Narrow Results

There is limited research on similarities and differences in entrepreneurial experiences of first and second generation immigrant entrepreneurs. Using in-depth interviews with Lebanese entrepreneurs in two Canadian cities, we analyze how entrepreneurs belonging to two different generations of immigrants experience and enact opportunity identification and assessment, and business development and operation. The analysis shows that first and second generation immigrant entrepreneurs diverge in their views of macro-institutional structures (such as regulation), risk, trust, and the role of divine providence in the entrepreneurial venture. The findings highlight the importance of understanding how first generation immigrant entrepreneurs’ past frames — developed in the pre-migration context — interact with the environment in the country of settlement in shaping entrepreneurial undertaking. The study also highlights second generation immigrant entrepreneurs’ perceived similarities to and differences from mainstream entrepreneurs. Implications for research and policy are addressed.

This study draws upon institutional theory to investigate how the country’s institutional framework fosters start-up activities or causes a bottleneck that diminishes Austrians’ entrepreneurship. Through a multiple case study approach based on in-depth interviews with five start-up founders, our findings illustrate the impacts of the Austrian institutional environment on new venture initiatives. Among many institutional factors, incubation centres, administrative bureaucracies, and financial burdens appear to have the strongest effects on early-stage start-up activities in Austria. This paper concludes by providing theoretical insight and political implications on establishing institutional systems that streamline interactions between government, the local community, and start-up companies.

Digital technologies are transforming economic activity and opening up new opportunities, such as those being exploited by digital entrepreneurs. We study influencers and bloggers as a specific type of digital self-employment and as an under-researched phenomenon of social media entrepreneurship. The aim of this study is to explore the entrepreneurial motivations of influencers and bloggers and to investigate the specifics of their entrepreneurial process. A qualitative research approach involving interviews with 10 social media entrepreneurs provides insights into additional dimensions they bring to the concepts from entrepreneurship research. Our findings reveal the accelerated dynamics of the experimentation phase of the entrepreneurial process, which presents both advantages and disadvantages for the entrepreneur. Public exposure is one of the biggest challenges for them, suggesting that legitimacy is a crucial resource for social media entrepreneurs. We also find that they did not enter entrepreneurship in a planned and purposeful manner, but became aware of the possibility of starting a business while pursuing their interests.

Is the entrepreneurial process static? Is the process from idea to fruition on a linear trajectory and similar for all startups? Extant literature has documented four or five stages from startup to decline but paid little attention to undulations. Accounting for the dynamic nature of business and competition, we employ an S-curve perspective, integrate possibilities along the entrepreneurial (ENT) process to explain its nonlinearity and propose strategies to maximize performance. These strategies depict what we term “entrepreneurial S-curve” and are drawn from resource-based views, dynamic capabilities, and network perspectives. We explore the importance of less attended pre-startup stage, linking stage-specific risks and undulations to relevant strategic choices. In so doing, we present a holistic view, both defensively and offensively, for strategic formulation.