Trailblazing in Entrepreneurship ― Creating New Paths for Understanding the Field

In this book, the authors present a challenge for future research to build a stronger, more complete understanding of entrepreneurial phenomena. They argue that this more complete picture of entrepreneurial phenomena will likely come from scholars who undertake at least some trailblazing projects; from scholars who broaden the range of research questions, the potential outcomes of entrepreneurial action, and the selection and combination of research methods; and from researchers who avoid the endless debates about the margins of the field and its sub-fields or about whether one theoretical or philosophical lens is superior to another. This book offers suggestions for future research through a variety of topics including prosocial action, innovation, family business, sustainability and development, and the financial, social, and psychological costs of failure. It promises to make an important contribution to the development of the field and help academics, organizations, and society make useful contributions to the generation of entrepreneurial research.

Dean A. Shepherd is the David H. Jacobs Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, USA. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Business Venturing and has published over 130 scholarly journal articles and 19 books.

Holger Patzelt is Chair in Entrepreneurship at the School of Management, Technical University of Munich, Germany. His research interests include entrepreneurial cognition and economic, emotional and psychological consequences of failure.