Peter W. Moroz

Entrepreneurship as a Process: Toward Harmonizing Multiple Perspectives

Are there any common denominators within the diversity of entrepreneurship literature that may serve as foundations for understanding the entrepreneurial process in a systematic and comprehensive way that is useful to both scholars and practitioners? The objective of this paper was to discover about the entrepreneurial process what, if anything, is both generic (all processes that are “entrepreneurial” do this) and distinct (only entrepreneurial processes do this). Our approach was to evaluate published models of entrepreneurial process to discover what scholars have argued about what entrepreneurs do and how they do it (the processes they use) and to seek out any key commonalities that scholars claim are associated with the phenomenon. Unfortunately for the field, the investigation demonstrates that, as at the time of our investigation, the 32 extant models of entrepreneurial process are highly fragmented in their claims and emphases and are insufficient for establishing an infrastructure upon which to synthesize an understanding of entrepreneurial process that is both generic and distinct. Insights gained in the study lead to suggestions for future research and theory development of which the most urgent is the need to develop a single harmonized model of entrepreneurial process capable of embracing the best of what is on offer and adding new theoretical arguments in areas where practice shows that they are lacking.

Distribution of Firms by Size: Observations and Evidence from Selected Countries

It is commonly remarked that Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of many different economies around the world, but the extent to which such national trends form part of a quantifiable larger global pattern has rarely, if ever, been examined. It is not unusual to hear business leaders, elected officials, public policymakers and researchers in a given region claim that small businesses represent a surprisingly large share of the local economy. They typically argue that SMEs constitute the majority of all firms, and have done so for an extended period of time. The claim is repeated across many national jurisdictions, but each statement is only ever considered in isolation. Few attempts have been made to compare the proportionate distribution of SMEs in one nation-state with those in other jurisdictions. Large-scale trends, however, are often the aggregate sum of many local occurrences. Is it possible that what seems to be an isolated regional phenomenon is, in fact, a common pattern across much of the world? This paper examines the number of micro, small, medium and large-sized enterprises from a selection of different countries. Using definitions and data provided by the national statistical agency in each nation, it seeks to compare the relative proportion of firms by size, and to determine if there are any common patterns. It then suggests some indicative theories about SME distribution for future research to test.

Collaboration with entrepreneurship education programmes: building spinout capacity at universities

As University Spinouts (USOs) have become a highly desirable outcome for commercialisation efforts, the development of entrepreneurial capacity within the university system becomes increasingly more important. We hypothesise that Entrepreneurship Education (EE) programmes ceterus paribus may play a role in developing this capacity. This paper examines the attitudes and perceptions of academics who are directly involved in the field of EE programmes with four research goals in mind: 1) to determine whether or not there are perceived advantages to collaboration between EE programmes and technology transfer departments; 2) to identify specific factors that influence these perceptions; 3) to query academics regarding the perceived barriers to collaboration; 4) to identify whether collaborations already exist and categorise them. Our findings suggest that significant advantages from collaboration between these two functions are perceived and that indirect linkages are believed to be more important than direct linkages.

Commercialisation of new knowledge within universities : exploring performance disparities

This paper finds that vast disparities exist in new technology commercialisation outputs between a small percentage of high performing universities, and the remaining bulk of under-performers. Theoretical explanations for these findings are as follows. First, high performing universities attract resources, both human and financial, with a much stronger pull than lower performing universities. Second, this study confronts a gap in the literature with regard to the prominence of entrepreneurship within the innovation and technology development process. Third, this study brings new light to bear on the reliability and validity of evaluative tools (variables) currently accepted as indicators of innovation in the university technology transfer context.

Unpacking Not-for-profit Performance

Abstract Little is known about the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and performance within not-for-profit (NFP) organizations. Through the development of a conceptual framework for understanding how EO may function within an NFP context, we propose three separate interaction effect models to examine organizational performance outcomes as measured in terms of high growth. Four conceptualizations of high growth are offered. Based on a theoretical consideration of social capital and financial accounting theory, we propose that NFP executives who possess a combination of EO and two other key factors, a social mission orientation and financial sustainability orientation, will be a strong predictor of high-growth organizational performance. The model thus builds upon previous research that explores the relationship between entrepreneurial behavior, market orientation and performance by distinguishing between market and non-market stakeholders and the need to balance between both when pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities.

Using strategic alliances to facilitate community-based new venture creation

In this essay we explore how strategic alliances (SA) between organisations and communities can be used to develop opportunities that are advantageous for both the corporation and the community venturer. In particular, indigenous communities have access to significant amounts of natural resources and corporations need access to these. Thus, there is an urgent need to discover the factors that drive the creation of successful corporate/community alliances and how these may be used to create sustainable new ventures that serve both economic and social value creation. To do this we review theory through the lens of three distinct but interrelated perspectives: strategic alliances, entrepreneurship and community. We argue that a sufficient framework for informing corporate/community-based ventures has not yet been devised. The article concludes with discussion concerning the potential for the weaving of factors/issues identified in the reviewed literature into a framework that will guide future research.

New venture creation and opportunity structure constraints: Indigenous-controlled development through joint ventures in the Canadian potash industry

ABSTRACT This paper examines the role that strategic alliances (SAs) play in the formation of new ventures within a specific context, namely that of a First Nations community engaged in the Canadian natural resources sector. Grounded theory and a single case study approach was utilized to provide a deep understanding of the processes involved in the creation of a distinct new Aboriginal organizational form. A guiding framework is used which includes the concept of mixed embeddedness, resource-based theory and agency theory. Insight into the process and alloyed motivations of Indigenous entrepreneurship is gained that extends our understanding of opportunity structures wrought by the legacies of colonialism. A theory of context is developed building upon the aspects of collective agency, resources and a view that extends the concept of social embeddedness to encompass SAs as entrepreneurial tools for social transformation.

Toward an Understanding of Aboriginal/Indigenous Rights and Their Impact on Development: An Application of Regulation Theory

This paper explores the relationship between business, society and the developmental aspirations of Indigenous people, whose communities are among the poorest and most marginalized in the world; it explores the emergence, evolution and growing importance of the role that Indigenous rights play in the development of these communities. To do so, the authors examine the interrelationship between Indigenous rights, social capital and entrepreneurial activity. Using regulation theory, we develop several propositions to argue that these conceptual areas can come together to provide insight on how modes of social regulation may be crucial to understanding the pathways available for participation in the global regime of accumulation. The result can be the emergence of a particular mode of development that is aligned with the outcomes sought by the community. From these propositions, the authors argue that the modes of development available are dependent upon multiple levels of societal structures where the degree of localization in the modes of social regulation is central in determining the objectives as well as significant to achieving them.

Toward an understanding of Aboriginal/Indigenous rights and their impact on development

This paper explores the relationship between business, society and the developmental aspirations of Indigenous people, whose communities are among the poorest and most marginalized in the world; it explores the emergence, evolution and growing importance of the role that Indigenous rights play in the development of these communities. To do so, the authors examine the interrelationship between Indigenous rights, social capital and entrepreneurial activity. Using regulation theory, we develop several propositions to argue that these conceptual areas can come together to provide insight on how modes of social regulation may be crucial to understanding the pathways available for participation in the global regime of accumulation. The result can be the emergence of a particular mode of development that is aligned with the outcomes sought by the community (see note 1). From these propositions, the authors argue that the modes of development available are dependent upon multiple levels of societal structures whe...