Ontologies and epistemologies in 'knowing' the nexus in entrepreneurship: burning rice hay and tracking elephants

摘要

The distinctive domain of entrepreneurship has been defined as the nexus of the entrepreneur and opportunities. We argue that this definition, as well as dominant research in entrepreneurship, is rooted in a Western perspective situated in market-based economies. In order to further the understanding of the dominant assumptions of the nature of the nexus (ontology) and our understanding of the nexus (epistemology), we interpret and reinterpret a case of an entrepreneurial venture in Vietnam. We propose that a multi-paradigm analysis in entrepreneurship will yield insights that are applicable to a more global perspective of entrepreneurship.