The study examines the research scenario developed at the intersection of digitalisation, innovation, and sustainable entrepreneurship. It examines the contribution of global scholars, Publication trends, and thematic development that have shaped this interdisciplinary domain. A bibliometric analysis was performed covering publications from 2000 to March 2025, using 295 review articles indexed in the Scopus database. Bibliometrix (-Tool) was employed to analyse the practical science mapping technique, co-authors network, keyword Co-occurrence, country-level contribution, and institutional productivity. Analysis reveals the focus of digital innovation research in the context of sustainability. Major contributions have emerged from Europe, Asia, and North America, driven mainly by leading institutions and influential authors. The thematic clusters highlight areas such as digital transformation, green innovations, platform-based entrepreneurship, and technology-operated sustainable development. The review also identified underexplored subjects and fragmented research streams, which indicated a promising path for future study. This study provides structured insight into academics, practitioners, and policymakers who demand the use of digital technologies for sustainable entrepreneurship. Conclusions support strategic research plan, policy development, and practical intervention in social, corporate, environmental, and sustainable development references by identifying influential contributors and emerging themes.
This study examines the impact of cultural diversity in top management teams (TMT) on firms’ innovation outcomes, incorporating the mediating role of absorptive capacity (ACAP), disaggregated into its two core components: potential absorptive capacity (PACAP) and realized absorptive capacity (RACAP). Based on a sample of 155 medium and large firms located in Colombia’s Caribbean region, the research employs a split-respondent design—collecting predictor and outcome variables from different executives within each firm—to mitigate common method bias. Using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), the results show that TMT cultural diversity has a positive direct effect on innovation (β = 0.243; p < 0.05) and an indirect effect through the sequential mediation of PACAP and RACAP (β = 0.016; p < 0.10). The originality of the study lies in integrating the TMT diversity and absorptive capacity literatures, providing empirical evidence on the microfoundations that link cultural attributes of top teams to strategic innovation outcomes. From a managerial standpoint, it highlights the importance of fostering inclusive team climates and formal knowledge translation routines that enable firms to transform cultural heterogeneity into a sustainable source of innovation.
Women persistently encounter substantial social and economic disparities that hinder entrepreneurial performance. This study examines the impact of female entrepreneurial action on entrepreneurial self-efficacy, considering the moderating role of institutional support. Additionally, it explores how resilience influences the relationship between self-efficacy and entrepreneurial success. These relationships are contextualised within the discourse on sustainable development, with particular reference to UN SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Data were obtained from female entrepreneurs in Australia through an online survey. To evaluate the hypotheses, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed. Common method bias was examined using Harman’s single-factor test and full collinearity variance inflation factor (VIF) values. Discriminant validity was confirmed through the use of heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT) ratios. The sample encompassed ventures in retail, professional services, food and hospitality, technology, and creative industries. Entrepreneurial action positively impacts entrepreneurial self-efficacy, which subsequently enhances entrepreneurial success. The mediating function of self-efficacy was substantiated. Based on New Institutional Economics (NIE), this study reveals that in highly individualistic societies, such as Australia, institutional support weakens the pathway from action to self-efficacy. Conversely, Australia’s cultural orientation towards high indulgence strengthens the positive moderating effect of resilience on the relationship between self-efficacy and career success. Unlike previous studies focused on developing-country constrained contexts, this study examines Australia as a developed-country constrained context using established rather than nascent ventures. It extends NIE theory to a high-income constrained context and connects the findings to SDG 5 and SDG 8, positioning female entrepreneurial empowerment as both an economic and a global sustainability priority.
This research examines the impact of Green innovation (GI) and Green creativity (GC) on Consumer purchase intentions (PI), moderated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Using a quantitative approach, data from 312 eco-conscious consumers were analyzed through Structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the relationships between the constructs. The study validates that Green Innovation and Green Creativity significantly enhance Purchase Intention, demonstrating the critical role of integrating environmental innovation and creative marketing in influencing purchase intention. Furthermore, Artificial Intelligence was found to strengthen the impact of both Green Innovation and Green Creativity on Purchase Intention, suggesting that AI can significantly enhance the appeal and effectiveness of green marketing strategies. These findings highlight the potential of AI in bridging the gap between green product innovation and consumer engagement, offering substantial implications for businesses aiming to respond to the growing market for sustainable goods. This paper contributes to the literature on sustainable business practices by delineating the synergistic effects of creativity, innovation, and technology in promoting environmental products.
