IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/entthe/v45y2021i5p999-1027.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Digital Sustainability and Entrepreneurship: How Digital Innovations Are Helping Tackle Climate Change and Sustainable Development

Author

Listed:
  • Gerard George
  • Ryan K. Merrill
  • Simon J. D. Schillebeeckx

Abstract

We explore how digital technologies are helping address grand challenges to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development. With digital technologies, entrepreneurial organizations have adopted innovative approaches to tackle seemingly intractable societal challenges. We refer to these broadly as digital sustainability activities. By focusing on the digital toolbox employed by pioneering organizations, we propose a research agenda that generates novel questions for entrepreneurship, business models, and ecosystems as well as new ways of thinking about trust and institutional logics. We believe that digital sustainability can spur empirical advances in entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategy with potential for positive impact on society.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerard George & Ryan K. Merrill & Simon J. D. Schillebeeckx, 2021. "Digital Sustainability and Entrepreneurship: How Digital Innovations Are Helping Tackle Climate Change and Sustainable Development," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(5), pages 999-1027, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:45:y:2021:i:5:p:999-1027
    DOI: 10.1177/1042258719899425
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1042258719899425
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/1042258719899425?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhao, Eric Yanfei & Lounsbury, Michael, 2016. "An institutional logics approach to social entrepreneurship: Market logic, religious diversity, and resource acquisition by microfinance organizations," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 643-662.
    2. Durand , Rodolphe & Paolella , Lionel, 2013. "Category Stretching: Reorienting Research on Categories in Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Organization Theory," HEC Research Papers Series 996, HEC Paris.
    3. Punita Bhatt Datta & Robert Gailey, 2012. "Empowering Women through Social Entrepreneurship: Case Study of a Women's Cooperative in India," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(3), pages 569-587, May.
    4. MariaLaura Di Domenico & Helen Haugh & Paul Tracey, 2010. "Social Bricolage: Theorizing Social Value Creation in Social Enterprises," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(4), pages 681-703, July.
    5. Daniel A. Levinthal & Brian Wu, 2010. "Opportunity costs and non‐scale free capabilities: profit maximization, corporate scope, and profit margins," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 780-801, July.
    6. Jarrahi, Mohammad Hossein, 2018. "Artificial intelligence and the future of work: Human-AI symbiosis in organizational decision making," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 61(4), pages 577-586.
    7. Jeffery S. McMullen, 2011. "Delineating the Domain of Development Entrepreneurship: A Market–Based Approach to Facilitating Inclusive Economic Growth," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(1), pages 185-215, January.
    8. Paul Lanoie, 2008. "When And Why Does It Pay To Be Green?," CIRANO Papers 2008n-02a, CIRANO.
    9. Ute Stephan & Lorraine M Uhlaner & Christopher Stride, 2015. "Institutions and social entrepreneurship: The role of institutional voids, institutional support, and institutional configurations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(3), pages 308-331, April.
    10. Rodolphe Durand & Lionel Paolella, 2013. "Category Stretching: Reorienting Research on Categories in Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Organization Theory," Post-Print hal-01026129, HAL.
    11. Gerard George & Anita M. McGahan & Jaideep Prabhu, 2012. "Innovation for Inclusive Growth: Towards a Theoretical Framework and a Research Agenda," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 661-683, June.
    12. James Austin & Howard Stevenson & Jane Wei–Skillern, 2006. "Social and Commercial Entrepreneurship: Same, Different, or Both?," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 30(1), pages 1-22, January.
    13. Minna Halme & Sara Lindeman & Paula Linna, 2012. "Innovation for Inclusive Business: Intrapreneurial Bricolage in Multinational Corporations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 743-784, June.
    14. Ana Nave & João Ferreira, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility strategies: Past research and future challenges," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 885-901, July.
    15. Michael Lounsbury & Eva Boxenbaum, 2013. "Institutional Logics in Action," Post-Print hal-01487932, HAL.
    16. Cohen, Boyd & Winn, Monika I., 2007. "Market imperfections, opportunity and sustainable entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 29-49, January.
    17. Gideon D. Markman & Michael Russo & G. T. Lumpkin & P. Devereaux (Dev) Jennings & Johanna Mair, 2016. "Entrepreneurship as a Platform for Pursuing Multiple Goals: A Special Issue on Sustainability, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 673-694, July.
    18. Hall, Jeremy K. & Daneke, Gregory A. & Lenox, Michael J., 2010. "Sustainable development and entrepreneurship: Past contributions and future directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 439-448, September.
    19. Johan Rockström & Will Steffen & Kevin Noone & Åsa Persson & F. Stuart Chapin & Eric F. Lambin & Timothy M. Lenton & Marten Scheffer & Carl Folke & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Björn Nykvist & Cynthia , 2009. "A safe operating space for humanity," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7263), pages 472-475, September.
    20. Cecilia Rossignoli & Francesca Ricciardi & Sabrina Bonomi, 2018. "Organizing for Commons-Enabling Decision-Making Under Conflicting Institutional Logics in Social Entrepreneurship," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 27(3), pages 417-443, June.
    21. Desirée F. Pacheco & Jeffrey G. York & Timothy J. Hargrave, 2014. "The Coevolution of Industries, Social Movements, and Institutions: Wind Power in the United States," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(6), pages 1609-1632, December.
    22. Rodolphe Durand & Lionel Paolella, 2013. "Category Stretching: Reorienting Research on Categories in Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Organization Theory," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(6), pages 1100-1123, September.
