Shaping Entrepreneurship Research

Shaping Entrepreneurship Research: Made, as Well as Found is a collection of readings designed to support entrepreneurship research. Focused on a worldview in which the future is open-ended and shapeable through human action – i.e. “made”, this collection reframes entrepreneurship as a science of the artificial rather than as a natural or social science. It posits an open-ended universe for the making of human artifacts even if large swathes of nature and society are not within the control of the people making them. The book explores the notion of “made” through 25 foundational readings – classics from the history of ideas. Organized into five sections, each classic is individually introduced by the editors in one of five chapters written to explain its relevance and significance for a “made” view of entrepreneurship. Readers will benefit from exposure to these classic ideas and ongoing research in a variety of areas that fall somewhat outside the line-of-sight of traditional entrepreneurship research. Both individually and collectively, the readings suggest opportunities to ask new questions and develop new ways of framing entrepreneurship research that carry the discussion beyond worlds found to worlds made as well as found. The book is crafted to be valuable to three groups of scholars: young scholars with limited or no access to research infrastructure but with a desire to participate in deep conversations; young scholars with access to research infrastructure who also desire to listen-in on a different kind of conversation; and established entrepreneurship scholars who are contemplating an alternative set of foundational ideas to support their conversations in the discipline.

There are many factors involved in becoming an effective entrepreneur. The process of recognizing opportunities and nurturing new ventures must take into account both internal decision-making practice and external environmental influence.

Dana s Handbook is an essential read for international entrepreneurship scholars as well as policymakers and practitioners concerned with the dynamics associated with the international entrepreneurship process. Succinct reviews of the literature and useful summary tables relating to key themes and studies are presented by a number of contributors. . . Paul Westhead, International Small Business Journal This is a formidable and weighty tome. . . More important than sheer quantity is consideration of the quality, and here the broad spread yet eclectic choice of the research papers is most enlightening. The contributing authors have collectively condensed much of the knowledge garnered from the past five years of this global field into one handy sourcebook. . . The end result is, indeed, a fresh recognition, if recognition still needs to be made, of the major importance of this new global growth phenomenon of international entrepreneurship. Mark Haydon, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation The Handbook is a nearly comprehensive reference work to the field that will be useful to scholars new to the area as well as those already engaged in it. . . I was impressed by the diversity of the authors. . . The Handbook is an excellent broad reference to the field. Ben Oviatt, Journal of International Business Studies Over the last few years there has been an increased interest in research on the internationalization of new ventures and the global challenges facing growing young businesses. The Handbook of Research on International Entrepreneurship has collected and synthesized the contributions of leading researchers in an effort to define and categorize the unique contributions and state-of-the-art of this emerging field. It provides a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary treatment that advances the frontiers of knowledge regarding the fundamental concepts, methods, and theories of international entrepreneurship. The Handbook should serve as both an authoritative and comprehensive reference work for researchers, and a state-of-the-art compilation of new insights for educational leaders. Ari Ginsberg, New York University Stern School of Business, US Entrepreneurship and international business have remained separate subjects for far too long. The study of international entrepreneurship thrives on the cross-fertilisation of ideas between these fields. It is one of the most dynamic research areas in economics and management. The contributors to this Handbook are the pioneers in the field, and this volume provides a definitive survey of their work. Mark Casson, University of Reading, UK These notable researchers share a common dedication to rigorous methodologies and vigorous research. Together in this volume, the researchers have assembled and presented a cross-section of tested methods, and innovative approaches. These contributions are an inspiration to younger researchers, and this bids fair to set the tone, and level of intellectual rigour and vigour for future research in the emerging field of international entrepreneurship. From the preface by Bob Kirk, University of Canterbury, New Zealand This unique reference book provides an array of diverse perspectives on international entrepreneurship, a new and emerging field of research that blends concepts and methodologies from more traditional social sciences. The Handbook includes chapters written by top researchers of economics and sociology, as well as academic leaders in the fields of entrepreneurship and international business. State-of-the-art contributions provide up-to-date literature reviews, making this book essential for the researcher of entrepreneurship and the internationalisation of entrepreneurs.