This study investigates the structural constraints affecting the transition toward a knowledge-based economy in 19 MENA countries over the period 1990–2022. Using a dynamic panel approach based on a two-step System GMM estimator, the analysis reveals a notable paradox: while innovation outputs, proxied by patent applications, have a positive and significant effect on economic growth, human capital exhibits a negative association, and R D expenditure remains statistically insignificant. These findings point to structural inefficiencies in the innovation system, where investments in knowledge do not translate effectively into productive and sustainable outcomes. The results further highlight regional heterogeneity: the innovation–growth relationship appears stronger in diversified and institutionally stable economies, but weaker in resource-dependent contexts, suggesting a form of resource-related constraint on innovation dynamics. Building on this empirical diagnosis, the study argues that existing development models remain largely input-driven and insufficiently aligned with the requirements of a green and knowledge-based economy. It proposes that emerging digital technologies—particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Twins—can support this transition by improving resource allocation, strengthening coordination mechanisms, and enabling the simulation of policy and investment scenarios. Overall, the paper contributes to the literature by linking innovation dynamics to sustainability challenges in MENA and by outlining a technology-enabled pathway toward more resilient and inclusive growth.
This paper studies the effect of competition perception on firm innovation. We use a recently collected dataset, the Egyptian Industrial Firm Behavior Survey from 2020 to 2021, to analyze a broad range of innovation activities, namely innovation input (R D) and innovation output (product, machines, design, marketing, and process innovation). We will empirically assess how competition perception affects different types of innovation activities. The study employs an extended probit model with instrumental variables to account for the endogeneity problem inherent in studying the effect of competition on innovation. Furthermore, the analysis controls for reverse causality and heterogeneity across firms (by governorate, and sector). The results show that the effect of the perception of competition and innovation depends on the type of innovative activity. Specifically, the perception of informal competition negatively affects R D innovation, while the perception of formal competition positively drives innovation outputs as product and marketing innovation. However, our findings suggest that competitive pressure has a limited or negligible effect on firms’ propensity to innovate in process improvements or machinery upgrades. The results also reveal pronounced sectoral heterogeneity, indicating that the effect of competition perception varies significantly across industries. These results are used to derive crucial policy implications regarding the importance of competition perception for fostering innovation among manufacturing firms in the Egyptian context.
Unlocking the potential for innovation and entrepreneurship in rural territories remains a critical frontier for sustainable development, particularly as these areas navigate the opportunities of digital transformation away from traditional urban centers. This study details the development and testing of a methodology for the integral assessment of rural territorial sustainability, providing a diagnostic toolkit essential for nurturing entrepreneurial ecosystems. Employing a five-component framework (economy, society, ecology, institutions, innovation), the methodology integrates 25 distinct indicators, a normalization procedure, the computation of both partial and integral indices, a five-tier sustainability typology, and a clustering algorithm designed to facilitate differentiated municipal governance responsive to entrepreneurial needs. Empirical testing was conducted using statistical data from 26 municipal districts of Stavropol Krai, Russia, spanning the period 2014–2023. The analysis revealed significant structural imbalances in territorial development and yielded a classification of four territorial clusters: developing, stable, unstable, and crisis. To address these gaps and cultivate a pro-innovation environment, an organizational-economic mechanism structured as a closed, six-stage spiral cycle is proposed. Differentiated policy interventions aligned with the Quintuple Helix model are recommended for each cluster, with an emphasis on stimulating innovation and entrepreneurial activity as the primary catalyst for rural resilience. The findings are intended for a readership comprising state and municipal administrators, regional development specialists, entrepreneurs, and researchers focused on advancing rural entrepreneurship.
Against the backdrop of the vigorous development of the digital economy and the in-depth promotion of the rural revitalization strategy, the digital transformation of the agricultural product circulation system has become a key path to addressing the “issues related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.”Based on the theories of business model innovation and community e-commerce, this paper systematically explores the innovative path of the community group-buying model of agricultural products in the context of digital transformation, using methods such as literature analysis, case studies, and comparative analysis. The research findings are as follows: (1) The community group-buying model of agricultural products effectively solves problems such as information asymmetry, lengthy supply chains, and high loss rates in traditional agricultural product circulation through the core mechanism of “direct supply from the production area + community operation + pre-sale centralized procurement”; (2) The in-depth application of digital technology has given rise to an innovative path combining “intelligent supply chain + social marketing + content e-commerce,” achieving a shift from pure product transactions to value co-creation; (3) This model demonstrates significant advantages in reducing circulation costs, enhancing farmers' income, and ensuring product quality, but still faces challenges such as supply chain management, standardization of quality control, and user operation. This study provides theoretical support and practical guidance for promoting the construction of a digital circulation system for agricultural products.
