IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i3p2272-d1047212.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Motivational Facets of Sustainable Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

Author

Listed:
  • Kevin Reuther

    (Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy IMW, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
    Faculty of Economics and Management Science, University of Leipzig, 04109 Leipzig, Germany)

  • Yngve Dahle

    (Department of Health, Social and Welfare Studies, University of South-Eastern Norway, 3918 Porsgrunn, Norway)

  • Carolin Schmidt

    (Faculty of Economics and Management Science, University of Leipzig, 04109 Leipzig, Germany)

  • Franziska Schösser

    (Faculty of Economics and Management Science, University of Leipzig, 04109 Leipzig, Germany)

Abstract

Entrepreneurial activity and especially sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) significantly impact the achievement of the sustainability transition. While we have a decent understanding of the drivers of entrepreneurial activity, there is limited knowledge and no systematic consolidation of existing work examining what motivates entrepreneurs to engage in SE. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic literature review analyzing 50 papers derived from the Scopus database since 2017. We found that the specific construct discussed in this literature is the Motivation for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (MSE) and argue that it is a combined construct comprising the motivation to have an impact on sustainability and the motivation to become an entrepreneur. We conclude by suggesting three areas for future research: First, a clear definition of MSE is needed, distinguishing what constitutes motivation for impacting sustainable development and motivation for engaging in entrepreneurship. Second, despite having a good understanding of the factors influencing MSE, these are often based on specific case-studies and could benefit from larger and more diverse samples as well as research methods. Third, we have a very limited understanding of the effect of MSE on new venture creation, entrepreneurial practices, performance, and success.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Reuther & Yngve Dahle & Carolin Schmidt & Franziska Schösser, 2023. "Motivational Facets of Sustainable Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-23, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2272-:d:1047212
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/3/2272/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/3/2272/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Phil Brown & Nancy Bocken & Ruud Balkenende, 2019. "Why Do Companies Pursue Collaborative Circular Oriented Innovation?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-23, January.
    2. Ataullah Kiani & Jingjiang Liu & Usman Ghani & Anastasia Popelnukha, 2020. "Impact of Future Time Perspective on Entrepreneurial Career Intention for Individual Sustainable Career Development: The Roles of Learning Orientation and Entrepreneurial Passion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, May.
    3. Vera Butkouskaya & Francesc Romagosa & Maria Noguera, 2020. "Obstacles to Sustainable Entrepreneurship amongst Tourism Students: A Gender Comparison," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-15, February.
    4. Jie Wu & Steven Si, 2018. "Poverty reduction through entrepreneurship: incentives, social networks, and sustainability," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(4), pages 243-259, September.
    5. Seyed Meysam Zolfaghari Ejlal Manesh & Alex Rialp-Criado, 2019. "International ecopreneurs: The case of eco-entrepreneurial new ventures in the renewable energy industry," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 103-126, March.
    6. Daniele Eckert Matzembacher & Mervi Raudsaar & Marcia Dutra de Barcellos & Tõnis Mets, 2019. "Sustainable Entrepreneurial Process: From Idea Generation to Impact Measurement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-26, October.
    7. José Alberto Martínez-González & Urszula Kobylinska & Francisco J. García-Rodríguez & Lukasz Nazarko, 2019. "Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Intention among Young People: Model and Regional Evidence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-29, December.
    8. Anand, Amitabh & Argade, Padmaja & Barkemeyer, Ralf & Salignac, Fanny, 2021. "Trends and patterns in sustainable entrepreneurship research: A bibliometric review and research agenda," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(3).
    9. Annie Drottberger & Martin Melin & Lotten Lundgren, 2021. "Alternative Food Networks in Food System Transition—Values, Motivation, and Capacity Building among Young Swedish Market Gardeners," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-15, April.
    10. Alicia Mas-Tur & Maria Guijarro & Agustín Carrilero, 2021. "What Type of Entrepreneurship Leads to Sustainable Development? A Configurational Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 29-42, August.
    11. Jawad Iqbal & Shakeela Kousar & Waseem Ul Hameed, 2018. "Antecedents of Sustainable Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives in Pakistan and Outcomes: Collaboration between Quadruple Helix Sectors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, December.
