Entrepreneurship and Innovations: Challenges and Successes for Organisations in the Modern Business Environment

A special issue of Administrative Sciences (ISSN 2076-3387). This special issue belongs to the section "International Entrepreneurship".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 70763

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Applied Sciences, WSB University, 41-300 Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland
Interests: alliances; network organizations; coopetition; strategic management; M&A; CSR and business ethics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Business Management, University of Johannesburg, 2195 Johannesburg, South Africa
Interests: entrepreneurship; female entrepreneurs; economic growth and development
Faculty of Management and Informatics, University of Žilina, 01026 Žilina, Slovakia
Interests: sustainability; management; relationships; school; stakeholder engagement; sports clubs; sports organizations; marketing
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, 5063 Bergen, Norway
Interests: entrepreneurial intentions; female entrepreneurs; entrepreneurial education; strategic alliances; maritime business
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We live in a dynamic world characterised by rapid technical and technological progress, globalisation and hyper-competition. These aspects, both individually and collectively, create several challenges for modern organisations. Recently, one additional factor was introduced: the Covid-19 pandemic, which changed the state of the ‘business world’ as previously known, not mentioning how this pandemic affected people’s lives globally. Under these new circumstances,  entrepreneurship and innovation take on a new meaning as these may be treated as possible strategies to gain a competitive advantage by many organisations. 

According to Meyer (2018) and Walsh et al. (2021), entrepreneurship has been defined by many as the foundation of economic growth and financial independence. Entrepreneurship and innovation are extensively referred to as the root of competitive advantage, needed in today’s fast-changing local and international business environment (Maritz & Donovan, 2015). Despite this, the potential of entrepreneurship and especially innovative entrepreneurship, has not been fully utilised in many developed and even more so in developing countries. Shane (2012) and Leong (2021) define entrepreneurship as the “discovery, evaluation and exploitation of opportunities” to start new ventures. On the other hand, innovation is concerned with developing and utilising novel value-added products or services that solve daily needs and demands in a new and creative way within the economic and social environments (Roach et al., 2020). Research has shown that females still lack in some instances concerning entrepreneurial development and that high growth and innovative ventures are more prevalent amongst male entrepreneurs (Neumeyer, 2020). However, this is changing rapidly in some economies with the prevalence of advanced female incubation, acceleration and mentorship programmes (Kuschel et al. 2020).  

Moreover, young people are also an underrepresented group among entreprneurs (Westhead and Solesvik, 2016). Young entrepreneurs are a source of innovation,  new working places, and value creation (OECD, 2011). Governments of different countries, non-governmental organizations, Universities make significant efforts in order to encourage young people to become entrepreneurs, i.e. different programs in enterprise education, venture cups, business plan competitions are offered and carried out in order to improve entrepreneurial qualifications of young people and motivate them to start new ventures. Studies of entrepreneurial intentions allow to map the level of entrepreneurial ambitions of young people in different countries (Bogatyreva et al., 2019) and explore the effectiveness of enterprise education on honing entrepreneurial skills of young people.

One should add that innovation - which remains a current topic -  is also a path to success and sustainability in entrepreneurship. New insights into the principles of strategic creation and successful implementation can be important for entrepreneurs, business owners and managers alike. Also, the analysis of recent successful and unsuccessful innovations in business can be a good and inspiring source of information, especially if it is possible to identify the key factors that significantly impacted the resulting situation. Given these facts, we are pleased to present this Special Issue entitled “Entrepreneurship and innovations: challenges and successes for organisations in a modern business environment”. Potential topics that may be explored are, but not limited to:

  • Female entrepreneurship and innovation: Challenges and success stories
  • Entrepreneurship, innovation, economic growth and development: links and relationships
  • Social innovations in an interconnected world
  • The importance of entrepreneurship and innovation in emerging economies
  • Social entrepreneurship: an effective way to reduce poverty in the world
  • Technological and business innovations
  • Inter-organisational relations and open innovation models
  • Entrepreneurship and innovations ecosystems
  • Entrepreneurial intentions

We believe that this Special Issue topic will be interesting to you and invite your original research papers or reviews to be submitted.

