Main research interests

In this strand of research, the chair contributes to the body of knowledge in entrepreneurship studies. First, by unfolding the entrepreneurial phenomenon related to the SDGs in literature and though an expert group discussion, Prof. Timm and her colleagues from Vechta University reveal scholars’ understanding of entrepreneurship thus far. Second, they clearly derive from their study the lack of a serious transformational idea with a sustainability value driven focus within entrepreneurship discourse. This is in particular interesting with view on the necessity of a radical questioning present dominant economic paradigms in order to indeed head towards a fundamental sustainable transformation of global society. Third, based on these findings they methodically derive a proposition of attributes of a future-oriented entrepreneurship heading towards tackling the grand societal challenges of our time and contributing to the SDGs. Forth, they theoretically base this concept on transformation and entrepreneurship literature that does deeper into a transformational and sustainability understanding of entrepreneurship. This kind of understanding serves the research community to start rethinking the focus and concepts used in research and educational settings as well as entrepreneurial activity and innovation management in practice. Thus, taking a philosophical and practical point of view, TSE research is about questioning social normative thinking and behaviour in entrepreneurial and business contexts with the intention of developing transformative alternatives.

 

Sustainable business models incorporate sustainability as an integral part within an enterprise’s core values. As such, they not only take into consideration the creation of economic value but puts focus on the creation of positive environmental and social/societal impact or even being disruptive through the business model implemented. On the other hand, business model resilience resembles an enterprise’s ability to adapt its business model and strategy to internal and external disruptions. The chair’s research goes into these aspects and takes a deeper look into sustainable business models and the integration into these of e.g. Kate Raworth’s conceptual proposal of the seven principles of the doughnut economics.

This stream includes also different financial strategies when it comes to funding and financing entrepreneurial endeavors. Usually identifying the respective life-cycle stage of the business gives a broad direction of which strategies are most suited and appropriate. Yet, there is still a lot to learn regarding the usefulness and characteristics of different approaches, in particular regarding transformative sustainability entrepreneurial endeavors and impact investment strategies.

Over the past years, entrepreneurship has become a field of great interest for both practice and research. While it is widely confirmed that entrepreneurship significantly contributes to economic growth, it also offers individuals a wide variety of opportunities. More importantly however, it is believed that entrepreneurial activity is a central element of solving the grand challenges of today. As entrepreneurs can find and implement innovative solutions based on unconventional ideas they are seen as key actors to solve challenges such as for example poverty, climate change or even socio-political uncertainties.

In response to this understanding, we have witnessed the emergence of courses, programs, and fields of research with the specific intention of supporting and increasing entrepreneurial activity. While it is imperative to empower individuals with appropriate entrepreneurial competencies and knowledge there is no common ground on how to do so. With current educational paradigms and practices increasingly questioned regarding their effectiveness of supporting individuals to contribute to solving the grand challenges, it is necessary to rethink what and how we educate. The research field of entrepreneurship education thus deals with the appropriateness, relevance and efficiency of our current educational approaches and investigates potential transformative alternatives.