Abstract:
This study explored entrepreneurship within the context of the
online auction eBay to determine how this population locates and uses
inform ation. Following assumptions of the interpretive paradigm and a
grounded theory methodology, the investigator conducted two online
focus groups, 31 online interviews, and document analysis on
inform ation resources on the eBay web site over a period of four months.
Social constructionism, role theory, and the theory of bounded rationality
provided theoretical frameworks, and Taylor’s model of the Information
Use Environment provided a structure for data analysis and
presentation. This dissertation extended Taylor’s work by studying the
inform ation use environments of entrepreneurs while suggesting several
additions to Taylor’s model that more accurately portrayed online
entrepreneurs operating in the eBay context. According to Taylor,
individuals entering a profession are “socialized” into a common stock of
knowledge, which creates for them specific roles. eBay informants, w ith
diverse educational backgrounds and varied life and business
experiences, lacked this sort of entree. Their information behavior can be
understood in terms of Simon’s theory of bounded rationality since their
lack of knowledge prevented awareness and use of available inform ation
resources. Organizational, eBay-generated rules and unwritten rules of
the informants also enabled and constrained actions and behaviors
w ithin this environment, including information behaviors. Study results
indicated m ajor problems experienced by informants were related to
technology, though problems changed w ith more experience working in
this environment. The predominance of females parallels research
suggesting that women choose entrepreneurship because they desire
challenge and self-determ ination, a balance of fam ily and work
responsibilities, and career advancement. Taken together, the problems,
problem resolutions, and inform ation behavior of the study informants
closely resembled models of organizational socialization described in the
business literature. A model based on the data shows the importance of
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studying individual inform ation seekers in the context w ithin which they
operate when inform ation is sought rather than in isolation.
