Jeffrey Lees,Sara M. Constantino,Jean Cushen,Frederik Dahlmann,Frank G. A. de Bakker,Edoardo Della Torre,Maria Laura Frigotto,Mario Hackenbuchner,Nico Heuvinck,Emmanuel Kypraios,Anastasia Ri,Stephen Roper,Elke Schuessler,Christoph Ungemach,Dror Etzion
{"title":"Belief Traps Hinder Small Business Climate Action","authors":"Jeffrey Lees,Sara M. Constantino,Jean Cushen,Frederik Dahlmann,Frank G. A. de Bakker,Edoardo Della Torre,Maria Laura Frigotto,Mario Hackenbuchner,Nico Heuvinck,Emmanuel Kypraios,Anastasia Ri,Stephen Roper,Elke Schuessler,Christoph Ungemach,Dror Etzion","doi":"10.1177/10422587261485958","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261485958","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"499 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149226204","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transitional Path or Optimal State? Hybrid Entrepreneurship and the Decisions to Enter and Exit Entrepreneurship","authors":"Sandra Graf, Matthias Schulz","doi":"10.1177/10422587261485972","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261485972","url":null,"abstract":"Real-options-based research suggests that hybrid entrepreneurship serves as a transitional path to full-time entrepreneurship. Other theories posit that hybrid entrepreneurship is an optimal state. We refer to these opposing perspectives as the transition and state perspectives, respectively, and identify their differing implications. To this end, we examine how hybrid entrepreneurship influences the impact of switching costs on full-time entrepreneurship entry and entrepreneurship exit. Our empirical results, based on large-scale U.S. data, reveal patterns more consistent with the state perspective. We highlight the need to consider variety among hybrid entrepreneurs and discuss how the state perspective can improve our understanding of hybrid entrepreneurship.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149123191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elsa T. Chan, Steven A. Brieger, Ngoc Luu, Marii Paskov, Mirela Xheneti
{"title":"How Can We Research Social Mobility in Entrepreneurship?","authors":"Elsa T. Chan, Steven A. Brieger, Ngoc Luu, Marii Paskov, Mirela Xheneti","doi":"10.1177/10422587261485969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261485969","url":null,"abstract":"Social mobility is a central concern in contemporary societies, yet its dynamics within entrepreneurship remain insufficiently understood. This paper’s purpose is to facilitate research on entrepreneurial social mobility by making three key contributions: first, we examine the distinct conceptual and methodological challenges related to capturing social mobility in entrepreneurship and provide strategies for solving them; second, we introduce multidimensional social mobility measures that move beyond the predominant focus on income-based metrics in existing quantitative research; third, we demonstrate how alternative quantitative and qualitative methods can produce more holistic evidence for understanding social mobility among entrepreneurs.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"242 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149123193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Henrik Lekkas, Torben Antretter, Ivo Blohm, Charlotta Sirén, Joakim Wincent
{"title":"Appearance-Based Legitimate Distinctiveness: Founder Attractiveness, Gender, and Venture Evaluations","authors":"Henrik Lekkas, Torben Antretter, Ivo Blohm, Charlotta Sirén, Joakim Wincent","doi":"10.1177/10422587261485961","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261485961","url":null,"abstract":"This study proposes a way to reconcile the beauty premium and beauty-is-beastly arguments by suggesting that founder appearance is processed through two separable and countervailing channels: perceived legitimacy and perceived distinctiveness. We further theorize that in startups, the relationship is gendered, because women do not fit the entrepreneurial prototype, limiting their perceived legitimacy. A field study of 359 founders supports our theorizing that male founders are evaluated best when moderately attractive, while female founders see no significant attractiveness effects. A preregistered experiment with 771 participants, using AI-manipulated attractiveness, does not confirm these patterns but supports our theorizing about both mediators.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149123212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"First In, First Out? Birth Order and Next-Generation Engagement in Family Firms","authors":"Mohamed Genedy, Lucia Naldi, Karin Hellerstedt","doi":"10.1177/10422587261485870","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261485870","url":null,"abstract":"Research shows that next-generation engagement in the family business is important for the business’s long-term survival. However, the literature has neglected how differences among children could explain their career choices in the family business. We address this gap by drawing on birth order theory to examine differences in three career choices of the next-generation: joining the family business, holding a managerial position, and leaving the family business. Using a sample from Sweden, we employ family-stratified hazard models and show that later-borns are more likely to join the family business as their initial career choice compared to earlier-born siblings. However, when the next-generation joins the family business, later-borns are less likely to hold managerial positions in the family business and more likely to leave the family business. We conduct several mechanism tests explaining our hypotheses and run additional robustness tests to support our results. This study advances the research on next-generation engagement in family firms.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149123973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kimberly A. Eddleston, Francesco Chirico, Pankaj C. Patel
