Collaboration with RWTH Aachen University on developing empirical research on entrepreneurial effectuation

As part of the RCN-funded project 'Northern Insights' researchers at Bodø Graduate School of Business (HHB) and Nordland Research Institute (NRI) has worked with developing knowledge related to new business start-ups in the tourism industries. One researc h question is related to the approaches entrepreneurs take when starting a new firm within the tourism sector, and the consequences these approaches have for the further development of new firms. In relation to this topic, we work with recent development within entrepreneurship literature related to the Theory of Effectuation (Sarasvathy, 2001, 2008). We have in this respect made contact with a research group at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, who also conduct work in the same area. We now seek fundi ng to strengthen the collaboration between HHB/NRI and RWTH Aachen on this issue. Thus, the collaboration project will involve two strong European research groups in entrepreneurship which both have conducted work related to the theory of effectuation. Th e group at RWTH Aachen University has, amongst other issues, adapted effectuation theory for the corporate setting, and has as a part of this developed measurement instruments to be able to measure effectuation approaches empirically. The research group a t HHB has worked with effectuation theory in relation to new business start-ups and as part of this work, has worked with further development of measurement scales for empirical testing. By joining forces and collaborating more extensively in this area, t here is potential for important contributions to this area of research. The focus of the collaboration project will be to meet, discuss each other?s and joint work and thereby further develop instruments and good practices for empirical research in this a rea. An important aim will be joint publications based on empirical data.