Showing papers on "Entrepreneurship published in 1991"
TL;DR: In this article, a conceptual model of entrepreneurship as an organizational-level phenomenon is presented, which is intended to depict the organizational system elements that relate to entrepreneurial activities and is based on the concept of organizational systems.
Abstract: This article outlines a conceptual model of entrepreneurship as an organizational-level phenomenon. The model is intended to depict the organizational system elements that relate to entrepreneurial...
3,681 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors suggest that the economic growth of countries reflects their developmental potential which, in turn, is a function of the technological systems in which various economic agents participate, and they define a technological system as a dynamic network of agents interacting in a specific economic/industrial area under a particular institutional infrastructure and involved in the generation, diffusion, and utilization of technology.
Abstract: This paper suggests that the economic growth of countries reflects their developmental potential which, in turn, is a function of the technological systems in which various economic agents participate. The boundaries of technological systems may or may not coincide with national borders and may vary from one techno-industrial area to another. The central features of technological systems are economic competence (the ability to develop and exploit new business opportunities), clustering of resources, and institutional infrastructure. A technological system is defined as a dynamic network of agents interacting in a specific economic/industrial area under a particular institutional infrastructure and involved in the generation, diffusion, and utilization of technology. Technological systems are defined in terms of knowledge/competence flows rather than flows of ordinary goods and services. In the presence of an entrepreneur and sufficient critical mass, such networks can be transformed into development blocks, i.e. synergistic clusters of firms and technologies which give rise to new business opportunities.
1,964 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that countries with a higher proportion of engineering college majors grow faster than countries with lower proportion of law concentrators, whereas countries with high proportion of business concentrators grow more slowly.
Abstract: A country's most talented people typically organize production by others, so they can spread their ability advantage over a larger scale. When they start firms, they innovate and foster growth, but when they become rent seekers, they only redistribute wealth and reduce growth. Occupational choice depends on returns to ability and to scale in each sector, on market size, and on compensation contracts. In most countries, rent seeking rewards talent more than entrepreneurship does, leading to stagnation. Our evidence shows that countries with a higher proportion of engineering college majors grow faster; whereas countries with a higher proportion of law concentrators grow more slowly.
1,679 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a model that identifies potential environmental, strategic, and organizational factors that may spur or stifle corporate entrepreneurship, and highlighted the potential associations between corporate entrepreneurship and corporate financial performance.
1,625 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented an approach to the description of entrepreneurs based on attitude rather than personality characteristics or demographics, and validated the Entrepreneurial Attitude as a better approach to describe entrepreneurs.
Abstract: Attitude is presented as a better approach to the description of entrepreneurs than either personality characteristics or demographics. The development and validation of the Entrepreneurial Attitud...
1,184 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined several hypotheses on how the survival and success of small businesses headed by men and women are related to industry differences, organizational structures, and attribu...
Abstract: In this study, we examined several hypotheses on how the survival and success of small businesses headed by men and women are related to industry differences, organizational structures, and attribu...
1,094 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a way of generating networking strategies for entrepreneurs based on the role set of individual entrepreneurs and discussed the aggregation of personal networks into extended networks, which in turn can be analyzed within firms (intra-firm relations) or between firms (interference relations).
903 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: In this paper, the formation, development, and success or failure of new high technology companies, focusing on those that grew under the auspices of entrepreneurs from MIT in Boston at the end of World War Two.
Abstract: This is a book about the formation, development, and success or failure of new high technology companies, focusing on those that grew under the auspices of entrepreneurs from MIT in Boston at the end of World War Two. Edward Roberts has conducted extensive empirical research on these firms for the past 25 years and has written widely on the subject. He is one of the acknowledged academic experts on entrepreneurship. This book is the culmination of his work and synthesizes his findings.
877 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a model based on three major factors, namely ability, need, and opportunity, is proposed to explain the variation in the growth of small businesses in Sweden, and the results of previous studies are reviewed in the light of this abstract model.
786 citations
TL;DR: This article found that entrepreneurs spend significantly more time searching for information in their off hours and through nonverbal scanning than executives and paid special attention to risk cues about new opportunities, while executives tended to focus on the economics of the opportunity.
736 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: The Small Business Management (SBM) is the market leading text in small business management as discussed by the authors, with the best fully integrated content, graphics, and resources devoted to business plan development.
