| The Effects of Organizational Sampling Frame Selection |
| | Murphy, Gregory B. | U. of Nebraska, Omaha | Greg_Murphy@unomail.unomaha.edu | (402)-554-3877 |
| | The call for continued theory development in the field of entrepreneurshiphas been extended by numerous prominent scholars in the field and appropriately so. However, unnaccounted-for methodological biases can significantly damage the development of theory by "muddying" the waters. This paper empirically investigates the potential impact of a seldom considered possible bias in empirical research - the very source or sampling frame fom which researchers identify and draw samples for their research efforts. To test the general hypothesis that biases in sample sources are sufficient to significantly alter the results of empirical research, data was gathered from firms listed in one or more of the following three sample sources: Dunn & Bradstreet's Regional Directory-Houston, the Directory of Texas Manufacturers, and the Texas State Sales Tax files. To accomodate testing of the general hypothesis, a model of venture performance was adopted based largely on previous research. Results of the analysis indicate a strong presence of sample source bias in the data, despite the uniform manner in which the data was gathered and the variables were constructed. |
| | Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Research; Methods |
| New Venture Legitimacy: The Influence of Legitimacy Upon the Growth of New Ventures |
| | Zimmerman, Monica A. | Temple U. | mzimmer@sbm.temple.edu | (215)-204-6876 |
| | This study examines the legitimacy of the new venture and its relationship
to the growth of the new venture. The question addressed in this study is,
"Does the legitimacy of the new venture facilitate the growth of the new
venture?" Legitimacy indicates appropriateness, desirability, and/or
acceptance; and legitimacy provides access to resources (e.g. Aldrich &
Fiol, 1994; Meyer & Rowan, 1977; Scott, 1995a). The level of analysis for
this study is the firm level, and the sample consisted of prepackaged
software firms. The results of this study suggest that legitimacy is
related to the growth of new ventures, legitimacy is continuous in nature;
and different contexts require different dimensions of legitimacy.
The results advance the understanding of legitimacy and the growth of the
firm, as well provide insight for future studies on the legitimacy-growth
relationship.
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| | Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Legitimacy; Growth |
| Integrating Resources, Knowledge, and Life Cycle Stages to Encourage Successful Growth Transitions for Emerging Firms |
| | Arbaugh, J. B. | U. of Wisconsin, Oshkosh | arbaugh@uwosh.edu | 920-424-7189 |
| | Camp, S. Michael | Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership | mcamp@emkf.org | (816)-932-1000 |
| | Vorhies, Douglas W. | Illinois State U. | vorhies@uwosh.edu | (920)-424-0195 |
| | This paper presents a conceptual model that explains how resources and knowledge are used to help firms manage transitions associated with rapidly growing firms. The model contends that growth within a particular stage of development is a by-product of the firm incorporating adaptive (single-loop) learning into its activities, whereas generative (double-loop) learning is required for the firm to successfully transition to the next stage of development. The paper applies this model to the organizational life cycle literature by suggesting that if successful growth transitions are to occur, they first must be simultaneously applying adaptive and generative learning to both successfully manage their present stage and prepare for their next stage of development. The paper then identifies the specific types of resources and knowledge that are critical for successful transitions at each stage of the life cycle. The paper concludes by identifying areas for future research that emerge from the model. |
| | Keywords: Growth Transitions; Knowledge and Resources; Organizational Life Cycle |
| Conceptual and Empirical Challenges in the Study of Firm Growth |
| | Davidsson, Per | Jonkoping International Business School | unknown | unknown |
| | Wiklund, Johan | Jonkoping International Business School | johan.wiklund@ihh.hj.se | +46-36-157700 |
| | Firm growth is regarded a key to economic development and to the creation of wealth and employment. It has therefore attracted considerable interest. Nonetheless, knowledge about what facilitates and hinders firm growth is still scattered and limited. The same is true for insights into the process of growth. This paper argues that this is largely because gaining such knowledge through empirical research is a very demanding task, and goes on to discuss the most important challenges for future research as well as guidelines to how these challenges can be met.
Growth is a process and therefore designs must be longitudinal. When growth is studied longitudinally, the conceptualization of the firm becomes essential. This is because over time firms can change and transform in many ways. We argue that in growth studies, the firm can be meaningfully conceptualized in three ways: a) as all business activities controlled by an individual or group of individuals; b) as a particular business activity or a related set of business activities; or c) as a governance structure, which is a decision-making unit, coherently administered and controlled.
The different conceptualizations of the firm have important consequences for suitable theories and growth indicators. Suggestions are provided for how conceptualizations can be matched with theoretical perspectives, growth indicators and different knowledge users interests. One specific point is that while the governance structure may be the most suitable conceptualization in management research, the other two comply better with an entrepreneurship research perspective.
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| | Keywords: growth; unit of analysis; operationalization |