E-Thesis 37 views
Evaluating the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Role of Digital Technology in Shaping Transformational Entrepreneurship within Knowledge-Intensive Businesses / AHOOD ALHAGBANI
Swansea University Author: AHOOD ALHAGBANI
DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUThesis.71646
Abstract
Entrepreneurship is at the heart of Saudi Vision 2030, with knowledge-intensive businesses (KIBs) expected to play a leading role in driving innovation, economic diversification, and broader social transformation. Despite major policy reforms and investment, uncertainty remains over how the entrepre...
| Published: |
Swansea
2026
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Doctoral |
| Degree name: | Ph.D |
| Supervisor: | Jones, P., Ebie, S., and Cotterell, D. |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71646 |
| Abstract: |
Entrepreneurship is at the heart of Saudi Vision 2030, with knowledge-intensive businesses (KIBs) expected to play a leading role in driving innovation, economic diversification, and broader social transformation. Despite major policy reforms and investment, uncertainty remains over how the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia (KSA) supports or restricts the development of transformational entrepreneurship (TE): the creation of businesses with a mission to be innovative, ethical, and socially impactful. This thesis addresses that gap by examining the opportunities and challenges facing KIBs in the KSA, the influence of EE actors and factors, and the role of digital technology in shaping the adoption of TE.The thesis is underpinned by institutional theory, the triple helix model, and diffusion of innovations theory. A qualitative approach is adopted, drawing on data from 32 semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and EE representatives. Thematic analysis reveals four major themes: the distinctive nature of KIB entrepreneurship, the enabling and constraining features of the EE, the impact of digitalisation, and the extent of TE adoption.The findings indicate that Saudi Vision 2030 reforms and the increasing prevalence of support mechanism create unprecedented opportunities for KIBs. However, challenges such as regulatory inconsistency, bureaucracy, cultural resistance to risk-taking, and weak coordination between EE actors constrain the realisation of TE’s full potential.Digital technology acts as a critical enabler, supporting scalability and visibility for KIBs. However, its full potential is constrained by persistent challenges, including shortages of skilled labour, high operational costs, and limited access to finance.Evidence of TE is visible in socially driven, future-oriented businesses, although its adoption remains fragile in the face of institutional and cultural frictions. This thesis makes a valuable contribution by extending the scope of research on EEs, TE, and digital entrepreneurship to an under-researched emerging economy. It shows that entrepreneurship in the KSA is not only shaped by but also reshapes the EE through visible role models and shifting cultural and institutional practices. The findings offer timely insights for policymakers, universities, investors, and entrepreneurs as they seek to realise the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030. |
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| Keywords: |
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Transformational Entrepreneurship, Knowledge-Intensive Businesses, Digital Technology, Saudi Arabia, Emerging Economies, Innovation, Institutional Theory |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Funders: |
The Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau (SACB), London |