Shon R. Hiatt
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Shon Hiatt is an assistant professor of business administration in the Organizational Behavior Unit. He teaches the Leadership and Organizational Behavior (LEAD) course in the MBA program required curriculum, and also teaches in the Agribusiness Seminar and Global Energy Seminar executive education programs. He is engaged in the HBS Business and Environment initiative and is a faculty affiliate of the Harvard University Center for the Environment.
Professor Hiatt’s research explores issues related to institutional change, innovation, and business strategy in a diverse set of economic contexts, ranging from the energy and agribusiness sectors to emerging economies. He received the Kauffman Foundation Entrepreneurship Dissertation Fellowship Award for his work on the U.S. biodiesel industry, was a finalist in the 2009 INFORMS/Organization Science Dissertation Proposal Competition, and was a Nominee for the Academy of Management's Louis Pondy Best Dissertation Paper Award. His research has been published in Best Paper Proceedings of the Academy of Management, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Strategic Management Journal.
Professor Hiatt received his Ph.D. from Cornell University. He graduated from Brigham Young University, where he also earned an MPA. Prior to his academic career, he was involved in international development, working with Latin American microfinance institutions and focusing on new-venture performance.
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Article
| Academy of Management Journal
| Forthcoming
Lords of the Harvest: Third-party Influence and Regulatory Approval of Genetically Modified Organisms
Shon R. Hiatt and Sangchan Park
Little is known about the factors that influence regulatory-agency decision making. We posit that regulatory agencies are influenced by the firms they regulate, but not exclusively via dyadic exchanges as is traditionally argued in the regulatory capture and business-government literatures. Instead, regulatory decisions are indirectly shaped via third-party actors who shield agencies from legitimacy threats. Focusing empirically on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's approval of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), we find that product assessments by powerful stakeholders and peer agencies influence product approval and that their effects vary under different threats. We also discuss the implications of these findings for business-government relations, nonmarket strategy, and organization theory.
Keywords: Strategy;
Government and Politics;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
United States;
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Article
| Strategic Management Journal
| Forthcoming
Clear and Present Danger: Planning and New Venture Survival amid Political and Civil Violence
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Although entrepreneurs constitute a key economic driving force for many countries, they often face unstable environments due to violence and civil unrest. Yet, we know very little about how environments characterized by high levels of political and civil violence affect new venture processes and survival. Moreover, it is unclear whether standard theories about organizational strategy, such as planning, hold true in such environments. We explore these issues using a sample of 730 new ventures in Colombia from 1997 to 2001. We find that political and civil violence decreases firm survival, increases the benefits of incremental (operational) planning, and decreases the benefits of comprehensive (strategic) planning.
Keywords: conflict;
violence;
political turmoil;
civil unrest;
Entrepreneurship;
Business Startups;
Government and Politics;
Balance and Stability;
Crime and Corruption;
Business Strategy;
Planning;
Colombia;
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Article
| Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings
|
Lords of the Harvest: Symbolic Signaling and Regulatory Approval of Genetically Modified Organisms
Shon R. Hiatt and Sangchan Park
Keywords: Science;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
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Article
| Administrative Science Quarterly
|
From Pabst to Pepsi: The Deinstitutionalization of Social Practices and the Emergence of Entrepreneurial Opportunities
Shon R. Hiatt, Wesley Sine and Pamela Tolbert
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Opportunities;
Society;
Food and Beverage Industry;
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Book Review
| Administrative Science Quarterly
|
Review of From the Ground Up: Grassroots Organizations Making Social Change by Carol Chetkovich and Frances Kunreuther
Wesley Sine and Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Information;
Organizations;
Society;
Change;
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Article
| Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings
|
Networking, Planning, and the Effect of Political Institutions on New-venture Survival
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Planning;
Government and Politics;
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Chapter
| Institutions and Entrepreneurship
| 2010
The Shape of Things to Come: Institutions, Entrepreneurs, and the Case of Hedge Funds
Pamela Tolbert and Shon R. Hiatt
Foundational work on institutional theory as a framework for studying organizations underscored its relevance to analyses of entrepreneurship, but entrepreneurship research has often ignored the insights provided by this theoretic approach. In this chapter, we illustrate the utility of institutional theory as a central framework for explaining entrepreneurial phenomena by discussing three primary questions for entrepreneurship researchers: Under what conditions are individuals likely to found new organizations? What are key influences on the kinds of organizations they found? And what factors determine the likelihood of the survival of new organizations? We describe the kinds of answers that an institutional perspective provides to these questions, illustrate some of our arguments by drawing on a recent field of entrepreneurial endeavor, hedge funds, and discuss the implications of our analysis for further work by entrepreneurship researchers.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Organizations;
Research;
Theory;
Financial Services Industry;
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Foreword
| Soft Drink Bottlers of the United States
| 2009
American Soft Drink Industry
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Food and Beverage Industry;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. " American Soft Drink Industry." Foreword to Soft Drink Bottlers of the United States, by Dennis Fewless, and Christopher Weide. Jacksonville, FL: Platform 3 Research, 2009.
