In search of the meaning of entrepreneurship

Conceptualising entrepreneurship as economic 'explanation' and the consequent loss of 'understanding'

“…The functionalist view of entrepreneurship can be traced back the first identification of, and use of the term, the entrepreneur by Cantillion in 1755 (Cantillon, 1931). Hébert and Link (1989) argue that Cantillion broke with convention when he emphasised the economic function of the entrepreneur over their social position. For Cantillion, the entrepreneurial role was simply that entrepreneurs buy at a certain price to sell again at an uncertain price, with the difference being their profit or loss.…”

The urban growth potential of second-generation migrant entrepreneurs: A sectoral study on Amsterdam

“…However, entrepreneurial spirit is a scarce good that can be acquired by training, education or learning mechanisms through the pressure of economic circumstances (as is also witnessed in resource dependence theory). There is an abundance of literature on entrepreneurship (see for surveys Audretsch and Thurik, 2001;Hébert and Link, 1989;Lumpkin and Dess, 1996;Wennekers and Thurik, 1999). In general, creativeness, risk-taking behavior, courage, technological and market knowledge, as well as human and social skills, are usually regarded as necessary background factors for successful entrepreneurship.…”

Business accomplishments, gender and entrepreneurial self-image

“…Definitions of entrepreneurship vary widely (Hébert and Link, 1989;Van Praag, 1999;Lumpkin and Dess, 1996). Kaufmann and Dant (1998) identify the following three classes of definitions: (1) those based on traits or qualities; (2) those based on the role or function of the entrepreneur in the economic process; and (3) those based on the behavior or activities of entrepreneurs.…”