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Entrepreneurial Responsibility: A Conceptual Framework to Understand Ethical Dualism Throughout the Entrepreneurial Process

Author

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  • Gustav Hägg
  • Vera Haataja
  • Agnieszka Kurczewska
  • Alexander McKelvie

Abstract

Entrepreneurs have been promoted as a main engine of progress. However, recent scandals and questionable behavior have led to increased discussion of entrepreneurs’ ethics. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize entrepreneurial responsibility throughout the entrepreneurial process from an ethical viewpoint. We model entrepreneurial responsibility based on normative ethics (deontology and teleology), enabling us to better understand entrepreneurs’ active and conscious responses to their ethical duties and the consequences thereof. Our theorizing opens new avenues for scholarly research related to the ethical nature of opportunities, the interconnection of entrepreneurial intentions and outcomes from a moral perspective, and potential societal impact.

Suggested Citation

  • Gustav Hägg & Vera Haataja & Agnieszka Kurczewska & Alexander McKelvie, 2024. "Entrepreneurial Responsibility: A Conceptual Framework to Understand Ethical Dualism Throughout the Entrepreneurial Process," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 48(4), pages 1110-1126, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:entthe:v:48:y:2024:i:4:p:1110-1126
    DOI: 10.1177/10422587241227072
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    References listed on IDEAS

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