Abstract
The emergence of an entrepreneurial society in the Western countries presupposes the diffusion of a larger number of start-ups, due to their role in the industrial renewal of the economic system. To this aim, a relevant role could be entrusted to the start-up competitions (SUCs). In the last few years SUCs are exploiting a wide diffusion around the world. Nevertheless, there is a gap in literature about their impact on the entrepreneurial choice and a comprehensive monitoring of how they actually work. In this view, the paper displays a cross-section analysis of Italian SUCs to individuate their main features and potential influences on the environment. The survey shows that their diffusion is accompanied from deep change processes due to first of all at the stronger interest of private organizers in promoting SUCs. Coherently, SUCs are becoming more and more internationalized and specialized. The risk is to transform them in an instrument subservient only to the industrial logic.
References
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Audretsch, D. B. (2013), Public Policy in the Entrepreneurial Society. Edward Elgar.
Aureli, S. (2010), Dalla ricerca universitaria alla creazione d’impresa: il caso EryDel SpA. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 3, 119-130. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.59
Alvarez, S.A., & Barney, J.B. (2007). Discovery and Creation: Alternative Theories of Entrepreneurial Action. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 1(1-2), 11-26.
Barazandeh, M., Parvizian, K., Alizadeh, M., & Khosravi, S. (2015). Investigating the effect of entrepreneurial competencies on business performance among early stage entrepreneurs Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 18(5), 1-12. doi:10.1186/s40497-015-0037-4
Bertini, U. (1985). In merito alle ‘condizioni’ che determinano il successo dell’impresa. Finanza, Produzione e Marketing, 3, 39-48.
Bianchi Martini, S. (2009). Introduzione all'analisi strategica dell'azienda. Giappichelli.
Blank, S. & Dorf B. (2012). The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company Hardcover. K&S Ranch Publishing Division.
Blanchflower, D. G., & Oswald, A. J. (1998). What Makes an Entrepreneur?, Journal of Labor Economics, 16(1), 26-60. doi.org/10.1086/209881
Blanchflower, D. G., Oswald, A. J., & Stutzer, A. (2001). Latent Entrepreneurship across Nations. European Economic Review, 45(4), 680-691.
Bosma, N., Wennekers, S., & Amorós, J.E. (2012). 2011 Extended Report: Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Employees across the Globe. Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. London. doi.org/10.1016/S0014-2921(01)00137-4
Candelo, E., Sorrentino, M., & Cantino, V. (2016). The growth of high tech academic spin-offs and the role of the parent organization: the case study of University of Turin. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 3. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.232
Carland, J. W., Hoy, F. S., Boulton, W. R, & Carland, J. C. (1984). Differentiating Entrepreneurs from Small Business Owner: A Conceptualization. Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 354-358.
Catturi, G. (2003). L’azienda universale. Cedam.
Coda, V. (1984). La valutazione della formula imprenditoriale. Sviluppo e Organizzazione, 82.
Coda, V. (1988). L’orientamento strategico dell’impresa, Utet, Torino.
Colombo, M. G., & Grilli, L. (2006). Supporting High-tech Start-ups: Lessons from Italian Technology Policy. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 2(2), 189-209. doe:10.1007/s11365-006-8684-0
Davidsson, P., & Honig, B. (2003). The Role of Social and Human Capital among Nascent Entrepreneurs. Journal of Business Venturing, 18(3), 301-331. Doi:10.1016/S0883-9026(02)00097-6
Ferrara, G., & Thomas, A. (2010). Evoluzione e divenire della funzione imprenditoriale nella dottrina aziendalistica. Rirea Aziende, 1.
Fini, R., Grimaldi, R., & Sobrero, M. (2009). Factors Fostering Academics to Start up new Ventures: An Assessment of Italian Founders’ Incentives. Journal of Technology Transfer, 34(4), 380-402. Doi:10.1007/s10961-008-9093-z
Foo, M. D. (2010). Member Experience, Use of External Assistance and Evaluation of Business Ideas. Journal of Small Business Management, 48(1), 32-43. doi:10.1111/j.1540-627X.2009.00285.x
Gartner, W. B. (1989). Who Is an Entrepreneur? Is the Wrong Question. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 13(1), 47-67.
Grilo, I., & Thurik, R. (2005). Latent and Actual Entrepreneurship in Europe and the US: Some Recent Developments, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 1, 441-459. doi:10.1007/s11365-005-4772-9
Guercini, S. (2012). Processi euristici e marketing imprenditoriale. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 3, 9-29. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.30
Hisrich, R.D., Peters, M., & Shepard, D. A. (2005). Entrepreneurship. McGraw-Hill.