    23. Juliane Reinecke & Shaz Ansari, 2016. "Taming Wicked Problems: The Role of Framing in the Construction of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 299-329, May.
    24. Andrew Jamison, 2010. "Climate change knowledge and social movement theory," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 1(6), pages 811-823, November.
    25. Peredo, Ana María & McLean, Murdith, 2006. "Social entrepreneurship: A critical review of the concept," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 56-65, February.
    26. Fawcett, Stanley E. & Jones, Stephen L. & Fawcett, Amydee M., 2012. "Supply chain trust: The catalyst for collaborative innovation," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 163-178.
    27. Carl J. Schramm, 2019. "Blockchain: Leveraging a Trust Technology in Expeditionary Economics," Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, MIT Press, vol. 12(3-4), pages 28-36, Winter-Sp.
    28. Bernstein, Asaf & Gustafson, Matthew T. & Lewis, Ryan, 2019. "Disaster on the horizon: The price effect of sea level rise," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(2), pages 253-272.
    29. Michael Lounsbury & Eva Boxenbaum, 2013. "Institutional Logics in Action," Post-Print hal-00826521, HAL.
    30. Laurent C. M. Lebreton & Joost van der Zwet & Jan-Willem Damsteeg & Boyan Slat & Anthony Andrady & Julia Reisser, 2017. "River plastic emissions to the world’s oceans," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, August.
    31. Mair, Johanna & Martí, Ignasi, 2006. "Social entrepreneurship research: A source of explanation, prediction, and delight," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 36-44, February.
    32. Mair, Johanna & Marti, Ignasi, 2009. "Entrepreneurship in and around institutional voids: A case study from Bangladesh," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 419-435, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kaushik, Vineet & Tewari, Shobha & Sahasranamam, Sreevas & Hota, Pradeep Kumar, 2023. "Towards a precise understanding of social entrepreneurship: An integrated bibliometric–machine learning based review and research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    2. Pradeep Kumar Hota, 2023. "Tracing the Intellectual Evolution of Social Entrepreneurship Research: Past Advances, Current Trends, and Future Directions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(3), pages 637-659, January.
    3. Adélie Ranville & Marcos Barros, 2022. "Towards Normative Theories of Social Entrepreneurship. A Review of the Top Publications of the Field," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(2), pages 407-438, October.
    4. Geradts, Thijs H.J. & Alt, Elisa, 2022. "Social entrepreneurial action in established organizations: Developing the concept of social intrapreneurship," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 197-206.
    5. Deng, Wei & Liang, Qiao Zhuan & Fan, Pei Hua, 2019. "Complements or substitutes? Configurational effects of entrepreneurial activities and institutional frameworks on social well-being," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 194-205.
    6. Gupta, Parul & Chauhan, Sumedha & Paul, Justin & Jaiswal, M.P., 2020. "Social entrepreneurship research: A review and future research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 209-229.
    7. Sutter, Christopher & Bruton, Garry D. & Chen, Juanyi, 2019. "Entrepreneurship as a solution to extreme poverty: A review and future research directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 197-214.
    8. Kibler, Ewald & Salmivaara, Virva & Stenholm, Pekka & Terjesen, Siri, 2018. "The evaluative legitimacy of social entrepreneurship in capitalist welfare systems," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(6), pages 944-957.
    9. Régis Y. Chenavaz & Alexandra Couston & Stéphanie Heichelbech & Isabelle Pignatel & Stanko Dimitrov, 2023. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Entrepreneurial Ventures: A Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-30, May.
    10. Sophie Bacq & Chantal Hartog & Brigitte Hoogendoorn, 2016. "Beyond the Moral Portrayal of Social Entrepreneurs: An Empirical Approach to Who They Are and What Drives Them," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(4), pages 703-718, February.
    11. Ritesh Shahi & Nadiya Parekh, 2022. "Financing Social Enterprises: An Upper Echelon Perspective," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 11(2), pages 235-250, June.
    12. Gras, David & Nason, Robert S., 2015. "Bric by bric: The role of the family household in sustaining a venture in impoverished Indian slums," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 546-563.
    13. Matthew P. Johnson & Stefan Schaltegger, 2020. "Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: A Review and Multilevel Causal Mechanism Framework," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(6), pages 1141-1173, November.
    14. Jeffery S. McMullen & Katrina M. Brownell & Joel Adams, 2021. "What Makes an Entrepreneurship Study Entrepreneurial? Toward A Unified Theory of Entrepreneurial Agency," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(5), pages 1197-1238, September.
    15. EuiBeom Jeong & Hanna Yoo, 2022. "A systematic literature review of women in social entrepreneurship," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 16(4), pages 935-970, December.
    16. Estrin, Saul & Mickiewicz, Tomasz & Stephan, Ute, 2016. "Human capital in social and commercial entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 449-467.
    17. Simon Joncourt & Heiko Gebauer & Javier Reynoso & Karla Cabrera & Ana Valdes & Katharina Greve, 2019. "Extending the Base-of-the-Pyramid Concept," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(3), pages 241-261, October.
    18. Sayem Hossain & M. Abu Saleh & Judy Drennan, 0. "A critical appraisal of the social entrepreneurship paradigm in an international setting: a proposed conceptual framework," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-22.
    19. João J. Ferreira & Cristina I. Fernandes & Marta Peres-Ortiz & Helena Alves, 2017. "Conceptualizing social entrepreneurship: perspectives from the literature," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 14(1), pages 73-93, March.
    20. Chantal Hartog & Brigitte Hoogendoorn & Sophie Bacq & Jan Lepoutre, 2011. "Social and commercial entrepreneurship: Exploring individual and organizational characteristics," Scales Research Reports H201110, EIM Business and Policy Research.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:45:y:2021:i:5:p:999-1027. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.