Entrepreneurship - Methodische Herausforderungen einer jungen Forschungsdisziplin

Schuster, Charlotte Leonie (2013): Entrepreneurship - Methodische Herausforderungen einer jungen Forschungsdisziplin.

Abstract

Even if today's successful companies operating in the market were start-ups at some time, so far, no consensus could be found, if entrepreneurship is to be understood as an independent research discipline. Should entrepreneurship have its own theory based on generally accepted assumptions and constructs or should the field of research rather convince with an integrated perception and interfaces to many related disciplines? The terminological and conceptual difficulties come along with methodological challenges. In addition, data bases in entrepreneurship are often small and difficult to access and therefore restrict the choice of analytical methods. Which methodological problems must be addressed and what opportunities and prospects arise for empirical entrepreneurship research? Based on a literature review and an outline of the state of research, it will be discussed whether entrepreneurship could be established as an independent research discipline. Moreover, the use of data analysis methods to study entrepreneurship are surveyed to stress occuring problems and draw implications for the future of entrepreneurship research, as well as for the practice.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• English Title: Entrepreneurship - Methodological challenges of a young research discipline
• Language: German
• Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship Orientation, Research methods, Research discipline, data analytic trends, research design, methodological issues, methodological challenges, theory building, cross-disciplinary review
• Subjects: L - Industrial Organization > L1 - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance; L - Industrial Organization > L2 - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior; M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M1 - Business Administration; M - Business Administration and Business Economics ; Marketing ; Accounting ; Personnel Economics > M2 - Business Economics; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights

References

AULINGER, A. (2003): Entrepreneurship – Selbstverständnis und Perspektiven einer Forschungsdisziplin, Schriftenreihe am Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Betriebswirtschaftslehre, Unternehmensführung und Betriebliche Umweltpolitik Prof. Dr. Reihnhard Pfriem, pp. 1-51.

BAUMOL, WILLIAM J. (1968): Entrepreneurship in Economic Theory, in: American Economic Review 58 (2), pp. 64-71.

BAUMOL, WILLIAM J. (1993): Formal Entrepreneurship Theory in Economics: Existence and Bounds, in: Journal of Business Venturing 8 (3), pp. 197-210.

BLACKBURN, ROBERT/ KOVALAINEN, ANNE (2009): Researching small firms and entrepreneurship: Past, present and future, in: International Journal of Management Reviews 11 (2), pp. 127-148.

BRUYAT, CHRISTIAN (1993): Création d’Enterprise: Contribution epistémologique et modélisation, Diss., Ecole Supérieure de Affaires, Université Pierre Mendès France, Grenoble, France.

BRUYAT, CHRISTIAN/ JULIEN, PIERRE-ANDRÉ (2001): Defining the Field of Research in Entrepreneurship, in: Journal of Business Venturing 16 (2), pp. 165-180.

BULL, IVAN/ THOMAS, HOWARD (1993): Editors’ Note: A Perspective on Theory Building in Entrepreneurship, in: Journal of Business Venturing 8 (3), pp. 181-182.

BULL, IVAN/ WILLARD, GARY E. (1993): Towards a Theory of Entrepreneurship, in: Journal of Business Venturing 8 (3), pp. 183-195.

BUSENITZ, LOWELL W./ WEST III, G. PAGE/ SHEPHERD, DEAN/ NELSON, TERESA/ CHAN-DLER, GAYLEN N./ ZACHARAKIS, ANDREW (2003): Entrepreneurship Research in Emergence: Past Trends and Future Directions, in: Journal of Management 29 (3), pp. 285-308.

BYGRAVE, WILLIAM D. (1989): The Entrepreneurship Paradigm (I): A Philosophical Look at its Research Methodologies, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 14 (1), pp. 7-26.

BYGRAVE, WILLIAM D. (1993): Theory Building in the Entrepreneurship Paradigm, in: Journal of Business Ventur-ing 8 (3), pp. 255-280.

CHANDLER, GAYLEN N./ LYON, DOUGLAS W. (2001): Issues of Research Design and Construct Measurement in Entrepreneurship Research: The Past Decade, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25 (4), pp. 101-113.

CONNELLY, BRIAN L./ IRELAND, R. D./ REUTZEL, CHRISTOPHER R./ COOMBS, JOSEPH E. (2010): The Power and Effects of Entrepreneurship Research, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 34 (1), pp. 131-149.

COVIELLO, NICOLE E./ MCDOUGALL, PATRICIA P./ OVIATT, BENJAMIN M. (2011): The emergence, advance and future of international entrepreneurship research – An introduction to the special forum, in: Journal of Business Venturing 26 (6), pp. 625-631.

DAVIDSSON, PER/ WIKLUND, JOHAN (2001): Levels of Analysis in Entrepreneurship Research: Current Research Practice and Suggestions for the Future, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25 (4), pp. 81-99.

DAVIDSSON, PER/ LOW, MURRY B./ WRIGHT, MIKE (2001): Editor’s Introduction: Low and MacMillan Ten Years On: Achievements and Future Directions for Entrepreneurship Research, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25 (4), pp. 5-15.

DEAN, MICHELLE A./ SHOOK, CHRISTOPHER L./ PAYNE, G. TYGE (2007): The Past, Present, and Future of Entrepreneurship Research: Data Analytic Trends and Training, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 31 (4), pp. 601-618.

EISEND, MARTIN (2011): Is VHB-JOURQUAL2 a Good Measure of Scientific Quality? Assessing the Validity of the Major Business Journal Ranking in German-Speaking Countries, in: Business Research 4 (2), pp. 241-274.

FREILING, JÖRG (2006): Entrepreneurship. Theoretische Grundlagen und unternehmerische Praxis, München: Vahlen.

