Dissertation
Technology entrepreneurship in the digital age: unconventional resources, bricolage, and market performance
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001091
Abstract
In this dissertation, I examined an important topic in the entrepreneurship literature: How entrepreneurs address severe resource constraints. I drew on the entrepreneurial bricolage perspective to tackle this topic, which itself requires development. Theoretically, by noting the heterogeneity of individual bricolage behavior, I proposed a fine-grained perspective to examine the performance implications of entrepreneurial bricolage. Specifically, I distinguished between open bricolage and closed bricolage and theorized each of their relationships with performance as well as the mechanisms. Empirically, I focused on startups on Steam, the dominant digital distribution platform for PC games and examined two bricolage behaviors: 1) opening a product to users for user involvement (open bricolage) and 2) self-commercializing a product (closed bricolage), in which startups engage two unconventional resources: 1) the labor input by unpaid users and 2) the entrepreneur's amateur skills, respectively. I found a positive effect of open bricolage on market performance and a negative effect of closed bricolage on market performance. This dissertation contributes to the entrepreneurial bricolage perspective and the entrepreneurship literature at large.
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Details
- Title
- Technology entrepreneurship in the digital age
- Creators
- Xiumei Li
- Contributors
- Vadake K. Narayanan (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- ix, 109 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Bennett S. LeBow College of Business; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991014695234504721