The Entrepreneurial Theory of the Firm and the Theory of the Entrepreneurial Firm*

abstract The entrepreneurial theory of the firm argues that entrepreneurship, properly understood, is a crucial but neglected element in explaining the nature and boundaries of the firm. By contrast, the theory of the entrepreneurial firm presumably seeks not to understand the nature and boundaries of ‘the firm’ in general but rather to understand a particular type of firm: one that is entrepreneurial. This paper is an attempt to reconcile the two. After briefly delving for the concept of entrepreneurship in the work of Schumpeter, Kirzner, and (especially) Knight, the paper makes the case for the entrepreneurial theory of the firm. In such a theory, the firm exists as the solution to a coordination problem in a world of change and uncertainty, including Knightian or structural uncertainty.     

Solving the Entrepreneurial Puzzle: The Role of Entrepreneurial Interpretation in Opportunity Formation and Related Processes

Opportunity formation plays a central role in the entrepreneurship literature. The two dominant perspectives on this topic (discovery view and creation view) tended to consider search and action as the main mechanisms. Drawing on strategic issue interpretation view and managerial cognition perspective, we argue for the inclusion of a third mechanism (entrepreneurial interpretation). Specifically, we develop the boundary assumptions and testable propositions of an entrepreneurial interpretation model. Then, we show how entrepreneurial interpretation informs both discovery and creation processes. Overall, our theory provides an expanded understanding of how individuals form and decide to exploit opportunities.     

创业导向、外部知识获取与创业机会识别

创业活动是创新、就业和经济增长的重要来源。企业家通过持续探索创造新业务,促进社会和经济的发展和繁荣。本文基于资源基础理论和知识基础理论,以大众创业浪潮为研究背景,深入揭示创业导向、外部知识获取与创业机会识别之间的关系,并以中国246份创业新企业为样本进行了实证研究。研究结果表明：创业导向对新企业的机会识别和外部知识获取均具有积极影响;外部知识获取在创业导向和新企业的机会识别之间起到部分中介作用;此外,市场知识获取比技术知识获取对创业机会识别的影响更为突出。     

基于原型理论的创业机会识别研究

我国已经全面进入机会型创业阶段,这不仅有助于全面提升我国经济的竞争力,更是大力推动着我国经济的转型和发展。本文在分析创业机会和机会识别的基础上,将原型理论引入,从机会特性对创业机会识别进行了解读,为机会识别研究做出了新的尝试。     

Governance of the Entrepreneurial Threshold Firm: A Knowledge-based Perspective

ABSTRACT By building on a knowledge‐based view of the firm, this paper addresses a relatively unexplored area of roles and dynamics of corporate governance in younger, threshold firms that are undergoing a transition from the emergence to the professional management stage. Our analysis is focused on the process of capability development, exploring the effect of the asymmetry in knowledge that often exists between directors and senior managers on the governance of threshold firms. We examine the key sources of this asymmetry, explore ways directors and senior executives learn, and then discuss the implications of this learning on the evolution of governance systems in the threshold firm.     

创业机会理论研究综述

创业机会一直是创业研究领域的核心问题。近十几年来,学者们对创业机会的内涵、来源以及创业机会的识别和评价等问题进行了大量研究,并取得了不少有价值的研究成果。在此基础上,着重对创业机会的相关研究进行了梳理、阐释和总结,对个别关键问题进行了多角度的认识,并指出创业机会研究存在的不足和进一步的研究方向。     

In Pursuit of Greatness: CEO Narcissism,Entrepreneurial Orientation,and Firm Performance Variance

Building upon the perspective that narcissism is a leadership trait with both ‘bright’ and ‘dark’ sides, the present study examines the question of whether companies led by narcissistic CEOs exhibit higher levels of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Moreover, this research examines whether EO partially explains why narcissistic CEO‐led firms experience greater variability in firm performance. Using survey data collected from 173 CEOs, and an archival measure of firm performance variance, we find support for our model. These findings offer an improved understanding of how CEO narcissism influences performance variance, and why the firms they lead may even, at times, be viewed as on a path to success. Study implications are discussed.     

企业价值模型:企业的资本所有者理论

本文通过构造一个企业价值模型，认为在竞争性的市场条件下，企业价值取决于物质资本和管理者能效，并且由于物质资本具有边际收益递减的特性而管理者能效具有边际收益递增的特性，所以管理者能效对企业价值的贡献大于物质资本对企业价值的贡献。     

Entrepreneurship and Firm Boundaries: The Theory of A Firm

abstract In this paper, we consider how a better understanding of entrepreneurial activities can help explain how firm and industry boundaries change over time and how a more comprehensive understanding of boundary setting can explain where entrepreneurial activities are directed. We start from the premise that while entrepreneurs believe themselves to have superior ideas in one or multiple parts of the value chain, they are characteristically short of cash, and of the ability to convince others to provide it. This premise motivates a simple model in which the entrepreneur has a value‐adding set of ideas for ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’ parts of a value chain, as well as for the ways to make these two parts of the value chain work better when joined under unitary control. Assuming that the entrepreneur's objective is to maximize her wealth, we observe that even in the presence of transactional risks or other factors that might make integration preferable to specialization, initial scope depends also on relatively unexplored factors such as (a) how severe the entrepreneur's cash constraint is, and (b) how much value the entrepreneur's ideas add at each part of the value chain. Entrepreneurs will focus on the areas that provide the maximum profit yield per available cash – a criterion which implies that scope choices depend on cash availability and the depth of the demand for the new idea along the value chain. We also note that entrepreneurs make money not only from the operating profits of their firms, but also from the appreciation of the assets the firm has accumulated. This consideration can change the optimal choice of the firms’ boundaries, as entrepreneurs must be sensitive to choosing the segment that will enable them to benefit not only in terms of profit, but also in terms of asset appreciation. We propose that, in the entrepreneurial context especially, it is helpful to focus on the multiple considerations affecting the choice of boundaries for ‘a’ firm – the context faced by an individual entrepreneur – rather than on generic considerations affecting ‘the’ (representative) firm. Scope choices reflect the entrepreneur's own theory of ‘how to make money’.     

