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Insider perspectives on growth: Implications for a nondichotomous understanding of ‘sustainable’ and conventional entrepreneurship

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  • Rita G. Klapper
  • Paul Upham
  • Richard K. Blundel

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to offer an alternative to a priori theorising in research on firm‐level growth and environmental sustainability. We outline an approach that combines John Shotter's phenomenology with post‐hoc application of the Bourdieusian concepts of habitus, practices and social capital. This is illustrated empirically through a study conducted with a small group of Finnish entrepreneurs, which examines their lived experience of growth alongside its practical application in their ventures. The entrepreneurs' responses reveal holistic perspectives on growth that extend beyond the economic to incorporate personal commitments to norms of collectivity and well‐being for themselves and others. The paper offers an exploratory but empirically grounded approach, arguing that a combination of insiders' perspectives and attention to the social embedding of economic activity challenge the dichotomous distinctions between sustainable and conventional entrepreneurship and reveal a degree of commonality that would not be evident via conventional categorisations on the basis of features such as business model type.

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  • Rita G. Klapper & Paul Upham & Richard K. Blundel, 2021. "Insider perspectives on growth: Implications for a nondichotomous understanding of ‘sustainable’ and conventional entrepreneurship," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 1481-1496, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:30:y:2021:i:3:p:1481-1496
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2710
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    2. Albérico Travassos Rosário & Ricardo Jorge Raimundo & Sandra P. Cruz, 2022. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship: A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-25, May.
    3. Sara Fernández‐López & David Rodeiro‐Pazos & María Jesús Rodríguez‐Gulías & Manuel Anxo Nogueira‐Moreiras, 2022. "Sustainable university entrepreneurship: Revisiting firm growth patterns," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1334-1346, May.
    4. Desirée Knoppen & Louise Knight, 2022. "Pursuing sustainability advantage: The dynamic capabilities of born sustainable firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1789-1813, May.
    5. Francesca Ricciardi & Cecilia Rossignoli & Alessandro Zardini, 2021. "Grand challenges and entrepreneurship: Emerging issues, research streams, and theoretical landscape," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1673-1705, December.

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