The formation and interplay of social capital in crowdfunded social ventures

The multi-levelled processes taking place in Crowdfunding (CF), when tapping a large heterogeneous crowd for resources, and the often fundamentally different intentions of individual crowd members in the case of highly desirable social ventures with little prospect for economic gains, may lead to a different logic and approach to how entrepreneurship develops. Using this under-institutionalized sphere as both, context and subject, the author seeks evidence and a new understanding of entrepreneurial routes by using the sociological perspectives of Bourdieus' four forms of capital as a lens on 36 cases of social ventures. In the cases, opportunity recognition, formation and exploitation could not be distinguished as separate processes. CF and sourcing help form the actual opportunity and disperse information at the same time. In addition, the ‘nexus’ of opportunity and entrepreneur is breached in CF of social causes through the constant exchange of ideas with the crowd, leading to norm-value pairs between the funders and the entrepreneurs. Issues of identification and control are thus not based upon any formal relationship but based on perceived legitimization and offered democratic participation leading to the transformation of social capital (SC) into economic capital (EC). Success is based upon the SC of the entrepreneurial teams, yet the actual resource exchange and transformation into EC is highly moderated by cultural and symbolic capital that is being built up through the process.     

How technological innovation affects the structure of an industry: entrepreneurship evolution in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry since 1980

Challenges faced by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, including reduced R&D productivity and the expiration of drugs that are high in demand, are recently being addressed through technological innovation. Such innovations are highly likely to change the structure and functioning of the industry. Since 2000, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies have actively made strategic alliance, and technological innovations have changed the source of innovation from R&D to entrepreneurship within the industry. In this study, we identify the evolution of entrepreneurship and discuss the changes caused by technological advancements since 1980 by analysing patterns of exporting and acquiring technology data from Medtrack. Over difference period, biopharmaceutical firms have gained new knowledge and improved technology, and have implemented this newly acquired knowledge and innovation to introduce drugs to the market.     

Crowdfrauding: Avoiding Ponzi entrepreneurs when investing in new ventures

Crowdfunding has gained substantial interest in the U.S., allowing entrepreneurs to raise startup capital in exchange for equity in their ventures. This approach to equity capital can open up new sources of venture finance to legitimate entrepreneurs, but little attention has been given to how it offers new opportunities for illegal entrepreneurs to defraud investors. We adopt a forensic approach to examine entrepreneurs who launch Ponzi ventures—businesses that continually bring in new investors in order to use their money to pay returns to earlier investors—to demonstrate the ease, creativity, and audacity with which these illegal entrepreneurs operate. The provided examples of Ponzi entrepreneurs show how easily they can circumvent the safeguards purported to protect investors: screening by ‘the crowd,’ transparency and documentation requirements, independent audit reports, and withholding of funds until the venture's financial goal has been met. In this article, we offer possible solutions to help protect investors, legitimate entrepreneurs, and business in general from the damage created by illegal entrepreneurs.     

后金融危机时期全球创业教育与中国创业发展——基于全球创业观察最新数据分析的结论

通过2008年全球创业观察（GEM）获得的数据分析,可以认为创业的发生、发展与创业教育有很大关系。总体而言,创业教育和培训对创业能起到积极的促进作用。但创业教育的不同形式与不同来源对各国的创业所产生的作用各有不同,取得的效果也存在着差异。创业教育对创业产生的效果与其文化和价值观念、经济发展水平、社会保障体系成熟程度以及就业机会等因素有很大关系,同时与创业群体的年龄阶段、创业教育或培训的供给情况以及创业教育的质量等因素关系密切。本文在分析基础上得出的结论,为我国政府在创业教育和培训方面制定政策等提供了决策性参考依据。     

The impact of the net percentage growth rate in the number of small firms on differential state-level employment growth rates in the US: an exploratory empirical note

This brief exploratory empirical note seeks to identify key determinants of geographic differentials in the percentage growth rate of state-level employment in the US, with the primary focus being on the percentage net growth rate in the number of small firms (i.e., those with fewer than 20 employees) in each state, where this variable serves as a de facto reflection of ‘entrepreneurship’. In the interest of identifying other key factors that influence state-level employment growth rates, the effective income tax rate in each state, quality of life elements and labour market considerations are also included in the analysis. The study period runs from the year 2000 to the year 2007, ending just prior to the ‘Great Recession’. The estimation results imply that the state-level employment growth rate in the US was an increasing function of the percentage net growth rate in the number of small firms in each state. Thus, it appears that the small firms growth rate may in fact be a significant source.     