This paper clarifies what “moderate newness” means for entrepreneurs and shows how to design for it deliberately. We provide a workable, founder-oriented definition of optimal (moderate) newness and demonstrate how to achieve it regardless of underlying innovation type (incremental or radical). This paper is conceptual in nature and has two main contributions: 1. A workable and actionable definition of moderate newness, 2. A strategic framework for how it can be achieved. The strategic framework presents three founder-controlled levers to tune perceived newness: Technology–Component–Design (TCD), Concrete–Abstract (CA), and Product Category–Alternative Category (PCAC). Each lever operates through a distinct mechanism yet serves the common goal of engineered, adoptable newness across markets. In sum, we convert the vague prescription to design for “moderate newness” into a precise, founder-usable playbook. By specifying where novelty should reside (and how to communicate it), the paper operationalizes a solid research insight into actionable design and positioning moves, shrinking the research–practice gap and improving the odds of market acceptance for resource-constrained ventures.
Climate change poses severe biophysical and economic risks to Sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA) agricultural sector, where women provide 60–80
In recent years, Iran’s economy—particularly in Fars Province—has faced significant challenges, including high unemployment among educated youth and limited income opportunities in the public sector. Hybrid entrepreneurship, which integrates both economic and social objectives, has emerged as a promising approach for generating societal value and promoting sustainable development. This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of hybrid entrepreneurship within startup enterprises located in incubators across various counties of Fars Province, Iran. Using a descriptive survey method, data were collected from a random sample of 106 experts and specialized staff with academic and practical experience in hybrid entrepreneurship. Validated instruments were employed, and data were analyzed using SPSS26 and SmartPLS3 software. The findings reveal that hybrid entrepreneurial adoption is significantly influenced by self-efficacy, hybrid entrepreneurial motivation, market feasibility, job promotion, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness of modern technologies. These factors collectively shape entrepreneurial intention and decision-making processes, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful venture creation. Additionally, the techno-industry nexus enhances innovation capabilities and supports sustainable economic growth, particularly within startup ecosystems. This research underscores hybrid entrepreneurship as a strategic solution to mitigate unemployment and income instability in Iran’s challenging economic context. The study recommends that policymakers and organizational leaders implement comprehensive strategies—including tailored training programs, supportive financial policies, and strengthened collaboration networks—to foster hybrid entrepreneurship among startups. Such measures can empower individuals to leverage their expertise to create ventures that address both environmental and economic needs, ultimately contributing to community well-being and sustainable development through the growth of startup enterprises.
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in global economic development, making their survival crucial. Resilient SMEs are better positioned to adapt, evolve, and sustain their operations in dynamic operating environments. Although SME survival has been widely studied, there is limited research on how different forms of resilience enhance survival and the key factors that mediate this relationship. This study examines how resilience supports SME survival, emphasising the mediating factors that strengthen the link. The study investigated Ugandan SMEs from various sectors and regions. Findings reveal these mediators enable SMEs to positively impact resilience in their strategies to enhance adaptability, agility, and continuity in different contexts. Overall, the study underscores how these mediators reinforce SME resilience and survival during crises, contributing to scholarly knowledge and offering practical guidance for future research.
Emerging economies are under significant sustainability pressures while also possessing great potential for innovation-driven entrepreneurship. However, the existing research on how these dynamics interact is fragmented and uneven. This study aims to map and synthesize the intellectual and conceptual frameworks of research on innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship in emerging economies. Conducting a bibliometric analysis of 504 documents indexed in Scopus and Web of Science from 2001 to 2024. Findings suggest that this field, while still relatively young, is growing rapidly. However, we observed that authorship is quite dispersed and that international collaboration is limited. The key themes in this area focus on green innovation and green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO). It was found that GEO significantly contributes to sustainability outcomes, with various mediating factors influencing these outcomes, including green intellectual capital, knowledge management, organizational support, and innovative sustainable business models. Notably, these relationships are further shaped by environmental awareness and green technological dynamism. Additionally, we identified disruptive innovation and ecosystem-level conditions as emerging, yet critically important avenues for future research. The policy implications suggest that strengthening innovation ecosystems in emerging economies requires expanding access to finance, building digital infrastructure and capabilities, and creating context-sensitive regulations that encourage green innovation and entrepreneurial experimentation.
