SMEs and entrepreneurship: adjusting research to the social, environmental and economic realities of the changing business world
The contexts in which SMEs are born, grow, develop or disappear have undergone significant changes in recent years. The challenges faced by entrepreneurs and SMEs are rapidly changing, while at the same time presenting new issues that cannot always be brilliantly illuminated by current knowledge. To sustain our economies weakened by so many disruptions, it is necessary for researchers to engage in reflections that sometimes aim to break out of the traditional frameworks of knowledge reproduction and dare to venture onto paths that are still untrodden. Classical theories and models developed in contexts that no longer exist must be questioned to better understand the reality of our research objects. This requires researchers to engage with original topics, but also by using new methods or deploying innovative research devices. The aim of this article is to propose several avenues of research at the forefront of the literature on SMEs and entrepreneurship to renew the body of knowledge in a few areas. These are likely to direct researchers towards avenues that offer real potential for novelty, not only scientifically, but also practically.