Purpose This study aims to examine how hybrid micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) operating in fragile economies restore individuals’ socioeconomic participation when formal institutions collapse. It introduces capability restoration as an organizational process linking innovation and employment within contexts of institutional voids. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on 18 semistructured interviews with founders and managers of hybrid MSMEs (13 legally registered MSMEs and 5 registered social enterprises) operating during Lebanon’s 2019–2023 crisis, data were analyzed inductively following the Gioia methodology, building a data structure from first-order informant codes to second-order themes and aggregate theoretical dimensions. Findings Four dimensions emerged: innovation as a necessity-driven, relationally embedded capability-enabling mechanism; employment as a multilevel capability-enhancing mechanism; the interdependence of these mechanisms as the operative engine of socioeconomic recovery; and contextual tensions in which organizational survival and social mission are co-constitutive rather than competing imperatives. Originality/value This study’s central contribution is to invert the Creating Shared Value logic, showing that social value creation is a precondition for survival – rather than a source of competitive advantage – once formal institutions collapse. This is reinforced by two secondary contributions: positioning capability restoration as a midrange process theory distinct from resilience, bricolage and institutional work, and challenging the standard hybrid-tension framing to show that survival and mission are co-constitutive under institutional collapse.
Purpose Innovation capability is a core capability among entrepreneurs, but the factors that determine it remain inconclusive. Using dynamic capability theory with a microfoundation perspective, this study aims to examine the influence of artisan creativity, paradox mindset and cultural identity on innovation capability. It also tests customer orientation as a moderator variable. This study aims to examine the influence of artisan creativity, paradox mindset, and cultural identity on innovation capability among entrepreneurs, drawing on dynamic capability theory from a microfoundation perspective. It also aims to investigate the moderating role of customer orientation in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses were tested empirically using data from 202 teams and 619 artisan entrepreneurs in Indonesia. To analyse the data, a multilevel analysis was conducted using MPlus. Findings Artisan entrepreneurs with a paradox mindset and high individual artisan creativity have greater innovation capabilities. This relationship is stronger when craft entrepreneurs are more customer-orientated. Other findings show that the higher the cultural identity, the greater the ability to innovate and this influence is more substantial when one has a lower customer orientation. The paper further discusses academic and managerial implications. Originality/value This study adopts dynamic capability theory from a microfoundations perspective to explain how individual creativity and cultural identity shape innovation capability in artisan entrepreneurship.
Purpose Agile digital transformation (ADT) is essential for small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) competitiveness, particularly in emerging economies facing institutional fragility. In Iran, sanctions, limited access to advanced technologies and market volatility intensify these challenges. Addressing the limited empirical evidence from highly constrained emerging economies, this study aims to identify and prioritize entrepreneurial enablers that shape opportunity-driven transformation in Iranian SMEs, adopting a capability-oriented interpretation of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Design/methodology/approach An integrated three-stage research design was used. A systematic literature review identified candidate ADT enablers, which were refined through iterative rounds of a hybrid Delphi method based on expert consensus. The best–worst method (BWM) was subsequently applied to prioritize the validated enablers through structured pairwise comparisons, producing a context-sensitive hierarchy interpreted through EO dimensions. Findings Nine enablers were validated across strategic, human, organizational and technological domains. Transformational digital leadership, agile digital strategy and dynamic resource management ranked highest, indicating that ADT in Iran is initially driven by internal entrepreneurial capabilities that compensate for institutional and technological gaps. Workforce adaptability, innovative culture and digital infrastructure function as reinforcing capabilities, while outward-oriented enablers, such as data-driven business models and digital ecosystems, tend to emerge at later stages, reflecting a sequential transformation logic shaped by contextual constraints. Research limitations/implications Despite offering structured insights into the entrepreneurial enablers of ADT in SMEs, this study has several limitations. Its cross-sectional design constrains the examination of temporal dynamics and limits causal inference regarding long-term transformation outcomes. The empirical focus on Iranian SMEs may also restrict generalizability, as institutional and economic conditions vary across emerging economies. Although the Delphi–BWM approach enables systematic expert-based prioritization, reliance on subjective judgments and a relatively small expert panel may reduce perspective diversity. Moreover, the analysis remains at an aggregated level, leaving microlevel organizational mechanisms and ecosystem interactions insufficiently explored. Practical implications The findings provide evidence-based insights for SME managers and policymakers, highlighting the importance of opportunity-oriented leadership, agile strategic action and flexible resource orchestration as early priorities before extensive technology-centric investments. Social implications Strengthening leadership, strategic agility and resource orchestration in SMEs may