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This research aims to theorize how a critical factor, resource access, can paradoxically impact the comprehensiveness of venture location decision processes and the relationship between decision comprehensiveness and new venture performance. To do so, the authors focus on nascent entrepreneurs’ venture location decision processes and introduce resource access as a double-edged sword.

In this conceptual article, the authors draw from the strategic decision-making and resource mobilization literature to theorize about the new venture location decision-making process and its performance implications.

By uncovering the paradox of resource access, the authors propose that high levels of resource access create a paradoxical situation in which nascent entrepreneurs are less likely to use comprehensive decision processes when their benefits are at their greatest.

This work contributes to entrepreneurship research on new venture location and resource mobilization in three important ways. First, the authors advance the literature on nascent entrepreneurs’ location decision-making processes by introducing “location decision comprehensiveness” as a decision process construct and juxtaposing it with resource access to uncover the entrepreneurial decision-making process. Second, the authors develop a more nuanced theorization of the location choices made by nascent entrepreneurs instead of relying on generalized conclusions drawn from well-established corporations’ location decisions. Last, the authors extend the literature on resource mobilization in entrepreneurship by shedding light on the paradoxical aspect of resource access. While previous research has emphasized the favorable effects of resource access on new venture processes and outcomes, the authors contend that it can also negatively impact entrepreneurs’ ability to make effective decisions.

This paper aims to address third actor introductions to interaction episodes aiming at fast-forwarding the continuous development of business relationships of new firms.

The study is qualitative, collecting data from 30 interviews from 28 informants associated with creation of new ventures and business network development in the context of a novel type of third actor called venture builder. Venture builders are privately owned organizations devoted to new firm creation in a factory-like mode, collaborating with individual entrepreneurs.

The findings suggest that interaction episodes, central to the development of new relationships, may be triggered by introductions managed by third actors using different types of involvement depending on the location and focus of the potential relationship. A framework is presented including four types of introductions to interaction episodes, aiming at saving time by removing the perceived distance between new firms and their counterparts in the initiation of business relationships. The framework describes four types of introductions of interaction episodes: Managed, Advised, Facilitated and Monitored.

Triggers and introductions of interaction episodes for new firms has previously been sparsely addressed. This paper presents how third actor involvement, by the introductions of interaction episodes with internal and external counterparts is managed with an aim of fast-forwarding relationship development.

Export market orientation can be broadly divided into intelligence (generation and dissemination) and responsiveness activities. Although previous studies assess intelligence and responsiveness activities, little is known about what type of international channel partner acts as an enabling condition for the impact of these activities on export venture performance. This study aims to examine the extent to which the selection of international channel partners through word-of-mouth referrals versus direct contacts affects the benefits of intelligence and responsiveness activities.

Data were collected from 246 exporting manufacturers in Japan. To test the hypotheses, we conducted regression analyses using a subjective performance measure at the venture level. We also performed a post hoc analysis using objective performance measure at the function level.

We find that the extent to which international channel partners are selected through word-of-mouth referrals has a moderating role in the export market-oriented activities–performance linkages. Specifically, it acts as an enabling condition for intelligence activity and a disenabling condition for responsiveness activity.

This study contributes to a better understanding of export market orientation by classifying it into intelligence and responsiveness activities and providing empirical evidence on their different interaction effects with partner selection. It also contributes to the elaboration of agency theory by offering insights into the fit between task characteristics and contract type. Our study is critical for business managers as it suggests guidelines for manufacturing exporters engaging in export market-oriented behaviors and export channel management.

Drawing on the organizational learning and relational governance literature, this study aims to advance a theoretical model to explain the export performance of emerging market export ventures.

This study selects quantitative methodology because the main objective of this study is to explore the role of export ventures’ performance (past) on guanxi networking, co-creation marketing strategies and present performance.

The empirical evidence suggests that guanxi networking and co-creation strategy can mediate the relationship between export venture performance in the preceding year and export venture performance in the following year. In addition, this study also provides some guidance for emerging market export ventures on how to build a strong guanxi networking and create opportunities for collaboration when the effect of export performance in the preceding year on current performance is absent.

