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How environmental awareness and concern affect environmental entrepreneurial intent

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  • Schwegler, Yasmin O.
  • Petty, Jeffrey S.

Abstract

Environmental awareness and concern are implicit in virtually the entire environmental-entrepreneurship literature but typically not explicitly analyzed. To better understand what makes environmental entrepreneurs start their ventures, we need to understand those omnipresent variables. We therefore deconstruct environmental awareness and concern into different aspects, which we manipulate separately in two experimental studies. Our main finding is that key stakeholders' environmental awareness and concern are drivers of environmental entrepreneurship, as they signal to entrepreneurs that stakeholders are ready to support it. We thus identify a way of increasing environmental entrepreneurial intent in order to transform environmental problems into economic opportunities.

Suggested Citation

  • Schwegler, Yasmin O. & Petty, Jeffrey S., 2025. "How environmental awareness and concern affect environmental entrepreneurial intent," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 40(2).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:40:y:2025:i:2:s0883902624000922
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2024.106470
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