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Chapter
| Sociological Classics and Organizational Research
| 2008
On Organizations and Oligarchies: Michels in the 21st Century
Pamela Tolbert and Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Organizations;
Government and Politics;
Citation: Tolbert, Pamela, and Shon R. Hiatt. "On Organizations and Oligarchies: Michels in the 21st Century." In Sociological Classics and Organizational Research, edited by Paul S. Adler, 174–1999. London: Oxford University Press, 2008.
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Technical Note
| HBS Case Collection
|
2012
(Revised from original 2012 version)
Congruence Model Note
Shon R. Hiatt and James Weber
This note describes the Congruence Model, a method by which an organization can assess whether its building blocks (critical tasks, formal organizational arrangements, people, and culture) are aligned (congruent) with its strategy. The model postulates that misalignments are at the root of performance gaps within the organization.
Keywords: Organizational Design;
Organizational Structure;
Business Processes;
Alignment;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and James Weber. " Congruence Model Note." Harvard Business School Technical Note 413-037, October 2012. (Revised from original August 2012 version.)
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Supplement
| HBS Case Collection
|
2012
Paulo Puterman, Co-Founder of Sykue Bioenergya, In-class Comments (November 8, 2011)
Shon Hiatt and Ian Cornell
Keywords: Energy Industry;
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Teaching Note
| HBS Case Collection
|
2012
(Revised from original 2012 version)
Sykué Bioenergya (TN)
Shon R. Hiatt and Ian Cornell
Keywords: Energy Sources;
Energy Industry;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Ian Cornell. " Sykué Bioenergya (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 412-106, October 2012. (Revised from original February 2012 version.)
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
|
2012
(Revised from original 2011 version)
Sykué Bioenergya
Shon R. Hiatt
Sykué Bioenergya (Sykué) was formed in April 2006 with the goal of building four 30 megawatt (MW) bioelectricity power plants in Brazil's Bahia province, 1,500 kilometers north of Sao Paulo. Bahia's savannah-like conditions were perfect for growing elephant grass, a biomass with substantial energy-generating potential. In November 2010 the first plant was online and Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs) had been signed for 27 MW of the 30 MW capacity. Despite this accomplishment, however, the four years between conception and implementation were littered with management setbacks, including lack of capital, an abundance of debt, and increased skepticism among prospective investors and clients about the potential of the project. This case is taught in the HBS executive education Global Agribusiness and Energy executive education seminars. The case is also appropriate for the organizational congruence module of the first-year MBA course Leadership and Organizational Behavior, and second-year MBA electives Innovation Management and Leading Energy Businesses.
Keywords: Biotechnology Industry;
Energy Industry;
Brazil;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. " Sykué Bioenergya." Harvard Business School Case 412-062, October 2012. (Revised from original September 2011 version.)
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Conference Presentation
|
Aug
2012
Business and Environment: How Institutions Drive Technological Development in Sustainable Energy
Shon R. Hiatt
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Business and Environment: How Institutions Drive Technological Development in Sustainable Energy." In Academy of Management Showcase Symposium. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, August 2012.
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Conference Presentation
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Aug
2012
Collective Activism and Market Identity Change in the U.S. Biomass Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Collective Activism and Market Identity Change in the U.S. Biomass Sector." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, August 2012.
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Conference Presentation
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Aug
2012
Influence of Non-confrontational SMO Tactics on Technology Adoption in the Energy Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Influence of Non-confrontational SMO Tactics on Technology Adoption in the Energy Sector." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, August 2012.
