EAEPE

[E2] Entrepreneurship and Theory of the Firm

Coordinators:	Aimilia Protogerou National Technical University of Athens, Greece protoger@chemeng.ntua.gr
	Esin Yoruk University of Coventry, UK esin.yoruk@coventry.ac.uk

Entrepreneurship and Theory of Firm Research Area [E2] studies the nature, processes, and outcomes of entrepreneurship. It is widely acknowledged that entrepreneurial activity is one of the key drivers of industrial dynamism, innovation, economic growth, and social welfare. Research on entrepreneurship has a long tradition; since the 1980s has grown considerably and is evolving rapidly. Prominent theories have been proposed and widely accepted which pertain to the different levels of entrepreneurship.

We argue that although a distinct scientific area, entrepreneurship cannot be understood as an isolated field of economics or management but should be integrated more tightly into theories of the firm and market, theories of firm strategy and organisation, theories of public policy and administration, providing a more holist view of economic and organisational dynamics.

We are interested in exploring and contributing the field of entrepreneurship from different perspectives. For instance, we are interested in individual and firm-level entrepreneurship equally and how they are properties of socio-economic and technological systems. Whether they emerge because of bare necessities or grasping and exploitation of opportunities that exist due to changes in markets, technologies and institutions. For that reason, we are interested in studies of different forms of entrepreneurship, i.e. innovative, technology-based, knowledge-based, productive, social, environmental, sustainable, opportunity-driven, necessity-driven, inclusive, women, migrant, ethnic minority, etc. We want to know more about all aspects of these kinds of entrepreneurship set within the advanced and emerging market contexts, in the Global South and Global North, for their behavioural and systemic analyses, and using quantitative and qualitative research approaches.

Some of the issues, topics, problems and questions we would be interested in include, but are not limited to, the following:

• What are the determinants of entrepreneurial decision-making process? How does an entrepreneur’s cognitions, intentions, emotions and values influence this process as well as the role of interactions with external stakeholders?
• Are there any differences between the entrepreneurial decision-making processes of social entrepreneurs, environmental entrepreneurs and innovation-driven entrepreneurs?
• Are there any differences between social entrepreneurs, environmental entrepreneurs and innovation-driven entrepreneurs in terms of their approach to the process of opportunity recognition, evaluation and exploitation? Does that vary across and within nations? If so, why?
• How do emerging technologies influence entrepreneurial activity? How do they co-evolve? What are the differences across countries and across developed and less developed regions in countries?
• Which entrepreneurial processes are most effective for creating social value across diverse social entrepreneurship activities?
• What is the role of entrepreneurial activity in the formation of innovation systems or entrepreneurial ecosystems both at a national and regional level?
• How do entrepreneurial ecosystems manifest themselves at different levels of development?
• What are the impacts from entrepreneurship activity? How can they be measured?
• Does a systemic approach to entrepreneurship have different factors at play for women entrepreneurs? How does that differ across countries?
• What is the role of institutions in an entrepreneurship system for its productive, unproductive and destructive effects?
• How public policy measures can influence more effectively the diverse determinant factors of the demand and supply side of entrepreneurship and the role of institutions? Can a broader approach to entrepreneurial policy, taking into account systemic interdependencies be more effective than traditional policy approaches mainly focused on firm support through subsidies?
• How can innovation policy and entrepreneurship policy areas be more effectively integrated in policy intervention?
• How is democracy related to entrepreneurship activity?
• How is education policy related to entrepreneurship activity?
• What factors drive the internationalisation process of entrepreneurial activities? How does it differ across host and home country perspectives? Do the institutional context, business environment of home and host countries matter? How?
• What are the new perspectives on international entrepreneurial strategies of SMEs? What are the challenges and new changes that drive these processes? For instance, how important is environmental and social concerns in internationalisation of entrepreneurship? What are the differences to those of MNEs?
• What is the ever-changing role of universities in the national innovation system or entrepreneurial ecosystem regarding the concept of entrepreneurial university, entrepreneurship education, academic entrepreneurship and fostering of interactions with the industry?
• What are the overarching and overlooked roles of incubators in supporting the process of entrepreneurship? For instance, do the selection of startups matter for successful outcomes?
• What different forms of entrepreneurial finance are prevalent in the entrepreneurship system? Which ones are more productive and successful? Does the finance provision differ for different types of entrepreneurs, i.e. women, migrant, social, STEM-based technological entrepreneurship?