Entrepreneurship Theories

“Who am I?” / “Who are we?” Social identity theory (SIT) has long been a mainstay of social psychological thinking about politics and human behaviour in general. SIT is at its core a theory about in-groups and out-groups, as easily formed social constructions that can manifest with real consequences. Consider football hooligans beating each other over their team colours. We all have multiple identities, and some scholars propose that the more central one's entrepreneurial identity, compared with family and other identities, the more likely they will start a venture, grow a startup, or develop a capability (Hayter et al., 2021). "I am an Entrepreneur" In entrepreneurship, SIT is pointed at the entrepreneurial identity (EI), defined as a set of attitudes, beliefs and behaviours reinforcing being an entrepreneur. According to Shepherd et al. (2018) "a meaningful self-identity is central to individuals’ psychological functioning and well-being." The litera...

International Entrepreneurship: Innovation Across Borders Is starting a business in Canada the same as starting one in Japan? And what happens when a startup tries to sell to both countries on Day One? International Entrepreneurship (IE) is a unique domain that sits at the intersection of international business, entrepreneurship, and strategy. While mainstream entrepreneurship often focuses on domestic growth, IE focuses on cross-border and cross-cultural dimensions. Defining the Field According to the seminal definition by Oviatt and McDougall (2005) : "International entrepreneurship is the discovery, enactment, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities—across national borders—to create future goods and services." This definition moves beyond simple "exporting." It suggests that the opportunity itself is international in nature. The Three Pillars of Research Jones et al. (2011) reviewed over 300 articles to classify exactly what this...