CFP: Research Methods in Entrepreneurship (ORM)

[entrepreneurship-phd at lists.uni-due.de]

CALL FOR PAPERS - Organizational Research Methods
SPECIAL ISSUE ON RESEARCH METHODS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP: OPPORTUNITIES AND
CHALLENGES
Deadline: 3 December 2007

Spurred by Joseph Schumpeter's seminal work in the first half of the
20th century, the entrepreneurship field is emerging today as a distinct
area of inquiry. The field is devoted to building knowledge about how
individuals and groups identify opportunities in the quest to develop
innovative ideas and create new ventures. Although scholarly interest in
entrepreneurship appears to be steadily rising across the management
discipline, this growth has been accompanied by an increase in questions
about the rigor of empirical studies. Research methods in
entrepreneurship have been scrutinized along a variety of dimensions,
such as construct measurement, research design, data analysis, and
levels of analysis. This scrutiny presents researchers with new
opportunities to better capture entrepreneurial phenomena in their
investigations as well as new challenges about the design and execution
of their studies. 

The purpose of this special issue is to publish work that will
significantly enhance methodological practices in the field of
entrepreneurship. In particular, we seek to (a) codify existing
challenges about how methods are applied, (b) develop understanding
about how to resolve current dilemmas, (c) lay a foundation for
increased rigor in future studies, and (d) consider the implications of
methodological rigor on the development of the field. 

Appropriate topics for the special include, but are not limited to: 

1.	How methods developed in other fields (e.g., finance,
psychology, sociology, geography, anthropology) can enhance
entrepreneurship research;
2.	The integration between entrepreneurship theory and method; 
3.	How well extant studies have used particular research designs,
measurement approaches, and analytical techniques relative to 'best
practices;'
4.	How experimental designs can improve our understanding of
entrepreneurship;
5.	Overcoming challenges associated with sampling in
entrepreneurship studies, such as obtaining representative samples that
are free of survivor bias;
6.	The construct validity of key metrics, such as growth,
entrepreneurial orientation, and performance;
7.	The measurement of opportunities;
8.	The pitfalls of using cross-sectional and single-informant
designs, and potential remedies;
9.	The treatment of levels of analysis within entrepreneurship
inquiry; 
10.	How qualitative approaches can further enhance the study of
entrepreneurship; and
11.	Philosophy of science issues in the entrepreneurship context.  

We invite empirical, conceptual (i.e., new theory about method),
methodological, and literature review papers. Two types of papers will
be published: (a) Feature Articles and (b) Research Notes. Feature
articles are full-length manuscripts typical of ORM contributions.
Research notes are narrower in scope than a feature article. Research
notes should make an important contribution regardless of length, but
the contribution is more focused in scope, perhaps addressing a more
specific issue/topic as opposed to broader issues. Research notes should
be approximately 2500 words in length (excluding tables and references).
For all submissions, a paper's length relative to its contribution will
be an important metric for assessment.

All papers will undergo the standard double-blind ORM review process and
must meet the standards of the ORM Editorial Policy Statement (see
http://orm.sagepub.com). All articles published in this feature topic
must make strong contributions to improving our understanding of
research methods in entrepreneurship. Papers that address substantive as
opposed to methodological issues are better suited for more
substantively focused outlets.
 
The Guest Editors for this special issue are Jeremy Short, Texas Tech
University (jeremy.short at ttu.edu), Duane Ireland, Texas A&M University
(DIreland at mays.tamu.edu), and Dave Ketchen, Auburn University
(ketchda at auburn.edu).
 
To be considered for publication, a one-page article proposal/summary
must be sent by email to jeremy.short at ttu.edu by December 3, 2007. These
summarized proposals will be used only to ensure that the focus and
scope of each paper is appropriate for the special issue. The guest
editors will review the summaries and then invite authors to submit
complete papers. Authors with approved proposals must submit completed
manuscripts between May 18 and July 18, 2008.