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Conference Presentation
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16
May
2012
Constructing Institutional Ambiguity: Technology Definitions and Entrepreneurship in the U.S. Geothermal Power Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Constructing Institutional Ambiguity: Technology Definitions and Entrepreneurship in the U.S. Geothermal Power Sector." Paper presented at the 4th Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability Annual Research Conference, New Haven, CT, May 16, 2012.
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Conference Presentation
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5
May
2012
Construction of Ambiguous Technology Definitions and Entrepreneurship in The U.S. Geothermal Power Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Construction of Ambiguous Technology Definitions and Entrepreneurship in The U.S. Geothermal Power Sector." Paper presented at the Darden Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research Conference, May 5, 2012.
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Conference Presentation
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Sep
2011
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2011
From Farms to Fuel Tanks: Collective Actors and New-venture Innovation in the U.S. Biodiesel Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Innovation and Invention;
Energy Industry;
Green Technology Industry;
Biotechnology Industry;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "From Farms to Fuel Tanks: Collective Actors and New-venture Innovation in the U.S. Biodiesel Sector." Paper presented at the ABC Organizing Institutions Conference, Cambridge, MA, September 2011.
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Conference Presentation
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Aug
2011
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2011
Institutional Heterogeneity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in the U.S. Biodiesel Fuel Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Innovation and Invention;
Entrepreneurship;
Business Ventures;
Energy Industry;
Green Technology Industry;
Biotechnology Industry;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Institutional Heterogeneity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in the U.S. Biodiesel Fuel Sector." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, August 2011.
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Conference Presentation
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Aug
2011
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2011
Innovation and Organizational Responses to Sustainability: An Institutional Perspective
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Innovation and Invention;
Organizations;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Innovation and Organizational Responses to Sustainability: An Institutional Perspective." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, August 2011. (Chaired and organized symposium.)
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Conference Presentation
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Aug
2011
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2011
Innovation and Regulative Ambiguities in the U.S. Geothermal Power Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Innovation and Invention;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Innovation and Regulative Ambiguities in the U.S. Geothermal Power Sector." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, August 2011.
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Conference Presentation
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Aug
2011
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2011
Military Ties, New Venture Performance, and Political Risk Management in Emerging Economies
Shon R. Hiatt
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Military Ties, New Venture Performance, and Political Risk Management in Emerging Economies." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, August 2011.
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Conference Presentation
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10
May
2011
Lords of the Harvest: Reputation Concerns and Regulatory Approval of Genetically Modified Organisms
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Reputation;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Lords of the Harvest: Reputation Concerns and Regulatory Approval of Genetically Modified Organisms." Paper presented at the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability Annual Research Conference, Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2011.
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Conference Presentation
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09
May
2011
Lords of the Harvest: Reputation Concerns and Regulatory Approval of Genetically Modified Organisms
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Reputation;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Lords of the Harvest: Reputation Concerns and Regulatory Approval of Genetically Modified Organisms." Paper presented at the Strategy and the Business Environment Conference, Philadelphia, PA, May 09, 2011.
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Conference Presentation
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15
Apr
2011
Lords of the Harvest: Reputation Concerns and Regulatory Approval of Genetically Modified Organisms
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Reputation;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Lords of the Harvest: Reputation Concerns and Regulatory Approval of Genetically Modified Organisms." Paper presented at the MIT-Harvard Economic Sociology Seminar, April 15, 2011.
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Conference Presentation
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1
Aug
2010
Lords of the harvest: Symbolic signaling and regulatory approval of genetically modified organisms in the nascent U.S. agriculture-biotechnology sector
Shon R. Hiatt and Sangchan Park
Keywords: Science;
Technology;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Agribusiness;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Biotechnology Industry;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Sangchan Park. "Lords of the harvest: Symbolic signaling and regulatory approval of genetically modified organisms in the nascent U.S. agriculture-biotechnology sector." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, August 01, 2010.
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Conference Presentation
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13
Nov
2009
MBAs as revolutionary change agents
Shon R. Hiatt and Warner Woodworth
Keywords: Higher Education;
Change;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Warner Woodworth. "MBAs as revolutionary change agents." Paper presented at the Net Impact Conference, Ithaca, NY, November 13, 2009.