generate broader societal benefits by supporting job creation, enhancing local economic resilience and improving supply-chain continuity. Digital transformation in SMEs can also foster digital inclusion by enabling fairer market participation, reducing dependence on informal practices and strengthening transparency and institutional trust. These effects are particularly salient for underserved groups, including rural entrepreneurs, women-led enterprises and youth digital freelancers. Furthermore, the findings highlight the societal value of EO-oriented education and training initiatives that emphasize opportunity recognition, experimentation, adaptability and digital literacy, thereby helping to reduce skill gaps and support inclusive, sustainable national digital transformation agendas. Originality/value This study offers one of the few empirically grounded prioritizations of ADT enablers in a highly constrained emerging–economy SME context. Using a theory-informed Delphi–BWM approach, it explains how entrepreneurial capabilities substitute for missing institutional supports and shape the sequencing of digital transformation pathways.
Purpose This study aims to systematically review the development of Social Entrepreneurial Orientation (SEO) within the broader field of social entrepreneurship. Out of 970 collected articles, 117 relevant papers were selected for in-depth analysis. Design/methodology/approach Using a Systematic Literature Review combined with bibliometric and thematic content analyses, this study maps publication trends, journal quality, methodological approaches and key research areas. Through bibliometric mapping and thematic visualization, this study identifies core research streams, emerging trends and research gaps in SEO literature. Findings The analysis identifies five primary research streams: SEO as a driver of firm performance and sustainability, the relationship between SEO and organizational performance dimensions, the role of innovation in social entrepreneurship, the contribution of entrepreneurship and management practices to social innovation and the integration of strategic orientations to enhance performance. Building on these findings, this study proposes four key areas for future research: refining the conceptualization and measurement of SEO; exploring the link between SEO, social innovation and sustainability, investigating the role of digital transformation in social entrepreneurship; and examining mediation and moderation mechanisms in the SEO–performance relationship. Originality/value This study offers a clear and comprehensive overview of SEO research, providing valuable insights into its theoretical evolution and practical relevance. By systematically synthesizing the current literature and identifying research gaps, this study contributes to guiding future research and supporting the development of more robust SEO frameworks applicable across diverse social entrepreneurship contexts.
Purpose This paper aims to investigate the "Twin Transition" (digital and green) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within emerging markets. Specifically, it examines whether the formalization of Strategic Management practices mediates the relationship between Digital Adoption and Green Innovation outcomes, drawing on cross-national evidence. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the dynamic capabilities and resource-based views, this study analyzes harmonized microdata from 5,371 firms across eight Latin American countries using the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) (2023-2024). Partial least squares structural equation modeling and importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) were used to test the hypotheses and assess managerial priorities. Findings The results indicate that Strategic Management acts as a complementary mediator (ss(indirect) = 0.023, p < 0.001). Digital Adoption forces the professionalization of management (monitoring, targets and incentives), which subsequently drives green innovation. The IPMA reveals a "managerial capability gap": while firms exhibit high digital adoption performance, their strategic management performance lags behind despite being highly important for green outcomes. The country-level institutional context emerged as the most critical determinant of eco-innovation. Research limitations/implications Limitations include the use of cross-sectional data, preventing strict causal inference over time. In addition, the single-item measure for Green Innovation, while standard in WBES research, captures adoption but not depth. Theoretical implications confirm that in emerging economies with institutional voids, internal managerial discipline acts as a crucial bridging mechanism between technology and sustainability, refining the "Twin Transition" framework beyond developed-market contexts. Practical implications The findings suggest that SMEs have acquired digital tools but lack the managerial discipline to leverage them for sustainability. Managers must pivot focus from acquiring basic digital technology to integrating data into formalized strategic decision-making (key performance indicators). Policymakers should target subsidies toward managerial training and strengthening national green ecosystems rather than basic hardware acquisition. Social implications This study highlights how digital formalization can accelerate the environmental responsiveness of the private sector in Latin America. By linking digital tools to green outcomes through better management, SMEs contribute to regional sustainable development goals, potentially reducing the environmental footprint of the industrial sector in developing nations while improving digital literacy and firm competitiveness. Originality/value This study bridges the digital-environmental literature gap by empirically validating the "formalization mechanism" in a massive multicountry sample (n > 5,300). It challenges techno-centric views by providing evidence that managerial agency is a significant driver of the Twin Transition in emerging economies, offering a distinct perspective from infrastructure-led models prevalent in South Asia or state-led models in East Asia.
