Aaron F. McKenny, Greg Fisher, Jeremy C. Short, David J. Ketchen, Thomas H. Allison
{"title":"Communicating During Societal Crises: How Entrepreneurs’ Interactions with Backers Affect Fundraising via Crowdfunding","authors":"Aaron F. McKenny, Greg Fisher, Jeremy C. Short, David J. Ketchen, Thomas H. Allison","doi":"10.1177/10422587241288124","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"We investigate how entrepreneurs communicate with crowdfunding backers during the onset of a societal crisis via a content analysis of campaigns active during the COVID-19 pandemic and a vignette experiment. While effective communication with stakeholders is critical for acquiring resources during societal crises, little is known about what communication strategies entrepreneurs use during these crises or their influence on fundraising. Notably, we find that entrepreneurs’ crisis communication strategies differ along three key dimensions: timing (proactive vs. reactive), target (entrepreneur vs. other), and nature (utilitarian vs. personal), and that proactively addressing other stakeholders’ personal concerns attracts more funding than alternative approaches.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":7.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587241288124","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
We investigate how entrepreneurs communicate with crowdfunding backers during the onset of a societal crisis via a content analysis of campaigns active during the COVID-19 pandemic and a vignette experiment. While effective communication with stakeholders is critical for acquiring resources during societal crises, little is known about what communication strategies entrepreneurs use during these crises or their influence on fundraising. Notably, we find that entrepreneurs’ crisis communication strategies differ along three key dimensions: timing (proactive vs. reactive), target (entrepreneur vs. other), and nature (utilitarian vs. personal), and that proactively addressing other stakeholders’ personal concerns attracts more funding than alternative approaches.
期刊介绍:
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (ETP) is an interdisciplinary scholarly journal dedicated to conceptual and empirical research that advances, tests, or extends theory relating to entrepreneurship in its broadest sense.
Article Topics:
Topics covered in ETP include, but are not limited to:
New Venture Creation, Development, Growth, and Performance
Characteristics, Behaviors, and Types of Entrepreneurs
Small Business Management
Family-Owned Businesses
Corporate, Social, and Sustainable Entrepreneurship
National and International Studies of Enterprise Creation
Research Methods in Entrepreneurship
Venture Financing
Content:
The journal publishes articles that explore these topics through rigorous theoretical development, empirical analysis, and methodological innovation. ETP serves as a platform for advancing our understanding of entrepreneurship and its implications for individuals, organizations, and society.