To date, the phenomenon of entrepreneurship has lacked a conceptual framework. In this note we draw upon previous research conducted in the different social science disciplines and applied fields of business to create a conceptual framework for the field. With this framework we explain a set of empirical phenomena and predict a set of outcomes not explained or predicted by conceptual frameworks already in existence in other fields.

The Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research

A Model of Strategic Entrepreneurship: The Construct and its Dimensions

Explaining how entrepreneurs overcome information asymmetry between themselves and potential investors to obtain financing is an important issue for entrepreneurship research. Our premise is that economic explanations for venture finance, which do not consider how social ties influence this process, are undersocialized and incomplete. However, we also argue that organization theoretic arguments, which draw on the concept of social obligation, are oversocialized. Drawing on the organizational theory literature, and in-depth fieldwork with 50 high-technology ventures, we examine the effects of direct and indirect ties between entrepreneurs and 202 seed-stage investors on venture finance decisions. We show that these ties influence the selection of ventures to fund through a process of information transfer.

/pdf/network-ties-reputation-and-the-financing-of-new-ventures-48pdthdg2u.pdf

Network Ties, Reputation, and the Financing of New Ventures

https://www.sjsu.edu/people/john.estill/courses/158-s15/The%20Promise%20of%20Entrepreneurship%20as%20a%20Field%20of%20Study.pdf

The Promise of Enterpreneurship as a Field of Research

Co-located firms within related industries enhance the ability to create knowledge by variation and a deepened division of labour. The interdependent development between economic activities and local institutions make the cluster attractive to some industries and hostile to others. The very reasons why cognitive distance might be small within the cluster tend to make cognitive distance great between clusters and make interfirm co-operation across bodies of knowledge more costly. The additional value created when clustering may justify the additional cost. Copyright 2001 by Oxford University Press.

Towards a Knowledge‐based Theory of the Geographical Cluster

This publication contains reprint articles for which IEEE does not hold copyright. Full text is not available on IEEE Xplore for these articles.

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/46/4306096/04306109.pdf

Jerry White

Papers

The Entrepreneur