Entry dynamics of self-employment in South Korea

The purpose of this paper is to clarify whether the entry into self-employment was an inevitable move due to economic recession (push hypothesis) or a voluntary move due to entrepreneurship (pull hypothesis) in Korea. It also examines how this decision is affected by changes in socio-economic conditions. The empirical analysis in this study exploited the matched sample for the adjacent months in the Economically Active Population Survey (EAPS) conducted by Korea National Statistical Office in 2000–2004. The empirical results showed that the push aspect of self-employment was strong in Korea over the whole sampled periods. The entry into self-employment in South Korea is largely attributable to economic sluggishness and an increase in unemployment rather than a voluntary transition resulting from entrepreneurship. Policy environment (such as providing information and financial support for new start-ups after the Asian financial crisis), which is a country-specific factor magnified the pushed effects. For the pushed (unprepared) self-employed people, not only is there a need to expand the coverage of vocational training programmes, but also it is vital that social safety nets are strengthened and supplemented.     

“专业社团建设＋创业实体运作”创业教育模式探幽——以常州轻工职业技术学院艺术设计系创业教育模式为例

创业能力是高职院校人才培养过程中不可缺少的一种核心能力。以常州轻工职业技术学院艺术设计系＂专业社团建设＋创业实体运作＂创业教育模式成功实践为例,提出将创业、营销类课程与专业课程有效融合,加强学生的创业教育,并在专业社团活动的基础上建立创业实体,进一步增强学生的自主创业能力,为学生未来创业打好基础。     

失地农民就业创业转型问题研究

城市化快速推进,导致失地农民数量不断增多。失地农民的就业创业、理财问题不仅关系到国家经济的可持续发展,也影响到社会的和谐与稳定。在这种形势下,如何提高农民创业就业能力、理财技能,创造就业机会,使这些农民"失地"不"失业",实现失地"农民"本质上向"新市民"的真正转变,已成为当务之急。同时,利用社会力量及时创办一些以失地农民创业指导、理财咨询辅导为主业,培训失地农民职业技能、让农民失地不失业为目标的短期培训咨询机构已势在必行。     

Start-up and hiring practices of immigrant entrepreneurs: An empirical study from an evolutionary psychological perspective

Strong social ties embedded in ethnic communities of immigrant populations have been considered key assets for immigrant entrepreneurs. However, little research has been done on how biological kinship and the biological theories of altruism influence the behavior of ethnic entrepreneurs. In this study, we have applied a neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory of kinship to examine adaptive functions of kin and ethnic altruism in business start-up and hiring practices of Korean immigrant entrepreneurs in the United States. We confirmed that the patterns of help received by Korean entrepreneurs for business start-ups were congruent with an evolutionary perspective on altruism. However, the results for hiring patterns suggested that customer ethnicity trumped kin and co-ethic interests. We close by offering suggestions for future research.     

创新创业载体视角下的知识产权服务体系研究

知识产权是创新创业成功的重要保障,是保护创新创业成果的有效支撑。通过问卷调查和案例调研方法,以2016年北京248家创新创业载体为研究对象,分析了这些载体的知识产权服务体系。结论是:创新创业载体的知识产权服务体系尚在建设完善中,从产业、区域、政策及资质等层面看,知识产权服务方面存在一定差异性;区域创新创业载体的知识产权服务缺乏规范,尚未形成一套适于每个创新创业载体的知识产权服务指南;区域创新创业载体的知识产权服务绩效还需要系统的评价指标,有待进一步研究。