Analogies in Entrepreneurial Communication and Strategic Communication: Definition, Delimitation of Research Programs and Future Research

Figures & data

Table 1. Procedure of problematization in orientation to the four principles according to Alvesson and Sandberg (2020)

Process step	Core question	Domain of literature	Elaboration logic	Problematization principle
clarifying etymological roots	What is the etymological core of the terms entrepreneurial and strategic?	handbooks, encyclopedias, descriptions of subject development	describing,summarizing	reflexivity, reading broad but selectively
(2) detecting scientific adoptions	In which definitions of entrepreneurial and strategic communication were these terms in which way adopted?	published journal papers, handbooks in strategic and entrepreneurial communication, that included definitions	selecting	reflexivity, reading broad but selectively (first level), stay minimal
(3)finding traces of analogies/ underlying assumptions	Which traces of analogies can be observed in definitions of entrepreneurial and strategic communication?	detected and selected definitions of strategic and entrepreneurial communication	analysing	reflexivity, reading broad but selectively (first level)
(4) defining analogies and unifying dimensions	How can different analogies and unifying dimensions be described?	additional literature from strategic and entrepreneurial communication and neighbourhood domains (entrepreneurship, organization, strategy) supporting the clarifying of analogies and unifying dimensions	narrowing, clarifying	reflexivity, reading broad but selectively (second level), stay minimal
(5)challenging assumptions	From which perspective can identified analogies be challenged?	additional theories from entrepreneurship research with challenging potential for the respective analogies	opening	reflexivity, reading broad but selectively (third level), problematizing instead of accumulating, stay minimal
(6)developing research questions	Which promising research questions can be deduced?	no additional literature	creating	problematizing instead of accumulating, stay minimal

Table 2. Definitions of strategic communication

Reference	Definition
Hallahan et al.; (2007)	“Although their specific activities can be conceptualized in various ways – from coordinating administrative functions to product promotion and relationship building – all of these disciplines involve the organization, defined in its broadest sense, communicating purposefully to advance its mission. This is the essence of strategic communication. It further implies that people will be engaged in deliberate communication practice on behalf of organizations, causes, and social movements.” (p. 4)
Zerfass et al.; (2018)	“Strategic communication encompasses all communication that is substantial for the survival and sustained success of an entity. Specifically, strategic communication is the purposeful use of communication by an organization or other entity to engage in conversations of strategic significance to its goals.” (p. 493)
Heide et al.; (2018)	“Strategic communication has been defined as the study of how organizations use communication purposefully to fulfil their overall missions (e.g., Frandsen & Johansen, 2017; Hallahan et al., 2007).” (p. 452)
Van Ruler (2018)	“As a research field, strategic communication is said to examine how organizations use communication purposefully to fulfill their mission (Hallahan et al., 2007; Holtzhausen & Zerfass, 2015).” (p. 367)
Winkler and Etter (2018)	“Ultimately, with a central focus on emergence, we close with a programmatic proposition to rethink the academic definition of strategic communication, which is still rooted in a purpose driven and goal oriented understanding (Hallahan et al., 2007; Holtzhausen & Zerfass, 2013, 2015, p. 205). An extension of this definition that integrates emergence, as constitutive for both practice and product of strategic communication […].” (p. 395)
Falkenheimer & Mats (2014)	“We define strategic communication as an organization’s conscious communication efforts to reach its goals. In the broadest possible sense of the term, organization in this context refers to private companies, public authorities and organizations, associations and interest groups.” (p. 132)
Argenti et al.; (2005)	“We define strategic communication as communication aligned with the company’s overall strategy, to enhance its strategic positioning.” (p. 61)

Table 3. Attempts or traces of definitions of entrepreneurial communication

Reference	Definition
Gossel (2011)	“On basis of these theoretical approaches we suggest the following definitions as basis for our work: (1) According to Gartner (1985) we define entrepreneurship as “creation of new organizations”; (2) According to Theis-Berglmair (2008) we describe communication “as the Core Element of Organizations.” (3) According to Luhmann (1995, 2000) we describe communication as the selection of information, utterance and understanding.” (p. 4)
Roy and Acharya (2018)	“It means the communication between farmers and different line departments about getting various typs of entrepreneurial information, marketing information, auction, weather, new upcoming enterprise, etc.” (p. 71)
Iacob and Hristache (2017)	“Entrepreneurial communication becomes important, to the extent that it is called to ‘explore’ the dynamics of its business environment, to find and manage, as far as possible, the business opportunities that have arisen. Entrepreneurial communication can be seen in its dynamics as the ‘bridge between’ theory (the idea of a business) and practice (implementing the idea of a business and focusing on proactive actions). […] Therefore, entrepreneurial communication is more about the attitude, structure and strategies approached by the entrepreneur.” (p. 227)
Haris et al. (2019)	“Therefore, entrepreneurial communication skills are actions designed to reach a connection to influence, maintain interest functions, attitudes and other changes in activity, because they are never done without intention or desire to influence qualitatively and not quantitatively.” (p. 181 in orientation to Modrea, 2012)

Table 4. Analogies of the terms “entrepreneurial” and “strategic” in entrepreneurial and strategic communication research in relation to uniting dimensions

	Analogies
Dimensions	Entrepreneurial as	Strategic as
Development stage	formation	existence
Mode	creation	maintenance
Logic	effectual (means-oriented)	causal (goal-oriented)

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