References

Bogatyreva, K., Edelman, L. F., Manolova, T. S., Osiyevskyy, O., & Shirokova, G. (2019). When do entrepreneurial intentions lead to actions? The role of national culture. Journal of Business Research, 96(1), 309-321.

Kuschel, K., Ettl, K., Díaz-García, C. & Alsos, G.A. (2020). Stemming the gender gap in STEM entrepreneurship–insights into women’s entrepreneurship in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 16(1), 1-15.

Leong, D. (2021). Entrepreneurial Energy and Opportunities Existing in Space. Journal of Entrepreneurship, Business and Economics, 8(2), 196-218.

Meyer, N. (2018). South African female entrepreneurs’ intention to remain in business. (Doctoral thesis). Potchefstroom, South Africa: North-West University.

Neumeyer, X. (2020). Inclusive High-Growth Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Fostering Female Entrepreneurs’ Participation in Incubator and Accelerator Programs. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 1-10.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2011). Partnering for Success in Fostering Graduate Entrepreneurship. OECD LEED Forum on Partnerships and Local Governance: Handbook No. 5. Paris: OECD.

Roach, O.O., McLaughlin, G.C. & McLaughlin, H.M. (2020). Innovation and Value: Customer Perception, Application, and Concept. Journal of Management & Public Policy, 12(1), 4-16.

Shane, S. (2012). Reflections on the 2010 AMR decade award: delivering the promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research. Academy of Management Review, 37(1), 10-20.

Walsh, G.S., Cunningham, J.A., Mordue, T., McLeay, F., O’Kane, C. & Connolly, N. (2021). What business schools do to support academic entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review and future research agenda. Studies in Higher Education, 1-12.

Westhead, P.  & Solesvik, M.Z.  (2016), Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention: Do female students benefit? International Small Business Journal, 34 (8), 979-1003.

Dr. Włodzimierz Sroka
Prof. Natanya Meyer
Dr. Michal Varmus
Prof. Dr. Marina Solesvik
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • entrepreneurship
  • innovations
  • social entrepreneurship
  • female entrepreneurship
  • entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem
  • entrepreneurial intentions

