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Debates in Entrepreneurship: Opportunity Formation and Implications for the Field of Entrepreneurship

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Part of the book series: International Handbook Series on Entrepreneurship ((IHSE,volume 5))

Abstract

The field of entrepreneurship has struggled since the 1970 s to define itself as a field and gain legitimacy as a valid academic area of research (Cooper, 2003). Much of the work in entrepreneurship was either theoretical or used the phenomena as a context in which to observe other theories (Alvarez & Barney, 2008). This led to a “land grab” mentality—almost a rapaciousness—regarding entrepreneurship research among many of the established disciplines—economics, sociology, organization behavior, strategy, organization theory—looking for something new to study.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    An opportunity is defined in this chapter as a market imperfection.

  2. 2.

     Markets are socially constructed entities.

  3. 3.

    There are several definitions of the term organizational form; we mean it in its most general sense. We view the organizational form as a distinct social entity Scott, W.R. 1987. The adolescence of institutional theory. Administrative Science Quarterly, 32: 493–511.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Fisher College of Business, 2100 Neil Avenue, 850, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Sharon A. Alvarez

  2. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Jay B. Barney & Susan L. Young

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  1. Sharon A. Alvarez
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Correspondence to Sharon A. Alvarez .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Policy, George Mason University, University Drive, Fairfax, 22030, USA

    Zoltan J. Acs

  2. Indiana University, Bloomington, 47405, USA

    David B. Audretsch

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Alvarez, S.A., Barney, J.B., Young, S.L. (2010). Debates in Entrepreneurship: Opportunity Formation and Implications for the Field of Entrepreneurship. In: Acs, Z., Audretsch, D. (eds) Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research. International Handbook Series on Entrepreneurship, vol 5. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1191-9_2

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