This paper tests agency theory using unique entrepreneurial effort and financing choices data. Focusing on entrepreneurs as a special type of agent, the paper develops a modified principal-agent model within a private firm setting. In line with the typical agency theory prediction, this model suggests that the severity of entrepreneur moral hazard relates to the firm’s capital structure. Specia...

Entrepreneurship is widely recognized as a key factor in economic growth [Leibenstein, 1968]. Historical studies of commercialization a d industrialization suggest that the speed of "take off' is higher when entrepreneurs in related lines of activity work well together [Grassby, 1995]. In the aggregate, ntrepreneurs may work better as a cooperative network than as a collection of competitive in...

The importance of entrepreneurial activity for the economic growth of countries is now well established. The relevant literature suggests important links between education, venture creation and entrepreneurial performance, as well as between entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurial activity. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide some insights about entrepreneurship education. The...

Purpose – While the numbers of, and research on, women entrepreneurs have accelerated radically in recent years, the rates of women entrepreneurs remain significantly lower than men’s. Research has shown that subjective perceptual variables have a crucial influence on the entrepreneurial propensity of women and account for much of the gender differences in entrepreneurial activity. The paper ai...

extended abstract introduction economic development is a favorable aim for all nations and meeting this aim requires a good understanding of variables taking part in this process. the role of entrepreneurship in economic development has been mentioned by many authors as an important one. although creating jobs is a function of entrepreneurial process, but it is not the only one. entrepreneursh...

Today, innovation networks are economically and technologically accessible [VBE04]; however, managers and members of such organizations notice that success and performance are not automatically given. More to this, practitioners point out that the collaboration processes are the actual challenge in the management of a networked organization. This paper summarizes the results of a research proje...

In this paper we study the labour market behavior of employed individuals that have entrepreneurial aspirations in addition to aspirations to switch job. We analyze empirically these two “search processes” and, inspired by Lazear’s (2002) recent jack-ofall-trades hypothesis, focus specifically on the effects of varied experience on them. We report three main findings. First, entrepreneurial asp...

Strategy is not what it used to be. To compete effectively, large businesses must respond quickly, creatively and innovatively to develop an entrepreneurial environment to assist this response. Strategic leadership is crucial to develop the organizational environment needed to increase the entrepreneurial orientation in established businesses. The purpose of this paper is to determine if the sa...

A well-functioning Knowledge Management is a competitive advantage for enterprises that act in co-operative and distributed networks with knowledge intensive production processes. A Knowledge Management approach that integrates both, hard factors (e.g., Information Technology) and soft factors (e.g., cultural aspects) for distributed and dynamic entrepreneurial (inter-organisational) networks i...

This study, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), assesses the impact of entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) on entrepreneurial intentions of 205 students following entrepreneurship courses at six Iranian universities. Data were collected by a questionnaire before and after completing EEPs. Result indicated that EEPs significantly influence perceived behavioral control and subj...