Knowledge management and sustainable entrepreneurship: a bibliometric overview and research agenda

Abstract

The current work highlights the evolution in knowledge management for sustainable entrepreneurship research by analyzing the key trends and major concepts. Additionally, the knowledge structures of such research themes were analyzed and mapped. Moreover, this paper seeks to present a research agenda concerning the study subject. It employed an integrated bibliometric approach and systematic review of knowledge management and sustainable entrepreneurship research by conducting two main procedures, namely domain analysis (i.e., key trends and evolution) and knowledge structures analysis (i.e., intellectual, social, and conceptual structure). A total of 233 documents were obtained from Scopus and Web of Science datasets and analyzed using both R 4.1.2 and VOSviewer software. The findings demonstrated that the contributors (i.e., the authors, nations, journals, and institutions) produced a discernible evolution in the body of knowledge on the themes of knowledge management and sustainable business within the designated period. Furthermore, science mapping approaches deeply grasp the social, conceptual, and intellectual structures of such research themes. This current work is considered one of the first attempts to systematically review, analyze, and visualize the scientific productions on knowledge management and sustainable entrepreneurship. The findings of the current work also offer a solid understanding and insights into the potential directions for the research agenda in these disciplines.