European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

From Research to Impact: Empowering Researchers Through the HAFIS Intrapreneurship Academy

2025-07-14T14:02:04+00:00

This article presents the design, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of the Helmholtz Academy for Intrapreneurship (HAFIS), launched in 2023 with funding from the German Helmholtz Association. HAFIS addresses the persistent challenge of translating academic research into societal and economic impact by equipping researchers with entrepreneurial competencies and structured support for developing transfer-oriented projects. The nine-month programme combines milestone events, workshops, and individualised coaching to support participants from four Helmholtz centres in identifying, validating, and advancing research-based innovations. Structured around three key events—Kick Off, Mid Term, and Impact Day—HAFIS fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and enables researchers to apply entrepreneurial tools directly within their scientific practice. Guided by a human-centred, iterative design, the programme continuously evolves based on participant input to ensure contextual relevance and practical effectiveness. By June 2025, HAFIS had completed its second cycle, with a third beginning in September 2025. Initial findings suggest increased engagement, the emergence of early transfer initiatives, and shifts in institutional norms toward innovation-oriented research cultures. By embedding entrepreneurial thinking into research environments, HAFIS offers a transferable model for other institutions seeking to strengthen knowledge transfer and societal engagement within the academic sector.

The Dual Impact of AI on Burnout and Technostress in Manufacturing Workplaces

2025-07-15T23:33:00+00:00

This research investigates the complex relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and employee well-being in the manufacturing sector of Metropolitan Lima, with a focus on the growing concerns of burnout and technostress. As AI technologies are increasingly implemented in industrial environments, new questions arise: can these tools simultaneously be a cause of stress and a solution for it The study follows a critical research approach, aiming to question and evaluate the social and organizational consequences of digital transformation. Methodologically, it adopts a mixed-methods design. On one hand, the research is empirical and quantitative, based on structured surveys conducted with manufacturing workers, assessing their stress levels, perceptions of AI, and workplace experiences. On the other hand, it incorporates a qualitative component, drawing from secondary data sources such as industry case studies, academic literature, and policy documents, to contextualize and deepen the analysis. A central line of inquiry is how AI driven systems are perceived by workers: are they tools for support, or instruments of control and surveillance? The study explores how these perceptions influence technostress and burnout, considering factors such as digital workload, perceived autonomy, and job security. Simultaneously, the potential of AI to serve as a preventive tool, monitoring well-being indicators, detecting early signs of emotional exhaustion, and enabling tailored interventions is critically examined. The findings of this study are expected to offer practical value to HR professionals, organizational leaders, policymakers, and technology designers. They provide insight into how AI can be implemented in ways that support mental health, enhance job satisfaction, and create more sustainable and inclusive work environments. Moreover, the research aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially those focused on promoting decent work and well-being. By framing AI as both a challenge and an opportunity, this study invites a deeper discussion about how to humanize technological innovation in labour-intensive industries undergoing digital transformation.

Understanding Minimalistic (Non-) Consumption Patterns: Implications for Innovative Responsible Business Practices

2025-04-30T07:58:56+00:00

The rise of minimalism reflects a broader societal shift away from consumerism, as individuals seek fulfilment beyond material possessions. Minimalists prioritize sustainability, simplicity, and intentional living, challenging traditional consumer behaviours. This paper explores the mindsets and behaviours of minimalists and examines their implications for businesses aiming to adopt responsible and ethical practices. Through 20 semi-structured interviews with minimalists in Germany, the research uncovers how minimalists make consumer choices, highlighting their focus on experiences, meaningful relationships, and personal growth over the accumulation of material goods. The findings suggest that innovative businesses have significant opportunities to align with these evolving preferences by offering durable, multifunctional products designed for meaningful use. Furthermore, innovative companies can create experiences that encourage community, authenticity, and personal development, positioning themselves as pioneers of sustainable and responsible practices in a changing consumer landscape.

Associations Between Demographic and Socio-Economic Factors and Entrepreneurship in Brunei

2025-08-13T13:06:13+00:00

This study explores how demographic and socio-economic factors are associated with entrepreneurship in Brunei, drawing on nationally representative data from the Labour Force Survey. Using self-employment as a proxy for entrepreneurial activity, the analysis identifies the key individual-level characteristics associated with entrepreneurship in Brunei. Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were employed to assess predictors such as gender, age, education level, and household income. The findings reveal patterns indicative of necessity-driven entrepreneurship, especially among those with lower incomes and limited education. These insights contribute to a broader understanding of inclusive entrepreneurial dynamics in a small, resource-dependent economy. The study provides evidence-based recommendations to inform future targeted and socially responsive policy interventions. It also underlines the importance of considering demographic and socio-economic differences in the framework of entrepreneurship policies to support broader and more inclusive participation.