Hundt, C., & Sternberg, R. (2014). How did the economic crisis influence new firm creation? A Multilevel Approach Based Upon Data from German Regions. Journal of Economics and Statistics, 234(6), 722-756. doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2014-0605
Iacoviello, G. (2015). How specific business angel makes his investment decision. An Italian case study. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 3. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.187
Kelley, D., Singer, S., & Herrington, M. (Eds.) (2016), 2015/16 Global Report. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.
Krueger, N. F., Reilly, M., & Carsrud, A. (2000). Competing Models of Entrepreneurial Intentions. Journal of Business Venturing, 15(5-6), 411-432. doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(98)00033-0
Liñán, F., Urbano, D., & Guerrero, M. (2011). Regional variations in entrepreneurial cognitions: Start-up intentions of university students in Spain. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 23(3-4), 187-215. doi.org/10.1080/08985620903233929
Michelsen, C., Wolf, H., & Schwartz, M. (2013). Regional Entrepreneurial Opportunities in the Biotech Industry: Exploring the Transition from Award-Winning Nascent Entrepreneurs to Real Start-Ups. European Planning Studies, 21(11), 1708-1734. doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2012.753693
Mitchelmore, S., & Rowley, J. (2010). Entrepreneurial competencies: a literature review and development agenda. International. Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 16(2), 92-111. doi.org/10.1108/13552551011026995
Moro, O., & Tanda, A. (2014). Finanziamento e performances delle nuove iniziative imprenditoriali: il caso degli spin-off di ricerca. Impresa Progetto, 2, 1-32.
Onesti, T., Angiola, N., Bianchi Martini, S., Garzella, S., & Muserra, A. L. (2012). Strategie di sviluppo aziendale, processi di corporate governance e creazione di valore. Teorie, analisi empiriche ed esperienze a confronto. Milano, F.Angeli.
Russell, R., Atchison, M., & Brooks, R. (2008). Business Plan Competitions in Tertiary Institutions: Encouraging Entrepreneurship Education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 30(2), 123-138. doi.org/10.1080/13600800801938739
Sarasvathy, D. K. (1997). How Do Firms Come To Be? Towards a Theory of the Entrepreneurial Process. Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, Babson College.
Schwartz, M., Goethner, M., Michelsen, C., & Waldmann, N. (2013). Start-up Competitions as an Instrument of Entrepreneurship Policy: The German Experience. European Planning Studies, 21(10), 1578-1597. doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2012.722960
Shane, S. A., & Venkataraman, S. (2000). The Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research. Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 217-226.
Sorrentino, M., & Esposito, A., 2008, Improving the role of Business Angels in financing entrepreneurship: a positioning map for us angel groups. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 2, 9-39. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.90
Thomas, D. F., Gudmundson, D., Turner, K., & Suhr, D. (2014). Business Plan Competition and their Impact on New ventures’ Business Model. Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability, 10(1), 34-48.
Thomas, A., Passaro, R., & Scandurra, G. (2014). La creazione d’impresa di origine accademica. Uno studio sull’intenzione imprenditoriale. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 2, 77-97. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.150
Thomas, A., Passaro, R., & Marinangeli, B. (2015). Entrepreneurial Behaviours and Strategic Paths in Innovative SMEs: Evidence from Italy’s Campania Region. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 34(5), 51-62. doi:1002/joe.21635
Thomas, A., Passaro, R., & Scandurra, G., (2017). The Emergence of Innovative Entrepreneurship: Beyond the Intention. Investigating the Participants in an Academic SUC. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 14(4). doi.org/10.1142/S0219877017500250
Thompson, J. L. (2004). The Facets of the Entrepreneur: Identifying Entrepreneurial Potential. Management Decision, 42(2), 243-258. doi.org/10.1108/00251740410515861
Vesper, K.H. (1990). New Venture Strategies, Prentice-Hall.
WEF (World Economic Forum) (2015). The Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016.
Weisz, N., Vassolo S., Mesquita L., & Cooper A. C. (2010). Diversity and social capital of nascent entrepreneurial teams in business plan competitions, Management Research: The Journal of the Ibero-American Academy of Management, 8(1), 39-62. doi.org/10.1108
/1536-541011047903
Welter F. (2011). Contextualizing Entrepreneurship-Conceptual Challenges and Ways Forward. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(1), 165-184. doi:10.1177/0266242612449096
Wiklund, J., Davidsson P., Audretsch, D. B., & Karlsson, C. (2011). The Future of Entrepreneurship Research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(1), 1-9. doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2010.00420.x
Wright, M., & Zahra, S. (2011). The Other Side of Paradise: Examining the Dark Side of Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 1(3), 245-254. doi.org/10.2202/2157-5665.1043
Audretsch, D. B. (2013), Public Policy in the Entrepreneurial Society. Edward Elgar.
