Entrepreneurship as Facilitator for Sustainable Development? Editorial for the Special Issue “Advances in Sustainable Entrepreneurship”

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The Role of Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Sustainability Transitions: A Conceptual Synthesis against the Background of the Multi-Level Perspective

This paper conceptually synthesizes prior studies on sustainable entrepreneurship against the background of the multi-level perspective. It thereby relates separate streams of literature on sustainable entrepreneurship, sustainability transformations and ecopreneurship, which have previously not been systematically connected and synthesized, to the multi-level perspective. The paper furthermore provides suggestions on how the multi-level perspective can be advanced based on the inspirations of these previously only sparsely-connected streams of literature. Finally, implications for entrepreneurs, academia and politics are presented: means to increase the contribution of sustainable entrepreneurship to sustainability transitions are suggested, and the importance of growth and degrowth is discussed in the context of sustainable entrepreneurship

The Role of Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Sustainability Transitions: A Conceptual Synthesis against the Background of the Multi-Level Perspective

This paper conceptually synthesizes prior studies on sustainable entrepreneurship against the background of the multi-level perspective. It thereby relates separate streams of literature on sustainable entrepreneurship, sustainability transformations and ecopreneurship, which have previously not been systematically connected and synthesized, to the multi-level perspective. The paper furthermore provides suggestions on how the multi-level perspective can be advanced based on the inspirations of these previously only sparsely-connected streams of literature. Finally, implications for entrepreneurs, academia and politics are presented: means to increase the contribution of sustainable entrepreneurship to sustainability transitions are suggested, and the importance of growth and degrowth is discussed in the context of sustainable entrepreneurship

Environmental orientation among nascent and established entrepreneurs: an empirical analysis of differences and their causes

This paper investigates differences between nascent and established entrepreneurs with regard to their ventures' environmental orientation. Based on quantitative data of more than 10,000 entrepreneurs, analyses of variance (ANOVA) are conducted. The results show that the average environmental orientation is significantly higher among nascent than among established entrepreneurs. Variables are identified which influence the magnitude of these differences, as they exert different effects on environmental orientation among nascent and established entrepreneurs, such as household income or media reports. Based on the findings, implications for policymakers, entrepreneurs as well as for entrepreneurship education are drawn to use the potential of nascent environmental entrepreneurs more comprehensively. For instance, teaching institutions need to give realistic impressions of the challenges and potentials of environmental entrepreneurship. Similarly, environmental entrepreneurs should think about the specific challenges connected with environmentally-oriented ventures, such as potential trade-offs between environmental and economic objectives, at early stages of their entrepreneurial activity

Legal systems, internationalization and corporate sustainability. An empirical analysis of the influence of national and international authorities

Purpose – This paper aims to compare the influence of different legal systems on corporate sustainability management practices. Against the background of growing internationalization of business activities, it additionally considers whether internationalization allows companies to circumvent the influence of national authorities. Design/methodology/approach – Three legal systems are compared using regression analyses of more than 200 large corporations in five countries: common law (USA and Australia), German code law (Germany) and French code law (France and Spain). Findings – The impact of national and international authorities is found to be strongest in French code law countries. In addition, the influence of international authorities is stronger for corporations with higher shares of international sales. For both national and international authorities, the degree of internationalization is found to moderate the influence of the legal system on corporate sustainability practices. Practical implications – The legal system in place influences the relative effectiveness of national and international authorities over company sustainability practices and needs to be taken into account in policymaking. To be effective, international authorities need to work with or substitute for national authorities in promoting corporate sustainability practices in countries depending on their legal systems. Originality/value – This research applies and quantitatively tests La Porta’s (1998) framework on legal systems in the new context of corporate sustainability. Keywords Internationalization, Corporate sustainability, Sustainability management, Code law, Common law, Legal system Paper type Research pape

Management roles and sustainability information. Exploring corporate practice

Little empirical research has been conducted on perceptions of the types of sustainability information dealt with by different managers in internal company processes. In this study the roles of different managers are distinguished based on contingency theory and using the categorisation in the sustainability balanced scorecard concept. Expected sustainability information types are identified for these roles and hypotheses are derived and tested about perceptions of the types of sustainability information in different management roles. Interviews identified 116 roles involved with sustainability information in a set of leading German and UK sustainability reporting companies. Results from analysing sustainability information types contingent upon different management roles contribute to the understanding of sustainability accounting systems and practices and how companies can best support different management roles with appropriate sustainability information.18 page(s