This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Entrepreneurial Risk and Market Entry

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Brian Wu
Anne Marie Knott
Abstract

This paper attempts to reconcile the risk-bearing characterization of entrepreneurs with the stylized fact that entrepreneurs exhibit conventional risk aversion profiles. We propose that the disparity arises from confounding two distinct dimensions of uncertainty: demand uncertainty and ability uncertainty. We further propose that entrepreneurs will be risk averse with respect to demand uncertainty, yet “risk-seeking” (or overconfident) with respect to ability uncertainty. To examine this view we model the entrepreneur’s entry decision then test the model empirically. We find that entrepreneurs in aggregate behave as we predict. Accordingly, risk-averse entrepreneurs are willing to bear market risk when the degree of ability uncertainty is comparable to the degree of demand uncertainty. A potential market failure exists however in instances where there is a high degree of demand uncertainty, but low ability uncertainty. In those settings there may be insufficient entry, competition and innovation.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/wkpbw249.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy in its series The Office of Advocacy Small Business Working Papers with number 05bwmk.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Length: 30 pages
Date of creation: 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:sba:wpaper:05bwmk

Contact details of provider:
Postal: 409 Third Street, SW, Washington DC 20416
Phone: 1-800-827-5722
Email:
Web page: http://www.sba.gov/
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Victoria Williams) or (Rob Kleinsteuber).

Related research
Keywords:

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Hellmann, Thomas F., 2002. "When Do Employees Become Entrepreneurs?," Research Papers 1770, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business. [Downloadable!]
  2. Richard J. Rosen, 1991. "Research and Development with Asymmetric Firm Sizes," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 22(3), pages 411-429, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Sarasvathy, D. K. & Simon, Herbert A. & Lave, Lester, 1998. "Perceiving and managing business risks: differences between entrepreneurs and bankers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 207-225, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Mitchell A. Petersen & Raghuram G. Rajan, 2002. "Does Distance Still Matter? The Information Revolution in Small Business Lending," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(6), pages 2533-2570, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. S.A. Lippman & R.P. Rumelt, 1982. "Uncertain Imitability: An Analysis of Interfirm Differences in Efficiency under Competition," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 13(2), pages 418-438, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Benjamin E. Hermalin & Nancy E. Wallace, 1994. "The Determinants of Efficiency and Solvency in Savings and Loans," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 25(3), pages 361-381, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Norton, William I, Jr & Moore, William T, 2002. " Entrepreneurial Risk: Have We Been Asking the Wrong Question?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 281-87, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Colin Camerer & Dan Lovallo, 1999. "Overconfidence and Excess Entry: An Experimental Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(1), pages 306-318, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Timothy Dunne & Mark J. Roberts & Larry Samuelson, 1988. "Patterns of Firm Entry and Exit in U.S. Manufacturing Industries," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 19(4), pages 495-515, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Jovanovic, Boyan, 1982. "Selection and the Evolution of Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(3), pages 649-70, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Mester, Loretta J., 1993. "Efficiency in the savings and loan industry," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2-3), pages 267-286, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Acs, Zoltan J & Audretsch, David B, 1988. "Innovation in Large and Small Firms: An Empirical Analysis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(4), pages 678-90, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Mitchell A. Petersen, 2000. "Does distance still matter? the information revolution in small business lending?," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, issue May, pages 103-107.
    Other versions:
  14. Robert E. Lucas Jr., 1978. "On the Size Distribution of Business Firms," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 9(2), pages 508-523, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Michael J. Mazzeo, 2004. "Retail Contracting and Organizational Form: Alternatives to Chain Affiliation in the Motel Industry," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 13(4), pages 599-615, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Norton, Seth W, 1988. "An Empirical Look at Franchising as an Organizational Form," Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 61(2), pages 197-218, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Henry Chesbrough & Richard S. Rosenbloom, 2002. "The role of the business model in capturing value from innovation: evidence from Xerox Corporation's technology spin-off companies," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(3), pages 529-555, June.
  18. Palich, Leslie E. & Ray Bagby, D., 1995. "Using cognitive theory to explain entrepreneurial risk-taking: Challenging conventional wisdom," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 10(6), pages 425-438, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Kihlstrom, Richard E & Laffont, Jean-Jacques, 1979. "A General Equilibrium Entrepreneurial Theory of Firm Formation Based on Risk Aversion," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(4), pages 719-48, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS indexes over 700000 items of research in Economics alone.

This page was last updated on 2009-6-19.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.