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Conference Presentation
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11
Oct
2009
The impact of institutional actors as attention structures on entrepreneurial activity in the U.S. biodiesel industry
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Energy Industry;
Biotechnology Industry;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "The impact of institutional actors as attention structures on entrepreneurial activity in the U.S. biodiesel industry." Paper presented at the INFORMS Annual Meeting, Issues in New Product Development Series, San Diego, CA, October 11, 2009.
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Conference Presentation
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7
Aug
2009
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11
Aug
2009
Classical sociologists confront our environmental issues
Shon R. Hiatt and Pamela Tolbert
Keywords: Natural Environment;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Pamela Tolbert. "Classical sociologists confront our environmental issues." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago, August 07–11, 2009.
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Conference Presentation
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06
Jun
2009
Political and civil turmoil, planning, and new-venture survival in Colombia
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Government and Politics;
Civil Society or Community;
Business Ventures;
Planning;
Colombia;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Political and civil turmoil, planning, and new-venture survival in Colombia." Paper presented at the Administrative Science Association of Canada Conference, Niagara Falls, June 06, 2009.
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Conference Presentation
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01
May
2009
The enabling and constraining effects of attention structures on entrepreneurial activity in the U.S. biodiesel industry
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Energy Industry;
Biotechnology Industry;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "The enabling and constraining effects of attention structures on entrepreneurial activity in the U.S. biodiesel industry." Paper presented at the Smith Entrepreneurship Research Conference, May 01, 2009.
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Conference Presentation
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05
Sep
2008
From Pabst to Pepsi: The deinstitutionalization of social practices and the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities
Shon R. Hiatt, Wesley Sine and Pamela Tolbert
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Social Psychology;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., Wesley Sine, and Pamela Tolbert. "From Pabst to Pepsi: The deinstitutionalization of social practices and the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities." Paper presented at the West Coast Research Symposium on Technology Entrepreneurship, September 05, 2008.
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Conference Presentation
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7
Aug
2008
Networking, planning, and the effect of political institutions on new venture survival
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Government and Politics;
Networks;
Business Ventures;
Planning;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Networking, planning, and the effect of political institutions on new venture survival." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, August 07, 2008.
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Conference Presentation
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7
Aug
2008
The deinstitutionalization of social practices and the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities
Shon R. Hiatt, Wesley Sine and Pamela Tolbert
Keywords: Social Psychology;
Entrepreneurship;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., Wesley Sine, and Pamela Tolbert. "The deinstitutionalization of social practices and the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, August 07, 2008.
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Conference Presentation
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24
Jun
2008
The effect of heterogeneous institutional actors on entrepreneurial activity and resource attainment in the U.S. biodiesel industry
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Energy Industry;
Biotechnology Industry;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "The effect of heterogeneous institutional actors on entrepreneurial activity and resource attainment in the U.S. biodiesel industry." Paper presented at the Cornell-McGill Conference on Institutions and Entrepreneurship, Montreal, Quebec, June 24, 2008.
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Conference Presentation
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24
Jun
2008
From Pabst to Pepsi: The deinstitutionalization of social practices and the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities
Shon R. Hiatt, Wesley Sine and Pamela Tolbert
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Social Psychology;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., Wesley Sine, and Pamela Tolbert. "From Pabst to Pepsi: The deinstitutionalization of social practices and the emergence of entrepreneurial opportunities." Paper presented at the Cornell-McGill Conference on Institutions and Entrepreneurship, Montreal, Quebec, June 24, 2008.
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Conference Presentation
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24
May
2008
The Deinstitutionalization of Social Practices and the Emergence of Entrepreneurial Opportunities
Shon R. Hiatt, Wesley Sine and Pamela Tolbert
Keywords: Social Psychology;
Entrepreneurship;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., Wesley Sine, and Pamela Tolbert. "The Deinstitutionalization of Social Practices and the Emergence of Entrepreneurial Opportunities." Paper presented at the Administrative Science Association of Canada Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 24, 2008.
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Conference Presentation
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09
Apr
2008
Entrepreneurial Processes, Political Institutions, and New-venture Survival
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Management Practices and Processes;
Government and Politics;
Business Ventures;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Entrepreneurial Processes, Political Institutions, and New-venture Survival." Paper presented at the Smith Entrepreneurship Research Conference, April 09, 2008.