Aureli, S. (2010), Dalla ricerca universitaria alla creazione d’impresa: il caso EryDel SpA. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 3, 119-130. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.59
Alvarez, S.A., & Barney, J.B. (2007). Discovery and Creation: Alternative Theories of Entrepreneurial Action. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 1(1-2), 11-26.
Barazandeh, M., Parvizian, K., Alizadeh, M., & Khosravi, S. (2015). Investigating the effect of entrepreneurial competencies on business performance among early stage entrepreneurs Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 18(5), 1-12. doi:10.1186/s40497-015-0037-4
Bertini, U. (1985). In merito alle ‘condizioni’ che determinano il successo dell’impresa. Finanza, Produzione e Marketing, 3, 39-48.
Bianchi Martini, S. (2009). Introduzione all'analisi strategica dell'azienda. Giappichelli.
Blank, S. & Dorf B. (2012). The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company Hardcover. K&S Ranch Publishing Division.
Blanchflower, D. G., & Oswald, A. J. (1998). What Makes an Entrepreneur?, Journal of Labor Economics, 16(1), 26-60. doi.org/10.1086/209881
Blanchflower, D. G., Oswald, A. J., & Stutzer, A. (2001). Latent Entrepreneurship across Nations. European Economic Review, 45(4), 680-691.
Bosma, N., Wennekers, S., & Amorós, J.E. (2012). 2011 Extended Report: Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Employees across the Globe. Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. London. doi.org/10.1016/S0014-2921(01)00137-4
Candelo, E., Sorrentino, M., & Cantino, V. (2016). The growth of high tech academic spin-offs and the role of the parent organization: the case study of University of Turin. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 3. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.232
Carland, J. W., Hoy, F. S., Boulton, W. R, & Carland, J. C. (1984). Differentiating Entrepreneurs from Small Business Owner: A Conceptualization. Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 354-358.
Catturi, G. (2003). L’azienda universale. Cedam.
Coda, V. (1984). La valutazione della formula imprenditoriale. Sviluppo e Organizzazione, 82.
Coda, V. (1988). L’orientamento strategico dell’impresa, Utet, Torino.
Colombo, M. G., & Grilli, L. (2006). Supporting High-tech Start-ups: Lessons from Italian Technology Policy. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 2(2), 189-209. doe:10.1007/s11365-006-8684-0
Davidsson, P., & Honig, B. (2003). The Role of Social and Human Capital among Nascent Entrepreneurs. Journal of Business Venturing, 18(3), 301-331. Doi:10.1016/S0883-9026(02)00097-6
Ferrara, G., & Thomas, A. (2010). Evoluzione e divenire della funzione imprenditoriale nella dottrina aziendalistica. Rirea Aziende, 1.
Fini, R., Grimaldi, R., & Sobrero, M. (2009). Factors Fostering Academics to Start up new Ventures: An Assessment of Italian Founders’ Incentives. Journal of Technology Transfer, 34(4), 380-402. Doi:10.1007/s10961-008-9093-z
Foo, M. D. (2010). Member Experience, Use of External Assistance and Evaluation of Business Ideas. Journal of Small Business Management, 48(1), 32-43. doi:10.1111/j.1540-627X.2009.00285.x
Gartner, W. B. (1989). Who Is an Entrepreneur? Is the Wrong Question. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 13(1), 47-67.
Grilo, I., & Thurik, R. (2005). Latent and Actual Entrepreneurship in Europe and the US: Some Recent Developments, International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 1, 441-459. doi:10.1007/s11365-005-4772-9
Guercini, S. (2012). Processi euristici e marketing imprenditoriale. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 3, 9-29. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.30
Hisrich, R.D., Peters, M., & Shepard, D. A. (2005). Entrepreneurship. McGraw-Hill.
Hundt, C., & Sternberg, R. (2014). How did the economic crisis influence new firm creation? A Multilevel Approach Based Upon Data from German Regions. Journal of Economics and Statistics, 234(6), 722-756. doi.org/10.1515/jbnst-2014-0605
Iacoviello, G. (2015). How specific business angel makes his investment decision. An Italian case study. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 3. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.187
Kelley, D., Singer, S., & Herrington, M. (Eds.) (2016), 2015/16 Global Report. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor.
