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Mapping the aliran of the academic discipline of entrepreneurship: A ...

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1.1 Introducing <strong>the</strong> focus <strong>of</strong> this research<br />

1.1.1 Entrepreneurship<br />

1.1.2 Ph ilosophy<br />

1.1.3 Intended contributions<br />

1.1.0 The purpose <strong>of</strong> this chapter is: firstly to introduce <strong>the</strong> <strong>discipline</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>entrepreneurship</strong><br />

which is <strong>the</strong> subject <strong>of</strong> this investigation and briefly discuss some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> issues associated<br />

with its de velop ment; secondly to introduce <strong>the</strong> philosophic background which I will be<br />

using in <strong>the</strong> investigation; and thirdly to present <strong>the</strong> intended contributions <strong>of</strong> this work.<br />

1.1.1. Entrepreneurship<br />

1.1.1.00 The rapidly growing <strong>academic</strong> <strong>discipline</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>entrepreneurship</strong> has attained what<br />

some consider to be significant levels <strong>of</strong> growth over <strong>the</strong> last 40 years; however this<br />

growth has come under criticism from within <strong>the</strong> <strong>discipline</strong> as to <strong>the</strong> manner in which it<br />

has developed. This section introduces some <strong>of</strong> those criticisms, which are covered in more<br />

dept h in chapter 2.5, and introduces Foucault’s notion <strong>of</strong> dubious <strong>discipline</strong>s.<br />

1.1.1.01 The <strong>academic</strong> <strong>discipline</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>entrepreneurship</strong> has, been described as being one <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> fastest growing fields <strong>of</strong> <strong>academic</strong> study.<br />

The acade mic study <strong>of</strong> entrepr eneurship o ver <strong>the</strong> last 40 years can be considered to<br />

be a success, and especially since <strong>the</strong> early 1980s it has increased exponentially as<br />

few o<strong>the</strong>r fields have been able to showcase (Katz 2000, Steyaert 2003) [Steyaert<br />

and Katz, 2004, p181].<br />

Over <strong>the</strong> last five years <strong>the</strong> Academy <strong>of</strong> Management’s Entrepreneurship Division<br />

has “dramatically outpaced <strong>the</strong> growth <strong>of</strong> every o<strong>the</strong>r division” by 77 percent<br />

(Shaver, 2004) [Murphy, Liao and Welsch, 2006, p1].<br />

1.1.1.02 The volume <strong>of</strong> <strong>academic</strong> material and opportunities produced within <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>discipline</strong> has reached levels some consider significant.<br />

No less than 1,600 universities <strong>of</strong>fer 2,200 <strong>entrepreneurship</strong> courses. There are at<br />

least 277 endowed faculty positions and 44 refereed <strong>entrepreneurship</strong> journals<br />

(Katz, 2003). There are over 100 established and funded <strong>entrepreneurship</strong> centers<br />

<strong>of</strong>fering resources, consulting, and guidance to entrepreneurs, with pedagogical<br />

opportunities for students [Murphy, Liao and Welsch, 2006, p13].<br />

3

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