxy (Salgado-Banda, 2007). ...
Article
Full-text available
Mega sport events (MSEs) are a growing domain for political, economic, and social discourse. Their scale and grandeur means that municipalities and businesses see them as opportunities to further their independent and joint objectives. Thus, there is continued interest in assessing the impact MSEs have on host regions. Scholarship has assessed MSEs using two perspectives: 1) the economic perspective, which assesses macro outcomes; 2) the psychic benefit perspective, which focuses on the micro level. Problematically, neither perspective examines theoretically congruent constructs. Thus, there is no holistic, multilevel framework for evaluating how MSEs affect host regions. This paper positions entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as a link between the two perspectives because EO originates at the micro level and has accumulative effects at the macro level. This framework has important practical implications for academics, policymakers, and entrepreneurs.
... Research on EO, however, focuses only on the exploitation of already identified opportunities. The need for clarity identified here resonates with other calls for research to incorporate opportunity creation concepts, such as effectuation, into the existing EO literature (e.g., Randerson 2016;Welter et al. 2016). Therefore, this study aims to further the comprehension of how EO links effectual control orientation (ECO) as a strategic orientation (Werhahn et al. 2015;Welter et al. 2016) to innovation performance. ...
... Specifically, we show the positive effect of EO's entrepreneurial behavior dimension. Third, we offer new insights into how ECO relates to EO and discuss the theoretical implications for the innovation performance literature (Randerson 2016;Harms et al. 2010). In particular, we show how EO (through its behavioral and risk-taking dimensions) interacts between ECO and innovation performance. ...
... Recently, however, scholars have raised concerns about the interpretation of EO. They propose that the EO construct is composed of both behavioral and attitudinal dimensions (Anderson et al. 2015;Covin and Lumpkin 2011;Randerson 2016). Empirical evidence also shows that different dimensions of EO may yield different outcomes in terms of firms' innovativeness (Pérez-Luño et al. 2011). ...
... Andersén, 2010;Rauch et al., 2009;Wales et al., 2013). However, not all dimensions of EO are completely understood (Miller, 2011;Randerson, 2016). Several researchers have highlighted the role of founders in EO (Cruz and Nordqvist, 2012;Zahra et al., 2004). ...
... According to Randerson (2016), Lumpkin and Dess's (1996) five-dimensional EO conceptualization (autonomy, innovativeness, risk-taking, proactiveness and competitive aggressiveness) has a processual approach, covering the changes of practices and new entries. Because the present study investigates the changes of EO over time, appearing in different ownership types, Lumpkin and Dess' (1996) EO conceptualization has been applied in this study. ...
... However, this has been mostly cross-sectional, without studying changes over time. Various scholars have pointed to the need to study the concept in more depth, accounting for specific contexts and stakeholders (Nordqvist and Zellweger, 2010;Randerson, 2016). Furthermore, the need for longitudinal, in-depth studies of EO to capture causal relationships in the firm's environmental and strategic contexts has been expressed (Martens et al., 2016;Miller, 2011;Randerson, 2016). ...
Article
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the development of the five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) over time by taking a founder’s perspective. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on an in-depth single-case study. It combines semi-structured interviews in the company with archival data, such as annual reports, press clips and interviews in business magazines. Findings The results indicate that the EO dimensions change from being personalized and directly solution-oriented to being intangible value-creation-oriented. Originality/value By suggesting ownership-based EO configurations, this study contributes insights into how different ownership forms propel EO. These configurations – that is, personal, administrative based and intangible focused – show the impact of the EO dimensions and provide a systematic and theoretical understanding of EO change over time.
... (Tranfield, Denyer, & Smart, 2003) and realist synthesis (Pawson, 2002(Pawson, , 2006, it analyzes 46 empirical and conceptual papers published in peer-reviewed journals and strives to make sense of the diverse, and partly conflicting, theoretical predictions and empirical findings which currently characterize the field. To accomplish that, the study integrates the two basic ontological perspectives on OC (see section 1.2), that is, a technical (eight generic OC dimensions conceptualized by Detert, Schroeder, & Mauriel, 2000) and a practical (two basic layers of culture as conceptualized by Schein, 2017) to the enduring unanswered call for qualitative research on the topic of EO that is located within a constructivist-or interpretivist-oriented philosophy (Randerson, 2016;Wales, 2016). Employing an interpretivist single case study design (Stake, 2005;Gioia, Corley, & Hamilton, 2012), the study seeks to elaborate the theory of the antecedents of EO in family firms by delivering a rich and deeply contextualized understanding of the businesslevel mechanisms that operate between family-level values (micro level) and firm-level EO (macro level) in a second-generation German family firm. ...
... Third, the sociocultural model that emerged from this study offers a holistic theoretical illustration of the processes involved in shaping and sustaining the cultural concepts of a family firm, and how this may nurture EO. Answering the enduring call for qualitative research on the topic of EO (Miller, 2011;Covin & Miller, 2014;Randerson, 2016;Wales, 2016), the grounded model may serve as a useful starting point for scholars intending to engage in further positivist and quantitative-oriented research. ...
... First, the suggested model of cultural concepts stimulating EO in family firms stems out of one revelatory case (Yin, 2014). Although the approach is adequate to provide an in-depth understanding of the 'How' and 'Why' and generate deep insight into one unique cultural context, avoiding a superficial conceptualization of culture (Schein, 2017) and answering the enduring call for adopting a constructivist philosophy in EO research (Randerson, 2016), the concepts that emerged from this study have to be applied and tested using more comprehensive research designs. Specifically, future research ought to find a way to capture the richness and interaction of concepts that manifest at multiple cultural layers (i.e., cultural substance and forms; Trice & Beyer, 1993) in positivist and quantitative-oriented research. ...
Thesis
This doctoral thesis comprises three empirical studies which together seek to shed light upon the question of which and how specific manifestations of organizational culture (OC) are able to support entrepreneurial behaviors and activities in established organizations (corporate entrepreneurship; CE). As a whole, this thesis addresses a variety of research questions, relying on different methodological approaches and data sets. More specifically, I use both original and secondary data, and I draw on qualitative, interpretive as well as quantitative, positivist research design. The specific objectives, concepts, and methods of the studies are guided by the two overarching research questions of this thesis: 1) What are the dominant cultural patterns of family firms that create an organizational environment where corporate entrepreneurship flourishes? 2) How exactly do these cultural patterns operate and interact in the process of stimulating corporate entrepreneurship? The first study titled “Mechanisms of Organizational Culture for Fostering Corporate Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda” provides a broad overview of the current body of knowledge on the OC-CE relationship and synthesizes generic OC mechanisms supportive of CE into an explicit framework. Adopting the method of structured literature review and realist synthesis, it analyzes 46 empirical and conceptual papers published in peer-reviewed journals and strives to make sense of the diverse, and partly conflicting, theoretical predictions and empirical findings which currently characterize the field. To accomplish that, the study integrates eight generic OC dimensions and two basic layers of culture to enable CE-supportive cultural mechanisms to be synthesized into a clear matrix. Doing so allows for more a fine-grained understanding of how OC may create an environment where CE flourishes. Based on the synthesis, research avenues are identified to encourage future work on the topic. The second study titled “Bridging the Micro-Macro Gap: A Multi-Layer Culture Framework for Understanding Entrepreneurial Orientation in Family Firms” responds to the enduring unanswered call for qualitative research on the topic of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) that is located within an interpretivist-oriented philosophy. Employing an interpretivist single case study design, the study seeks to elaborate the theory of EO in family firms by delivering a rich and deeply contextualized understanding of the business-level mechanisms that operate between family-level values (micro level) and firm-level EO (macro level) in a second-generation German family firm. Specifically, it adopts a multi-layer theory of culture as interpretive framework to develop a grounded model that cuts across analytical levels of family and business. The illustration of the data, based on a qualitative content analysis of both archival data and ethnographic interview data, shows how the unique cultural patterns of the firm operate as social mechanisms to stimulate EO. Specifically, family-level values of altruism and preservation have been found to prepare the ground for an OC characterized by long-term- and involvement-oriented organizational values as well as psychological safety and empowerment climates. Eventually, these climates represent the most salient cultural layer and effectively support the firm’s competitive orientation toward corporate entrepreneurship. Finally, the third study of this thesis titled “Stimulating Entrepreneurial Orientation in Family Firms: A Multi-Layer Culture Model” takes a more technical (positivist) perspective on the phenomenon of OC and investigates how the specific business-level cultural mechanisms of family firms can transform the intimate connection between family and business into high levels of EO. To provide a deeper understanding of the forces that nurture EO in family firms, the study finds a way to bridge the gap between family-level characteristics and firm-level EO by integrating family commitment culture, long-term orientation, and stewardship climate into a multi-layer culture framework. The research model that derives from this perspective proposes a two-step mediation process, intending to explain how family commitment culture, as a family-level value orientation, is transformed into high levels of EO through OC mechanisms. The model was tested by analyzing data of 208 mature German family firms using covariance-based structural equation modelling (SEM). Consistent with the proposed multi-layer structure, the SEM model’s results support the hypothesis that, when high levels of EO are desired, family firms ought to focus on what type of cultural mechanisms are triggered at the business level through a family commitment culture.
... Prior research on EO has advocated more qualitative studies (e.g. Randerson, 2016;Wales, 2016) to compare EO between organizations and, more generally, to question the how and why of EO (Boers and Henschel, 2022;Wales et al., 2021). This is particularly important for EO in family firms (Zellweger and Sieger, 2012), let alone immigrant startups with high family engagement. ...
... Omisakin et al., 2016;Wang and Altinay, 2012), whereas EO as a process evolving over time and having multiple dimensions remains under-researched. Although the family significantly influences immigrants' various EO dimensions, it has not attracted as much attention as in the general entrepreneurship literature (Kreiser et al., 2010;Lumpkin and Dess, 1996;Nordqvist and Zellweger, 2010;Randerson, 2016). So far, studies of immigrant entrepreneurship have not dismantled the concept of family, instead treating it as a unified unit regardless of its heterogeneity (Bagwell, 2008(Bagwell, , 2015. ...
... Boers and Henschel, 2022). By applying a qualitative approach, it is possible to analyze how and why EO exists and develops over time, which is impossible with single, snapshot quantitative study designs (Randerson, 2016;Wales, 2016). The authors relied on cases of immigrant startups located in Sweden, where immigrants account for 20% of the population (SCB, 2022) and immigrant businesses have contributed significantly to the economy in recent decades (Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, 2016). ...