Purpose This study aims to investigate the psychological processes underlying impulse purchasing in live-streaming commerce. Drawing on signaling theory and inspiration theory, this study explored the antecedents of customer inspiration, represented by the characteristics of content, streamer, seller and influencer that lead to impulsive buying behavior. Design/methodology/approach The current study targeted 325 customers on live-streaming commerce platforms in Malaysia. “Partial least squares structural equation modeling” (PLS-SEM) and “fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis” (fsQCA) were used as quantitative and qualitative approaches, respectively. Findings The PLS-SEM results show that signals from content, streamers, sellers and influencers significantly shape customer inspiration and that this effect unfolds through a sequential mechanism from “inspired by” to “inspired to,” which in turn drives impulsive purchasing behavior. Notably, the fsQCA results further reveal that impulse buying does not arise from a single dominant factor alone, but from alternative configurations of cross-source signals that jointly inspire consumers. The qualitative approach identified five core solutions, emphasizing the combination of content, streamers, sellers and influencers to inspire customers and drive unplanned purchases. Content diagnosticity emerged as the most influential driver of impulse buying, followed by trustworthiness and attractiveness. The fsQCA solutions were ranked from weakest to strongest, with configuration three identified as the optimal pattern. Research limitations/implications Live streaming practitioners should strengthen vicarious expression, source credibility, empathy, real-time interaction, perceived symmetry, responsiveness, attractiveness, expertise and inspired-to mechanisms to stimulate impulse purchasing. Originality/value This study advances inspiration research by unpacking specific inspirational sources in live streaming commerce. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to examine how distinct inspirational triggers in live streams jointly drive impulsive buying.
Purpose This study aims to investigate how ESG (environmental, social and governance) practices influence the internationalization of Brazilian franchise chains by comparing developed and emerging economies. It examines whether ESG performance and ESG-related risks affect market attractiveness and how these effects are conditioned by institutional context and moderated by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was used using secondary data from 131 Brazilian franchise chains operating in 80 countries, totaling 1,515 franchised units. ESG performance indicators were obtained from Robeco, and ESG risk scores from Global Risk Profile. Multiple linear regression models and interaction terms were applied to test five hypotheses, distinguishing between developed and emerging economies. Findings In developed economies, ESG performance alone is not positively associated with internationalization; however, when moderated by GDP per capita, it enhances market attractiveness, whereas higher ESG risks reduce internationalization, particularly in high-income contexts. In emerging economies, ESG governance emerges as the most relevant driver of international expansion, reflecting its role in mitigating institutional uncertainty. Overall, the results confirm that ESG effects vary across institutional maturity and economic development. Practical implications The findings can guide franchise chains in adapting ESG strategies to institutional contexts, highlighting the need for differentiated approaches across developed and emerging economies to optimize international expansion choices. Social implications By promoting context-sensitive ESG practices, the study supports responsible business conduct and sustainable development in host markets. Originality/value This study is among the first to incorporate both ESG performance and ESG-related risks into the analysis of franchise internationalization. It advances theoretical insights by integrating institutional theory, stakeholder theory, internalization theory and resource dependence theory, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding international strategies in heterogeneous markets.
