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DYNAMIC ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORKS: AN INVESTIGATION OF ENTREPRENEURS, NEW VENTURES AND THEIR NETWORKS
Title
DYNAMIC ENTREPRENEURIAL NETWORKS: AN INVESTIGATION OF ENTREPRENEURS, NEW VENTURES AND THEIR NETWORKS.
Creator
Sullivan, Diane, Ford, Cameron, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Entrepreneurs need resources to organize new venture offerings into marketplace-acceptable forms. Entrepreneurs use others' assistance via networks to obtain these resources. Research indicates that firms face resource dependencies, that likely change over time, where they must respond to those controlling resources. Although some work has investigated implications of new ventures' networks at one time period, little work has investigated the dynamic nature and associated outcomes of networks...
Show moreEntrepreneurs need resources to organize new venture offerings into marketplace-acceptable forms. Entrepreneurs use others' assistance via networks to obtain these resources. Research indicates that firms face resource dependencies, that likely change over time, where they must respond to those controlling resources. Although some work has investigated implications of new ventures' networks at one time period, little work has investigated the dynamic nature and associated outcomes of networks as they change due to different resource requirements as the venture develops. This research examines the dynamic nature of networks, due different resource requirements over time, and how these changes impact entrepreneurial outcomes via interactions with entrepreneurs' existing networks. In order to account for the dynamic nature of entrepreneurial new ventures and their networks of resource providers, a model is presented that investigates antecedents to subsequent entrepreneurial network characteristics. The model also anticipates changes eminent to the founder as a consequence of interactions with their networks due to experiences associated with the new venture development process. This work relies on network theory integrated with resource dependence theory arguments, work that examines founder attributes as associated with entrepreneurial outcomes and research that investigates the stages of new venture development. Predictions developed from the model were tested in two studies. The first study utilized the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, an existing panel database containing information about nascent entrepreneurs, as its data source to test predictions examining the dynamics of entrepreneurs' networks across two time frames. The second study used a cross-sectional mass mail survey design to investigate all of the model's predictions on a random sample of newly incorporated firms in the state of Florida. The results of the studies provided support for about one third of the predictions and there were a few contrasting findings across studies. Overall, the results of the studies suggest that some conceptualizations presented in the theoretical model should be reevaluated and that the applicability of some constructs when studying firms in the organizing stages of development should be reconsidered.
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Date Issued
2006
Identifier
CFE0001173, ucf:46863
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001173
COMPETITIVE ACTIONS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY FIRMS: THE RED QUEEN EFFECT AND NEW FIRM PERFORMANCE
Title
COMPETITIVE ACTIONS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY FIRMS: THE RED QUEEN EFFECT AND NEW FIRM PERFORMANCE.
Creator
Porter, Robert, Ford, Cameron, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The competitive strategy used by a new firm may be the most important strategy it ever employs (Covin & Slevin, 1989; Ferrier, 2001). A well-chosen and executed firm strategy is essential for a firm to realize its potential competitive advantage (Porter, 1981). A firmÂÂ's strategic intent and resulting competitive actions are especially important when firms are new and vulnerable as they strive to learn which strategic actions help them adapt to their rivals actions and...
