Decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid: a literature review of the field

Purpose – Driving economic development at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) is an enduring global challenge. While the market-based approach places hope on entrepreneurship as a major impetus to drive the underdeveloped economy, the performance of entrepreneurial businesses and their impact on poverty...

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Main Authors: Amber Y. Chang, Yalan Xu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Emerald Publishing 2023-11-01
Series:New England Journal of Entrepreneurship
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/NEJE-10-2022-0093/full/pdf
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author Amber Y. Chang
Yalan Xu
author_facet Amber Y. Chang
Yalan Xu
author_sort Amber Y. Chang
collection DOAJ
description Purpose – Driving economic development at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) is an enduring global challenge. While the market-based approach places hope on entrepreneurship as a major impetus to drive the underdeveloped economy, the performance of entrepreneurial businesses and their impact on poverty reduction are sometimes below expectations. This paper seeks to examine the factors that may be hindering entrepreneurship within the BOP context. This paper presents preliminary answers and provides research suggestions related to this question. Design/methodology/approach – In order to identify the reasons behind the underperformance of entrepreneurship at the BOP, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to see what is already known about this puzzle. Findings – By reviewing extant literature, four clusters of factors were found to shape entrepreneurial activities at BOP: (1) Individual-level factors may be restraining entrepreneurial activities within BOP context, (2) gender inequality at BOP is hindering female entrepreneurship, (3) insufficient institutional support is holding back entrepreneurial activities in BOP and (4) business development initiatives are making multi-faceted impacts on entrepreneurial activities in BOP. Originality/value – This paper contributes to theory in that it is the first comprehensive review of literature on constraints of entrepreneurship in the context of BOP. In investigating influential factors of entrepreneurial success in the BOP context, the authors recognize four major influential forces that are shaping entrepreneurial processes at the bottom of the pyramid and further propose three directions of future research that are worthy for further exploration.
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spelling doaj-art-4d91854c469141a380e3aaa53ee0b1422025-08-20T01:58:55ZengEmerald PublishingNew England Journal of Entrepreneurship1550-333X2574-89042023-11-012628810610.1108/NEJE-10-2022-0093Decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid: a literature review of the fieldAmber Y. Chang0Yalan Xu1BNU-HKBU United International College, Zhuhai, ChinaSouth China University of Technology, Guangzhou, ChinaPurpose – Driving economic development at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) is an enduring global challenge. While the market-based approach places hope on entrepreneurship as a major impetus to drive the underdeveloped economy, the performance of entrepreneurial businesses and their impact on poverty reduction are sometimes below expectations. This paper seeks to examine the factors that may be hindering entrepreneurship within the BOP context. This paper presents preliminary answers and provides research suggestions related to this question. Design/methodology/approach – In order to identify the reasons behind the underperformance of entrepreneurship at the BOP, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to see what is already known about this puzzle. Findings – By reviewing extant literature, four clusters of factors were found to shape entrepreneurial activities at BOP: (1) Individual-level factors may be restraining entrepreneurial activities within BOP context, (2) gender inequality at BOP is hindering female entrepreneurship, (3) insufficient institutional support is holding back entrepreneurial activities in BOP and (4) business development initiatives are making multi-faceted impacts on entrepreneurial activities in BOP. Originality/value – This paper contributes to theory in that it is the first comprehensive review of literature on constraints of entrepreneurship in the context of BOP. In investigating influential factors of entrepreneurial success in the BOP context, the authors recognize four major influential forces that are shaping entrepreneurial processes at the bottom of the pyramid and further propose three directions of future research that are worthy for further exploration.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/NEJE-10-2022-0093/full/pdfBottom of the pyramidEconomic developmentEntrepreneurshipInstitutional environmentsGender gaps
spellingShingle Amber Y. Chang
Yalan Xu
Decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid: a literature review of the field
New England Journal of Entrepreneurship
Bottom of the pyramid
Economic development
Entrepreneurship
Institutional environments
Gender gaps
title Decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid: a literature review of the field
title_full Decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid: a literature review of the field
title_fullStr Decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid: a literature review of the field
title_full_unstemmed Decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid: a literature review of the field
title_short Decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid: a literature review of the field
title_sort decoding underperformance of entrepreneurship at the bottom of the pyramid a literature review of the field
topic Bottom of the pyramid
Economic development
Entrepreneurship
Institutional environments
Gender gaps
url https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/NEJE-10-2022-0093/full/pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT amberychang decodingunderperformanceofentrepreneurshipatthebottomofthepyramidaliteraturereviewofthefield
AT yalanxu decodingunderperformanceofentrepreneurshipatthebottomofthepyramidaliteraturereviewofthefield