This special issue aims to initiate a discourse on some of the important recent research themes in entrepreneurship, so that Indian academic research not only builds on these emerging areas of research but also contributes significantly to the theories as they are being developed. The themes that this special issue explores are how Indian startups, SMEs, and social enterprises are dealing with three contemporary themes – sustainable business approaches, innovation, and resilience to external trends and uncertainties. Given the current geopolitical landscape, be it the Russia-Ukraine war or the war in the Middle East, labour migration and its subsequent impact on local businesses are important areas of work. We argue that, given the large-scale economic disparities across states in India, migration is an important aspect, and that India therefore provides a rich context for research on migrant entrepreneurship. Similarly, the frequent occurrence of natural disasters and economic shocks tests the entrepreneurial resilience of the Indian ecosystem (due to its reliance on global supply chains, which are disrupted by events such as wars or pandemics). The financing of these enterprises faces a different set of challenges considering the size, purpose, and dynamics of these sectors. We believe that India provides a rich context to conduct research on the resilience and sustainability of such necessity-based entrepreneurship.
The extant research on entrepreneurship is from WEIRD countries, and it is increasingly acknowledged that theories developed in these countries might not be relevant to countries like India and China, which have the largest populations and depend on entrepreneurship to drive economic growth. It is important to understand how entrepreneurs navigate the challenges posed by underdeveloped or absent institutions. It is important to study the role of different stakeholders, including informal institutions and culture, in shaping entrepreneurial decisions post any failure. It is also important to understand the factors that contribute to the sustainability of startups, SMEs, and other enterprises including social enterprises that face the unique challenge of remaining financially viable while tackling social and environmental issues. Through this special issue, we aim to encourage research on these important topics, not just in entrepreneurial firms but also in SMEs and social enterprises, which are the major economic ventures in the Indian context.
By integrating some of the most relevant and contemporary themes in the fast-evolving business world, the issue creates opportunities to understand systemic issues and to craft new frontiers in advancing business sustainably. This focus offers a new lens to conceptualize the research, to delve into the literature, and to analyse subjects that are typical of the context of Indian enterprises. Enterprises have to navigate several policies and circumstantial variations happening in both enterprise ecosystems (such as investment climate, organizational systems and policies, sustainability mandates, among others) and external macroeconomic situations (such as migration, pandemic, national priorities, among others). Through this collective body of work, the Special Issue aims to broadly advance forward-looking ideas and frameworks that illuminate the sustainable and future-ready trajectory of Indian business, in general, and enterprises, in particular.
List of Topic Areas
- Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Ecosystems
- Organizational Resilience and Labour Management in Enterprises
- Entrepreneurial Leadership and Crisis Management
- Circular Economy and Sustainable Business Models for Enterprises
- Sustainable and Innovative Entrepreneurship Finance
- Migration and Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship and SDGs
- Sustainability of Social Enterprises
Submission Information
Submissions of full manuscripts are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here:
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see:
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.
Journal Information: Scopus Journal Q2, H-Index 35
Key Dates
Opening date for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026
Closing date for manuscript submissions: 1 October 2028
For more details refer here
