Dr. Gorkem Aksaray

Assistant Professor, School Office Trinity Business School

Biography

Dr. Gorkem Aksaray is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. Before joining Trinity College, he served on the faculty at Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. He holds a PhD in Organization and Management from Emory University, and a MSc in Managerial Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. His primary research interest is examining mechanisms underlying the dynamics of entrepreneurial entry and exit. He specifically studies structural, spatial, and financial factors affecting mobility into and out of self-employment and performance by utilizing longitudinal panels of individuals and matched aggregate economic data. His research has appeared in major scientific journals and conference proceedings.

Publications and Further Research Outputs

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Gorkem Aksaray; Peter Thompson, Density Dependence of Entrepreneurial Dynamics: Competition, Opportunity Cost, or Minimum Efficient Scale?, Management Science, 64, (5), 2018, p2263 - 2274Journal Article, 2018, DOI
Koparan, Ipek, Aksaray, Gorkem, How do firms use their dynamic capabilities in strategic factor markets? The role of resource rarity, European Management Review, 2024Journal Article, 2024, DOI
Aksaray, Gorkem, Marcus, Justin, Bridge employment in middle vs. late life for men and women: gendered social roles or life structures?, Work, Aging and Retirement, 2025, p1 - 19Journal Article, 2025, DOI , URL

My research agenda is grounded in rigorous theoretical and methodological foundations established during my doctoral studies at Emory University and my master's studies at the London School of Economics. It explores entrepreneurship and firm strategy through three interrelated lenses. 1. Work and careers: My research has employment at its root. Drawing on economic, sociological, and behavioral theories, I examine entry and exit dynamics of entrepreneurship and self-employment. Adopting a careers perspective, I take a longitudinal approach to understanding individuals' life courses. In collaboration with Peter Thompson (Georgia Tech), I published a paper on firm performance and survival in Management Science (ABS4*, FT50). I am currently co-authoring a manuscript with Anand Swaminathan (Emory University) and Badrinath Kottimukalur (George Washington University) on wealth loss and entrepreneurial entry, under review at Organization Science (ABS4*, FT50). Another working paper on industry and occupational pathways to entrepreneurial entry is being prepared for submission to an ABS4* journal. I also study post-retirement employment; my co-authored paper with Justin Marcus (Koç University) on the role of family and work contexts in retirees" return to work was published in Work, Aging and Retirement (ABS2), with plans to extend this work to post-retirement self-employment. 2. Behavioral decision-making under uncertainty: My second research focus explores the micro-level determinants of managerial and entrepreneurial decision-making under uncertainty. This stream includes two interrelated papers with Ipek Koparan (Bentley University) on dynamic capabilities and strategic resource pricing. A conceptual piece has been published in European Management Review (ABS3), while an experimental study is under review at Strategic Management (ABS2). An additional manuscript investigating the relationship between executive function and entrepreneurial opportunity exploitation is in second-round revision at Strategic Change (ABS2). 3. External enablers of entrepreneurial action: My third research focus investigates how macro conditions shape entrepreneurial behavior. A study with Irfan Cercil (Central Bank of Turkey), examining the effects of unconventional monetary policy on economic inequality, is currently in first-round revision at the Journal of International Money and Finance (ABS3). A related study examines the relationship between monetary policy and entrepreneurial entry. In another working paper co-authored with Badri Kottimukalur (George Washington University), I explore how media-driven recession narratives affect self-employment rates.

Psychology and cognitive sciences, Economics and Business Administration,

Recognition

Memberships
Representations

European Academy of Management Present
Academy of Management Present
Irish Academy of Management Present

Journal Reviewer - Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ABS2 & Scimago Q1)