{"title":"Are All Patents Equal? How Patent Attributes Shape Market Reactions to Family and Nonfamily Firm Innovation","authors":"Kimberly A. Eddleston, Francesco Chirico, Pankaj C. Patel","doi":"10.1177/10422587261470045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261470045","url":null,"abstract":"Integrating family firm innovation research with signaling theory, we develop a framework explaining market reactions to patents granted to family versus nonfamily firms. Using a U.S. dataset of 52,241 patents from 2014 to 2018, we find the stock market reacts more positively to patents granted to family firms than nonfamily firms. We then examine reactions to radical versus incremental patents. Patents reflecting radical innovation, measured by novelty and pedigree, create greater market value for family firms than nonfamily firms, although the pedigree effect is only marginally significant. By contrast, patents reflecting incremental innovation, measured by temporal depth, have little effect on nonfamily firms’ market value but reduce family firms’ market value.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"60 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148909131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Spatial (In)equality and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Policy: A Historical Analysis of the Scottish Highlands","authors":"Shannon Harris, Mia Clarke, Anna Brattström","doi":"10.1177/10422587261472141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261472141","url":null,"abstract":"We built a theory on how entrepreneurial ecosystem policy benefits some places within rural regions while leaving others behind. In a historical analysis of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, 1965 to 1990, we compared policies that attract external resources from outside the region with those that embed resources within local communities. We found that resource-attracting policies not only generated higher economic output but also concentrated opportunity, drained peripheral areas, and increased regional fragility. Resource-embedding policies produced lower aggregate output but greater spatial inclusion and resilience. Our historical analysis identifies spatial draining, disempowerment, and empowerment as mechanisms through which policy shapes ecosystem outcomes over time.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148809996","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Leveling the Playing Field? Generative AI and Entrepreneurial Storytelling","authors":"Karl Taeuscher, Michael Lounsbury","doi":"10.1177/10422587261472523","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261472523","url":null,"abstract":"Cultural entrepreneurship research emphasizes the importance of storytelling and other cultural skills, yet recent work suggests that generative artificial intelligence (AI) levels the playing field for entrepreneurs lacking such skills. In this conceptual article, we challenge this view by outlining how the widespread use of AI tools likely leads to systematic changes in the institutional norms and expectations that shape entrepreneurial storytelling. Anchored in evidence-informed assumptions about average entrepreneurs’ use of AI, our theorization suggests that widespread AI adoption will lead to a homogenization in entrepreneurial storytelling—creating an evaluative environment that may require even greater cultural skills to navigate.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148810001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Douglas Cumming, Giang Nguyen, Anh Viet Pham, Cameron Truong
{"title":"Legitimacy Signals and Investor Protections: Top-Tier Law Firms in Global Venture Capital Investments","authors":"Douglas Cumming, Giang Nguyen, Anh Viet Pham, Cameron Truong","doi":"10.1177/10422587261470048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261470048","url":null,"abstract":"Venture capital (VC) transactions are impeded by two frictions: entrepreneurs cannot credibly signal quality to investors, and investors cannot fully protect themselves against governance risks in incomplete–contract relationships. We argue that top-tier law firms address both frictions: sell-side firms through signaling that reduces legitimacy deficits, buy-side firms through contractual expertise that protects investor interests. Using 71,129 global VC deals from 2005 to 2020, we find that top-tier law firm involvement is associated with higher ownership stakes, valuations, returns, and exit success. Both mechanisms are stronger in weaker legal environments. Results are robust to multiple identification strategies.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148768829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dean A. Shepherd, Vinit Parida, Jason A. Colquitt, Joakim Wincent
{"title":"Trust in the Gray: A Qualitative Study of Trust and Repair in Gray Markets","authors":"Dean A. Shepherd, Vinit Parida, Jason A. Colquitt, Joakim Wincent","doi":"10.1177/10422587261470049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587261470049","url":null,"abstract":"Although trust is critical for entrepreneurs in all markets, it likely differs in gray markets from that in white or black markets. In this inductive study, we find a coherent configuration of trust mechanisms in a gray market that offers new insights into how entrepreneurs can use their network (i.e., referrals and “lineaging”) and heuristics (i.e., “villageing”) to build trust in new stakeholders when trust formation is challenging and violations are costly. We also offer new insights into the practices for verifying (i.e., impromptu tests and extensive probationary periods) and maintaining (i.e., financial support) trustworthiness, as well as repairing trust.","PeriodicalId":48443,"journal":{"name":"Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice","volume":"36 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148768757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}