Based on human capital theory and entrepreneurship literature, we propose that a country’s capital profiles including education level, industry experience, entrepreneurial experience, and immigration experience are positively related to its entrepreneurship quality. On the contrary, we hypothesize that these four dimensions are negatively associated with the quantity of entrepreneurship. These hypotheses are empirically examined on a sample of 86 countries obtained from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) and 1,858,444 participants in a 10-year period, from 2007 to 2016. We utilize the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEEs) for the main hypothesis testing and the Random Effects Model for robustness analysis. The findings support most of the hypotheses. We then discuss theoretical implications drawn from the study and provide suggestions for policy makers. Our paper emphasizes that the investment in human capital may not simultaneously result in both high entrepreneurship quality and high entrepreneurship quantity at the aggregate level.

Family business research focuses on the intersection of family and business systems. With this dual focus, scholars are given the opportunity to inform both systems from a scholarly and practical standpoint. A common expectation for publication is the need to show the practical implications of the scholarly study. In this chapter, we explore the characteristics of ‘practical implications’ discussed within published works, and how they can be used to theoretically inform scholars as they design and pursue subsequent family business research studies. Using this characterization, we conduct a novel structured study to link what is actually occurring in practice and compare it to what is offered as practical implications within current academic research. This effort highlights a way in which family business research can address the needs of family business practitioners while maintaining a high level of academic rigor.

Based on behavioral entrepreneurship and institutional theory, we build a conceptual framework that describes the nature of the relationship between startup rates and economic growth. Our model indicates that the effects of startup rates on economic growth are contingent on entrepreneurship quality that is characterized by innovativeness, high growth, and export orientation. Then we investigate what factors determine the quality of entrepreneurship. We presuppose that entrepreneurial behaviors including entrepreneurial motivation, opportunity recognition, and resource construction are crucial antecedents of entrepreneurship quality. The linkages between entrepreneurial behaviors and entrepreneurship quality are positively moderated by environment factors according to institutional theory. These macro factors include economic freedom, policy supportiveness, cultural openness, and social supportiveness. We draw implications for research as well as the policy community.

Based on entrepreneurship literature and institutional theory, we conceptualize the relationships between opportunity recognition and innovation, accounting for the mediating role of quality of entrepreneurship. The study also investigates how institutional factors such as quality of institutions and social openness moderate these relationships. The empirical findings suggest that opportunity recognition is positively related to quality of entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship quality mediates the opportunity recognition-innovation relationship. Both institutional factors—quality of institutions and social openness—significantly enhance the effect of opportunity recognition and innovation mediated by quality of entrepreneurship. Our study supports the emerging scholarship that considers entrepreneurship as an interaction between individuals and environment.

Stakeholder protection and its implications on firm value have stimulated interests in academic and practitioner communities. The fascination has animated debates about responsibilities of organizations and organizational stakeholders on whether it is appropriate for corporations to pursue goals that go beyond profit maximization. Stakeholder protection refers to the protection of the interests and rights of multiple stakeholders through appropriate disclosure and market conduct, effective governance, and respect for their rights and expectations. Several studies indicate that firms pursuing stakeholder protection through corporate social responsibility activities strengthen their financial value. Investment in corporate social responsibility initiatives geared toward stakeholder protection generates value-creating intangibles over time, and hence a firm's long-term value is partly determined by its relationships with critical stakeholders. Alternatively, studies have argued about the non-monotonic nature of investments on stakeholder protection initiatives, questioning the relevancy of the resultant firm value as perceived by shareholders/investor, wherein rewards received may be lesser than expenditures incurred. Therefore, it is pertinent for managers to consider the impact of decisions made on stakeholder protection and evaluate such decisions based on their impact on the market value of the firm.

Despite the scholarly enthusiasm, most previous studies have explored corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its performance implications within the context of large mature firms, while ignoring CSR implications for young entrepreneurial firms. By drawing on the insights from stakeholder theory and business model we develop theoretical arguments that justify shared value creation by entrepreneurial ventures.

This study reports some of the initial findings of a long-term assessment of learning/curriculum development program recently initiated in a College of Business (COB) at a mid-sized University in the southern United States of America. We present information about the mission- and data-driven framework (i.e., The Entrepreneurial Impact Project--EIP) and the entrepreneurial ecosystem that has been built to support entrepreneurial education at the University. We also present the results of an empirical study showing entrepreneurial self-efficacy interacts with individual adaptability to predict entrepreneurial behavior. This both validates the measurement regime of the EIP and contributes to the empirical literature.

In management research, theory is of central importance, and as an inherently applied field, the practicality associated with theory development and testing is an important, but due in part to meth...