Show moreThe competitive strategy used by a new firm may be the most important strategy it ever employs (Covin & Slevin, 1989; Ferrier, 2001). A well-chosen and executed firm strategy is essential for a firm to realize its potential competitive advantage (Porter, 1981). A firmÂÂ's strategic intent and resulting competitive actions are especially important when firms are new and vulnerable as they strive to learn which strategic actions help them adapt to their rivals actions and to their environment (Stinchcombe, 1965). Further, the competitive actions that new firms choose to take with rival firms affects the overall competitive dynamics of their industry (Smith, Ferrier, and Ndofor, 2001). One way to explore how the competitive actions of new firms affect their future is to capture and examine their individual competitive moves and countermoves over time (Smith, Grimm, Gannon, & Chen, 1991). Red Queen competition is a particular form of competitive dynamics that is well-suited to explore these issues of new rival firms (Barnett, 2008). Barnett and Sorenson (2002) suggested that competition and learning reinforce one another as organizations develop, and this is what van Valen (1973) referred to as the ÂÂ'Red Queen.ÂÂ' This definition of the Red Queen led to the development of the concept of Red Queen competition and the Red Queen effect. The competitive strategies these new firms use to obtain resources as they adapt, in particular how these firms compete and or cooperate, are key competitive strategies that remain understudied to-date (Amit, Glosten, and Muller, 1990). I explore Red Queen competition, and the ensuing Red Queen Effect, in a complex environmental setting that represents a high technology ecosystem (Arned, 1996, 2010; Iansiti & Levien, 2004a, 2004b; Moore, 1993; Pierce, 2009). New firms in such an ecosystem represent a particularly salient combination of type of firm, firm lifecycle period, and firm environment to examine strategic actions since these firms comprise a significant portion of the high-growth and future of our global economy (Stangler, 2010). Further, due to their need to rapidly adapt in a complex ecosystem, these firms rely heavily on short-lived information resources for competitive advantage (Barney, 1991; Nelson and Winter, 1982; Omerzel, 2008). To place this research in context, I consider the moderating effects of key environmental ecosystem resource conditions (Dess & Beard, 1984; Miller & Friesen, 1983; Sharfman & Dean, 1991). Empirical studies to-date have yielded mixed results and left unanswered questions about the basic components and the effects of Red Queen competition. To address these issues I explore this literature in chapter one of the dissertation, and in chapter two I develop a theoretical model of Red Queen competition that draws on the available empirical and theoretical literature to-date. Due to the mixed finding from the empirical results, I develop a precise agent-based simulation model of Red Queen competition in chapter three to facilitate data collection. Using this data I test a series of hypotheses designed to explore the fundamentals of Red Queen competition, specifically how escalating competitive activity for resources among new firms impacts their survival and performance. In addition, the moderating effect of environmental changes on Red Queen competition is also tested to explore the affect of context on Red Queen competition. Chapter four explains the findings from these hypotheses, future research directions, implications and limitations from the research, and my concluding thoughts.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003452, ucf:48389
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003452
RESOURCE ACCUMULATION DYNAMICS DURING THE NEW VENTURE FORMATION PROCESS
Title
RESOURCE ACCUMULATION DYNAMICS DURING THE NEW VENTURE FORMATION PROCESS.
Creator
Gresock, Amy, Ford, Cameron, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
As described by the resource-based view, resource accumulation is a key concern for new ventures. Although we know that getting the right resources is a critical issue to organizations, we know far less about how fledgling firms assemble these resources over time. The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics of resource accumulation and their effect on performance and growth during new venture formation. In particular, I examine the constructs of financial capital, human capital, and...
Show moreAs described by the resource-based view, resource accumulation is a key concern for new ventures. Although we know that getting the right resources is a critical issue to organizations, we know far less about how fledgling firms assemble these resources over time. The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics of resource accumulation and their effect on performance and growth during new venture formation. In particular, I examine the constructs of financial capital, human capital, and performance, and will test relationships using a sample from the Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS) that provides the necessary data to test my longitudinal proposals. I predict that that the constructs of human capital and financial capital impact performance, and that performance later impacts these constructs. I use latent curve analysis to examine the growth and decline of resource classes, and also cross-lag analysis to see how performance affects the acquisition of subsequent resources. This work has potential implications for strategy and entrepreneurship scholars alike. The document is organized as follows: Chapter 1 will serve as the introduction of the work and describe my research question and intent. Chapter 2 will serve as a relevant literature review and gives detail to theoretical perspectives guiding the study at hand. Chapter 3 presents the methodology, including information about the sample and the statistical methods utilized. Chapter 4 explains the results of the testing of hypotheses. Finally, Chapter 5 gives conclusions, limitations, and provides direction for future research.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003181, ucf:48600
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003181
Does Constructive Criticism Boost Creativity? Examining the Moderating Role of Leader-Member Exchange, Learning Goal Orientation, and Feedback Seeking Behavior
Title
Does Constructive Criticism Boost Creativity? Examining the Moderating Role of Leader-Member Exchange, Learning Goal Orientation, and Feedback Seeking Behavior.
