TY - CHAP

T1 - “Great Men’s” work or just an inevitable consequence?

T2 - 8th International Business Conference - IBC 2014

AU - Halberstadt, Jantje

AU - Burger, Clayton

AU - Hölzner, Heike

N1 - Conference code: 8

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - The drivers for innovation in entrepreneurship are widely studied but the event of Internet based companies has given rise to interesting questions and phenomena which are not guaranteed to be the same as in normal physical companies. This paper investigates the process of innovation of various international Internet start-ups. Two major innovation theories are considered, namely the Great Man and evolutionary theories, in the context of diffusion research in entrepreneurship. Numerous Internet start-ups across multiple countries are considered based on acceptance criteria for innovation and imitation. Of the considered start-ups, this paper poses a means of determining whether a start-up can be classified as an innovator or an imitator based on diffusion curves for a given business model. Of the considered start-ups, threeinnovators are identified and contrasted to determine the alignment of innovation theory with the drivers for their inception and success. Finally, recommendations are made for implementation of findings made in this paper.

AB - The drivers for innovation in entrepreneurship are widely studied but the event of Internet based companies has given rise to interesting questions and phenomena which are not guaranteed to be the same as in normal physical companies. This paper investigates the process of innovation of various international Internet start-ups. Two major innovation theories are considered, namely the Great Man and evolutionary theories, in the context of diffusion research in entrepreneurship. Numerous Internet start-ups across multiple countries are considered based on acceptance criteria for innovation and imitation. Of the considered start-ups, this paper poses a means of determining whether a start-up can be classified as an innovator or an imitator based on diffusion curves for a given business model. Of the considered start-ups, threeinnovators are identified and contrasted to determine the alignment of innovation theory with the drivers for their inception and success. Finally, recommendations are made for implementation of findings made in this paper.

KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics

KW - business ideas

KW - internet start-ups

KW - origin- and diffusion research

M3 - Article in conference proceedings

SN - 978-0-620-59801-9

SP - 697

EP - 707

BT - 8th International Business Conference 2014

A2 - Bisschoff, Ca.

PB - North-West University

Y2 - 19 August 2014 through 21 August 2014

ER -