Bitcoin is a digital currency that has gained significant traction as an economic instrument. Despite its rise, it has received little attention from the scholarly community. This study is one of the first studies to examine Bitcoin’s use as a complement to emerging markets currencies; more specifically, I analyze the value and volatility of Bitcoin relative to emerging market currencies and explore ways in which Bitcoin can complement emerging market currencies. The results suggest that Bitcoin has characteristics that make it well-suited to work as a complement to emerging market currencies and that there are ways to minimize Bitcoin’s risks.

We applied an institutional perspective lens to examining the relationship between corruption and entrepreneurship. Our results suggest that corruption plays an informal but legitimate institutional channel in facilitating entrepreneurship in sub-national regions with underdeveloped formal institutions. However, we also find the positive relationship between corruption and entrepreneurship is limited, and that high levels of corruption have a negative effect on entrepreneurship. Examining a longitudinal nationwide individual-level survey from China, we find an inverted U relationship between corruption and entrepreneurship; i.e., sub-national corruption at low levels is positively associated with focal regions’ prevalence of entrepreneurship, but prevalence of entrepreneurship is negatively correlated with high levels of corruption. Additionally, we find that sub-national regions with stronger marketization level (e.g., pro-market resource allocation and lower market entry barriers) can offset the diminishing positive effect of corruption. This study theoretically advances the puzzle of mixed findings on the corruption–entrepreneurship relationship by considering the sub-national region differences. We also enrich the understanding of the role of informal institutions on entrepreneurship activities in emerging markets.

This study holistically examined the startup companies in China that have quickly achieved unicorn status (that is, a $1 billion dollar plus valuation). To explore this phenomenon, the study used a two-phased case study methodology. In the first phase, the study explored the paths, positions, and processes that enabled the growth of all 68 Chinese unicorn firms. In the second phase, an in-depth cross-case analysis of two firms was performed. The two-phased study surfaced nine themes and three propositions relating to how the development of Chinese unicorns is enabled by strategic alliances, strong government relationships, and founders with unique backgrounds and capabilities. This is one of the first studies to explore the unicorn phenomenon in the context of Chinese firms, and the findings from this study have laid the foundation for the study of the Chinese unicorn phenomenon.

Women from around the world are making substantive contributions to new ventures. Research on this phenomenon is starting to increase, but to this point, most of the research on female entrepreneurship has only examined it from the perspective of developed countries. As such, there is a gap in understanding this phenomenon from the perspective of developing countries. Due to the lack of theoretical underpinnings, and exploratory research approach to unearthing new ideas was called for. Using 10 female entrepreneurs as case studies and depth interviews as the main source of data, this study explores female entrepreneurship in India. The study’s findings suggest that deep-rooted gender bias and family pressures are major challenges that female entrepreneurs in India face. This study’s findings also suggest that supportive husbands, stress management, and maintaining a good work–life balance are important to helping female high-tech entrepreneurs in India overcome the challenges that they face. The results from this study inform the literature on the plight of female entrepreneurs in India, and more broadly, the study contributes to the understanding of the challenges that female entrepreneurs all around the world face.