Abstract: Small Business Management, with its loyal following and great package, is far and away the market leading text in small business and has been for many years. It is a proven text, comprehensive in its approach, with the best fully integrated content, graphics, and resources devoted to business plan development. SBM has always been a step ahead of the competition (first to cover family businesses and first to integrate computer technology for small business) and continues to provide innovative coverage in each new edition. Increasingly adopted in hybrid courses that combine small business management and entrepreneurship and in standalone entrepreneurship courses, SBM shows aspiring business owners not only how to start a business but how to grow one
TL;DR: In this article, the conditions under which successful partnership networks were formed by four entrepreneurial companies were studied, and the findings strongly suggest that entrepreneurial firm's ability to identify, cultivate, and manage these network partnerships is critical to survival and success.
TL;DR: Public entrepreneurship is the process of introducing innovation, the generation, translation, and implementation of new ideas into the public sector as mentioned in this paper, and policy entrepreneurs are public entrepreneurs who, from outside the formal positions of government, introduce, translate, and help implement new ideas in public practice.
Abstract: "Public entrepreneurship" is the process of introducing innovation--the generation, translation, and implementation of new ideas-into the public sector. The research described here focuses on "policy entrepreneurs." These are public entrepreneurs who, from outside the formal positions of government, introduce, translate, and help implement new ideas into public practice.
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this paper, three primary perspectives are identified: (1) a review of the socioeconomic system as both a system progressing toward equilibrium and an array of conflicting homogenous groups; (2) an evaluation of the societal and contextual factors influencing entrepreneurial activity; and (3) an exploration of the role of individual entrepreneurial behavior in the societal context.
Abstract: Several perspectives have been utilized as a means of understanding entrepreneurial processes. Few studies, however, have examined entrepreneurship from a sociological perspective, prior to the 1990s. To better understand socioeconomic systems, three primary perspectives are identified: (1) a review of the socioeconomic system as both a system progressing toward equilibrium and an array of conflicting homogenous groups; (2) an evaluation of the societal and contextual factors influencing entrepreneurial activity; and (3) an exploration of the role of individual entrepreneurial behavior in the societal context. Literature reviews of the most recent research address each of these perspectives. Regarding the two perspectives for viewing the socioeconomic system, the evidence suggests that these explanations provide details as to why current socioeconomic systems appear capable of handling some of the overwhelming pressures inflicted by large, governing productive organizations. Additionally, the research regarding the impact of societal and contextual factors indicates that entrepreneurial activity, as well as favorable government policies, significantly impacts a society's economic development. Finally, the role of the individual, in term of both social factors and personality characteristics, is examined. The research suggests that an individual's social context, their perception of available opportunities, and their personality traits play a significant part in being predisposed to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors. The literature points to several trends related to the impact of sociological factors upon entrepreneurial activity, and several areas for future research are identified and discussed as the significant impact of entrepreneurship upon an economy gains greater recognition. (AKP)
TL;DR: In this article, a framework for identifying competences needed for an entrepreneurial career is provided, which is argued that entrepreneurial training calls for a contextual approach, implying that the social resources included in the personal network will supplement personal and organizational resources.
Abstract: Empirical research in Sweden on business venturing suggests that qualified experience and social skills are more crucial to success than formal education. Adopting an action perspective on entrepreneurship, a framework for identifying competences needed for an entrepreneurial career is provided. It is argued that entrepreneurial training calls for a contextual approach, implying, for example, that the social resources included in the personal network will supplement personal and organizational resources. Within such an entrepreneurial-learning framework, different Swedish academic programmes aiming at enforcing or supplementing management skills in small firms are presented. The reported courses include a MBA-programme with internship and training programmes for established entrepreneurs. Implications of the Swedish experiences for career management, the general school system and the re-training of management for entrepreneurial initiative are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a conceptual model is proposed relating the levels of entrepreneurship, marketing activity, and marketing-related structure of a firm to the degree of perceived environmental turbulence confronting the firm.
Abstract: Entrepreneurship and marketing are approached as proactive corporate responses to an increasingly dynamic, threatening, and complex external environment. Both represent organizational orientations built around creativity, innovativeness, flexibility, and risk-taking. A conceptual model is proposed relating the levels of entrepreneurship, marketing activity, and marketing-related structure of a firm to the degree of perceived environmental turbulence confronting the firm. Results of a survey involving personal interviews with managers in 93 firms representing six industries are reported. Turbulence is found to have a significant causal impact on both the levels of entrepreneurship and the marketing orientation of the firm, but not on structural variables.
