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Personal innovativeness in technology, related knowledge and experience, and entrepreneurial intentions in emerging technology industries: a process of causation or effectuation?

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Abstract

Drawing on previous literatures in entrepreneurship and information systems, we examine how entrepreneurial intentions develop in emerging technology industries. We find that in addition to traditional determinants of intention such as perceived desirability and perceived feasibility, personal innovativeness in technology and related knowledge and experience of the entrepreneur act as key drivers. Further, our results of the mediation analysis suggest entrepreneurial intentions in emerging technology industries develop through a process incorporating both causation and effectuation principles.

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Notes

  1. Note: given the multi-dimensional nature of perceived feasibility, it was treated as a second-order construct (comprising four latent variables: search, plan, marshal, implement) and was approximated in Partial Least Squares regression using the repeated indicators approach.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Peter T Paul College of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, 10 Garrison Avenue, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Dev K. Dutta

  2. Department of Decision Sciences, Peter T Paul College of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, 10 Garrison Avenue, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Kholekile L. Gwebu & Jing Wang

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  1. Dev K. Dutta
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  2. Kholekile L. Gwebu
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Correspondence to Dev K. Dutta.

APPENDIX 1: scales and items

APPENDIX 1: scales and items

Perceived feasibility: search

  • Search1-How confident are you that you can conceive a unique idea for a virtual world business?

  • Search2-How confident are you that you can identify market opportunities for a new virtual world business?

Perceived feasibility: plan

  • Plan1-How confident are you that you can plan a new virtual world business?

  • Plan2-How confident are you that you can write a formal business plan for a virtual world business?

Perceived feasibility: marshal

  • Marshal1-How confident are you that you can raise money to start a virtual world business?

  • Marshal2-How confident are you that you can convince others to invest in a virtual world business?

  • Marshal3-How confident are you that you can convince a bank to lend you money to start a virtual world business?

  • Marshal4-How confident are you that you can convince others to work for you in your new virtual world business?

Perceived feasibility: implement

  • Implement1-How confident are you that you can manage a virtual world business?

  • Implement2-How confident are you that you can grow a successful virtual world business?

Related knowledge and experience

  • RKE1-I have the necessary knowledge to start a business in a virtual world.

  • RKE2-I have the necessary experience to start a business in a virtual world.

  • RKE3-I have the necessary technical knowhow to start a business in a virtual world.

Personal innovativeness in technology

  • PIT 1-If I heard about a new information technology, I would look for ways to experiment with it.

  • PIT 2-Among my peers, I am usually the first to try out new information technologies.

  • PIT 3- In general, I am hesitant to try out new information technologies.

  • PIT 4-I like to experiment with new information technologies.

Perceived desirability

  • How desirable is it for you to start your own business in a virtual world?

Intention

  • Estimate the probability that you will start your own business in a virtual world within the next 5 years?

  • Estimate the probability that you will start your own business in a virtual world within the next 10 years?

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Dutta, D.K., Gwebu, K.L. & Wang, J. Personal innovativeness in technology, related knowledge and experience, and entrepreneurial intentions in emerging technology industries: a process of causation or effectuation?. Int Entrep Manag J 11, 529–555 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-013-0287-y

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