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Conference Presentation
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04
Nov
2007
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07
Nov
2007
From Demon Rum to Dr. Pepper: Social Movements, Entrepreneurial Opportunity, and the Emergence of the American Soft Drink Industry
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Business Ventures;
Society;
Entrepreneurship;
Food and Beverage Industry;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "From Demon Rum to Dr. Pepper: Social Movements, Entrepreneurial Opportunity, and the Emergence of the American Soft Drink Industry." Paper presented at the INFORMS Annual Meeting, Issues in New Product Development Series, Seattle, WA, November 04–07, 2007.
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Conference Presentation
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17
Sep
2007
Clear and Present Danger: The Failure of Political Institutions and New-venture Survival
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Government and Politics;
Failure;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Clear and Present Danger: The Failure of Political Institutions and New-venture Survival." Paper presented at the Informal Economy, Underground Employment: Social and Economic Issues, Paris, France, September 17, 2007.
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Conference Presentation
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3
Aug
2007
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8
Aug
2007
Rising Insurgencies: The Failure of Political Institutions and New-venture survival
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Government and Politics;
Failure;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Rising Insurgencies: The Failure of Political Institutions and New-venture survival." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, August 03–08, 2007.
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Conference Presentation
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01
Aug
2007
On Organizations and Oligarchies: Michels in the 21st Century
Shon R. Hiatt and Pamela Tolbert
Keywords: Organizations;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Pamela Tolbert. "On Organizations and Oligarchies: Michels in the 21st Century." Paper presented at the Sociology Classics and the Future of Organization Studies Conference, Philadelphia, PA, August 01, 2007.
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Conference Presentation
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22
Jul
2007
Clear and Present Danger: The Failure of Political Institutions, Planning, and New-venture Survival
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Government and Politics;
Failure;
Planning;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Clear and Present Danger: The Failure of Political Institutions, Planning, and New-venture Survival." Paper presented at the Cornell-McGill Conference on Institutions and Entrepreneurship, Ithaca, NY, July 22, 2007.
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Conference Presentation
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22
Jul
2007
Soft, Stiff, and in between: Social Movements, Entrepreneurial Opportunity, and the Emergence of the American Soft Drink Industry
Shon R. Hiatt
Keywords: Society;
Entrepreneurship;
Food and Beverage Industry;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Soft, Stiff, and in between: Social Movements, Entrepreneurial Opportunity, and the Emergence of the American Soft Drink Industry." Paper presented at the Cornell-McGill Conference on Institutions and Entrepreneurship, Ithaca, NY, July 22, 2007.
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Conference Presentation
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26
Jan
2007
Clear and Present Danger: Political Turmoil and the Contingent Nature of Planning on Entrepreneurial Firm Survival in Colombia
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Government and Politics;
Planning;
Entrepreneurship;
Colombia;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Clear and Present Danger: Political Turmoil and the Contingent Nature of Planning on Entrepreneurial Firm Survival in Colombia." Paper presented at the Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets Conference, Fort Worth, TX, January 26, 2007.
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Conference Presentation
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1
Aug
2006
Clear and Present Danger: Political Turmoil and the Contingent Nature of Planning on New Firm Survival in Colombia
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
Keywords: Government and Politics;
Planning;
Colombia;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Clear and Present Danger: Political Turmoil and the Contingent Nature of Planning on New Firm Survival in Colombia." Paper presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, August 01, 2006.
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Other Unpublished Work
| 2012
Environmental corporate strategy and advancements in enhanced oil recovery technology among U.S. firms
Shon R. Hiatt
This study seeks to address how collective actors can affect technology development and adoption among organizations by creating regulatory uncertainty. Empirically, this paper focuses on the influence of environmental organizations concerned about climate change on U.S. oil and gas companies' choice of enhanced oil recovery technologies from 1982 to 2010. Environmental organizations sought ways to make climate change a genuine national concern by attracting media attention and lobbying for federal regulation. The study explores how regulatory threats (unpassed congressional climate bills and amendments) increased the value of certain enhanced oil recovery technologies, leading some oil and gas companies to not only adopt them but also promote their technologies as solutions to environmental issues. Implications for firm nonmarket strategy are discussed.
Keywords: Energy;
Technology Adoption;
Natural Environment;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Corporate Strategy;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Environmental corporate strategy and advancements in enhanced oil recovery technology among U.S. firms." 2012.
