Entrepreneur as Change Agent: Antecedents and Moderators of Individual-Level Philanthropic Behavior

Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC) 2008

Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2008

12 Pages Posted: 5 Mar 2009

See all articles by Joseph E. Coombs

Joseph E. Coombs

University of Richmond - E. Claiborne Robins School of Business

Abbie J. Shipp

Texas A&M University - Department of Management

Lisa Christensen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Abstract

What motivates entrepreneurs' philanthropic acts? Philanthropy has been key to American social and cultural development, and it is also a major driver, along with entrepreneurship, of the American economy. To help researchers better understand the antecedents of entrepreneurs' philanthropic giving, we develop a theoretical model of individual-level philanthropic actions. As antecedents of philanthropic actions in our model, we include three theoretical constructs (immortality striving, legacy creation, and generativity) from the psychology and social psychology literatures. We also propose several variables that we expect to moderate these relationships including entrepreneur age, gender, religious orientation, and wealth. Lastly, we offer directions for future research.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship

JEL Classification: M13

Suggested Citation

Coombs, Joseph E. and Shipp, Abbie J. and Christensen, Lisa, Entrepreneur as Change Agent: Antecedents and Moderators of Individual-Level Philanthropic Behavior. Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC) 2008, Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1348127

Joseph E. Coombs (Contact Author)

University of Richmond - E. Claiborne Robins School of Business ( email )

Richmond, VA 23173
United States

Abbie J. Shipp

Texas A&M University - Department of Management ( email )

430 Wehner
College Station, TX 77843-4218
United States

Lisa Christensen

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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