The case follows the journey of Irish social enterprise FoodCloud as it rises to the extensive task of reducing global food waste by providing an environmentally-sensitive, socially-responsible, and economically-viable alternative. From its humble beginnings as a socially oriented technology start-up pioneered by Aoibheann O'Brien and Iseult Ward, FoodCloud has utilised both its innovative technology platform and an innate ability to form successful partnerships as the strategy to pave its international expansion. The case illustrates the sizable challenges in leading on social enterprise initiatives. The organization's development path is described to provide a good sense of the growth trajectory that emerged for FoodCloud during its young history to date. Notably, FoodCloud have developed strategic capabilities that are arguably, critical to the survival and success of any social enterprise entity.
The number of refugees in Europe has increased dramatically in recent years, and many countries are facing great challenges to integrating these refugees into their societies. A small group of high-growth firms have at the same time attracted attention because they create the most new jobs at any given point in time. Using matched employer-employee data from Statistics Sweden, we find that these high-growth firms in general are more likely to recruit first-generation immigrants that are unemployed. This provides support for the hypothesis that managers in high-growth firms, to greater extents, recruit marginalized individuals because they want to take advantage of their growth opportunities and therefore do not wait for the best match. Rapidly growing firms are thus less selective in their hiring decisions, and policies that are focused on increasing the number of high-growth firms might also help immigrants who face difficulties entering the labor market.
This paper provides empirical evidence on the innovation performance in European countries in the period 2012-2014 based on a micro level analysis. We provide a comparative perspective among three different institutional settings in Europe: Central and Eastern European countries (CEE), Southern European countries and Northern European countries. We estimate the CDM model of simultaneous equations while using data from the Eurostat Community Innovation Survey 2014 (CIS2014). This model directly links R&D engagement and intensity to innovation outcomes measured either as process or as product innovation and then estimates the effectiveness of the innovative efforts in terms of productivity gains. In general, during our observation period, which fell in the aftermath of the 2008 fiancial crisis, the links between innovation inputs, innovation outputs and productivity were found to be rather weak. Another remarkable finding from our study is that, notwithstanding a higher participation in innovation by larger firms, among those firms that innovate, innovation output is relatively higher for small firms (compared to large firms) in Northern Europe. This relatively important role for small firms in innovation was not found for the other two country groups.
We investigate the engagement of business incubators in activities aimed at sustainable development. Although the importance of business incubators and the importance of sustainable development are both clearly acknowledged nowadays, separately, there is hardly any attention for the engagement of business incubators in sustainable development activities in the academic literature. We conduct primary data collection among a sample of business incubators in Europe, offering respondents a range of questions about their engagement in sustainable development activities. We find that a significant proportion of business incubators in Europe clearly engage in activities aimed at sustainable development, with their own activities, program offering, selection of mentors, and selection of incubatees. Our empirical analysis also suggests the existence of a separate subgroup of sustainable business incubators, that differ significantly from other business incubators on a range of environmental and social aspects.
Affecting regulation is difficult for any firm, but it requires strenuous efforts for those operating in emerging industries. In this study, we seek to understand the complex process through which equity crowdfunding has become adopted in four Commonwealth countries following the passage of equity crowdfunding regulations in the US. We use extensive archival data to analyze how social discourse, as well as institutional environment, have made an impact on governmental regulatory decisions concerning the new model of venture finance. We find that the adoption of equity crowdfunding is a complex process shaped by firms' interactions with various interested parties, especially regulators and other relevant state actors. Based on the analysis, we propose several conditions that may increase the probability of legalization, one of which is complementarity with the goals of key stakeholders. This study contributes to the literature on equity crowdfunding, new industry emergence, as well as to a broader stream of research on policy diffusion.
This study uses an Entrepreneurship as Practice (EAP) approach, specifically Goffman's dramaturgical lens, to address: what practices do corporate entrepreneurs use to cultivate positive impressions, while simultaneously engaging in rule-breaking to accomplish their innovations? While decision-makers in large organizations typically disapprove of employees who break rules, corporate entrepreneurs often see rules as inhibiting innovation. Corporate entrepreneurs face an interesting conundrum: they must undermine organizational processes to launch their innovation, while simultaneously gaining decision-makers' support. Although extant theory suggests that successful innovators operate under the radar, it remains silent on the specific practices they engage in to create and maintain positive impressions with their decision makers. Based on archival data and 138 interviews with decision-makers and corporate entrepreneurs, I find that through dramaturgical realization the latter successfully demonstrated that their rule-breaking was prosocial in nature. This study's theoretical contributions lie in using the newly emerging EAP lens to identify how corporate entrepreneurs' impression management practices connect with the practices of the larger organization, thereby contributing to both corporate entrepreneurship and impression management literatures. This study's practical contributions lie in sensitizing corporate entrepreneurs on how to manage impressions when engaging in (prosocial) rule-breaking.