Krueger, N. F., Reilly, M., & Carsrud, A. (2000). Competing Models of Entrepreneurial Intentions. Journal of Business Venturing, 15(5-6), 411-432. doi.org/10.1016/S0883-9026(98)00033-0
Liñán, F., Urbano, D., & Guerrero, M. (2011). Regional variations in entrepreneurial cognitions: Start-up intentions of university students in Spain. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 23(3-4), 187-215. doi.org/10.1080/08985620903233929
Michelsen, C., Wolf, H., & Schwartz, M. (2013). Regional Entrepreneurial Opportunities in the Biotech Industry: Exploring the Transition from Award-Winning Nascent Entrepreneurs to Real Start-Ups. European Planning Studies, 21(11), 1708-1734. doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2012.753693
Mitchelmore, S., & Rowley, J. (2010). Entrepreneurial competencies: a literature review and development agenda. International. Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 16(2), 92-111. doi.org/10.1108/13552551011026995
Moro, O., & Tanda, A. (2014). Finanziamento e performances delle nuove iniziative imprenditoriali: il caso degli spin-off di ricerca. Impresa Progetto, 2, 1-32.
Onesti, T., Angiola, N., Bianchi Martini, S., Garzella, S., & Muserra, A. L. (2012). Strategie di sviluppo aziendale, processi di corporate governance e creazione di valore. Teorie, analisi empiriche ed esperienze a confronto. Milano, F.Angeli.
Russell, R., Atchison, M., & Brooks, R. (2008). Business Plan Competitions in Tertiary Institutions: Encouraging Entrepreneurship Education. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 30(2), 123-138. doi.org/10.1080/13600800801938739
Sarasvathy, D. K. (1997). How Do Firms Come To Be? Towards a Theory of the Entrepreneurial Process. Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, Babson College.
Schwartz, M., Goethner, M., Michelsen, C., & Waldmann, N. (2013). Start-up Competitions as an Instrument of Entrepreneurship Policy: The German Experience. European Planning Studies, 21(10), 1578-1597. doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2012.722960
Shane, S. A., & Venkataraman, S. (2000). The Promise of Entrepreneurship as a Field of Research. Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 217-226.
Sorrentino, M., & Esposito, A., 2008, Improving the role of Business Angels in financing entrepreneurship: a positioning map for us angel groups. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 2, 9-39. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.90
Thomas, D. F., Gudmundson, D., Turner, K., & Suhr, D. (2014). Business Plan Competition and their Impact on New ventures’ Business Model. Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability, 10(1), 34-48.
Thomas, A., Passaro, R., & Scandurra, G. (2014). La creazione d’impresa di origine accademica. Uno studio sull’intenzione imprenditoriale. Piccola Impresa/Small Business, 2, 77-97. doi.org/10.14596/pisb.150
Thomas, A., Passaro, R., & Marinangeli, B. (2015). Entrepreneurial Behaviours and Strategic Paths in Innovative SMEs: Evidence from Italy’s Campania Region. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 34(5), 51-62. doi:1002/joe.21635
Thomas, A., Passaro, R., & Scandurra, G., (2017). The Emergence of Innovative Entrepreneurship: Beyond the Intention. Investigating the Participants in an Academic SUC. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 14(4). doi.org/10.1142/S0219877017500250
Thompson, J. L. (2004). The Facets of the Entrepreneur: Identifying Entrepreneurial Potential. Management Decision, 42(2), 243-258. doi.org/10.1108/00251740410515861
Vesper, K.H. (1990). New Venture Strategies, Prentice-Hall.
WEF (World Economic Forum) (2015). The Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016.
Weisz, N., Vassolo S., Mesquita L., & Cooper A. C. (2010). Diversity and social capital of nascent entrepreneurial teams in business plan competitions, Management Research: The Journal of the Ibero-American Academy of Management, 8(1), 39-62. doi.org/10.1108
/1536-541011047903
Welter F. (2011). Contextualizing Entrepreneurship-Conceptual Challenges and Ways Forward. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(1), 165-184. doi:10.1177/0266242612449096
Wiklund, J., Davidsson P., Audretsch, D. B., & Karlsson, C. (2011). The Future of Entrepreneurship Research. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 35(1), 1-9. doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6520.2010.00420.x
Wright, M., & Zahra, S. (2011). The Other Side of Paradise: Examining the Dark Side of Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 1(3), 245-254. doi.org/10.2202/2157-5665.1043
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