2022, Hinz, Andreas, Minder, Cecille, Schnider, Melissa, Schulte, Volker

Scientific procedures of municipalities to reduce energy consumption, a comparison.

2022, Hinz, Andreas, von Kutzschenbach, Michael, Meyer, Rolf, Michelini, Laura, Minà, Anna, Alaimo Di Loro, Pierfrancesco

Focusing on social business model innovation at the example of startup incubator programs for refugees, this research provides insights into how such programs can create social impact. With the importance of social integration in mind, the guiding question for this work is how social entrepreneurship in the form of startup incubator programs for refugees can create social impact by addressing key challenges of integration. Based on a literature review and interviews with refugees and integration experts, it appears that challenges primarily relate to language skills, professional qualifications, psychological stress and discrimination. While conventional standardized integration programs address some of these issues, gaps remain that slow down integration. This is where startup incubators can make a difference. For instance, they offer personalized coaching and mentoring to allow for individual needs and to empower participants to develop and deploy their potential. Further, they help participants build a strong personal network in the local ecosystem. Moreover, entrepreneurial skills are developed to prepare participants for self-employment as an alternative to the difficult job search. Overall, this work illustrates that social innovation of startup incubator programs for refugees can accelerate integration and create social impact.

2022, Kabous, Laila, Hinz, Andreas, Philippi, Stefan

Effectuation and business model innovation (BMI) are research topics that are frequently discussed in the literature. While effectuation describes the effectual behaviour for founding a start-up with an emphasis on using currently available means, BMI is considered a way of creating a business model with long-term competitive advantages. Both approaches are valuable for start-ups pursuing growth in an uncertain environment. This work-in-progress paper presents insights from the reviewed extant literature. Further research will investigate effectuation and its enabling impact in designing innovative business models in the context of Swiss start-ups.