Despite the scholarly interest in the prior experience of entrepreneurs expressed by the field of International Entrepreneurship, empirical investigation linking prior experience with international performance leads to inconclusive and conflicting results. Based on the concept of human capital and resource-based theory, this study provides a supplementary explanation by integrating global vision -the cognitive capital of the entrepreneur related to an international orientation- into this relationship. The study hypothesises that there is no direct relationship between entrepreneurs' prior experience and export performance; rather, this relationship is mediated by an entrepreneur's global vision. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling, drawing on a sample of 332 early internationalising SMEs in Bangladesh. To overcome the cognitive inertia resulting from prior experiences, entrepreneurs must focus on their cognitive capabilities, in particular the ability to see the world through a global lens. In order to improve export performance, policymakers must also provide additional support to strengthen entrepreneurs' global vision.
Entrepreneurship research suggests that entrepreneurship education and training can bridge the gender gap in entrepreneurship, but little empirical research exists assessing the validity and impact of such initiatives. We examine a large government-sponsored entrepreneurship education program aimed at university students in Sweden. While a pre-study indicates that longer university courses are associated with short-term outcomes such as increased self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions, results from a more comprehensive study using a pre-post design suggest little effect from these extensive courses on long-term outcomes such as new venture creation and entrepreneurial income. In contrast, we do find positive effects on these long-term outcomes from more limited but more specific training interventions, especially for women. Our study suggests that less extensive but more tailored interventions can be more beneficial than longer or more extensive interventions in promoting entrepreneurship in general, and entrepreneurship of underrepresented groups in particular. We discuss implications for theory, education, and policy.
This paper examines lenders' perceptions of motivations and risks in p2p lending and how these are related to cross-border activity. We use survey methodology to collect responses to a detailed questionnaire sent to p2p lending platforms' users (lenders) across Europe, allowing us to differentiate between the UK and the rest of the EU (pre-brexit). Results show that UK respondents seem to care more about higher returns and less about interest/excitement when investing via p2p lending, when compared with non-UK respondents. We also find that all risks are perceived to be lower in the case of the UK respondents, a strong indication of higher levels of trust on the entire industry in the UK. On cross-border activity, we find that non-UK respondents are much more willing to invest abroad when compared with their UK counterparts. We also find that p2p lenders who wish to diversify their portfolios prefer to invest through foreign platforms rather than investing in foreign projects that are offered by their own domestic platforms. Our results have important implications for all p2p lending stakeholders, including fundraisers and regulators.
Access to finance is a key constraint on the creation, survival, and growth of SMEs, and this issue has prompted governments to directly intervene in financial markets, but has also led to the development of new forms of financial intermediation and new players in the market encouraged by a desire to increase competition in the market. Today these new forms of financing and new players in the market are in part complementary to more established sources, but also potential substitutes particularly for those businesses that are most constrained. In this paper we use new data from a survey of local small businesses to assess whether access to a local loan and grant fund has added value to supported businesses. Our findings suggest that there are tangible benefits associated with local finance provision that are likely to generate a positive local economic multiplier that extends beyond the funding period.
This paper provides an integrative picture of the state of the art of the Resource Mobilisation in Entrepreneurial Ventures (RMEV) literature through a systematic review of 225 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1987 and 2019. Our objective is to synthesise the relevant resource mobilisation-centred work into a framework that contributes to and shapes our understanding of the RMEV phenomenon. We construct the identified themes through a process of interpretation and representation in which the information we study remains contextualised. Based on the themes we identify, we suggest some directions for further research. Moreover, by simultaneously considering the opportunity exploitation and resource-constrained environment assumptions in a coherent framework, we provide a conceptual bridge between these two RMEV assumptions. The constructed framework facilitates a better understanding of the emergence and performance of entrepreneurial ventures.
There is an increasing interest in the antecedents of entrepreneurial growth aspirations, since they have been shown to be important for firm growth. This paper examines the direct impact of entrepreneurial engagement on growth aspirations and the moderating role of opportunity perception. We argue that growth aspirations will be lower for those entrepreneurs in an advanced level of engagement but we also suggest that their perception of good opportunities in the immediate environment will positively moderate this relationship. Using data from the Colombian GEM project over the period 2012-2016, we find support for our predictions. Implications from the findings are discussed.
In hybrid self-employment people combine a wage job with self-employment. During the last years a growing number of studies and references related to the topic of hybrid self-employment have emerged. This article discusses the phenomenon of hybrid self-employment (hybrid entrepreneurship) from a labour market perspective, it reviews existing literature and refers finally to existing data provided by Eurostat. Public data suggest that the extent of hybrid self-employment in the labour market is comparatively small but the rates in different countries diverge significantly.
