Call for a Special Issue on: Advancing the Understanding of Value in Entrepreneurship

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International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Call for a Special Issue on: Advancing the Understanding of Value in Entrepreneurship

Deadline for submission of papers: January 31, 2022

Overview and purpose of the Special Issue

Entrepreneurship is nominally related to independent enterprise activity and is positioned as central to an economy (Afolami, 2020). Commitment to this perspective is underpinned by the notion that all enterprising activity is a means to increase innovation and maximise wealth creation with the inference that the national economy will also benefit (Schumpeter, 1934; Audretsch and Thurik, 2001, Glonti et al., 2021). This has given rise to the conceptualisation of the entrepreneurial economy, characterised by high growth of innovative ventures and the economic value this creates. The focus on (entrepreneurial) value in terms of economic output measures is embedded across different settings including in policy (Smith et al., 2019) and research (Ketchen et al. 2007). Since the vast majority of enterprises neither seek nor experience marked growth, the expectation of economic value-adding from the sector seems overstated though (Belfield et al., 2015; Welter et al. 2017). Therefore, what sort of value is being created in and by entrepreneurship? And value for what?

There are multiple and diverse conceptualisations of, and outputs related to, the value of entrepreneurship. For example, entrepreneurial value varies depending on the social and personal circumstances of the individual entrepreneur (Refai et al. 2018; Marlow, 2020; Stirzaker and Galloway, 2017), type of business (Welter et al. 2017; Zahra and Wright, 2016), context (Zahra, 2007; Welter et al. 2019), social embeddedness (Jack and Anderson, 2002), social positionality (Martinez-Dy, 2020), and reflexivity (Galloway et al. 2019). In other words, the heterogeneity of place and space, time, type of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs themselves create and experience value in different forms and are as diverse as the people who are engaged in it. Thus, each engagement in entrepreneurship can be positioned as an ‘opportunity’ to achieve associated, idiosyncratic value (Kapasi et al., 2021). Yet how are other output measures of (idiosyncratic) entrepreneurial value considered within our understanding of latent entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in action? For example, how do other outputs such as income security, decent work and well-being feature in how we understand the value of entrepreneurship?

The aim of this special issue is to contribute to heterogeneous perspectives on the varied contributions that entrepreneurship makes to the economy, society, and individual. By considering entrepreneurship as a means to create value (idiosyncratically defined), there is potential to extend current understanding and challenge current assumptions on what entrepreneurship is, who it is for, and what it is for. In particular, during times of significant upheaval (e.g., Covid, Brexit, Climate Change), and the requirement for those engaged in entrepreneurship to adapt, re-envisioning of our understanding of entrepreneurship and its associated value is critical. Thus, how we conceptualise entrepreneurial patterns, practices, and outcomes within context requires greater attention. In doing so, knowledge on the varied reasons individuals pursue entrepreneurship and the values realised from this can be improved. By broadening the scope, we can develop more meaningful and relevant research that reflects the multidimensionality of entrepreneurship, contributing to the conceptual and empirical growth of the field.

The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is issuing a call for papers that explore and enhance our knowledge on theoretical and empirical understanding of value in entrepreneurship. We welcome submissions of both conceptual and empirical studies. Suitable topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Re-envisioning entrepreneurial success/value
    • How is entrepreneurial value discussed and/or measured by those in business?
    • How is it experienced by different groups, eg., in-migrants, people with health or ability limitations?
  • Social positionality
    • How does social positionality affect ascribed measures of entrepreneurial value? What purpose does entrepreneurship play across different socio-economic groups?
  • Livelihoods and entrepreneurship
    • How does industry sector shape what entrepreneurial value means? And what is possible?
  • Intersectionality
    • How do different intersectional aspects affect the understanding of entrepreneurial value?
  • Gender
    • Is gender a significant factor in shaping understandings of entrepreneurial value?
    • How does this play out in different national contexts?
  • Policy
    • How can policy respond to idiosyncratic value? Especially value which is not aligned with measured economic outputs?
  • Sustainability
    • How does entrepreneurial value measure the sustainability of a firm? How does this look for particular industries? For family firms?
    • How can entrepreneurial value contribute towards achieving sustainable outcomes for society?
  • Societal value
    • How do idiosyncratic perceptions of entrepreneurial value shape the value created beyond the business/individual?

Preparation and submission of papers and review process

Submissions must be original, must not have been published, accepted for publication or presently be under consideration elsewhere. Submissions, including any supporting materials, should be between 6,000 to 8,000 words in length. Copies should be uploaded on International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s homepage through the SAGE system. You need to upload your paper using the dropdown menu selection for the Special Issue on Advancing the Understanding of Value in Entrepreneurship. For guidelines, visit https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/iei. Submissions that do not comply with the journal publishing guidelines, or that are poorly written, will be desk rejected. Papers will be subjected to a double-blind review.

Please address all questions regarding the Special Issue to the guest editors:

Isla Kapasi, Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, UK. Email: i

Rebecca Stirzaker, USN School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway, Norway. Email:

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