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 536 KiB  
Article
Elevating South Africa’s Entrepreneurial Activity in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era
by Patrick Ssekitoleko and Shepherd Dhliwayo
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13090195 - 26 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1535
Abstract
The objective of this research is to appraise the level of entrepreneurial activity in South Africa and to identify the challenges to implementation of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) that obstruct the leveraging of 4IR technologies to boost entrepreneurial activity in the country. [...] Read more.
The objective of this research is to appraise the level of entrepreneurial activity in South Africa and to identify the challenges to implementation of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) that obstruct the leveraging of 4IR technologies to boost entrepreneurial activity in the country. A conceptual exploratory literature review approach was applied. This study’s results show that a high unemployment rate, the quality of entrepreneurial support initiatives, physical infrastructure, enterprise funds and increased economic freedom are enablers of entrepreneurial activity in South Africa. High data costs, poor digital technological preparedness, an unreliable energy supply, data protection and cyber security risks, among other factors, were identified as obstacles to 4IR implementation. We, therefore, recommend a 4IR fund, mandatory data price laws, proactive policing, further public–private partnerships, enhancement of whistle-blower protection laws, among others, as solutions to buoy entrepreneurial activity through application of 4IR technologies. These results signal the need to ensure a synchronized effort by all relevant spheres of government to address the 4IR implementation challenges and enhance entrepreneurial activity for South Africa’s economy. Full article
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14 pages, 530 KiB  
Article
Comparing the Innovation and Export Performance of Hungarian Family and Non-Family Enterprises: Experiences Drawn from Empirical Surveys
by Judit Csákné Filep, László Radácsi and Áron Szennay
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13060146 - 01 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1691
Abstract
Family enterprises are considered to be one of the oldest and still dominant forms of business organisations. However, their innovation activity is an emerging area of research, especially in the Central and Eastern European region. The aim of our study is to address [...] Read more.
Family enterprises are considered to be one of the oldest and still dominant forms of business organisations. However, their innovation activity is an emerging area of research, especially in the Central and Eastern European region. The aim of our study is to address this research gap by investigating, with the help of statistical tools, the relationship between the familiness of the firms, their innovation activity, and their export activity on representative samples of Hungarian SMEs in the years 2017, 2020, and 2022. Our results suggest that the innovation activity of exporting Hungarian SMEs is more significant than that of non-exporting SMEs. However, the relationship between familiness and innovation activity is not uniform in the three analyzed years, and the relationship between familiness and export activity is not significant. The findings of this study, that firms’ innovation and exporting activities can be mutually reinforcing, can be used by policymakers, curriculum developers in business education, and entrepreneurs. One of the main limitations of our research is that the 2020 and 2022 surveys were conducted after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shock of the Russian–Ukrainian war, respectively; thus, the decisions of the firms could have been influenced by the unpredictability of the external environment. Full article
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13 pages, 289 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Entrepreneurs as the Neoteric Driver of Skill Variety and Economic Prosperity
by Alex Maritz, Quan Nguyen and Abu Ismail
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13060140 - 26 May 2023
Viewed by 1978
Abstract
Nearly a quarter of all global start-ups are founded by hybrid entrepreneurs, that is, individuals that engage in self-employment activity while simultaneously holding a primary job in wage or remuneration work. This study is the first of its kind to examine hybrid entrepreneurship [...] Read more.
Nearly a quarter of all global start-ups are founded by hybrid entrepreneurs, that is, individuals that engage in self-employment activity while simultaneously holding a primary job in wage or remuneration work. This study is the first of its kind to examine hybrid entrepreneurship in Australia using five pragmatic and embedded hybrid entrepreneur mini case studies. Aligning with human capital and skill variety theory, we adopted an interpretivist philosophical paradigm of emergent enquiry action and exploratory research. The paper explores characteristics and antecedents in the forms of the benefits and challenges associated with this increasingly prevalent form of entrepreneurship, including contextual and theoretical foundations. We provide policy and pragmatic research recommendations to enhance the development of this form of employment not only as a steppingstone to full-time self-employment but also as a driver of economic and social benefit to global societies. Furthermore, we provide inferences for future scientific studies within this domain. Full article
24 pages, 1072 KiB  
Article
An Analysis of Eco-Innovation Capabilities among Small and Medium Enterprises in Malaysia
by Najahul Kamilah Aminy Sukri, Siti Nur ‘Atikah Zulkiffli, Nik Hazimah Nik Mat, Khatijah Omar, Mukhammad Kholid Mawardi and Nur Farah Zafira Zaidi
