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Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2023) | Viewed by 37827

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesca Grippa

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Guest Editor

College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: innovation management; entrepreneurship; organizational network analysis; organizational behavior

Dr. Monica Baraldi Borgida

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Guest Editor

College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: sustainable global business; integrated reporting; business ethics

Dr. Youngbok Ryu

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Guest Editor

College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: small business innovation research; technology transition; bibliometrics

Dr. Richard Swanson

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Guest Editor

College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: the application of financial theory to project design and development in the infrastructure sector; especially as a stimulus for economic growth

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to launch a Special Issue on “Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change” in the Sustainability journal. This Special Issue aims to contribute to studying the enablers of social, economic and environmental change through the lenses of sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship.

Despite the diffusion of paradigms like the circular economy and the rise of hybrid organizations like the social enterprise, today’s organizations are struggling to fully embrace business models that prioritize sustainable change. And for organizations that were able to implement such initiatives, it is not clear whether these principles are successfully implemented to provide them with a buffer against economic downturns and pandemic disruptions. Today, value creation within organizations is community and network-based, with alliances and collaborations playing a key strategic role in shaping both competitive advantage and sustainable change. To fully understand the impact that organizations have on their communities, we need to embrace a multi-dimensional approach that incorporates financial and non-financial indicators of performance, that cover aspects such as environmental impact, economic equity, social justice, customer satisfaction, and human development. Traditional measures of financial performance alone are inadequate to support strategic decision making, as they do not take into account the evolution of the firm's most relevant intangible assets, including the value generated by external stakeholders.

This Special Issue will contribute to the existing literature by discussing principles and best practices that can help organizations build sustainable growth through partnerships and collaborations. We invite contributions in the forms of research papers, case studies and systematic reviews, that highlight the transformative power of sustainable innovation, defined as the creation of new products, services or business models that improve performance in the three dimensions of sustainable development: social, environmental and economic (Lenssen et al, 2013). .

Examples of topics suitable for this Special Issue are:

Sustainability initiatives across all economic activities and markets.
Performance management of social, environmental and economic impact.
Principles of circular economy that make companies resilient to pandemic disruptions.
Sustainable partnerships between for profit and nonprofit organizations.
The role of social capital development to build resilient communities and organizations.
Individual traits and organizational mechanisms that foster sustainable change.

Research and reviews articles are therefore invited to be submitted to this Special Issue to contribute to and highlight the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship.on building sustainable change.

Dr. Francesca Grippa
Dr. Monica Baraldi Borgida
Dr. Youngbok Ryu
Dr. Richard Swanson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainable innovation
social entrepreneurship
ESG dimensions and materiality (transparency)
sustainable change and value (circular economy)
corporate purpose

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 498 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Paternalistic Leadership on Employee Innovation Behavior and New Venture Performance: The Moderating Role of Leader Humility

by Meifang Yao and Meiqiang Hao

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5897; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15075897 - 28 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2081

Abstract

This study examines how paternalistic leadership in new ventures influences employee innovation behavior and new venture performance. Three dimensions of paternalistic leadership in leader humility have a positive moderating effect on employee innovation behavior. To this end, we proposed and tested the supporting roles of the social cognition theory, social exchange theory, social learning theory, and interpersonal attraction theory. A total of 248 valid questionnaires were collected through a professional survey company for analysis, which revealed that among the three dimensions of paternalistic leadership, benevolent leadership and moral leadership both have a positive impact on employee innovation behavior and new venture performance, while authoritarian leadership has a negative impact. We also discovered that leader humility plays a significantly positive role in moderating the influence of authoritarian leadership, benevolent leadership, and moral leadership on employee innovation behavior. The results demonstrate that paternalistic leaders increase their effectiveness by maintaining humility as a management strategy, creating a superior, innovative atmosphere, and contributing to the progress of employee innovation behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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20 pages, 1846 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability as a Gateway to Textile International Markets: The Portuguese Case

by Luis Moreira, Anderson Rei Galvão, Vitor Braga, Alexandra Braga and Jaime Teixeira