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Other Unpublished Work
| 2012
Strategic responses to collective activism in the U.S. biomass sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Almost all companies face constraints and pressure from collective activists. Using tactics such as protests, boycotts, and lobbying, social movement organizations and collective actors can draw significant media attention to issues facing industries and organizations, thereby inflicting damage to organizations' public image and negatively impacting their performance. However, previous research is unclear about how firms can successfully respond to such tactics. Instead of acquiescing, fighting, or ignoring the tactics of collective activists, firms in such sectors can adopt counterframing techniques to alter their market identity to one that is aligned with the values and ideologies of the activists, and thereby become potential solutions to the proselytized problems. Empirically, I examine how organizations in the United States wood-pellet biomass sector, facing pressure from environmental activists, engaged in counterframing tactics to alter their market identity from a forest products industry to a sustainable, renewable energy sector—an image in harmony with the mission and ideals of many of the environmental movement actors who opposed organizations using forest products. Specifically, this paper explores the effect of such framing on the inclusion of the biomass sector in state incentive laws, the moderating impact of collective activists and political structures on such regulation, and the subsequent mediating impact of these regulatory changes on biomass sector growth.
Keywords: Environmental Sustainability;
Business and Community Relations;
Social and Collaborative Networks;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Identity;
Forest Products Industry;
United States;
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Strategic responses to collective activism in the U.S. biomass sector." 2012.
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Other Unpublished Work
| 2011
Military Ties, New Ventures, and Political Risk Management in Emerging Economies
Shon R. Hiatt and Wesley Sine
New ventures in emerging economies face a number of challenges such as political instability, corruption, and uncertain property rights that can severely hinder their ability to grow and survive, yet little is known about how startups can mitigate such risk. Using data on firms in Latin America over a 65-year time period, we explore how new ventures can gain advantages by establishing ties to what is typically the most powerful, coercive institution in a nation state—the military. We find that an affiliation with elite military actors (i.e. generals on boards of directors) increases a new venture's survival and lowers the probability new ventures will face adverse government actions such as expropriation. This research also demonstrates that the positive effects of military ties on new-venture performance increase in contexts characterized by greater political instability, market competition, and foreign ownership.
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R., and Wesley Sine. "Military Ties, New Ventures, and Political Risk Management in Emerging Economies." 2011.
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Other Unpublished Work
| 2011
From Farms to Fuel Tanks: Collective Actors and New-Venture Innovation in the U.S. Biodiesel Fuel Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
Little is known about the influence of collective actors on innovative technological recombinations by new ventures. Using data from U.S. biodiesel producers, I examine how the efforts of multiple collective actors (farm associations) to promote varying types of technologies fostered new-venture innovation by bridging domains. Different farm associations transmitted various fuel-production technologies from the agricultural and academic domains to business arenas where entrepreneurs could evaluate and recombine them. A greater variety of collective actors in a given state resulted in higher founding rates for new ventures with recombinatorial technologies. The effect of multiple collective actors on new-venture innovation was also moderated by venture size, media coverage of collective-actor mobilization, the presence of knowledgeable university actors who could assist in firms' recombinatorial processes, and opposition to such technologies from environmental-movement organizations.
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "From Farms to Fuel Tanks: Collective Actors and New-Venture Innovation in the U.S. Biodiesel Fuel Sector." 2011.
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Other Unpublished Work
| 2011
Innovation and Regulative Ambiguities in the U.S. Geothermal Power Sector
Shon R. Hiatt
While prior institutional research has focused on institutional ambiguity as an exogenous condition under which organizations exercise agency, this study examines the state's exercise of agency in making legal institutions more or less ambiguous and its impact on entrepreneurship. Our central thesis is that technical and political uncertainty can explain variation in legal ambiguity. Empirically focusing on legal definitions of new technologies in the U.S. geothermal power sector as a context, we find that state policymakers' prior exposure to a variety of new technologies led to unambiguous definitions, while greater resource competition and incumbents opposing geothermal technology fostered ambiguous definitions. In turn, greater legal ambiguity negatively impacted geothermal power facility foundings and adoption of advanced geothermal technologies. Implications of these findings for technology entrepreneurship, public policy, and managerial practice are also discussed.
Citation: Hiatt, Shon R. "Innovation and Regulative Ambiguities in the U.S. Geothermal Power Sector." 2011.
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