Responsible Entrepreneurship for Environmental Sustainability and Human Wellbeing: A Missiological Perspective

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is a lucrative occupation that offers its pursuers promises of wealth. However, as much as entrepreneurship is rewarding, it can bear undesirable consequences if it is not guided by a sense of responsibleness to consider seriously sustainability of the earth and flourishing of all humanity. Surely, entrepreneurship which only focuses on profit optimization can contribute to environmental pollution and income and wealth disparity. The earth is experiencing rising temperatures partly due to some entrepreneurial activities as individuals and nations seek to create wealth. Furthermore, the world is experiencing increased human suffering partly due to exploitation by business owners who prioritize personal gain at the expense of their employees. This paper critically reviews relevant literature to highlight the dark side of entrepreneurship and to appeal for responsibleness among entrepreneurs based off missiological perspective on the purpose of humans on earth. The paper points to missiology as a potential academic field that can encourage a sense of responsibleness in entrepreneurial endeavors to enrich scholarship. The main contribution of this paper is that a missiological understanding of the origins and the purpose for which humans exist on earth could help to foster responsible entrepreneurship that could promote environmental sustainability and flourishing of all humanity. By doing so, this paper also appeals to missiologists to engage entrepreneurship seriously in their scholarly work.