Assessing the Impact of Intellectual Capital and Environment-Friendly Innovation on Sustainability: Evidence of Marginalized Entrepreneurship in an Emerging Economy

In the global economic scenario, women are performing exceptionally well because of almost no restrictions and no gender discrimination, but if we consider underdeveloped and emerging economies, the status of women entrepreneurs is still a question mark as in these economies, women are still considered a better familymaker than a business-maker. This article investigates the impact of intellectual capital on marginalized group entrepreneurs existing at the bottom of the pyramid. An exploratory case-based approach has been adopted to understand ‘how a women-owned enterprise in India is able to sustain and survive in uncertain environment conditions and extremely unfavourable situations by crafting innovation and achieving sustainability through her environment-friendly innovation’. The findings from the case highlight the important role of individual entrepreneurial attributes and managerial practices adopted by women entrepreneurs. The study reveals that there is a strong requirement for a robust framework for building entrepreneurial resilience to strengthen the ecosystem for the sustainability of women-based enterprises in India. Thus, based on the current research findings and literature, the researchers have proposed some recommendations that include the need for SMEs to utilize intangible resources efficiently to foster business performance and achieve environmental sustainability.