Book•
01 Jan 1991
TL;DR: In this article, economic growth and decline in the Third World have been studied, focusing on the role of the service sector as the engine of economic development and the importance of skills infrastructure for development.
Abstract: Part 1 Economic growth and decline - theories and facts: global production technology, regions, and economic development regional disparity - cores and peripheries growth or development? regional planning technological capability. Part 2 The measurement of regional economic activity: the economic base and regional multipliers which economic base is best? sectoral change and economic development the service sector - engine of growth?. Part 3 Regional growth theory and policy - the burden of conventional wisdom: production functions and equilibrium - the neoclassical model disequilibrium models of regional growth and development development as a temporal process regional policy toward indigenous potential linkages, multilocational firms and technology. Part 4 Technological capability - the core of economic development: the linear model of technological change the impact of the product cycle on regional development technological change in the Third World learning technology learning and economic development. Part 5 Innovation in the firm - high technology in teh corporate context: the growth of corporate innovation management of technology science-push or market-pull? technology - a long wave view high technology industries - problems of definition and significance technological strategies of firms corporate organization of R and D activities global competition and strategic alliances licensing strategies and technological capability. Part 6 The location of economic activities - flexibility and agglomeration: industrial location and the role of labour large corporations and the spatial division of labour the location of non-production activities post-weberian location theory flexibility. Part 7 Creating technological places - nations, regions, and localities: national policies toward high technology industrial and technology policy in the third World technology transfer policies for regional high tech development directing technology. Part 8 Entrepreneurship and regional development: entrepreneurship - the problem of definition sectoral variations in firm formation entrepreneurial or "creative" regions venture capital and entrepreneurship incubators and spin-offs policies to promote entrepreneurship the prospects for policy in advanced countries entrepreneurship in the Third World. Part 9 Development in a fast-paced world - challenges and questions: technology and competitiveness the importance of skills infrastructure for development the challenge confronting the Third World the regional context of technological change.
TL;DR: In this paper, a model of network evolution that relates changing network activity to the increasing complexity facing the entrepreneur is presented, which suggests that public policy might be better directed toward the enhancement of this type of network activity, rather than the traditional support provided to encourage business formation.
Abstract: Social networks of entrepreneurs are theorized as evolving from an idea generating stage, to a business development stage, and finally to a strategic stage. A model of network evolution that relates changing network activity to the increasing complexity facing the entrepreneur is presented in this paper. A field study of premium wineries, operated by their founding entrepreneurs, is used to (1) assess the impact of social networks in the identification of entrepreneurial opportunity, (2) examine the development and use of networks in establishing the business, and (3) explore the role of interorganizational networks in startup firms. The results suggests that both broad social and interorganizational strategic networks are important to successful startup and ongoing competitive advantage. The results suggest that public policy might be better directed toward the enhancement of this type of network activity, rather than the traditional support provided to encourage business formation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the important developments in the size distribution of production of the six largest OECD countries, and examined various explanations for the changes, such as the business cycle, the sectoral recomposition of the economy, labor cost advantages in small firms, and the spread of flexible specialisation.
Abstract: During the 1970s the long standing trend towards centralisation in the organisation of business ceased, and was reversed in many advanced industrialised countries as the share of employment in small enterprises and establishments began to increase. The article documents the important developments in the size distribution of production of the six largest OECD countries, and examines various explanations for the changes, such as the business cycle, the sectoral recomposition of the economy, labor cost advantages in small firms, and the spread of flexible specialisation. It also discusses potentially unfavourable effects of these changes on wages, working conditions, and industrial relations, and proposes institutional reforms to mitigate, or avoid, such effects.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that none of the three crucial roles of the organizational theatre will ever go out of fashion, as they can be seen as enactments of archetypes, embodying the different fears and hopes of those who create organizations by their daily performance.
Abstract: This paper explores three crucial roles of the organizational theatre: managers, leaders and entrepreneurs. Changing fashion in the organizational theory debate as well as in organizational practice puts different roles in focus at different times. Organization theory should, accordingly, shift its attention toward studying the contexts in which a given role acquires dominance, in place of an unreflective discussion of the relative functional advantages of each of them. This paper argues that none of the three will ever go out of fashion, as they can be seen as enactments of archetypes, embodying the different fears and hopes of those who create organizations by their daily performance. Leadership is seen as symbolic performance, expressing the hope of control over destiny; management as the activity of introducing order by coordinating flows of things and people towards collective action, and entrepreneurship as the making of entire new worlds. The sociohistorical context needs to be considered as the st...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: A survey of 1,000 M.B.A. students from top business schools across the United States found that 44 percent of them desired to become an independent entrepreneur and only 34 percent wished to become a high-ranking corporate executive.
