Studies examining the relationship between national culture and entrepreneurial activity have largely ignored the influence of culture on individual decisionmaking. Recent years have witnessed ...considerable interest in cognitive logics employed by entrepreneurs. A growing body of literature examines factors contributing to the relative reliance on causal and effectual reasoning as entrepreneurs attempt to launch and grow new ventures, with evidence suggesting expert entrepreneurs engage more heavily in effectual reasoning than do novice entrepreneurs. The present study examines the mediating role of cognitive logic in explaining venture performance in differing cultural contexts. A series of hypotheses are tested using a sample of 3411 new ventures started by student entrepreneurs from 24 countries based on the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey. The findings indicate that both venture cognitive logics have positive effects on new venture performance and serve as mediators in the culture-performance relationship. Based on these findings, we conclude entrepreneurial reasoning is shaped not only by personal characteristics of entrepreneurs but also by aspects of the cultural context.
Consistent with the theme of this special issue, entrepreneurship today is truly everywhere-across campuses, across communities, and across borders. However, we know that entrepreneurship is being ...defined in different ways ... by different audiences! Exactly how entrepreneurship gets redefined and by whom is the major challenge confronting the discipline as that will forge the future trajectory for everyone. In order to avoid the tendencies to apply entrepreneurship in virtually any context no matter how far removed it is from the act of recognizing and capitalizing on opportunity for the purposes of economic or social gain, this paper examines six major trajectories that will significantly influence the future of this discipline.
The adoption of new technologies can contribute to both efficiency and effectiveness and is a key source of long-term competitive advantage in entrepreneurial ventures. This is particularly relevant ...for poverty entrepreneurs. However, the literature on technology adoption and use in the poverty context is sparse, and is predominantly focused on developing economies. The current article seeks to address these shortcomings. We identify critical areas of typical ventures launched by the poor that are affected by technology. Attention is devoted to understanding technology as a product versus a process and what this distinction means for poverty entrepreneurs. We introduce a conceptual framework linking technology and digital literacy, technology adoption, and absorptive capacity to venture inputs and outputs. Dynamic interactions among these variables are explored. Implications for theory development and management practice, together with recommendations for future research, are provided.
State-of-the-art metal 3D printers promise to revolutionize manufacturing, yet they have not reached optimal operational reliability. The challenge is to control complex laser-powder-melt pool ...interdependency (dependent upon each other) dynamics. We used high-fidelity simulations, coupled with synchrotron experiments, to capture fast multitransient dynamics at the meso-nanosecond scale and discovered new spatter-induced defect formation mechanisms that depend on the scan strategy and a competition between laser shadowing and expulsion. We derived criteria to stabilize the melt pool dynamics and minimize defects. This will help improve build reliability.
Competencies necessary for entrepreneurial action are investigated. Building on structuration theory, competencies are approached as an outgrowth of the learning of scripts deriving from interactions ...between the individual and environment. Managerial and entrepreneurial competencies are distinguished, with the latter helping to define the domain of entrepreneurship education. Employing a elphi methodology, evidence is provided of a core set of 13 entrepreneurial competencies. Measures are then developed with a pilot study involving students in an international education program. Based on pre- and post-measures, findings demonstrate significant improvement on the competencies. Implications are drawn for the role of entrepreneurship education in competency development.
Empowerment is an important but understudied phenomenonExperiential Learning in entrepreneurship education. We integrate literatures on empowerment theory and experiential learning to propose a ...conceptual model of empowerment-based entrepreneurship education. The concept of entrepreneurial empowerment is introduced as a cognitive state characterized by meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact toward entrepreneurial activities. The model proposes that empowerment has a mediating role in the relationship between experiential learning approaches in a poverty context and the acquisition of learning outcomes. The model is illustrated using an entrepreneurship and adversity program that supports local low-income individuals in starting and growing their ventures.
This study attempts to develop our understanding of the ecosystem as a complex social construct by advancing a social network perspective. Based on personal interviews we model the entrepreneurial ...ecosystems of two municipalities through a diverse network of entrepreneurs, investors, and institutional leaders. The two ecosystems were characterized and compared on measures related to the level of connectivity between actors, the existence of social boundaries, the role and position of actors with certain attributes (e.g. women, minorities) and the presence of ties in multiple social contexts (e.g. friend and investor). Our results suggest that entrepreneurial ecosystems consist of different social clusters, forming boundaries along venture type (e.g. high-growth, lifestyle), type of support institution (e.g. university, government agency), gender, race, and ethnicity. High-growth/technology entrepreneurs, for example, were predominantly white, male and strongly connected to technology commercialization and acceleration programs. In contrast, entrepreneurs operating survival ventures are mainly non-white, female and often socially disconnected from the main institutions. We also found differences with respect to network connectivity between stakeholders in both ecosystems. Based on our findings, we draw managerial implications for different stakeholders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Student proclivity to start a venture can be affected not only by the university environment where they are exposed to entrepreneurship, but also by perceptions of how desirable entrepreneurial ...behavior is considered to be in a given society. Based on an embeddedness perspective, and using a sample of students from 26 countries and 489 universities, evidence is produced of significant positive relationships between both curricular and co-curricular programing and student start-up activities, with specific cultural dimensions moderating these impacts. University seed funds for students negatively impact the scope of start-up activities. Implications are drawn for educators and policy makers.
While entrepreneurship in developing economies at the base of the pyramid is receiving growing attention, scholars have devoted less effort to exploring entrepreneurship as a solution to poverty in ...advanced economies. Yet, poverty rates have not meaningfully changed in most developed economies in 50 years, and the income gap between rich and poor continues to widen. In this article, we examine entrepreneurship as a source of empowerment for the economically disadvantaged. We explore the nature of poverty and its implications for various aspects of entrepreneurship, identify problematic aspects of the typical low-income startup, and present the SPODER conceptual framework for fostering entrepreneurial development among the poor: (S) supportive infrastructure, (P) preparation of the entrepreneur; (O) expanded opportunity horizons; (D) finding sources of differentiation; (E) a well-designed economic model; and (R) leveraging community resources. We conclude by drawing from the framework implications for those involved in breaking the cycle of poverty.
Progress in entrepreneurship research is inhibited by lack of agreement on what constitutes an entrepreneurial venture. We argue for an inclusive conceptualization, and the need to distinguish types ...of entrepreneurial ventures. A typology is proposed consisting of four venture types. Based on the unique characteristics of each type, it is argued that differences will emerge in the identities of the founder and the organization. Evidence of such differences is provided using samples of each venture type. The tendency in contemporary research to ignore differences in venture type is examined. Implications are drawn for theory development, research practice, and managerial practice.