Conference Paper
his paper explores how family influences the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) process in immigrant family business. To fulfill the purpose, we employ inductive multiple case studies with in-depth interviews. We rely on seven cases of immigrant entrepreneurs of Chinese, Icelandic, Turkish, Cameroonian, Mexican and Lebanese who established firms in Sweden. Our results suggest that EO development trajectories vary in regard to first and second immigrant entrepreneurs, low and high-tech sectors and host and home countries. Thus, family dynamics facilitates the development of entrepreneurial orientation over time through transforming, translating and transferring across generations and contexts. Our study indicates that, through family dynamics, EO is developed as a (1) transferring process of the founders’ proactiveness between the family in the home and host country;(2) translating process of risk-taking between the family companies in the home country to immigrant family company in the host country and (3) transforming process of innovativeness between the home and the host country.
... EO characterizes an entrepreneur who, searching for opportunities, is able to use various fundamental attributes (Rodrigo-Alarc on et al., 2018). Three attributes are currently highlighted in the literature: innovativeness; proactiveness; and risk-taking (Adel and Habib, 2018;Floris et al., 2020;Luu and Ngo, 2019;Mondal and Chakrabarti, 2021;Pearce et al., 2010;Randerson, 2016;Rodrigo-Alarc on et al., 2018;Song et al., 2017;Wales et al., 2013). ...
... The research method used is the case study. Randerson (2016) recently advocated a shift in the study of the EO construct, moving from the positivist perspective that has characterized investigations to date to a more constructionist perspective, considering entrepreneurship as a "form of socially constructed reality" (p. 582). ...
Article
Purpose This paper aims to investigate factors that induce entrepreneurial orientation (EO), i.e. what influences the manifestation of its fundamental attributes (innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking). Design/methodology/approach This study focuses on religious entrepreneurship in an emerging economy, employing a single case study approach. A total of 17 shepherd-entrepreneurs and 4 parishioners were interviewed. Findings The results suggest that two key driving factors influence religious entrepreneurs’ EO: the search for the discovery of opportunity (a finding that strengthens current literature); and both the search for the creation of opportunity and overcoming challenges associated with the need for survival. Practical implications This paper allows entrepreneurs to understand better the factors and motivations that affect their entrepreneurial behavior. It is particularly relevant to entrepreneurs embedded in emerging and developing countries, in which the interchange between opportunity and need contexts is apparent. Further, this paper sheds light on significant dimensions for entrepreneurs’ education and training programs. It also suggests elements capable of bolstering public policies. Originality/value The contributions of this paper are fourfold: it supports an integrative view of creation and discovery theories; it reinforces the alternating character of entrepreneurial motivations; it expands the literature by arguing that creating opportunity and the need for survival also influence entrepreneurs' innovativeness, proactivity and risk-taking; and it stresses the neo-Pentecostal shepherds' entrepreneurial propensity.
... Furthermore, "extant EO research aggregates behaviours at the firm level without capturing the processes that lead to this outcome" (Randerson, 2016, p. 582). Thus, EO research needs to provide a more holistic approach, seizing the idiosyncrasies of entrepreneurial processes and their development over time (Randerson, 2016). For instance, accounting for changes in preferences and desired outcomes, risk-taking, innovation and proactiveness may change over time (Miller, 2011). ...
... Recently, the research emphasizes the processual character of EO, which suitable for family firm research (Ljungkvist et al., 2019;Randerson, 2016;Zellweger and Sieger, 2012). EO can be viewed as a strategic decision-making logic, which is particularly relevant in a crisis (Laskovaia et al., 2019). ...
Article
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand how family firms manage a crisis by applying a processual and longitudinal perspective. The objective is to find out how crisis management is approached by family firms in Sweden, Scotland and Germany, using entrepreneurial orientation (EO) as an analytical lens. Further, this paper investigates the role of the owning family in creating and solving a crisis in family firms. Design/methodology/approach This study follows a processual and longitudinal case study approach. Cases are drawn from Germany, Scotland and Sweden. Data collection is based on a combination of interviews with archival data such as annual reports and press clippings. Findings The results show that all studied firms had high levels of autonomy combined with high risk-taking. It is noteworthy, that these dimensions also help to overcome the crisis. Risk-taking and proactiveness can be useful for addressing the crisis. Under certain circumstances, even innovativeness can help to develop new offers. Autonomy is considered central in family firms and only extraordinary circumstances can be owning families make willing to compromise on it. The EO-dimensions are not all relevant at all times. Rather, family firms will emphasize the dimensions during the consecutive stages differently. Originality/value This study compares case companies from Germany, Scotland and Sweden and how EO contributes to their crisis management by taking a longitudinal and processual perspective. Its originality lies in the in-depth studies of companies from three countries.
... In this complex environment where world crises (e.g., Covid-19, wars, socio-political tensions) abruptly interrupt the way family firms operate locally and internationally, entrepreneurial responses gravitate around strategic renewal (Sievinen, Ikäheimonen, and Pihkala 2019), calibrating (international) entrepreneurial orientation (Randerson 2016), the creation, merger and/or acquisition of firms (Rosa, Howorth, and Discua Cruz 2014;Strobl, Bauer, and Matzler 2020), and deliberating who should lead such initiatives (Brumana et al. 2015). The outcome may showcase a collective approach (Discua Cruz, Hadjielias, and Howorth 2017), manifest in the expansion of a firm into a multinational (Lubinski, Fear, and Pérez 2013), and/or the development of a family business group (Rautiainen et al. 2019), without neglecting globally endorsed practices (e.g., SDGs). ...
... Moreover, we need to better understand to what extent the international expansion of family firms follows the principles of environmental stewardship or positive long-term impact on climate change, sustainable production, and responsible use of natural resources (Blodgett, Dumas, and Zanzi 2011). Understanding the entrepreneurial family in taking a business from local to global calls for closer attention to the entrepreneurial household (Alsos, Carter, and Ljunggren 2014), the family influence in internationalization (Graves and Thomas 2008), entrepreneurial orientation (Randerson 2016), emotional dynamics (Shepherd 2016), family business ethics (Vazquez 2018), professionalization waves (Howorth et al. 2016), continuity (Konopaski, Jack, and Hamilton 2015), legitimacy (Hashim, Naldi, and Markowska 2020), and the influence of legacy (Hammond, Pearson, and Holt 2016), amongst others. ...
Article
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Globalization, digital technologies, societal and environmental concerns influence the way family firms operate locally and internationally. Family firms are often torn between their local and global environments, simultaneously visible and embedded in their local environment while marketing their products and services abroad. Unlike large multinationals that have often lost their roots, family firms manifest an active interest in maintaining their local roots and traditions. Moreover, increasing concerns with sustainable development call for continuity through sustainability aimed at improving local and global socioeconomic conditions. This editorial of the special issue on ‘Locality and Internationalization of Family Firms’ discusses this tension that family firms face and how they can build bridges between communities increasingly drifting apart. By bridging local and global environments, family firms can contribute to the sustainable development of society. We present a research agenda addressing this particular bridging function of family firms and propose several avenues for future research.
... Innovation is directly linked to a strategic orientation characterized by organizations' willingness to find opportunities and take responsibility for exploiting them (Morris and Sexton, 1996;Masa'deh et al., 2018). This orientation also describes the procedures that companies must adopt to obtain competitive advantages, which are unrelated to variables at an individual level and instead are connected to organizational processes (Randerson, 2016;Masa'deh et al., 2018;Yan and Guan, 2019). ...
... One way in which companies can differentiate themselves is through innovation, which can be understood as entrepreneurs' willingness to identify opportunities and exploit them (Masa'deh et al., 2018). This attitude describes the processes by which businesses enter the relevant market, obtain competitive advantages and survive over time (Randerson, 2016;Masa'deh et al., 2018). Figure 7 reflects the interviewees' responses regarding their intention to identify differentiation and innovation opportunities and implement these strategies. ...
Article
Purpose This study sought to fill a gap in the literature by examining the dynamics of neo-rural small entrepreneurs’ business activities as little research has been done on these individuals. The research was conducted in three of Portugal’s low density territories (i.e. Miranda do Douro, Penamacor and Aljezur), focusing on understanding these outsider entrepreneurs’ main motivations and challenges after they decide to leave the city to settle in rural areas and become small business owners. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in semi-structured interviews with 26 neo-rural entrepreneurs. The multiple-case study method was applied to assess the differences and similarities between the interviewees and their respective contexts. NVivo 11.0 software was used to conduct content analysis. Findings The results reveal that rural environments appear to attract these new entrepreneurs for various reasons, such as taking advantage of business opportunities, searching for a better quality of life and responding to family needs. The multiple motives contributing to the need for change and entrepreneurship fit well within social cognitive theory. However, these individuals subsequently experience difficulties related mainly to a lack of infrastructure, little preexisting knowledge, a need for financial capital and the absence of the right workforce. Originality/value The findings on the experiences, difficulties and challenges of neo-rural entrepreneurs constitute new contributions because few existing studies have concentrated on migration and/or immigration entrepreneurship in rural contexts. The results can serve as a starting point for other similar studies.
... According to Matthews et al. (2012), the role of the family context for entrepreneurial orientation is not well understood. There is, also, no consensus on the relationship between Randerson, 2018) and on differences in entrepreneurial orientation between the family business and the non-family business (Casillas et al., 2011). According to Zahra (2018), entrepreneurial risk-taking definitions vary, and it is loosely defined. ...
... Entrepreneurial orientation comprises five dimensions furthering entrepreneurship (Lumpkin & Dess, 2013); these dimensions are separate, but relate to one another (Lumpkin & Dess, 1996;Covin & Lumpkin, 2011;Randerson, 2018). According to Lumpkin and Dess (2013), the dimensions are: firstly, propensity to act autonomously; secondly, the willingness to be innovative; thirdly, risk-taking; fourthly, competitive aggressiveness; and finally, opportunity identification. ...
Article
The purpose of this article is to explore how important is the entrepreneurial orientation for family businesses. Entrepreneurial orientation is an important concept within the entrepreneurship field and it should be maintained through family generations. Proactiveness, risk-taking and innovativeness form the essence of entrepreneurial orientation, while the generational level is an influential variable, related to entrepreneurial orientation. A preliminary and conceptual study of the described problem was undertaken. Although risk-taking is essential in developing entrepreneurship and sustaining the family legacy, family businesses are risk-averse, due to concerns about reduction in family wealth. Entrepreneurial orientation may be strong at the founder stage, but it decreases as the business moves through generations. Entrepreneurial families should have an entrepreneurial orientation towards business activities, as it provides the vision to mobilise the knowledge within the family business. Strong and consistent family leadership is needed to create a climate favouring entrepreneurial orientation. Families should develop an entrepreneurial spirit and orientation that can sustain the current generation and the entire family into the future.
