Entrepreneurship is not a walk in a park; it is survival on a harsh, arid planet. This systemic model maps academic theories to the ecosystem of Arrakis. Here, the environment is hostile, resources are scarce, and giant forces roam the landscape threatening to swallow new ventures whole.

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I. The Water Discipline (Resource Theories)

In the deep desert, water is life. For the early-stage venture, Cash is Water. It must be conserved, recycled, and protected at all costs.

• Bricolage Theory: The "Stillsuit" of entrepreneurship. This theory explains how founders survive by "making do" with what is at hand, recycling waste and sweat into energy.
• Resource Scarcity Theory: The fundamental law of the desert. The lack of resources (capital) is a feature that forces innovation and efficiency.
• Liquidity Theory: The storage of water (cash reserves) in the Sietch. Without liquidity, the venture dies of dehydration before it can reach the market.
• Resource Dependence Theory: The CHOAM contract. This theory maps how ventures must negotiate with powerful suppliers to secure what they cannot produce themselves.
• Pecking Order Theory (Bootstrapping): Desert Power. By growing organically and prioritizing internal financing over off-world gold, the founder retains total sovereignty.

II. The Great Makers (Economic Forces)

The market is dominated by "Shai-Hulud"—giant, blind forces that churn the sands. They are terrifying, but they are also the source of all value (The Spice).

• Creative Destruction (Schumpeter): The Sandworm. As it moves, it destroys the old landscape (incumbent firms), but in its wake, it leaves the "Spice" (new opportunities).
• Population Ecology: The lifecycle of the desert. The desert kills the weak; only those adapted to the specific harsh climate survive.
• Uncertainty Bearing (Knight): Walking without rhythm. Profit is the reward for facing the worm (Uncertainty) when others stay in the safety of the rocks.
• Disruptive Innovation: The Jihad. By mastering the low-end fringe markets, startups eventually gain enough power to overthrow the Imperial throne.

III. The Houses Major (Family & Strategy)

• Family Entrepreneurship Theory: The Dynasty. Exploring how bloodlines, succession, and the burden of legacy affect the venture.
• Agency Theory: The Traitor. The constant tension between the Owner (Duke) and the Manager (Mentat).
• Stewardship Theory: The Good Duke. Posits that managers can be motivated by honor and the collective good of the House.

IV. The Mentat Way (Cognitive & Psychological)

• Alertness Theory (Kirzner): The Hunter-Seeker. The ability to spot a glimmer of opportunity (Spice blow) on the horizon that others miss.
• Effectuation Theory: The Golden Path. The logic of the pilot navigating the storm—adapting to chaos rather than following a pre-set map.
• Need for Achievement: The Gom Jabbar. The drive to succeed is the impulse that keeps the hand in the box despite the pain.
• Self-Efficacy (Bandura): Prana-Bindu Training. The absolute belief in one’s capability to execute. Fear is the mind-killer.

V. The Guild & The Tech (Scale & Operations)

• External Enabler Theory: The Ixian Machines. How external technological shifts act as the Heighliners that transport the economy to new phases.
• Stages Theory (Greiner): The Evolution of the Worm. As a venture grows, it must pass through distinct phases of crisis or die.
• Diffusion of Innovations: The Spread of the Addiction. How a new product spreads from the "Innovators" to the "Laggards."

VI. The Missionaria Protectiva (Culture & Context)

• Institutional Theory: The Prophecy. The "rules of the game" create the structure that entrepreneurs exploit for legitimacy.
• Informal/Indigenous Entrepreneurship: Desert Power. The advantage of the native who possesses local knowledge that the "off-worlders" lack.
• Social Capital Theory: The Water Rings. Survival depends on the "water debt" and trust built within the community.