Knowledge Agora



Scientific Article details

Title Gearing-up for purpose: The relationship between entrepreneurs? usage of incubation support services and sustainable impacts
ID_Doc 65308
Authors Karahan, M; Rashid, L; Kratzer, J
Title Gearing-up for purpose: The relationship between entrepreneurs? usage of incubation support services and sustainable impacts
Year 2022
Published
DOI 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134315
Abstract Business incubators (BI) are increasingly expected to nurture sustainability-driven start-ups and contribute to the economy's sustainable transformation. However, while previous (qualitative) research suggested a positive relationship between BI support services and sustainable impacts by entrepreneurs, no study has explored this link statistically, leaving sustainability-driven business incubation (SBI) haphazard and strategically ill-informed. Given the absence of a comprehensible assessment approach, this paper develops a coherent theoretical framework for structuring SBI. Moreover, it quantitatively investigates the relationship between entrepreneurs' usage of various BI support services and their self-proclaimed contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Building on a sample of 299 German university spin-off start-ups, we provide empirical evidence that BI support services are generally related to the sustainable impacts of entrepreneurs. However, at a more nuanced level, we show that economic and ecological SDGs are associated with only a few BI services. In contrast, social SDGs are attained by a broad support service portfolio. In conclusion, we advise policymakers and BI managers to recognize the diverse support needs of sustainable entrepreneurs and tailor BI programs towards specific sustainability challenges rather than generalized approaches.
Author Keywords University entrepreneurship; Academic entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial ecosystem; Social entrepreneurship; Accelerator; Triple bottom line
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
EID WOS:000876726300004
WoS Category Green & Sustainable Science & Technology; Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences
Research Area Science & Technology - Other Topics; Engineering; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
PDF
Similar atricles
Scroll