Signal Formation Cycle and Process: A Single-Case Study of an Intrapreneur

2025-05-27T09:23:17+00:00

This study aims to explore the cycle and process of signal formation through a single-case study of an intrapreneur, and to examine the potential for generalization. While traditional Signaling Theory has primarily focused on signal types and their effects, this study shifts attention to the formation process of signals—how they are shaped through individual experiences and social interactions. The subject of this study is an intrapreneur who, after working as a musician in London, joined a major Japanese game company and later engaged in business development as an intrapreneur. His cross-cultural and cross-industry experiences make him a suitable case for examining how signals are formed across diverse contexts. Employing a mixed-method approach, Study 1 quantitatively analyzed the vocal signals used in pitch and daily speech, identifying patterns of consistency and expression. Study 2 qualitatively examined how life experiences, social environments, and influential relationships contributed to signal development. The findings reveal that signal formation is a dynamic and continuous process constructed through emotional experiences and interpersonal support. This study contributes to Signaling Theory by shifting the analytical focus from signal effects to formation mechanisms, offering a new lens for understanding strategic communication among intrapreneurs. The originality and value of this study lie in its focus on when and how intrapreneurs acquire signals, and in its exploratory use of a single case to examine whether the underlying factors may be generalizable to other contexts. Signals are constructed through the interaction of internal elements—such as “I AM,” “I NEED,” “I WANT,” “I WILL,” and the author’s original concept “I HAVE”—and external elements such as the receiver and environment. These signals emerge in recurring cycles throughout one’s life, and over time, these cycles accumulate to form a sustained developmental process. Future research should validate these findings through comparative studies involving a broader range of intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs.

Prison Entrepreneurship Education - Systematic Literature Review

2025-05-27T07:28:38+00:00

This article presents a systematic literature review (SLR) on prison entrepreneurship education, aiming to explore existing knowledge about prison education systems that promote entrepreneurial skills recognized by prisoners. Criminal recidivism is a complex, worldwide social problem for which there seems to be no optimal solution, only preventive measures. Its prevention promotes a social benefit for society as a whole. Lack of employment continues to be a factor in the social reintegration of prisoners, increasing the likelihood of recidivism. The few studies that portray the effect of programs involving entrepreneurship and education in prisons indicate that they are successful in being accepted by the prison population based on their proposed educational opportunities. However, this analysis is not conclusive when it comes to the recognition of opportunities by prisoners, and there is a need for more studies to be carried out to gauge an informed response and support the development of new policies to help meet this social need for successful social reintegration. However, in many countries, the educational offer of entrepreneurship programs does not cover all prisoners. This SLR includes results on entrepreneurship education in prisons regarding the recognition of entrepreneurial skills. It also partially explains the effects of entrepreneurship education in the prison system. The results of this SLR highlight the need for more comprehensive public policies and more effective entrepreneurial educational practices. It is necessary to ensure that all citizens deprived of their liberty have access to entrepreneurship education and that these initiatives align with the employment opportunities available in the labor market. Considering the existing limitations in research in this area, namely the small number of academic studies involving prisoners, combined with the difficulty for researchers to “enter” prison systems, we believe that this study is significant, given that the associated issues of criminal recidivism versus social reintegration affect society as a whole.

Pragmatic Teaching Case Study: Business Analysis of Entrepreneur in China's Emerging Industry

2025-08-04T07:25:54+00:00

This article creatively transforms a case study and interview with an entrepreneur and his startup media enterprise into a cohesive essay, incorporating elements of a teaching plan, case study, and profile interview. The special point is the case, and the storytelling presents a real-life journey of the protagonist Chen Yurong. Additionally, the case examines the interplay between personal passion, industry trends, market competition, and entrepreneurial strategy. With the rise of AI-generated content, smartphone media production, the metaverse, and the influencers in China, Meijing Media has faced both structural challenges and business dilemmas. At the same time, the entrepreneur's mentality is also a critical element in the transition and decision-making process for business strategy. This essay utilizes qualitative research methods, including SWOT analysis, Porter's Five Forces model, the theory of charismatic leadership, and interview techniques. In the article, the entrepreneur's business issues are categorized into market issues, industry issues, human resource issues, and mentality issues. While these methods are commonly found in various articles, research papers, and case studies, applying them to real-life situations alongside organizational behavior theory is still relatively rare. This approach can be considered innovative. This case aims to guide business students in building coherence and sharpening their strategic decision-making capacity in a competitive environment characterized by resource constraints. The final chapter offers insights from the lecturer’s perspective, focusing on the structure of the case study. It discusses the practical application of theory, effective tactics for conducting business interviews, and considerations regarding the validity of the interview process. The article presents an innovative approach to thinking and a method for illustrating qualitative research in practical applications, based on real-world business interviews. It aims to provide insights and references for business management curricula and MBA courses. Additionally, it can serve as a comprehensive business case study, benefiting entrepreneurs and reinforcing entrepreneurship.