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4669; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15054669 - 06 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2416

Abstract

The textile industry sector is classified as the most polluting sector and has the greatest direct impact on the life of the entire ecosystem. The main objective of this article is to study the role of sustainability (eco-innovation and circular economy) in the internationalization of the textile industry in Portugal. For this, a qualitative methodology was used, through semi-structured interviews applied to four managers of the textile sector, in the north of Portugal. The results of the interviews were submitted to a content analysis and data coding system using the NVIVO software. The results show that sustainability is a pillar of direct and/or indirect internationalization, either through the demand of the consumer for sustainable products or through the availability of the products produced by companies; this is motivated mainly by customers, even if the high price of these products when they reach the market is concerning. With the results achieved, this article shows that the determining factor for eco-innovative and recycled products is the price factor. The high price that eco-innovative and recycled products have when they reach the market is the main concern that the companies interviewed have in terms of investing more in this type of product. However, they claim that there is a clear increase in demand for these products and that it is a differentiating factor in international markets. It also became evident that the existence of products from the circular economy increases the companies’ value and acceptance in international markets. This article provides empirical evidence that shows that the transition from a linear to a circular economy requires large investments in most cases; however, it is currently a competitive advantage and a positioning in a differentiating sector, increasing the brand’s social responsibility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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17 pages, 449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Entrepreneurship on Innovation Performance of Chinese SMEs: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Enterprise Dynamic Capability and Organizational Innovation Environment

by Fang Cui and Jae-hoon Song

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12063; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141912063 - 23 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2044

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to examine the relationship of entrepreneurship, enterprise innovation performance, enterprise dynamic ability, and organizational innovation environment of small and medium enterprises in China. Based on a thorough literature review, this study constructed a research model of “entrepreneurship, enterprise dynamic ability, organizational innovation environment, and enterprise innovation performance”. To meet this purpose, a survey was conducted by collecting data using a random sampling method targeting five cities in Shandong and Henan, where the proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China is high. Additionally, SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0 were used to carry out correlation analyses, structural equation path analyses, and intermediary effect tests on 426 valid questionnaires. There are three major findings. First, entrepreneurship positively affects the dynamic ability of enterprises and the organizational innovation environment and enterprise innovation performance. Second, enterprise dynamic capability and organizational innovation environment positively affect enterprise innovation performance. Third, enterprise dynamic capability and organizational innovation environment play a partial mediating role on the influence path between entrepreneurship and innovation performance. The findings of this paper provide further evidence for the positive impact of entrepreneurship on innovation performance and the relationship between variables. Suggestions are provided for SMEs to improve their innovation performance. To stimulate entrepreneurship of SMEs, more attention needs to be given to cultivate their dynamic capabilities, create an environment of organizational innovation for enterprises, and help them maintain a competitive advantage in the ever-changing market environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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16 pages, 442 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Economic Sustainability, Innovation, and the ESG Factors: An Empirical Investigation

by Luca Di Simone, Barbara Petracci and Mariacristina Piva

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2270; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14042270 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 7987

Abstract

The growing attention to sustainability has generated increasing interest in its relevant determinants and a possible relationship with economic growth’s main drivers. Our paper contributes to this literature in three ways, by proposing the following empirical analysis of most innovative companies listed worldwide (909 firms over the 2013–2017 time-span): firstly, market-perceived innovation—proxied by the interaction between R&D intensity and the market-to-book ratio—has a positive impact on economic sustainability; secondly, when the three ESG pillars are considered, the social one turns out to have the highest effect on economic sustainability; thirdly, results are confirmed even when we control for context-specific conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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22 pages, 1334 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Assessing the Performance of Vietnam’s Banks in the Era of Free Trade Agreements

by Hoang Nguyen and Youngbok Ryu

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 1014; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14021014 - 17 Jan 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3482