"‘Philosophy is inescapable’. This is the powerful mantra and call to action of this authoritative and informative collection of essays. Acting upon the conviction that empirical scrutiny only takes us so far in understanding the full nature of entrepreneurship, this text provides a set of thoughtful, and refreshing commentaries on the different ways in which philosophical assumptions shape entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship scholarship will be richer for the reading of it." Denise Elaine Fletcher, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg. "This book offers the reader a variety of philosophical ideas and approaches to spur reflection on taken for granted assumptions about what entrepreneurship is and the ways entrepreneurship scholars understand this phenomenon. The chapters in this book go beyond critiquing current ideas and perspectives, rather, the book opens up important lines of inquiry in such topic areas as: uncertainty, the imagination, social construction, critical realism, and the nature of failure. I expect that many of the insights from this book will provide directions for major avenues of entrepreneurship scholarship over the next decade. Scholars who want clues about the future direction of the entrepreneurship field would be wise to explore this book." William B. Gartner, Bertarelli Foundation Distinguished Professor of Family Entrepreneurship, Babson College, USA

As the breadth and empirical diversity of entrepreneurship research have increased rapidly during the last decade, the quest to find a "one-size-fits-all" general theory of entrepreneurship has given way to a growing appreciation for the importance of contexts. This promises to improve both the practical relevance and the theoretical rigor of research in this field. Entrepreneurship means different things to different people at different times and in different places and both its causes and its consequences likewise vary. For example, for some people entrepreneurship can be a glorious path to emancipation, while for others it can represent the yoke tethering them to the burdens of overwork and drudgery. For some communities it can drive renaissance and vibrancy while for others it allows only bare survival. In this book, we assess and attempt to push forward contemporary conceptualizations of contexts that matter for entrepreneurship, pointing in particular to opportunities generating new insights by attending to contexts in novel or underexplored ways. This book shows that the ongoing contextualization of entrepreneurship research should not simply generate a proliferation of unique theories – one for every context – but can instead result in better theory construction, testing and understanding of boundary conditions, thereby leading us to richer and more profound understanding of entrepreneurship across its many forms. Contextualizing Entrepreneurship Theory will critically review the current debate and existing literature on contexts and entrepreneurship and use this to synthesize new theoretical and methodological frameworks that point to important directions for future research.

The purpose of this book is to identify and analyze modern classics in entrepreneurship research with the goal of highlighting cutting-edge themes in the work of various scholars that are pushing the boundaries of the field, post 2000. As the entrepreneurship field matures, it is important to identify the novel contributions that will help shape the next decades of scholarship, by providing scholars with the concepts, frameworks, and approaches needed to help develop the new theories and practices of entrepreneurship. By focusing on emerging key contributions, this book takes a stance that sets it apart from other similar works by scholars that have focused only on existing themes rather than those that will characterize the relationship between entrepreneurship and new technological advances, growing inequalities, gender, diversity and inclusion, and socio-political shifts in the landscape of entrepreneurial ecosystems, allowing for critical and new conversations on entrepreneurship to take shape. This book will provide discussion on emergent themes and approaches that will continue to build the future of entrepreneurship as an exciting and rigorous academic discipline.

By combining high-quality and in-depth research in the field, this book provides a state-of-the-art analysis of the current topical issues in European entrepreneurship and small business research. With contributions from international experts, the book provides a particular focus on the behaviour between individuals and groups within different contexts; the personal and structural factors that shape entrepreneurial and small business activity; and a focus on gender in entrepreneurship within different contexts. Students and academics interested in gender and entrepreneurship will benefit from this far-reaching book. The contextual and practical approach will also be of use to national and regional policy makers.

With chapters focusing on China, India, Southeast Asia and South America, the Handbook explores views on the new hot spots in techno-entrepreneurship development.