Entrepreneurs' engagement in ethically suspect behaviors (ESBs) can have seriously negative business and social consequences. Yet what defines entrepreneurs' ESBs remains unclear. Further, little is known about what factors contribute to such behaviors. This study provides conceptual clarification of entrepreneurs' ESBs and examines environmental, firm, and individual factors in relation to them. Results, based on data from 158 Chinese entrepreneurs, indicate that dynamism, firm performance, and relational social capital are all negatively related to ESBs. Firm performance partially mediates the relationship between dynamism and ESBs, and albeit with marginal support, the relationship between entrepreneurs' relational social capital and their ESBs. 相似文献
Retaining external investment is an important task for private firms. However, the entrepreneurial financing literature has primarily focused on how to attract, instead of retain, start-up funding. Integrating social embeddedness, signaling, and strategic choice theories, we propose that entrepreneurs’ resource background, philanthropic, and innovative activities affect the exit speed of external investment for Chinese private ventures. In particular, we propose that external investment exits entrepreneurs with deprived resources faster than those more resourceful entrepreneurs. Yet, external investment stays longer when less resourceful entrepreneurs commit to innovative or philanthropic activities.