This thesis presents an inductive, qualitative approach to exploring the connection between entrepreneurship and social movement theory in the context of the fitness movement. This was achieved by applying the External Enabler Framework for New Venture Creation which looks at how changes to the macro environment, such as sociocultural shifts, enable entrepreneurial processes by activating mechanisms on the venture level (Davidsson et al., 2020). A loop derived from social movement literature is implemented as a contribution to the framework that presents a perspective in which ventures not only are influenced by the social movement but also contribute to the movement's momentum. The loop was found to occur as ventures enlarge the scope of the social movement and thus change its characteristics. This insight provides two theoretical contributions. Firstly, the loop originating from social movement theory is better defined and explained. Secondly, the External Enabler Framework for New Venture Creation has been connected to the loop, which provides a more nuanced view of how social movements and ventures interrelate. This is deemed important since it helps us understand how social movements can grow with the influence of ventures and how this leads to the continuous enablement of new ventures.

Rapidly increasing global environmental changes are causing disruptions in the natural environment and have resulted in emphasized importance of developing sustainable entrepreneurship to mitigate climate change. To do this, however, external conditions have been argued to stimulate new business opportunities, which have been reconceptualized as external enablers (Davidsson, 2015). This study will therefore investigate how combinations of external enablers can be understood and leveraged to facilitate new sustainable venture creation within one of the sectors with the potential to reverse climate change, the marine sector. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the combinations of external enablers that facilitate venture creation within the marine sector. The study was conducted in accordance with the interpretivist approach, basing the data collection on multiple case studies. The case studies were based on secondary online data and semi-constructed interviews, where the data was later analyzed through a coding process according to Gioia et al., (2013). The study was set to follow an inductive approach.  The empirical findings show that the prominent external enabler combinations for sustainable ventures within the marine sector are of the regulatory, economic and sociocultural types which have a complementary relationship and act in symbiosis. The symbiosis is in turn affected by climate change as a fundamental enabling factor for sustainable ventures.

Research Background: Climate change poses a core threat to the current and future welfare of society. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly susceptible to challenges associated with climate change, most of which are bound to have large-scale societal impacts. Fortunately, Grand Challenges (GCs) can also enable opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship to emerge. As entrepreneurs work in larger interrelated ecosystems, it is noteworthy to explore the utilization of ecosystems to develop sustainable ventures that address GCs. Current research has not addressed the interplay between external enablers and entrepreneurial ecosystems, especially in the Sub-Saharan context. The focus of this study is to explore how sustainable entrepreneurs acted on GCs in the pursuit of venture opportunities, and how ecosystems were utilized to foster the development of entrepreneurial agents and their ventures. Research Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify how GCs facilitate sustainable entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa, given the interaction between entrepreneurs, their ecosystems, and climate change-associated GCs. Method: The research paradigm for this study follows critical realism. Meaning, we question the nature of reality as inherently multilayered and align with epistemic relativism. An explorative interview-based study was adopted for our methodology. We sampled our interview candidates purposively through the formation of several criteria. In total, we collected data from 20 semi-structured interviews through online platforms. We analyzed our data by interpreting principles of thematic analysis and the theory- building approach, to connect empirical themes to theoretical constructs. Conclusion: The results for this study show that sustainable entrepreneurs act on a wide variety of GCs. Within ecosystems, we noticed that sustainable development, cultural belief systems, educational infrastructure, governance, and resource accessibility influence the potential for ecosystems to develop. Specifically, we adopted three dimensions in which these pillars have influences: the entrepreneurial, communal, and structural level. The findings indicated that the scope of external enablers is fluid due to ecosystem interactions. Moreover, opacity and agency-intensity of enabling mechanisms can be reduced by developing entrepreneurial ecosystems. We also noted that entrepreneurs themselves can take on the role of ecosystem-builders. Our findings revised current understandings of sustainable entrepreneurship and redefined the concept to create a more inclusive label.

The External Enablers framework was developed to provide structure and terminology for the analysis of entrepreneurial opportunities. External Enablers (EEs) refer to changes in the environment such as regulatory changes, demographic shifts, or new technologies that enable an individual to create and develop ventures (Davidsson, 2015; Davidsson et al., 2020; Kimjeon & Davidsson, 2021). The framework aims to explain the cause-effect relationships between environmental changes and benefits that ventures experience, via EE mechanisms. EE mechanisms connect to responses in entrepreneurs through relational qualities called opacity and agency intensity. However, recent studies have found that entrepreneurs may ignore significant external changes in the environment, regardless of opacity and agency intensity considerations. Consequently, something else might explain agents’ engagement in venture creation. Another shortcoming of the framework is that it has yet to integrate the possibility that EEs might trigger consecutive EEs, in addition to agents acting on them through, for example, cascading effects. This thesis explores entrepreneurial action and its interplay with external enablers. We investigate why certain individuals act entrepreneurially upon multiple EEs. Previous research has stated that entrepreneurs may ignore opacity and agency intensity considerations. Hence, opacity and agency intensity may not be enough to explain why agents act on EEs. We conducted a qualitative multicase study, to identify patterns and relationships for theory building adhering to grounded theory traditions. Four cases from the Swedish wine industry were chosen, two “pioneers” (that is, early entrants in the wine industry in Sweden) and two “followers” (that is, later entrants). The industry serves as an appropriate empirical setting due to its novelty, where the environment changed rapidly, enabling a new industry to emerge from the 90s. Archival material and semi-structured interviews were combined, where a total of 21 interviews were conducted with vineyard founders, owners, and one expert. The findings show that the pioneers faced high opacity and agency intensity. Therefore, we introduce a third relational quality called Enthusiasm Fit. A high enthusiasm fit helps the pioneers “see through” a high opacity and overcome agency intensity, resulting in acting upon multiple and consecutive EEs. We also found that pioneers contribute to creating other EEs, resulting in cascading effects, where one EE generates reactions in another. Moreover, the followers don’t require a high enthusiasm fit but need the cascading effects produced by pioneers, to lower opacity and agency intensity considerations.

