Business Administration, Contemporary Perspectives on Entrepreneurship, 7.5 credits
Please note that the literature can be changed/revised until:
• June 1 for a course that starts in the autumn semester
• November 15 for a course that starts in the spring semester
• April 1 for a course that starts in the summer
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Syllabus:
Företagsekonomi, Aktuella perspektiv på entreprenörskap, 7.5 hp
Business Administration, Contemporary Perspectives on Entrepreneurship, 7.5 credits
General data
- Code:FÖA009F
- Subject/Main field:Business Administration
- Cycle:Third cycle
- Credits:7.5
- Answerable department:EJT, Economics, Geography, Law and Tourism
- Approved:2026-03-27
- Version valid from:2026-07-01
Aim
The aim of this course is to provide doctoral students with an advanced and critical understanding of different theoretical perspectives on entrepreneurship as a contextual, relational, and multidimensional phenomenon.
Course objectives
Upon successful completion of the course, doctoral students will be able to:
- Critically compare and evaluate key theoretical perspectives in entrepreneurship research, including their underlying assumptions, strengths, and limitations.
- Analyse entrepreneurship as a contextual and relational phenomenon, examining how entrepreneurial processes are shaped by social, cultural, institutional, spatial, and historical contexts.
- Apply relevant theoretical perspectives to develop and refine research questions related to entrepreneurship and their own doctoral research projects.
- Demonstrate theoretical reflexivity by identifying and reflecting on ontological and epistemological assumptions in different approaches to entrepreneurship research.
- Critically engage with dominant and alternative perspectives on entrepreneurship, including mainstream, critical, and transformative approaches.
- Position their own research within broader scholarly debates in entrepreneurship and related multidisciplinary fields.
Content
Drawing on perspectives from multiple disciplines, including entrepreneurship and innovation studies, the course exposes students to diverse theoretical lenses, ontological assumptions, and methodological approaches. Particular attention is given to how different perspectives conceptualize entrepreneurial actors, processes, practices, and outcomes. The course is designed to support doctoral students in developing their own research projects by fostering theoretical reflexivity, conceptual development, and methodological awareness. Through critical engagement with both seminal and contemporary literature, students are encouraged to question dominant narratives of entrepreneurship, explore alternative and critical perspectives, and formulate context-sensitive research questions. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to situate entrepreneurship research within broader societal debates and to position their own scholarly contributions within a multidisciplinary and contextually grounded research landscape.
Entry requirements
A person meets the entry requirements for the course if he or she has been admitted to a third-cycle study programme and will be given credit for the course in that study programme.
Teaching form
The course is delivered over four intensive days and is based on a combination of lectures, seminars, and facilitated discussions. The course begins with a digital introductory session, in which the course objectives, structure, key themes, and examination requirements are presented. This initial online meeting is intended to prepare students for the intensive on-campus course days and to establish a shared understanding of expectations.
Lectures introduce key theoretical perspectives and multidisciplinary approaches to entrepreneurship, providing a common conceptual foundation for the course. These are complemented by seminars and discussion sessions in which students critically engage with the assigned literature.
Students are expected to prepare thoroughly by reading the course material in advance. Active participation is essential, and the course is designed as a dialogical learning environment where students are encouraged to contribute their own perspectives, raise critical questions, and relate the literature to their doctoral research projects.
The course concludes with a digital examination seminar, during which students present their examination assignments and act as opponents on the work of fellow students. This final online session emphasizes scholarly dialogue, critical feedback, and collective learning, and provides an opportunity for students to refine their research ideas through constructive peer review.
The overall course design supports sustained engagement with literature, theoretical reflexivity, and the development of context-sensitive entrepreneurship research.
Examination form
Examination in the course consists of an individually authored written assignment of approximately 3,000 words. In the assignment, students are expected to critically engage with the course literature and apply relevant multidisciplinary perspectives on entrepreneurship to a research problem relevant to their own doctoral projects.
The written assignment is subject to seminar discussion and will be presented by the student during a digital examination seminar. As part of the examination, students are also required to act as opponents by providing constructive and critical feedback on another student’s assignment. Active participation in the examination seminar, including presentation and opposition, is a mandatory component of the course assessment.
In addition, students are expected to actively participate in lectures, seminars, and discussion sessions throughout the course. Active participation includes having completed the assigned readings in advance, contributing to scholarly discussions, and engaging critically and constructively with the course literature and the perspectives of other participants. Such participation is considered an integral part of the examination and assessment of the course.
The examination aims to assess students’ ability to demonstrate theoretical understanding, critical reflection, and the capacity to position their work within context-sensitive entrepreneurship research.
Grading system
Two-grade scale
Course reading
Author: Acker, J.
Article title: Inequality regimes: gender, class, and race in organisations
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2006/20(4)/441-464
Journal: Gender and Society
Author: Andersson, S., & Ghannad, N.
Article title: The influence of an entrepreneur's imprinting legacy upon the creation and international development of a new venture
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2025/43(8)/926–956
Journal: International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship
URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426251347956
Author: Autio, E., Nambisan, S., Thomas, L. D., & Wright, M.
Article title: Digital affordances, spatial affordances, and the genesis of entrepreneurial ecosystems
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2018/12(1)/72-95
Journal: Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
Author: Baron, R. A.
Article title: Opportunity recognition as pattern recognition: How entrepreneurs “connect the dots” to identify new business opportunities
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2006/20(1)/104–119
Journal: Academy of Management Perspectives
URL: https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2006.19873412
Author: Brown, R., & Mason, C.
Article title: Looking inside the spiky bits: a critical review and conceptualisation of entrepreneurial ecosystems
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2017/49(1)/11-30
Journal: Small Business Economics
Author: Bruneel, J., d'Este, P., & Salter, A.
