Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Family Farms and the Dairy Industry

There has been increasing recognition that for regional competitiveness in rural areas there needs to be a focus on sustainable farming initiatives especially for family farms that are competing with global conglomerates. Family farms, whilst declining in number, are the purpose of this paper studying the rural entrepreneurship in family farms as they are at the heart of rural communities and the overall agricultural industry and comprise a high percentage of total farms. This paper takes a case study approach using in-depth semi structured interviews to delve into the types of entrepreneurial strategies that are distinctive of family farms in terms of their sustainability approach to farming. Dairy farms in the West Victorian area of Australia are studied and the findings suggest that family farms can increase their regional competitiveness and international standing by focusing on their collaborative, social and sustainable entrepreneurial strategies.

Integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Entrepreneurship: A Case of Horticulture Farmers in Mutoko District of Zimbabwe

Entrepreneurship plays a significant role in eradicating poverty and providing sustainable livelihoods for communities. Governments, non-governmental organizations, and community development agencies are on the trail to consider rural entrepreneurship as an economic empowerment strategy in the developing world. Given the shortcomings of the Western entrepreneurship skills widely employed in many communities, this study assesses the role and significance of an approach that is place-based and rooted in local cultures that are associated with long-settled communities with strong ties to their natural environments. Nevertheless, a plethora of entrepreneurial strategies employed is foreign to local communities, which makes it difficult to produce the anticipated outcome vis-à-vis sustainable development. The study employs a qualitative method and an exploratory design. The findings of this research are based on in-depth interviews conducted among horticulture farmers in the Mutoko district. The significance of embracing Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in entrepreneurship among horticulture farmers in the Mutoko district was examined. Horticulture is a popular kind of farming in the region, with farmers specializing in tomatoes, cucumbers, leafy vegetables, onions, and butternut.

Evolution of “Ethnic” Business in Russia: Comparative Analysis of Entrepreneurship of Migrants from Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the entrepreneurial activity of migrants from Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan in Moscow and the Moscow region who have created a business in the period from the 1990s to the mid-2010s. The study was carried out on the analysis of 58 interviews with entrepreneurs and representatives of public organizations and journalists, as well as a survey of entrepreneurs of Kyrgyz origin conducted in 2017-2019. The comparison is based on the analysis of the factors and characteristics such as structural opportunities and limitations; motivation to engage in entrepreneurship; features of the formation of start-up capital, the composition of partners, personnel and consumer audience; types of entrepreneurial strategies; the role of ethnicity and ethnicity, as well as networks based on ties with relatives, fellow countrymen and compatriots. It is concluded that the concept of “middleman minority” is most suitable for describing the ideal type of entrepreneurship of migrants from Azerbaijan, and “ethnic economy” for migrants from Kyrgyzstan. However, the business activity of migrants is not limited to these types. The peculiarities of entrepreneurship of migrants, a variety of specific entrepreneurial strategies are born at the intersection of the mutual influence of migration history, socio-demographic characteristics and various socio-economic, political and local contexts in different historical periods.

Social entrepreneurial sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand the needed entrepreneurial actions required to attain sustainability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social entrepreneurial sustainability is defined as the process of developing sustainable solutions for social, economic or environmental problems that are not being addressed by the market. This paper intends to get a clearer picture of how social entrepreneurial sustainability is affected by the exogenous shocks caused by the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative exploratory approach using a case study design was used. Semi-structured interviews with five CEOs and founders of accredited social enterprises in Malaysia that have proven sustainable were conducted. Triangulation was applied in this study through three different data sources to confirm and validate the emerging findings. Findings The findings reveal various innovative revenue-generating activities and business processes taken by social entrepreneurs to be sustainable during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as pivoting and forging new partnerships. Themes such as technical innovation and social innovation are critical concepts that need to be differentiated and understood. The introduction of a new construct termed “mission agility” will be of significant interest to academicians studying social entrepreneurship and sustainability. Practical implications The practical implications of this study suggest that if social enterprises implement the recommended strategies, they may achieve both short-term and long-term social entrepreneurial sustainability during the pandemic crisis and progressively into the post-pandemic era. Originality/value This study is unique by using two methods of data collection. By providing vital empirical evidence through primary and secondary data, the paper will offer robust findings and proposes recommendations on entrepreneurial strategies to foster the recovery and sustainability of social enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scaling Technology Ventures in Africa: New Opportunities for Research

Research on new venture creation in Africa is growing rapidly. This increasing interest reflects both the potential for entrepreneurship to contribute to the economic and social development of Africa, as well as the potential for this research to provide new insights that challenge and extend theories developed primarily from studies of North American and European new ventures. In this editorial essay, we argue for an expansion of this important research stream to include a focus on how technology ventures scale in Africa. We identify seven topics that offer interesting opportunities for research on scaling in Africa: (1) the effect of venture location on scaling; (2) the effect of founding team diversity on scaling; (3) the effect of entrepreneurial strategies on scaling; (4) the effect of nascent ecosystems on scaling; (5) the effect of the institutional environment on scaling; (6) the effect of nascent financial markets on scaling; and (7) the societal effects of scaling. We discuss each of these topics, their potential to contribute to the existing literature, and provide examples of African technology firms that have scaled to illustrate each topic. We conclude with a discussion of how African social, political, and regulatory change, combined with rapidly developing entrepreneurial ecosystems, are creating a context where the successful scaling of technology ventures is becoming increasingly common, and research is therefore increasingly valuable.

