Entrepreneurial growth expectations and information flows in networks

Irene Daskalopoulou and Anastasia Petrou

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: The study analyzes entrepreneur’s expectations regarding future growth by analyzing the relationship between information flows from networks and the perceived risk of decisions associated with the future size of a firm. The main proposition is that growth expectations might be the outcome of superior judgment stemming from privileged information derived from networks. To provide evidence in support of this hypothesis a sample selection model is estimated using a two-step estimation procedure. Cross-section questionnaire data are used in the empirical analysis. Evidence is provided on the role of inter-firm contacts and relationships as a mechanism able to assist entrepreneurs in better assessing and even reduce the risk and uncertainty associated with their present and future decisions regarding firm growth. The study provides evidence on the factors affecting expected growth rates while it explicitly formulates and tests the hypothesis that expectations regarding growth might be the outcome of superior judgment stemming from privileged information derived from networks. Analysis indicates that networks are indeed information mechanisms, however, such information should be specific to problem solving firm processes. Better informed entrepreneurs are those that foresee higher growth in the future, yet they are not blocked in only local networking.

Keywords: small firms; expected growth; networks; information; Greece. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D21 D83 O12 O18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse and nep-ent
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/22663/1/MPRA_paper_22663.pdf original version (application/pdf)

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:pra:mprapa:22663

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany Ludwigstraße 33, D-80539 Munich, Germany. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Joachim Winter ().