Purpose This study aims to drawinsights from the resource conservation theory to develop a conceptual model to study the extent to which the association between entrepreneurial competence and subjective well-being is channelled through entrepreneurial resilience and how this relationship is impacted by different levels of perceived social support to women entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study design was used, drawing from a sample size of 401 women-owned agribusiness entrepreneurs operating in a resource-constrained environment. The sample was selected using purposive and stratified sampling techniques. Findings This study finds a positive significant direct relationship between entrepreneurial competence and subjective well-being. Again, this study finds that the association between entrepreneurial competence and subjective well-being becomes significant and positive when it is channelled through entrepreneurial resilience. Furthermore, results indicate that the positive significant indirect relationship between entrepreneurial competence and subjective well-being, through entrepreneurial resilience, is strengthened under conditions of lower levels of perceived social support for women-owned entrepreneurs in agribusiness in low resource context. Practical implications This study provides evidence that enhancing competence and resilience can boost women entrepreneurs’ subjective well-being, offering actionable insights for practitioners designing empowerment initiatives. Originality/value Entrepreneurial competence has been linked to a variety of entrepreneurial outcomes. While a few studies have questioned the beneficial well-being outcomes of entrepreneurial competence, scholarly knowledge is limited on the extent and condition under which entrepreneurial competence is associated with subjective well-being of women entrepreneurs. This study contends that entrepreneurial competence may not always contribute to improvement in well-being outcomes particularly subjective well-being.
Purpose This paper aims to analyse the experiences of algorithmic governance among artrepreneurs in platform-based creative entrepreneurship and how they respond to it. Although digital platforms are often presented as opportunities that enable infrastructure, there is a limited understanding of the often unrecognised psychological and structural costs imposed on creative entrepreneurs who conduct business in veiled algorithmic regimes. The paper presents the notion of algorithmic burden that describes the growing pressures platform governance exerts upon the artrepreneur. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative phenomenological research design was adopted to understand the first-hand experiences of artrepreneurs who operated in social media ecosystems. In-depth interviews with 25 artrepreneurs in various creativity fields such as painting, photography, digital art and craft-based practices were carried out. Data were analysed using an iterative thematic approach, starting with the first-order experience codes and leading to the second-order and higher-order themes and theoretical dimensions. Findings The results indicate that a cumulative condition in platform-based creative entrepreneurship is conceptualised as algorithmic burden and is divided into four dimensions interrelated to one another that include visibility labour, identity fragmentation, temporal compression and reputational vulnerability. Collectively, these dimensions transform entrepreneurial work in such a way that it brings in sustained cognitive, affective and time demands that surpass the conventional entrepreneurial demands. The findings also show that artrepreneurs devise coping mechanisms, including boundary work, platform diversification, identity protection and temporal discipline, but these mechanisms mitigate, but do not eliminate, the structural forces of platform governance. Originality/value This research contributes to existing discussions of platform entrepreneurship by offering algorithmic burden as a conceptual lens for understanding how algorithmically mediated demands are experienced by artrepreneurs. To begin with, it presents the form of algorithmic burden as a new construct in which the invisible labour of platform-based entrepreneurship is embodied. Second, it applies insights from the job demands–resources perspective to platform-based creative entrepreneurship and highlights how algorithmic governance may produce asymmetrical demand-resource configurations. Third, it offers new insights into entrepreneurial resilience as a contextually constrained process within platform-based creative entrepreneurship and provides a richer understanding of entrepreneurial agency under conditions of a platform-controlled ecosystem.
