How to employ agent-based modeling and simulation as a viable method in process-oriented entrepreneurship research

摘要

Over a decade, there has been a call for process-oriented conception in entrepreneurship research,udyet the vast majority of entrepreneurship studies are still variance-oriented (Martinez, Yang, &udAldrich, 2011; McMullen & Dimov, 2013). Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) mayudbe a viable method for the process-oriented entrepreneurship research (Crawford et al., 2015;udMcKelvey, 2004). Key features of ABMS include its multi-agent and multi-level modelingudcapabilities. ABMS can be composed of heterogeneous agents and reproduce the emergence of audphenomenon at macro-level by each agent’s behavior at micro-level. ABMS investigates theudtemporal or sequential effects of their actions and interactions during the process by computerudsimulations. However, it is difficult to find applications of ABMS in entrepreneurship studies.udThis underutilization may be associated with the lack of entrepreneurship scholars’ understandingudof or familiarity with the features and procedures of ABMS. In contrast, we can find relativelyudmany agent-based models (ABMs) in business and management studies (Fioretti, 2013). Thus, inudthis study, we analyze the high-impact ABMs in these adjacent fields to gain methodologicaludinsights for the process-oriented entrepreneurship research.