Clarifying Resource Dependence: A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Dependence and Autonomy in Entrepreneurial Firms

Entrepreneurial firms face dependence on other firms in the external environment to access resources critical for the development and survival of the firm. While substantial research has examined resource dependence and how firms may remedy such dependencies, the literature often fails to acknowledge key factors that can predict and explain firm behavior and outcomes in such situations. Firms are shown to enter into inter-organizational relationships in order to remedy resource dependencies, but studies typically evaluate such relationships according to their structure, rather than the resource being sought. Research also frequently ignores the role of autonomy in resource dependence. As gaining autonomy is the primary goal of resource dependence remedies, studies thus often assume autonomy is gained or may fail to consider the social complexity of the environment. Resource dependence remedies are also shown to vary in terms of their relationship to performance, creating additional questions within the literature. This dissertation seeks to shed light on these issues by considering the type of resource sought during a dependence remedy, the role of autonomy in dependence remedies, and how remedies relate to firm performance