Skip to main content

Part of the book series: International Studies in Entrepreneurship ((ISEN,volume 8))

  • 2090 Accesses

Abstract

Howard Aldrich’s work is characterized by true scientific curiosity and a theoretical strength that is unique in entrepreneurship research. Aldrich has been true to his theoretical framework ever since he started to develop his thoughts around the evolutionary approach, an approach that, for many years, has underpinned most of his research and demonstrated the potential of a strong conceptual framework in the area of entrepreneurship and small business issues. He has proved that it is possible to achieve a far-reaching understanding of entrepreneurship by means of a consistent theoretical language. Based on the evolutionary approach, Howard Aldrich has not only made significant contributions in the area of formation and development of new firms, but also in other sub-topics of entrepreneurship such as the role of ethnicity, networks, and gender in the formation and growth of organizations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

Entrepreneurship research

  • Aldrich, H.E., 1992, Methods in Our Madness? Trends in Entrepreneurship Research, in Sexton, D.L. & Kasarda, J.D. (eds.), The state of the art of entrepreneurship, Boston: PWS-Kent, 191–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E., 2000, Learning together: National differences in entrepreneurship research, in Sexton, D.L. & Landström, H. (eds.), The Blackwell Handbook of Entrepreneurship, Oxford: Blackwell, 5–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E., 2001, Who Wants to Be an Evolutionary Theorist?, Journal of Management Inquiry, 10, 2, 115–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Baker, T., 1997, Blinded by the cites? Has there been progress in entrepreneurship research?, in Sexton, D.L. & Smilor, R.W. (eds.), Entrepreneurship 2000, Chicago: Uppstart Publishers, 377–400.

    Google Scholar 

Evolutionary perspective

  • Aldrich, H.E., 1972, Organizational Boundaries and Inter-Organizational Conflicts, Human Relations, 24, 4, 279–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E., 1979, Organizations and environments, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E., 1999, Organizations evolving, Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Herker, D., 1977, Boundary Spanning roles and Organizational Structure, Academy of Management Review, 2, 217–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Pfeffer, J., 1976, Environments of Organizations, in Inkeles, A. (ed.), Annual Review of Sociology, Vol III, Palo Alto: Annual Review Inc, 79–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Whetten, D., 1981, Organization-sets, Action-sets, and Networks: Making the Most of Simplicity, in Nystrom, P. & Starbuck, W. (eds.), Handbook of Organizational Design, New York: Oxford University Press, 385–408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boeker, W., 1988, Organizational origins: Entrepreneurial and environmental imprinting at the time of founding, in Carroll, G.R. (ed.), Ecological models of organization,Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 33–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, G., 1983, A stochastic model of organizational mortality: Review and reanalysis, Social Science Research, 12, 4, pp 303–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartner, W.E. & Bird, B.J. & Starr, J.A., 1992, Acting As If: Differentiating Entrepreneurial From Organizational Behavior, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Spring, 13–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannan, M.T., 1986, Competitive and institutional processes in organizational ecology, Ithaca, BY: Cornell University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannan, M.T. & Freeman, J.H., 1977, The population ecology of organizations, American Journal of Sociology, 82, 929–964.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hannan, M.T. & Freeman, J.H., 1984, Structural inertia and organizational change, American Sociological Review, 49, 149–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hannan, M.T. & Freeman, J.H., 1989, Organizational ecology, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murmann, J.P. & Aldrich, H.E. & Levinthal, D. & Winter, S.G., 2003, Evolutionary Thought in Management and Organization Theory at the Beginning of the New Millennium, Journal of Management Inquiry, 12, 1, 22–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, R.R. & Winter, S.G., 1982, An evolutionary theory of economic change, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanelli, E., 1989, Organization birth and population variety: A community perspective on origins, in Staw, B.M. & Cummings, L.L. (eds.), Research in organizational behavior, 11, 211–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stinchcombe, A., 1965, Social structure and organization, in March, J.G. (ed.), Handbook of organizations, Chicago: Rand-McNally, 142–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K.E., 1979, The social psychology of organizing, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whetten, D. & Aldrich, H.E., 1979, Organization Set Size and Diversity: Links Between People Processing Organizations and Their Environments, Administration and Society, 11, 3, 251–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Business formation

  • Aldrich, H.E., 1990, Using an ecological perspective to study organizational founding rates, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 14, 3, 7–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H. & Auster, E.R., 1986, Even dwarfs started small: Liabilities of age and size and their strategic implications, in Staw, B. & Cummings, L.L. (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, 8, Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, 165–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Fiol, C.M., 1994, Fools rush in? The institutional context of industry creation, Academy of Management Review, 19, 4, 645–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Mueller, S., 1981, The Evolution of Organizational Forms: Technology, Coordination, and Control, in Staw, B. & Cummings, L.L. (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol IV, JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Wiedenmayer, G., 1993, From traits to rates: An ecological perspective on organizational foundings, in Katz, J.A. & Brockhaus, R.H. (eds.), Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence and Growth, Volume 1, Greenwich: JAI Press. 145–195.

