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Ecosystems of actors that need to interact to create value for end users are becoming an integral part of firms' strategic realities as they reach new markets. However, the phenomenon of ecosystem internationalisation has not been explored in comparison to its practical prevalence. We conceptualise this phenomenon as agent-led structuration on new markets. We build on the structural ecosystem literature and literature on internationalisation challenges to create our recursive process model of ecosystem creation on foreign markets. Creating ecosystems on foreign markets necessitates new ecosystem structures that are adjusted to value propositions by orchestrators through interaction with foreign market actors. The model explains how ecosystem orchestrators drive the international expansion of ecosystems through blueprinting and aligning mechanisms and how these mechanisms help manage liabilities of foreignness. The model accounts for the agency of involved actors, and with the help of the bottleneckconcept bridges international business and ecosystem literatures.

In this work, a low-cost, light-weight, highly efficient, and durable electrode in which NiFe-layered double hydroxide is electrodeposited on a carbon nanofiber (CNF) core supported on a carbon foam (CF) is introduced. The resulting 3D NiFe-CNFs-CF electrode shows excellent oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction performance in alkaline media. When used as an anode and a cathode in the same cell, a current density of 10 mA cm−2 is achieved, at a cell voltage of 1.65 V. Moreover, good stability over a long testing time (50 h) is demonstrated. The ternary hybrid electrode gives rise to an excellent performance-to-weight ratio owing to its very low bulk density (≈34 mg cm−3) inherited from super lightweight components composed of CF and CNFs. The developed electrode can potentially be used in large-scale alkaline water electrolysis, in facilities such as offshore hydrogen production platforms, which can complement the variable renewable energy production of wind farms through hydrogen storage and fuel cells.

To reach the global sustainability goals, multinationals, regardless of origin, play a significant role. Given their market power and globally distributed operations, they have the position to either accelerate or inhibit sustainability changes. Knowledge about how corporate sustainability (CS) develops within internationalization strategies such as post-acquisition integration is, however, sparse. The purpose of this paper was to analyze and evaluate the development of CS strategies of originally distant companies within an international post-acquisition context. The paper drew on the resource-based view (RBV) to provide a holistically integrated framework for the systematic evaluation of CS strategies and applied the framework to a longitudinal in-depth case study. Findings indicated that long-term perspective, partnering approach and, emphases on learning positively influenced the integration process and the maturity level of the common corporate sustainability strategies. In contributing with an in-depth understanding of strategic CS integration within a post-acquisition case, the study generated implications for proactive management in similar post-acquisition contexts. While the focus of this paper was neither on the differences in legislations and regulations as influencing factors nor on the national and organizational culture and their impact on the integration of strategic CS, these are relevant areas of interest, and future research could consider incorporating those into the new evaluation framework

Transnational resources of entrepreneurs and employees foster firm's competiveness. Firm competitiveness, especially the knowledge intensive business, is linked to its talent base and embeddedness in international networks providing business opportunities. However, in peripheral regions it is challenging to capitalise on international talent. This single case study describes an enterprise in Northern Sweden, which is strategically employing transnational diaspora resources and foreign STEM-talent as transnational intrapreneurs developing the business. The study contributes to international opportunity development and transnational diaspora research and illustrates how the creation of a transnational work-scape may compensate locational disadvantages and enable access to new opportunities and ideas.

Transnational resources of entrepreneurs and employees foster firm's competiveness. Firm competitiveness, especially the knowledge intensive business, is linked to its talent base and embeddedness in international networks providing business opportunities. However, in peripheral regions it is challenging to capitalise on international talent. This single case study describes an enterprise in Northern Sweden, which is strategically employing transnational diaspora resources and foreign STEM-talent as transnational intrapreneurs developing the business. The study contributes to international opportunity development and transnational diaspora research and illustrates how the creation of a transnational work-scape may compensate locational disadvantages and enable access to new opportunities and ideas.

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the emerging entrepreneurship research that deals with resilience by examining how embeddedness in place and in trans-local grassroots networks influences proactive entrepreneurship for local resilience.

Design/methodology/approach: Three theoretical propositions are developed on the basis of the existing literature. These propositions are assisted with brief empirical illustrations of grassroots innovations from the context of agri-food systems.

Findings: Embeddedness in place and in trans-local grassroots networks enables proactive entrepreneurship for local resilience. Social-cultural embeddedness in place facilitates access to local resources and legitimacy, and creation of social value in the community. Ecological embeddedness in place facilitates spotting and leveraging of environmental feedbacks and creation of ecological value. Embeddedness in trans-local grassroots networks provides entrepreneurs with unique resources, including globally transferable knowledge about sustainability challenges and practical solutions to these challenges. As result, entrepreneurship for resilience is explained as an embedding process. Embedding means attuning of practices to local places, as well as making global resources, including knowledge obtained in grassroots networks, work in local settings.

Research limitations/implications: Researchers should continue developing the emerging domain of entrepreneurship for resilience.

Practical implications: The objective of resilience and due respect to local environment may entail a need to consider appropriate resourcing practices and organisational models.

Social implications: The critical roles of place-based practices for resilience deserve more recognition in today’s globalised world.

Originality/value: The specific importance of the ecological dimension of embeddedness in place is emphasised. Moreover, by combining entrepreneurship and grassroots innovation literatures, which have talked past each other to date, this paper shows how local and global resources are leveraged throughout the embedding process. Thereby, it opens unexplored research avenues within the emerging domain of entrepreneurship for resilience.

