关键词: 创业者社交行为, 扎根理论, 量表开发, 创业网络, 创业绩效

Abstract: The rapid development and extensive application of mobile internet and fourth/fifth-generation mobile communication technologies have made it common for entrepreneurs to interact and connect with business partners online. However, the extant conceptual framework and measures for entrepreneurs’ networking behavior cannot adequately capture entrepreneurs’ networking behavior in the digital era. There is an urgent need to expand the conceptual framework of entrepreneurs’ networking behaviors and develop a reliable and valid measure that takes digital social media into consideration. Therefore, this paper first develops a conceptual model of entrepreneurs’ networking behaviors using the grounded theory. The conceptual model includes four dimensions: “online broadening,” “offline broadening,” “online deepening,” and “offline deepening”. Then, it develops a scale based on this framework and previous measures. Finally, it conducts exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to test the reliability and validity of the scale. The results indicate that the newly developed scale exhibits strong reliability and validity. Using this measurement tool, this paper systematically examines the predictive validity of different entrepreneurs’ networking behaviors on new venture, with the “prism” (i.e., network quality) and “pipe” (i.e., network centrality) functions of entrepreneurial networks serving as mediating mechanisms. This paper deepens the understanding of entrepreneurs’ networking behaviors in the digital era, and the new scale facilitates empirical studies in this field. The predictive validation tests also provide initial theoretical support for the outcomes and underlying mechanism of entrepreneurs’ networking behavior in the digital era.

Key words: entrepreneurs’ networking behavior, grounded theory, scale development, entrepreneurial network, new venture performance