https://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/18421.pdf

The role of social and human capital among nascent entrepreneurs

This study examines nascent entrepreneurship by comparing individuals engaged in nascent activities (n=380) with a control group (n=608), after screening a sample from the general population (n=30,427). The study then follows the developmental process of nascent entrepreneurs for 18 months. Bridging and bonding social capital, consisting of both strong and weak ties, was a robust predictor for nascent entrepreneurs, as well as for advancing through the start-up process. With regard to outcomes like first sale or showing a profit, only one aspect of social capital, viz. being a member of a business network, had a statistically significant positive effect. The study supports human capital in predicting entry into nascent entrepreneurship, but only weakly for carrying the start-up process towards successful completion.

https://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/9619.pdf

Entrepreneurial orientation and small business performance : A Configurational Approach

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has received substantial conceptual and empirical attention, representing one of the few areas in entrepreneurship research where a cumulative body of knowledge i ...

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Entrepreneurial Orientation and Business Performance: An Assessment of Past Research and Suggestions for the Future

While theory suggests that management has discretion in manipulating resources in order to build competitive advantage, resource-based research has focused on the characteristics of resources, paying less attention to the relationship between those resources and the way firms are organized. In explaining performance, entrepreneurship scholars have focused on a firm’s entrepreneurial strategic orientation (EO), leaving its interrelationship with internal characteristics aside. We argue that EO captures an important aspect of the way a firm is organized. Our findings suggest that knowledge-based resources (applicable to discovery and exploitation of opportunities) are positively related to firm performance and that EO enhances this relationship. Copyright  2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Knowledge‐based resources, entrepreneurial orientation, and the performance of small and medium‐sized businesses

Stevenson (1983) holds that entrepreneurial management, defined as a set of opportunity-based management practices, can help firms remain vital and contribute to firm and societal level value creation. While his conceptualization has received much attention, little progress has been made because of a lack of empirical tools to examine his propositions. This article seeks to resolve this by describing a new instrument that was developed specifically for operationalizing Stevenson's conceptualization. After two pre-tests, the instrument was tested full scale on a very large (1200+ cases) stratified random sample of firms with different size, governance structure, and industry affiliation. The results show that both in the full sample and in various sub-samples it was possible to identify six sub-dimensions with high discriminant validity and moderate to high reliability, which represent dimensions of Stevenson's theoretical reasoning. We label these Strategic Orientation, Resource Orientation, Management Structure, Reward Philosophy, Growth Orientation and Entrepreneurial Culture. We were further able to show that these dimensions only partly overlap with ‘Entrepreneurial Orientation’, the hitherto best established empirical instrument for assessing a firm's degree of entrepreneurship. Our instrument should open up opportunities for researchers to further evaluate entrepreneurship in existing firms. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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An operationalization of Stevenson's conceptualization of entrepreneurship as opportunity-based firm behavior

Stevenson (1983) holds that entrepreneurial management, defined as a set of opportunity-based man-agement practices, can help firms remain vital and contribute to firm and societal level value creation. While his conceptualization has received much attention, little progress has been made because of a lack of empirical tools to examine his propositions. This article seeks to resolve this by describing a new instrument that was developed specifically for operationalizing Stevenson’s conceptualization. After two pre-tests, the instrument was tested full scale on a very large (1200+ cases) stratified random sample of firms with different size, governance struc-ture, and industry affiliation. The results show that both in the full sample and in various sub-samples it was pos-sible to identify six sub-dimensions with high discriminant validity and moderate to high reliability, which rep-resent dimensions of Stevenson’s theoretical reasoning. We label these Strategic Orientation, Resource Orienta-tion, Management Structure, Reward Philosophy, Growth Orientation and Entrepreneurial Culture. We were further able to show that these dimensions only partly overlap with ‘Entrepreneurial Orientation’, the hitherto best established empirical instrument for assessing a firm’s degree of entrepreneurship. Our instrument should open up opportunities for researchers to further evaluate entrepreneurship in existing firms.

An operationalization of Stevenson’s conceptualization of entrepreneurship as opportunity-based firm behavior

Resource needs and the dynamic capitalism typology

The importance of resources to firms is well documented in theory, texts and empirical studies. Yet, research focuses on acquisition of financial resources, with less attention given to other types. Prescriptions emphasize resource a/location or fit to opportunities, often treating resources in the aggregate without considering unique distinctions in resource types or usage. This paper argues that there are five distinct types of resources applicable to small firms- human, social, organizational, physical and financial. An exploratory study of 76 firms examines the relative importance of these resource types and analyzes relationships between resources and characteristics of the owner/founder and organization. Findings show overall higher ratings for physical and organizational resources than for financial resources. Results indicate few differences in resources depending on owner/founder characteristics or industrial sector.

/pdf/resources-in-small-firms-an-exploratory-study-319xrfly6v.pdf

Terrence Brown

Papers

An operationalization of Stevenson's conceptualization of entrepreneurship as opportunity-based firm behavior

An operationalization of Stevenson’s conceptualization of entrepreneurship as opportunity-based firm behavior

Resource needs and the dynamic capitalism typology

Resources in Small Firms: An Exploratory Study

Seeking funding in order to sell: Crowdfunding as a marketing tool