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Embedded Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Role of Places, Institutions, and...
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Embedded Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Role of Places, Institutions, and Networks

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2021) | Viewed by 16035

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carla Susana Marques

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Guest Editor
Department of Economics Sociology and Management, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro & CETRAD Research Center, 5000 Vila Real, Portugal
Interests: innovation; entrepreneurship and regional development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Vitor Braga

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Guest Editor
CIICESI; Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão - Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Porto, Portugal
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Territories with pre-existing higher levels of entrepreneurship are more likely to use innovation as a driver of their future development. This advantage, allied with others (arising from the active support of higher education institutions and their research centers, private enterprises and local governments) may help to generate locally embedded economic growth on which the creation of territories’ greater competitiveness, confidence, cohesion, and social convergence depends. 

Peripheral territories face the challenge of understanding how to construct networks involving both local and regional partners in a way that mitigates asymmetries in the territorial distribution of innovation-based benefits. In part, the maturity of an innovation system can be gauged by the networks created between hitherto unconnected actors, by the existing networks that are successfully reengineered in response to external and internal challenges, and by the responsiveness of networks to shifts in governance that demand the participation of a wider range of regional stakeholders. Innovation and business support networks are particularly effective in more peripheral areas due to the relative scarcity of sustainable formal institutions to help to foster innovation and local entrepreneurship, and to strengthen the ties that characterize rural social relations. Networks can be crucial in kickstarting local innovation initiatives; they are usually established aiming at knowledge sharing and co-creating that can assist positive territorial learning and innovation outcomes. Moreover, there is now greater recognition of the role of both formal institutions and so-called ‘soft’ factors (such as social capital) in promoting innovation. Networks of this type support local development by converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, thereby adding value and building economic, social, and cultural capital that, if managed locally and effectively, may provide a sound basis for future territorial innovation and development. 

The scope of this particular Special Issue is very broad. Specific topics, therefore, may include but are not limited to entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainable regional development within all the main management and economics disciplines. This Special Issue invites conceptual and/or empirical papers, which present cutting-edge research on entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainable regional development at the micro, meso, and macro level. Papers which examine trends and initiatives, employ original methodologies, and offer interesting empirical insights and theoretical contributions to this issue are very welcome.

Prof. Carla Susana Marques
Prof. Vitor Braga
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

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Innovation
  • Regional development
  • Regional multiactors
  • Networking
  • The role of economic institutions

