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The exploration of performance determinants in social enterprises has gained increasing relevance among researchers and practitioners, particularly in rural tourism. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the contributions of transformational leadership and social entrepreneurship to the performance of social enterprises in the context of rural tourism. Further, the mediating roles of social capital, creativity and social value were investigated.

Data were gathered through a survey of 168 employees of social enterprises operating in the rural tourism setting. Eight surveyors were sent out to conduct the survey. Data were analyzed by structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS 18.0.

The results of the SEM suggested that transformational leadership is positively associated with social value, social capital and performance of social enterprise. In addition, social entrepreneurship had a significant influence on social value, social capital and performance of social enterprise. Creativity and social value predicts the performance of social enterprise. Further, social capital was found to have a positive relationship with creativity. Finally, the mediating roles of social capital, creativity and social value were also confirmed. The findings thus highlight the power of the social value creation and social capital in the social enterprises operating in the rural destinations.

The findings assert that social entrepreneurship and transformational leadership are key sources of social value creation, social capital and creativity in rural tourism context indicating the need for additional efforts on this kind of entrepreneurial activity. The findings can motivate policymakers to promote social entrepreneurship in rural tourism destinations as a means of stimulating bottom-up social capital and social value creation.

This study is among the first to examine the hypothesized relationships focusing on tourism social enterprises.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how transformational leadership may relate to corporate entrepreneurship by adopting a multilevel approach. The authors also theorized and tested the top-down and bottom-up intermediate process linking transformational leadership and corporate entrepreneurship.

Multisource data across different timeframes were collected from 129 managers and 244 employees from 55 units of 27 firms.

The results showed that transformational leadership and corporate entrepreneurship were positively related at the unit level. Furthermore, unit-level collective efficacy mediated the relationship between unit-level transformational leadership and unit-level corporate entrepreneurship. The authors also found that the firm-level empowerment climate moderated the indirect effect of unit-level collective efficacy on the relationship between unit transformational leadership and unit-level corporate entrepreneurship.

First, the goal of this study is to extend the single focus of transformational leadership on corporate entrepreneurship (e.g. Ling et al., 2008) and develop a more thoughtful approach on determining how transformational leaders influence corporate entrepreneurship across levels. This study responds to calls for research to look at the impact of unit-level transformational leaders, such as middle managers, across levels (Ren and Guo, 2011) and creates a multilevel framework in which transformational leaders at the unit level influence the appearance of corporate entrepreneurship at the unit level.

The lean startup approach (LSA) is extensively utilized by early-stage entrepreneurs, with “pivot” serving as a key pillar. However, there is a research gap concerning the boundary conditions impacting LSA and pivot decisions, especially when addressing societal challenges, as in the context of transformational entrepreneurship. In this regard, the healthcare sector, further compounded by a lack of research on startups and scale-ups, presents an embraced opportunity to provide multiple contributions for both theory and practice.

The present investigation employs a grounded approach to explore the experiences of the co-founders of a fast-growing Italian e-health startup. A narrative strategy was employed to organize conditions and evolving strategic action/interactions into three different pivoting phases of the startup – before the pivot, its enactment and aftermath – with primary and secondary data collected over a period of one year.

Pivoting in digital healthcare unfolded as a liminal experience marked by factors such as high regulation, multiple stakeholders, technological and symbolic ambivalence, resource-intensive demands and institutional actors acting as pathway pioneers, leading to an information overload and unforeseeable uncertainty to manage. These factors challenge entrepreneurs' ability to attain optimal distinctiveness, presenting the paradoxical need for vertical flexibility for scaling up.

By uniquely illuminating the sector’s constraints on entrepreneurial phenomena, this study provides a valuable guide for entrepreneurs and institutional actors in addressing societal challenges.

This study introduces a process model of transformational information crafting when pivoting, highlighting the role of entrepreneurs' transformational stance and platform-mediated solutions as engines behind strategies involving information breaking and transition, preceding knowledge-driven integration strategies.

Recently there has been a surge in interest about the use of artificial intelligence in organisations with art galleries introducing new technological innovations that coincide with the digitalisation revolution. Virtual and immersive environments that are supported by social media and digital platforms are significantly changing customer experiences at art galleries. This is internationalising and making art gallery experiences more accessible thereby fostering the competitive advantage of art galleries.

Art gallery customers, stakeholders and managers are appreciating the use of artificial intelligence with resulting higher satisfaction rates. Building on competency and transformational entrepreneurship theory international art gallery managers were interviewed to understand the role of artificial intelligence in their organisations and the impact of internationalisation.

The data analysis revealed that the internationalisation of art galleries enabled artificial intelligence to transform in person and online visitor experience, work and marketing, and future art gallery development ideas. Results show that artificial intelligence is opening up new transformations derived from entrepreneurial behaviours.

Key managerial implications are that art gallery managers need to utilise their international networks in order to learn about artificial intelligence and other new technological innovation. Theoretical implications are that existing theory can be adapted to an art gallery and artificial intelligence context. Limitations and future research suggestions focus on the need to focus more on art galleries as cultural entities that are more likely to utilise new technology innovation such as artificial intelligence.