Women empowerment through entrepreneurship: case study of a social entrepreneurial intervention in rural India

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how social entrepreneurship empowers women and how it influences the existing gender based intersectionalities in the society. This paper is based on a single case study of a social entrepreneurial startup called “Pahal,” which used social entrepreneurial strategies to encourage women to engage in economic activities, which helped them in gaining economic empowerment. Design/methodology/approach The researcher alongside the social entrepreneur visited the field for eight months from August 2016 to March 2017 and interviewed multiple stakeholder-employees (as partners) of the social enterprise. This study was done by conducting interviews with all the stakeholders in all the three social entrepreneurial phases, i.e. pre-Pahal, during-Pahal and after-Pahal. The interviews and observations were recorded and analysed using social entrepreneurial lens and intersectionality. Findings “Pahal Initiative” – is a social entrepreneurial intervention that helped the women in the household to start a food delivery business with the support of the social entrepreneur. Consequently, women gained confidence and self-respect. The attitude of men in the household changed when the women in the household generated additional income. It impacted their position and status which led to an increase in their participation in decision-making in the household and economic independence. The women become more interactive and expressive in a predominantly patriarchal household. Within one year, the entrepreneur had to stop the Pahal initiative. Then, this study observed and recorded that this event curtailed the economic activities undertaken by the women in their village and their social status reverted to what it was before the initiative. Practical implications First, social entrepreneurial strategies lead to economic value creation and lead overall socio-economic gains. Second, social entrepreneurial strategies address the problems of patriarchy and gender discrimination. Third, economic activities undertaken by women changed the social perceptions of the family members towards women in the families. Social implications From this case study, one observes that social entrepreneurship has a strong potential to bring about social and economic change. This study helps policymakers and non-governmental organisations to solve poverty and gender discrimination related problems using social entrepreneurial strategies. Originality/value This study uses social entrepreneurial intervention to understand and bring about change in the socio-economic status of women in rural India. This study uses an intersectionality lens to make sense of the data, reality and reflects on how intersectional positions are altered when women are economically empowered either through training or through a proper organisation or both.

SUSTAINABILITY ENTREPRENEURIAL STRATEGIES AND ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN LED HIGH END HUMAN HAIR ENTERPRISES: CASE OF WESTLANDS SUB-COUNTY, NAIROBI

Purpose: This study sought to establish the influence of sustainability entrepreneurial strategies on enterprise performance of women led high end human hair enterprises: a case of Westlands sub-county, Nairobi. Methodology: The study was anchored on opportunity based entrepreneurship theory and used a descriptive research design. The target population comprised of 201 women entrepreneurs. The researcher used Krecjie and Morgan formula to select a sample of 132 respondents using stratified sampling and simple random sampling methods. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire. Results: Results from the study showed that there was a positive relationship between sustainability entrepreneurial strategies and enterprise performance. The study also found that entrepreneurial characteristics were the most significant independent variable followed by market accessibility, value proposition and financial resources. The results also showed that the respondents indicated that they were able to match their strategic intentions with their entrepreneurial characteristics, generate new ideas and make timely decisions to enhance the performance of their business to a very high extent. The respondents also indicated that they had access to the financial resources, had a strong financial base and were aware of the credit facilities available to a high extent. Another finding was that the respondents considered enhancing the quantity, length, price as well as uniquely branding their of high end human hair to a high extent. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended that women entrepreneurs should undergo training on formulating strategies aimed at entrepreneurial development as this will enable them seek information and systematically plan on improving their enterprise thus enhance business performance. It is also recommended that the government and other stakeholders should come up with policies to promote the accessibility of financial resources for entrepreneurs as they were crucial for the sustainability of their enterprises. Another recommendation is that women entrepreneurs should identify, design and implement competitive customer value propositions to enhance their enterprise performance. It is further recommended that the government should support policy that will establish and strengthen the sourcing and market accessibility for women owned enterprises to enhance their financial performance.

New venture entrepreneurship and context in East Asia: a systematic literature review

While research on new venture entrepreneurship has been predominantly conducted in Western countries, East Asian start-ups have gained global relevance in recent years. In this article, we systematically review studies on new venture entrepreneurship in East Asia published in Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)-listed journals between 2000 and 2020 and find that the number of papers annually published has been rapidly increasing. However, the research body is highly unbalanced, as most articles are single-country studies focused on China, apply a quantitative methodology, and concentrate on topics such as entrepreneurial strategies and new venture entrepreneurs’ personal attributes and networks. Moreover, a majority of studies provides no or only a weak consideration of the national or subnational context. More strongly contextualized research on countries such as Japan and South Korea and on less studied themes such as culture, entrepreneurial financing, entrepreneurial teams, new venture internationalization and new venture entrepreneurial intention is desirable.

The influence of cronyism on entrepreneurial resource acquisition

This research focuses on how entrepreneurs utilize cronyism to acquire resources. A case study method allowed us to explore three firms in the private property development industry in China. These firms uniquely cultivated cronyism and achieved distinctly different outcomes. Our findings highlight Chinese entrepreneurs in start-up ventures and later-stage enterprises employ cronyism. The underlying rationale for using cronyism have common and heterogeneous motivations. The similarity and distinguishing rationale also apply to the impact of cronyism. We also find two contingency working mechanisms for cronyism: entrepreneurial characteristics and a staged model for cronyism. With the firm’s growth, cronyism remains important, but firms with more community involvement outperform others. This research contributes to the theory on strategic network utilization for resource acquisition during entrepreneurial development stages. We investigate how entrepreneurial strategies can assist in adapting to the “rules of the game” while utilizing resources within the set contextual constraints.