Although much of the work assessing the impact of entrepreneurship education is conducted using intentional models of behavior, weaknesses in scale development have hampered scholars' ability to rigorously interpret the research. We review the literature and discover that the most commonly cited entrepreneurial attitudes measure (Kolvereid, 1996a; 1996b) has yet to be empirically validated. To do so, we collect data from 2,245 English-speaking students from around the world. Results indicate that the reduced measure is predictive of entrepreneurial intentions. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
This study examines the innovation management practices of small firms in Australia, France and Switzerland. The focus was on how firm size, age and growth influence the commercialisation process. A sample of 143 firms was surveyed across the three countries. Findings from the study suggest that the size of the firm, its age and pace of growth are important determinants in influencing how firms behave. Consistent with the findings from earlier studies the need for greater formalisation and external assistance as firms grow, and the need for customer research and independent testing when innovations are in
their early stages were found.
The majority of studies that analyze the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial attitudes, intentions, and venture activities report positive influences. However, several scholars have recently cast doubts about research methods and the generalizability of entrepreneurship education impact studies. In this study, we conducted a systematic literature review of the methods used in entrepreneurship education impact studies. Our results uncover significant methodological deficiencies and question the overwhelmingly positive impact of entrepreneurship education. Based on this evidence, we propose a series of recommendations to improve the reliability and validity of entrepreneurship education impact studies and we outline promising topics which are currently under-researched.
Past impact studies have univocally reported a positive impact of entrepreneurship education. Only recently have some authors cast doubts about the research methods and generalizability of entrepreneurship education impact studies. This study contributes to the field by analyzing the underlying research methodologies of impact studies using a meta-analysis approach. Our results indicate significant methodological deficiencies and question the mostly universal assessment of entrepreneurship education as having a positive impact. Based on this evidence we propose a series of recommendations to improve the reliability and validity of future impact studies.
According to creation theory, opportunities do not exist independently of entrepreneurs; instead they are created by the actions of entrepreneurs. However, little is known about the process of how opportunities are actually acted upon. We explore the role of communication in opportunity enactment by analysing an extreme case: Shai Agassi and the frequently cited business model innovation of his company Better Place, with which he wants to eliminate the car industry's dependence on oil. For the first time, we take a look at the practice of communication of the case and find patterns that play a vital role in creating a market. The findings of our case study research can help entrepreneurs to understand communication practices for changing an established industry. The findings also further advance our understanding of entrepreneurial practices within creation theory.
We integrate research on family business and discontinuous change to better explain why incumbents vary in when and how they adopt discontinuous technologies. Family influence induces companies to strive for continuity, command, community, and connections, and thus alters the mix of constraints under which firms operate. Consequently, family influence weakens several of the inertial forces described in the discontinuous change literature, particularly the level of formalization, dependence on external capital providers, and political resistance. However, it also aggravates critical sources of organizational paralysis, specifically emotional ties to existing assets and the rigidity of mental models. We aggregate these seemingly contradictory effects to show that, overall, discontinuous change conflicts with essential goals and values of the family system and, therefore, family influence entails fundamentally different dilemmas than those described in extant research. In turn, although highly family-influenced companies recognize discontinuous technologies later than their less family-influenced counterparts, they implement adoption decisions more quickly and with more stamina. Moreover, family influence reduces adoption aggressiveness and flexibility. We discuss important implications of our research for conversations on discontinuous change as well as for the debate on the advantages and disadvantages of family influence in firms.