Cultural Intelligence - The Key to a Successful Employee. From Monoculture to Interculturality in Contemporary Organizations

2025-07-17T07:19:03+00:00

The context in today's society is characterized by an accelerated evolution of technology, means of communication, globalization, the dissolution of state borders, migration and intercultural partnerships, so that multicultural teams are both a constant and an imperative for the functioning of organizations. In light of these developments, intercultural sensitivity (IS) (Bennett, 1993) and cultural intelligence (CQ) (Ang, Dyne and Koh, 2006) have emerged as essential sets of skills for effectively navigating and adapting to these transformations. These skills include adaptability, openness to new experiences, an understanding of the values of different cultures, flexibility, empathy, impartiality, and the ability to adapt to diverse cultural contexts. This paper presents a comprehensive review of both conceptual and empirical studies on how workforce diversity is or can be managed. Consequently, the analysis presents the stages of evolution of intercultural sensitivity - monocultural orientation (denial, defense), the transition stage (minimization) and global orientation (acceptance, adaptation, integration), and how it can evolve into cultural intelligence. The findings of the studies suggest that cultural exposure plays a crucial role in the emergence and development of both abilities. It is essential to acknowledge that not all intercultural interactions facilitate this development. The impact of these experiences is influenced by various factors, including the nature and duration of the interactions, as well as the individual's commitment to understanding and leveraging those experiences effectively. Personality traits were also considered important, with extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness being linked to a greater willingness to engage in intercultural interactions, as well as a higher level of intercultural skills, IS, and CQ. Bennett's linear model of evolution (1993) serves as a foundational framework for comprehending the development of IS. This analysis, however, introduces an alternative perspective that more closely reflects the lived experiences of individuals involved in the process. Thus, the nature of intercultural interactions, along with individual differences, can contribute to non-linear evolutionary processes and, in certain instances, may even lead to involution. This analysis enhances understanding of how to cultivate and manage intercultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence at the organizational level. The study's findings contribute significantly to the literature and offer a framework for developing effective strategies and initiatives for managing cultural diversity, essential for navigating today's dynamic environment.

The Role of Cultural and Creative Industries as Drivers of Innovation in Strengthening Morocco’s Cultural Diplomacy and Soft Power

2025-07-16T12:45:04+00:00

In a globalized world marked by a race between countries for greater influence, innovation capacity, and economic productivity, Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) are now establishing themselves as powerful strategic levers for the socio-economic development of nations, and key drivers of innovation and influence in the service of cultural diplomacy and their soft power.The objective of this article is to examine how innovation in its various and multiple dimensions within Moroccan CCIs can play a fundamental role in strengthening Moroccan cultural diplomacy and soft power. The research addresses the following central question: to what extent do multidimensional innovation dynamics within the Moroccan Cultural and Creative Industries ecosystems contribute to strengthening Moroccan cultural diplomacy and Morocco's soft power on a global scale? Adopting an exploratory approach, this qualitative research relied on a triangular methodological approach combining a literature review focused on institutional and governmental reports and studies, case studies, an international benchmark of best practices in the field and semi-structured interviews conducted with institutional actors, professionals and experts in cultural diplomacy and CCIs. This research highlighted Morocco's growing interest in its innovative CCIs ecosystem and the diversity of partnerships established within this framework for the country's cultural influence. It identified the strategic role that innovative CCIs can play in strengthening Moroccan cultural diplomacy, while addressing the multiple challenges in this regard and identifying the structural, organizational, and other barriers that hinder the full deployment of this ecosystem of cultural and creative innovation and entrepreneurship. The results of our research also allowed us to schematize in an integrative conceptual model the interactions between innovation, CCIs, cultural diplomacy and Morocco's soft power, by clarifying the main development levers to be implemented to increase the innovation potential of CCIs as driving forces in order to consolidate Morocco's soft power through cultural diplomacy focused on innovation.

