International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing (6 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• A Note on Resilience in the Face of Adversity When Small Droplets Trigger Big Changes  
  by Amélie Wuillaume, Alex Ferritto, Frank Janssen 
  Abstract: Disaster events, such as the Covid-19, have the potential to threaten lives and economies. Some people and ventures are disrupted while others react. This paper focuses on the response of such individuals and ventures to this unexpected pandemic. This research is specifically based on a detailed exploration of a large set of initiatives that have emerged in the face of the pandemic. These initiatives are either the result of the adaptation of existing ventures or have been newly created in response to the pandemic's consequences. The findings suggest that the conditions of Covid-19 prompted individuals and ventures to show resilience. This study shows that they adapt and develop initiatives that create value which differ in terms of (a) magnitude, (b) timeline, and (c) kind and describes the process that enables the quick response of these initiatives.
  Keywords: Adversity; Disaster; Resilience; Value Creation; COVID.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2025.10072024
   
  
• Textual Information Disclosures and Banks' Financial Performance: Evidence from Emerging Economies  
  by Javid Iqbal, Faheem Aslam, Fasih Ahmed 
  Abstract: We investigate the link between management's willingness for transparent information disclosures and financial performance. The study employs data from 61 banks of sixteen emerging economies covering a period of 2007-2018. Using the system GMM, the results are in line with the obfuscation hypothesis, which suggests that the management of the banks complicates the textual information when it is expected bad future financial performance. Our results are robust as we use multiple complexity indexes to verify our results. In addition, we also deal with endogeneity problems that are inherent in the data. The study demonstrates that the predictive models should not be based on only financial data, but textual disclosures provide additional sources of information to be included in the model. The main contribution of the study is that it may benefit shareholders by helping reduce asymmetric information between them and the management (agency problem). This study provides guidelines to regulators and other stakeholders for understanding the textual complexity in banks annual reports as early warnings of bad performance and mitigating the severity of the problem.
  Keywords: Information Asymmetry; Text Complexity; Disclosures; Performance Predictions; Emerging Economies; System GMM.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2025.10074053
   
  
• Manifestation of Strategic Entrepreneurship during the Covidisation of the Economy as the Ultimate Expression of the VUCA Environment  
  by Radko Radev, Veselina Yankova 
  Abstract: This article examines the manifestation of strategic entrepreneurship during the COVIDisation of the economy, viewed as the ultimate expression of the VUCA environment. It conceptualises strategic entrepreneurship as the intersection between strategy (advantage-seeking management) and entrepreneurship (opportunity-seeking actions). The term COVIDisation of the economy captures the challenges firms faced due to COVID-19, encompassing both short-term impacts and long-term transformations. Using a mixed-method approach that combined quantitative and qualitative research conducted during the first and third waves of COVID-19, the study identifies how companies exhibited strategic entrepreneurial behaviour to adapt to uncertainty. Four manifestations of strategic entrepreneurship are analysed organisational rejuvenation, sustained regeneration, strategic renewal, and domain redefinition each reflecting different degrees of transformation. The paper presents a model outlining these forms and their specific characteristics, concluding that strategic entrepreneurship plays a central role in enabling firms to navigate and thrive amid turbulent, post-COVID business environments.
  Keywords: strategic entrepreneurship; COVIDization of the economy; transformation; configuration.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2025.10074611
   
  
• Navigating the Impact of Entrepreneurial Well-Being on Entrepreneurial Intensity: Examining the Mediating Role of Select Demographic Factors  
  by Gousia Nazir, Sumaira Jan 
  Abstract: The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report, 20222023, thus, reinstates entrepreneurship as a driving force behind economic growth and societal well-being and encourages scholars to explore the nexus between them. However, existing studies have primarily investigated the relationship between entrepreneurship and well-being, paying scant attention to how entrepreneurial well-being affects entrepreneurship. To fill this crucial research gap, this study investigated the impact of entrepreneurial well-being on entrepreneurial intensity among micro, small, and medium enterprises in Jammu and Kashmir, using data collected from 385 entrepreneurs. The results provided robust evidence that increasing entrepreneurial well-being contributes to bolstering entrepreneurial intensity. This relationship was unaffected by age; however, educational qualification moderated the positive relationship. This study contributes substantially to the existing literature by providing solid empirical based evidence and novel insights on the role well-being can play in fostering entrepreneurial dynamism, especially in a conflict-affected area such as Jammu and Kashmir
  Keywords: Wellbeing. Entrepreneurial Intensity; MSMEs; Jammu & Kashmir.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2025.10075500
   
  
• Defining the Businesses of Emerging Consumer Internet of Things Companies: Customers, Value Propositions, and Combinatorial Innovation  
  by Negalegn Alemu Bekele, Moreno Muffatto, Francesco Ferrati 
  Abstract: The purpose of this research is to explore emerging businesses in consumer IoT using the three core business dimensions: customer groups, value propositions, and combinatorial innovation. The research used qualitative data of 942 emerging companies registered in the Crunchbase. A combined deductive-inductive analysis was employed. It was found that emerging businesses targeted eight customer groups giving emphasis to smart home device users. Functional value aspects are more proposed for such customer groups than emotional and social values. These businesses also failed to address some value proposition factors. Recently, combinatorial innovation has been practiced as means to better value proposition by emerging businesses. Analysing business definition similarities, 24 groups of emerging companies competing in the market were identified. Our study illustrates that defining businesses carefully is important for a long-term growth and, these companies are using the three core business dimensions with different level of deployment to define their businesses. Practically, the research can help companies map their position from the perspective of customer groups, value propositions, and combinatorial innovation. Examining value in the actual value creation process, and the introduction of combinatorial innovation would be an important theoretical basis for future research.
  Keywords: consumer IoT; emerging business; customer groups; value proposition; combinatorial innovation; business definition.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2025.10075645
   
  
• Digital Business Ecosystems in the Sharing Economy: Coevolution in the Context of Geographical Expansion  
  by Vadim Grinevich, Franz Huber, Katharina Obenholzner, Linda Baines 
  Abstract: While digital platform technologies enable generic offerings with immediate global outreach, it remains unclear why many digital sharing economy companies rarely realise these opportunities. This raises questions as to whether their geographic expansion may be affected by an inadequate engagement with stakeholders, potentially stifling successful growth and upscaling. By applying a business ecosystem perspective for examining geographic expansion of 27 sharing economy platforms, we identify three ideal expansion types that capture the specificities of the business ecosystem of platforms. We label them I am the ecosystem; I am my complex relationships with the ecosystem; I am my direct relationships with the ecosystem. We link these to the underlying critical distinctions related to the platform configuration, level of standardisation and dependency on place. We show how these define the kind of relationships which sharing economy companies seek with different ecosystem stakeholders and the activities they need to undertake to thrive in new geographies.
  Keywords: Sharing economy; business ecosystems; geographic expansion; stakeholder engagement.