Entrepreneurship as a discipline and field of study

Entrepreneurship as an emerging enquiry is interrogated and the rationale for engaging in entrepreneurial studies is discussed through several consolidated findings. Obstacles constraining the field are highlighted, with specific emphasis on how definitional caveats and theoretical incompleteness may lead to reluctance to accept entrepreneurship as an established discipline. The study of entreprenology is introduced as a means of establishing ontology for the field. The point is made that no discipline can exist without theory, and the necessity towards establishing a new science – entreprenology, would position entrepreneurship as a distinctive domain of study. Entrepreneurship as embodied in different paradigms is investigated, and due to the eclectic nature of the subject matter, meta-triangulation is recommended for studying this multifaceted phenomenon. Next, five criteria are stipulated against which to examine if a field may be considered an established discipline; these are scrutinised against current developments in the field. Moving to more descriptive content, the extent of participation in entrepreneurship studies is explored, and several different institutional formats, countries, and various forms of entrepreneurship programmes are scrutinised. The state-of affairs in entrepreneurship offerings at South Africa Higher Institutions are summarised. Based on empirical evidence, entrepreneurship offerings come in various shapes and forms, and results from several multinational surveys are interpreted in terms of syllabi and pedagogies utilised. Moreover, in order to illuminate the distinctiveness of this emerging discipline, sharp distinctions are raised between entrepreneurship and generic management and small business management. Finally, an African perspective is provided where it is intimated that current entrepreneurship studies in Africa are predominantly oriented towards preparing individuals for employment rather than for entrepreneurship.