Research Outputs
Determinants and impacts of digital entrepreneurship: A pre- and post-COVID-19 perspective
Entrepreneurship and technology have been strongly connected over the last decades. The growth of digital technology and external factors have brought entrepreneurs new opportunities and challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has reevaluated the relationship between digitalization and innovative business models. Like any entrepreneurial process, entrepreneurs face a complex adaptation process that determines their success or failure. We reviewed 208 articles published in the past decade to identify trends related to the determinants and impacts of digital entrepreneurship pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic. Our results show trends in the definitions used, the relationship between external and internal factors that enable the exploration of available digital technologies for emerging business models, and the value digital entrepreneurs create for social, economic, and technological developments. Our study proposes a multidimensional framework and discusses challenges and opportunities.
Winds of change due to global lockdowns: Refreshing digital social entrepreneurship research paradigm
Digital technologies have a significant potential for collaboration, designing, and implementing better business initiatives. COVID-19 global lockdowns have increased the emergence of the Digital Social Entrepreneurship (DSE) phenomenon, which has been key in responding to social needs using digital technologies. The DSE scholarly discussion has been limited to a few studies. Therefore, little is known about theoretical foundations that explain the intersection between digital, social, and entrepreneurship. Based on an integrative literature review and a thematic case study, this study theorizes the micro-foundations of digital-social value-creation and explores the flourishment of the DSE phenomenon during/after the global lockdowns. Our findings contribute to the literature by extending the DSE definition and identifying the fostering (micro, meso, and macro) conditions involved in the digital-social value-creation process. Several implications emerged from the DSE learning, adaptation, and co-creation strategies/practices.
Digital social entrepreneurship: the N-Helix response to stakeholders’ COVID-19 needs
This study explores the emergence of a new entrepreneurship phenomenon (digital social entrepreneurship) as a result of the collaboration among many agents (N-Helix), given the government’s limited capacity to respond to the stakeholders’ needs satisfaction related to an exogenous event (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). Our theory development is based on three ongoing academic debates related to (a) the unrepresentativeness of the stakeholder theory in entrepreneurship research; (b) the emergence of digital social entrepreneurship (DSE) as a bridge between stakeholders’ needs, socio-economic actors, and digital-social initiatives; and (c) the role of N-Helix collaborations to facilitate the emergence of global knowledge-intensive initiatives and the rapid adoptions of open innovations. Our results support our assumptions about the positive mediation effect of DSE in the relationship between N-Helix collaborations and stakeholders’ satisfaction. Notably, results show how pandemic has intensified these relationships and how DSE in N-Helix collaborations can generate social impacts globally. Some implications for policy-makers have emerged from our results that should be considered during/post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Roggendorf: The challenge of internationalization of a family enterprise
The case seeks to offer a tool to help students to integrate knowledge and develop analytical capabilities in the area of strategic management and internationalization of a family company. The case is developed for senior business students or MBA students, who should analyse if this family company should reconsider its strategy for entering the Chinese market. For that they can consult several articles that we recommend. Starting from the articles of Kuo, Kao, Chang and Chiu (2012) or Hollender, Zapkau and Schwens (2017), the students can argue for the Fariña-Roggendorf family the pros and cons of increasing family involvement and assigning responsibility to their son (or other family member) for developing their business in China vs insisting on strategic partners to support them in this enterprise. In the case that they decide develop their project themselves, the article by Li, He and Sousa (2017) sheds light for students to propose possible routes. In the case of suggesting the route of insisting with Chinese strategic partners, the article by De Massis, Frattini, Majocchi and Piscitello (2018) offers support for deciding between the option suggested by Isu Tsing vs the strategy implemented by the family up to now. This case study is designed for students to work in teams. The case is to be handed out a week before its reading. The teams should be made up beforehand and each team should bring a poster with the answers to the case questions.
