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Following Joseph Schumpeter's conception of innovation as ‘new innovations’, this chapter contends that innovations that transform lives in developing countries of Southern Africa are not radically new and different novelties but rather ‘new combinations’ at the interface of new materialisations (creative expression) and exploitations of new opportunities (entrepreneurship). We argue that this posture is not a contestation of the reality that novelty enter the system through the development of new technologies, processes and new ways of organising, but rather such novelty is a process of recombining existing elements in new ways. I build on this argument to demonstrate that in resource-poor contexts where institutional voids frustrate entrepreneurs' potential to deploy innovation capabilities for generating groundbreaking innovation, innovations and entrepreneurship are outcomes of ‘tinkering’, improvision and refinement of unsophisticated creative ideas. Drawing on exemplars from health, education, finance and poverty alleviation interventions that support sustainable human development, I also demonstrate that high knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (KIE) and low knowledge-intensive frugal innovations are mutually constitutive and recursive outputs of the interaction of knowledge application and innovation conversion rather than serial processes of cause and effect. Using combinative innovation, internal coupling and combinative capabilities as heuristics for understanding the entrepreneurship–innovation nexus, I provide empirical support to the view that entrepreneurial effectuation, new combinations, bricolage and improvision constitute useful cognitive arena for the conversion of entrepreneurial and innovation behaviours, practices and processes into KIE and frugal innovation outputs.

The main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of imported inputs on firms' productivity in selected South Asian economies, namely Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Furthermore, this study explores the complementarity between firms' capabilities and imported inputs in an augmented productivity framework.

A dataset comprising 7117 manufacturing firms of selected South Asian economies was taken from the World Bank for 2013 and 2014. The empirical analysis was based on stochastic frontier models, the ordinary least square method and instrumental variable estimation techniques.

The empirical results show that imported inputs have positive and significant effects on the firms' productivity in the selected countries. Moreover, the study findings demonstrate that firms' capabilities play a complementary role in expanding the firms' production frontier.

The study outcomes suggest that reducing tariffs on imported inputs will enhance the firms' productivity in the selected emerging economies. However, the study further finds that the potential gain of imported inputs is conditional on the firm's capabilities. It implies that firms operating in these countries can improve their performance by allocating more resources to capabilities, such as workers’ training, management and internal R&D effort.

The existing literature on the subject is sceptical about the positive impact of imported inputs on firms' productivity in the case of developing countries. In this regard, the shortage of skilled labour and firms' capabilities are compelling rationales that need to be explored. Thus, the potential contribution of the study lies in explaining the moderating role of firm's capabilities operating in the selected emerging economies in the nexus of imported inputs and productivity.

This study aims to explore which relational factors are crucial for accelerator-based start-ups to achieve high financial performance and whether innovation levels influence this relationship. Utilizing fsQCA and drawing from the resource-based view (RBV), we analyze 128 start-ups in a Spanish accelerator, split by innovativeness, to understand the impact of relational and human capital factors on performance.

The study uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate conditions leading to high financial performance among 128 start-ups in a Spanish accelerator, divided by innovativeness. Four key factors are analyzed: social capital, social competence, resource mobilization and entrepreneurial ecosystem support. fsQCA examines complex relationships between these factors and financial performance.

Relational and human capital factors significantly impact start-up financial performance, varying with innovativeness. Highly innovative start-ups benefit from social competence and networked support, while less innovative but profitable start-ups rely on resource mobilization skills. The study highlights the contingent value of these factors, showing that unique configurations drive financial success.

The paper enhances the RBV in entrepreneurial contexts by highlighting the critical role of relational resources and their configurations. It suggests social competence and networked support are crucial for highly innovative start-ups, while resource mobilization is key for less innovative ones. These findings encourage nuanced theorizing of start-up success strategies, considering varying innovativeness levels and their impact on performance.

This study enhances understanding of the relationship between relational factors and financial performance in accelerator-based start-ups, considering innovation levels. It provides insights into how different configurations of social capital, competence, resource mobilization and ecosystem support lead to success. It underscores the importance of considering the contingent value of relational factors for start-up growth.

Nurturing the social identity approach, encompassing social identity theory and self-categorisation theory, this study aims to unravel the process of entrepreneurial identity construction among communitarians. It seeks to uncover the psychological mechanisms through which entrepreneurs categorise themselves as communitarians, highlighting the importance of community salience, trust and engagement.

This quantitative study comprises a sample consisting of 253 entrepreneurs. This research presents a sequential mediation model, drawing on salience, trust and engagement as antecedents of social entrepreneurial identity. By analysing the step-by-step mediation process, the research offers a nuanced understanding of how these community dynamics contribute to shaping entrepreneurial identity.

Entrepreneurs deeply connected to their communities do not naturally identify as communitarians; rather, it is the trust they build and the engagement they foster that shape their entrepreneurial identity. Communal bonds are not merely a backdrop for entrepreneurship but a driving force that moulds identity and action. This study evidenced that the salience of community positively influences community trust and engagement, which, in turn, enhances the development of entrepreneurial identity as communitarians. This underscores the role of social dynamics in shaping entrepreneurial attitudes, beliefs and behaviours.

This research confers a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurs construct and enact their identities, shedding light on the dynamic interplay between social context, shaping attitudes, cognition and behaviours. Exploring entrepreneurial identity among communitarians offers new insights into how social dynamics shape entrepreneurial actions. The study’s value extends to practical applications, offering guidance for policymakers and community leaders in fostering supportive environments that enhance entrepreneurship through greater community engagement and trust.

