Chapter 1. What is entrepreneurship? (lecture 1)
Entrepreneurship is studied within many different disciplines (economics, psychology, sociology, management etc.), there is
not one single definition.
Four perspectives on entrepreneurship
- Economic tradition
o The entrepreneur’s function is to compensate for discrepancies between supply and demand by buying
something cheaply and selling it again at as high a price as possible.
o The entrepreneur is an innovator who, by combining existing things, generates new opportunities and
organizations in the economy, he is the main source of development in the economy.
o Schumpeter: creative destruction. Destroying the market equilibrium by creating new opportunities and
thus a new demand. “The entrepreneur is an innovator who, by combining existing things, generates
new opportunities and organizations in the economy.”
- Social-psychological tradition
o Studies into the psychological perspective, are entrepreneurs born or made?
o It is not possible to identify the entrepreneur’s personality in the crowd
- Emergence tradition
o Defining entrepreneurship as a process of organizational formation, building of new structures.
o Focuses on the activities of the entrepreneur during the creation of a new organization.
o Creation perspective
o Behavioural patterns are an important aspect.
- Opportunity tradition
o Entrepreneurship is the discovery, evaluation and exploitation of opportunities
o Discovery of opportunities. The opposite of emergence tradition.
o Entrepreneurship involves innovation, creativity, creation of new targets.
Chapter 2. Who is the entrepreneur? (lecture 1)
Types of entrepreneurs
- Novice: No entrepreneurial experience
- Habitual: Having entrepreneurial experience
- Serial: Creating new ventures on a regular basis
- Portfolio: Owning several organizations simultaneously
- Hybrid: Employed and business-owner at the same time
- Nascent entrepreneur: In the process of becoming an entrepreneur
- Intrapreneur: Acting as in entrepreneur within an organization
Born perspective
This perspective believes that you are born with the right traits, that you are an entrepreneur since you were born. This
distinguishes the entrepreneur from the ‘ordinary’ people. It might even be fixed in your genes. Once an entrepreneur,
always an entrepreneur, created through internal factors.
- An entrepreneur is a special individual that:
o Desires to establish a private kingdom
o Has a will to conquer
o Has a joy of creating
- The traits of this special individual, the entrepreneur are:
o Willing to take risks
o Need to perform
o Independent, autonomy
o Innovative
o Intelligent
o Creative
- They have character traits like independent, goal oriented, innovative, intelligent, creative and many more. Big
five factors:
o Openness: imagination, insights, need for new experiences.
o Conscientiousness: ability to organize, hard work, will to accomplish goals, delaying gratification.
o Extraversion: expression, showing emotions.
o Agreeableness: cooperativeness, willingness to accept other opinions, altruism.
o Neuroticism: sadness, emotional instability, feeling insecure.
Made perspective
, Entrepreneurship is not shaped only by birth, but also by early childhood factors and demographic factors. Such as birth
order, entrepreneurial parents, work experience, education. The entrepreneur is created through external factors, it is a
process.
Chapter 3. the emergence of opportunities (lecture 2)
What are opportunities?
An entrepreneurial opportunity consists of a set of ideas, beliefs and actions that enable the creation of future goods and
services in the absence of current markets for them. Venkataraman, 1997.
An opportunity is an idea that is evaluated as being able to create value for others and a market can be realized.
Criteria for a valid opportunity
Criteria for a valid opportunity:
- Anchored
o Should be bound to a product, a service, or an experience that creates value for others.
- Attractive
o Others are willing to pay for the value that represents the idea.
- At the right time and place
o The environment is mature enough to receive the entrepreneur and his or her idea.
- Capable of being done
o The opportunity is practically feasible. The entrepreneur has access to the resources that are needed.
Types of opportunities
Schumpeter (1934) vs. Kirzner (1973).
- Schumpeterian opportunities
o Opportunities through new combinations of existing resources.
o Existing knowledge is recombined.
o E.g. rolling kitchen ladder for painters so they do not have to step off the ladder often.
- Kirznerian opportunities
o Is there a potential value in the market that has not yet optimally been used by others?
o Hole in the market
o E.g. building a bridge over a ditch.
Discovery of opportunities perspective
Opportunities…
- Are just part of our nature, waiting to be discovered
- Are objective
- Kirznerian hole in the market
Some people have a special alertness so they can easily detect new opportunities (Kirzner). The discovery of opportunities is
a combination of access to information (life experiences, social networks) and the ability to discover opportunities
(intelligence, capacity to absorb). These both are important factors.
Creation of opportunities perspective
Opportunities
- Are not waiting to be noticed, discovered of observed.
- Opportunities are something made by humans, they have to be invented. Without human inventing, there would
be no opportunities.
- Can be seen as social constructs, which are created in everyday life through entrepreneur’s interaction with
others.
- Change constantly as a result of the interaction.
- Schumpeterian market ruption.
Discovered Created
Opportunity character Objectively given unit in the Dependent on the interactions of the
environment individual
Opportunity emergence Involves discovery Involves creation
Opportunity source The individual who is attentive The individual who creates by means
towards existing market information of his or her creativity
Opportunity status Stable Dynamic
Opportunity type Kirzenrian hole in the market Schumpeterian market ruption
Chapter 4. Evaluation of opportunities
Opportunities – evaluations
Instrumental evaluation
