THE MEASUREMENT OF SUSTAINABLE ORIENTATION IN ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURS

Sustainable entrepreneurship is a relatively new research field oriented to stimulate the sustainable development [1 & 2]. Generally speaking, sustainable entrepreneurship is considered to generate economic, social and ecological goods at the same time. In this study we use the sustainable orientation scale developed by Kuckertz & Wagner [3] to measure the sustainable orientation in academic entrepreneurs. A sample of university professor and research staff was asked to fill in an electronic questionnaire (n = 2250) containing the sustainable orientation scale. Professors were classified into nine profiles (general entrepreneurs [n = 280], sustainable entrepreneurs [n = 84], technological entrepreneurs [n = 197] and technology-sustainable entrepreneurs [n = 141], general potential entrepreneurs [n = 82], sustainable potential entrepreneurs [n = 103], technological potential entrepreneurs [n = 93], technology-sustainable potential entrepreneurs [n = 288] and no entrepreneurs [n = 982]). The observed internal consistency of the scale is considered acceptable for research purposes (Cronbach’s alpha = .75 [CI-95% = .73 - .77]) and we found statistical differences between entrepreneurs profiles (Kruskal-Wallis chi-squared test = 41.35, df = 8, p < .001, r = 0.14, bilateral contrast). Technological entrepreneurs and technological potential entrepreneurs obtained lower scores in sustainable orientation as compared with technology-sustainable entrepreneurs, sustainable potential entrepreneurs and technology-sustainable potential entrepreneurs. Additionally, technology-sustainable potential entrepreneurs had a high sustainable orientation score as compared with no entrepreneurs. Our results are useful to characterize the typologies of sustainable potential and actual entrepreneurs at university.

Refs.
[1] doi: 10.1007/s11365-015-0356-5
[2] doi: 10.1111/j. 1540-6520.2010.00426.x
[3] doi: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2009.09.001