... Mainstream EO studies measure entrepreneurial behavior at a specific time and have been criticized as snapshot based and static (Zellweger & Sieger, 2012). Another criticism stresses that EO research only measures outcomes, not the underlying processes, and does not provide a holistic understanding of EO (Randerson, 2016). ...
... However, this study has some additional limitations as well. As the study was conducted in a Swedish context, the specific national culture could have affected the propensity for environmental practices (Zhu et al., 2008), innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactivity (Randerson, 2016). For example, the low levels of power distance and uncertainty avoidance characterizing Sweden (Hofstede, 1984) could have influenced EO behaviors. ...
Article
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This study presents a multidimensional taxonomy of "ecopreneurship" for small manufacturing firms. Based on a cluster analysis of 312 Swedish firms, four distinct clusters are identified: pioneers, green dumpers, overlookers, and recyclers. These clusters are compared regarding their level of entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. Based on the results, and because of the resource constraints associated with small firms, managers of such companies are advised to examine the economic consequences of specific environmental business practices and to adopt a less aggregated approach to ecopreneurship. This study illustrates the usefulness of a multidimensional scale when researching environmental behaviors and is a response to the lack of an empirically based classification of ecopreneurship configurations. Key words: cluster analysis, ecopreneurship, performance, small manufacturing firms, taxonomy
... Thus, although entrepreneurial internationalization could occur in any industry or context (Jones and Coviello 2005) and "in all types of companies, regardless of age or size" (Baier-Fuentes et al. 2019, 386), it does not always happen. Furthermore, SMEs' entrepreneurial orientation varies, and the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation are not always present at the same time (Randerson 2016). Consequently, we assume that internationalization of SMEs can have both entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial characteristics. ...
... Perceptions of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial behaviour vary across national cultures. Therefore, although we do not perceive Di.Bi.'s behaviour fully entrepreneurial but rather "combined" with predominantly non-entrepreneurial characteristics, their own interpretation may differ (see, e.g., Randerson 2016). Furthermore, entrepreneurial orientation focuses on firm behaviour in a given industry (Lumpkin and Dess 1996), and what is deemed entrepreneurial in one industry, might not be considered so in another. ...
Article
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This study describes SME internationalization as a process that combines entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial behaviour. We bring in insights from prior literature and use an illustrative case study of an Italian SME to demonstrate the interplay of entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial behaviour during the internationalization process. Our study shows that the combination of entrepreneurial and non-entrepreneurial internationalization cannot be fully explained with existing International Entrepreneurship literature or other internationalization theories, as they do not take into account the nonlinear nature of internationalization or explain why the process seems to reach a 'glass ceiling' beyond which it does not progress. The study concludes with a conceptual framework providing an alternative explanation. Based on our conceptual reasoning we propose that predominantly non-entrepreneurial internationalization can occur without developing a clearly defined internationalization strategy. Additionally, we argue that low commitment to inter-nationalization prevents capability development and may lead to nonlinear internationalization. Furthermore, we suggest that family involvement may moderate a firm's international entrepreneurial orientation, consequently leading to more non-entrepreneurial internationalization.
... Concurring with the discrepancy among EO and CE, this paper handles EO as an "attitude" playing an antecedent role rather than an equivalent of CE (Randerson 2016;Zahra, Randerson, and Fayolle 2013). Then, this attitude produces and/or triggers "intentions" reflected through mediating Culture at all levels is definitely one of the main phenomena hosting and triggering the indeterminate, internal, informal interactions that shape the entrepreneurial behavior. ...
... The main goal of the study is to develop a more solid understanding of the firm-level entrepreneurship and performance relationship, claimed to be pervaded by a black box (Dess, Ireland, Zahra, Floyd, Janney, and Lane 2003) and explore the interconnection between different variables of this relationship which is still claimed to have "definitional inconsistencies" (Randerson 2016). Following the Schumpeterian basics enriched with the "the value-attitudebehavior cognitive hierarchy model" theorization of Social Psychology, our model re-constructs the relationship. ...
Article
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This paper explores the relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and performance by developing a comprehensive theoretical model based on Schumpeterian understanding of entrepreneurship supported with the Theory of Planned Behavior from social psychology. The model shows how organizational culture (value) triggers a chain effect through its influence on entrepreneurial orientation (attitude) and managerial support (intentions) that ultimately generate impact on corporate entrepreneurship (behavior). We test our model in an emerging economy context and present our results with implications to theory and practice.
... Our results align with Zellweger et al. (2019), who present the positive and negative sides of embeddedness in a family in terms of fostering entrepreneurial intentions and activities in the FF. Second, we also contribute to the scarce analysis of the interplay between individual, team, and organisational levels (Randerson, 2016) in the entrepreneurial initiative (Zellweger et al., 2019), adopting a social constructivist approach to pinpoint the family capabilities employed to increase the commitment of the family and organisation members towards transgenerational entrepreneurship (Mahto et al., 2020). Therefore, we contribute to the scarcely researched topic of coordinating competitive resources, such as human and social capital, and their interrelationship with the entrepreneurial orientation and innovative capacity of the firms (e.g., Andersén, 2021;Capolupo et al., 2023;Campopiano et al., 2020b;Collins, 2021;Pittino et al., 2017;Rodrigo-Alarcón et al., 2018). ...
Article
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This article analyses how familiness influences the evolution of entrepreneurial actions undertaken by new-generation family leaders. Despite the recognised importance of familiness in family firms’ entrepreneurship, the mechanism by which it influences transgenerational entrepreneurship during leadership succession remains largely unexplored. Through qualitative analysis of the entrepreneurial processes carried out by five multigenerational family firms, we identify how resources associated with familiness shape strategic renewal and their evolution across the transgenerational entrepreneurship process. Our results shed light on the critical role of leaders’ managerial capabilities in orchestrating the resources of family firms and engaging key stakeholders to support entrepreneurial ventures and growth opportunities. Among the practical contributions, the article offers a set of strategies for assisting new leaders of family firms in their entrepreneurial pursuits.
... For instance, family firms are known for caring for their socioemotional wealth (Gómez-Mejía et al., 2007), which is in danger in a crisis situation, and it becomes relevant to ask how and what owning families are willing and able to do in order to protect their socioemotional endowment they are receiving from owning their firm (Boers & Henschel, 2021;Boers et al., 2017;Gomez-Mejia et al., 2011). Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is a concept which has gained much attention in the entrepreneurship literature (Randerson, 2016). There are different ways of conceptualizing EO, and one prominent stream includes five dimensions (Lumpkin & Dess, 1996), whereas another stream includes three dimensions (Miller, 1983). ...
Chapter
The authors of this study aimed to investigate the issue of resilience in family firms during times of crisis. They recognize that a crisis can impact not only the business itself but also the family dynamics within the firm. To be resilient, addressing and managing both aspects is crucial. Resilience in this context refers to the ability of family firms to adapt, recover, and thrive in the face of adversity. The authors emphasise that resilience involves navigating and responding to multiple events that may arise from various sources, including the external environment, the business operations, or the internal family dynamics. This complexity adds to the challenges and demands of family firms to be resilient. The study adopts a qualitative approach, employing case studies of German and Swedish family firms to gain deeper insights into this topic. By examining real-life examples, the authors seek to provide empirical evidence and a nuanced understanding of how family firms experience and cope with crises. The findings of this research have significant relevance for multiple stakeholders. Firstly, family business owners and leaders can benefit from insights into the challenges they may face during crises and the strategies they can employ to enhance resilience. Understanding the interplay between family and business dynamics is crucial for effective crisis management. Additionally, policymakers and advisors working with family firms can gain valuable knowledge from this study. By recognizing the unique challenges these firms face during crises, they can develop targeted support mechanisms and resources to assist them in building resilience. Overall, this research sheds light on the complex nature of crisis resilience in family firms and contributes to the existing body of knowledge in this field. It provides practical implications and recommendations for family firms, policymakers, and advisors, ultimately aiming to enhance the long-term sustainability and success of family businesses in the face of adversity.
... This paper deals with a major gap in the relevant literature, while focussing on a low-resilient emerging economy such as Tunisia. The study replies to the need for deeper contextualisation of EO literature (Randerson, 2016;Anderson and Ronteau, 2017). This paper presents a literature analysis based on two fundamental approaches, which are the resource-based approach and the dynamic capabilities approach. ...
Article
Entrepreneurship, in many low-developed economies, plays an important role in defeating external distress. It is crucial in such situation that entrepreneurial firms resist and even grow. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how entrepreneurial orientation brings about organisational ambidexterity through the mediation role of intellectual capital in the context of a developing country. This paper reports research results combining a qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The exploratory study is based on qualitative case studies and in-depth interview data collected from 15 Tunisian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the industrial sector. Then, the methodology included a survey of 155 SMEs using a questionnaire and structural equation modelling analyses. The results reveal that SMEs leverage internal and external resources to pursue ambidexterity separately or simultaneously. The data were gathered from a sole informant from every firm. Consequently, more in-depth longitudinal study may be requisite to expand deeper insights into the used variables. SME managers need to focus on the specific barriers to ambidexterity and design effective mechanisms to advance the drivers of ambidexterity. The mechanisms to realize ambidexterity as branded in this study will assist SMEs in particular, and firms in general. A new shape of organisation is an open design allowing more outer acquaintance and resources to be riveted, which is claimed as a novel model for organisation. This study combined the concepts of entrepreneurial orientation and intellectual capital as the basis of innovation ambidexterity. Human, organisational and relational capitals are the intermediate mechanisms to explain the effect of entrepreneurial orientation. Moreover, the Tunisian specific context adds more novelty to this study.
... Originally offered as a unidimensional construct (Covin and Lumpkin, 2011), EO can be empirically partitioned into two factors, one representing entrepreneurial firm behaviors, such as innovation or proactive new market entry, and the other representing manager's affinity, proclivity and desire to take risks (Anderson et al., 2015). Over the years, scholars have questioned the aggregation of firm behavior and managerial preferences into a single construct instead of capturing the elements separately (Anderson et al., 2015(Anderson et al., , 2019Randerson, 2016). This assessment recently led researchers to explore the interface between managers and entrepreneurial firm behaviors more critically (Covin and Wales, 2019;Wales et al., 2020). ...
