Entrepreneurial intensity: the influence of antecedents to corporate entrepreneurship in firms operating in South Africa

The turbulent, rapidly changing knowledge economy has forced enterprises to become more entrepreneurial in order to capitalise on new opportunities and to create value. Previous research has shown the financial and non-financial benefits of corporate entrepreneurship (CE), but the implementation and management of CE remains problematic. Despite heightened awareness and interest by both scholars and practitioners in studying and better understanding entrepreneurship within large organisations, CE is still regarded as an emerging field of inquiry. Furthermore, limited research has thus far been conducted on CE and entrepreneurial intensity (EI) in the South African context. A review of the CE literature revealed a research gap that culminated in the following research question: How do the antecedents to CE influence the entrepreneurial intensity of firms active in e-business operating in South Africa?Submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of Stellenbosch, 2007