    12. Per Fors & Thomas Taro Lennerfors, 2019. "The Individual-Care Nexus: A Theory of Entrepreneurial Care for Sustainable Entrepreneurship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-18, September.
    13. Catalina Rus-Casas & Dolores Eliche-Quesada & Juan D. Aguilar-Peña & Gabino Jiménez-Castillo & M. Dolores La Rubia, 2020. "The Impact of the Entrepreneurship Promotion Programs and the Social Networks on the Sustainability Entrepreneurial Motivation of Engineering Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-20, June.
    14. Dhahri, Sabrine & Slimani, Sana & Omri, Anis, 2021. "Behavioral entrepreneurship for achieving the sustainable development goals," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    15. Shengli Dai & Hongyan Xue & Yuan Jiang & Wei Zhang & Xin Zhang, 2018. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship Team Scale Development: A Complex Systems Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-20, November.
    16. Gabriela Boldureanu & Alina Măriuca Ionescu & Ana-Maria Bercu & Maria Viorica Bedrule-Grigoruță & Daniel Boldureanu, 2020. "Entrepreneurship Education through Successful Entrepreneurial Models in Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-33, February.
    17. Noelia‐Sarah Reynolds & Diane Holt, 2021. "Sustainable development and profit? A sensemaking perspective on hybrid organisations and their founders," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 2147-2159, May.
    18. Laura H. Middermann & Jan Kratzer & Susanne Perner, 2020. "The Impact of Environmental Risk Exposure on the Determinants of Sustainable Entrepreneurship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-15, February.
    19. Xiao-Duo Qian & Jing Xia & Wei Liu & Sang-Bing Tsai, 2018. "An Empirical Study on Sustainable Innovation Academic Entrepreneurship Process Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-15, June.
    20. Matthias Filser & Sascha Kraus & Norat Roig-Tierno & Norbert Kailer & Ulrike Fischer, 2019. "Entrepreneurship as Catalyst for Sustainable Development: Opening the Black Box," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    21. Juying Zeng, 2018. "Fostering path of ecological sustainable entrepreneurship within big data network system," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 79-95, March.
    22. Alain Fayolle & Francisco Liñán & Juan Moriano, 2014. "Beyond entrepreneurial intentions: values and motivations in entrepreneurship," Post-Print hal-02006143, HAL.
    23. Vera Rocha & Mirjam van Praag, 2020. "Mind the gap: The role of gender in entrepreneurial career choice and social influence by founders," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(5), pages 841-866, May.
    24. Muhammad Nawaz Tunio & Iffat Sabir Chaudhry & Sadia Shaikh & Mushtaque Ali Jariko & Mohsen Brahmi, 2021. "Determinants of the Sustainable Entrepreneurial Engagement of Youth in Developing Country—An Empirical Evidence from Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-17, July.
    25. Pablo Muñoz & Boyd Cohen, 2018. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship Research: Taking Stock and looking ahead," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 300-322, March.
    26. Sylvaine Castellano & Insaf Khelladi & Loick Menvielle, 2017. "Unveiling the sustainable facet of the conventional entrepreneur - a cognitive approach," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 31(3), pages 434-450.
    27. Stefan Schaltegger & Marcus Wagner, 2011. "Sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainability innovation: categories and interactions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(4), pages 222-237, May.
    28. Jackson Musona & Kaisu Puumalainen & Helena Sjögrén & Anna Vuorio, 2021. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship at the Bottom of the Pyramid: An Identity-Based Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-37, January.
    29. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    30. Silvia Cantele & Silvia Vernizzi & Bettina Campedelli, 2020. "Untangling the Origins of Sustainable Commitment: New Insights on the Small vs. Large Firms’ Debate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-12, January.
    31. Wafa Alwakid & Sebastian Aparicio & David Urbano, 2020. "Cultural Antecedents of Green Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia: An Institutional Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-20, May.
    32. Padmaja Argade & Fanny Salignac & Ralf Barkemeyer, 2021. "Opportunity identification for sustainable entrepreneurship: Exploring the interplay of individual and context level factors in India," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3528-3551, December.
    33. Regina Sedlmeier & Meike Rombach & Vera Bitsch, 2019. "Making Food Rescue Your Business: Case Studies in Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-15, September.
    34. Ramona Ciolac & Tiberiu Iancu & Ioan Brad & Tabita Adamov & Nicoleta Mateoc-Sîrb, 2021. "Agritourism—A Business Reality of the Moment for Romanian Rural Area’s Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-29, June.