Abstract

The performance of banks is a great barometer of the sustainability of the economy, particularly for emerging economies. In the expansion of its economy, over the last decade, Vietnam has entered a series of free trade agreements, such as the European Union–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in 2020. In that context, this study assesses the performance of Vietnam’s banks in the period of 2020–2021 and explores the relationship between performance and various demographic and environmental variables. This study utilizes data envelopment analysis with two disposability concepts where desirable outputs (e.g., return on equity) are maximized while undesirable outputs (e.g., non-performing loan ratio) are minimized. Subsequently, Tobit and bootstrap truncated regression analyses are conducted for the testing of two hypotheses: (1) EVFTA’s commitments, including the updating of the Fintech system, may be positively associated with bank’s performance, and (2) Locations of banks, encumbered by heterogeneous levels of urban concentration and real estate development in different regions, may be associated with the banks’ performance. The findings are twofold: (1) While EVFTA can contribute to Vietnamese banks’ financial profit performance through foreign trading and hedging activities, it may harm banks’ financial health performance due to Fintech-originated bad debts and a lack of relevant regulations; and (2) Banks in southern Vietnam outperform those in northern Vietnam in managing their credit risk by better controlling of bad debts, which result primarily from the volatility of the real estate market and from better positive externalities, in terms of economic, cultural, and political conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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17 pages, 711 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differences in Teachers’ Professional Action Competence in Education for Sustainable Development: The Importance of Teacher Co-Learning

by Maria Magdalena Isac, Wanda Sass, Jelle Boeve-de Pauw, Sven De Maeyer, Wouter Schelfhout, Peter Van Petegem and Ellen Claes

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 767; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020767 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2436

Abstract

This study builds on a research-practitioner partnership embedded within an education for sustainable development (ESD) project and aims to explore the major potential challenges (i.e., disciplinary boundaries set by subject specialization, especially in secondary education) and success factors (i.e., teacher co-learning experiences in ESD) associated with differences in teachers’ professional action competence (PACesd) in a sample of 557 in-service teachers in primary and secondary schools in Flanders, Belgium. The study employed a recently validated PACesd measurement instrument and involved quantitative data analysis in a structural equation modelling framework. The results show that primary education teachers tend to report higher PACesd levels compared to their peers in secondary education. Moreover, regardless of educational level, gender and teaching experience, all teachers participating in a working group or a learning community in ESD are more likely to show higher levels of PACesd. Implications of the findings, limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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17 pages, 648 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparing Behavioral Theories to Predict Consumer Interest to Participate in Energy Sharing

by Julia Morgan and Casey Canfield

Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7693; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13147693 - 09 Jul 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1767

Abstract

Consumer investment in distributed energy resources (DERs) is increasing the penetration of renewable energy in the grid. In some cases, DERs produce more electricity than needed by the owner and this excess electricity is sold to the utility (e.g., net metering). In contrast, energy sharing allows a facilitator, which may or may not be the utility, to redistribute excess renewable electricity to fellow community members directly. However, little is known about consumer interest in participating in this type of arrangement. This preregistered study uses structural equation modeling to compare two behavioral theories, Value-Belief-Norm and Diffusion of Innovation, to predict consumer interest in participating in energy sharing. Participants answered questions about energy sharing in the context of an energy-sharing community facilitated by the fictional company, E-topia. Survey data from 195 online participants suggest that Value-Belief-Norm is a better, although not quite acceptable, fit. This suggests that early adoption of energy sharing may be driven by appealing to core values rather than novelty-seeking. This study implies that individuals are more likely to participate in a new technology system such as energy sharing when the effects of participation align with individuals’ values. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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23 pages, 1583 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Examining the Relationship between the Economic Performance of Technology-Based Small Suppliers and Socially Sustainable Procurement

by Youngbok Ryu and Toshiyuki Sueyoshi

Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7220; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13137220 - 28 Jun 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3886