Abstract: Business college graduates and students are increasingly disenchanted with career prospects as organizational employees. Fierce competition, cost-cutting pressures, and leveraged buyouts have resulted in corporate restructurings that have undermined such traditional values as employee loyalty, security, and ownership of results (Jackson and Vitberg 1987). Consequently, more and more business students view the possibility of starting and operating their own business as a viable alternative to being employed by an established company (Duffy and Stevenson 1984). Recent survey support this view. A national survey by the Roper Organization revealed that 46 percent of college students consider a "business of one's own" an excellent way to get ahead (Karr 1988). Even more impressive were the results of a University of Pittsburgh survey of 1,000 M.B.A. students from top business schools across the United States. When asked what their long-term career goal was, 44 percent responded that they wanted to become an "independent entrepreneur." In contrast, only 34 percent wished to become a "high-ranking corporate executive" (Sandholtz 1990). This desire for entrepreneurial careers is reflected in the growing number of universities that have added courses and programs in entrepreneourship to their business curricula. Traditionally, most entrepreneurs began their careers by working for someone else. Over time, as organizational employment failed to satisfy their needs, they left to start their own businesses (Brockhaus and Horowitz 1986). Today, however, many students already appear to view established organizations as unwilling or unable to satisfy their needs. This perspective may reflect a greater awareness of actual organizational life and rewards as well as a recognition that organizations have changed over the past decade. This view, it should be noted, does not mean that these business school graduates will not enter the employ of established organizations. It does recognize, however, that such employment may be temporary, allowing the graduates to gain the experience and financial resources necessary to start their own business. Clutterbuck and Devine (1985) support this intention by noting the self-confidence that entrepreneurs acquire from learning the basics of good management from their employers. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Work Values Considerable research has focused on the work values of business college graduates. Results generally show that they desire work which provides a feeling of accomplishment, job security, and the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills. However, they prefer to avoid work that could be characterized as routine or involving rules and procedures, and work that requires supervising others or taking risks (Bartol and Manhardt 1979; Brenner and Tomkiewicz 1979, 1982; Manhardt 1972). Although there is no clear evidence that business graduates' work values have changed, it is likely that they have modified their perceptions concerning the extent to which established organizations can meet their needs. The burgeoning interest in entrepreneurship among business students may reflect their increasing willingness to accept the uncertainties of business ownership, since many of the benefits once associated with being an employee--such as job security and prestige--no longer are perceived to exist. As such, the graduates' choice between entrepreneurship or employment in an organization could be determined by their perceptions of the outcomes associated with each alternative--and how much they value or desire these outcomes. Although a graduate might perceive entrepreneuship as more attractive than working for an organization, perceived barriers--such as lack of money or the onset of family responsibilities--could intervene, and cause the graduate to become an employee rather than an entrepreneur. In fact, Greenhaus, Sugalski, and Crispin (1978) found that a person's intention to pursue employment with a particular type of organization was not only a function of the organization's attractiveness but also of the accessibility or feasibility of the choice. …
Journal Article•
27 Sep 1991
TL;DR: In this article, John Sibley Butler traces the development of black enterprises and other community organizations among black Americans from before the Civil War to the present and compares these efforts to other strong traditions of self-help among groups such as Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Greek Americans, and exciting new research on the Amish and the Pakistani.
Abstract: www.sunypress.edu 11 Since its publication in 1991, Entrepreneurship and Self-Help among Black Americans has become a classic work, influencing the study of entrepreneurship and, more importantly, revitalizing a research tradition that places new ventures at the very center of success for black Americans. This revised edition updates and enhances the work by bringing it into the twenty-first century. John Sibley Butler traces the development of black enterprises and other community organizations among black Americans from before the Civil War to the present. He compares these efforts to other strong traditions of self-help among groups such as Japanese Americans, Jewish Americans, Greek Americans, and exciting new research on the Amish and the Pakistani. He also explores how higher education is already a valued tradition among black self-help groups—such that today their offspring are more likelyto be third and fourth generation college graduates. Butler effectively challenges the myth that nothing can be done to salvage America’s underclass without a massive infusion of public dollars, and offers a fresh perspective on those community based organizations and individuals who act to solve local social and economic problems. ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SELF-HELP AMONG BLACK AMERICANS A Reconsideration of Race and Economics, Revised Edition
TL;DR: The field of entrepreneurship has grown at an incredible rate over the past 20 years as evidenced by the increased number of endowed positions, academic organizations, journals, and other publicati... as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The field of entrepreneurship has grown at an incredible rate over the past 20 years as evidenced by the increased number of endowed positions, academic organizations, journals, and other publicati...
