How does entrepreneurs' social capital hinder new business development? A relational embeddedness perspective

While most studies argue that, relational embeddedness, one facet of social capital, facilitates the obtaining process of scarce resources, our study cautions that it may exert negative impacts. This study examines the underlying process about how shared cognition influences new business development. Results from a survey on entrepreneur social network in China demonstrate that strong ties bring decision-making constraints for entrepreneurs to bear, while trust helps to lessen such restriction. Additionally, shared cognition should not become a preferred standard for entrepreneurs in choosing their network members, because simply relying on the intermediate role of tie strength engenders dark sides. Implications for research as well as for practice are discussed.     

An Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility at Credit Line: A Narrative Approach

This article presents the results of an inductive, interpretive case study. We have adopted a narrative approach to the analysis of organizational processes in order to explore how individuals in a financial institution dealt with relatively novel issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The narratives that we reconstruct, which we label ‚idealism and altruism’, ‚economics and expedience’ and ‚ignorance and cynicism’ illustrate how people in the specific organizational context of a bank (‚Credit Line’¹) sought to cope with an attempt at narrative imposition. In particular, our work exemplifies how people in organizations draw on shared discursive resources in order to make sense of themselves and their organizations. We illustrate how many people within the bank found it hard to integrate the normative case for CSR with their version of a narrative identity which had, and continued to be, centred on economic imperatives for new initiatives. Our article demonstrates both the value of the analysis of shared narratives, and represents an attempt to deal adequately with the polyphony of organizational voices, in case studies of CSR. Michael Humphreys graduated with a B.Sc from Leeds University and took MBA and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Nottingham. He is currently an Associate Professor and Reader in organization studies an Nottingham University Business school. His research interests include ethnographic and narrative approaches to organizational identity in both public and private sector organizations. He has published work in a range of journals including: The Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, Organization, British Journal of Management, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, The Journal of Organizational Change Management and Qualitative Inquiry. Andrew D. Brown took his MA at Christ Church, Oxford, and his M.Sc and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Sheffield. He held faculty positions at Manchester Business School, the University of Nottingham and the University of Cambridge, before taking up a Chair in Organization Studies at the University of Bath. His principal research interests are centred on issues of sensemaking, narrative and identity. He has published work in a range of scholarly journals, including Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management Studies, and Organization Studies.     

Moving on: Narrative identity reconstruction after entrepreneurial failure

Despite increasing interest in the narratives of entrepreneurial failure, the understanding of how entrepreneurs reconstruct their identity as they advance from experiences of failure to new ventures remains partial. Based on a narrative analysis of 49 entrepreneurs' experiences, we uncover three narrative types used by entrepreneurs when moving on: shielding, transformation, and authenticity. In particular, we elaborate on how the entrepreneurs employ specific discursive practices in their narratives to deal with three central aspects of identity reconstruction: construction of responsibility, identity transition, and identity validation. Thus, our analysis elucidates the narrative underpinnings of dealing with failure and deepens our understanding of entrepreneurial identity construction in the context of moving on.     

With whom should you have dinner? A multidimensional framework for understanding political ties in China

Political ties are often considered a critical resource for firms to succeed in China. The way companies build political ties receives noticeably less attention. Academic research traditionally uses the prior government work experience of firms’ top management, in addition to executive membership in the National People’s Congress (NPC) and/or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as surrogates to quantify political ties. However, such measurements only expose the tip of the iceberg and do not sufficiently answer questions about how these connections are organized and controlled. Drawing insights from institutional theory, in this article we introduce a multidimensional framework to shed light on the study of political ties in China. Specifically, by using the framework of regulative, normative, and cognitive institutional pillars, we identify government work experience, political membership, family connections, shared social identity, and instrumental exchange as effective ways of building political ties in China. We also discuss theoretical and managerial implications, as well as limitations to our research.     

Organizational Culture and Organizational Change: The Transformation of Savings Banks in Denmark, 1965-1990

In this article, I argue that organizations' historical narrativesare a basic and important component of their culture and identity,and that these narratives can be resources as well as constraints.I combine a narrative approach with Joanne Martin's three perspectivetheory of organizational culture, and using the transformationof Danish savings banks as a case, I demonstrate how a narrativeapproach can provide a new and better understanding of organizationalbehaviour and change than mainstream economics and the abundantfunctionalist organizational culture literature. I demonstratehow, when change was called for by external pressures, the savingsbanks choice set was constrained by a shared narrative abouttheir historical origins. This narrative, in turn, constitutedthe identity, image and organizational culture of savings banksand to a high degree restrained learning capabilities, createdorganizational inertia and delayed the adoption of a new strategy.     

