Knowledge that Transforms

We draw upon stewardship theory to formally derive bounds on the investment amount in a business prospect, and to characterize ownership sharing when investors offer two-stage financing along with know-how to increase the prospect’s valuation. In the early-development stage, we show that the direct effect of investor know-how increases the entrepreneur’s share while the indirect effect from that know-how due to its interaction with the investment size, decreases it. In the subsequent growth stage, the direct effect decreases the entrepreneur’s share while the indirect effect increases it. These tradeoffs offer theoretical and practical implications for writing investment contracts involving investor know-how.

This case describes Michel Kripalani's entrepreneurial journey culminating in his third start–up, Oceanhouse Media. Oceanhouse Media, ranked 114 in the 2013 Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest growing companies, offers desktop and digital applications, for iOS, Android, and other platforms with digital book applications for children comprising half of annual revenues. It explores: (1) Kripalani's evolution as an entrepreneur, (2) the operating strategy of Oceanhouse Media, (3) the economics and structure of the digital applications market and the children's segment within that market, and (4) key decisions—structural, organizational, and financial—as Kripalani maps out Oceanhouse Media's future growth path and exit strategy.

This study examines the self-employment behavior of artists. Using data from the Current Population Survey between 2003 and 2015, we estimate a series of logit models to predict transitions from paid employment to self-employment in the arts. The results show that artists disproportionately freelance and frequently switch in and out of self-employment compared to all other professional workers. We also find that artists exhibit unique entrepreneurial profiles, particularly in terms of their demographic and employment characteristics. In particular, artist workers are considerably more likely to attain self-employment status when living in a city with a high saturation of artist occupations.

Focusing on equity ratchet as a practice, we study how foreign private equity (PE) investors interacted with local agents in the process of legitimation and legalization of foreign financing contract and governance in the Chinese PE industry, while it was underdeveloped. Based on seven cases in China, we propose a three-stage microprocess model of international institutional entrepreneurship in an emerging field with high ambiguity: framing a motivational vision to promote a new practice; early adoption by local nonmainstream agents who gain legitimacy from diverse sources of institutional logic; and dominant mainstream adopters seeking legal protection to sustain their benefits. Our theory extends the emerging discussion on the transfer of corporate governance and institutional entrepreneurship across borders.

Kiss, A. N., Fernhaber, S., & McDougall–Covin, P. P. (2018). Slack, Innovation, and Export Intensity: Implications for Small– and Medium–Sized Enterprises. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Jiang, H., Cannella, A. A., & Jiao, J. (2018). Does Desperation Breed Deceiver? A Behavioral Model of New Venture Opportunism. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Hechavarría, D. M., Terjesen, S. A., Stenholm, P., Brännback, M., & Lång, S. (2018). More than Words: Do Gendered Linguistic Structures Widen the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Activity? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Verver, M., & Koning, J. (2018). Toward a Kinship Perspective on Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Fang He, V., Sirén, C., Singh, S., Solomon, G., & von Krogh, G. (2018). Keep Calm and Carry On: Emotion Regulation in Entrepreneurs’ Learning from Failure. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Smolka, K. M., Verheul, I., Burmeister–Lamp, K., & Heugens, P. P. M. A. R. (2018). Get it Together! Synergistic Effects of Causal and Effectual Decision–Making Logics on Venture Performance. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Covin, J. G., Garrett, R. P., Gupta, J. P., Kuratko, D. F., & Shepherd, D. A. (2018). The Interdependence of Planning and Learning among Internal Corporate Ventures. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Schwens, C., Zapkau, F. B., Bierwerth, M., Isidor, R., Knight, G., & Kabst, R. (2018). International Entrepreneurship: A Meta–Analysis on the Internationalization and Performance Relationship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Li, C., Isidor, R., Dau, L. A., & Kabst, R. (2018). The More the Merrier? Immigrant Share and Entrepreneurial Activities. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Articles Withdrawn by Publisher SAGE Publishing regrets that these articles, due to an administrative error, were accidentally published OnlineFirst and in Volume 42 Issue 4 or in Volume 42 Issue 5 with different DOIs. The correct and citable versions of the articles remain Kiss, A. N., Fernhaber, S., & McDougall–Covin, P. P. (2018). Slack, Innovation, and Export Intensity: Implications for Small– and Medium–Sized Enterprises. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 671–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795318 Jiang, H., Cannella, A. A., & Jiao, J. (2018). Does Desperation Breed Deceiver? A Behavioral Model of New Venture Opportunism. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 769–796. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795347 Hechavarría, D. M., Terjesen, S. A., Stenholm, P., Brännback, M., & Lång, S. (2018). More than Words: Do Gendered Linguistic Structures Widen the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Activity? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 797–817. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795350 Verver, M., & Koning, J. (2018). Toward a Kinship Perspective on Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 631–666. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783431 Fang He, V., Sirén, C., Singh, S., Solomon, G., & von Krogh, G. (2018). Keep Calm and Carry On: Emotion Regulation in Entrepreneurs’ Learning from Failure. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 605–630. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783428 Smolka, K. M., Verheul, I., Burmeister–Lamp, K., & Heugens, P. P. M. A. R. (2018). Get it Together! Synergistic Effects of Causal and Effectual Decision–Making Logics on Venture Performance. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 571–604. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783429 Covin, J. G., Garrett, R. P., Gupta, J. P., Kuratko, D. F., & Shepherd, D. A. (2018). The Interdependence of Planning and Learning among Internal Corporate Ventures. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 537–570. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783430 Schwens, C., Zapkau, F. B., Bierwerth, M., Isidor, R., Knight, G., & Kabst, R. (2018). International Entrepreneurship: A Meta–Analysis on the Internationalization and Performance Relationship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 734–768. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795346 Li, C., Isidor, R., Dau, L. A., & Kabst, R. (2018). The More the Merrier? Immigrant Share and Entrepreneurial Activities. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 698–733. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795344