The authors propose the inclusion of strategic guanxi networking-related factors (e.g. top executives’ ties with business-to-business customers, such as distributors in the host market) in the prior performance-current performance paradigm. The outcomes of this study also contribute to extant organizational learning theory research by integrating preceding performance research with the co-creation theory. The study offers new insights into organizational learning and relational governance from the emerging market perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of entrepreneurial passion, specifically venture obsession, in agentic relationships within entrepreneurial contexts. It aims to develop a new conceptualization of the role of the venture in these relationships and explore the negative impacts that can arise from the obsessive passion for the venture. The paper contributes to the literature by shedding light on the complexities of agency outside of large for-profit firms, unpacking components of self-interest in the agentic relationship and challenging the assumption that entrepreneurial passion is always beneficial for both the entrepreneur and the venture.

This paper employs theoretical framework development and conceptual mapping to explore the role of entrepreneurial passion, specifically venture obsession, in agentic relationships within entrepreneurial contexts. We conducted a comprehensive literature review and synthesis of existing research on agency theory, entrepreneurial passion and venture obsession. By integrating these insights, we developed a new conceptual framework that theorizes the negative impacts of venture obsession on agentic relationships and venture performance. This approach allows us to propose a nuanced model that highlights the complexities and potential maladaptive behaviors associated with obsessive passion in entrepreneurship.

Venture obsession can have detrimental outcomes, such as escalation of commitment and ignoring external feedback, due to the intense focus on protecting the venture at all costs.

The study highlights the impact of venture obsession on agentic relationships, emphasizing the balance between autonomy, competence and relatedness that entrepreneurs strive to maintain for their well-being. While previous research has explored the role of entrepreneurial passion and its effects on venture performance, this study extends the understanding by delving into the darker side of passion when it transforms into obsessive agency. By emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy balance in agentic relationships and considering the psychological well-being of entrepreneurs, this study adds nuance and depth to the existing knowledge on the subject.

This study investigates the rise of online female entrepreneurship in emerging economies from institutional perspectives and the resource-based view (RBV). The research also explores how choosing online entrepreneurship affects the performance of female entrepreneurs.

Data were collected through surveys, and quantitative data analysis was used to test the hypotheses.

The results indicate that women entrepreneurs perceive online platforms as rare, valuable, imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable resources. Furthermore, the impact of informal institutions on choosing online platforms is supported, but the influence of formal institutions remains unclear. Additionally, the study finds that opting for online platforms helps entrepreneurs achieve financial and stakeholder relationship goals but does not significantly contribute to strategic and learning goals.

Our research highlights how transitioning from a physical to an online business platform can become a valuable resource for marginalized, deprived and struggling entrepreneurs, particularly women, operating within challenging institutional contexts, often prevalent in emerging economies.

Past studies have mainly concentrated on the impact of stress and self-employment on physical health. However, little research has paid attention to firm-level determinants of entrepreneurs’ physical health. This study aims to investigate the relationship between performance variability and entrepreneurs’ physical health as well as the moderating effect of prior failure experience.

This study uses data drawn from 255 start-ups across the Bohai Economic Rim in China over a period of three years (2015–2017). The results are still robust after several robustness checks.

Results show that performance variability is positively related to the probability of entrepreneurs showing poor health. This confirms that performance variability has an adverse effect on entrepreneurs’ physical health. Moreover, this relationship is moderated by the prior failure experience of entrepreneurs.

First, entrepreneurs should gain more information about the firm’s daily operation to reduce the potential threat of performance variability. Second, it is imperative for entrepreneurs to build a stable relationship with their stakeholders to avoid the potential costs related to performance variability. Finally, entrepreneurs should take health consequences into consideration when making strategic decisions.

First, this paper contributes to the studies on the antecedents of entrepreneurs’ physical health by introducing a firm-level determinant (i.e. performance variability). The findings enhance the understanding of the association between entrepreneurs and new ventures. Second, this paper also enriches the extant literature on the outcomes of performance variability. Finally, this paper attempts to offer new insights into prior failure experience by establishing its moderating effect on the performance–health relationship.

