Growth Intentions and Communicative Practices - Strategic Entrepreneurship in Business Development
(2009) In Lund Studies in Economics and Management 109.- Abstract
- This thesis focuses on the “will and skill” of individuals who take part in activities of running a business. The aspect of “will” is studied in terms of growth intentions and the aspect of “skill” is studied in terms of communicative practices. The overall purpose is to explore how entrepreneurs think and talk about growth and how they act in their communicative practices to express their growth intentions and to mobilize resources for their businesses. To meet the overall purpose four empirical studies have been conducted. The empirical data consist of interviews and observations “shadowing” entrepreneurs, as well as mail questionnaires to Swedish entrepreneurs. Perspective Text Analysis (PTA) has been used to analyse growth intentions,... (More)
- This thesis focuses on the “will and skill” of individuals who take part in activities of running a business. The aspect of “will” is studied in terms of growth intentions and the aspect of “skill” is studied in terms of communicative practices. The overall purpose is to explore how entrepreneurs think and talk about growth and how they act in their communicative practices to express their growth intentions and to mobilize resources for their businesses. To meet the overall purpose four empirical studies have been conducted. The empirical data consist of interviews and observations “shadowing” entrepreneurs, as well as mail questionnaires to Swedish entrepreneurs. Perspective Text Analysis (PTA) has been used to analyse growth intentions, and reveals growth in both a pragmatic sense and an institutionalized sense. Pragmatic growth refers to talk about growth in terms of space for development, space for money and status, and/or space for security and control. Institutionalized growth refers to talk about growth in terms of a winning scenario or a threatening scenario. The analysis regarding communicative practices resulted in six categories of communicative behaviour in the business start-up: (i) from no one to someone, (ii) from small to big, (iii) from inexperienced to experienced, (iv) from one role to another role, (v) from alone to a network member, and (vi) from silence to conversation. Further, the entrepreneurs show other-orientation, openness and adaptation in their communicative behaviour. In addition, entrepreneurs with previous experience from entrepreneurship education report higher willingness in the dimension of openness and adaptation in communication. The communicative practices are merged into a model of content-centred, behaviour-centred and adaptive-centred communication strategies. Entrepreneurs’ “will and skill” with focus on communication strategies are proposed to be an important part of strategic entrepreneurship. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Tillväxtintentioner och kommunikativ praktik
Strategiskt entreprenörskap vid företagsutveckling
Denna avhandling fokuserar på entreprenörers “will and skill”, d.v.s. viljan och den kunskap och färdighet som entreprenören har vid start och utveckling av ett företag. Med vilja avses entreprenörens tillväxtintention och med kunskap och färdighet avses kommunikationen mellan entreprenören och olika intressenter. Studiens övergripande syfte är att undersöka hur entreprenörer tänker och talar om tillväxt samt hur de agerar i den kommunikativa praktiken för att uttrycka sina tillväxtintentioner med syfte att anskaffa resurser till sina företag. För att uppfylla syftet har... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Tillväxtintentioner och kommunikativ praktik
Strategiskt entreprenörskap vid företagsutveckling
Denna avhandling fokuserar på entreprenörers “will and skill”, d.v.s. viljan och den kunskap och färdighet som entreprenören har vid start och utveckling av ett företag. Med vilja avses entreprenörens tillväxtintention och med kunskap och färdighet avses kommunikationen mellan entreprenören och olika intressenter. Studiens övergripande syfte är att undersöka hur entreprenörer tänker och talar om tillväxt samt hur de agerar i den kommunikativa praktiken för att uttrycka sina tillväxtintentioner med syfte att anskaffa resurser till sina företag. För att uppfylla syftet har fyra empiriska studier genomförts. Det empiriska materialet består av intervjuer med, observationer (skuggning) av och enkäter till svenska entreprenörer. Perspektivisk Textanalys (PTA) har använts för att analysera tillväxtintentionerna. Den institutionaliserade