Justice perceptions are a critical part in the motivation and retention of employees. In family-controlled firms, however, nonfamily employees can be disparately treated and as a result must rely on outcome-based or distributive justice treatment in their work involvement decisions. Our psychological model suggests a process through which equitable governance structures enhance distributive justice judgments. This process is further impacted by the extent these firms offer market-driven learning opportunities (MLOs) to nonfamily employees. These opportunities allow this employee group to further enhance the just benefits in the presence of equitable governance structures and minimize any detrimental effects when equity is absent. This occurs because MLOs are beneficial for gaining market valued skills for nonfamily employees and the extent these skills are acquired is dependent on individual characteristics. Still, these skills when successfully attained lead to reevaluations of the equity of nonfamily governance structures. By tying these skills back to equitable judgments, we introduce a complete process through which several propositions are introduced relating to nonfamily employees’ continued engagement and willingness to remain.

This study explores family firms using principles from Social Identity Theory. Based on a survey of 173 employees working in family firms, we examine the different effects that organizational identification and family identification have on the commitment and citizenship behaviors of family firm employees. Results indicate that family identification and organizational identification represent two different constructs that affect the behaviors of employees within family firms. In particular, family identification is positively related to commitment and citizenship behaviors. Results also indicate that this relationship is affected by membership in the owning family. Our study extends the domain of organizational identification as a construct and acknowledges the importance of considering both family and organizational identification when exploring the behaviors of employees within family firms. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

This article examines the influence of both individual and organizational moral identity centrality on prosocial behaviors. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the centrality of these two offer a substitute effect on these behavioral outcomes. Validated measures of organizational moral identity centrality and unethical prosocial behavior are introduced. Data were collected via two separate samples, University Greek Life organization members (n=499) and restaurant workers (n=137). Regression results supporting that individuals who claim centrality of moral identity and see their organizations to also embrace the centrality are more likely to engage in citizenship behaviors and less likely to commit unethical prosocial acts. Furthermore, results support that both forms of centrality of moral identity were substitutes in terms of affecting these two outcomes. Research that contributes to understanding how individuals within an organization consciously choose to act on behalf of the organization even when these very actions conflict with generally accepted morals of right and wrong within their society is valuable to academics and practitioners alike. This study contributes to this body of knowledge. Despite extensive attention to topics of ethics and identity, previous studies have largely overlooked the impact of an organizational moral identity. Our results provide a framework for understanding the role of moral identity and the prediction of organizational citizenship and unethical prosocial behaviors.

This study explores family firms using principles from Social Identity Theory. Based on a survey of 173 employees working in family firms, we examine the different effects that organizational identification and family identification have on the commitment and citizenship behaviors of family firm employees. Results indicate that family identification and organizational identification represent two different constructs that affect the behaviors of employees within family firms. In particular, family identification is positively related to commitment and citizenship behaviors. Results also indicate that this relationship is affected by membership in the owning family. Our study extends the domain of organizational identification as a construct and acknowledges the importance of considering both family and organizational identification when exploring the behaviors of employees within family firms. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Family firm literature hinges upon the overarching assumption that the involvement of a group of individuals who are members of the same family will alter firm operations. The desires and aspirations of the family entity result in the development of noneconomic goals which differ substantially in magnitude and nature from noneconomic goals in nonfamily firms (Chrisman et al, 2003; Chrisman et al, 2013; Gomez-Mejia et al, 2007). The influence of family centered goals on systems of governance and the accumulation of resources has received attention, yet additional work remains. In one such study, Chrisman et al. (2013) develop a framework and explore the goal formation and setting process, how noneconomic goals affect decision-making, and the relationship between noneconomic goals and resource acquisition. The authors conclude that identification of the antecedents affecting how family firms perform on noneconomic goal metrics, rather than only studying the consequences of having such goals, is important to advance the field and that various theoretical approaches should be considered. The successful attainment of noneconomic goals within family firms is proposed as part of the organizational learning process, and the theoretical underpinnings of the knowledge-based view (Chirico and Salvato, 2008; Chirico and Salvato, 2016; Zahra et al, 2007) provides a specific, employable approach to study this segment of organizational learning. An important concept within the knowledge-based view of the firm is the ability of a firm to integrate knowledge internally, since this allows the organization to realize the latent value of such knowledge (e.g., Eisenhardt and Santos, 2002). Several attributes of knowledge, including the characteristics of individuals participating in the process, may enhance or obstruct the ease of knowledge mobility. Recently, authors have attempted to better understand how distinctive features of family businesses are reflected in the ways knowledge is transferred and integrated through time and potentially amongst generations of the controlling family. In 2008, Chirico and Salvato provided a theoretical model of knowledge integration in family firms to explain the development of dynamic capabilities as they are affected by knowledge integration. The authors successfully tested their model (Chirico and Salvato, 2016) as a way to explain product development in family firms and show how knowledge integration relates to dynamic capabilities within family firms. Chirico and Salvato's (2008) conceptualization of knowledge integration aligns well with successfully meeting noneconomic goals of family firms, yet their model does not fully capture contextual relationships as outlined in existing knowledge-based and family firm theorizing. To that end, a critical extension of research on the attainment of noneconomic goals in family firms is to complement and expand the Chirico and Salvato (2008; 2016) model by studying how knowledge integration affects the attainment of noneconomic goals. Thus, the purpose of this study is to answer the following research question, How does the integration of knowledge in the family firm affect the firm's ability to meet noneconomic goal performance expectations? The findings contribute to three areas of literature simultaneously: family business, organizational knowledge, and firm performance. First, the work enhances these literatures by introducing the knowledge-based view and knowledge integration as a mechanism to explain a family unit's performance on noneconomic goals in family firms. Understanding how noneconomic goals are realized is important for family firms because the attainment of these goals can oftentimes be more difficult and costlier than the attainment of financially based economic goals (Beckhard and Dyer, 1983). Additionally, it is important to understand how these types of goals are achieved, because their realization allows for the accumulation of socioemotional wealth, the nonfinancial part of family firms that is believed to be a defining characteristic (Gomez-Mejia et al, 2007). …