This study aims to investigate the experiences of service providers supporting male victims and female perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). The study explored the drivers, methods and treatments of female-perpetrated IPV, the nature and impact of abuse towards male victims, the barriers and facilitators to service provision and the impact on the practitioners themselves.

The study used a qualitative approach, using reflexive thematic analysis to analyse semi-structured interviews with 13 experienced service providers.

Two overarching themes were identified: systemic issues in service provision, including challenges with multi-agency approaches, funding and availability of services and the impact on practitioners; and gender stereotypes, which created barriers to male victims' help-seeking and influenced the treatment of female perpetrators.

The findings suggest the need for a multi-level approach, addressing gendered inequalities in IPV policy and funding, implementing gender-inclusive, evidence-based and trauma-informed practices, and raising public and professional awareness to challenge the dominant “domestic violence stereotype”.

This study provides a detailed, in-depth exploration of the experiences of service providers supporting “non-typical” populations in IPV, revealing the complex, multi-faceted challenges they face within a system that is inherently designed to support female victims of male perpetrators.

Entrepreneurship across sectors has been impacted by the paradigm of open innovation in the last few decades. Although Open Innovation is argued to impact firm performance the strategic building blocks of open innovation are not discussed in the prior literature. This study aims to conceptualize open innovation and identify the antecedents and outcomes of open innovation.

Using a qualitative study based on open-ended essays solicited from 47 SMEs and startups based out in Europe and the USA, the authors propose an overarching conceptual framework using a theoretical sampling approach adopted to establish data saturation and data analysis was carried out using thematic coding. Market place evidence was used for triangulation of the authors’ research framework and to establish the validity of the constructs.

Building on the entrepreneurial bricolage theory, this study proposes bricolage and Platformization of innovations as antecedents to open innovation. The study also conceptualizes open innovation by identifying three underlying dimensions for open innovation. Next, the study proposes a positive association between open innovation and firm performance. Finally, the authors discuss relevant implications with future research directions of the study.

The practical implication is the development of a sustained competitive advantage enhancing framework for entrepreneurial ventures with the help of open innovation.

With the application of the developed framework for the entrepreneurial ventures, a set of strategic activities related to open innovation can be proposed that would help these ventures to enhance their innovation and marketing capabilities, thereby helping them with a sustained competitive advantage. The present study would also help the policymakers to frame policies that help the firms with a shift toward open innovation.

The nature of construction works has a negative impact on physical, mental and emotional well-being and makes it difficult for the construction industry to attack and retain its workforce. The current study seeks to integrate the current knowledge focused on work–life balance (WLB) in the industry into an understandable whole.

An interpretivist philosophical approach was adopted using a bibliometric review and a narrative review of existing studies from both Scopus and Google databases. The Visualisation of Similarities viewer (VOSviewer) was used to prepare co-occurrence maps from the bibliographic data garnered.

The study reveals that the prominent factors influencing the WLB of the construction workforce are organizational culture, salary earned, heavy workload, long working hours and inflexible working time. The recent WLB discourse is on organisational commitment, job satisfaction and workplace dynamics. While WLB areas for further exploration are job stress, safety performance, employee attrition and an ageing workforce. Meanwhile, Africa and South America are still lagging in WLB research.

The findings reported here will assist stakeholders in identifying appropriate WLB initiatives that can be used to improve the well-being of the construction workforce. Also, the gaps in knowledge for further research were highlighted.

The findings reveal current trends and a road map for future studies on WLB in construction. It also reveals prominent factors influencing the WLB of workers in the construction industry.

The popularity of employee resource groups (ERGs) has grown, yet there has been limited critical examination of the outcomes of membership individuals. This paper aims to better understand ERG member experiences and the role and impact of allies, or members who do not share the identity around which the group is centered.

Two survey studies collected data from ERG members and non-members to uncover individual membership outcomes.

Our findings reveal that ERG members report greater career satisfaction yet also experience higher levels of emotional loneliness compared to non-members. Additionally, the presence of allies in ERGs has a complex impact, offering both positive and negative effects on the experiences of focal group members.

Our findings provide a more expansive view on employee experiences related to ERG membership and suggest decisions to allow or require openness of ERGs to everyone should be undertaken with caution. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

This study contributes to the diversity management literature by exploring individual outcomes of ERGs, a popular type of organizational diversity practice.

This study investigates the readiness for and understanding of Industry 4.0 in a pharmaceutical manufacturer.

Utilising qualitative interviews within a single-site case study in a pharmaceutical organisation, the understanding of Industry 4.0 and the challenges, benefits and critical success factors for Industry 4.0 readiness therein and applications of Industry 4.0 are assessed.

The research findings found that Industry 4.0 implementation has implications for regulatory compliance and enhancing operational excellence on the site. The Pharma site is embracing Industry 4.0 technologies, particularly for paperless systems and data collation and analytics, but the site is somewhat of a late adaptor of Industry 4.0 implementation and is on a path towards increased digitalisation.

A limitation of the study is that it is a single-site case study, but the results can be generalisable in demonstrating how Industry 4.0 is being deployed and its challenges and benefits.

This study is unique and novel because to the authors knowledge, it is one of the first studies on Industry 4.0 readiness and status in an Irish Pharma site within a single pharmaceutical organisation. This study can be leveraged and benchmarked by all pharmaceutical organisations as it demonstrates the complexity of Industry 4.0 deployment from a highly regulated and complex pharmaceutical manufacturing and processing viewpoint.