IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v34y2025i8p9863-9877.html

Entrepreneurship Experience and Environmental and Social Sustainability in New Companies

Author

Listed:
  • Gilles Grolleau
  • Naoufel Mzoughi
  • Sanja Pekovic

Abstract

Using survey data on a large sample of European small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), we examine the effect of entrepreneurship experience on environmental and social sustainability (ESS) in new companies. Estimations suggest that experienced entrepreneurs are more engaged in ESS compared to those without previous experience. This effect remains robust when considering ESS separately. However, our study reveals that the impact is primarily significant among those with specific types of prior experience, notably entrepreneurs who have previously closed one or more companies. The results highlight the complex relationship between entrepreneurial experience and sustainability orientation. Several managerial and policy implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Gilles Grolleau & Naoufel Mzoughi & Sanja Pekovic, 2025. "Entrepreneurship Experience and Environmental and Social Sustainability in New Companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(8), pages 9863-9877, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:8:p:9863-9877
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.70109
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70109
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.70109?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. Meek, William R. & Pacheco, Desirée F. & York, Jeffrey G., 2010. "The impact of social norms on entrepreneurial action: Evidence from the environmental entrepreneurship context," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 493-509, September.
    2. Johanna Mair & Ignasi Marti, 2006. "Social Entrepreneurship Research: A Source of Explanation, Prediction, and Delight," Post-Print hal-02311880, HAL.
    3. Boso, Nathaniel & Adeleye, Ifedapo & Donbesuur, Francis & Gyensare, Michael, 2019. "Do entrepreneurs always benefit from business failure experience?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 370-379.
    4. Heledd Jenkins, 2006. "Small Business Champions for Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 67(3), pages 241-256, September.
    5. Crifo, Patricia & Diaye, Marc-Arthur & Pekovic, Sanja, 2016. "CSR related management practices and firm performance: An empirical analysis of the quantity–quality trade-off on French data," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(P3), pages 405-416.
    6. Ooms, Frédéric & Annen, Jitka & Panda, Rajanikant & Cecconi, Benedetta & Surlemont, Bernard & Laureys, Steven, 2024. "Entrepreneurial neuroanatomy: Exploring gray matter volume in habitual entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 22(C).
    7. Brigitte Hoogendoorn & Peter Zwan & Roy Thurik, 2019. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship: The Role of Perceived Barriers and Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(4), pages 1133-1154, July.
    8. Yan Zuo & Shenyang Jiang & Jiang Wei, 2022. "Can corporate social responsibility mitigate the liability of newness? Evidence from China," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 573-592, August.
    9. Singh, Smita & Corner, Patricia Doyle & Pavlovich, Kathryn, 2015. "Failed, not finished: A narrative approach to understanding venture failure stigmatization," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 150-166.
    10. Dew, Nicholas & Read, Stuart & Sarasvathy, Saras D. & Wiltbank, Robert, 2009. "Effectual versus predictive logics in entrepreneurial decision-making: Differences between experts and novices," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 287-309, July.
    11. Ucbasaran, Deniz & Westhead, Paul & Wright, Mike, 2009. "The extent and nature of opportunity identification by experienced entrepreneurs," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 99-115, March.
    12. Abagail McWilliams & Donald Siegel, 2000. "Corporate social responsibility and financial performance: correlation or misspecification?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(5), pages 603-609, May.
    13. Gary S. Becker, 1962. "Investment in Human Capital: A Theoretical Analysis," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70(5), pages 1-9.
    14. Olivier Meier & Guillaume Schier, 2022. "Lone founders, family founders, and corporate social responsibility," Post-Print hal-05261437, HAL.
    15. Deniz Ucbasaran & Mike Wright & Paul Westhead & Lowell W Busenitz & Jerome A. Katz & Dean A. Shepherd, 2003. "The Impact Of Entrepreneurial Experience On Opportunity Identification And Exploitation: Habitual And Novice Entrepreneurs," Advances in Entrepreneurship, Firm Emergence and Growth, in: Cognitive Approaches to Entrepreneurship Research, pages 231-263, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    16. Siran Zhan & Marilyn A. Uy & Ying-yi Hong, 2022. "Missing the Forest for the Trees: Prior Entrepreneurial Experience, Role Identity, and Entrepreneurial Creativity," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(6), pages 1469-1499, November.
    17. 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.
    18. Andrew C. Corbett & Heidi M. Neck & Dawn R. DeTienne, 2007. "How Corporate Entrepreneurs Learn from Fledgling Innovation Initiatives: Cognition and the Development of a Termination Script," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 31(6), pages 829-852, November.
    19. DanielLitwin & Elsa Savourey, 2025. "Human Rights in EU Sustainable Finance," Journal of Financial Regulation, Oxford University Press, vol. 11(1), pages 41-72.
