Entrepreneurship: Theoretical foundation and recentdebates

Michela Loi

Aims of the course

The course is an introduction to entrepreneurship: it provides an overview of the theoretical developments that constitute the foundation of this discipline while focusing on some recent debates that have acquired centrality in the field.

This overview is useful for students because it allows them to enhance a better understanding of the different theories and conceptualizations claimed to be entrepreneurship. Moreover, it provides the ground to develop a critical posture to research this domain.

The course has three lectures, each lasting four hours. During them, students will be invited to discuss the different perspectives around respectively three critical domains of entrepreneurship research:

1. The foundation of entrepreneurship as an academic discipline2. Entrepreneurship as a process of learning3. The creative side of entrepreneurship

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Learning outcomes and competences

The course requires students to be active participants during the class. This approachimplies that students read the assigned papers carefully to be able to discuss them appropriately. Furthermore, the course enhances the collaboration among students and, with this purpose, it requires that groups of students animate the discussion.

With this course, students develop specific knowledge on: Main entrepreneurship theoretical perspectives Main concepts that are nurturing current debates Central tensions that are featuring the field

The course provides the base to develop specific competencies around three domains, namely technical, interpersonal and intrapersonal:

Technical domain: formulate and presente a critical discussion, formulate research questions that are coherent with examined topics, develop a researchcuriosity by connecting personal interests and the course’s concepts

Interpersonal: teamwork and communication Intrapersonal: develop self-awareness regarding personal interests and

positions concerning the different perspectives animating entrepreneurship as a research field

Assessment methods

Students are required to write an individual essay in which they: Describe one or two perspectives examined during the course Explain the reason why these perspectives are important to be understood Introduce a research question that arises from a personal view of the reviewed

materials

Course contents

Lecture 1: The foundation of entrepreneurship as an academic discipline (4hrs)

Introduction to entrepreneurship as a research domain, with a focus on its process of institutionalization (e.g., main conferences, journals and communities)

Open discussion about the theoretical foundation of entrepreneurship

Required Reading:1. Landström, H., & Harirchi, G. (2018). The social structure of entrepreneurship

as a scientific field. Research Policy, 47(3), 650-662.2. Wiklund, J., Wright, M., & Zahra, S. A. (2019). Conquering relevance:

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Entrepreneurship research's grand challenge. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 43(3), 419–436.

3. Fayolle, A., Landstrom, H., Gartner, W. B., & Berglund, K. (2016). The institutionalization of entrepreneurship: Questioning the status quo and re-gaining hope for entrepreneurship research. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 28(7-8), 477-486.

Lecture 2: Entrepreneurship as a process of learning (4 hrs)

Entrepreneurship and genetics: Is there room for learning? Entrepreneurship as a process of personal and environmental transformation The role of experience in the process of becoming entrepreneurs: a focus on

entrepreneurial learning Entrepreneurship education: from emancipation to business creation

Required Reading: 1. Cope, J. (2011). Entrepreneurial learning from failure: An interpretative

phenomenological analysis. Journal of Business Venturing, 26(6), 604-623.2. Nicolaou, N., & Shane, S. (2009). Can genetic factors influence the likelihood of

engaging in entrepreneurial activity?. Journal of Business Venturing, 24(1), 1-22.

3. Politis, D. (2005). The process of entrepreneurial learning: A conceptual framework. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29(4), 399-424.

4. Camuffo, A., Cordova, A., Gambardella, A., & Spina, C. (2019). A scientific approach to entrepreneurial decision making: Evidence from a randomized control trial. Management Science. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2018.3249

Lecture 3: The creative side of entrepreneurship (4 hrs)

The concept of opportunity and its role in entrepreneurship The concept of effectuation The role of creativity and personal initiative in entrepreneurship

Required Reading: 1. Campos, F., Frese, M., Goldstein, M., Iacovone, L., Johnson, H. C., McKenzie, D.,

& Mensmann, M. (2017). Teaching personal initiative beats traditional training in boosting small business in West Africa. Science, 357(6357), 1287-1290.

2. Sarasvathy, S., (2001). Causation and effectuation: toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency. Academy of Management Review, 26, 243–263.

3. Shane, S., & Nicolaou, N. (2015). Creative personality, opportunity recognition and the tendency to start businesses: A study of their genetic predispositions. Journal of Business Venturing, 30(3), 407-419.

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