创业企业招聘偏好与创业绩效关系理论研究

文章在已有研究成果的基础上展开理论研究,集中关注创业企业在招聘时是否存在对某一类型应聘者的普遍偏好、这种偏好与其组织绩效的作用关系、创业企业招聘偏好与人一组织匹配之间的关系以及人一组织匹配理论在创业企业招聘偏好与其绩效关系中的中介效用。并提出了相关理论假设,为今后的实证研究提供了理论依据。     

企业成长理论与成长动力研究评述

企业成长的源泉始终是企业成长理论研究的主题,近年来研究更加深入。本文回顾与分析了企业成长理论关于成长动力的研究,认为资源、能力、及知识是企业成长的动力与源泉,提出了企业应不断吸收、转换、创造知识,促进企业成长。     

我国在校大学生创业机会识别的影响因素研究

文章运用扎根理论,对在校大学生创业机会识别的影响因素进行定性分析,通过初次编码、主轴编码、选择编码及饱和度检验,构建了我国在校大学生创业机会识别影响因素模型,得出个人因素中的性格特点、先验知识、经济状况,环境因素中的群体影响、资源获取情况、学校相关政策、就业状况及机会因素中对机会标准的理解和定义、机会成本是影响在校大学生创业机会识别的主要因素,并分别从个人、环境、机会三方面给出了相应的对策建议.     

Information Flow Analysis and the Theory of the Firm

In this paper, I examine the role the firm plays in economizing on information flows that are required to turn raw materials and ideas into products and services used by final consumers. Specifically, I argue that scale economies associated with complex information transfers are an important benefit of integration. This argument is distinct from theories that are based on incentives and leads to different or more refined conclusions in some cases. The differences are explored in the context of literature on specific assets, vertically related monopolies, and physical asset ownership. Information flow analysis also arms managers with a framework for addressing organizational questions beyond firm‐boundary decisions such as intrafirm decisions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于双螺旋结构的创业机会识别模型构建

自创业活动作为一门科学出现在学术研究领域开始,各国对创业活动的关注就从未停止过。而创业机会的识别问题作为创业活动的起点,就一直是创业领域研究的关键问题。而从个人因素、机会因素两大维度对创业机会的识别进行探讨,分析影响创业机会识别的主要因素,将有助于完善创业研究的理论体系,为今后的科研工作奠定更为坚实的基础。     

浅谈"创新型"与"问题解决型"的区别

进入21世纪,随着经济时代的到来,全球经济一体化和高新技术的迅速发展,特别是新技术、新经营理念的不断涌现,创新成为全球共同的热点话题。我国的企事业单位都面临着更加严峻的经营环境,产品的市场竞争将更加激烈。为此QC小组应围绕加快开发新产品(包括新服务项目、新业务项目)、创造更具魅力的质量、提供更加周到的服务等方面开展活动,以满足顾客的需求和期望。     

创业导向与企业绩效:制度环境和市场环境的调节作用

创业导向与企业绩效之间的关系受到了学者们的广泛关注,然而针对转型经济背景下情境因素的研究却相对不足.本研究依据资源依赖理论的观点,探讨了转型经济背景下制度环境和市场环境在创业导向与企业绩效之间的调节效应.以125家中小企业为样本,结果发现:(1)创业导向对企业绩效有显著的正向影响;(2)在制度环境方面,制度支持正向调节创业导向与绩效的关系,而不正当竞争对两者的关系无显著影响;(3)在市场环境方面,需求不确定性正向调节创业导向与绩效的关系,而技术动态性对两者的关系有微弱的抑制作用.基于以上发现,本研究进行了讨论并给出了对企业管理实践的启示.     

创业机会的识别与开发研究——以微软与谷歌的案例比较

创业机会的识别、开发和利用既是小企业成功创业的重要法宝,也是大公司持续成长的永恒课题。本文以微软与谷歌公司为案例研究对象,选择两大技术型企业的核心业务进行追溯性解剖,揭示影响机会识别和开发的四大关键因素：个人特征、创业者网络、战略匹配、愿景与文化,从而验证了机会识别与开发的概念性模型。     

企业知识理论研究现状及展望

知识经济时代,与企业知识相关的课题不仅引起理论界的广泛关注,而且在产业界也产生深远的影响。企业知识理论是企业理论最新的研究和发展方向之一。     

规范会计师事务所的变更与联系

随着我国证券市场的发展和壮大，上市公司更换会计师事务所的现象也愈来愈多。遵照国际惯例及职业规范要求，发生会计师事务所更换时，后任会计师事务所与前任会计师事务所取得联系是其接受审计业务及执行审计工作过程中的一个重要环节。反观我国独立审计规范现状，规范前后注册会计师之间的联系很有必要，它为建设一个健康的会计市场以及合理保护注册会计师行业的发展具有重要的现实意义。