Strategic entrepreneurship (SE) exemplifies the interconnection of strategic management and entrepreneurship, inferring that organisations could yield tremendous wealth by synchronously pursuing advantage- and opportunity-seeking behaviour. This study examines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) thrive SE by leveraging organisational change forces.

This study uses a covariance-based structural equation model (CB-SEM) based on 477 key role employees in 95 import and export SMEs in Vietnam.

SE in SMEs requires organisational change forces, namely leadership, employee engagement and buffering foundation of adaptive culture (AC). In particular, transformational leadership (TL) is beneficial and significantly influences SE behaviour via the mediating role of organisational change commitment. In addition, the adaptable culture of SMEs can serve as a buffer, allowing TL concepts to permeate and transfer to administrative bodies, thereby encouraging SE.

This paper describes why and how SME leaders can make decisions and manage SE to generate a comparative edge. Leaders must understand and assess organisational change forces that play a crucial role in thriving SE, which must pay considerable attention to employees' commitment to change and create an AC.

The findings indicate that achieving SE in SMEs requires a blend of core organisational change forces, such as leadership, cohesive employees and an environment that facilitates adaptation.

Transformational entrepreneurship (TE) is a concept referring to the ability of entrepreneurs to face global challenges, such as the economic crisis, to improve the well-being of the community. Considering the current scenario of COVID-19, the way digital platforms support TE in overcoming a crisis, specifically the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, was analysed.

To achieve the goal, the authors used the case study methodology. The interview was compared for the company analysed stands out due to its use of digital platforms as a tool to increase brand value. The authors conducted a semi-structured, open-ended interview with the entrepreneur and founder of Yamamay, a company operating in the retail sector. The results obtained from validity using the open coding method.

The main findings show that the implementation of digital platforms supported the entrepreneur in formulating strategic choices that allowed the company to continue offering its services despite the store closures imposed by the pandemic. The whole concept of traditional retail has been and continues to be revised, rationalising it and integrating it with a more omnichannel logic in which digital platforms play a fundamental role.

This paper provides market participants with useful information regarding the ability of this form of technology to support entrepreneurs in a crisis context. The results could also serve as an example for other retail companies regarding how to manage the consequences of the pandemic.

This contribution represents an extension of the existing literature that deepens the understanding of the relationship between digital platforms and TE in a particular scenario, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The effect of business decisions on the adoption of digital platforms to meet increasing and changing customer needs has been examined.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse interventions of various forms of organisations operating with the objective of connecting subsistence entrepreneurs (SEs) with the formal economy. This work also attempts to understand and analyse the transformational role played by these organisations. Finally, the paper aims to arrive at a conceptual framework for organisations interested in playing a transformational role.

The paper deals with subsistence entrepreneurship and business models for subsistence economies. It draws from case studies of six organisations operating with the objective to connect subsistence entrepreneurs with formal economy. Each case chosen is unique with respect to the organisational form it takes to achieve the objective. However, a lot of similarity can be seen in the components of the business model adopted by these organisations.

Organisations which emerge keeping the context of rural producers in mind survive and support SEs in the long run. SEs need not always get converted into transformational entrepreneurs. However, with the help of organisations which collectivise SEs, they can interact with formal economy. Such organisations help large numbers of SEs to sustain and possibly move out of subsistence status over a period of time. These organisations have to fill the voids left by government or market institutions so as to create enabling conditions for SEs to thrive. Despite the efforts of the organisations, it is not possible for all SEs to move out of their subsistence status and existence in informal markets. However, it is possible in case of some SEs at least, as the institutional support gives them more certainty in incomes.

The paper does not take a business model adopted by government institution for the purpose of analysis.

The paper offers practical suggestions for organisations interested in collectivising SEs with the aim to improve their returns from market transactions.

The paper offers a conceptual framework to enrich the understanding of role played by organisations working towards collectivising SEs. It adds to the debate of subsistence entrepreneurship and transformational entrepreneurship. It elaborates the elements of social capital created by these organisations at the meso level. Finally, it re-emphasises the strengths of informal economy to support the customer value proposition for formal markets.

This chapter explores the context of global ventures, gives an overview of an entrepreneur’s motivations, and discusses literature on internationalization strategies of firms. Entrepreneurs innovate and find new ways to create or discover new opportunities, start a new venture, or grow an existing venture. Indeed, firms grow through sustainable and innovative process considering economic, social, and environmental protection (the three pillars of sustainability). Indeed, entrepreneurial motivations to take business globally can be because of “push” or “pull” forces such as the creation of global products and services, access to global market, access to strategic resources, and access to global sourcing. However, the capability to internationalize is dependent on the interaction between entrepreneurs’ internal resources and external constraints. These constraints are explained by the Ghemawat’s CAGE Distance Framework, including “cultural,” “administrative,” “geographic,” and “economic” challenges.