ABSTRACT
Much of the scholarly literature on entrepreneurship has been developed by economists and those in the fields of public policy or business management (for instance, see Birch 1979; Lenzi 1996; Malizia 1996; Miller 1990; Ross and Friedman 1990). These scholars use mainstream economic theories to examine business survival or failure, business growth, and job creation. Sociologists have been less likely to study entrepreneurship. When doing so, they focus primarily on micro-level social or cultural characteristics of the individual entrepreneur that motivate him or her to start a business and become successful (i.e., Bender 1980; DeCarlo and Lyons 1979; Goffee and Sease 1985; Humphreys and McClung 1981 ). Alternately, they focus on macro-structural factors affecting small firm survival and growth, sometimes with an emphasis on high growth, or very successful firms (i.e., Eisinger 1988; Harrison 1994; Piore and Sabel 1984).