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 113; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13040113 - 17 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2609
Abstract
The objective of this study is to look at how Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are applying eco-innovation capabilities in order to sustain their business performance. Eco-innovation capabilities are represented in this study by five different types of practices, with the indication [...] Read more.
The objective of this study is to look at how Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are applying eco-innovation capabilities in order to sustain their business performance. Eco-innovation capabilities are represented in this study by five different types of practices, with the indication of unexpected circumstances: eco-product innovation, eco-process innovation, eco-organisational innovation, eco-marketing innovation, and eco-technology innovation. The qualitative research approach was used in the study, and the content analysis was based on in-depth interviews with six top-level managers/owners of Malaysian manufacturing SMEs. According to the data, more than half of SMEs acquired eco-innovation capabilities in order to continue their business performance and thrive in the business sector, while having to confront certain hurdles due to unforeseen situations. According to the findings, eco-innovation capabilities encourage SMEs to engage in waste management, recycling or reusing resources, research and development, sustainable goods that utilize customer requests, and the use of environment management machines. Thus, the findings of this study may aid the efforts of government agencies, policymakers, and top-tier manufacturing SMEs in building an exceptional innovation platform on which SMEs may rely for assistance and support in preserving their business performance in the future and beyond. Full article
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20 pages, 1589 KiB  
Article
Women Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Perspectives of an Emerging Economy
by Bardhyl Ahmetaj, Alba Demneri Kruja and Eglantina Hysa
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13040111 - 13 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 7705
Abstract
Women entrepreneurship is considered by many researchers as an imminent phenomenon of the 21st century, especially for developing countries. Due to its contribution to the economy and society, recent studies have focused on investigating its motivational factors, as well as achievements. Moreover, researchers [...] Read more.
Women entrepreneurship is considered by many researchers as an imminent phenomenon of the 21st century, especially for developing countries. Due to its contribution to the economy and society, recent studies have focused on investigating its motivational factors, as well as achievements. Moreover, researchers have come up with different entrepreneurial perspectives in different societies and cultures and have called for further analysis. In this context, the main purpose of this research was to assess the driving factors, challenges, and perspectives of woman entrepreneurship in a post-communist country context. As part of the data collection process, a survey was conducted with 36 female entrepreneurs operating in the capital city of Albania, Tirana. The study results reveal that, even though there are no significant differences between the percentage of women who feel that they are being discriminated against and percentage of female entrepreneurs who perceive that their gender has positively affected the business growth, there is a positive significant difference regarding the percentages of women entrepreneurs who have been supported by their families and partners and those who have received heritage from their families. Special attention is addressed to the different factors that women experience in terms of entrepreneurial development. Another aim of this research is to provide different recommendations to be taken into consideration by the policymakers to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Albania. Full article
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17 pages, 3524 KiB  
Article
A Bibliometric Analysis of Social Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
by Iuliia Trabskaia, Aleksei Gorgadze, Mervi Raudsaar and Heidi Myyryläinen
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13030075 - 03 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3145
Abstract
Social entrepreneurship plays an important role in the maintenance of economic prosperity and brings benefits to society. The role of social entrepreneurship is growing in the light of challenges of the global economy, increasing uncertainty of the environment, the growth of social problems, [...] Read more.
Social entrepreneurship plays an important role in the maintenance of economic prosperity and brings benefits to society. The role of social entrepreneurship is growing in the light of challenges of the global economy, increasing uncertainty of the environment, the growth of social problems, and the emergence of crises in the 2020s. These derive an increase in economic and psychological challenges. Social entrepreneurship is known as the driver for solving global problems of society. The entrepreneurial ecosystem serves as a source of entrepreneurial opportunity, as a breeding ground for entrepreneurship. Therefore, exploring the topic of social entrepreneurship in the context of the entrepreneurial ecosystem becomes relevant. Social entrepreneurship, with respect to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, has been extensively explored. However, despite a growing body of publications, to the best of our knowledge, no bibliometric analysis is available on the topic. This analysis is important to understand what trends in the development of social entrepreneurship and the ecosystem exist, what further research directions can be