Founders' uses of digital networks for resource acquisition: Extending network theory online

Claudia G. Smith and J. Brock Smith

Journal of Business Research, 2021, vol. 125, issue C, 466-482

Abstract: Entrepreneurs invest considerable time and effort cultivating digital networks but it is not clear what benefits they derive from this investment. Emerging research on digital networks suggests that online networking behavior may differ from networking face-to-face due to affordances of digital network technologies. This article draws on depth interviews with 26 founders to investigate the extent to which founders extract resources from digital networks. Contrary to behavior predicted by current network theory, founders are found to extract few resources, other than information, from their digital networks. This is due, in large part, to lack of willingness resulting from perceived social judgment risk. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Keywords: Social media; Digital networks; Resource extraction; Entrepreneurs; Social judgment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296319304497
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:125:y:2021:i:c:p:466-482

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.032

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Business Research is currently edited by A. G. Woodside

More articles in Journal of Business Research from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().