Entrepreneurial Survival Strategies in the VUCA Era
Exploring Resource Acquisition through Storytelling and Warm-Glow Theory
##article.authors##
- Hikaru Kinouchi Graduate School of International Social Sciences, Yokohama National University https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4174-5379
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Yasutaka Jikuya
Graduate School of International Social Sciences, Yokohama National University
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8384-4570
https://researchmap.jp/yasutakajikuya?lang=ja
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51094/jxiv.1798Keywords:
entrepreneurship, storytelling, warm-glow theory, investment, resource acquisitionAbstract
How do resource-constrained entrepreneurs secure investment without relying on economic signals? This study addressed the critical question through a systematic review: Specifically, focusing on legitimacy through storytelling and prosocial orientation, our review suggests 1) Entrepreneurs' storytelling triggers prosocial motivation in investors; 2) The warm-glow effect moderates investment decisions in ventures with ambiguous economic returns; 3) The difficulty of balancing entrepreneurs' prosocial orientation and economic signals in securing investment. In prosocial contexts, economic signals hurt investment acquisition. This suggests that in situations lacking strong economic signals, the warm-glow effect emerges as a moderator in investment acquisition, and entrepreneurs employed storytelling in legitimacy building. This paper offers a novel perspective on investor motivation and provides practical insights for entrepreneurs to build competitive advantage through prosocial and emotional appeals in the VUCA era.
Conflicts of Interest Disclosure
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this research. There are no financial, personal, or professional relationships that could be perceived as influencing the work reported in this paper.Downloads *Displays the aggregated results up to the previous day.
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Submitted: 2025-11-18 09:12:45 UTC
Published: 2025-11-26 00:29:53 UTC
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Hikaru Kinouchi
Yasutaka Jikuya
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