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 1621 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Embeddedness on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Strategy: A Gender Perspective in the Agri-Food Sector
by Gina Santos, Carla Susana Marques and João Ferreira
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9384; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169384 - 21 Aug 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2975
Abstract
This study aims to identify the antecedents of entrepreneurial activity in the agri-food sector of the Portuguese region of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (TMAD), taking into account a gender perspective. Thus, we intend to assess whether the environment influences embeddedness, and whether embeddedness, [...] Read more.
This study aims to identify the antecedents of entrepreneurial activity in the agri-food sector of the Portuguese region of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (TMAD), taking into account a gender perspective. Thus, we intend to assess whether the environment influences embeddedness, and whether embeddedness, individual entrepreneurial orientation, innovative behaviour and gender impact or influence the perceptions of feasibility and desirability as antecedents of entrepreneurial activity of entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector of the TMAD region. The measurement instrument was applied to 249 firms in the agri-food sector, created in the last 5 years. A model was conceptualised where the relationships between the constructs relating to embeddedness, IEO and EI were presented, and three control variables were subsequently added: the innovative behaviour, the environment and gender. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques, such as structural equation modelling, were used to assess the proposed conceptual model. Thus, considering the complexity of the model under study, we performed an analysis which considered personal factors or characteristics, such as innovative behaviour, gender and IEO, as these are characteristics of the individual and may be influenced or shaped by external factors such as the context, i.e., the environment and embeddedness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embedded Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Role of Places, Institutions, and Networks)
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12 pages, 302 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of the Importance of Determining Factors in the Choice and Sale of Apartments
by Eulália Santos, Fernando Tavares, Vasco Tavares and Vanessa Ratten
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 8731; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168731 - 5 Aug 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2266
Abstract
The motivation to compare the importance that buyers and sellers give to the diverse characteristics of apartments is its pertinency to grasping the housing market. The objective of this article is to compare the determining factors in the choice and sale of apartments [...] Read more.
The motivation to compare the importance that buyers and sellers give to the diverse characteristics of apartments is its pertinency to grasping the housing market. The objective of this article is to compare the determining factors in the choice and sale of apartments among the potential buyers and sellers. During a sale, the realtors exhibit the dwellings’ positive characteristics, the so-called amenities. The homebuyers must analyse the deal in a rational and well-weighed way, striving to know its characteristics to reduce the information asymmetry. The study focuses on two distinct samples, with the common goal of transacting housing. One of the samples is composed of individuals who are looking for apartments, and the other one of individuals who are selling apartments, both being collected in mainland Portugal. It was verified that there are statistically significant differences between buyers and sellers. Buyers give more importance to certain rooms and the inexistence of negative externalities near their future residence. Sellers emphasise positive externalities and parking spots. This study is expected to contribute to the increase in scientific knowledge on the housing market and to the decrease of the information asymmetry between sellers and buyers. Knowing the importance that buyers and sellers give to the main different factors in the Portuguese real estate market constitutes an advancement of knowledge in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embedded Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Role of Places, Institutions, and Networks)
14 pages, 250 KiB  
Article
Improving Relations between a State and a Business Enterprise in the Context of Counteracting Adverse Effects of the Resource Curse
by Marek Szturo, Bogdan Włodarczyk, Alberto Burchi, Ireneusz Miciuła and Karolina Szturo
Sustainability 2021, 13(3), 1067; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031067 - 21 Jan 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1955
Abstract
Natural resources play a significant role in the development of the global economy. This refers, in particular, to strategic fuel and mineral resources. Due to the limited supply of natural resources and the lack of substitutes for most of the key resources in [...] Read more.
Natural resources play a significant role in the development of the global economy. This refers, in particular, to strategic fuel and mineral resources. Due to the limited supply of natural resources and the lack of substitutes for most of the key resources in the world, the competition for the access to strategic resources is a feature of the global economy. It would seem that the countries which are rich in resources, because of this huge demand, enjoy spectacular economic prosperity. However, the results of empirical studies have demonstrated what is known as the ‘resource curse’. This article concentrates on the characteristics of the paradox of plenty, and in particular on the possibilities of preventing this phenomenon. The aim of this article is to identify the measures of economic policy with which to counteract the resource curse, based on the relationship between the state and the extraction business. Upon the critical analysis of the relevant literature, we concluded that the state’s economic policy, implemented in cooperation with the extraction business, is increasingly important for the prevention of the resource curse. In the context of the resource curse, the optimal and most consensual instrument, in comparison with other resource sharing agreements, is a production sharing agreement (PSA), which should also be adjusted to the current local economic conditions in a given country. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embedded Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Role of Places, Institutions, and Networks)
22 pages, 1066 KiB  
Article
Cooperation Networks and Embeddedness—The Case of the Portuguese Footwear Sector
by Rúben Rocha, Anderson Rei Galvão, Carla Susana Marques, Carla Mascarenhas and Vítor Braga
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9612; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229612 - 18 Nov 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2547
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of embeddedness and cooperation networks in the business internationalization process. To achieve the abovementioned purpose, a qualitative methodology was carefully chosen, through which semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten entrepreneurs of the footwear [...] Read more.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of embeddedness and cooperation networks in the business internationalization process. To achieve the abovementioned purpose, a qualitative methodology was carefully chosen, through which semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten entrepreneurs of the footwear sector in Portugal, as well as with a head of the national footwear business association. In order to process the data obtained by conducting the interviews, content analysis and data coding through the NVivo software were performed. The results suggest that internationalization is essential for companies in the Portuguese footwear sector. In addition to internationalization helping companies to increase their turnover, it allows companies to grow in a more sustainable way. On the other hand, research also allows us to deduce that networks play an important role in the development of the organizations in question, as they facilitate access to various resources indispensable to this growth. Concerning embeddedness, this aspect presents itself as a facet to which special attention should be paid, considering the pre-eminence that respondents attribute to all variables that help to structure this dimension. The conclusions of this study have theoretical and practical implications, which provide empirical evidence of how the internationalization process can influence the activity of Portuguese companies in the footwear sector. In addition, the results contribute to the evolution of existing knowledge about how embeddedness and cooperation networks facilitate the internationalization process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embedded Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Role of Places, Institutions, and Networks)
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18 pages, 666 KiB  
Article
The Potential for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in EU Countries in the Context of Sustainable Development
by George H. Ionescu, Daniela Firoiu, Ramona Pîrvu, Marian Enescu, Mihai-Ionuț Rădoi and Teodor Marian Cojocaru
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7250; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187250 - 4 Sep 2020
Cited by 43 | Viewed by 5222
Abstract
For the European Union, innovation and entrepreneurship are strong vectors to overcome global societal challenges from climate change and sustainable energy to food and healthy living. Innovation is a facilitator of entrepreneurship and a way of empowering people to take charge of their [...] Read more.
For the European Union, innovation and entrepreneurship are strong vectors to overcome global societal challenges from climate change and sustainable energy to food and healthy living. Innovation is a facilitator of entrepreneurship and a way of empowering people to take charge of their lives and economic prosperity. At the same time, entrepreneurship is the answer to innovation, the concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship being undeniably interrelated. This research proposes assessing the potential for innovation and entrepreneurship in EU countries in the context of sustainable development. With the help of hierarchical clustering analysis, EU countries were classified into four relevant clusters on the basis of the variables considered, which allowed the identification of common features and existing differences. The research was conducted using data provided by the Global Innovation Index, Global Entrepreneurship Index, Eurostat database, and Candriam ESG Country Report at the level of the 27 EU countries. The main results revealed high-performing countries in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship potential, providing relevant information for policy-makers, business practitioners, NGOs, and academics on the direction they need to take for good practice models to be adapted and implemented in countries with sub-optimal performance, to provide them with support for improvement of their innovation and entrepreneurship potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Embedded Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Role of Places, Institutions, and Networks)
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