TL;DR: The critical importance of small business management and entrepreneurship in determining the future of the economic and social well-being of the United States is generally accepted by leading experi... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The critical importance of small business management and entrepreneurship in determining the future of the economic and social well-being of the United States is generally accepted by leading exper...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the relationship between antecedent influences, composed of personal background, educational and occupational experiences, motivations, skills and knowledge, of women entrepreneurs and the growth of their ventures.
Abstract: This study explores the relationship between the antecedent influences – composed of personal background, educational and occupational experiences, motivations, skills and knowledge, of women entrepreneurs and the growth of their ventures. Findings from this longitudinal study shows experience, business skills, and personal factors do affect the future growth of women‐owned enterprises.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: For example, Sexton and Bowman as mentioned in this paper found a clear relationship between entrepreneurship and achievement motivation across a number of measurement instruments (Edwards Personal Preference Scale, the Mehrabian Scale, and the TAT).
Abstract: Theory and research in the social sciences support a model of dynamic interactive processes between individual characteristics and the environment which lead to complex behaviors such as the creation of new ventures and other entrepreneurial activities. Neither the characteristics of the individual nor the characteristics of the environment (social, physical, financial, etc.) are sufficient in themselves to explain the phenomenon of new venture creation. Research models in entrepreneurship must, therefore, reflect this dynamic relationship or at least be compatible with this perspective. Past research on the entrepreneur has been based, to a large extent, on the assumption that stable personality characteristics can explain how entrepreneurs are different from nonentrepreneurs. This assumption has influenced entrepreneurial research and the way we view entrepreneurs in many ways, one of which is subject selection based on operational definitions. The assumption of stable personality characteristics allows for the use of subjects who may or may not be entrepreneurs at the present time because they may be seen as "budding" or potential entrepreneurs. Since personality characteristics are stable across time and situations, they exist in much the same way at any point in time or career stage for a given individual. Because personality characteristics are stable, entrepreneurs would exhibit the same general characteristics regardless of the stage of their career or the situation in which they find themselves. Students who are current or potential entrepreneurs would exhibit the same stable defining characteristics as would nonstudents who are current or potential entrepreneurs. For the most part, the instruments used in measuring entrepreneurship have been based on personality models in psychology which purport to measure personality characteristics that are stable across time and situations and have a broad range of effects. Based on the stable state or trait model, one would expect that the same basic characteristic or constellation of characteristics would affect entrepreneurs and/or potential entrepreneurs at all stages in their careers, at all ages, and in all aspects of their life. Achievement, locus of control, risk taking, etc., would have a similar effect on the studies and social life of a student, and on the business and family life of a non-student. There seems to be a clear relationship between entrepreneurship and achievement motivation across a number of measurement instruments (Edwards Personal Preference Scale, the Mehrabian Scale, and the TAT (1)), and across a number of different samples. However, under the assumption of a set of dynamic and changing characteristics, differences across time and situations would be expected. Groups of entrepreneurs at different stages of their careers would be expected to differ in some central entrepreneurial characteristics just as entrepreneurs would be expected to differ from nonentrepreneurs. Changes over time in entrepreneurial characteristics are a potential explanation for some unusual results in the entrepreneurship literature. For example, Sexton and Bowman (1983) found that achievement motivation lacked predictive validity in groups of entrepreneurship students and non-business students, but the same construct has been found to predict entrepreneurship in nonstudent groups of entrepreneurs (Brockhaus 1982, Hornaday 1982, Hornaday and Aboud 1971, Lachman 1980, McClelland 1961). In subsequent research Sexton and Bowman (1984, 1986) modified the JPI/PRF-E (2) by dropping the achievement and 28 other scales from the test instruments because the scales lacked predictive validity for student subjects. In validating the modified instrument with nonstudent groups, Sexton and Bowman (1986) found not only that there were significant differences on all of the scales used between the experimental groups (entrepreneur) and control groups (nonentrepreneurs) but also that on seven of the nine scales there was a significant difference between the students and nonstudents (including both the entrepreneur and control groups). …