Purpose Complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory offers a useful lens for understanding entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs), yet little is known about how CAS mechanisms manifest in resource-constrained metropolitan ecosystems in developing economies. Responding to calls for place-sensitive ecosystem research that studies EEs as a CAS, this study aims to examine how CAS mechanisms enable or constrain EE development in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods design was used. Survey data from 300 economically active participants were analysed using multiple linear regression to identify salient ecosystem components, followed by 15 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders analysed through thematic analysis and integrated using joint displays. CAS concepts – emergence, self-organisation, nonlinearity and feedback loops – were used as interpretive lenses across both phases. Findings Culture and city planning emerged as significant predictors of ecosystem perceptions, while business environment constraints inhibited development. Qualitative analysis revealed maladaptive self-organisation, weak institutional coordination and infrastructure failures, reinforcing negative feedback loops. The findings highlight constraint-dependent emergence, whereby constrained ecosystems generate partial adaptive responses that compensate for, rather than transform, systemic dysfunction. Originality/value The study provides an empirical example of CAS mechanisms operating in a resource-constrained metropolitan EE – a context underexplored in CAS–EE scholarship, focused primarily on well-resourced or institutionally stable ecosystems. The primary contribution is the theorisation of constraint-dependent emergence – a novel CAS concept identifying the specific boundary conditions under which constrained ecosystems generate partial adaptive responses. This extends path dependency theory, institutional voids scholarship and evolutionary EE frameworks. Methodologically, the study advances mixed-methods integration through theory-driven thematic analysis and causal loop diagramming of feedback mechanisms.
Purpose This study aims to develop an integrated, efficiency-based framework to evaluate how European Union (EU) member states transform brain-economy capabilities into entrepreneurial outcomes. While existing indicators measure human capital, innovation, digitalisation or entrepreneurship separately, little is known about how efficiently these capabilities are converted into total early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA). The authors address this gap by introducing a multidimensional Brain Economy Index (BEI) and a family of brain-economy-to-entrepreneurship efficiency (BEEE) models to examine the cognitive–entrepreneurial divide across the EU. Design/methodology/approach Using harmonised panel data for 27 EU countries (2004–2024), they construct the BEI and three pillars – Human Capital and Skills (HCS), Innovation and Knowledge Creation (IKC) and Digital–Cognitive Infrastructure (DCI) using a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach. In a second stage, they estimate five efficiency models (BEEE, BEEE-Three-Subindex, Human-Capital-and-Skills-to-Entrepreneurship Efficiency, Innovation-and-Knowledge-Creation-to-Entrepreneurship Efficiency, Digital–Cognitive-Infrastructure-to-Entrepreneurship Efficiency) to assess how efficiently countries convert brain-economy capabilities into TEA Findings Results reveal a persistent North–South and West–East divide in brain-economy capability stocks, with Nordic and Western economies forming the capability frontier. However, entrepreneurial conversion efficiency follows a different pattern: Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Cyprus define the efficiency frontier, while several capability-rich Western economies exhibit structural inefficiencies. Temporal analysis shows convergence in human capital and digital infrastructure but persistent asymmetries in innovation capability. Overall, the evidence identifies a clear cognitive–entrepreneurial divide within Europe. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on EU member states and relies on available cross-country indicators; certain intangible or cognitive-capital measures could not be included due to data constraints. Future research may extend the framework to emerging economies, incorporate institutional-quality variables directly into the efficiency frontier or apply dynamic DEA approaches to capture intertemporal spill-overs and ecosystem evolution. Practical implications Findings suggest that expanding human capital, R&D and digital infrastructure alone is insufficient to stimulate entrepreneurship. Policymakers should complement capability investments with ecosystem reforms that reduce regulatory frictions, enhance risk financing and accelerate knowledge commercialisation. Targeted policies improving conversion mechanisms may yield higher entrepreneurial returns than further resource accumulation alone. Social implications By identifying structural inefficiencies in the translation of cognitive resources into entrepreneurship, the study highlights pathways to strengthen inclusive growth, job creation and regional cohesion within Europe. Improving entrepreneurial conversion efficiency may help reduce territorial disparities and enhance long-term socio-economic resilience. Originality/value This paper offers systematic efficiency-based BEI and a family of BEEE models. It advances entrepreneurship research by shifting the focus from capability accumulation to capability conversion, providing systematic evidence of a cognitive–entrepreneurial divide in Europe. The framework offers a new analytical lens for studying entrepreneurial ecosystems in advanced and emerging economies.
