No abstract

This paper examines how entrepreneurs develop the intention to make their venture green, even when "being green" doesn't happen right from the start, or where the company does not operate in a business that is considered green. It crosses the literature on entrepreneurial cognition and entrepreneurship-as-practice, as it seeks to contribute to the emerging literature on green entrepreneurship, and more precisely on the reasons and processes that motivate entrepreneurs to develop a green strategy for their company. Based on the idea that most ventures are driven not only by an entrepreneur, but by an entrepreneurial team, and through the use of the concepts of praxis and practices, we propose a model that explains how entrepreneurs develop the intention to make their venture that competes in a non-green field enter into a green strategy. We argue that "becoming green" is not a radical process, but is instead strongly influenced by the entrepreneurial praxis the entrepreneur progressively adopts and even plays with. An illustrative case study reveals how this model works.

This study sheds light on inclusive entrepreneurship by investigating factors that underlie the likelihood of entrepreneurial intention for people with disability. While previous works show that entrepreneurial intention results from cognitive and mental processes, little attention has been given to perceived health, as a human capital, in shaping the formation of entrepreneurship. Yet mental and physical health is a hot topic in entrepreneurship literature and academicians call for more research in this field. We focus on a specific population, people with disability (PWD) since chronic conditions associated with disabilities have implications for individuals’ psychology and cognition and, ultimately, their entrepreneurial intention. The results of a regression analysis on a sample of 212 PWD in France show that positive health perception is associated with a higher level of entrepreneurial intention by increasing alertness to opportunity. Opportunity alertness partially but significantly mediates the impact of perceived health on entrepreneurial intention. We contribute to entrepreneurship literature by offering a more socially aware analysis of entrepreneurial intention. We also help advance research on the psychocognitive factors that intervene in the entrepreneurial intention process. We add insights into this research stream by blending human capital (perceived health) and cognition (opportunity alertness) perspectives to explain entrepreneurial intention of PWD. This study ultimately aims to offer a new direction in understanding how health perception plays a key role in early stages of the entrepreneurship process.

Purpose This paper aims to refer to the knowledge transfer of entrepreneurial skills between digital incubators and nascent entrepreneurs. It questions the role of the context and of the richness of the ecosystems in which these women evolve, as defined by Welter and Baker (2021) on such an attempt. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a qualitative study that refers to case studies of women nascent entrepreneurs who evolve into two different contexts – one rich zone and one deprived economic one of the French Parisian Region – and who integrated the same digital incubator. Findings Context does partly matter: besides the “Where”, the “Who” and, moreover, the level of education and previous entrepreneurial experience really matters, and only educated women, whatever the other components of context, seem to be capable to receive the “best” knowledge transfer from incubators. Second, incubators can be considered as to be a knowledge hub that allow knowledge transfer not only from trainers and coaches to women nascent entrepreneurs but also among women entrepreneurs. This paper concludes with a discussion on the role of digital training and coaching in such knowledge transfers. Research limitations/implications Findings are limited to a specific place (the region of Paris). Therefore, women entrepreneurs evolve in more different contexts but the national entrepreneurial and institutional context remains the same. There should be need to explore the role of an incubator that evolves into more contrasted contexts. Practical implications If results can be generalized, this means incubators should differentiate their services, teaching and coaching expertize according to the education level of nascent entrepreneurs: This is a plaidoyer against institutionalized incubators that claim to be capable of targeting any nascent (women) entrepreneurs. Social implications This study is also a plaidoyer for more digital incubator to mix persons from different contexts, especially to welcome persons from more deprived economic zones. Originality/value The research reveals the role of context – and, some components of the context – intro coaching and training that are provided by online incubators. It contributes to the literature on knowledge transfer that is brought about by incubators. It also contributes to the literature in entrepreneurship by showing that some components among the others that define what we call “the context” matter more than others.