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between learning orientation (LO), entrepreneurial orientation (EO), and firm growth in small- and medium-sized firms (SMEs). The authors theoretically argue for a mediation effect of EO on the relationship between LO and growth. The study considered how companies that value learning enact actions to affect firm outcomes. This is particularly important for small firms that may not be capable of withstanding significant shocks in the marketplace.Design/methodology/approach– The research design employed the survey method for data gathering and resulted in 105 completed responses from CEOs/presidents of SMEs. To examine the construct validity of the measurement dimensions the authors used a multistage process. Additionally, the authors employed a competing models analytic design to determine the presence and strength of mediating effects of the EO construct.Findings– The findings empirically demonstrate the notion that firm cultural values embodied in a LO and translated into action behaviors by an EO is positively related to SME growth and adaptation. The research also supports the notion that learning is an important element in opportunity recognition insofar as opportunity recognition is entrepreneurial or reflecting an EO. SMEs that are open to learning may identify opportunities to exploit through an EO that facilitates growth. In the face of dynamic external environments and competitive conditions SMEs are well served by being more creative and entrepreneurial.Research limitations/implications– The design of the study is limited by single source, key respondents in SMEs, and has the potential for common method bias even though the authors tested for this effect successfully.Originality/value– The study contributes to the literature by examining how learning and an orientation toward entrepreneurial behavior affect the growth of firms. These findings will be of value to both scholars and entrepreneurs.

In this article, we introduce socioemotional selectivity theory (SEST) from psychology to the family business literature. Applying the theory to family businesses, we argue that a family business’s age influences whether it trusts family or professional business advisors most. Consistent with SEST, we find that business age relates to whether the family business emphasizes financial or socioemotional wealth more and that this wealth emphasis relates to whether family members or professional business advisors are trusted most. Based on these findings, we believe that SEST has much to offer to the study of family and nonfamily businesses.

This article reports the results of two studies that examined ( a) students' intentions to use a web-based course management system, (b) their actual use of a course management system, and (c) the effect of their use of a course management system on classroom performance. We found that students' attitudes toward the course management system, perceptions of support, and perceptions of their capacity to control their actions each were associated with their intentions to use the course management system. Subsequently, intentions directly influenced actual use of the course management system and greater usage of the course management system had a statistically significant, albeit modest, positive effect on students' performance in the course. Practical applications of the findings are discussed.

Family firms are often characterised by fewer information asymmetries and more trusting cultures than are non-family firms. As a result, using agency theory, we argue that family firm leaders will perceive that they derive less benefit from the internet, an information technology that allows companies to reduce their information asymmetries, than leaders from non-family firms. Our findings are consistent with this argument and provide support for the contention that there are fundamental differences between the perceptions of leaders in family and non-family firms.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to apply the theory of guided preparation to investigate the relative impact of outside counseling assistance and entrepreneurship courses on new venture creation and performance. Design/methodology/approach - To attain a sample of nascent entrepreneurs who had been impacted by entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial counseling, 256 individuals who received counseling from the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center in 1996 or 1998 were surveyed. The authors ran a logistic regression model using venture start-up as the categorical dependent variable to investigate whether entrepreneurial education and counseling had an influence on the creation of new ventures. To test whether entrepreneurial education or counseling had a long-term impact on the growth of new ventures, hierarchical regression analyses were run using employment in 2003 as the dependent variable. Various control variables were used for both sets of analyses. Findings - Findings indicate that counseling has a significant impact on venture performance but entrepreneurship courses do not. In contrast, entrepreneurship courses are related to venture creation while counseling is not. Research limitations/implications - Consistent with theory, the results suggest that counseling programs allow entrepreneurs to develop context-specific tacit knowledge about their ventures and are best delivered immediately prior to venture start-up. Entrepreneurship courses appear to indirectly influence new venture performance by increasing the odds of start up. Originality/value - This comparative test of the theory of guided preparation contributes to the understanding of the effects of education and counseling on the creation and long-term performance of new ventures, informing how the delivery of such programs can be improved.