http://dspace.ediindia.ac.in:8181/xmlui//handle/123456789/9307 2026-05-15T14:20:02Z http://dspace.ediindia.ac.in:8181/xmlui//handle/123456789/9317 Perception of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Testing the Actor–Observer Bias Manimala, Mathew J.; Thomas, Princy; Thomas, P. K. Entrepreneurial ecosystem is the interacting socio-economic environment that facilitates entrepreneurs to start and develop their enterprises. A vibrant and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem is necessary for the start-up and growth of an enterprise. The entrepreneurial action would largely depend on the perception of entrepreneurs about the ecosystem. In this context, a study was designed to understand the perceptions of actors (entrepreneurs) and observers (non-entrepreneurs) on various components of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Data for this study were collected from 296 entrepreneurs and 315 non-entrepreneurs from India, who responded to a 77-item questionnaire by giving their ratings of various aspects of the ecosystem on a 5-point scale. Findings of the study showed that perceptions of the entrepreneurial ecosystem were significantly different for most of the subgroups. Most notable among these differences was those between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs, where the mean scores on all dimensions were found to be significantly higher for non-entrepreneurs than for entrepreneurs except for entrepreneurial capability which was found to be higher for entrepreneurs. Hence, the hypothesis of actor–observer bias in the perceptions of entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs is supported. 2019-09-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.ediindia.ac.in:8181/xmlui//handle/123456789/9316 Social Networking and Opportunity Recognition: A Focus on Internationalised Firms in South Africa Urban, Boris Social networks serve as an important source for new business opportunities in foreign markets and are considered as one of the most significant resources for the internationalising firm in emerging markets. This article empirically examines how internationalised firms in under-researched African context access and use social networks to increase their recognition of opportunities. Hypotheses are formulated based on several social networking principles and are tested statistically. The findings highlight that interacting with international contacts more fre-quently is associated with higher levels of opportunity recognition when compared to firms with fewer interactions. Additionally, internationalised firms tend to spend more time developing and maintaining contacts which are associated with higher levels of opportunity recognition. The article makes a contribution to the international entrepreneurship literature by demonstrating that multiple social networking factors will raise the level of opportunity recognition for internationalised firms in South Africa. 2019-09-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.ediindia.ac.in:8181/xmlui//handle/123456789/9315 It Is Not All About Money: Obtaining Additional Benefits Through Equity Crowdfunding Wald, Andreas; Holmesland, Merete; Efrat, Kalanit Equity crowdfunding allows entrepreneurs to directly access financing from a large number of investors via Internet platforms. Recent research has started to examine additional, non-financial benefits of crowdfunding campaigns. This article connects to this emerging research stream by investigating these additional benefits while discussing their potential to contribute to the success of equity crowdfunding projects. Building on interviews with entrepreneurs and investors from Norway and Israel, we find that the benefits offered by investors to entrepreneurs can be divided into two categories: inward benefits and outward benefits. The latter are aimed at increasing public exposure and advancing the project’s success by recruiting additional investors. By contrast, inward benefits are implemented through investors’ contributions of personal experience and expertise. These benefits are aimed at the entrepreneurs and, when harnessed, can become resources that advance future success. We also find that investors receive personal gain by participating in crowdfunding, which takes the form of personal growth and the development of social capital. These benefits are based on intrinsic motives and complement the financial returns, which are more related to extrinsic motives. 2019-09-01T00:00:00Z http://dspace.ediindia.ac.in:8181/xmlui//handle/123456789/9314 Social Capital Versus Cultural Capital Determinants of Entrepreneurship: An Empirical Study of the African Continent Zelekha, Yaron; Dana, Léo-Paul Entrepreneurship literature has examined the effects of social capital and cultural capital on entrepreneurial outcomes. However, the articulation of these concepts has not been clearly resolved. We employ a unique dataset of entrepreneurs from 51 African countries, introducing the level of slave trade as both a measurement of mistrust and a proxy for social capital. We use majority religion as a proxy for cultural capital. We found that social capital has a significantly positive impact on entrepreneurship only through its moderating effect on cultural capital. Results have significant policy implications for the articulation of social and cultural capital. 2019-09-01T00:00:00Z