Creator
Burnell, Devin, Modianos, Doan, Ford, Cameron, Ehrhart, Mark, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This research investigates whether constructive criticism enhances creative performance within the relationship context of leaders and followers. Previous research on leadership and creativity defines creative products as novel and useful, but overlooks antecedents to creative action(-)the immediate precondition of creative products. Creative action, or creative performance, includes (1) identifying a problem, (2) searching for information, (3) generating solutions, and (4) evaluating the...
Show moreThis research investigates whether constructive criticism enhances creative performance within the relationship context of leaders and followers. Previous research on leadership and creativity defines creative products as novel and useful, but overlooks antecedents to creative action(-)the immediate precondition of creative products. Creative action, or creative performance, includes (1) identifying a problem, (2) searching for information, (3) generating solutions, and (4) evaluating the best solution. Previous research informs that three psychological mechanisms are responsible for creative actions: (1) sense-making, (2) motivation, and (3) knowledge processes. Constructive criticism is posited to act simultaneously on each of these processes to encourage creative performance across the creativity process. This relationship is hypothesized to be moderated by leader-member exchange. Furthermore, follower feedback-seeking behavior and learning goal orientation are also hypothesized to moderate the constructive criticism and creativity relationship. A series of moderated multiple regression analyses were conducted on survey data from 201 employees and 83 leader-follower dyads. Results indicate that constructive criticism has a null relationship with creativity, and may be detrimental to the in-role performance of followers. However, more nuanced analyses show that these relationships are to some degree moderated by leader-member exchange, the follower's learning goal orientation, and the follower's frequency of feedback seeking behavior.
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Date Issued
2018
Identifier
CFE0006982, ucf:51681
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006982
Comparative Analysis Of Centers For Entrepreneurship At Two Central Florida Universities
Title
Comparative Analysis Of Centers For Entrepreneurship At Two Central Florida Universities.
Creator
Blencke, Carl, Boote, David, Sivo, Stephen, Katzenmeyer, Conrad, Ford, Cameron, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Studies have attempted to explain the linkage between achieving success in the field of entrepreneurship and the pedagogy instituted to teach the skills entrepreneurs need to achieve success in their chosen endeavors. It is widely known and well documented that people have experienced entrepreneurial success with limited, and sometimes no formal entrepreneurial training. The ever present question of (")can entrepreneurship be taught(") has been debated from many varying perspectives. The late...
Show moreStudies have attempted to explain the linkage between achieving success in the field of entrepreneurship and the pedagogy instituted to teach the skills entrepreneurs need to achieve success in their chosen endeavors. It is widely known and well documented that people have experienced entrepreneurial success with limited, and sometimes no formal entrepreneurial training. The ever present question of (")can entrepreneurship be taught(") has been debated from many varying perspectives. The late Peter Drucker pragmatically once said (")The entrepreneur mystique? It's not magic, it's not mysterious, and it has nothing to do with the genes. It's a discipline. And, like any discipline, it can be learned(") (Drucker, 1985).A study conducted by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity recently determined that almost half of Americans with college degrees are overqualified for their jobs. Many studies have also concluded that college graduates accumulate greater lifetime earnings than non-college graduates. Yet the escalating costs of attending college and the diminishing prospects of job security after attaining a college degree have brought the cost of education to the precipice of a potential (")education bubble("). Student loan debt exceeds One Trillion Dollars and the typical student loan needs to be repaid over ten years at nearly seven percent interest. Similar to the recently experienced (")housing bubble(") there is a genuine concern, as it relates to education, that today's populace is paying too much for something that yields limited value. Therefore, the question of (")can entrepreneurship be taught(") should be supplanted with (")can entrepreneurship be learned?(") (")Are graduates capable of applying their academic training to produce tangible results?