How fairness perceptions affect new-venture development

This study explores the influence of fairness perceptions of entrepreneurs on the development of their new ventures. A sample of new ventures, exploiting intellectual property from the same university, are studied with regard to their perceptions of fairness of their relation with the university. Interview, archival and performance data are analyzed by different methods to identify key conditions, event sequences and consequences related to the entrepreneur¿s fairness perceptions. Our findings suggest the perception of unfairness relates to substantial delays in the venturing process as well as lower short term performance, while perceived fairness involves a more rapid pattern of development. Furthermore, we find that these perceptions are to some extent conditioned by the experience of the entrepreneur. This study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by identifying and analyzing the impact of fairness perceptions on entrepreneurial behavior.