Article
Purpose This study examines the relationship between strategic entrepreneurial behaviors (SEBs) and the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an emerging market context. The authors expand upon prior work in this area by building and testing a model that assesses the moderating effect of CEOs’ narcissism and Machiavellianism on the relationship between SEBs and SME performance. Design/methodology/approach To test the authors’ theoretical model, the authors use the results of a larger data collection project in Russia to create a national random sample of 372 Russian SMEs that were approached between August and November 2019. Findings The authors found support for the positive relationship between SEBs and SME performance. Additionally, the authors found that CEO narcissism and Machiavellianism strengthen the relationship between SEBs and firm performance. Originality/value This study is an important step toward enriching the understanding of the role of CEO personality traits in shaping the efficiency of entrepreneurial behavior at the firm level. Extending previous research, the authors show that SEBs have a positive effect on firm performance in an emerging market context. Additionally, the authors contribute insight about how personality characteristics of CEOs, specifically narcissism and Machiavellianism, influence the relationship between entrepreneurial behavior and firm performance. Finally, the authors’ research contributes to the development of strategic leadership theory: the results offer insight to scholars regarding the potentially beneficial attributes of otherwise “dark” leaders.
... Entrepreneurship literature suggests the unique and significant contribution of each attribute of EO toward BP (Richard et al., 2004;Randerson, 2016). But our study does not produce the same result. ...
Article
Purpose This study aims to analyze the effect of organizational context on Entrepreneurial Orientation–Business Performance (EO–BP) relationship by drawing a sample from India. Design/methodology/approach This firm-level study uses a cross-sectional research design. A personal survey of key informants, one each from 500 North Indian firms, has been conducted. The hypotheses were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling and multi-group moderation analysis. Findings This study reveals the relevance of organizational context in strategic decision-making. This study finds that the firm’s size and nature of industry influence the inclination of an enterprise toward innovativeness and proactiveness. The results indicate that both, new entrants and older firms, can adopt entrepreneurial posture. Originality/value This study attempts to provide a unique perspective of entrepreneurship research by assessing the effect of organizational context on the EO–BP relationship in the Indian context. This study applies five-dimensional conceptualization of EO to EO–BP relationship and attempts to contribute to the literature by refining the inventory of five-dimensional conceptualization of EO construct. The CFA model of multifaceted subjective measurement of BP construct lends support to the integrated approach of BP measurement.
... The mechanisms provoking these behavior perceptions and traits that lead to behavior propensities are believed to be contextually embedded (Cf. Randerson, 2016), and when the context changes such as changes in values by students or deemphasis on entrepreneur related education, the consequence can be a markedly different outcome with student propensities. A 2009 study found a positive association between education and an increase in entrepreneurial activity (Antonites and Wordsmorth, 2009), given the apparent change in values and perceptions of the emerging cohorts (DeVaney, 2015), collegiate business education may not continue to be a significant provoking factor of entrepreneurial propensity (Olokundun, Moses, et al., 2018;Bae, Qian, Miao, and Fiet, 2014;Zhu, Zhao, et al., 2022). ...
... Spanjol et al. (2022) posit that including futures literacy to entrepreneurship education is the way to build sustainable organizations and futures. Being entrepreneurial belongs to the neoliberal, capitalistic, and growth-oriented worldview (Randerson, 2016); what could be the role of entrepreneurship in a post-growth future? What behaviors would be perceived as entrepreneurial? ...
Article
This special issue questions business schools, and aims to tease out their identities, strategies, and imagined futures in a post-pandemic world. The pandemic increased awareness of the negative consequences of hyper-capitalism, of subsequent social injustices, the imminent and soon irreversible climate catastrophe. The six articles share a critical position toward the neoliberal business school and its impact on students, teachers, economies, and societies. Through the history, identity, communication of business schools the authors map the origins and coming of age of the dominant paradigm of business school practice and scholarship. They address possible futures through purposeful action, futures literate entrepreneurship, or inclusive practices. Imagined futures comprise four scenarios derived from four dimensions: (learning) space, curriculum, pedagogy and funding and access to education. This guest editorial contextualizes, presents and discusses the featured articles and finds that if collectively they critique the dominant paradigm, the articles depart very little from it, demonstrating the importance of amplifying and accelerating Futures research, teaching and practice.
... Morris et al. (2002) introduce entrepreneurship as a type of management style whose main approaches are proactiveness, risk-taking and innovation. Entrepreneurial marketing examines entrepreneurial behaviour in marketing approaches, including the utilisation of innovation in market activities (Covin & Lumpkin, 2011;Randerson, 2016;Wales, 2015). Moreover, the role of entrepreneurial marketing in achieving a sustainable competitive advantage is significant, thereby narrowing the gap between innovation and market conditions by making connections through providing concepts, tools, and infrastructure (Hills & Hultman, 2011;Boudlaie et al., 2020). ...
Chapter
Entrepreneurial marketing has become one of the most important topics internationally in today’s world. The main objective of the present chapter is to create a Theoretical development on drivers that have an impact on international entrepreneurial marketing and to provide an integrated framework in an individual analytical level with a concentration on marketing theoretical perspective by reviewing the present studies and combine the available frameworks. To do such a thing, first an introduction of international entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial marketing should be discussed. After that, the main drivers of the international entrepreneurial marketing need to be considered in individual analytical level. After considering the drivers such as organizational activities and characteristics in the individual analytical level, the developed framework is going to be provided and after that, the main strengths and weaknesses of the present studies will be discussed. This theoretical foundation will be made to fill the existing research gap. In conclusion, the developed framework of the individual analytical level drivers will be presented.
... As noted in the literature review, there is limited understanding of the dynamic transformations of TEB with changes in a teacher's administrative authority. Therefore, although this case study is inappropriate for making generalizations of actions or phenomena (Williams 2020), it is highly relevant for making inroads into an underexplored research domain such as entrepreneurial behavior (Ljungkvist, Boers, and Samuelsson 2019;Randerson 2016). By studying a single case, we go deep rather than wide to develop insights from this unique case (Stake 2010;Thomas 2021;Williams 2020), which is essential for theory building (Stake 1995;Yin 2013). ...
Article
This study identifies how a teacher’s entrepreneurial behavior (TEB) changed when promoted to higher positions in a school. It distills her experiences over time to uncover the symbiotic relationship between teaching and administrative entrepreneurial behaviors in promoting school innovation. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with teachers in the school, the results indicate that her TEB shifted from self-empowerment via school innovation to empowering others as she gained administrative authority. As a classroom teacher or subject head, the focal teacher developed ownership of innovation advocacy as a teacher leader, exhibiting resource-seeking behaviors and taking risks to spearhead change within her sphere of control. She faced an ‘innovation cliff’ when she transitioned to a school leadership role and acquired administrative authority. However, she eventually succeeded in scaling up whole-school entrepreneurial behavior and innovation as a school principal. This case study indicates the need for a major transformation of teacher development as teachers scale the organizational hierarchy to take on administrative roles. School leaders should act as resource providers to empower the entrepreneurial behaviors of other teachers and students. This requirement represents a turning point in teacher development, as earlier stages of TEB involve resource acquisition for self-empowerment.
... The concept and definition of entrepreneurial orientation are vague in nature as it is generalised through theoretical and empirical studies (Randerson, 2016). Though a significant number of studies on entrepreneurial orientation are present in the literature, there is a gap in terms of evaluation-based studies that hold the potential to reconceptualise the concept of entrepreneurial orientation in different economies (Martens et al., 2016;Wales et al., 2013). ...
Article
Entrepreneurial orientation as a factor in innovation and entrepreneurship research has gained interest in recent years. This paper attempts to explore and evaluate the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation in the context of Indian new ventures. Drawing from the existing measurement scale of entrepreneurial orientation, the concept is discussed and addressed in three dimensions: risk-taking ability, innovativeness, and proactiveness. Focusing on strategic innovation in new ventures, this paper also highlights the conceptual relationships among entrepreneurial orientation, organisational innovation, technological innovation, and product innovation. With an aim to understand and assess the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation in the context of Indian new ventures, the paper presents an empirical evaluation of the concept of entrepreneurial orientation, followed by a discussion of the future research agenda.
... The concept and definition of entrepreneurial orientation are vague in nature as it is generalised through theoretical and empirical studies (Randerson, 2016). Though a significant number of studies on entrepreneurial orientation are present in the literature, there is a gap in terms of evaluation-based studies that hold the potential to reconceptualise the concept of entrepreneurial orientation in different economies (Martens et al., 2016;Wales et al., 2013). ...
... Originally offered as a unidimensional construct (Covin and Lumpkin, 2011), EO can be empirically partitioned into two factors, one representing entrepreneurial firm behaviors, such as innovation or proactive new market entry, and the other representing manager's affinity, proclivity and desire to take risks (Anderson et al., 2015). Over the years, scholars have questioned the aggregation of firm behavior and managerial preferences into a single construct instead of capturing the elements separately (Anderson et al., 2015(Anderson et al., , 2019Randerson, 2016). This assessment recently led researchers to explore the interface between managers and entrepreneurial firm behaviors more critically (Covin and Wales, 2019;Wales et al., 2020). ...
... They support arguments that acting in anticipatory and proactive ways when pursuing opportunities supports early internationalization (Jiang et al., 2020). They also illustrate the variety of activities involved in proactive pursuit (Randerson, 2016), including business skill and plan development, increasing commitment to the venture and gaining competitive awareness. Key to these processes were BGs' dedicated learning efforts and proactive engagement with external networks. ...
Article
Full-text available
This article adds to existing work on the drivers of early internationalization by exploring how born globals’ proactiveness evolves during their pre-foundation period and influences their internationalization timing post-foundation. We perform a comparative, qualitative field study of born globals and non-born globals based on 22 university spin-out companies. The findings reveal that proactiveness during pre-foundation, which emerged as an evolutionary nonlinear process in both categories of firms, was critical in facilitating or inhibiting early internationalization. It emerged that born globals behaved reactively during the earliest phases of pre-foundation, and gradually became more proactive as the firm approached formal foundation. Conversely, non-born globals first behaved proactively and, as the firm moved toward formal foundation, became more reactive. The findings bear important theoretical implications for international entrepreneurship, as well as for literature on university spin-outs and new venture behavior, by generating new context-specific, processual evidence on the role of pre-foundation proactiveness as an antecedent of USO early internationalization.
