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Academy of Management Review Vol. 42 No. 1 2017

Resources and Relationships in Entrepreneurship: An Exchange Theory of the Development and Effects of the Entrepreneur-Investor Relationship

Laura Huang1; Andrew P. Knight2

1 University of Pennsylvania · 2 Washington University in St. Louis

Abstract

We develop a theoretical model, grounded in exchange theory, about the process through which relationships between entrepreneurs and investors develop and influence the growth of new ventures. Our theory highlights the multifaceted relationships that entrepreneurs and investors share—comprising both affective and instrumental dimensions—and the bidirectional exchanges of social and financial resources that build these relationships over time. An exchange theory perspective sheds light on the emergence of different patterns of relationship development over time and how different kinds of resource exchange contribute to new venture growth, contingent on the core problems that a venture faces at a given stage of development. We discuss implications of an exchange perspective on resources and relationships in entrepreneurship for theory, research, and practice.

DOI
10.5465/amr.2014.0397
Volume
42
Issue
1
Pages
80-102
Language
en
Sources
ris:amr.ris openalex crossref

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