Background: Environmental challenges faced by humankind are creating various changes in the business environment. These changes are facilitating entrepreneurial activities for environmental sustainability. However, some actors, such as immigrant entrepreneurs, might face difficulties in identifying and exploiting the external enablers of entrepreneurial action for sustainability. Purpose: Considering the importance of sustainable development, the study aims to understand the role of external enablers for environmental sustainability in immigrant ventures. Thus, the study aims to investigate how ‘external enabler opacity and agency-intensity’ facilitate or hinder environmentally sustainable entrepreneurial activities among immigrant entrepreneurs. Method: The study employs a qualitative approach and utilizes a multiple case study methodology, with the primary method of semi-structured interviews. Inductively building upon the External Enabler Framework, the study integrates insights from external enablers, environmental entrepreneurship, and immigrant entrepreneurship literature. Conclusion: The study finds that low opacity and high agency intensity of external enablers limit immigrant ventures' involvement in environmental sustainability. Moreover, barriers immigrant entrepreneurs face compound these limitations, possibly leading to decreased competitiveness and missed opportunities. Contributing to the External Enabler Framework, the concept of enforcement is introduced as a novel cross-function of external enabler mechanisms, which facilitates immigrant ventures' engagement in environmentally sustainable activities.

The circular economy has emerged as a tool for addressing the current linear economic system, producing massive amounts waste and exacerbating climate change. During the recent crises and instabilities, the potential of the circular economy has been further highlighted.However, the concept remains undefined, and little is known of its implementation inpractice. This thesis explores the circular economy and its implementation among six Swedish commercial real estate actors, through interviews and an investigation of their official documents, with the aim of discovering signs of the circular economy, how those signs have emerged and the knowledge and capabilities necessary to capitalize on them. The External Enablers Framework by Davidsson et al. (2020) is used to find the external enablers thatfacilitate a shift towards more circular business practices. The thesis discovers multiple signs of circularity in the empirical material, in targets, strategies and activities. It also identifies several external enablers potentially impacting the implementation of circular activities in existing real estate ventures, such as collaboration networks, climate change awareness andthe recent crises and instabilities. The real estate actors themselves also potentially influence the industry around them towards circularity, in an ecosystem of enablement.

Background: The transition to a Circular Economy is crucial for addressing global sustainability challenges, with only 9.1% of the world economy currently operating within circular principles. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises play a pivotal role in fostering sustainable economic growth, compelled by regulatory pressures and changing consumer preferences to adopt circular practices. However, while business model transformations present opportunities, numerous implementation challenges remain, especially for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The External Enablement Framework offers valuable insights into how macro-environmental changes drive the transformation of business models towards CE, defining triggering and shaping roles linked to External Enablers. Exploring these changes becomes increasingly essential for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to effectively transition towards Circular Economy implementation in the evolving business landscape. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to enrich the current body of literature on Circular Economy by examining how macro-environmental changes influence Small and Medium-sized Enterprises’ business model transformation towards circularity, examining the triggering and shaping role. We identify and analyse macro-environmental changes as catalysts for the implementation of Circular Economy initiatives, based on the concept of External Enablers and the External Enablement Framework. By providing theoretical insights and practical guidance, the study intends to encourage decision-makers, notably in the political domain, to promote Circular Economy practices.  Method: This research adopts a holistic multiple-case study, employing a qualitative approach aimed at objectively observing phenomena to reveal patterns within the context under study. The data sample encompasses ten Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the German manufacturing market. In order to generate the data, we conducted semi-structured interviews with representative experts from the ten case companies. Utilizing qualitative techniques like thematic analysis and pattern coding, we identified recurring themes and patterns in Circular Economy business model transformation through both within-case and cross-case analyses. Conclusion: Our study highlights the significant role of External Enablers in triggering and shaping transformation towards a more Circular Economy, with societal transition, political and regulatory, and macroeconomic factors identified as key External Enablers. An interplay of External Enablers, along with enabling mechanisms, trigger and shape Circular Economy initiatives in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. When these External Enablers affect businesses, they are likely to be supported by firm-level factors within the decision-making process towards adopting Circular Economy initiatives. External Enablers are interconnected and, when potentially combined with firm-level factors, also foster the triggering and shaping roles. Moreover, Missing External Enablers represent undeveloped External Enablers with the capability to evolve over time. The three main External Enablers, their interplay, and the accompanying firm-level factors, along with the consideration of yet-to-mature Missing External Enablers, trigger and shape Small and Medium-sized Enterprises' business models towards Circular Economy initiatives.