... They function as 'elaborate fictions of proposed possible future states of existence' (Steyaert, 2007, p. 460). Through artefacts, entrepreneurs can start 'playing pretend' (Baker et al., 2003, p. 263) that the future they imagine is true (Randerson, 2016;Selden & Fletcher, 2015) and help persuade others to experience the hypothetical world they have created (Halme et al., 2012). Furthermore, artefacts allow exploring how imagined futures are received in a specific environment (Sarasvathy, 2001). ...
Article
Full-text available
This paper presents the sustainable food entrepreneurship framework (SFEF). It aims to further the understanding of the role of entrepreneurship in the sustainability transition of the food system, especially in the context of food system re-localization. The framework conceptualizes sustainable food entrepreneurship as a cyclical ongoing process of change. We argue this enables transcending the behaviour of entrepreneurs and their enterprises and map the ongoing development they fit into. The framework is based on literature reviews and expert interviews in the Dutch city-region of Almere-Flevoland. Theoretically, it expands on effectuation and bricolage theory, i.e. the 'resourcefulness perspective', that centres the socio-material context in the entrepreneurial process. The framework assumes the uncertainty of sustainability incites a cyclical process of change and implores entrepreneurs to reflect on the past before imagining the future. These imagined futures must be fitted to the socio-material context before emerging as artefacts (e.g. products, services or firms), which incites new uncertainties and a new cycle of change. Our framework has implications for policy and science. Its temporal dimension, that accentuates the continuous change entrepreneurship spurs, incites a reevaluation of terms such as 'success' and 'failure'. Moreover, it stresses the importance of intermediary actors in facilitating entrepreneurship.
... The cultural context within different countries or regions in which research is conducted should also be taken into account, which is also postulated in literature, both on an EO and IEO level [5]. Research demonstrates that some cultures in particular value certain attitudes, such as energy, effectuation or bricolage [84], which could influence the attitudes of young people. When research was conducted in Poland, the questions were adapted to a context matching the reality of the Polish respondents, in a way that was clearer for them. ...
Article
Full-text available
This paper addresses the issue of individual entrepreneurship orientation (IEO) and entrepreneurship education (EE), which are both important for modern economic development. Intergenerational differences in these areas were discussed, especially characteristics of Generations Y and Z. The results of research conducted among 757 Polish students showing their IEO are presented. 80% of respondents displayed high levels of proactivity (primarily directed at meeting their own needs), whilst only 56% exhibited innovativeness and only 47% risk-taking. On the basis of the research results, the authors formulated recommendations for entrepreneurship education, aimed at strengthening IEO among representatives of Generations Y and Z.
... Such difficulties originate from an abundance of romanticized discourses related to the 'hero entrepreneur', in which entrepreneurs are consistently depicted in mythical terms, as relentless creatures on a never-ending quest for innovation (Ahl 2006;Bruni et al. 2004;Chasserio et al. 2014;Verduijn and Essers 2013;Tedmanson et al. 2012;Jones and Spicer 2009), wealth creation and change making (Jones and Spicer 2005;Nicholson and Anderson 2005;Rindova, Barry and Ketchen 2009). Taken together, such pervasive discourses continuously shape a collective imaginary of the 'true' entrepreneur as a masculine risk-taker, rather than rule follower (Spicer 2012), who is aggressive and competitive, but at the same time an eloquent networker who knows how to win the hearts and minds of potential stakeholders through charm and heroic storytelling about startup periods (Marlow and McAdam 2012;Ozkazanc-Pan 2014;Pelly 2016;Randerson 2016). Importantly, he is seen as an individual agent, rather than part of a group (Drakopoulou Dodd and Anderson 2007). ...
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Drawing on in-depth interviews, this study investigates how entrepreneurs with disabilities (EWDs) position themselves, in their identity work, vis-à-vis dominant, normative representations of the entrepreneur that tend to exclude them. Addressing the current neglect in how EWDs deal with such discursive barriers, we document four identity positions which they deploy, in various combinations, to construct an identity as an entrepreneur. Our findings show that outward positions, by which EWDs compare their own self with (non)-entrepreneurial (able-bodied) others and emphasize similarity and uniqueness, reproduce normative representations of the entrepreneur. Inward positions, by which EWDs engage in inner conversations contrasting their current self with older, aspirational or impossible selves, on the contrary lead to the destabilization of normative representations. This study speaks back to wider debates in entrepreneurship studies, including the plea to consider 'ordinary' entrepreneurs, the difference between 'being' an entrepreneur and 'doing' entrepreneurship, and the value in difference.
... It is thus proposed here that CEOs' self-transcendence values moderate the EO-performance link between these two sectors of entrepreneurship in the harsh conditions of Iran's economy. This paper contributes towards understanding how CEO values moderate EO-performance link as a contextually based study in Iran, in response to the call for deeper contextualization of EO literature by Randerson (2016) and Anderson and Ronteau (2017). Overall, our study seeks to respond to the following research question: ...
Article
Purpose Entrepreneurship, in many low-resilient economies, plays a critical role in overcoming external shocks. Thus, it is crucial in such situation that entrepreneurial firms can survive and even grow so that the whole economy can benefit from a higher level of resilience. The purpose of this study is to understand how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) brings about firms' performance through the moderating role of CEOs' self-transcendence values in the context of a low-resilient sanctioned economy. Design/methodology/approach This is a quantitative research that employs hierarchical regression analysis of a sample of 114 Iranian entrepreneurial firms composed of 62 knowledge-based and 52 creative firms. Findings The analysis revealed that in the low-resilient sanctioned economy, Iran, EO-performance link is moderated by the level of CEOs' self-transcendence value, that is, higher level of CEO self-transcendence leads to stronger impact of EO on performance. This moderation is not different in creative sector vs. knowledge-based sector of the economy. Originality/value This paper addresses a major gap in the traditional EO-performance relationship which is related to the role of CEO values. Also, the context of Iran's low level of economic resilience adds more novelty to this study, emphasizing on the role of CEO personal values of self-transcendence in times of crisis. The results could also be generalized in many economies now facing the COVID-19 pandemic crisis during which CEOs' self-transcendence values are vitally important in overcoming the difficulties of doing business in such situation.
... Table 1 summarizes those that successfully, after (at least) two rounds of review and revision, negotiated this process. The selected papers in this Special Issue expose unusual cases, try out original and/or untested perspectives, and pose new questions: unwrapping the nature of firm level entrepreneurship (Randerson 2016); exploring new ways to study social changes in societies (Montesano Montessori 2016); reflecting on entrepreneurship 'in crisis' through the occupy enterprise movement in Argentina (Dey 2016); retelling the story of entrepreneurship through a study of a uS Military post office in Korea (Pelly 2016); and recasting the roles and beliefs of entrepreneurship education in the Western world through a sense of 'cult' (Farny et al. 2016). ...
... Alsos et al. (2016) also highlight the relationship between an entrepreneurs social identity and his entrepreneurial behaviour (causation vs. effectuation). At company level, Randerson (2016) deals with effectuation as part of entrepreneurial orientation and provides information on the classification of theories. With the establishment of effectuation in entrepreneurship research, the theory and its relevance as well as scientificness were discussed. ...
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Effectuation is a theory in the field of entrepreneurship research. It has been discussed from different perspectives since the early 2000s and developed over time. This paper gives an overview on how effectuation theory was considered until now and what is the state of the art. Furthermore a short critical review of existing simulation and agent-based models in the context of effectuation is presented. This discussion leads to a straightforward research question and shows how effectuation can be developed further. Moreover, it addresses the assumption that non causal theories like effectuation cannot be interpreted in an algorithmic manner.
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Purpose This article explores women entrepreneurs' lived experiences in their interactions with government enterprise support agencies. It investigates the relationship between gendering and Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), as a normative orientation adopted at the institutional level and justified by an economic rationale. It also explores how women entrepreneurs articulate their experiences through embodied metaphors and image schemas, shedding light on how they navigate the institutional entrepreneurial space. Design/methodology/approach This study is framed within the concept of Phenomenological Orientation as conceptualised in feminist phenomenology. It applies Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a qualitative methodology focused on interpreting accounts of first-person lived experiences of a phenomenon. It combines IPA with Conceptual Metaphor Theory to understand women's articulation of their embodied relationship within the entrepreneurial space. Findings Findings reveal that the entrepreneurial orientation functions as a gendering process within entrepreneurial institutions, reinforcing masculine hegemonic ideals and marginalising women entrepreneurs. Women's phenomenological orientations often diverge from the normative entrepreneurial orientation, highlighting the need for a more inclusive framework in institutional entrepreneurial spaces. Research limitations/implications This article contributes to women's entrepreneurship literature by underlining the temporal dimension of entrepreneurship and the tension that underpins their interactions with government support bodies. It calls for inclusive policies and procedures to match the heterogeneity of orientations. While highlighting its limitations, it also suggests future research directions to deepen the understanding of entrepreneurship and inform more suitable support structures for all entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by shedding light on the nuanced interplay between gendering, entrepreneurial orientation, and women entrepreneurs' lived experiences. It extends previous research by framing “orientation” within a temporality framework, offering a novel perspective on the gendering of entrepreneurial spaces.
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Entrepreneurship has been identified as a major domain that is playing a role in accelerating employment levels in the country. The Indian government, in general, is promoting entrepreneurial culture by bringing in mechanisms to create a strong ecosystem for start-ups. Higher education institutes in India have also focused on integrating entrepreneurship education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in various degree programmes; business administration is a major among them. Hence, it becomes important and useful to identify whether students carry or develop such entrepreneurial intention and what factors contribute to the formation of such intention. The present study empirically investigated students’ entrepreneurial intentions in two prominent higher education institutes in India. It studied various factors, including personality and motivational factors, and the study of entrepreneurship courses responsible for developing entrepreneurial competencies among students. It further investigated their correlation with the entrepreneurial intentions of students. The independent variables studied included entrepreneurial competency measured through innovativeness, risk-taking propensity, social astuteness, self-concept, locus of control, the study of entrepreneurship and the need for achievement. The study revealed a moderate correlation between innovativeness and entrepreneurial competency (0.513) and self-concept and entrepreneurial competency (0.610). The study of entrepreneurship courses was correlated with innovativeness (0.434), self-concept (0.570), need for achievement (0.478) and entrepreneurial competency (0.515). The study reinforces the effect of some personality factors on entrepreneurial competency and recommends that the provision of entrepreneurship courses at the institutional level likely positively impacts entrepreneurial competency, influencing students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Further, the qualitative analysis revealed several other motivational factors as perceived by the respondents, which mainly included money, autonomy, self-concept and meaningful work.
