Special Issue Proposal
European Management Review
Guest Editors:
Adnane Maâlaoui, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, IPAG Business School, France
Vanessa Ratten, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, La Trobe University, Australia
Alan Carsrud, Visiting Research Professor of Entrepreneurship, ÅboAkademi University, Finland
Malin Brännback, Chair of International Business, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Sibylle Heilbrunn, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Kinneret Academic College, Israel
Thomas M. Cooney, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
Description
Despite the increased interest in recent years regarding social and gender-based entrepreneurship studies, there remains a significant lack of research relating to the topic of entrepreneurship amongst disadvantaged communities.
In 2012, The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation featured a Special Issue on ‘Silent Minorities’ (Vol 13,2) but otherwise entrepreneurship literature has remained relatively quiet on this topic. This special issue will discuss disadvantaged entrepreneurship by exploring what is meant by the term and then taking a broad approach towards its understanding as a research field worthy of more attention. The special issue will additionally consider if entrepreneurship supports the social and economic integration of disadvantaged people through their creation of new enterprises. Although the focus is on the positive benefits of entrepreneurship for disadvantaged people, we also acknowledge the undesirable realization that it can often be a necessity for those facing societal marginalisation.
For many years, researchers did not believe that any disadvantage might occur because of one’s profile and that all entrepreneurs should be treated as a homogenous group. However, some initial works regarding people suffering from discrimination put forward gender as one of the principal ways that some entrepreneurs were disadvantaged. As proposed by Fischer (1993:151) “liberal feminist theory suggests that women are disadvantaged relative to men due to overt discrimination and/or to systemic factors that deprive them of vital resources like business education and experience”. Previous research had suggested that gender was not a difference in terms of cognitive and intellectual capacities but mainly in terms of access to resources. Therefore, women were considered as one of the most disadvantaged people, not only in terms of employment, but also in terms of socialization and value creation (Marlow and Patton, 2005). Much research has now taken place regarding the additional and distinctive challenges faced by women when starting a business, while more recently significant amounts of research have highlighted the trials faced by immigrant and ethnic entrepreneurs. Collectively the studies on these communities have substantiated the argument that entrepreneurs are not a homogeneous group and that each community is deserving of detailed attention regarding the unique attributes that might influence their ability to start and grow a business.
The term disadvantaged entrepreneurship has also been referred to as inclusive entrepreneurship (OECD Report, 2016) or necessity entrepreneurship (Hart & Acs, 2011), but in this special issue we are also examining the physical, mental, and health conditions of an entrepreneur and how they may help or hinder their entrepreneurial capabilities. Hence, disadvantaged entrepreneurs incorporate a range of individuals that vary depending on their socio-demographic characteristics such as young people and students (Krueger, Reilly and Carsrud, 2000), women (Marlow, 2014), seniors (Kautonen, 2008 ;Kautonen et al. 2011; Maâlaoui, et al. 2013, Curran and Blackburn, 2013), unemployed, immigrants (Aliaga-Isla and Rialp, 2013), ethnic minorities ( Aldrich and Waldinger, 1990 ; Carter et Al, 2015; Dana, 2007; Zhou, 2004), immigrants ( Nonna et al., 2017), ex-prisoners (Cooney, 2012) and disabled people including those with developmental challenges (Dimic and Orlov, 2014; Logan, 2009; Pagán, 2009). Other types of disadvantaged people are also emerging due to continuous political and economic changes (e.g. refugee entrepreneurs) who are newly classified as disadvantaged (Bernatd, 1976; De Clercq and Honig, 2011). These disadvantaged people due to their different characteristics such as having a disability or ill-health should be examined distinctively to understand their entrepreneurial intentions.
As suggested by Miller & Miller (2017: 7), “some critical drivers of entrepreneurship come in the form of serious life challenges rather than personal advantages and strengths, or favorable contexts”. This special issue aims to better understand the inclusive entrepreneurship literature through the theory of disadvantage by considering different areas of research, such as psychology, sociology and small business. Topics of interests include, but are not limited to:
- Disadvantage and cultural theory versus disadvantaged entrepreneurs
- Entrepreneurial alertness and disadvantaged entrepreneurs
- Entrepreneurial motivation and cognitive aspects of disadvantaged entrepreneurs
- Entrepreneurial ecosystem of disadvantage entrepreneurs
- Geography, culture, building network and social capital of disadvantaged entrepreneurs
- Social integration of disadvantaged entrepreneurs
- Entrepreneurial rebound of disadvantaged entrepreneurs
- Financing small business creation by disadvantaged entrepreneurs
- Innovation, performance and disadvantaged entrepreneurs
The special issue is seeking papers that will offer new insights and knowledge relating to entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities and will enhance the broader understanding that entrepreneurship is not a ‘one size fits all’ activity. Moreover, researches related to the socio-Economic Approaches and sustainability/environmental considerations are welcome.
Submission and Timetable for the special issue:
5th June 2018: Submission deadline
5th October 2018: Round 1 review
5th December 2018: Revisions/resubmissions
5th February 2019: Round 2 review
25th March 2019: Revisions/resubmissions
5th Mai 2019: Final editorial and delivery to EMR
Journal Volume SI published September-December 2019
All submissions should conform to EMR style guidelines detailed : http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1740-4762/homepage/ForAuthors.html
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