PurposeThis study aims to review the existing research on collaborative entrepreneurship and technological opportunism, delineate the concepts, examine their intersections, and identify future research directions for integrative knowledge development. Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a systematic approach to reviewing literature, including developing a robust search strategy, conducting the article search, filtering and selecting 36 articles for review. Then, after synthesising the literature, a thematic analysis is performed. FindingsThemes emerged under collaborative entrepreneurship range in a spectrum from its conceptual vagueness to factors and associations. Themes under technological opportunism highlight its building blocks, related factors and associations. The study further provides a range of future research questions and extends the integrated knowledge development of collaborative entrepreneurship and technological opportunism. Practical implicationsPractitioners can use our findings to prioritise and actively pursue effective collaborations that enable sensing and responding to emerging technological opportunities. In addition, this study’s insights can guide policymakers in designing funding schemes and enhancing collaborative technology-based infrastructure. The authors also recommend incorporating the findings into entrepreneurship education to foster a long-term attitudinal change. Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive literature review that integrates the concepts of collaborative entrepreneurship and technological opportunism. The study enhances theoretical understanding of collaborative entrepreneurship by providing a clear definition. It highlights future research areas supported by guiding questions for both concepts. Notably, given the rising interest in collaboration and technology focus on contemporary entrepreneurial behaviours, the study presents a cross-concept analysis of collaborative entrepreneurship and technological opportunism and proposes related future research directions.
Purpose This study aims to examine how expatriate entrepreneurs operating in Dubai's tourism sector experience work-life balance (WLB) pressures, negotiate work-life boundaries and develop resilience over time in environments shaped by service intensity and artificial intelligence (AI).Design/methodology/approach Drawing on Work-Life Border Theory, the study adopts a qualitative, interpretive research design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 expatriate tourism entrepreneurs across diverse subsectors in Dubai. Data were analyzed thematically to capture patterns of work-life pressures, boundary-management practices and the evolving role of AI in shaping entrepreneurial behavior and resilience.Findings The findings show that WLB in expatriate tourism entrepreneurship is not a stable or attainable state but a fragile and continuously renegotiated process. Digitally intensified service demands, emotional labor and constant connectivity systematically weaken temporal and psychological boundaries, while expatriate status removes traditional family- and organization-based border-keepers. At the same time, entrepreneurs actively engage in adaptive boundary-management strategies, including the selective use of AI-enabled automation and filtering tools. Resilience emerges as a dynamic outcome developed through learning, repeated boundary failure and recalibration rather than as a fixed individual trait.Originality/value The study extends Work-Life Border Theory by demonstrating that boundary permeability is structurally produced rather than preference-driven, reconceptualizes WLB as a process rather than an outcome and highlights the dual role of AI as both job demand and coping resource in expatriate tourism entrepreneurship.
Purpose This study aims to examine how family control is associated with environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in Chinese listed family firms (FFs) and whether institutional ownership moderates these associations. By disaggregating ESG, it clarifies where family-control logics align with, or diverge from, market-oriented ownership pressures in an emerging-market context. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on socioemotional wealth and institutional perspectives, the authors analyse panel data from 1,561 Chinese-listed FFs over 2009–2019. They estimate two-stage least squares (2SLS) models with firm and year fixed effects, using general manager family affiliation as a context-specific instrumental variable. Findings Family control is positively associated with environmental and governance performance, but not significantly associated with social performance. Institutional ownership weakens the positive associations between family control and environmental and governance outcomes, consistent with tensions between family-oriented long-term priorities and shorter-horizon market pressures. Results remain broadly consistent in the manufacturing subsample. Research limitations/implications The findings are based on listed Chinese FFs before COVID-19; future research could examine privately held firms and post-2019 ESG regulation. Practical implications The results suggest that family owners and institutional investors should use dimension-specific ESG governance rather than treating ESG as a uniform construct. Social implications Clearer social-performance standards may help reduce symbolic compliance and strengthen substantive ESG engagement in emerging economies. Originality/value The study demonstrates heterogeneous family-control associations across ESG dimensions and shows when institutional investors dampen family-driven environmental and governance engagement. It contributes by integrating socioemotional wealth and institutional perspectives and by using a context-grounded instrumental variable to address endogeneity concerns.