recommended, and how the relationship between social entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial ecosystem has been studied. This study aims to close the gap, consolidate research, and identify the state of the art in the field. In total, 357 publications from the Scopus database were selected for the period of 2009–2022. The study used social network analysis (bibliographic coupling network, co-citation network, citation network, and co-authorship network) and semantic analysis (semantic network) through VOSviewer version 1.6.19 and Gephi version 0.10.1 software. The results showed a growth of publications during this period, allowing us to observe influential journals, the most productive and cited authors, leading countries and universities, impactful papers, networks of collaborations, and co-citations of scholars. The paper with the highest degree of centrality is “Ecosystems in Support of Social Entrepreneurs: A Literature Review” while Sustainability is the most influential journal in the field. The analysis identified six thematic clusters within the research topic. The study contributes to the literature by presenting the research agenda, structure, characteristics of social entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial ecosystem research. Full article
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16 pages, 871 KiB  
Article
Does the Relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation and Subjective Financial Firm Performance Have an Inverted U-Shape? Evidence from Southeast European SMEs
by Helena Šlogar, Bojan Morić Milovanović and Stella Hrvatin
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(2), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13020026 - 17 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2230
Abstract
Many academic studies have focused on exploring various interactions between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance, where, in general, the findings confirmed their existence to be of positive character. However, many authors indicated a need to further test the possibilities concerning the nonlinearity [...] Read more.
Many academic studies have focused on exploring various interactions between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and firm performance, where, in general, the findings confirmed their existence to be of positive character. However, many authors indicated a need to further test the possibilities concerning the nonlinearity between EO and firm performance. Moreover, since many research studies on this topic have been conducted in developed countries, there is still a need for such studies in developing countries, especially in the region of southeast Europe. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the existence of nonlinearity between EO and subjective financial performance among SMEs in southeastern European countries. Data was collected from decisionmakers of the 963 SMEs operating in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. Proposed hypotheses were tested using hierarchical linear regression analysis. Research results confirmed existence of the positive direct relationship EO has on financial performance, including the positive effects on sales growth and profit-to-sales ratio. On the other hand, results have not confirmed existence of nonlinearity effects that EO has on financial performance, sales growth, nor on the profit-to-sales ratio. In other words, the observed relationship does not exhibit inversed U-shape characteristics among southeast European SMEs. Full article
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21 pages, 406 KiB  
Article
The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the Eastern Cone of Lima as a Predictor of Competitiveness and Sustainable Development
by Jesús Fernando Bejarano Auqui, Adriana Ruiz Berrio, Raúl Rodríguez Antonio and Beatriz Estefany Aguado
Adm. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci13010012 - 31 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2175
Abstract
Great changes and contradictions have occurred in the economy in recent years, forcing entrepreneurs to seek solutions to increase competitiveness, maintain growth and implement mechanisms that can create permanent solutions in the future, thus promoting development. In this context, the aim of this [...] Read more.
Great changes and contradictions have occurred in the economy in recent years, forcing entrepreneurs to seek solutions to increase competitiveness, maintain growth and implement mechanisms that can create permanent solutions in the future, thus promoting development. In this context, the aim of this study is to investigate whether the perception of the entrepreneurial ecosystem is a significant predictor of the perception of competitiveness and sustainable development in the Peruvian case. For this, a structural equation model was tested using data obtained from a convenience sampling method (n = 240) along with a 32-item scale, which was adapted and validated using an exploratory factor analysis. Participants of this study were actors from the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the eastern cone of Lima, 79.1% of whom were entrepreneurs and businessmen (6.2% from the industrial sector, 50.5% from the commercial sector and 22.4% from the service sector); the remaining 20.9% of the sample corresponds to university professors, students, directors and advisors of incubators and accelerators. Findings of this study suggest that the perception of these actors of the entrepreneurial ecosystem has a significant effect on its perception of competitiveness and sustainable development. Full article
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14 pages, 1030 KiB  
Article
Intellectual Capital of Technology-Based Incubators
by M. Carolina Martins Rodrigues, Raul Pommer Barbosa, Luciana Aparecida Barbieri da Rosa, Maria José Sousa and Waleska Yone Yamakawa Zavatti Campos