Not only in the history of economic theory are changing conceptions and definitions of entrepreneurship on the agenda but also current entrepreneurship research shows oscillating contours in the semantic use of the word. The paper takes this notion as a backdrop, endeavouring to differentiate and spell out different relationships between entrepreneurship and self-employment. In some cases, entrepreneurship and self-employment have a one-to-one fit and can be used interchangeably while in other cases, entrepreneurship does not correspond to the labour market category of self-employment or, vice versa, self-employment as practised in reality does not match entrepreneurship empirically. Freelancers working part-time or full-time, farmers, micro-entrepreneurs without employees, and "big" entrepreneurs employing a larger number of wage- or salary-dependent employees are difficult to summarize in one single box. The intention of this paper is to provide an introduction to the different semantics and to highlight and explain difficulties that arise when talking about entrepreneurship in order to systematize competing and hazy interpretations. The general discussion attempts to combine an explanation in economics, which is rather economically-functionally oriented, with an explanation with a sociological-institutional focus, which is oriented more in terms of social rationalities, biographies and various other dimensions.
Market entry decisions are complex and involve high sunk costs with uncertain or risky outcomes. In this study we explore how owner, firm, and competitive pressures shape this decision. Using a large UK data set of SMEs, we find that the preferred form of growth, and growth is not always desired, is expansion in existing markets. Key determinants of the decision to pursue a new market entry strategy are formal education, and large firm based market competition. Further, these decisions are made simultaneously not sequentially.
This paper examines the perceptions and actual experiences of SME owners and entrepreneurs in Serbia regarding the impact of corruption on the establishment of new businesses. It is based on primary research conducted in 2015 on a sample of 250 entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium-sized enterprises in Serbia. An original questionnaire was used for data collection. Our research shows that corruption is clearly present in Serbia as almost 60% of business owners in our sample admits to have used some form of corruption when they started their own business. Areas important for starting a business in which corruption is most present are: obtaining subsidies, grants, and other favourable sources of financing for starting a business; issuing construction permits; and registering property. The presence of corruption in these and other areas that are important for starting a business affect the time needed to start a business, the costs of its registration and provision of initial capital.
This study analyses how established SMEs respond to potentially disruptive innovations and business models in the course of increasing digitization. Drawing on the strategic entrepreneurship approach we argue that SMEs showing opportunity-seeking behaviour are more likely to respond to potentially disruptive innovations and business models proactively. Using a data base of 268 established SMEs in Germany, we show that established SMEs that recognize disruptive innovations and business models as a business opportunity (thereby showing an opportunity-seeking mindset) apply significantly more frequently strategic measures to exploit these opportunities (advantage seeking). Observing and actively evaluating relevant new technologies and developments is a key determinant of belonging to the group of SMEs demonstrating entrepreneurial, opportunity-seeking behaviour. In our sample only a minority belongs to this group of proactive established SMEs.
This study examines the influence of family business resources, represented by family involvement in management and social capital, on innovation outputs represented by incremental and radical innovation of products/services and processes. The results from a data set of 259 family firms in Saudi Arabia show that family firms that have a higher degree of family involvement and social capital are more likely to engage in incremental rather than radical innovation. Implications for research and practice are discussed in light of a context emphasizing the value of relationships and family reputation.
As part of a research project grant from the Mervin M. Dymally African-American Political and Economic Institute, this paper is a case study of US College (USC), a new entrepreneurial private college in Ethiopia, and its developing relationship with California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). USC is struggling to create sustainability in an underdeveloped but rapidly growing economy and CSUDH is assisting it in incorporating world-class curriculum and standards. The challenges of developing an entrepreneurial twinning relationship between the two universities, to the mutual benefit of both, are explored. How will CSUDH faculty help a struggling Ethiopian college entrepreneurially develop the ability to deliver a first-world level of education; in a reciprocal relationship that also enhances CSUDH?
This article explores the dominant themes in social entrepreneurship (SE) research and whether the themes changed over a 28-year period (1990-2018). A text mining analysis, using Leximancer 4.5 software, of the most influential SE research studies was conducted to identify themes and trace changes over time. Our literature search process produced 101 articles, which were used in the analysis. The analysis was conducted over three time periods corresponding to three different phases of SE research. The nascent phase covers 1990-2002; the growth phase covers 2003-2010, and the maturity phase covers 2011-2018. This temporal analysis reveals that different themes emerged at the different phases. The dominant theme in the first phase focused on the social entrepreneur (individual level). The second phase focused heavily on the organisational level of SE and the third phase focused on institutional and contextual dimensions of social entrepreneurship. Overall, our analysis revealed four dominant themes in SE, namely (1) social entrepreneurs, individuals and communities (2) organisation of SE (3) innovation and value creation in SE, and (4) context of social entrepreneurship. Our study also reveals research gaps and avenues for future research.