GARTNER, WILLIAM B. (2001): Is there an Elephant in Entrepreneurship? Blind Assumptions in Theory Development, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25 (4), pp. 27-39.

GARTNER, WILLIAM B./ BIRLEY, SUE (2002): Introduction to the special issue on qualitative methods in entrepreneurship research, in: Journal of Business Venturing 17 (5), pp. 387-395.

GRICHNIK, DIETMAR (2006): Die Opportunity Map der internationalen Entrepreneurshipforschung: Zum Kern des interdisziplinären Forschungsprogramms, in: Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft 76 (12), pp. 1303-1333.

IRELAND, R. DUANE/ WEBB, JUSTIN W. (2007): A Cross-Disciplinary Exploration of Entrepreneurship Research, in: Journal of Management 33 (6), pp. 891-927.

IRELAND, R. DUANE/ REUTZEL, CHRISTOPHER R./ WEBB, JUSTIN W. (2005): Entrepreneurship Research in AMJ: What has been published, and what might the future hold?, in: Academy of Management Journal 48 (4), pp. 556-564.

KETCHEN JR., DAVID J./ BOYD, BRIAN K./ BERGH, DONALD D. (2008): Research Methodology in Strategic Management. Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges, in: Organizational Research Methods 11 (4), pp. 643-658.

KIRKMAN, BRAD/ LAW, KENNY (2005): International Management Research in AMJ: Our Past, Present, and Future, in: Academy of Management Journal 48 (3), pp. 377-386.

KRISHNAN, ARMIN (2009): What are Academic Disciplines? Some observations on the Disciplinary vs. Inter-disciplinarity debate, University of Southampton, National Centre for Research Methods, ESCR National Centre for Research Methods, NCRM Working Paper Series 03/09.

LOER, THOMAS (2006): Zum Unternehmerhabitus. Eine kultursoziologische Bestimmung im Hinblick auf Schumpeter, Universitätsverlag Karlsruhe: Karlsruhe.

LOW, MURRAY B. (2001): The Adolescence of Entrepreneurship Research: Specification of Purpose, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25 (4), pp. 17-25.

LOW, MURRAY B./ MACMILLAN, IAN C. (1988): Entrepreneurship: Past Research and Future Challenges, in: Journal of Management 14 (2), pp. 139-161.

MARKOVA, GERGANA/ PERRY, JOHN/ FARMER, STEVEN M. (2011): It’s all about the data: Challenges and solutions in the study of nascent Entrepreneurs, in: Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship 16 (2), pp. 169-198.

MOLINA-AZORIN, JOSE F. (2012): Mixed Methods Research in Strategic Management: Impact and Applications, in: Organizational Research Methods 15 (1), pp. 33-56.

MULLEN, MICHAEL R./ BUDEVA, DESISLAVA G./ DONEY, PATRICIA M. (2009): Research Methods in the Leading Small Business-Entrepreneurship Journals: A Critical Review with Recommendations for Future Research, in: Journal of Small Business Management 47(3), pp. 287-307.

SARASVATHY, SARAS D./ VENKATARAMAN, SANKARAN (2011): Entrepreneurship as Method: Open Questions for an Entrepreneurial Future, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 35 (1), pp. 113-135.

SCHMUDE, JÜRGEN/ WELTER, FRIEDERIKE/ HEUMANN, STEFAN (2008): Entrepreneurship Research in Germany, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 32 (2), pp. 289-311.

SCHUMPETER, JOSEF A. (2005): Kapitalismus, Sozialismus und Demokratie, 8th edition, Tübingen: A. Francke Verlag.

SCHWARTZ, ROBERT G./ TEACH, RICHARD D. (2000): Research Note: Entrepreneurship Research: An Empirical Perspective, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 24 (3), pp. 77-81.

SHANE, S. (2012): Reflections on the 2010 AMR Decade Award: Delivering on the Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research, in: Academy of Management Review 37 (1), pp. 10-20.

SHANE, S./ VENKATARAMAN, S. (2000): The Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research, in: Academy of Management Review 25 (1), pp. 217-226.

SHORT, JEREMY C./ KETCHEN JR., DAVID J./ COMBS, JAMES G./ IRELAND, R. DUANE (2010): Research Methods in Entrepreneurship. Opportunities and Challenges, in: Organizational Research Methods 13 (1), pp. 6-15.

SMITH, KEN G./ GANNON, MARTIN J./ SAPIENZA, HARRY J. (1989): Selecting Methodologies for Entrepreneurial Research: Trade-offs and Guidelines, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 14 (1), pp. 39-49.

UCBASARAN, DENIZ/ WESTHEAD, PAUL/ WRIGHT, MIKE (2001): The Focus of Entrepreneurial Research: Contextual and Process Issues, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25 (4), pp. 57-80.

VHB (2011): VHB-Jourqual 2.1, online, available: http://vhbonline.org/service/jourqual/vhb-jourqual-21-2011/ (30.10.2012).

VOETH, MARKUS/ HERBST, UTA/ LOOS, JEANETTE (2011): Bibliometrische Analyse der Zeitschriftenrankings VHB-JOURQUAL 2.1 und Handelsblatt-Zeitschriftenranking BWL. Untersucht am Beispiel der Forschungsdisziplin Marketing, in: Die Betriebswirtschaft 71 (5), pp. 439-458.

WIKLUND, JOHAN/ DAVIDSSON, PER/ AUDRETSCH, DAVID B./ KARLSSON, CHARLIE (2011): The Future of Entrepreneurship Research, in: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 35 (1), pp. 1-9.

ZAHRA, SHAKER A./ WRIGHT, MIKE (2011): Entrepreneurship’s next Act, in: Academy of Management Perspectives 25 (4), pp. 67-83.