Purpose This paper aims to examine how entrepreneurs in Kenya mobilize social capital to develop their ventures within an evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem. It explores how social relationships within an innovation hub shape entrepreneurial collaboration, legitimacy and engagement with broader ecosystem actors.Design/methodology/approach Adopting a qualitative case study approach, the study draws on 15 in-depth interviews with founders and hub managers at Nairobi's iHub, one of Kenya's most prominent innovation hubs. The analysis focuses on how entrepreneurs mobilize and interpret social relationships within the hub community to support venture development and ecosystem interaction.Findings The findings identify three interconnected dimensions through which social capital is enacted within the hub community. Relational capital emerges through bonding and bridging ties that enable trust-based collaboration, peer learning and external legitimacy. Moral capital reflects shared norms of reciprocity, integrity and purpose that stabilize cooperation and shape what is perceived as legitimate entrepreneurial behavior. Developmental (co-creation) capital captures how entrepreneurs leverage linking ties to policymakers, donors and corporates to influence policy, expand digital inclusion and build ecosystem capacity. Together, these dynamics illustrate how hub-based entrepreneurial communities can translate interpersonal relationships into both venture development and broader ecosystem engagement.Originality/value The study offers a contextually grounded perspective on how relational, moral and developmental dimensions of social capital interact within a specific innovation hub environment. By highlighting how entrepreneurial communities mobilize social relationships to support both venture growth and ecosystem participation, the paper contributes to research on entrepreneurship in emerging economies and advances understanding of how social capital operates in institutionally complex settings.
Purpose This study aims to examine how digital and social capital interact within multigenerational family enterprises to produce divergent livelihood outcomes amid the third-level digital divide among informal micro-entrepreneurs.Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative multiple case study, six vegetable vendor families in peri-urban East Jakarta were analyzed through interviews, observations, focus group discussions and documentation. One case incorporated participatory action research as a proof of concept, while others served as naturalistic comparisons.Findings Findings show that successful digital adaptation depends on digital intermediaries, conversion of bonding into bridging social capital, appropriate platform affordances and early dispositional shifts.Research limitations/implications The study is limited to six multigenerational vegetable vendor families in peri-urban East Jakarta and does not aim for statistical generalization. However, it offers analytical insight into how family relations and social capital shape digital adaptation among informal micro-entrepreneurs.Practical implications The findings suggest that digital inclusion initiatives should recognize the role of family-based digital support, social capital conversion and platform suitability in strengthening digital adaptation among informal micro-entrepreneurs.Social implications The study highlights how digital transformation can intensify unequal economic outcomes among informal micro-entrepreneurs, reflecting the persistence of the third-level digital divide beyond access and skills alone.Originality/value The study proposes the intergenerational digital capital conversion model to explain how digital and social capital interact within multigenerational family enterprises to shape divergent livelihood outcomes.
Purpose Prior research often assumes that stronger founder human capital uniformly increases a startup’s likelihood of securing external financing. This study aims to examine whether this assumption holds in emerging markets where educational and professional credentials originate from institutionally diverse systems of validation. Design/methodology/approach Using startup-year panel data on early-stage investments in Türkiye between 2016 and 2024, the author analyzes how investors evaluate three founder categories based on the institutional origin of their educational background: returnees from developed countries, returnees from other countries and local elite founders. Findings Returnees from developed countries are most likely to obtain early-stage funding, particularly when prior work experience in the home country reduces concerns about local embeddedness. Returnees from other countries show a negative but less robust association with funding likelihood, though they benefit from affiliations with venture development organizations, which help mitigate ambiguity about their credentials. Originality/value The findings suggest that under conditions of institutional heterogeneity, investors do not evaluate founder human capital as a simple accumulation of credentials. Instead, capital allocation reflects category-based evaluation processes in which founder backgrounds activate distinct uncertainty profiles.