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12040191 - 12 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1501
Abstract
The objective of this work is to evaluate the associations between the intellectual capital of technology-based incubators in the sustainability of incubated companies located in Portugal. For this purpose, the methodological strategy employed was the survey, and to test the hypotheses the Partial [...] Read more.
The objective of this work is to evaluate the associations between the intellectual capital of technology-based incubators in the sustainability of incubated companies located in Portugal. For this purpose, the methodological strategy employed was the survey, and to test the hypotheses the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling PLS-SEM method was applied from a sample of 82 incubated company managers. The results show that the intellectual capital of the incubator company has a direct and positive relationship with the innovative capacity, satisfaction, and sustainability of the incubated company. In turn, the incubated company’s innovative capacity has a direct and positive impact on sustainability itself. In addition, both the sustainability of the incubated company and its levels of satisfaction with the incubated company has a positive and direct impact on its competitive success. The management implications include the perception that the greater the effort to improve the human capital, structural capital, and relational capital of the incubated companies, the better will be the results achieved in supporting companies, helping start-ups develop sustainably and competitively in the market. Full article
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25 pages, 963 KiB  
Article
Public–Private Partnership as a Form of Ensuring Sustainable Development of the Forest Management Sphere
by Halyna Mishenina and Jaroslav Dvorak
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 156; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12040156 - 04 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3290
Abstract
This article examines the application of one of the forms of modern public management—public–private partnership (PPP)—in the forestry sector. This contributes to the search for new forms and methods that uphold the principles of sustainable development, decentralization, liberalization and capitalization of natural resources. [...] Read more.
This article examines the application of one of the forms of modern public management—public–private partnership (PPP)—in the forestry sector. This contributes to the search for new forms and methods that uphold the principles of sustainable development, decentralization, liberalization and capitalization of natural resources. The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristic features and advantages of PPP as a special partnership between the state and business-entrepreneurial structures, as well as to analyze the prospects and justify the feasibility of using PPP tools to ensure effective forestry. The research methodology was based on the critical analysis of the scholarly literature. Strategic documents, political reports and programs relevant to the forestry sector were also examined. In summary, it can be said that PPP models are a significant addition to other types of cooperation, such as more formal, top-down initiatives. PPP forestry projects can enable the accomplishment of otherwise impossible tasks. Full article
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26 pages, 2725 KiB  
Article
How Do University Spin-Offs Apply Stakeholder Management in Practice?
by Geoffrey Aerts and Sophie Jacobs
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12040153 - 01 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1676
Abstract
This paper aims to better understand the application of stakeholder management within the university spin-offs (USOs) of the five Flemish universities (Belgium). Every organization, including USOs, must deal with different types of stakeholders. Even though a lot of research on USOs exists, as [...] Read more.
This paper aims to better understand the application of stakeholder management within the university spin-offs (USOs) of the five Flemish universities (Belgium). Every organization, including USOs, must deal with different types of stakeholders. Even though a lot of research on USOs exists, as far as we know, no previous research has been performed on how USOs manage their stakeholders. For this qualitative research, 30 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with executives from USOs to understand how they define, categorize, and manage their stakeholders. Moreover, the impact of COVID-19 on their stakeholder management is examined and an overview is conducted of the stakeholders in each development phase of the USOs. Based on these interviews, we found that stakeholder management is mostly performed in a more intuitive way. However, it is shown that stakeholder management becomes more important as the USO moves along the company life cycle. Full article
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13 pages, 565 KiB  
Article
E-Communication of ENGO’s for Measurable Improvements for Sustainability
by Valentina Burksiene and Jaroslav Dvorak
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12020070 - 13 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3980
Abstract
Environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) play a significant role in contemporary governance. They act as bottom-up advocates while discussing sustainability and environmental issues. They try to engage different stakeholders and society members for common actions. Communication is cited as a very appropriate process for [...] Read more.
Environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) play a significant role in contemporary governance. They act as bottom-up advocates while discussing sustainability and environmental issues. They try to engage different stakeholders and society members for common actions. Communication is cited as a very appropriate process for the cooperation and coordination of joint actions. Digital technologies provide new communication possibilities as an e-communication mode that covers various networks. E-communication is very complex and requires strict management that is usually unaware of for small ENGOs. This study aims to propose a theoretical model of e-communication for enhancing ENGOs communication effectiveness on sustainability issues. A literature analysis was used with a content approach helping to collect components and criteria for the framework. The approach of logical classification and distribution was applied to construct the framework. The framework appeals to the idea of diversification of communication for different audiences and is based on the e-communication objectives and measurement of messages as the results. The framework can be adapted to the particular sustainability problem such as air pollution, protection of trees, etc. Full article
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16 pages, 2649 KiB  
Article
Taxonomy of Factors Involved in Decision-Making to Sustain Organization Members’ Creativity
by Martina Blašková, Dominika Tumová and Martin Mičiak
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12010039 - 05 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3502
Abstract
Creativity is highly valued in all areas of life, and it must be supported in the academic environment for the future prosperity of all organizations. This is the primary source of creativity for practice. The research presented is based on answering the following [...] Read more.
Creativity is highly valued in all areas of life, and it must be supported in the academic environment for the future prosperity of all organizations. This is the primary source of creativity for practice. The research presented is based on answering the following questions: Are an organization’s members willing to increase their motivation if the organization’s motivational efforts improve? What elements in decision-making are used to support the creativity and motivation of the organization’s members? The paper proposes a novel taxonomy of decision-making factors influencing organizations’ sustainable creativity based on linking the findings from the authors’ surveys. Its application will lead to an improvement in the organizations’ processes, especially in the process of education and knowledge generation. The sociological inquiry was used as the main data collection method. Other methods applied included content analysis, practical cases analysis, and comparison. Methods of mathematical-statistical analysis and deductive-inductive approach were used in the evaluation. This resulted in the confirmation of the impact of creative decision-making approaches by employees and managers on sustainable motivation and creativity in the organization. The taxonomy of decision-making factors for the support of sustainable creativity reflects the results of this original research combined with the findings summarized in the discussion. Full article
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25 pages, 718 KiB  
Article
Digital Innovations in MSMEs during Economic Disruptions: Experiences and Challenges of Young Entrepreneurs
by Lavinia Javier Cueto, April Faith Deleon Frisnedi, Reynaldo Baculio Collera, Kenneth Ian Talosig Batac and Casper Boongaling Agaton
Adm. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12010008 - 05 Jan 2022
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 30503
Abstract
The spike in COVID-19 cases all over the world poses a massive impact on various sectors of society. The global economy is no exception, for it has been severely affected by the unprecedented public health crisis leading businesspeople to shutdown commercial establishments and [...] Read more.
The spike in COVID-19 cases all over the world poses a massive impact on various sectors of society. The global economy is no exception, for it has been severely affected by the unprecedented public health crisis leading businesspeople to shutdown commercial establishments and dramatically shifting businesses into digital platforms. Immense challenges brought by the pandemic have turned into great opportunities among entrepreneurs from different parts of the globe. In pursuit of the recovery path, they considered digital tools to be instrumental to surviving the crisis and even thriving in the long term. This study explores drivers and barriers to digital innovations in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during economic disruptions from the perspective of Filipino young entrepreneurs. Researchers employed a qualitative method for the conduct of in-depth interviews with 46 online entrepreneurs in the Philippines and transcribed them for Inductive Content Analysis to generate themes. Results found the adverse effects of the pandemic, which reinforce entrepreneurial innovations of shifting businesses to digital platforms, categorized into intrinsic (e.g., personal and professional growth) and extrinsic (e.g., mobility restrictions, market conditions, and household economic status) motivations. Participants described the barriers to digital entrepreneurship, including skills needed for doing online business, market-related problems in digital platforms, availability of quality internet infrastructures, and the pandemic restrictions. The findings of this study contribute to the entrepreneurship literature and areas for an empirical investigation to develop programs that support entrepreneurs during economic disruptions. This would serve as a guidepost in the formulation of government policies and strategies for economic recovery through digital entrepreneurship while considering the perspectives of young entrepreneurs. This further recommends future related researches to empower entrepreneurs, particularly those in the developing economies during the pandemic and beyond. Full article
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