Assessing the organizational and ecosystem factors driving the impact of transformative FinTech platforms in emerging economies
The financial market has been transformed by FinTech platforms, which offer innovative products and services. FinTech platforms use a combination of technologies to digitalize processes and introduce new business models with unique characteristics. The benefits of FinTech initiatives are not limited to boosting the economic development of emerging economies; they also have a transformative impact on society and stakeholders. The transformative impact enables the democratization of digital services, making them accessible to marginalized groups that the traditional financial banking system has excluded. Our study theorizes how FinTech organizational capabilities (digital technologies, digital infrastructures, and talented employees) and FinTech ecosystem conditions (competitors, regulations, digital gender gaps, and institutional gaps) impact inclusion, transparency, and market expansion inspired by transformative entrepreneurship. We tested it through a multilevel analysis using data from 333 worldwide large FinTech platforms combined with secondary data at the country level. Results provide insights into how digital infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and closing the gaps for disadvantaged groups are crucial determinant factors for increasing FinTech impacts in emerging economies. Several implications for entrepreneurs, society, and policymakers emerge as a call for fostering digital societies and FinTech industry in emerging economies.
Equity crowdfunding platforms and sustainable impacts: encountering investors and technological initiatives for tackling social and environmental challenges
Purpose Innovative initiatives focusing on social and environmental impact often need help to secure traditional financial resources for their launch. Equity crowdfunding platforms (ECF) provide a potential funding source for these initiatives, particularly for technological inventors. This research paper aims to theorize how ECF campaigns attract investors to invest in technological initiatives with social and environmental value proposition impacts. Design/methodology/approach Using an inductive qualitative approach, the authors have gained insights, from 35 sustainable technological projects sponsored by a Chilean equity-crowdfunding platform, regarding the business model's transformation to achieve sustainable social and environmental impacts. Findings Findings show that disruptive technologies and sustainable aims are pivotal factors in successfully attracting investors to support sustainable technological initiatives through ECF platforms or campaigns. These factors led investors to actively engage with these projects and contribute to the value-creation process by transforming business models with social and environmental impacts and utilizing sustainable technology to enhance efficiency and optimize available resources. Research limitations/implications Due to the nature of this research, researchers must test the proposed conceptual framework using longitudinal quantitative data from multiple ECF platforms, technological solutions and investors worldwide in future research to enhance the comprehension of this phenomenon. Practical implications The findings highlight the significant contribution of ECF platforms and technological portfolios toward creating sustainable impacts. It is a good signal for investors interested in investing in technological initiatives and addressing social and environmental challenges. Social implications The contribution of disruptive technological projects from ECF platforms and ECF investors to tackle social and environmental challenges. Originality/value This research theorizes how ECF platforms tackle social challenges by encouraging investors to invest and participate with entrepreneurs in the co-creation process of sustainable technological solutions.
Technological entrepreneurship: present conditions and future perspectives for Latin America
Purpose Technological entrepreneurship is distinguished from other types of initiatives by its innovative characteristics and rapid growth, as well as by the high uncertainty it faces, both in terms of investment cost and capacity for continuous adaptation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the definitions, measures and methods that have been used to investigate the phenomenon and to define the process of the “entrepreneurial journey” and the associated typologies according to the technological level. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a systematic review of the literature on technological entrepreneurship focusing on emerging economies in Latin America. Based on the review of 62 papers, it analyses the current state and future research perspectives on the topic. Findings The authors can conclude that technological entrepreneurship in Latin America has great opportunities, especially linked to growth, but faces the threats of an uncertain and dynamic environment. Taking advantage of technologies allows the formulation of unique value propositions linked to the environment through innovation that improves the quality of life of the population. Research limitations/implications This study is a starting point for the development of research on resilient technology ventures. Latin America represents a limited location but offers insight into the developing phenomenon to measure the impacts that this phenomenon generates in society. Originality/value Considering the possibilities offered by technology and its continuous evolution, the impact that this type of entrepreneurship generates on the environment can be on a global scale. However, high growth and success are as likely as a failure and this is part of the improvement process.