It is often claimed that humanity needs more innovation in order to depart from unsustainable practices that degrade ecosystems, although opinions as to what may constitute such innovation diverge. The starting argument of this chapter is that sustainable value of innovation essentially depends on the knowledge, on which this innovation is based. Inspired by Permaculture, an ecological design framework and a trans-local grassroots movement, several moves from Weak to Strong Sustainability Innovation are suggested. The first move is re-learning – from the universal knowledge of global markets, science and technology towards place-based and alternative knowledges that are found, for example, in many indigenous cultures or grassroots movements for sustainability. Other moves include mindful recombining of these different knowledges, embedding of human activities in local places, regenerating ecosystems, and frugalising – making do with less resources. As long as Strong Sustainability can be considered as a viable objective for humanity to strive for, we can conclude that innovation is necessary in its pursuit. Such innovation would involve reinvention of age-old methods and technologies that were used "before oil", and importantly, social innovation that enables transition to less resource-intensive and less technological-dependent practices.

India is an important player regarding mergers and acquisitions (M&As) from emerging economy (EE) countries, both in terms of inward and outward foreign direct investment (FDI). After two consecutive years of decline, the gross value of cross-border M&A deals increased in 2014 by 34%, reaching US$ 900 billion. One key characteristic was the increasing amount of M&A deals with values larger than US$ 1 billion (World Investment Report 2015). Cross-border M&As from EEs, especially from China and India, have increased dramatically during the past decade (Bhagat et al. 2011; Sun et al. 2012; Nicholson and Salaber 2013). In 2014, multinational enterprises (MNEs) from developing economies alone invested US$ 468 billion abroad, which is a 23% increase on the previous year. According to the World Investment Report (2015), for the first time MNEs from developing Asia became the world's largest investing group. The largest home economies for FDI in developing or transition economies were, among others, China, Hong Kong (China), Singapore, Brazil, India, Chile, Indonesia, and the Russian Federation. In India the FDI outflow increased fivefold to US$ 10 billion in 2014 (World Investment Report 2015).

Motivating cooperation among and internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Northern Europe is a challenging task. SMEs in Northern Europe are typically located in small remote towns or villages, over large geographic areas, with limited resources. Although in theory, they create employment opportunities, stabilize local socio-economic conditions, and contribute to tax revenue they often require significant managerial knowhow and assistance. Their typical local orientation often prevents them looking beyond their perceived boundaries. In order to extend their inherent capabilities, they need to be entrepreneurial, innovative, and international in their managerial abilities.

Most Northern European countries offer assistance to SMEs in numerous forms on local, regional, and national levels. Government assistance is generally directed to the overall operations of SMEs and is seldom directed to improving management to their skills and knowhow. Entrepreneurial, innovative, and even international initiatives are personal. Individual managers are sources of ideas, products, programs, and cross border ventures. Northern European SMEs depend on strong managers—managers who understand local strategic dynamics and seize their advantages.

Northern European SMEs do not operate in a vacuum. They frequently cooperate strategically and operationally with other SMEs in their regions. They form industrial clusters with integrated supply chains, internal research and engineering services to develop competitive products and services, and share marketing and sales organizations among other activities. Their futures often depend on exports and on international ventures in some cases.

One of the unique characteristics of SMEs in Northern Europe, is their willingness to cooperate with regional universities and other educational institutions. SMEs managers help academics learn about their managerial styles, they respond to academic research, and open their operations to case research studies. Academics learn from direct contact with SMEs managers. And, this is not a one-way street. Managers also learn from the academics.

Academics help managers be entrepreneurial, make better decisions, and think strategically. Transfer of knowledge from academics to SMEs managers represents an important way of growing SMEs. This publication is dedicated to Professor Håkan Boter of Umeå School of Business and Economics at Umeå University. He is one academic who has been extensively involved with the transfer of knowledge from academia to SMEs in Northern Europe.

During his career, Professor Boter initiated and participated in projects designed to foster cooperation and internationalization among SMEs in Northern Europe and facilitate their growth. These projects include the establishment of the Center of Inter-Organizational Innovation Research (CiiR) and the Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Development (CEIB) among other initiatives. Professor Boter reached across the borders of academia to SMEs and often served as an advisor, coordinator, facilitator, mediator, and information source. His commitment to developing management expertise in eastern Africa under the auspices of the Swedish International Development Agency has been extraordinary as is his participation in a coalition of major European and North American international universities to promote management education among African universities. Professor Boter has authored and coauthored many widely recognized papers and monographs on managerial aspects of SMEs, their cooperation, and internationalization. His contributions provided an impetus for this project. We thank you, Håkan!

George Tesar, Madison, Wisconsin

Zsuzsanna Vincze, Umeå, Sweden

The paper sets out to explain how and why industrial clusters evolve to new economically viable development paths. We focus on the interplay between MNEs global strategies and their local SMEs creating important dynamics leading to cluster change. Although various mechanisms are at play simultaneously, we consider that the understanding of the dynamics and interactions between MNE and SMEs' entrepreneurial behaviours are crucial. We define the boundary conditions to put the balance of exploitation and exploration into a more applicable framework. This allows us to present propositions of mindset and behaviour in regard to (a) the perceptions and preferences for environmental uncertainty; (b) the focus on exploration and exploitation processes; and (c) the means to derive at balancing these processes. Drawing on longitudinal data from a Swedish biorefinery cluster (Örnsköldsvik) we identify archetypical firms and document their interactions between the lead MNE and local/regional entrepreneurial SMEs; we conclude on dynamic changes that drive local firms' success in such a cluster.