As we noted in the introduction to this third part, a lot remains to be done at the theoretical and methodological levels to make better use of the notion of ‘entrepreneurial process’ in entrepreneurship research works. This chapter will present the semantic and conceptual bases on which the subsequent chapters rely. I will first try to define the notion of process from a general point of view, before considering it from the entrepreneurial perspective and examining its various uses. Finally, I make analogies with other fields of research to help us represent the entrepreneurial process and see how useful these representations can be for both the practitioner and the researcher.

Defining the notion of process

There can be many definitions of ‘process’. However, good research should always define its object as precisely as possible in relation to previous theoretical or empirical research works that structure the field. It is therefore important to clarify our definition of the concept in reference to our perspective of research as well as the type of process we are examining. This requires a thorough reflection on the notion of process itself, which we develop below.

An evasive subject

While numerous publications underline the polysemy of ‘entrepreneurship’, many academic authors do not always define exactly what they mean by ‘entrepreneurial process’. In chapter 4 we saw to what extent the situations encountered can vary and whether they may be considered as entrepreneurial depending on the case.