    20. Jacob Mincer, 1958. "Investment in Human Capital and Personal Income Distribution," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 66(4), pages 281-281.
    21. Bacq, Sophie & Hertel, Christina & Lumpkin, G.T., 2022. "Communities at the nexus of entrepreneurship and societal impact: A cross-disciplinary literature review," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(5).
    22. Meier, Olivier & Schier, Guillaume, 2022. "Lone founders, family founders, and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 149-160.
    23. Taiyuan Wang & Pratima Bansal, 2012. "Social responsibility in new ventures: profiting from a long‐term orientation," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(10), pages 1135-1153, October.
    24. Antoine Habersetzer & Marcin Rataj & Rikard H. Eriksson & Heike Mayer, 2021. "Entrepreneurship in rural regions: the role of industry experience and home advantage for newly founded firms," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(5), pages 936-950, May.
    25. 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.
    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. Aikaterini Argyrou & Nicolas Chevrollier & Andre Nijhof, 2023. "The versatile role of sustainable market entrepreneurs in market transformation: An intervention framework for institutional change," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 259-273, January.
    2. Francoise Contreras & Utz Dornberger, 2022. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship as a Field of Knowledge: Analyzing the Global South," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-28, December.
    3. Lori DiVito & Zita Ingen-Housz, 2021. "From individual sustainability orientations to collective sustainability innovation and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1057-1072, February.
    4. Alice Civera & Michele Meoli, 2025. "Sustainability orientation of academic spinoffs: does it pay?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 1727-1753, October.
    5. DiVito, Lori & Bohnsack, René, 2017. "Entrepreneurial orientation and its effect on sustainability decision tradeoffs: The case of sustainable fashion firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 569-587.
    6. Chase, Sarah R. & Shepherd, Dean A., 2025. "Waves and rips: Abalone, entrepreneurial variants, and community functioning," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 40(4).
    7. Progress Choongo & Elco Van Burg & Leo J. Paas & Enno Masurel, 2016. "Factors Influencing the Identification of Sustainable Opportunities by SMEs: Empirical Evidence from Zambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-24, January.
    8. Mario La Torre & Helen Chiappini (ed.), 2020. "Contemporary Issues in Sustainable Finance," Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-3-030-40248-8, September.
    9. Engel, Yuval & Ramesh, Anusha & Steiner, Nick, 2020. "Powered by compassion: The effect of loving-kindness meditation on entrepreneurs' sustainable decision-making," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(6).
    10. Robin Stevens & Nathalie Moray & Johan Bruneel, 2015. "The Social and Economic Mission of Social Enterprises: Dimensions, Measurement, Validation, and Relation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(5), pages 1051-1082, September.
    11. Aneta Oniszczuk-Jastrząbek & Ernest Czermański & Giuseppe T. Cirella, 2020. "Sustainable Supply Chain of Enterprises: Value Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-15, January.
    12. David Bruce Audretsch & Maksim Belitski & Georg Maximilian Eichler & Erich Schwarz, 2024. "Entrepreneurial ecosystems, institutional quality, and the unexpected role of the sustainability orientation of entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 503-522, February.
    13. Krlev, Gorgi, 2026. "Social entrepreneurship mechanisms for systems change: A structuration approach," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 41(2).
    14. Carolin Maaßen & Tatiana Lopez & David Urbano, 2025. "Institutional enablers for sustainable entrepreneurship: a configurational analysis," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 1909-1930, October.
    15. van der Giessen, Mark & Koptsyukh, Anastasia & Kodeih, Farah & Alkhaled, Sophie & Poberezhna, Anastasiia & Wesselius den Boer, Marjolein, 2025. "From emergency relief to empowerment: Transitioning government-led social entrepreneurship practices to support Ukrainian refugees," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 24(C).
    16. Miguel-Angel Galindo-Martín & María-Soledad Castaño-Martínez & María-Teresa Méndez-Picazo, 2020. "The Relationship between Green Innovation, Social Entrepreneurship, and Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-19, June.
    17. Brandon H. Lee & Panayiotis Panikos Georgallis & Jeroen Struben, 2022. "Sustainable entrepreneurship under market uncertainty," Post-Print hal-04325583, HAL.
    18. Singaram, Raja & Radu-Lefebvre, Miruna & Gartner, William B., 2023. "Gordian knot uncut: Understanding the problem of founder exit in social ventures," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    19. Honggui Li & Zhongwei Chen & Guoxin Ma, 2016. "Corporate Reputation and Performance: A Legitimacy Perspective," Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, Centre for Strategic and International Entrepreneurship at the Cracow University of Economics., vol. 4(3), pages 181-193.
    20. Etayankara Muralidharan & Saurav Pathak, 2018. "Sustainability, Transformational Leadership, and Social Entrepreneurship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-22, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:8:p:9863-9877. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    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.