Despite its apparent economic importance and increasing scientific devotion, the field of entrepreneurship within the area of business sciences is quite young. However, in the last decades research in the respective areas has grown rapidly, meanwhile providing a considerable and presentable coverage of different topics and areas, having brought forward several theories and concepts. Nevertheless, there are still many blank fields left which urge for exploration. For example, politicians cannot foster entrepreneurship in the most efficient way, as there is no general agreement which group of entrepreneurs or type of ventures are the most welfare gaining ones. Also, neither is it clear yet which entrepreneurial abilities are the most important ones, nor how they can be acquired or conveyed.
Generally, acknowledged scholars as Shane/Venkataraman (2000) postulate to focus the research on the actual core of entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur himself. In accordance with this point, several authors further have agreed on focusing on multiple founders, so-called habitual entrepreneurs, supposably providing the best insights and the most valuable information about the field of entrepreneurship. As one of the precursors to this idea, MacMillan expressed that researching anything else than habitual entrepreneurs actually leads to misleading results and besides, in any other research area, it is always the professionals and/or power users acting as the research objects. More recently, Sarasvathy introduced a further extension of the concept: entrepreneurial re-search should shift its focus from the singular relation between one firm and the entrepreneur to a multilateral one. Thus, the firms are to be considered instruments of the entrepreneur who is the actual research object of the present study.
Hence, the aim of this explorative study is to reduce the gaps in the research area of entrepreneurship, allowing for the above-mentioned concepts. This is accomplished by firstly providing another step into the direction of a comprehensive and widely accepted typology. Secondly, a thorough literature review of the actual state of research is provided. Thirdly, an empirical analysis will help to improve the general understanding of entrepreneurship as well as habitual entrepreneurs in Germany. The actual research perspective is three-fold, shedding light on the population and characteristics as well as performance of German habitual entrepreneuars and their ventures.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
1.2 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS
2 CONCEPTS
2.1 TYPOLOGY OF ENTREPRENEURS
2.2 HABITUAL ENTREPRENEURS
2.2.1 Serial Entrepreneurs
2.2.2 Portfolio Entrepreneurs
2.2.3 Fallen Entrepreneurs
3 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
3.1 LITERATURE REVIEW
3.1.1 Population of Habitual Entrepreneurs
3.1.2 Characteristics of Habitual Entrepreneurs
3.1.3 Performance of Habitual Entrepreneurs and their Ventures
3.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
3.3 ANALYTICAL SET-UP
3.3.1 Premises
3.3.2 Dependent Variables
3.3.3 Independent Variables
4 EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS
4.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
4.2 DATA COLLECTION
4.3 DECLARATION OF VARIABLES
4.4 ANALYSIS
4.4.1 Sequence of the Analysis
4.4.2 Methods of Analysis
4.5 RESULTS
4.5.1 Sample Comparison
4.5.2 Population of Habitual Entrepreneurs in Germany
4.5.3 Characteristics of Habitual Entrepreneurs in Germany
4.5.4 Performance of German Habitual Entrepreneurs and their Ventures
4.6 INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION
5 CONCLUSION
5.1 SUMMARY
5.2 CRITICAL REFLECTION – LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
5.3 FUTURE RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES
Research Objective and Key Themes
The primary objective of this study is to bridge the research gap concerning habitual entrepreneurship in Germany by developing a comprehensive typology, providing a thorough literature review, and conducting an empirical analysis to improve the understanding of habitual entrepreneurs, their characteristics, and their performance.
- Typology of habitual entrepreneurship (serial vs. portfolio founders).
- Empirical analysis of German habitual entrepreneurs' population and demographics.
- Investigation of entrepreneurial performance and venture success determinants.
- Examination of the impact of experience on entrepreneurial ventures.
- Development of a theoretical framework incorporating multi-venture perspectives.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.1 Serial Entrepreneurs
The first group to be illustrated within the group of habitual entrepreneurs is the one of the so called serial entrepreneurs. Several definitions and working concepts for serial entrepreneurs can be found, which partly leads to contradictive results. However, the basic idea of the concept is always very similar. An entrepreneur had at least one prior entrepreneurial experience, but before embarking on a new venture, the previous one is abandoned and the entrepreneur forms another business. Despite its simplicity this concept has been extended into many directions, including many subtle differentiations.
After Hall (1995) introduced the differentiation between different types of habitual entrepreneurs, namely portfolio and serial founders, some authors postulated that in addition to the entrepreneur's lack of involvement, the preceding should be closed down. Others formulated the definition in a broader sense, just postulating that the entrepreneur is not involved in the preceding company any more. The following definition, developed by Westhead et al. (2005b), describing serial entrepreneurs as "individuals who have sold/closed a business which they had a minority or majority ownership stake in, and they currently have a minority stake in a single independent business that is either new, purchased or inherited." This definition will be used as a starting basis for further elaborations. Additional differentiations which can be found, for example by motivation or by success of the entrepreneur, are not to be considered. In the following section, a new typology, illustrated by Figure 2, will be developed.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: This chapter outlines the research problem regarding the lack of empirical data on habitual entrepreneurs in Germany and defines the scope of the study.
2 CONCEPTS: This chapter establishes the theoretical definitions of entrepreneur types and introduces a new nomenclature for habitual founders, including serial and portfolio entrepreneurs.
3 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION: This chapter reviews existing literature on habitual entrepreneurship and constructs the theoretical framework utilized for the empirical analysis.
4 EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS: This chapter details the research design, data collection via online survey, and statistical methods used to analyze the results regarding population and performance.
5 CONCLUSION: This chapter summarizes the key findings of the study, reflects on the limitations, and suggests perspectives for future research.
Keywords
Habitual Entrepreneurship, Serial Entrepreneurs, Portfolio Entrepreneurs, Fallen Entrepreneurs, Germany, Entrepreneurial Performance, Venture Creation, Business Ownership, Typology, Empirical Analysis, XING, Business Foundation, Entrepreneurial Experience, Venture Portfolio, Growth Prospects
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The study focuses on the population, characteristics, and performance of habitual entrepreneurs—specifically serial and portfolio founders—within the German market.
What are the main research goals?
The goals are to develop a coherent typology for habitual entrepreneurs, analyze the current state of research through a literature review, and conduct an empirical study to understand German entrepreneurs better.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The study uses primary quantitative research through an online survey of XING members, followed by descriptive, univariate, multivariate, and regression analyses using SPSS.
What defines a habitual entrepreneur in this study?
A habitual entrepreneur is defined as someone who has previously established, purchased, or inherited a business and is currently actively involved in one or more ventures.
What role do the interviews play in the study?
Two interviews with successful German habitual entrepreneurs serve to provide qualitative insights and practical perspectives that complement the quantitative statistical results.
How does the study differentiate between serial and portfolio entrepreneurs?
The differentiation is based on the level of commitment to multiple ventures simultaneously versus sequentially, as well as the proportion of time dedicated to single versus multiple business activities.
What is a "fallen entrepreneur"?
A fallen entrepreneur is defined as an individual who has lost previous business involvements and does not currently have the required stakes to fit the active habitual categories, but remains part of the entrepreneurial history through their prior experience.
Does entrepreneurial experience improve performance?
The analysis indicates a positive correlation between the number of ventures undertaken and performance, though the number of years spent as an entrepreneur shows less significant impact.
- Quote paper
- Christian Weiss (Author), 2007, Habitual Entrepreneurship, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/145548
