Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jul 2017 OA PDF

Start-Up Nation: Studying Transnational Entrepreneurial Practices in Israel’s Start-Up Ecosystem

Steven Fraiberg Michigan State University

Abstract

This study focuses on start-up entrepreneurs on the move—in coordination with an array of other actors—as they weave and are woven into transnational networks. Central to this study is a shift from activity to mobility systems. Building on technical communication scholarship, the frame integrates actor networks and activity theory knotworks. Disrupting workplace and national container models (methodological nationalism), the analysis is grounded in a study of Israeli start-up entrepreneurs. Dubbed the Start-Up Nation, Israel contains more start-ups per capita than any other country in the world, with its high-tech industry made up of a dense ecosystem of conferences, accelerators, meetups, social media, and coworking spaces. Tracing actants’ trajectories across this social field, the author argues for a conceptualization of entrepreneurs as knotworkers who mobilize genres, modes, languages, and spaces.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2017-07-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651917695541
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OA PDF Bronze
Topics
genre theory technical communication social media
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Citation Context

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