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This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on the issue of entrepreneurial orientation on brand and market execution, particularly when taking into account the moderating effect of corporate image. The main purpose of the research is to explore how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) impacts brand and market performance, with corporate image playing a moderating role. Systematization of the literary sources and approaches for solving the problem of the impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on brand and market performance, indicates that more entrepreneurial companies are likely to develop successful brands and achieve strong market performance. Corporate Image influences Brand Performance and Market Performance as a moderating variable. The relevance of this scientific problem decision is that the study enhances comprehension of strategic management and marketing ideas by examining the correlation between entrepreneurial orientation (EO), brand performance (BP), and market performance (MP). Investigation of the topic “Influence of Entrepreneurial Orientation on Brand Performance and Market Performance: Moderating Role of Corporate Image”. Methodological tools of the research methods were Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Structured equation modeling through statistical packages such as IBM SPSS-23 and AMOS -20, with 1 year of research. The object of research is the Northern Indian SME. The study uses a well-structured questionnaire to acquire primary data from respondents. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) measured with four items, whereas brand performance and market performance with three items each. Likewise, 3 items measured the corporate image. The paper presents the results of an empirical analysis using the structural equation model (SEM), which shows that companies with a favorable image in the marketplace are more capable of utilizing their entrepreneurial orientation to enhance brand performance and market outcomes. The research empirically confirms and theoretically proves that corporate image mediates the relationship between EO, brand performance, and market performance. The results of the research can be useful for marketers, brand managers, and corporate strategists seeking to enhance brand and market performance through entrepreneurial orientation and corporate image.
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Objective of the study: This paper gathers, and reviews published empirical or theoretical articles in which the entrepreneurial logics of causation and effectuation, coined by Sarasvathy in 2001, are discussed to answer the research question of “Under what circumstances do firms combine effectuation with causation?”. Methodology/approach: The research is based on a systematic literature review of top-tier journals over a 20-year period. Main results: Findings suggest causation and effectuation logics can be applied simultaneously or in sequence, depending on factors at the micro (the entrepreneur), meso (the firm), and macro levels (business context—institutional and situational). Theoretical/methodological contributions: It delivers a compiled, synthesized, and contrasted set of past work for future researchers to build upon and a preliminary conceptual matrix for further testing and refinement, not to mention an in-depth discussion at the micro, meso and macro level. Relevance/originality: Over 20 years after Sarasvathy’s seminal work, most literature investigating decision-making still focuses on contrasting the logics of causation or effectuation, not fully understanding the conditions under which each prevails or when they are combined. Social/management contributions: At the micro level, this research can help entrepreneurs better understand their profile and the benefits of considering both logics throughout their decision-making process. At the meso level, companies can benefit from understanding how logics relate at each life stage. Finally, at the macro level, policymakers and educators can help entrepreneurs navigate uncertain and turbulent environments if different logics and circumstances are more broadly acknowledged.
Article
Purpose The aim of this study was to obtain evidence of the practical significance of the generational involvement (GI) of top management teams (TMT) on the nexus between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and business performance (BP) in small family businesses (SFBs). Design/methodology/approach This study employed a questionnaire survey of 112 Malaysian SFBs. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis, hierarchical multiple regression analysis and a two-way interaction model. Findings The results indicate that SFBs have a positive EO–BP nexus. However, the study found that TMT-GI has a negative effect on EO and reduces the positive nexus between EO and BP. Specifically, higher levels of GI were associated with lower levels of EO and weaker BP. Research limitations/implications The study raises the necessity for SFBs to seek out a management mechanism and structure to balance the entrepreneurial boundary between the family-level and the business-level when there is increased GI. Additionally to the current, incorporating family TMT-related human ecology aspect of GI with the family business field could lead to a new research value stream. Practical implications The results of this study will enable family business decision makers and TMT to better understand the importance of considering family factors in their management strategies. Originality/value This analysis highlights the spatial relation of family-level logic in dominating EO–BP nexus at intervals in SFBs, where family factor of TMT-GI will be a key moderator.
Article
Current marketplace narratives demand a move from shareholder towards stakeholder primacy and responsible capitalism yielding social value creation. In parallel, the demand for entrepreneurial value creation at higher education institutions (including, but not limited to business schools) continues to grow. The intersection of these two demands, however, engenders critical tensions. While social value creation emphasizes stakeholder returns and a long-term perspective, entrepreneurial value creation revolves around investment returns and short-term agility. As a result, business schools have been grappling to find ways to incorporate a broader, holistic view on value creation into their activities. We bring together future studies and management scholars and scholarship to explore futures literacy as an instrumental capability for business schools. Our research suggests that an interdisciplinary approach is particularly promising since both management and futures studies investigate how to engage with uncertainty and chart more desirable futures. We illustrate the instrumental role of futures literacy and foresight with an educational program built at the intersection of entrepreneurial and social value creation and with anticipatory practices at its core. We suggest that anticipatory practices are currently underutilized in business schools’ curricula, outreach activities, and strategy making, and may be necessary to shape productive and constructive business schools of the future.
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Purpose of the study: This study investigates the effects of entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurship education, and external business environment on entrepreneurial intention of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students attending a federal university in southwestern Nigeria. This inquiry was conducted by exploring the one hundred and fifty students selected from six relevant faculties in the university. Design/methodology/approach: The main research instrument was a set questionnaire designed to elicit entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship infrastructure, and entrepreneurial intention. Descriptive and inferential statistics (partial regression) were used to determine the relationship between entrepreneurial intention and the other variables.
Article
Purpose Employee entrepreneurship has recently become an emerging area of investigation. However, due to the fragmentation of the turnover and entrepreneurship literature, no coherent theoretical framework has been developed to provide an adequate description of the employee entrepreneurial process. The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of why and how an employee in an established organization progresses toward starting a new venture by exploring the key decision-making processes during the initial stages of employee entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach This study addresses the following research questions: What are the key decision-making processes during the initial stages of employee entrepreneurship? How are these decisions made, and how do they interact? This study employed a multiple case study approach, which enabled the authors to gain valuable insight into these “what” and “how” questions. The data consist of 28 in-depth employee entrepreneurship cases. Findings Based on an in-depth study of 28 cases, this study constructs a comprehensive model of the dynamic and interactive decision-making processes that lead to employee entrepreneurship. In particular, the findings reveal that rather than being a linear staged activity, employee entrepreneurship is an inherently iterative process that involves a set of interrelated subdecision-making processes related to turnover, team entrepreneurship and partner recruitment that entail multiple iterations and feedback loops based on an individual's cognitive judgment. Originality/value By illustrating and clarifying the importance of the effects of different initial motivations and the attributes of the network in the course of the employee entrepreneurship decision-making process, this study integrates the turnover and entrepreneurship literature and makes significant contributions to the current literature on employee entrepreneurship. Moreover, this study complements research investigating entrepreneurial team formation by providing a detailed understanding of how the lead entrepreneur and the prospective partner make mutual choices during the entrepreneurial team formation process.
Thesis
Entrepreneurial orientation is one of the most researched constructs in entrepreneurial literature, yet, little is known about its relevance to micro-businesses performance. It is generally assumed that entrepreneurial acumen positively contributes to business performance, but the new, rapidly changing business environment as a result of several external disruptions has changed the equation, although, some entrepreneurial orientation studies have already proved in some context that entrepreneurial abilities could have an adverse effect on firm performance. Until now, the relevance of entrepreneurial orientation on businesses that are presumed to possesses innate entrepreneurial abilities has not been empirically investigated. In an entrepreneurial environment, managers play a crucial role in business growth, and managerial competencies do interact with entrepreneurial behaviour to influence firm performance. As a result, this study introduced a third variable to investigate how entrepreneurial orientation interacts with internal capabilities to influence a firm's performance. Therefore, the study also examined the role of dynamic managerial capability on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and micro-business performance, adopting the contingency and configuration approach of entrepreneurial orientation theory. The role of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as engines of economic growth is widely acknowledged, evidently through several academic research and policymaking for decades. Micro-businesses account for a vast majority of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), but they remain comparatively under-researched. They also account for the highest number of business death rate and growth challenges year in- year out. Micro-businesses are generally distinguished from larger SMEs by being an owner-manager entrepreneur (OME) centric. They are also likely to be constrained by a tendency to be growth-averse, inadequate business support provision, underdeveloped capabilities in key business areas and OME capabilities. One of the main objectives of this study is to understand the unique role of intangible resources on the performance of micro-businesses as a specific subset of SMEs. In this research, top management teams and business owners were asked to respond to a survey, primarily on their firms' entrepreneurial attitude, managerial capabilities and business performance. Responses were examined using correlation and a statistical regression analysis to make inferences on the relationships between the variables under investigation. The statistical model was calibrated on 231 survey participants to analyse the relationship between micro-business performance (the Dependent Variable), and entrepreneurial orientation and dynamic managerial capability (the Independent Variables). Findings from the investigation reveal that the individual dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation have no association with micro-business performance expect for autonomy, despite the aggregated effect of entrepreneurial orientation showing no significant association with micro-business performance. However, when moderated with dynamic managerial capability, the aggregated effect of entrepreneurial orientation becomes significant. Results, however, contribute new findings of the importance of managerial capability on entrepreneurial activities with micro-businesses. The study then concludes that entrepreneurial orientation is not a sufficient intangible resource for micro-firms. The implication of this is that business owners and managers need to reflect on their context before blindly adopting an entrepreneurial orientation as this thesis showed that fit between the context and entrepreneurial orientation is more important. Policymakers should also be aware that although entrepreneurial actions, activities and orientations can lead to very favourable results, if mismatched, they may produce adverse effects on performance. Therefore, policies aimed at increasing entrepreneurial action should be carefully tailored to synergise with other organisational capabilities required for the development of businesses, especially micro-businesses within the UK. The study has only scratched the surface on some novel approaches to understanding the unique characteristics of micro-firms with performance and organisational capabilities. More studies should be conducted to understand further how entrepreneurial orientation relates to other organisational resources and business from different performance context.
