Online Home Based Businesses: Systematic Literature Review And Future Research Agenda

Home based businesses account for a significant proportion of all businesses. They are highly heterogeneous and therefore studies in the domain should focus on distinct types of home based businesses. This study describes a systematic review of the literature that addresses online home based businesses. The review addresses three related topics: the development of an up to date definition, identification of the salient characteristics of online home based business entrepreneurs and their businesses and the proposal of an agenda for future research. This review shows that certain characteristics are more salient in online home based entrepreneurs and their businesses. We describe how the salient characteristics of the businesses are inter-related with those of the entrepreneurs, suggesting these businesses attract different types of individuals into entrepreneurship and hence the social and economic benefits this can yield