This study advances SDG 9 and SDG 16 by asking whether better digital infrastructure (DI) can cushion or amplify the innovation effects of rising geopolitical risk (GPR). Filling a key gap, it is the first to model the GPR × DI interaction across the innovation distribution and to contrast Global South with Global North outcomes. Using principal component approach (PCA)-based indices for 35 countries (2000–2022) and combining two advanced quantile regression methods, results show that GPR boosts innovation overall, DI supports the lower tail, but their interaction weakens mid-level performance. In the Global South, both factors are stimulative, with DI’s buffering effect evident only at the top decile. In the Global North, GPR effects diminish at higher levels, but DI remains beneficial. Policy-wise, broadband expansion must be paired with cybersecurity and institutional upgrades, tailored to development stage, to convert geopolitical headwinds into inclusive innovation gains.
Financial inclusion has become increasingly the focus of research and policy development globally because of its pivotal contribution towards encouraging economic engagement and sustainable development. This research provides a bibliometric analysis of financial inclusion studies over the past five decades (1972–2025) with a view to charting prominent thematic clusters, trends in publications, and top contributors in the area. By employing Biblioshiny and VOSViewer software over a dataset that was extracted from the Scopus database, it is revealed through the results that there is a rising trend in studies on financial inclusion publications, with China and India being dominant countries in research output. The top contributing institution was Makerere university business school, and the journal Sustainability (Switzerland) stood highest in publishing impactful articles. Co-occurrence and thematic analysis identify five prominent themes that are going to guide future academic debate: Financial Inclusion, Social Dimensions, and Technological Integration; Resource Efficiency; Development Goals, and Sustainability; Institutional Quality, Governance, and Regional Cooperation; Economic Resilience, Crisis Response, and Innovation; Niche Digital Finance and Performance Analysis. The results are useful to policymakers and researchers who want to further improve financial inclusion initiatives globally.
Abstract Central Kalimantan possesses abundant natural resources yet faces a paradox of high vocational graduate unemployment due to a misalignment between education and local economic potentials. Guided by place-based education and the triple-helix framework, this study develops and validates a multidisciplinary model for entrepreneurial micro-credentials that leverages local resources to bridge vocational training with sustainable development goals. Employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, quantitative data were collected from 365 students and 151 teachers across eleven Vocational High Schools (SMKs). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) revealed that Entrepreneurial Interest and Understanding of Local Resources are significant predictors of students’ readiness for micro-credentials, jointly explaining 59.3% of the variance. Thematic analysis from interviews (n = 30) indicated high consensus on regional potentials, specifically: agro-industry and blue economy in the West, trade and services in the Central zone, and sustainable forestry downstreaming in the East. The study culminates in a proposed collaborative “Triple Helix” model involving schools, industry, and government. These findings offer a replicable strategy for resource-rich regions seeking to synergize vocational education with sustainable regional development.
In recent decades, the vital role of immigrants in promoting economic growth and innovation, especially in Western economies like Canada, has become increasingly evident. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8, which emphasizes inclusive and sustainable economic growth and productive employment, immigrant entrepreneurship holds significant potential. However, many immigrant entrepreneurs continue to face systemic barriers in accessing formal financial resources in host countries. This research investigates the mechanisms immigrant entrepreneurs in Canada use to navigate these challenges and secure formal financing, offering insights into how inclusive financing systems can better support decent work and economic opportunity for all. Guided by social capital theory, this research adopts a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with twelve successful immigrant entrepreneurs. Thematic analysis was employed to identify themes across cases, and theoretical sampling ensured depth and saturation in data collection. The findings reveal that social capital (manifested through trust, information flow, and financial literacy (human capital)) plays a central role in enabling access to formal financing. These elements are dynamically interrelated and reinforced through weak-tie networks, digital platforms, and institutional intermediaries such as incubators. Key mechanisms include peer-to-peer learning, community engagement, self-directed knowledge acquisition, and trust-building through documentation and referrals. The study aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on immigrant entrepreneurship formal financing by proposing a hybrid social capital model suited to digitally networked, institutionally layered environments. By focusing on Canadian immigrant entrepreneurs, who have received limited attention in previous research compared to their counterparts in the US and UK, the study fills a critical gap in understanding the formal financing journeys of immigrant entrepreneurs.
