Asking the entrepreneur: an enquiry into entrepreneurial behaviour.
Woods, C. R
Keywords:
Austrian economics, entrepreneurship, personal construct psychology
Abstract:
Israel Kirzner’s work on alertness to opportunity has formed the centre of Austrian thinking on entrepreneurship and his contribution has lead to significant insights into the workings of the market. However, the process of entrepreneurial behaviour that intrigues many in the field of entrepreneurship research has been largely unexplored within the Austrian tradition and indeed within economics in general (Endres & Woods, 2006). Theoretical and operational insight into entrepreneurial behaviour can be gained by using Personal Construct Psychology (PCP). PCP provides one means of operationalising Kirzner’s theory of entrepreneurial alertness. This paper will outline the research methods used to explore the entrepreneur’s construct system and report findings from empirical work outlining some of the constructs influencing entrepreneurial behaviour.