(")If there are too many academic degrees being generated that are unable to be absorbed into a stagnant job market, it would stand to reason that a college degree, from a business school or any co-curricular discipline, without significant concentration in the study of entrepreneurship, serves only a limited purpose in a growing, capitalistic society that is predicated on job growth. Centers for entrepreneurship provide an excellent foundation for invigorating new college graduates from multiple academic disciplines with the motivation and desire to achieve success in business as entrepreneurs. This comparative analysis of two thriving and vibrant Centers for Entrepreneurship at major universities in the growing central Florida region examines their best practices and compares them to current national guidelines established by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, a 200 + member organization domiciled in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana that serves as the key junction for university-based entrepreneurship centers across the United States to collaborate, communicate and jointly advance excellence in entrepreneurship (www.globalentrepreneurshipconsortium.org).The evaluator and author of this dissertation implemented procedures similar to those used in accreditation reviews and applied professional judgment techniques to design a connoisseurship evaluation of entrepreneurship centers at two major universities --- The Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL and The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL.We have all heard the Horatio Alger (")rags to riches(") stories of entrepreneurs who (")bootstrapped(") their business ideas without benefit of any formal business or entrepreneurial education. But it is just as great a likelihood in the coming years that we will admire those who give the credit for their success to the concepts they mastered in an entrepreneurial studies program and how their alma maters provided mentors through their centers for entrepreneurship who saved them from committing an abundance of mistakes by trial and error as they transported their business ideas from conceptualization to realization.This research will assist centers of entrepreneurship as they strive to incorporate standards of excellence to benefit students who endeavor to become business and job creators in the future.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004819, ucf:49755
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004819
What's your focus? The impact of regulatory focus on resource acquisition.
Title
What's your focus? The impact of regulatory focus on resource acquisition.
Creator
Stevenson, Regan, Ford, Cameron, Schminke, Marshall, McKenny, Aaron, Short, Jeremy, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Entrepreneurs need resources. Previous research has established that entrepreneurs send signals of (")quality(") to potential resource providers in order to obtain resources. However, a behavioral research approach would contend that resource acquisition depends on much more than venture quality signals. In this dissertation, I extend beyond the signaling paradigm and investigate the resource acquisition process using a framework contingent on entrepreneur signals, resource provider...
Show moreEntrepreneurs need resources. Previous research has established that entrepreneurs send signals of (")quality(") to potential resource providers in order to obtain resources. However, a behavioral research approach would contend that resource acquisition depends on much more than venture quality signals. In this dissertation, I extend beyond the signaling paradigm and investigate the resource acquisition process using a framework contingent on entrepreneur signals, resource provider dispositional differences, and their interactive effects. Specifically, I leverage regulatory focus theory and regulatory fit theory to augment and move beyond the signaling theory approach. Methodologically, I undertake two studies. The first study uses archival field data consisting of a sample of 895 new venture pitches. In each of these pitches, I analyze the displays of promotion and prevention focus sent by entrepreneurs across video and textual narratives. To complete this analysis I develop novel measures of promotion and prevention focus suitable for computer-aided textual analysis (CATA). In the second study, I use a sample of 120 investors and a quasi-experimental approach to assess the moderating role of investor-level promotion and prevention focus on the relationship between entrepreneur displays of promotion and prevention focus and resource acquisition. The findings and their implications are discussed in relation to extant new venture resource acquisition literature and regulatory focus theory.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006185, ucf:51139
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006185
Knowledge Management: Style, Structure, and the Latent Potential of Documented Knowledge
Title
Knowledge Management: Style, Structure, and the Latent Potential of Documented Knowledge.
Creator
Mcmahon, Sean, Ford, Cameron, Schminke, Marshall, Ciuchta, Michael, Sivo, Stephen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Despite the volume, growth, and accessibility of documented knowledge (-) the insights and experiences stored on paper and in electronic form - management research has yet to demonstrate the same usefulness for documented knowledge as for knowledge residing in human sources. This dissertation explores two areas of potential for documented knowledge, suggesting the efficacy of a piece of documented knowledge is contingent not only on content, but upon the style and structure associated with...