This study re-evaluates dominant entrepreneurship theories, arguing that founders’ competencies often have a stronger influence on knowledge-based start-ups than market opportunities alone. Through an empirical examination of the start-up processes and growth patterns of 32 of Denmark’s leading developing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling firms, we demonstrate that the emergence of these enterprises relies on founders’ competencies blended with societal opportunities, and that sustained growth follows through subsequent integrations of competencies and opportunities as a second blend. The first blend with start-up is not crucial for progressivity but for learning, where the second blend of subsequent ones is crucial for creating the foundation, momentum, and survival. These findings contribute with an alternative perspective that blends a competency-focused approach with an opportunity-centric view for start-ups. This integrated perspective reveals how new characteristics and opportunities emerge through the dynamic interaction and interplay between various elements in the entrepreneur’s environment and their personal competencies. In essence, this study aims to understand how the interplay between an entrepreneur’s competencies and the opportunities they encounter leads to the emergence and evolution of new ventures. By analysing this process retrospectively, it seeks to uncover patterns and insights that could inform future entrepreneurial efforts and research.
The Fifth Industrial Revolution (Industry 5.0) emerges as a novel paradigm centered on intelligent human-machine interaction, fundamentally transforming entrepreneurial ecosystems through the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, collaborative robotics, the Industrial Internet of Things, and cyber-physical systems. This research employs a text mining approach to analyze 101 scientific articles published between 2017 and 2025, identifying emerging entrepreneurship trends and startup ecosystems within the Industry 5.0 context. The analysis process encompassed textual data preprocessing, keyword extraction, topic modeling using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) algorithm, sentiment analysis, and concept clustering through K-means, with all clusters achieving silhouette coefficients exceeding 0.7. Results identified five primary themes: “Digital Innovation,” “Startup Ecosystem,” “Industry 5.0,” “Data Analytics,” and “Sustainability and Future,” along with six conceptual clusters: “Intelligent Manufacturing Systems and Future Factories,” “Open Innovation Platforms and Collaborative Economy,” “Digital Entrepreneurship and Business Model Transformation,” “Sustainability and Responsible Entrepreneurship,” “Data Analytics and Business Intelligence,” and “Policy Making and Innovation Ecosystem Development.” Sentiment analysis revealed “Collaborative Robotics” and “Sustainability” garnered the most positive scores, while “Cybersecurity” exhibited negative trends. Five emerging trends were identified: transition from technology-centricity to human-centricity, increasing importance of sustainability and social responsibility, convergence of physical and digital worlds, growth of platform and collaborative economy, and mass personalization and agile production. These findings demonstrate that startup success in the Industry 5.0 era requires integrating cyber-physical technologies, developing platform-based business models, and adopting mass customization as competitive advantages, providing practical guidance for building sustainable and resilient entrepreneurial ecosystems. The findings further demonstrate explicit linkages between identified conceptual clusters and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action), positioning the study as a contribution to both entrepreneurship theory and the global sustainability agenda. Overall, the results offer a strategic foundation for fostering human-centered, adaptive, and sustainability-oriented entrepreneurial ecosystems aligned with the SDGs.
This study examines how smallholder farmers in South Africa innovate the digital through user-led, grassroots appropriation of existing platforms. Drawing on multiple qualitative case studies of a Facebook group, a WhatsApp group, and two purpose-built agricultural applications, and informed by user innovation and grassroots innovation theory, the study develops four core insights. First, digital innovation emerges through use-based reconfiguration rather than technological invention, as farmers recombine and repurpose existing tools into multifunctional entrepreneurial infrastructures. Second, digital platforms function as grassroots entrepreneurial infrastructure assembled from below through intentional appropriation, not provisioned from above. Third, user innovation in this context is not diffusion-oriented; it is internally directed toward improving users’ own entrepreneurial positioning, challenging linear models that privilege scaling or commercialisation. Finally, scaling occurs through collective appropriation and entrepreneurial layering, where innovations accumulate relationally rather than spread through standardisation or market replication. The study shows that digital innovation can be use-based, self-directed, and scaled through cumulative, layered appropriation rather than invention or diffusion. For policy and practice, this implies supporting user-led digital innovation by prioritising platform affordances that enable adaptation, experimentation, and visibility, thereby strengthening users’ capacity to assemble grassroots entrepreneurial infrastructures from below.