Chapter
This dissertation focuses on the growth of the core family firm and not on strategies for the total shareholder wealth including investments outside of the firm. The first question that drives this dissertation at this initial stage is, “Why do the observed growth spurts occur?” These spurts are a surprising finding, as the literature and theory show that old and mature firms grow more slowly than young firms (Eddleston, Kellermanns, Floyd, Crittenden, & Crittenden, 2013; Evans, 1987a, 1987b; Jovanovic, 1982; Molly, Laveren, & Jorissen, 2012; Reid, Dunn, Cromie, & Adams, 1999). Furthermore, there is the fate of the Law of Three Generations predicting the decline of family firms in later generations.
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Research Summary An original and clarifying conceptualization of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is advanced based upon three fundamental ways in which entrepreneurship can be manifest as an organizational attribute: as top management style, organizational configuration, and new entry initiatives. We leverage this conceptualization to examine the presumed state of irreconcilable differences between the Miller (1983)/Covin and Slevin (1989) and Lumpkin and Dess (1996) conceptualizations of EO. This research proposes that these conceptualizations are reconcilable when the problem is reframed to consider how EO is manifest as an organizational attribute at and across multiple levels of analysis. Like the blind men and the elephant, these works have drawn attention to different aspects of a broader phenomenon. How EO as a multifaceted organizational attribute shapes future scholarly dialogue is discussed. Managerial Summary The concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has been proposed as a way of envisioning what it means for organizations to “be entrepreneurial.” There is more than one answer to this question. This paper describes three principal ways entrepreneurship‐as‐an‐organizational attribute has been discussed, including illustrative examples from real‐world businesses. One perspective recognizes the entrepreneurial aspect of organizations by considering top management style; a second perspective recognizes that organizations manifest entrepreneurship through a configuration of key organizational elements; and a third perspective looks to evidence of the organization's entry into new offerings and domains of operation as indicative of entrepreneurship. All three manifestations of “being entrepreneurial” are part of the current conversation on EO. This paper recognizes the conceptual legitimacy and practical interdependence of these distinct perspectives.
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In this article, we briefly identify three main challenges/issues that should be taken into consideration in the institutionalization of entrepreneurship research: (1) recognizing the complexity of the phenomenon under study; (2) producing interesting, relevant and useful research results for all stakeholders; and (3) developing a critical posture in research. Following the discussion of these challenges/issues we introduce the five contributions to the Special Issue that, in different ways, problematize and challenge mainstream research and approaches. These articles use ‘dissensus discourses’, apply critical, ideological and paradigmatic stances and in some cases underline the importance of contextual factors.
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This article uses the six key specification decisions for entrepreneurship research (purpose, theoretical perspective, focus, level of analysis, time frame, and methodology) outlined in Low and MacMillan (1988) to explore unstated assumptions in entrepreneurship theory development. An article by Shane and Venkataraman (2000), The Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research, is analyzed and recommended as a model for clarity. A recommendation is made that the field of entrepreneurship needs to develop communities of scholars identified with specific research questions and issues.
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This review article analyzes and synthesizes key research on the topic of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in a scholarly effort to provide an integrative guide which enables researchers to more readily assimilate influential works on EO and thereby more productively contribute to the ever-evolving EO conversation in the literature. The article reviews and synthesizes promising directions in the EO research domain from a variety of perspectives, including how EO is manifest, how building on the Miller/Covin and Slevin conceptualization facilitates knowledge accumulation, which theories have been suggested as relevant to advancing the EO conversation, EO model building directions including the demand for longitudinal research, measurement considerations and implications, and the enduring unanswered call for qualitative research.
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The aim of this qualitative study is to identify how the perceptions of the entrepreneur on the nature of the opportunity (objective reality/social construction) and his/her cognitive style (analytical/intuitive) influence the process of opportunity pursuit (analytic process/intuition-based process). We find that if expected alignments (analysis/causation/objective opportunity versus intuition/effectuation/constructed opportunity) appear, they are not systematic, and that firm industry and position in the sector are determinant.
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The article focuses on the evolution and contributions of the corporate entrepreneurship (CE) in the field of general management studies and its implementation. Topics discussed include history and interest of social, technological and competitive forces in learning CE, effect of CE on the performance of people and the maintenance of organizational structure, and corporate venturing for revising the portfolio of a firm for increased corporate growth and development.
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We use the international entrepreneurial orientation construct and network support to understand the internationalisation process of subcontracting established small businesses. This is useful because if there is an abundant literature calling upon the variables independently, a gap subsists concerning their relative roles. In a multiple case study approach, our findings show that, if IEO leads on the long run to higher levels of export activity; it is at the expense of a slow and incremental process. We also find that if networking indeed leads to a more rapid export process, the levels of export activity remain modest and some firms even stop exporting.
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Culture has emerged as an important concept within the entrepreneurship literature to help explain differences in the nature of the entrepreneurship process observed between regions, industries and socio-cultural groups. Despite voluminous research on the topic, theories about how culture affects the entrepreneurship process remain underdeveloped. Without a framework to connect culture with everyday entrepreneurial practices and strategies, it is difficult to critically compare the role of culture between multiple contexts. Such a framework is necessary when examining the influence of local cultures on entrepreneurship, given the diverse ways they can influence economic activities. This paper introduces a Bourdieuian perspective on entrepreneurial culture that can be used to explain how particular entrepreneurial cultures emerge within regions, influence the local entrepreneurship process and evolve in the face of internal and external developments. Building on existing work on Bourdieu and entrepreneurship, this paper argues that entrepreneurship research must carefully consider how the concept of culture is used if it is to be a useful factor in explaining the heterogeneous geography of entrepreneurship we observe in the modern economy.
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This paper evaluates critically the ideologically driven representation of the entrepreneur as a heroic figurehead of capitalism pursuing for-profit entrepreneurship in the formal commercial economy. To do this, two separate streams of literature are brought together, which highlight how many entrepreneurs operate in the informal economy and how many others are social entrepreneurs. Reporting a 2006 survey of the lived practices of entrepreneurship involving interviews with 120 entrepreneurs in a rural West of England locality in the UK, formal sector for-profit entrepreneurship is shown to be a minority practice. Most entrepreneurs are revealed to operate wholly or partially in the informal economy and to varying extents adopt social goals, including those engaged in a newly identified form of entrepreneurship so far missed by the entrepreneurship literature, namely social entrepreneurship in the informal economy. This reveals the need to de-link entrepreneurship from the formal commercial economy. The resultant outcome is to replace the dominant representation of the entrepreneur as a heroic figurehead of capitalism with a re-representation of the entrepreneur that recognizes the multifarious lived practices of entrepreneurship and therefore demonstrates the feasibility of imagining and enacting alternative futures beyond capitalist hegemony.
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Although entrepreneurship seems to offer a universal economic solution, there are some doubts about whether it is universally attractive. We argue that entrepreneurship is a socially constructed concept and consequently the meanings, and hence the appeal, of the enterprise will vary internationally. We argue that how entrepreneurship is understood affects how attractive it seems. Accordingly, we investigated the meanings of entrepreneurship by analysing a range of metaphors of entrepreneurship gathered from schools across Europe. We found that both the meaning and understandings of the practices vary considerably. For most, the concept of entrepreneurship as an engine of the economy is attractive, but for some, the practices of entrepreneurs were considerably less appealing. We find links between national socio-economic contexts and attractiveness. We argue that culture and context seem to influence the social constructions of entrepreneurship and hence the attractiveness of entrepreneurial options. We also find that the pedagogical national narratives of the entrepreneur stand in dynamic tension with the performative national processes of entrepreneurship.
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This article argues for alternative forms of inquiry for exploring aspects of entrepreneurship scholarship that are often unseen, ignored or minimized. The label, ‘The European School of Entrepreneurship’, might serve as a useful rubric for identifying a community of scholars with tendencies towards the following: (1) an interest in the history of ideas that inform entrepreneurship scholarship, (2) a willingness to step outside of the entrepreneurship field, itself, to embrace a variety of ideas, particularly from philosophy and the humanities and (3) a concern for the ‘other’, so as to challenge the unspoken and often unrecognized ‘taken-for-granted’ aspects of what entrepreneurship is and what it might be. Such tendencies are fundamentally different by degree (rather than contrast) from current norms; yet, these tendencies can make a significant difference in current scholarly practice in entrepreneurship, as well as our understanding of the entrepreneurial phenomenon.
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The papers presented in this special issue follow on from ideas and discussions had at a workshop organized by the Centre for Knowledge, Innovation, Technology and Enterprise (KITE), at Newcastle University, and the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strathclyde University, held at Newcastle University Business School in June 2010. Its purpose was to bring together like-minded scholars and to celebrate and solidify a certain approach to studying enterprise. I have herding propensities and felt that this collective identity needed further definition. We should create a ‘European’ School of entrepreneurship, I thought. Academics resist being herded, and institutional definition ultimately gave way, after some discussion, to a focus on, to quote from the post-workshop call for papers, ‘the distinctiveness of the European tradition in entrepreneurship research’. The revised call for papers (Down and Cope 2010) went on to explain, This follows what we felt was a majority view that the notion of a “School” was too strong a formulation, and that what is common and distinctive is a commitment to a European tradition of research and theorising – one which adopts a broader social-science (and humanities) perspective and is critical, reflexive and attentive to history than a great deal of mainstream entrepreneurship scholarship. ‘European’ in this context of course alludes to some geographical differences, but more importantly it reflects a commitment to these intellectual orientations. This then is what we are about with this issue of Entrepreneurship and Regional Development.
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Entrepreneurial orientation (EO)—a firm's strategic posture towards entrepreneurship—has become the predominant construct of interest in strategic entrepreneurship research. Despite the ever-increasing volume of nomological research on EO, there remain ongoing conversations regarding its ontology. Drawing from measurement theory, we outline an EO reconceptualization addressing the likely prevalence of Type II nomological error in the EO literature stemming from measurement model misspecification. Focusing on the question of whether EO is an attitudinal construct, a behavioral construct, or both, we propose a formative construction of EO viewing the exhibition of entrepreneurial behaviors and of managerial attitude towards risk as jointly necessary dimensions that collectively form the higher-order EO construct. We present an empirical illustration of our reconceptualization followed by a discussion of future research opportunities.
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To develop a body of evidence-based knowledge on entrepreneurship, findings and contributions from the positivist, narrative and design research traditions in this area need to be combined. Therefore, a framework for research synthesis in terms of social mechanisms, contextual conditions and outcome patterns is developed in this paper. Subsequently, a synthesis of the existing body of research findings on entrepreneurial opportunities serves to illustrate how this framework can be applied and provides results that inform entrepreneurial action. Finally, we discuss how this synthetic approach serves to systematically connect the fragmented landscape of entrepreneurship research, and thus gradually build a cumulative and evidence-based body of knowledge on entrepreneurship.