tillväxtkaraktären tar sig uttryck i dels en vinnarbild, dels en hotbild. Pragmatisk tillväxt identifieras som entreprenörens skapande av utrymme. Det handlar om utrymme för idéförverkligande, pengar & status och/eller för säkerhet & kontroll. Analysen av den kommunikativa praktiken resulterade i sex kategorier av kommunikativt beteende i företagsstarten: (i) från ingen till någon, (ii) från liten till stor, (iii) från oerfaren till erfaren, (iv) från en roll till en annan roll, (v) från ensam till nätverksmedlem samt (vi) från tystnad till konversation. Entreprenörerna påvisar fokus på andras behov, öppenhet och anpassning i sin kommunikation med olika intressenter. De entreprenörer som har tidigare erfarenhet från entreprenörskapsutbildning uttrycker i större utsträckning öppenhet och anpassning i sin kommunikation. De empiriska exemplen på kommunikativt beteende har resulterat i en modell över entreprenörers kommunikationsstrategier med innehållscentrerad, beteendecentrerad och anpassningscentrerad kommunikationsstrategi. Entreprenörers ”will and skill”, vilja och färdighet, med fokus på kommunikationsstrategier i starten av ett företag, är en central del inom ramen för strategiskt entreprenörskap. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1397153
- author
- Ulvenblad, Pia LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Johansson, Anders W, Växjö University
- organization
- publishing date
- 2009
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- communicative practice, communication strategy, growth intention, strategic entrepreneurship, Growth
- in
- Lund Studies in Economics and Management
- volume
- 109
- pages
- 313 pages
- publisher
- Lund Business Press
- defense location
- EC3:210, Holger Crafoords Ekonomicentrum
- defense date
- 2009-06-05 13:15:00
- ISSN
- 0284-5075
- ISBN
- 13 978-91-85113-35-4
- 10 91-85113-35-2
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 23c4f4cb-1538-4ac4-9497-b3cfbee5c5f9 (old id 1397153)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:17:59
- date last changed
- 2019-05-21 19:06:44
@phdthesis{23c4f4cb-1538-4ac4-9497-b3cfbee5c5f9,
abstract = {{This thesis focuses on the “will and skill” of individuals who take part in activities of running a business. The aspect of “will” is studied in terms of growth intentions and the aspect of “skill” is studied in terms of communicative practices. The overall purpose is to explore how entrepreneurs think and talk about growth and how they act in their communicative practices to express their growth intentions and to mobilize resources for their businesses. To meet the overall purpose four empirical studies have been conducted. The empirical data consist of interviews and observations “shadowing” entrepreneurs, as well as mail questionnaires to Swedish entrepreneurs. Perspective Text Analysis (PTA) has been used to analyse growth intentions, and reveals growth in both a pragmatic sense and an institutionalized sense. Pragmatic growth refers to talk about growth in terms of space for development, space for money and status, and/or space for security and control. Institutionalized growth refers to talk about growth in terms of a winning scenario or a threatening scenario. The analysis regarding communicative practices resulted in six categories of communicative behaviour in the business start-up: (i) from no one to someone, (ii) from small to big, (iii) from inexperienced to experienced, (iv) from one role to another role, (v) from alone to a network member, and (vi) from silence to conversation. Further, the entrepreneurs show other-orientation, openness and adaptation in their communicative behaviour. In addition, entrepreneurs with previous experience from entrepreneurship education report higher willingness in the dimension of openness and adaptation in communication. The communicative practices are merged into a model of content-centred, behaviour-centred and adaptive-centred communication strategies. Entrepreneurs’ “will and skill” with focus on communication strategies are proposed to be an important part of strategic entrepreneurship.}},
author = {{Ulvenblad, Pia}},
isbn = {{13 978-91-85113-35-4}},
issn = {{0284-5075}},
keywords = {{communicative practice; communication strategy; growth intention; strategic entrepreneurship; Growth}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Lund Business Press}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Studies in Economics and Management}},
title = {{Growth Intentions and Communicative Practices - Strategic Entrepreneurship in Business Development}},
volume = {{109}},
year = {{2009}},
}