Empowering Communities: The Strategic Role of Community Enterprise Entrepreneurs in Sustainable Development

Pannapa Khiawnoi, Sor Sirichai Nakudom (), Pinrudee Noobutr and Uthorn Kaewzang
Additional contact information
Pannapa Khiawnoi: Faculty of Management Science, Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80280, Thailand
Sor Sirichai Nakudom: Faculty of Management Science, Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80280, Thailand
Pinrudee Noobutr: Faculty of Management Science, Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80280, Thailand
Uthorn Kaewzang: Faculty of Management Science, Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80280, Thailand

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Community enterprises play an essential role in advancing sustainable development; however, limited strategic frameworks impede their ability to integrate economic, social, and environmental objectives effectively. This study explores the strategic roles undertaken by community enterprise entrepreneurs to address this gap. Adopting a mixed-methods design, this research integrates qualitative data from in-depth interviews and participatory observations with quantitative analysis based on 215 standardized survey responses. The findings reveal consistent emphasis on five critical strategic roles: vision and goal-setting, resource management, networking and collaboration, innovation leadership, and strategic leadership, with mean ratings between 4.45 and 4.54 on a five-point Likert scale. Qualitative insights further illuminate how entrepreneurs leverage these strategies to optimize resources, foster cross-sector partnerships, drive innovation, and strengthen organizational resilience. Policy recommendations include enhancing infrastructure, developing entrepreneurial capacity, and promoting multi-sectoral ecosystems to support community enterprises. This study contributes to the theoretical discourse by proposing a five-dimensional strategic entrepreneurship model for sustainable community development, offering practical guidelines for policymakers and entrepreneurs seeking to foster resilient, inclusive, and sustainable local economies.

Keywords: community enterprises; sustainable development; entrepreneurs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/12/5483/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/12/5483/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:12:p:5483-:d:1678800

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().