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We examine the growing disconnect between the process-oriented conception of entrepreneurship taught in the classroom and theorized about in premier journals and the variance-oriented conception of entrepreneurship that characterizes empirical studies of the phenomenon. We propose that a shift in inquiry from entrepreneurship as an act to entrepreneurship as a journey could facilitate process-oriented research by initiating a dialogue about the nature of the entrepreneurial journey, when it has begun and ended, whether it might be productively subdivided into variables or events, and what if anything remains constant throughout the process. Finally, we propose that a clearer understanding of the entrepreneurial journey is necessary to distinguish the field horizontally from research on creativity and strategy, and vertically from research on more practical business functions or more abstract systems-level concepts.
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As a means to enhance prescriptive theory on a firm’s entrepreneurial orientation, this paper addresses the strengths and weaknesses of three approaches to measurement: managerial perceptions, firm behaviors, and resource allocations. We examine a set of recent studies employing these approaches, propose important contingencies regarding their use, and suggest that measurement accuracy can be improved by using a triangulation of methods. The paper concludes with a discussion of theoretical, resource availability, and interpretability considerations in measurement selection.
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Construct validity continues to pose challenges in the organizational sciences. To capture difficult-to-measure constructs of interest, researchers have often relied on content analysis. One content analysis technique, computer-aided text analysis (CATA), is particularly attractive because of the ability to process large samples with high speeds and reliabilities. Unfortunately, inconsistent guidance exists to guide researchers through the use of this tool in a manner compatible with accepted methods used to validate constructs in a rigorous manner. The authors review research using content analysis to examine the extent to which such studies integrate methods for assessing content, external, discriminant, and predictive validity. To provide direction for organizational researchers interested in using CATA to measure theoretically based constructs relevant to the management field, they suggest a number of possible procedures to enhance construct validity. They illustrate these procedures using the construct of entrepreneurial orientation.
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Whereas existing research on the longevity of family firms has focused on the survival of firms, this article investigates transgenerational entrepreneurship of families. By building on the transgenerational entrepreneurship research framework, the authors argue that by shifting from firm to family level of analysis, one gains a deeper understanding of family firms’ ability to create value across generations. The authors find evidence for their argument in that such a level shift reveals extended entrepreneurial activity, which is missed when focusing exclusively on the firm level. The study introduces and empirically explores the construct of family entrepreneurial orientation, which may serve as an antecedent to transgenerational value creation by families.
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In contrast to structurally-determinist and cognitive/agency-oriented views of opportunity recognition, it is argued that opportunity formation is relationally and communally constituted — an insight that is not recognized in descriptive or linear process models of opportunity recognition. To arrive at this claim, use is made of social constructionist ideas. These ideas have been frequently applied in entrepreneurship studies but less attention has been given to the relational aspects of social constructionist thinking particularly with regard to opportunity formation processes. To aid this line of enquiry an analysis is undertaken of a sibling-autobiographical account of a high-profile business venture, Coffee Republic. This account has been crafted by the sibling partnership with a particular audience in mind (the would-be entrepreneur) with guidelines and principles on how ‘anyone can do it’. However, it is not utilized here as a good specimen of business venturing to be probed for particular (hidden) meanings. Instead, the account is evaluated in order to illustrate how individualistic statements about opportunity discovery can be reconceptualized as relationally and communally constituted – an emphasis which is important for widening our theoretical understanding of the activities that we label entrepreneurship.
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The study of firm-level entrepreneurship Is fast becoming a central Issue In the literature. Research on the topicshows Increased vitality and rigor. Recently, Covin and Slevin (1991) have suggested an Integrative model that explains the association between a company's entrepreneurial posture and Its external environment, strategy, Internal factors, and organizational performance. This article highlights several areas wherethe Covin-Slevin model should be revised and extended to better capture the nature of entrepreneurial behavior as well as Its antecedents and consequences.
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This article uses the six key specification decisions for entrepreneurship research (purpose, theoretical perspective, focus, level of analysis, time frame, and methodology) outlined in Low and MacMillan (1988) to explore unstated assumptions in entrepreneurship theory development. An article by Shane and Venkataraman (2000), “The Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research,” is analyzed and recommended as a model for clarity. A recommendation is made that the field of entrepreneurship needs to develop communities of scholars identified with specific research questions and issues.
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Outline of a Theory of Practice is recognized as a major theoretical text on the foundations of anthropology and sociology. Pierre Bourdieu, a distinguished French anthropologist, develops a theory of practice which is simultaneously a critique of the methods and postures of social science and a general account of how human action should be understood. With his central concept of the habitus, the principle which negotiates between objective structures and practices, Bourdieu is able to transcend the dichotomies which have shaped theoretical thinking about the social world. The author draws on his fieldwork in Kabylia (Algeria) to illustrate his theoretical propositions. With detailed study of matrimonial strategies and the role of rite and myth, he analyses the dialectical process of the 'incorporation of structures' and the objectification of habitus, whereby social formations tend to reproduce themselves. A rigorous consistent materialist approach lays the foundations for a theory of symbolic capital and, through analysis of the different modes of domination, a theory of symbolic power.
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This paper suggests that entrepreneurship is the process of “emergence.” An organizational behavior perspective on entrepreneurship would focus on the process of organizational emergence. The usefulness of the emergence metaphor is explored through an exploration of two questions that are the focus of much of the research in organizational behavior: “What do persons in organizations do?” (we will explore this question by looking at research and theory on the behaviors of managers), and “Why do they do what they do?” (ditto for motivation). The paper concludes with some implications for using the idea of emergence as a way to connect theories and methodologies from organizational behavior to entrepreneurship.
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The primary purpose of this article is to clarify the nature of the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) construct and to propose a contingency framework for investigating the relationship between EO and firm performance. We first explore and refine the dimensions of EO and discuss the usefulness of viewing a firm's EO as a multidimensional construct. Then, drawing on examples from the EO-related contingencies literature, we suggest alternative models (moderating effects, mediating effects, independent effects, interaction effects) for testing the EO-performance relationship.
Article
Organizational corruption is a wide-spread negative aspect of economic activity, and a seemingly never-ending series of corruption scandals has been made public around the globe. Although research is performed in a broad variety of disciplines, ranging from psychology to management to law, a fully satisfactory explanation for the causes of organizational corruption has not been found. By looking at organizational factors as potential triggers for corruptive behavior, this study draws upon the concept of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Diverse studies have shown that EO, as an antecedent to company performance, has a positive effect. Recent EO literature, however, indicates that EO has not only positive but also negative consequences. In this line of reasoning, this study builds upon principal agent theory and makes a first step in exploring the impact of EO on a negative aspect of business behavior, namely organizational corruption. We gathered survey data and publicly available data from 411 firms, inquiring for both acts of corruption from within the top management team over the last 3 years and the level of entrepreneurial orientation within the organization. Results show diverging effects along the individual dimensions of EO; they point to risk orientation as the dark side of EO, as it significantly increases the likelihood of corrupt behavior in companies. In contrast, innovation orientation, to a certain extent, counterbalances by reducing the likelihood of corrupt behavior.
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Conceptual arguments for the association between cultural characteristics and entrepreneurship have existed for decades but only in the last 10 years has this relationship been the focus of empirical scrutiny. In this article, we review and synthesize the findings of 21 empirical studies that examine the association between national cultural characteristics and aggregate measures of entrepreneurship, individual characteristics of entrepreneurs, and aspects of corporate entrepreneurship. The study concedes that a predominant number of empirical studies have used Hofstede's conceptualization of national culture and that other domains have been underdeveloped. A preliminary model that integrates past findings is extended. The review highlights fruitful avenues for future research.
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This study utilized data from 1,067 firms In six countries to clarify the psychometric properties of the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) measure. The first research question addressed dimensionality and explored whether EO achieved the best model fit when structured as a one-, two-, or three-dimensional measure. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis in LISREL supported modeling entrepreneurial orientation with three sub-dimensions: innovation, proactiveness, and risk-taking. The second research question addressed the extent to which the three sub-dimensions of the entrepreneurial orientation measure co-varied with one another. Correlation analysis revealed that the three sub-dimensions of EO are able to vary independently of one another in many situations. This study also provided strong support for the cross-cultural validity of the Covin and Slevin EO scale.
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Three commentaries are presented concerning the Academy of Management Review (AMR) paper “The Promise of Entrepreneurship As a Field of Research” (January 2000), by Shane and Venkataraman, including a response from the authors to all three commentaries. An exchange pertaining to Fisher and White's AMR note, “Downsizing in a Learning Organization: Are There Hidden Costs?” (January 2000) is also presented.
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Entrepreneurship has become firmly established as a legitimate scholarly discipline. For entrepreneurship to influence managerial practice and public policy, however, we believe there needs to be a substantive shift in the focus, content, and methods of entrepreneurship research. We discuss ways this shift could occur, highlighting the need to recognize the multiple dimensions of entrepreneurial activities-and the importance of examining the heterogeneous aspects of context and factoring them into future theory building and testing efforts-and delineating the microfoundations of entrepreneurship. We also discuss how to strengthen the link between entrepreneurship research and public policy.
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This paper extends existing social and behavioral science knowledge by placing explicit emphasis on concept-formation issues as they pertain to organizational science. Moreover, the paper (a) introduces in a detailed manner the notions of concept traveling and concept stretching, (b) provides a clear treatment of various conceptual abstraction levels, (c) articulates and offers the negation approach, and (d) shows how to attain the abstraction levels via the use of the negation approach to concept formation.
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Recent research suggests that existing conceptualizations of firm-level entrepreneurship may not be sufficient in fully explaining the construct. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the fundamental dimensions underlying firm-level entrepreneurship and to empirically test a model depicting the hierarchical relationship between these various dimensions. It is argued that proactiveness, innova-tiveness and strategic renewal represent the primary dimensions of firm-level entrepreneurship. Three hypotheses are developed, specifying the role each of these three dimensions plays in the creation and exploitation of environmental opportunities. Utilizing data collected from 250 small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Korea, the empirical results suggest proactiveness positively impacts firms' perceptions of environmental opportunities, and these organizations then utilize innovativeness and strategic renewal in an effort to capture these perceived opportunities. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of our study for managerial practice and theory building.