Kiss, A. N., Fernhaber, S., & McDougall–Covin, P. P. (2018). Slack, Innovation, and Export Intensity: Implications for Small– and Medium–Sized Enterprises. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Jiang, H., Cannella, A. A., & Jiao, J. (2018). Does Desperation Breed Deceiver? A Behavioral Model of New Venture Opportunism. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Hechavarría, D. M., Terjesen, S. A., Stenholm, P., Brännback, M., & Lång, S. (2018). More than Words: Do Gendered Linguistic Structures Widen the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Activity? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Verver, M., & Koning, J. (2018). Toward a Kinship Perspective on Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Fang He, V., Sirén, C., Singh, S., Solomon, G., & von Krogh, G. (2018). Keep Calm and Carry On: Emotion Regulation in Entrepreneurs’ Learning from Failure. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Smolka, K. M., Verheul, I., Burmeister–Lamp, K., & Heugens, P. P. M. A. R. (2018). Get it Together! Synergistic Effects of Causal and Effectual Decision–Making Logics on Venture Performance. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Covin, J. G., Garrett, R. P., Gupta, J. P., Kuratko, D. F., & Shepherd, D. A. (2018). The Interdependence of Planning and Learning among Internal Corporate Ventures. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Schwens, C., Zapkau, F. B., Bierwerth, M., Isidor, R., Knight, G., & Kabst, R. (2018). International Entrepreneurship: A Meta–Analysis on the Internationalization and Performance Relationship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Li, C., Isidor, R., Dau, L. A., & Kabst, R. (2018). The More the Merrier? Immigrant Share and Entrepreneurial Activities. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Articles Withdrawn by Publisher SAGE Publishing regrets that these articles, due to an administrative error, were accidentally published OnlineFirst and in Volume 42 Issue 4 or in Volume 42 Issue 5 with different DOIs. The correct and citable versions of the articles remain Kiss, A. N., Fernhaber, S., & McDougall–Covin, P. P. (2018). Slack, Innovation, and Export Intensity: Implications for Small– and Medium–Sized Enterprises. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 671–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795318 Jiang, H., Cannella, A. A., & Jiao, J. (2018). Does Desperation Breed Deceiver? A Behavioral Model of New Venture Opportunism. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 769–796. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795347 Hechavarría, D. M., Terjesen, S. A., Stenholm, P., Brännback, M., & Lång, S. (2018). More than Words: Do Gendered Linguistic Structures Widen the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Activity? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 797–817. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795350 Verver, M., & Koning, J. (2018). Toward a Kinship Perspective on Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 631–666. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783431 Fang He, V., Sirén, C., Singh, S., Solomon, G., & von Krogh, G. (2018). Keep Calm and Carry On: Emotion Regulation in Entrepreneurs’ Learning from Failure. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 605–630. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783428 Smolka, K. M., Verheul, I., Burmeister–Lamp, K., & Heugens, P. P. M. A. R. (2018). Get it Together! Synergistic Effects of Causal and Effectual Decision–Making Logics on Venture Performance. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 571–604. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783429 Covin, J. G., Garrett, R. P., Gupta, J. P., Kuratko, D. F., & Shepherd, D. A. (2018). The Interdependence of Planning and Learning among Internal Corporate Ventures. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 537–570. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783430 Schwens, C., Zapkau, F. B., Bierwerth, M., Isidor, R., Knight, G., & Kabst, R. (2018). International Entrepreneurship: A Meta–Analysis on the Internationalization and Performance Relationship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 734–768. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795346 Li, C., Isidor, R., Dau, L. A., & Kabst, R. (2018). The More the Merrier? Immigrant Share and Entrepreneurial Activities. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 698–733. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795344

We introduce “exploratory perseverance” as a novel construct that captures perseverant behavior in settings in which several alternatives can be explored and evaluated. We suggest that entrepreneurs display exploratory perseverance reflected by a tendency to keep exploring broader sets of alternatives, to adopt a parallel rather than sequential approach to trial‐and‐error learning, and, after negative experiences with some alternatives, to be more inclined to give them a second chance. The results from an experimental study of 449 individuals participating in the Iowa Gambling Task indicate that more entrepreneurially experienced individuals display greater exploratory perseverance than those with little to no entrepreneurial experience.

