The Use and Effect of Social Capital in New Venture Creation - Solo Entrepreneurs vs. New Venture Teams

This paper examines the use of social capital in the venture creation process. We compare solo entrepreneurs (n=182) and new venture teams (n=274) from a random sample of start-ups in innovative industries and test social capital use and its effects on firm performance. Our results reveal that solo entrepreneurs and new venture teams do not differ in their degree of use of social capital. However, there are differences in the determinants of social capital use in both groups. We find that weak ties assist solo entrepreneurs and have positive significant effects on new venture performance. For team start- ups, we find no direct effect of social capital. However, further tests indicate for teams that human capital variety positively moderates the effect of social capital on performance.Entrepreneurship, Nascent entrepreneurship, Social capital, Start-up teams, Entrepreneurial learning

Human capital and social capital in the entrepreneurial process

This dissertation is a compilation of papers on entrepreneurship which investigate related research questions. The unifying element of the different parts is the focus on two important concepts in entrepreneurship research, namely human capital and social capital. Briefly, the four main chapters deal with the origins of human and social capital, its use in different stages of the entrepreneurial process and its impact on entrepreneurial success. Regarding the two main concepts of this thesis, human capital is the central topic in Chapters 3 and 4. Thereby, Chapter 3 studies the origins of a specific aspect of human capital, namely the balance of skills and their performance effects in the nascent phase. The paper presented in Chapter 4 focuses on human capital in entrepreneurial teams. Specifically, the venture performance advantages and disadvantages of functional heterogeneity in the post-nascent phase are investigated. Chapters 2 and 5 are mainly dedicated to social capital. In Chapter 2 the role of regional characteristics in the formation of individual social capital as well as the subsequent impact of social capital on the decision to engage in concrete venture creation is studied. Chapter 5 sheds light on the use of social capital in the nascent phase and its performance implications in the post-nascent phase

Entrepreneurship culture: aggregate trait or collective programming of the mind?

The answer is yes to both. For decades, research on entrepreneurship culture has relied on two competing theoretical foundations for the important concept of entrepreneurship culture. One camp views entrepreneurship culture as an aggregate of personality traits conducive for entre-preneurship. The other camp applies Hofstede’s (1980) definition of culture as “collective pro-gramming of the mind” towards entrepreneurship (e.g., Beugelsdijk, 2007, Hofstede et al., 2004; Stephan and Uhlander, 2010). In this paper I present empirical evidence that measures of entrepreneurship culture reflecting both approaches explain entrepreneurial intentions and ac-tion. Entrepreneurship culture is thus both – an aggregate personality trait and a collective pro-gramming of the mind

Die Geografie der Kreativen Klasse in Deutschland

Wir analysieren die räumliche Verteilung verschiedener Kategorien kreativer Personen in Deutschland. Allgemein ist der Anteil der Kreativen in den Städten höher als auf dem Land. Ein etwas abweichendes Standortverhalten zeigen die freiberuflichen Künstler, für die auch in einigen ländlichen Regionen hohe Anteile zu verzeichnen sind. Ein hoher Anteil an Kreativen in einer Region kann mit einem hohen Niveau der öffentlichen Versorgung und einem hohen Ausländeranteil als Indikator für Offenheit des Milieus erklärt werden. Gute Beschäftigungschancen haben nur einen schwachen Einfluss. Regionen mit einem hohen Anteil an Kreativen sind durch ein relativ hohes Niveau an Gründungen. Innovationen und einen hohen Anteil an Beschäftigten in High-Tech Branchen gekennzeichnet. --Kreative Klasse,Bohemiens,Künstler,Innovation,Regionalentwicklung

Failing role models and the formation of fear of entrepreneurial failure: a study of regional peer effects in German regions

Entrepreneurial role models influence decisions to start firms. This effect is even stronger if peers and observers live in the same region. However, most studies remain silent about the role of entrepreneurial failure for the direction of role modeling. Failed role models can trigger a deterrence of entrepreneurship in others of the same region. We hypothesize that observing successful entrepreneurs reduces fear of failure, while observing business failure increases fear of failure. By using data on regional entries and exits, we find considerable support for our hypothesis and contribute to literature on regional entrepreneurship

Did Strategic Bombing in the Second World War lead to ‘German Angst’? A large-scale empirical test across 89 German cities.

A widespread stereotype holds that the Germans are notorious worriers, an idea captured by the term, German Angst. An analysis of country-level neurotic personality traits (Trait Anxiety, Trait Depression, and Trait Neuroticism; N = 7,210,276) across 109 countries provided mixed support for this idea; Germany ranked 20th, 31st, and 53rd for Depression, Anxiety, and Neuroticism respectively suggesting, at best, the national stereotype is only partly valid. Theories put forward to explain the stereotypical characterization of Germany focus on the collective traumatic events experienced by Germany during WWII, such as the massive strategic bombing of German cities. We thus examined the link between strategic bombing of 89 German cities and today’s regional levels in neurotic traits (N = 33,534) and related mental health problems. Contrary to the WWII-bombing hypothesis, we found negative effects of strategic bombing on regional Trait Depression and mental health problems. This finding was robust when controlling for a host of economic factors and social structure. We also found Resilience X Stressor interactions: Cities with more severe bombings show more resilience today: lower levels of neurotic traits and mental health problems in the face of a current major stressor – economic hardship

Flame Characteristics and Response of a High-Pressure LOX/CNG Rocket Combustor with Large Optical Access

Hot-fire tests were performed with a single-injector research combustor featuring a large optical access (255 × 38 mm) for flame imaging. These tests were conducted with the propellant combination of liquid oxygen and compressed natural gas (LOX/CNG) at conditions relevant for main- and upper-stage engines. The large optical access enabled synchronized flame imaging using OH* and CH* radiation wavelengths covering an area of the combustion chamber from the injection plane to shortly before the contraction section of the nozzle for two sets of operating conditions. Combined with temperature, pressure and unsteady pressure measurements, these data provide a high-quality basis for validation of numerical modeling. Flame width and opening angle were extracted from the imaging in order to determine the flame topology. A two dimensional Rayleigh Index was calculated for an acoustically unexcited and excited interval. These Rayleigh Indices are in good agreement with the thermoacoustic state of the chamber