Influence of social capital offline and online on early-stage entrepreneurs

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to investigate if and how social capital offline – stemming from face-to-face interactions – and social capital online – stemming from social digital media – can influence early-stage entrepreneurs, i.e. ventures with up to 42 months of existence.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used herein a qualitative research approach. The method used was the case study. The authors investigated three early-stage entrepreneurs in order to achieve the objective of the paper. These entrepreneurs are both the unit of analysis and the unit of observation.FindingsThe outcomes of this research indicate (1) the combined importance of social capital offline and online; (2) the different performance of the two different types of social capital (they seem to operate in relatively distinct ways) and (3) the existence of recursiveness between resources stemming from the two social spheres (offline and online).Research limitations/implicationsAs research limitations, the authors point out the following: (1) the use of semistructured interviews as the only data collection instrument; (2) the limitation of the outcomes to entrepreneurs only (3) the absence of information on the performance of the business ventures; the focus of the paper was only on establishing causality between social capital offline and online and entrepreneurial performance.Originality/valueThis paper provides important research contributions. Initially, the paper presents a range of offline and online variables, which can be used in further research. At the same time, the paper emphasizes the combined impact of social capital offline and online, expanding the literature related to entrepreneurship. Moreover, this study proposes the creation of an integrative model. Finally, the authors point out the need for new theoretical and empirical studies on the subject, which still presents a gap in the literature.

The Role of Digital Platforms in Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Process: Does Online Social Capital Matter?

“…This indicates that weak ties (created on social media platforms) are more influential than strong ties regarding the ability of nascent female entrepreneurs to recognize and exploit opportunities. This is justified by the nature of social media networks, in general, the benefits provided by bridging relationships and the needs of female entrepreneurs at their early stages [29,96]. Bonding relations need time to develop in an online context, which might not be easily accessible to entrepreneurs with a mean age of two years in business facing lots of challenges.…”

“…This result is consistent with the argument [50] that bridging social capital or weak ties (created online) better support information exchange between online community users. This can be justified by the time duration needed to develop EC, the variety of challenges faced at this stage, and the complexity of the process that increases with female entrepreneurs at their early stages [29,97]. For female entrepreneurs in emerging economies, the access to different types of resources is of big urgency.…”

“…The importance of this study is increasing as there is a dearth of studies addressing the effect of information communication technology and the results of online social capital on female entrepreneurs in emerging markets. The benefits of social media on entrepreneurs' behavior depend, to a great extent, on their life cycle stage (nascent or mature) and on the size of their business [29]. The importance of social media increased for nascent entrepreneurs in developing countries and emerging economies like Egypt [30], where the ecosystem is characterized by scattered supporting schemes, narrow as well as unstable network, and lack of finance.…”

Influence of social and spatial embeddedness on rural entrepreneurship in the Amazon: a study with a Brazilian tribe' enterprising Indians

“…McGehee et al (2010, 2015) understood social capital as networks and norms through which people can access resources and power. This social capital, in turn, could stem from two distinct network structures: a more occluded one (bonding social capital; Coleman, 2009; Silva et al , 2020), formed by strong ties between its members, and a more spatial one, derived from the benefits arising from the connection between individuals inserted in networks that are distant from each other (bridging social capital; Burt, 2000, 2004; Silva et al , 2020). Although the literature on social capital and immersion is remarkably related, this study did not provide any evidence.…”

Apuração do Capital Social Acumulado a partir de Interações Sociais em Páginas Institucionais no Facebook

“…Pessoas, marcas e instituições que estão presentes nas RSO estão cada vez mais interessadas em saber de que maneira o Capital Social acumulado nesses SI pode refletir no acúmulo do CS no mundo físico, principalmente, a partir da comunicação e interação direta com a rede de conexões da vida real, que se expandem, se fortalecem e surgem novas no meio digital [Silva et al 2020]. A mensuração do CS acumulado nas RSO é um passo importante para a adoção de estratégias de manutenção e aumento desse tipo de capital que se reflete no CS acumulado no mundo offline.…”