    Google Scholar 

Ethnicity and entrepreneurship

  • Aldrich, H. & Cater, J. & Jones, T. & McEvoy, D. & Velleman, P., 1985, Ethnic Residential Concentration and the Protected Market Hypothesis, Social Forces, 63, 4, 996–1009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Waldinger, R., 1990, Ethnicity and Entrepreneurship, Annual Review of Sociology, 16, 111–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blaschke, J. & Boissevain, J. & Grotenbreg, H. & Joseph, I. & Morokvasic, M. & Ward, R., 1990, European Trends in Ethnic Business, in Waldinger, R. & Aldrich, H. & Ward, R. (eds.), Ethnic Entrepreneurs, Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Light, I., 1972, Ethnic Enterprise in America, Berkeley: University of California Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldinger, R. & Aldrich, H., 1990a, Trends in Ethnic Business in the United States, in Waldinger, R. & Aldrich, H. & Ward, R. (eds.), Ethnic Entrepreneurs, Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldinger, R. & Aldrich, H. & Ward, R., 1990b, Opportunities, Group Characteristics and Strategies, in Waldinger, R. & Aldrich, H. & Ward, R. (eds.), Ethnic Entrepreneurs, Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmer, C. & Aldrich, 1987, Resource mobilization through ethnic networks: Kinship and friendship ties of shopkeepers in England, Sociological Perspective, 30, 422–455.

    Google Scholar 

Networks

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Reese, P.R., 1993, Does networking pay off? A panel study of entrepreneurs in the research triangle, Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 325– 339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H. & Rosen, B. & Woodward, W., 1987, The impact of social networks on business foundings and profit: A longitudinal study, Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research, 154–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Sakano, T., 1998, Unbroken Ties. Comparing Personal Business Networks Cross-Nationally, in Fruin, W.M. (ed.), Networks, Markets and the Pacific Rim, New York: Oxford University Press, 32–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H. & Zimmer, C., 1986, Entrepreneurship Through Social Networks, in Sexton, D.L. & Smilor, R.W. (eds.), The Art and Science of Entrepreneurship, Cambridge, MA: Ballinger, 3–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubini, P. & Aldrich, H., 1991, Personal and Extended Networks are Central to the Entrepreneurial Process, Journal of Business Venturing, 6, 305–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granovetter, M., 1973, The Strength of Weak Ties, American Journal of Sociology, 78, 6, 1360–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reese, P.R. & Aldrich, H.E., 1995, Entrepreneurship networks and business performance. A panel study of small and medium-sized firms in the research triangle, in Birley, S. & MacMillan, I.C. (eds.), International Entrepreneurship, London: Routledge, 124–144.

    Google Scholar 

Women entrepreneurship

  • Aldrich, H., 1989, Networking among women entrepreneurs, in Hagan, O. & Rivchun, C. & Sexton, D. (eds.), Women-owned businesses, New York: Praeger, 103–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Elam, A.B. & Reese, P.R., 1997, Strong ties, weak ties, and strangers. Do women owners differ from men in their use of networking to obtain assistance?, in Birley, S. & MacMillan, I.C. (eds.), Entrepreneurship in global context, London: Routledge, 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H. & Reese, P.R. & Dubini, P., 1989, Women on the verge of a breakthrough: networking among entrepreneurs in the United States and Italy, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 1, 339–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aldrich, H.E. & Sakano, T., 1998, Unbroken Ties. Comparing Personal Business Networks Cross-Nationally, in Fruin, W.M. (ed.), Networks, Markets and the Pacific Rim, New York: Oxford University Press, 32–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, T. & Aldrich, H.E. & Liou, N., 1997, Invisible entrepreneurs: the neglect of women business owners by mass media and scholarly journals in the USA, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 9, 221–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hans Landström .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Landström, H. (2010). Howard Aldrich. In: Pioneers in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Research. International Studies in Entrepreneurship, vol 8. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-23633-3_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics