Field of Expertise «Entrepreneurial Development»

Alexander Fust on the university's research platform «Alexandria»

External researchers: Prof. Dr. Tobias Jenert Universität Paderborn, Prof. Dr. Christoph Winkler IONA College NY

Entrepreneurial development in uncertain contexts

Digitization, new business models, great uncertainty. Against this backdrop, it is clear that the further development of entrepreneurial personalities is crucial in order to be able to guarantee one's own competitive position in the future.

Our research deals with the following topics:

• How do entrepreneurs search for new business ideas?
• How can entrepreneurs learn more systematically in order to obtain the relevant information more efficiently and effectively?
• How do entrepreneurs regulate their motivation especially in times of such great uncertainty and remain productive?
• What does digitization actually mean for entrepreneurs?
• What AI applications can SMEs use?

Key publications

• Winkler, C., Jenert T. & Fust, A. (2021). From entrepreneurial experience to expertise: A self-regulated learning perspective (JSBM, Journal of Small Business Management)
• Fust, A., Graf, A., Züger, T., Brunner, C., & Baghdassarian, M. (2020). Ein Leitfaden für die Digitalisierung in KMU. Wie digitale Anwendungen die internen Prozesse verbessern. St. Gallen: OBT AG.
• Fust, A. P., Jenert, T., & Winkler, C. (2017). Experiential or Self-Regulated Learning: A Critical Reflection of Entrepreneurial Learning Processes. Entrepreneurship Research Journal, 8(2).
• Winkler, C., Fust, A., & Jenert, T. (2016). Differentiating Novice, Non-expert and Expert Entrepreneurs: A Self-regulated Learning Perspective. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2016, No. 1, p. 12056). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.
• Fust, A., Wustrow, P. & Fueglistaller, U. (2016). Entrepreneurial Information Search Behavior for Opportunity Recognition: Scale Development and Validation. Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research: 36(11).
• Wustrow, P. S. F. (2018). Entrepreneurial Information Search Behavior for Opportunity Recognition Measurement – Antecedents – Outcomes. Dissertation an der Universität St. Gallen
• Fueglistaller, U., Fust, A., Schaffner, R., & Ammann, M. (2016). KMU und die Einführung von ERP-Systemen. Ein Leitfaden für die unternehmerische Praxis mit IT-unterstützter Ressourcenplanung und-steuerung.
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Projects

Main project 2021-2023

SNF project «Self-regulation and dealing with uncertainty: How to support entrepreneurs to better cope with uncertain decision-making»

Our research activities include contributions to basic and applied research.

Contributions to basic research:

In basic research, we are interested in two topics. 1. information search processes for business ideas and 2. self-regulated learning.

1. Information search processes for business ideas: We have been able to show in our research that entrepreneurs search for business ideas mostly passively, actively and systematically. In addition to developing a new scale, we have also been able to show what favours the development of innovative business ideas.

2 Self-regulated learning: An important concept in pedagogy in research and teaching for 20 years, this concept has not yet fully established itself in the field of entrepreneurship. It is about entrepreneurs being able to learn more systematically with this approach and above all to regulate their cognition and motivation. As a consequence, they can further develop their learning processes, learning activities and learning strategies. We have developed a new scale and are investigating how self-regulated learning unfolds by entrepreneurs, what the results of these processes are and how it can be promoted in entrepreneurship education.

Contributions to applied research:

We also implement the above-mentioned themes in applied research, for example by mirroring the results with groups of exchanges of experience and further developing the approach. We also introduced elements from this into our SME leadership competence framework concept.

In addition to these topics, we are interested in how digitisation can be made more concrete and comprehensible for SMEs. We would like to show tools and possibilities how SMEs can benefit from digitisation.

Impact and transfer

All these topics are implemented in different forms in the field of transfer. Lectures are given at events of entrepreneurs, workshops are held with entrepreneurs or the findings are incorporated into our groups of exchange of experience.

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