Purpose This study aims to examine how students in international economics programs interpret and respond to trade-related uncertainty. It aims to explain how perceived trade disruption stress (PTDS) is translated into adaptive responses, particularly entrepreneurial resilience (ER), through underlying cognitive and motivational processes.Design/methodology/approach A three-stage mixed-method design is used. Study 1 uses qualitative interviews to explore students' experiences and identify key response patterns. Study 2 applies a quantitative approach using structural equation modeling to examine relationships among the identified constructs. Study 3 adopts a vignette-based experiment to compare responses under different levels of perceived stress.Findings The findings show that PTDS does not directly predict ER. Instead, the pattern of results is consistent with an indirect process, whereby PTDS is positively associated with both entrepreneurial curiosity and future-oriented cognition, and both constructs independently predict ER. The findings also show that international trade education exposure (ITE) strengthens the relationship between PTDS and ER. The experimental results provide limited support, indicating that higher stress conditions are associated with slightly higher ER, although the effect size is modest.Originality/value The research advances stress and cognition theory by positioning curiosity as a state-based coping resource and identifying educational conditions that convert trade-related stress into adaptive outcomes. It offers practical insights for designing education programs that intentionally incorporate structured stress exposure to develop future-ready, resilient graduates.
Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of seed grant funding on the performance of faith-based social enterprises (FBSEs) in Africa, operating within a blended value ecosystem.Design/methodology/approach Using data from a field experiment and survey involving 122 congregational social ventures across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia, the study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess the impact of seed grants on four key performance indicators: productivity, revenue growth, customer acquisition and employment creation.Findings The results revealed that productivity benefits from seed grants were statistically significant and pronounced among agricultural ventures and those in the growth phase. However, the effects on revenue, customer and employee growth were muted, indicating that such impacts may materialize over a longer period as enterprises consolidate operations and expand market reach. Cross-country comparisons showed consistent positive influence of seed grants on performance, though with varying magnitudes, reflecting differences in institutional readiness, market environments and absorptive capacities. Qualitative findings corroborated these results, highlighting that FBSEs often reinvest productivity gains into service expansion and community outreach rather than immediate financial returns.Practical implications Overall, the study underscores the importance of strategic seed grant utilization, especially through blended models that combine financial capital with capacity-building and technical assistance, to enhance the sustainability and social impact of FBSEs in Africa.Originality/value The study offers perhaps the first cross-country empirical analyses of Catholic sister-led social enterprises in Africa, that have been largely overlooked in mainstream research. The study advances an understanding of how seed grants catalyze productivity, growth and sustainability in faith-based ventures, thereby extending theory and practice on blended value creation in resource-constrained contexts in the majority world.
PurposesThis study aims to investigate how artificial intelligence (AI) adoption contributes to sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing particularly on the mediating roles of marketing analytics capabilities (MAC) and marketing innovation (MI). The research responds to a growing need for empirical insight into how AI enables competitive outcomes for SMEs in digitally evolving economies.Design/methodology/approachGuided by the resource-based view and technological capabilities framework, the study develops and tests a structural model using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Data were collected by surveying 384 SMEs in the United Arab Emirates.FindingsThe results confirm that AI adoption positively influences both MAC and MI. MI fully mediates the relationship between AI adoption and SCA, while MAC do not demonstrate a direct effect. However, a significant serial mediation path is observed from AI adoption through analytics to innovation and ultimately SCA.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based on cross-sectional data from one country, limiting generalizability. Future research may explore longitudinal, cross-country comparisons.Practical implications SME managers should prioritize building innovation-enabling capabilities and not assume that analytics alone will drive sustained advantage.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by clarifying the indirect mechanisms through which AI generates SCA in resource-constrained firms. It emphasizes the pivotal role of MI as an enabler and highlights why MAC alone may not deliver strategic impact. The study also provides contextual insights from a digitally ambitious emerging economy.