Kiss, A. N., Fernhaber, S., & McDougall–Covin, P. P. (2018). Slack, Innovation, and Export Intensity: Implications for Small– and Medium–Sized Enterprises. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Jiang, H., Cannella, A. A., & Jiao, J. (2018). Does Desperation Breed Deceiver? A Behavioral Model of New Venture Opportunism. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Hechavarría, D. M., Terjesen, S. A., Stenholm, P., Brännback, M., & Lång, S. (2018). More than Words: Do Gendered Linguistic Structures Widen the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Activity? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Verver, M., & Koning, J. (2018). Toward a Kinship Perspective on Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Fang He, V., Sirén, C., Singh, S., Solomon, G., & von Krogh, G. (2018). Keep Calm and Carry On: Emotion Regulation in Entrepreneurs’ Learning from Failure. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Smolka, K. M., Verheul, I., Burmeister–Lamp, K., & Heugens, P. P. M. A. R. (2018). Get it Together! Synergistic Effects of Causal and Effectual Decision–Making Logics on Venture Performance. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Covin, J. G., Garrett, R. P., Gupta, J. P., Kuratko, D. F., & Shepherd, D. A. (2018). The Interdependence of Planning and Learning among Internal Corporate Ventures. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Schwens, C., Zapkau, F. B., Bierwerth, M., Isidor, R., Knight, G., & Kabst, R. (2018). International Entrepreneurship: A Meta–Analysis on the Internationalization and Performance Relationship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Li, C., Isidor, R., Dau, L. A., & Kabst, R. (2018). The More the Merrier? Immigrant Share and Entrepreneurial Activities. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Articles Withdrawn by Publisher SAGE Publishing regrets that these articles, due to an administrative error, were accidentally published OnlineFirst and in Volume 42 Issue 4 or in Volume 42 Issue 5 with different DOIs. The correct and citable versions of the articles remain Kiss, A. N., Fernhaber, S., & McDougall–Covin, P. P. (2018). Slack, Innovation, and Export Intensity: Implications for Small– and Medium–Sized Enterprises. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 671–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795318 Jiang, H., Cannella, A. A., & Jiao, J. (2018). Does Desperation Breed Deceiver? A Behavioral Model of New Venture Opportunism. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 769–796. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795347 Hechavarría, D. M., Terjesen, S. A., Stenholm, P., Brännback, M., & Lång, S. (2018). More than Words: Do Gendered Linguistic Structures Widen the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Activity? Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 797–817. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795350 Verver, M., & Koning, J. (2018). Toward a Kinship Perspective on Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 631–666. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783431 Fang He, V., Sirén, C., Singh, S., Solomon, G., & von Krogh, G. (2018). Keep Calm and Carry On: Emotion Regulation in Entrepreneurs’ Learning from Failure. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 605–630. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783428 Smolka, K. M., Verheul, I., Burmeister–Lamp, K., & Heugens, P. P. M. A. R. (2018). Get it Together! Synergistic Effects of Causal and Effectual Decision–Making Logics on Venture Performance. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 571–604. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783429 Covin, J. G., Garrett, R. P., Gupta, J. P., Kuratko, D. F., & Shepherd, D. A. (2018). The Interdependence of Planning and Learning among Internal Corporate Ventures. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(4), 537–570. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718783430 Schwens, C., Zapkau, F. B., Bierwerth, M., Isidor, R., Knight, G., & Kabst, R. (2018). International Entrepreneurship: A Meta–Analysis on the Internationalization and Performance Relationship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 734–768. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795346 Li, C., Isidor, R., Dau, L. A., & Kabst, R. (2018). The More the Merrier? Immigrant Share and Entrepreneurial Activities. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 42(5), 698–733. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258718795344

While past work finds support for both higher and lower cost of debt among family firms, whether lower shareholder–creditor agency conflicts in family firms translate into greater ex-ante contracting efficiency (i.e., lower debt contract strictness) remains unexplored. Drawing on a shareholder–creditor agency framework and costly contracting theory, creditors, expecting firm value maximization rather than shareholder value maximization from family firms, may offer less strict debt contracts to increase contracting efficiency. We find in a sample of 716 publicly traded U.S. firms (2001–2010) that family firms have less strict debt contracts, which are even less strict when family firms have higher asset tangibility. Although increases in R&D investments could lead to more pronounced shareholder–creditor agency conflicts, given family firms' preferences for lower risk and growth, debt contract strictness among family firms is not positively associated with higher R&D intensity.

The strategy literature has been insightful in specifying the requirements for rents under uncertainty, but has concentrated less on how to meet those requirements. We argue that courage and imagination are essential drivers of such rents and that several streams in the entrepreneurship literature enlighten us as to the sources of those drivers: these are the perspectives of effectuation, entrepreneurial orientation, and strategic entrepreneurship. Although these perspectives apply to multiple organizational contexts, we suggest that their relevance to the sources of courage and imagination is especially acute in simple start–ups, dynamic high–tech innovators, and complex bureaucracies, respectively. Moreover, we call attention to other possible sources of entrepreneurial courage and imagination that have been underemphasized in the literature.