Abstract
This article builds an enactment theory to explain the continuing commitment of entrepreneurs to an emerging organizational field like energy efficiency and renewable energy, which is widely seen as being in the interests of society. The authors propose that when such a field is constrained by such factors as low energy prices and a lack of government support, the actions that entrepreneurs take to educate stakeholders drives the entrepreneurs' continuing commitment to the field. These actions are supported by the entrepreneurs' perceptions of the field's attractiveness, their beliefs that they produce superior products and services, and their beliefs regarding the likelihood of disruptive exogeneous change.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 181-212 |
| Number of pages | 32 |
| Journal | Business and Society |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2013 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was initially supported by a grant from the McKnight Foundation. Energy Alley, an organization that was devoted to the advancement of energy efficient and renewable energy businesses, assisted us in carrying out this research.
Keywords
- commitment
- enactment
- energy efficiency and renewable energy
- entrepreneurs
- institutional theory
- organizational fields
- persistence
