This study addresses entrepreneurs as targets of crime. Leveraging insights from strategic responses to institutional pressures as the main theoretical frame, coupled with supporting insights from routine activities theory and interview data from 14 entrepreneurs who have been victims of crime, we introduce entrepreneur-led ventures becoming targets of crime via their engagement in routine activities that increase venture visibility. We then conceptualize that crime severity pushes entrepreneurs toward venture visibility-reduction responses, such as truncating growth, relocating, or discontinuing the venture. Survey data from 87,486 legally registered entrepreneur-led ventures in Mexico provide strong support for the relationships in our theoretical model. We find that as routine venture activities increase, entrepreneurs encounter crime of increasing severity, with the routine venture activity of making transactions at a bank serving as the strongest attractor of crime. Building on these findings, we observe an indirect effect through crime severity such that the choice to relocate the venture is the most likely response to being targeted by criminals. Our results advance the literature at the intersection of crime and entrepreneurship, especially in developing economies, and offers venture visibility as a mechanism that shapes both criminals' targeting of ventures and entrepreneurs' attempts to reduce being targeted.

这项研究将企业家视为犯罪目标。利用对制度压力的战略反应的见解作为主要理论框架，再加上日常活动理论的支持见解和 14 名犯罪受害者企业家的访谈数据，我们介绍了企业家主导的企业通过参与日常活动而成为犯罪目标提高企业知名度的活动。然后，我们认为犯罪的严重程度会促使企业家采取降低风险企业可见性的应对措施，例如截断增长、搬迁或终止风险企业。来自墨西哥 87,486 家合法注册的企业家主导企业的调查数据为我们的理论模型中的关系提供了强有力的支持。我们发现，随着日常风险投资活动的增加，企业家面临的犯罪日益严重，在银行进行交易的日常风险投资活动是犯罪的最强诱因。基于这些发现，我们观察到犯罪严重程度的间接影响，因此选择搬迁企业是最有可能成为犯罪分子目标的反应。我们的研究结果推进了犯罪与创业交叉领域的文献，特别是在发展中经济体，并提供了风险可视性作为一种机制，既塑造了犯罪分子针对风险企业的目标，也塑造了企业家减少成为目标的尝试。我们观察到犯罪严重程度会产生间接影响，因此选择搬迁企业是对成为犯罪分子目标的最可能的反应。我们的研究结果推进了犯罪与创业交叉领域的文献，特别是在发展中经济体，并提供了风险可视性作为一种机制，既塑造了犯罪分子针对风险企业的目标，也塑造了企业家减少成为目标的尝试。我们观察到犯罪严重程度会产生间接影响，因此选择搬迁企业是对成为犯罪分子目标的最可能的反应。我们的研究结果推进了犯罪与创业交叉领域的文献，特别是在发展中经济体，并提供了风险可视性作为一种机制，既塑造了犯罪分子针对风险企业的目标，也塑造了企业家减少成为目标的尝试。