Story and Narrative Noticing: Workaholism Autoethnographies

We enter this energetic debate over causes and consequences of workaholism using autoethnography. Our main contribution is to explore when our autoethnographies of workaholism experiences is narrative, and when it is expressive, living story. The difference in narrative is a re-presentation (following representationalism of a sensory remembrance), where as living story is a matter of reflexivity upon the fragile nature of our life world. We began through analysis of workaholism narratives in our own academic lives, and in the movies of popular culture, the influence of a particular meta-narrative – that of the American Dream. We proceed to juxtapose our own living stories in their struggle with those American Dream narratives.     

Venture tales: Practical storytelling strategies underpinning entrepreneurial narratives

Narratives help entrepreneurs and potential venture supporters to make sense of new ventures and to frame entrepreneurial journeys. Despite current understanding of how narratives shape entrepreneurial outcomes, however, there is limited guidance about how entrepreneurs might craft their own narratives in practice. In this article, we identify six types of entrepreneurial narratives—(1) an identity narrative, (2) an opportunity narrative, (3) a projective narrative, (4) a failure narrative, (5) a pivot narrative, and (6) a resourcefulness narrative—and we detail practical storytelling strategies entrepreneurs can use to shape each of these narrative types. We then propose that entrepreneurs can combine, sequence, and revise these narratives as the entrepreneurial journey unfolds. Knowledge of how to strategically manage the full entrepreneurial narrative repertoire enables entrepreneurs to create meaning and value where there once was none and to capture that value over time as a venture grows.     

Intersectionality of Ethnic and Entrepreneurial Identities: A Study of Post‐War Polish Entrepreneurs in an English City

An understanding of ethnic and immigrant entrepreneurship is developed in this paper by exploring how ethnic and entrepreneurial identities intersect. Bourdieu's concept of habitus frames the analysis of narratives of five post‐war Polish entrepreneurs in Leicester. The narrative analysis illuminates the multilayered and nuanced nature of identities. The Polish origin of these entrepreneurs’ habitus was interpreted in light of individual and collective experiences gained growing up in the United Kingdom. While Polish identity was pertinent, it did not define the narrative of entrepreneurship. Our contribution is a theoretically informed, rich qualitative study of what ethnic identity means to individuals and how it intersects with entrepreneurial identity.     

The role of spirituality in Islamic business networks: The case of internationalizing Turkish SMEs

This paper sets out to investigate the role of religion and spirituality in a business network context, with an empirical focus on the international business development of Turkish SMEs. By drawing on the concept of homophily and tie strength, we argue that, while religion can act as a bridge and thus create a multitude of weak ties within a business network, spirituality can deepen these ties and make them stronger through increased emotional intensity, intimacy and reciprocal service. The data were collected from participants in two Islamic business associations in Turkey. The results suggest that spirituality indeed drives members’ commitment to the network and the presence of spirituality has a distinctive effect on members’ contributions to and demands on the network. More specifically, members who treat their network membership as an extension of their spiritual practice tend to mainly benefit from intangible resources, while members who view their shared religion as an entry point into the network seem to benefit from both tangible and intangible network resources. The findings have several theoretical and practical implications, including the introduction of the spirituality concept into the discussion of homophily and tie strength in business networks, and the role of home networks in the internationalization of SMEs.     

“To thine own self(ves) be true”: Reflexive insights for etic self theory from consumers’ emic constructions of the self

The self and related multiple self constructs while widely applied in many guises in consumption‐focused research may be surprisingly underdetermined or misconstrued. What has been missing in particular is a critical perspective assessing an emic view of consumers’ personal theories and narratives of the self. A study using written protocols was conducted to investigate these consumer perspectives and a hermeneutic thematic analysis was developed. Varying accounts of the self in terms of its definition, multiplicity, and related dialectical and reflexive consumption processes were found, suggesting that prior etic self theories ignored many nuances of consumers’ constructions of the self. Building on these accounts, an enhanced theoretical framework of the self emerges involving multiple personal constructions of the self, the reflexivity of the narrative of the self (theory of the self as a construct) with the narrative of oneself (identity construction) and a critical perspective on the discourses of self reflexively involving etic–researcher and emic–consumer cultures.     

Innovative opportunity pursuit, human capital and business ownership experience in an emerging region: evidence from Ghana

This study explores whether an entrepreneur??s ability to assemble and leverage human capital, particularly specific human capital relating to prior business ownership experience, is associated with seven types of product and work practices innovation in an emerging region, namely, Ghana. Logistic regression estimation revealed that portfolio entrepreneurs were more likely than novice entrepreneurs to report ??innovation tried??. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that portfolio entrepreneurs were more likely than other entrepreneurs to report ??innovation tried and introduced??. If the goals of policy are to increase the ??quality?? of new business start-ups and maximize investment returns, there is a case to target assistance to portfolio entrepreneurs.     

