1st Edition

Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability

Edited By Marcus Wagner Copyright 2012

    This book addresses the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability (EIS), presenting high-quality research illuminating the relationship between the three fields. The EIS nexus is particularly relevant from a European point of view given the focus of the European Commission on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, as well as their prominent role within the European Union in general. Also, the rapid economic growth witnessed especially in the BRIC countries in recent years requires that firms reconcile sustainability aspects with profitability and innovation, and entrepreneurs are seen as key diffusers of these aims. Sustainability requires both radical and incremental innovation at many different levels (technology, product, process, system). In many cases, such innovations come from small and medium-sized enterprises and so the role of the entrepreneur is key to their success.

    The book is split into six sections. The first section examines the nexus in detail focusing on system-oriented connectivity between sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship. The second section looks at how to nurture corporate entrepreneurship for sustainability; and the third considers "mature" industries such as automotives, chemicals and electronics and how sustainability aspects can be integrated into innovation process and strategy. The fourth section examines the nexus through the lens of developing countries in Africa. Sustainable entrepreneurship is identified as a hugely beneficial way to foster development. The fifth section of the book concentrates on SMEs; and finally the EIS nexus is approached from a network perspective and focuses on inter-organisational partnerships, which are often an important facilitator or spark for EIS initiatives.This book will prove to be essential for researchers in the EIS nexus and be of invaluable help to practitioners, governments and inter-governmental bodies attempting to encourage sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation.

    ForewordSusan E. Jackson, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University, USA; Past President, Academy of Management1. Entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability: an introduction and overviewMarcus Wagner, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, GermanySection I: Integrative views of the EIS nexus2. The nexus of innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability: Making the case for a multi-level approachRomano Dyerson and Lutz Preuss, Royal Holloway University of London, UK3. Implementation of sustainable innovations and business modelsElli Verhulst, Artesis University College Antwerp, Belgium; Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NorwayIvo Dewit, Artesis University College Antwerp, BelgiumCasper Boks, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NorwaySection II: Corporate entrepreneurship for sustainability-improving innovation4. Creating a culture of sustainability in entrepreneurial enterprisesTimothy J. Galpin, Colorado Mesa University, USA; J. Lee Whittington, University of Dallas, USA5. Corporate entrepreneurship and organisational innovation: the case of environmental management system implementationMarcus Wagner, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, GermanySection III: EIS in mature industries6. The role of government in shifting firm innovation focus in the automobile industryPreeta M. Banerjee and Micaela Preskill, Brandeis University, USA7. Drivers for sustainability-improving innovation: a qualitative analysis of renewable resources, industrial products and travel servicesPatrick Llerena, BETA, Université de Strasbourg, FranceMarcus Wagner, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, GermanySection IV: EIS in developing countries8. Obstacles to innovation and entrepreneurship in Ghana: An analysis of opportunities for sustainable developmentChristopher Mensah-Bonsu and Florian Jell, Technical University Munich, Germany9. The social sustainability of entrepreneurship: An ethnographic study of entrepreneurial balancing of plural logicsToke Bjerregaard and Jakob Lauring, University of Aarhus, Denmark10. Business, but not as usual: entrepreneurship and sustainable development in low-income economiesBoukje Vastbinder, Otto Kroesen, Esther Blom and Roland Ortt, Delft University of Technology, NetherlandsSection V: EIS in small firms11. Corporate social responsibility in the relationships between large retailers and Italian small and medium food suppliersFabio Musso, University of Urbino, ItalyMario Risso, University of Rome, Italy12. Market demand, eco-products and entrepreneurship in the "natural cosmetics sector" in GreeceIoannis N. Katsikis, Athens University of Economics and Business, GreeceSection VI: EIS in a network perspective13. Publicly mediated inter-organisational networks: A solution for sustainability-oriented innovation in SMEs?Erik G. Hansen and Johanna Klewitz, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany14. Sustainability-improving innovation: empirical insights and relationships with sustainability-oriented entrepreneurshipMarcus Wagner and Eva-Maria Lutz, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, Germany

    Biography

    Wagner, Marcus