Show moreDespite the volume, growth, and accessibility of documented knowledge (-) the insights and experiences stored on paper and in electronic form - management research has yet to demonstrate the same usefulness for documented knowledge as for knowledge residing in human sources. This dissertation explores two areas of potential for documented knowledge, suggesting the efficacy of a piece of documented knowledge is contingent not only on content, but upon the style and structure associated with that content. Style, how cognitively 'concrete' and affectively 'memorable' documented knowledge is perceived to be, is hypothesized to affect how much attention it draws and, in turn, to impact its transfer to users. Structure, reflecting the level of parsimony and modularity in documented knowledge, is hypothesized to impact attention to and manipulation of knowledge such that it affects knowledge transfer and creation. Hypotheses were tested in two laboratory studies using scientific research as an exemplar of documented knowledge. Results indicated that style was associated with documented knowledge, but was not related to its transfer. Likewise, structuring documented knowledge for greater parsimony and modularity did not improve knowledge transfer or knowledge creation. Shortcomings of the empirical tests are evaluated and possibilities for future improvements are discussed.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004717, ucf:49812
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004717
Thinking Fast and Missing the Opportunity: An investigation into cognitive processing style and opportunity recognition.
Title
Thinking Fast and Missing the Opportunity: An investigation into cognitive processing style and opportunity recognition.
Creator
Letwin, Chaim, Ford, Cameron, Folger, Robert, Schminke, Marshall, Ciuchta, Michael, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Research on opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial cognition suggests that entrepreneurs are likely to use and potentially benefit from heuristics (Baron, 1998, 2004; Busenitz (&) Barney, 1997). Some heuristics, particularly well-refined and accurate prototypes, may be valuable to entrepreneurs in recognizing opportunities (Baron, 2004). I seek, however, to consider how other types of heuristics that lead to irrational, biased, and inaccurate judgments (e.g., the betrayal heuristic)...
Show moreResearch on opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial cognition suggests that entrepreneurs are likely to use and potentially benefit from heuristics (Baron, 1998, 2004; Busenitz (&) Barney, 1997). Some heuristics, particularly well-refined and accurate prototypes, may be valuable to entrepreneurs in recognizing opportunities (Baron, 2004). I seek, however, to consider how other types of heuristics that lead to irrational, biased, and inaccurate judgments (e.g., the betrayal heuristic) relate to opportunity recognition (Baron, 2004; Kahneman (&) Lovallo, 1993). I specifically consider the underlying causal process through which the use of these types of heuristics diminishes the ability to recognize opportunities. I posit that these heuristics reduce the ability to recognize opportunities by causing entrepreneurs to consider less information regarding potential opportunities. Further, I propose two individual differences that allow certain entrepreneurs to mitigate the negative effect that these bias-causing heuristics have on entrepreneurs' ability of form the belief that they have recognized an opportunity. I test my theory with two experimental designs that use a product from a technology transfer office that has been licensed by entrepreneurs and applied to a real-world market. This allows me to isolate the underlying variables of interest and to affix my theorizing to a well-documented phenomenon (the licensing and application of tech-transfer technology/products by entrepreneurs) (Gregoire (&) Shepherd, 2012; Mowery, 2004; Shane, 2001). Results show that some heuristic may cause individuals to consider less information about an opportunity, which reduces their likelihood of forming an opportunity recognition belief. Post hoc analyses suggest that this indirect effect may be conditional on how reflective an individual is and that entrepreneurs may be more reflective than non-entrepreneurs. The major contribution of this dissertation is to examine the theoretical underpinnings as to why certain types of heuristics inhibit entrepreneurs from forming the belief that they have recognized an opportunity. Specifically, I suggest and show that bias-causing heuristics reduce the amount of information that entrepreneurs consider about an opportunity and, as such, inhibit opportunity recognition beliefs. Second, I provide some support for the notion that reflective individuals are more likely to form the belief that they have recognized an opportunity because they consider more information about the opportunity when they initially rely on a bias-causing heuristic. Lastly, this dissertation provides initial support for the notion that entrepreneurs may be more reflective than non-entrepreneurs. Overall, I hope to point out that although a heuristic-dependent processing style has been shown to be beneficial with regard to opportunity recognition (Baron, 2004), the failure to consider the downside of certain heuristics and benefits related to overcoming these heuristics may limit our understanding of the opportunity recognition process.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFE0005648, ucf:50163
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005648