    35. Simon Bawakyillenuo & Innocent Sefa Komla Agbelie, 2021. "Environmental Consciousness of Entrepreneurs in Ghana: How Do Entrepreneur Types, Demographic Characteristics and Product Competitiveness Count?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-16, August.
    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. Tancredi Pascucci & Giuseppina Maria Cardella & Brizeida Hernàndez-Sànchez & Jose Carlos Sànchez-Garcìa, 2022. "Environmental Sensitivity to Form a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-17, August.
    2. 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.
    3. Nosheena Yasir & Nasir Mahmood & Hafiz Shakir Mehmood & Osama Rashid & An Liren, 2021. "The Integrated Role of Personal Values and Theory of Planned Behavior to Form a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Presley K. Wesseh & Boqiang Lin & Yixuan Zhang & Preslyn Sharon Wesseh, 2024. "Sustainable entrepreneurship: When does environmental compliance improve corporate performance?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 3203-3221, May.
    5. Veland Ramadani & Sucheta Agarwal & Andrea Caputo & Vivek Agrawal & Jitendra Kumar Dixit, 2022. "Sustainable competencies of social entrepreneurship for sustainable development: Exploratory analysis from a developing economy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3437-3453, November.
    6. 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.
    7. Agnieszka Konys, 2019. "Towards Sustainable Entrepreneurship Holistic Construct," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-33, November.
    8. Brunella Arru, 2020. "An integrative model for understanding the sustainable entrepreneurs’ behavioural intentions: an empirical study of the Italian context," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 3519-3576, April.
    9. Joana Carolina, Chaves-Vargas & Gabriela, Ribes-Giner & Ismael, Moya-Clemente, 2024. "Effect of the economic, social and technological factors on sustainable entrepreneurship over time," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    10. José Alberto Martínez-González & Carmen Dolores Álvarez-Albelo & Javier Mendoza-Jiménez & Urszula Kobylinska, 2022. "Predicting the Entrepreneurial Behaviour of Starting Up a New Company: A Regional Study Using PLS-SEM and Data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-25, February.
    11. Ingrid R. Epezagne Assamala & Wenyuan Li & Sheikh Farhan Ashraf & Nausheen Syed & He Di & Mehrab Nazir, 2022. "Mediation-Moderation Model: An Empirical Examination of Sustainable Women Entrepreneurial Performance towards Agricultural SMEs in Ivory Coast," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-21, May.
    12. Emilia Herman, 2022. "The Interplay between Digital Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development in the Context of the EU Digital Economy: A Multivariate Analysis," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-28, May.
    13. Hellen Lillian Atieno Dawo & Thomas B. Long & Gjalt de Jong, 2023. "Sustainable entrepreneurship and legitimacy building in protected areas: Overcoming distinctive barriers through activism," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 72-95, January.
    14. Bonfanti, Angelo & De Crescenzo, Veronica & Simeoni, Francesca & Loza Adaui, Cristian R., 2024. "Convergences and divergences in sustainable entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship research: A systematic review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    15. Aleem Ahmad Qader & Jingwei Zhang & Sheikh Farhan Ashraf & Nausheen Syed & Khaoula Omhand & Mehrab Nazir, 2022. "Capabilities and Opportunities: Linking Knowledge Management Practices of Textile-Based SMEs on Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Organizational Performance in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-26, February.
    16. Daniele Eckert Matzembacher & Mervi Raudsaar & Marcia Dutra de Barcellos & Tõnis Mets, 2019. "Sustainable Entrepreneurial Process: From Idea Generation to Impact Measurement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-26, October.
    17. Sebastian Hinderer & Andreas Kuckertz, 2022. "The bioeconomy transformation as an external enabler of sustainable entrepreneurship," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 2947-2963, November.
    18. María Huertas González-Serrano & Vicente Añó Sanz & Rómulo Jacobo González-García, 2020. "Sustainable Sport Entrepreneurship and Innovation: A Bibliometric Analysis of This Emerging Field of Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-26, June.
    19. Sidney Mangenda Tshiaba & Nianxin Wang & Sheikh Farhan Ashraf & Mehrab Nazir & Nausheen Syed, 2021. "Measuring the Sustainable Entrepreneurial Performance of Textile-Based Small–Medium Enterprises: A Mediation–Moderation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-19, October.
    20. Sebastian Aparicio & Andreu Turro & Maria Noguera, 2020. "Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship in Social, Sustainable, and Economic Development: Opportunities and Challenges for Future Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-11, October.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2272-:d:1047212. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.