社会网络与区域性企业家集群演进——以温商为例

区域性企业家集群（商帮）是具有社会网络特点的群体,网络联系、网络结构对企业家集群的形成、发展及其演进具有重要的影响。强关系有利于企业家网络的形成,弱关系有利于企业家网络的创新。网络规模和网络密度对企业家集群具有两面性,处于结构洞位置的网络节点拥有信息利益和控制利益。文章以温商为例,对企业家集群网络（温商网络）形成的外部条件、网络联系、网络结构、变迁现状及路径进行分析,得出社会网络对企业家集群演进具有重要作用。     

When Online Visibility Deters Social Interaction: The Case of Digital Gifts

One of the defining features of online social networks is that users' actions are visible to other users. In this paper, we argue that such visibility can have a detrimental effect on users' willingness to exchange digital gifts. Gift giving is an intimate activity that comes with social risk, and the public nature of online environments can deter interactions that usually occur in smaller, more intimate settings. To study the effects of online visibility on the decision to give, we analyze a unique dataset from a large online social network that offers users the option of buying a digital gifting service. We find that purchase rates of the service increased with the number of ties that users kept on the network, but decreased with the extent to which those ties were connected to each other. We argue that the latter effect is due to the fact that, when a user's ties are connected, any gift sent between the user and one tie is visible to their mutual contacts. We explore how characteristics of users' networks moderate the effect of online visibility, and argue that firms should take consumer network structure into account when designing digital products and promoting engagement online.     

Happy Festivus! Parody as playful consumer resistance

Drawing upon literary theory, play and consumer resistance literature, we conceptualize consumer parodic resistance – a resistant form of play that critically refunctions dominant consumption discourses and marketplace ideologies. We explore parodic resistance empirically by analyzing Festivus, a parody of Christmas. Festivus is found to be primarily constructed as a playful rejection of the established grand narratives and conventions of Christmas. In contrast to dominant Christmas ideology, Festivus promotes a grand narrative of “meaningful nothingness,” wherein Festivus celebration is presented a viable means of circumventing the oppressiveness of Christmas (i.e. “meaningful”) through erasing the higher goals and conventions if Christmas (i.e. “nothingness”). Our contribution is threefold: (i) we demonstrate the role of parody in consumer resistance; (ii) we outline the subversively playful nature of parodic consumer resistance; and (iii) we empirically demonstrate how parodic holiday celebration unsettles dominant discourses and conventions.     

Entrepreneurial Attitudes as Drivers of Managers’ Boundary‐Spanning Knowledge Ties in the Context of High‐Tech Clusters

This study investigates the role of entrepreneurial attitudes for small and medium‐sized enterprise managers' tendency to create knowledge acquisition ties with managers of other organizations in the context of an institutionalized high‐tech cluster. We examine how innovation orientation, perceived personal control, need for achievement, and self‐esteem influence boundary‐spanning tie creation as a crucial facet of entrepreneurial behavior in the cluster context. Applying exponential random graph models to survey data collected in a German biotech cluster, we find that innovation orientation and perceived personal control positively affect managers' tendency to rely on interpersonal ties to gather knowledge. In contrast, need for achievement and self‐esteem are negatively related to knowledge tie creation.     

Affective networks,informal ties,and the limits of expatriate effectiveness

Expatriate effectiveness research has so far rarely taken into account the influence of social networks on expatriate performance and adjustment. Likewise, antecedents of social networks remain poorly understood. We fill this research gap by exploring the situation of expatriates in South Korea. Based on expert interview data, we have discovered seven antecedents critical to expatriate effectiveness. Most antecedents hinder expatriate effectiveness due to the expatriates’ inability to become a part of so-called Yongo networks, a distinctive type of social tie in South Korea that is to a great extent determined by birth. As a consequence, it is in particular expatriates’ relational performance and interaction adjustment that is negatively influenced by Yongo. Based on the South Korean case, this study advises future research to more deeply study the nature and characteristics of the local social context, in particular affective ties, and extend research on expatriate effectiveness in this important dimension. Finally, we discuss practical implications important for multinational corporations and provide suggestions on how to better cope with exclusive informal social networks while on an assignment abroad.     

Coordinating knowledge transfer: Global managers as higher-level intermediaries

In their day-to-day work, global managers exchange knowledge with individuals and teams scattered across the organizational network in order to make progress on current projects. Drawing on a case study of a global organization, we show that a core challenge of managerial work is associated with coordinating knowledge that is spatially dispersed and temporally fragmented. To address this challenge, we discuss the notion of ‘higher-level intermediary’ as a managerial role that provides coordination across functional and geographical boundaries by making knowledge sources available, connecting the parties to the transfer, and generating opportunities for knowledge exchange. These higher-level intermediaries act as ‘ambidextrous ties’ able to connect formal and informal knowledge search and transfer mechanisms.