This study explores the structure of founders’ hybrid personal identities and their relationship to social venture performance. The authors hypothesize that founders experience the tension between the social and commercial goals of their venture as a paradox rooted in their personal values.

The authors surveyed 112 social enterprise founders in Chile and used structural equation modeling to test hypotheses about the relationship between self-transcendent values (i.e. promotion of others’ welfare and care for nature) and self-enhancement values (i.e. pursuing own interests and power over others) on a multidimensional scale of social venture performance.

Self-transcendence and self-enhancement are distinct yet interrelated values that coexist within social venture founders (i.e. they constitute a paradox). Self-transcendence values negatively moderate the positive relationship between self-enhancement values and social venture performance.

Mere benevolence is insufficient for effective social venturing; success depends on the founder’s self-enhancement values or their “drive” to succeed. Founder values can thus inform organizational design choices (e.g. tasks, team composition, structures and processes) and guide public and private investment decisions.

This research empirically assesses the structure of hybrid personal identities, uncovering how the concurrent action of self-transcendence and self-enhancement values influences social venture performance. The authors challenge the belief that balancing social and commercial goals benefits social venture performance. Best-performing ventures are those whose founder’s exhibit high self-enhancement and low self-transcendence values.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of literature on corporate engagement with start-ups (CEWS) by identifying the modes, contexts, antecedents, barriers and outcomes. As an emerging field, CEWS presently has no such review available which will help in building consensus within the field and shape future research directions.

The study followed a two-phased systematic review of literature. Three research databases (i.e. Web of Science, ScienceDirect and SCOPUS) were accessed to gather and conduct the review. Of the total 379 papers retrieved, 63 total relevant papers were studied and analysed. The exhaustive review of literature helped to uncover the contexts, perspectives, antecedents, outcomes and barriers reported across the different modes of CEWS.

The study highlighted the five prominent modes of CEWS favoured by large corporations and start-ups. It found that the large corporations and start-ups associate with one another on the basis of complementarities of activities, resources and motives to pursue their strategic orientations. The engagements also face barriers on the ground, such as incompatibility of goals, power imbalances, cultural differences and weak engagement plans. Most important contexts seen were the high-technology industries in the developed economies like the USA and Europe. It also found that ecosystem creation, accessing innovation and corporate strategy have been preferred as the most productive modes of CEWS in the literature.

This review provides practitioners with a detailed list of the modes and drivers of CEWS. Subsequently, the barriers that need to be managed to successfully execute a specific mode of engagement. This shall enable the practitioners in developing and adopting the best practices while engaging with the start-ups to better facilitate the outcomes of CEWS.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no systematic literature review available in the domain of CEWS – thus, this study makes an important methodological contribution to the field. By consolidating the fragmented yet growing knowledge on CEWS, the study presents a detailed understanding of what drives and obstructs the engagement between large corporations and start-ups.

The entrepreneurial process often cannot be explained by a single entrepreneurial theory. Instead, it is more likely the result of the interaction between various entrepreneurial behavior patterns and different environmental conditions. However, existing research has frequently overlooked the complexity inherent in the entrepreneurial phenomenon. Building on a configurational perspective, this study aims to examine how new ventures can use different behavioral configurations to achieve high performance amid various uncertain environments.

Based on the survey data from 143 new start-ups in China’s software industry, this study uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

This study jointly considers multiple entrepreneurial behaviors − causation, effectuation and entrepreneurial bricolage and different types of environmental uncertainty − state uncertainty, effect uncertainty and response uncertainty. The findings reveal three behavioral configurations for high/nonhigh new venture performance.

This study expands previous insights into the relationship between entrepreneurial behaviors and new venture performance from the perspective of configurational theory. Moreover, it offers new insights into the types of uncertainty, further refining our understanding of the uncertainties inherent in entrepreneurial activities.