Understanding entrepreneurial ecosystems: Biology or Economics?

Ganira Ibrahimova, Ph.D. Candidate at the chair for Entrepreneurship and Family Business at the University of Siegen, Germany

Abstract

Recent years have seen entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises play a more significant role in economic growth and cooperation. Economic development increasingly depends on fostering entrepreneurship, where SMEs play a key role in job creation, business development, and stimulating green and inclusive growth in both developing and developed countries. In addition, SMEs are crucial for achieving sustainable development in emerging markets as well. Effective policies and support measures require an understanding of the environment in which entrepreneurs and SMEs operate, referred to as entrepreneurial ecosystem. This blog entry provides a first look at the most popular literature on the entrepreneurial ecosystem, offers different definitions and models of the entrepreneurial ecosystem out of those papers, and provides a comparative case study to see how differently the ecosystem might work even in similar preconditions.

What is Sport Entrepreneurship?

Sylwester Bernacki, Ph.D. candidate, New York University, USA

Contact: sab986@nyu.edu

Abstract

Entrepreneurship has received increased interested among researchers over the recent years. Often entrepreneurship is studied from different perspectives and alongside various disciplines. Entrepreneurship exists in all sectors of the economy and so does in sport industry. However, sport entrepreneurship research does not receive as much attentions as other industries and is still niche field for scholars. Therefore, this blog entry attempts to summaries what is sport entrepreneurship.

„What is Sport Entrepreneurship?“ weiterlesen

Helping hands: how can academia help to overcome grand challenges?

Christian Schröder, Professorship of Business Administration, in particular of SME Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Siegen.

Contact: Christian3.Schroeder@uni-siegen.de

United Nations and the sustainable development goals (SDGs)

Our world is increasingly confronted with grand challenges to which there are no or inadequate answers to date. To address these challenges, the member states of the UN developed the agenda 2030. The agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. The Rio+20 Summit in 2012 was the largest UN conference in history and formed the starting point for the creation of the SDGs, addressing the major challenges of our time. These SDGs were developed throughout a three-year process across 83 national surveys including over 7 million people. Hence, they are stemming from the biggest consultation efforts of UN history. The aim of the SDGs is to identify key problems concerning all countries (developing and emerging) and to tackle areas requiring urgent action. Consequently, the UN agreed on 17 SDGs that serve to sustainably improve the quality of life around the world. The global partnership addresses the urgent call for action to eradicate poverty, improve health and education, and reduce inequalities with simultaneous economic development. Further, it seeks to align all SDGs with climate change mitigation (United Nations, n.y.; https://sdgs.un.org/goals). Albeit receiving criticism for formulating too broad and idealistic ideas, the development of the SDGs is backed and supported by large parts of the academic community and gained great legitimacy across nations worldwide. One key problem that remains is the lack of awareness for the 17 SDGs. With this blog entry, we would like to change this and create more awareness for them. As time is rare and action is more than urgently required, we think that it is time to spread the message. „Helping hands: how can academia help to overcome grand challenges?“ weiterlesen

Valuing the female economy: Investors & Entrepreneurs’ Perspective on Responsible Exits in Gender Lens Investing

Jessica Espinoza, external doctoral student at the Professorship of Business Administration, in particular of SME Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Siegen.

Contact: Jessica.ETrujano@uni-siegen.de

Abstract

The way we allocate capital and invest shapes the world we live in. Investors play a crucial role in deciding which ideas and opportunities get the chance to grow and which remain unexplored. So one of the best ways to drive change at scale is to change the way we allocate capital. Gender lens investing offers investors an exciting opportunity to do that. „Valuing the female economy: Investors & Entrepreneurs’ Perspective on Responsible Exits in Gender Lens Investing“ weiterlesen

Crossing rivers: How new medical technology ventures in resource-scarce contexts form ties with foreign resource holders

Sofia Abid, Ph.D. Candidate at the Entrepreneurship Research Institute, Chair of International Entrepreneurship, Technical University of Munich, Germany.

Contact: sofia.abid@tum.de

Going in…

It’s been three years since the world has been hit by the first wave of coronavirus. Three years since many of us have lived for the first time through a global pandemic. Three years since we have followed scientists from all over the globe relentlessly advance their work to come to an ultimate pharmaceutical solution or vaccine that would allow the world as we knew it to function again. Three years since governments and policymakers have been testing and rolling out measures to protect their citizens but also bubble proof their economic activities and stability. Three years since we experience a healthcare disaster in many hospitals worldwide where the demand simply would not keep up with available local resources. Three years since we watch and observe as inequalities across the continents make way to a pandemic experienced and lived differently from one country to another, one community to another. Over these three years and beyond, one thing persisted over and over again, creeping up on all formal and informal decisions made and sustained, with a heavy presence but still as the “elephant in the room” in many key global conversations: healthcare systems are on shaky grounds. „Crossing rivers: How new medical technology ventures in resource-scarce contexts form ties with foreign resource holders“ weiterlesen

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Innovative Methodological Avenues for Research

Felix Becker, Professorship of Business Administration, in particular of SME Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Siegen.

Contact: felix2.becker@uni-siegen.de

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most vivid topics nowadays, both in everyday life as well as in the scientific discourse. While the first steps towards Artificial Intelligence were taken over half a century ago (mainly by information system scholars), the debate has been particularly sparked recently, especially in a research related context. As the 21st century working world is all about technology and, accordingly, digitalization related aspects, Artificial Intelligence is having a rapid growth and is finding its way into many areas of business. It is disrupting the working world in such a way, that it is having a dramatic impact on business models of all types of companies and the way we work in general. Research is also affected by the novel trends of digitalization and the changes that result. This blog post discusses part of this, namely the ways in which Artificial Intelligence is altering research and the corresponding methods, and the new methodological opportunities that are emerging as a result.

„Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Innovative Methodological Avenues for Research“ weiterlesen

Let’s add the land of the pandas to our research agenda. Why female entrepreneurship in China matters.

Anna-Katharina Schaper, doctoral candidate, Chair of China Business and Economics, University of Würzburg and external doctoral student at the Professorship of Business Administration, in particular of SME Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Siegen.

Contact: anna-katharina.schaper@uni-wuerzburg.de

Abstract

Entrepreneurship in China, particularly from a gender perspective, is an underexplored research field. Does scarcity of research on China imply that China is not a relevant case for entrepreneurship scholars and practitioners? Does private entrepreneurship in China matter after all? Should we stay on the course of investigating entrepreneurship activities in conventional environments, like the US and its Silicon Valley? Or is it about time to calibrate our research focus and turn to studying entrepreneurial activities in less explored contexts? To answer these questions, this article provides a quick overview of the history of the Chinese private sector and offers an analysis of the status quo of the Chinese entrepreneurship landscape. Additionally, the article uses a gender-lens to shed light on entrepreneurial endeavors of Chinese women entrepreneurs. „Let’s add the land of the pandas to our research agenda. Why female entrepreneurship in China matters.“ weiterlesen