Abstract

Sustainable public procurement plays an important role in addressing not only environmental but also economic and social issues through government acquisitions from technology-based small suppliers. In this context, the objective of this study is to better understand the holistic public procurement process by assessing the operational efficiency of technology-based small suppliers and associating the economic aspect of public procurement with the social aspect, such as women-owned businesses. To this end, we analyzed U.S. Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research grantees by combining network data envelopment analysis with bootstrap truncated regression analysis. Drawing on the analysis results, we found that (1) there is heterogeneity in the performance of research and development, network building, and commercialization sub-processes, and (2) there is a positive relationship between the overall performance and women-owned small suppliers who excel particularly in network building. The former implies that small suppliers may have different expertise in the chain of public procurement; the latter suggests that woman entrepreneurs with a business network may be able to outperform their counterparts in the public procurement market. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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Other

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22 pages, 2967 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Value–Risk Calculator for Blended Finance: A Systems Perspective of the Nachtigal Hydropower Project

by A. Richard Swanson and Vivek Sakhrani

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151310357 - 30 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 969

Abstract

Hydropower as a renewable source can help many countries achieve their sustainable energy and climate goals, but large projects are challenging to finance because of their costs and risks. To fully realize the climate benefits of such projects, sponsors have recently fashioned complex financing arrangements that structure and allocate risks to reduce financing costs. This paper focuses on the blended financing approach adopted for the Nachtigal Hydropower Plant (NHP) in Cameroon. The purpose of the paper is to present a detailed systems analysis of Nachtigal’s financial arrangement to address the question of why the complex financing approach worked in practice. We accomplish this by creating a “financial simulator”—a computational model for evaluating risks and incentives embedded within the financing structure under different contract architectures and risk–event scenarios. Our simulator is a dynamic value–risk calculator that can be easily updated to study other climate-oriented projects that involve complex financial arrangements. We evaluated three aspects of the financing/contractual arrangements that made Nachtigal “bankable:” (i) guarantees that covered nonpayments, (ii) financial options on locally sourced loans; and (iii) an interest rate swap. We found: (i) the guarantees recovered project value threatened by four specific risks often associated with large hydropower investments (cost overruns, schedule delays, offtake risk, and low flow due to climate change); (ii) the mechanism significantly lowered interest rate charges; and (iii) private finance was mobilized—especially due to the options. The financial safeguards employed increased the likelihood of capturing the long-run sustainability benefits from NHP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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27 pages, 980 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

The Sustainable Business Model Database: 92 Patterns That Enable Sustainability in Business Model Innovation

by Sebastian Schroedel

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 8081; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15108081 - 16 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2346

Abstract

Humanity’s consumption of resources is many times greater than nature’s capacity for regeneration. Companies need to innovate their own business models to incorporate sustainability in all dimensions, as they are the main producers of greenhouse gases and environmental damage. However, obstacles such as dominant logics hinder the necessary processes. One way of overcoming these problems is to use sustainable business model patterns as an exemplary description of the business activities of existing and successful companies. The aim of this publication is to provide a holistic collection of relevant business model patterns for sustainability. The basis for this is the rich body of research in this area, which is, however, hampered by small-scale representations, overlaps, and problems of understanding. This will be addressed by conducting a comprehensive literature review, standardising, clustering, and eliminating duplication. The resulting database will enable sustainable business model innovation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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15 pages, 54341 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Impact Hospitality: Creating Social Impact through Hospitality

by Clinton W. Mitchell

Sustainability 2022, 14(10), 6274; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14106274 - 21 May 2022

Viewed by 6002

Abstract

Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. At the outset of the pandemic, it was clear that the hospitality industry that has been around for centuries would need to be reimagined to survive and perhaps come out stronger. Enter trailblazers Donte Johnson and Jason Bass of Hotel Revival in Baltimore. Their creativity, ingenuity, and compassion sought to effect significant positive change to address the pressing issue of COVID-19 and its devastating effects. The two define hospitality as “just taking care of people,” which is what they decided to do when the world closed its doors and they opened theirs. This case study seeks to define a new form of hospitality designed to serve the double bottom line of profit and people. This body of work chronicles the stories, lessons learned, and the path ahead for an industry in need of a way forward to create Impact Hospitality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Making of Sustainable Change)

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