473The article uses experiential learning theory to magnify the importance of learning within the process of entrepreneurship. Previous research details the contributions of prior knowledge, creativity, and cognitive mechanisms to the process of opportunity identification and exploitation; however, the literature is devoid of work that directly addresses learning. The extant research assumes learning is occurring but does not directly address the importance of learning to the process. To fully understand the nature of the entrepreneurial process, researchers must take into account how individuals learn and how different modes of learning influence opportunity identification and exploitation. This article makes connections between knowledge, cognition, and creativity to develop the concept of learning asymmetries and illustrates how a greater appreciation for the differences in individual learning will fortify entrepreneurship research.
Entrepreneurship education (EE) research is not advancing as fast as general entrepreneurship because it is not subject to the same level of scholarship. Grounded in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning from the field of adult education and using an expert Delphi Panel approach, we offer a glimpse into the minds of top entrepreneurship educators. We suggest studying EE through a teaching lens offers insights and elevates teaching as a form of scholarship on par with traditional, more accepted forms of research. Our Delphi analysis suggests a definition of EE as developing the mindset, skill set, and practice necessary for starting new ventures, yet acknowledging the outcomes of such education are far reaching. We introduce five continuums of EE that encourage a transition to teaching approaches based on adult learning, namely andragogy and heutagogy. Implications for entrepreneurship educator training, the need for practice, and the future of EE research are discussed.
Despite its many achievements, scholarship at the intersection of entrepreneurship and cognition has focused primarily on the consequences of what happens when an entrepreneur benefits from various cognitive characteristics, resources, or other dispositions. As such, cognitive research in entrepreneurship continues to suffer from narrow theoretical articulations and weak conceptual foundations that lessen its contribution to the managerial sciences. To address these issues, we draw from extant work on the nature and practice of cognitive research to develop a systematic approach to study entrepreneurship cognition. To further articulate this agenda, we assess the state of the field by content-analysing entrepreneurship cognition articles published between 1976 and 2008. We find that, although it has investigated many relevant variables, research on entrepreneurship cognition has failed to fully articulate key conceptual features of the cognitive perspective. Building on these observations, we propose concrete strategies and research questions to augment the contribution of entrepreneurship cognition research, and advance this research beyond its current focus on 'cognitive consequences'. In particular, we illustrate the scholarly potential of disentangling the various antecedents of entrepreneurship cognition, of studying the process interactions between cognitive resources and mental representations, and of exploring the operation of entrepreneurship cognition across levels of analysis.
This paper reports the results of a two-phase study that explores new venture creation within the context of an entrepreneurial system. First, a genealogy of hightechnology companies is presented depicting a high spin-off rate resulting from the presence of seven incubator organizations. Second, semantic structure analysis (Spradley 1980) based on semi-structured interviews with founders is used to develop a taxonomy. This taxonomy depicts the relationship among components in one entrepreneurial system, Boulder County, Colorado, that encourages, supports, and enhances regional entrepreneurial activity. Findings indicate that incubator organizations, spin-offs, informal and formal networks, the physical infrastructure, and the culture of the region are related uniquely and interact to form a system conducive for dense high-technology entrepreneurial activity. Additionally, greater rates of new venture formation were found following critical moments in the life of incubator organizations.
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