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The entrepreneur as hero and jester: enacting the entrepreneurial discourse

The entrepreneur as hero and jester: enacting the entrepreneurial discourse
The entrepreneur as hero and jester: enacting the entrepreneurial discourse
Employing a social constructivist perspective, we argue that entrepreneurs are uniquely empowered by entrepreneurial discourse to bring about creative destruction. Analysis of the representation of entrepreneurship in the media suggests that entrepreneurs have a distinct presence in society that is shaped by cultural norms and expectations which present an entrepreneurial identity. But identity has two facts, the general, identified as "what" and the individual identity as "who". We explore the identity play of one flamboyant entrepreneur, Michael O'Leary, to show how he employs the entrepreneurial discourse to establish a unique entrepreneurial identity that is used to strategic advantage.
creative destruction, discourse, entrepreneur, entrepreneurial identity, media, narrative
0266-2426
589-609
Anderson, Alistair R.
3e65fdfb-0916-433c-9ec9-f0b2f1e98531
Warren, Lorraine
1ec8193d-f90f-48f6-9205-041dcf89121d
Anderson, Alistair R.
3e65fdfb-0916-433c-9ec9-f0b2f1e98531
Warren, Lorraine
1ec8193d-f90f-48f6-9205-041dcf89121d

Anderson, Alistair R. and Warren, Lorraine (2011) The entrepreneur as hero and jester: enacting the entrepreneurial discourse. International Small Business Journal, 29 (6), 589-609. (doi:10.1177/0266242611416417).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Employing a social constructivist perspective, we argue that entrepreneurs are uniquely empowered by entrepreneurial discourse to bring about creative destruction. Analysis of the representation of entrepreneurship in the media suggests that entrepreneurs have a distinct presence in society that is shaped by cultural norms and expectations which present an entrepreneurial identity. But identity has two facts, the general, identified as "what" and the individual identity as "who". We explore the identity play of one flamboyant entrepreneur, Michael O'Leary, to show how he employs the entrepreneurial discourse to establish a unique entrepreneurial identity that is used to strategic advantage.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 16 August 2011
Published date: December 2011
Additional Information: ranjed at 3 in ABS list
Keywords: creative destruction, discourse, entrepreneur, entrepreneurial identity, media, narrative
Organisations: Southampton Business School

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 58471
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/58471
ISSN: 0266-2426
PURE UUID: 300f1476-ce8f-4621-a3d5-a6ddf73c04db

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Date deposited: 19 Aug 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:11

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Contributors

Author: Alistair R. Anderson
Author: Lorraine Warren

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