Article title: Investigating the factors that diminish the barriers to university–industry collaboration
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2010/39(7)/858-868
Journal: Research Policy
Author: Bäck, A., Taipale-Erävala, K., & Davies, J.
Article title: Entrepreneurial motivation and growth orientation among micro-entrepreneurs in Southern Finland
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2024/101387
Journal: Scandinavian Journal of Management
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scaman.2024.101387
Author: Callerstig, A-C., Lindvert, M., Ljunggren, E., Breivik-Meyer, M., Alsos, G., & Balkmar, D.
Article title: Contextualising gender policy in tech entrepreneurship: a cross national and multiple-level analysis
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2024/30(7)/1678-1697
Journal: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research
URL: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-04-2023-0422
Author: Chesbrough, H.
Article title: The future of open innovation: The future of open innovation is more extensive, more collaborative, and more engaged with a wider variety of participants
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2017/60(1)/35-38
Journal: Research-Technology Management
Author: Connell, R. W.
Article title: Glass ceilings or gendered institutions? Mapping the gender regimes of public sector worksites
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2006/66(6)/837-849
Journal: Public Administration Review
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00652.x
Author: Donaldson, D.
Article title: Railroads of the Raj: Estimating the impact of transportation infrastructure
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2018/108(4-5)/899-934
Journal: American Economic Review
Author: Fisher, M. L.
Article title: What is the right supply chain for your product?
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 1997/75/105-117
Journal: Harvard Business Review
Author: Hruskova, M.
Article title: Ecosystem pipelines: Collective action in entrepreneurial ecosystems
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2024/42(1)/39-66
Journal: International Small Business Journal
Author: Kapturkiewicz, A.
Article title: Varieties of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A comparative study of Tokyo and Bangalore
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2022/51(9)/104377
Journal: Research Policy
Author: Kimmitt, J., Kibler, E., Schildt, H., & Oinas, P.
Article title: Place in entrepreneurial storytelling: A study of cultural entrepreneurship in a deprived context
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2024/61(3)/1036-1073
Journal: Journal of Management Studies
Author: Kloosterman, R. C.
Article title: Matching opportunities with resources: A framework for analysing (migrant) entrepreneurship from a mixed embeddedness perspective
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2010/22(1)/25-45
Journal: Entrepreneurship and Regional Development
Author: Marlow, S., & McAdam, M.
Article title: Gender and entrepreneurship: advancing debate and challenging myths; exploring the mystery of the under-performing female entrepreneur
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2013/19(1)/114-124
Journal: International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research
URL: https://doi.org/10.1108/13552551311299288
Author: Mentzer, J. T., DeWitt, W., Keebler, J. S., Min, S., Nix, N. W., Smith, C. D., & Zacharia, Z. G.
Article title: Defining supply chain management
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2001/22(2)/1-25
Journal: Journal of Business Logistics
Author: Mitchell, R. K., Busenitz, L. W., Lant, T., McDougall, P. P., Morse, E. A., & Smith, J. B.
Article title: Toward a theory of entrepreneurial cognition: Rethinking the people side of entrepreneurship research
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2002/27(2)/93–104
Journal: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-8520.00001
Author: Perkmann, M., Salandra, R., Tartari, V., McKelvey, M., & Hughes, A.
Article title: Academic engagement: A review of the literature 2011-2019
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2021/50(1)/104114
Journal: Research Policy
Author: Redding, S., & Venables, A. J.
Article title: Economic geography and international inequality
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2004/62(1)/53-82
Journal: Journal of International Economics
Author: Redding, S. J., & Turner, M. A.
Article title: Transportation costs and the spatial organization of economic activity
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2015/5/1339-1398
Journal: In G. Duranton, V. Henderson, & W. Strange (Eds.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics
Comment: Book chapter
Author: Redhead, G., & Bika, Z.
Article title: 'Adopting place': how an entrepreneurial sense of belonging can help revitalise communities
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2022/34(3-4)/222-246
Journal: Entrepreneurship & Regional Development
Author: Rodrigues, A. C., Carvalho, H., Caetano, A., & Santos, S. C.
Article title: Micro-firms way to succeed: How owners manage people
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2022/150/237-248
Journal: Journal of Business Research
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.05.062
Author: Sarasvathy, S. D.
Article title: Causation and effectuation: Toward a theoretical shift from economic inevitability to entrepreneurial contingency
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2001/26(2)/243–263
Journal: Academy of Management Review
URL: https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2001.4378020
Author: Shane, S.
Article title: Prior knowledge and the discovery of entrepreneurial opportunities
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2000/11(4)/448–469
Journal: Organization Science
URL: https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.11.4.448.14602
Author: Spigel, B.
Article title: The relational organization of entrepreneurial ecosystems
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2017/41(1)/49-72
Journal: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Author: Stam, E.
Article title: Entrepreneurial ecosystems and regional policy: a sympathetic critique
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2015/23(9)/1759-1769
Journal: European Planning Studies
Author: Wen, T., Zhang, Q., Song, L., & Li, Y.
Article title: Corporate social responsibility, social bonding and place attachment among entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized tourism enterprises
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2022/24(2)/189-201
Journal: International Journal of Tourism Research
URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2493
Author: Wurth, B., Stam, E., & Spigel, B.
Article title: Toward an entrepreneurial ecosystem research program
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2022/46(3)/729-778
Journal: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Author: Zahra, S. A., & Wright, M.
Article title: Entrepreneurship's next act
Year/Volume/Nr/pages: 2011/25(4)/67-83
Journal: Academy of Management Perspectives
Additional articles may be added.