Understanding Organizational Stress in the Era of Digital Transformation

2025-07-11T08:17:53+00:00

Organizational culture plays a key role in shaping occupational stress levels among employees, influencing the way they perceive, experience and approach workplace challenges. Researchers have paid significant attention to the impact of organizational culture on occupational stress, highlighting its role in well-being, professional performance and resilience among employees. Organizations are increasingly facing a fundamental change in their structures, communication processes and work environments as digital transformation accelerates. This paper contains a literature review on how organizational culture influences levels of occupational stress, with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities it generates. This review provides insights into the evolving landscape of occupational well-being in the digital age by synthesizing the existing literature on organizational culture, workplace stress, and digital adaptation. In this regard, the findings highlight the need for proactive organizational culture transformations that balance technological advances with employee mental health and job satisfaction, ensuring that organizations can thrive in an era of rapid change. Initiatives regarding proactive cultural adaptation at the organizational level to balance technological advances with human resource management policies are increasingly necessary, and organizations that promote a resilient, inclusive and innovation-based culture can more easily adopt new digital tools, while reducing occupational stress and supporting employee engagement. This paper contributes to the wider discourse on digital adaptation and managing occupational stress, providing valuable insights for organizations seeking to optimize both employee performance and well-being in an increasingly digitized world.

Triad Within Triad: Can Experimental Film be Profitable?

2025-07-10T17:04:40+00:00

The Seventh Art - as the cinema is dubbed - is not the last in the list of arts but the most recent form of art. A century old already, the film industry has witnessed the emergence of the youngest member of the film family: the experimental film. This paper reports some results of a research-in-progress: a larger research project that started with setting the research framework of successive triads – specifically, the triad of experimental film. This model explores the interplay between artistic innovation, creative use of technology, and efficient resource management in the context of experimental filmmaking. While the mainstream film industry is astonishingly profitable, the experimental film (“indie”) does not share a similar enjoyable fate. The facts that many great filmmakers started their careers producing experimental movies (on one side) and that experimental films feature minimal resources and costs, would incline to hypothesize their profitability. On the other side, the common knowledge is that production of short movies (as experimental films) is a “waste of time, money and other resources”. Based mostly on secondary research, this essay launches the discussion on the profitability of the experimental film, challenging the above common knowledge. Two cases (results of primary research) are presented as argument for supporting the lead idea of this paper: the experimental film can be a profitable venture. The parallel discussion of cases uncovers, among findings, key factors for reaching profitability. Besides inherent limitations that indicate the paths for future research, this study has notable implications related to the sustainability and viability of experimental film production. Overall, practical arguments are brought in favor of the entrepreneurial potential of experimental endeavors in the film industry.

A Tale of Artificial Intelligence and Green Marketing: Shaping Smarter Paths to Sustainability

2025-09-14T16:24:56+00:00

This study explores the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of green marketing. Utilising a scoping review methodology, in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR checklist, pertinent studies were systematically extracted from the Scopus database, concentrating on publications from 2020 onwards. The review catalogues publication venues, annual research trends, and subject focuses. Research indicates that conference papers predominate in the discipline, with Asian countries emerging as key contributors to knowledge generation. This study emphasises AI as both a technology facilitator of sustainable marketing and a catalyst for reevaluating consumer–brand relationships concerning environmental responsibility. There exists an opportunity to integrate diverse elements, including digital customer experience, blockchain, generative AI, agentic AI, sustainability practices, green advertising, social media platforms, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the circular and green economy, into green marketing and AI, while analysing various sectors and domains in conjunction with AI and green marketing. This study integrates AI innovation with environmental consciousness, establishing AI-enabled green marketing as a domain for academic research and practical change.

Academic Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities of the Poliempreende Program

2025-06-24T11:26:59+00:00

This study examines the effect of the Poliempreende program on the development of transversal and entrepreneurial skills among students at the Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave, as well as its role in enhancing employability and fostering professional networking opportunities. The research stems from the need to assess Poliempreende's contribution to strengthening the entrepreneurial culture, bridging the gap between academia and industry. The main objectives are: i) to analyze the impact of Poliempreende on the development of transversal and entrepreneurial skills, ii) to explore the dynamics between academia and industry, and iii) to evaluate the challenges and opportunities of this program within the IPCA context. To accomplish these goals, a survey has been created and answered by the finalists of the last four editions of Poliempreende. The results provide evidence on the impact that Poliempreende had on the development of skills such as leadership, resilience, communication, and innovation capacity. It also backed up the participants’ employability, and it has also facilitated access to professional networking opportunities. Furthermore, the program’s structured framework, which combines workshops, mentoring, and competitions, has proven to be valuable in preparing participants for real-world challenges. Although, despite its positive impact, the program would have benefited from a more structured post-competition support, which could have been provided by an incubator, to consolidate the project outcomes and ensure business continuity. The findings underscore the potential for higher education institutions to drive regional development and economic growth through initiatives like Poliempreende

Charting the Future of Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Systematic Review and Science Mapping of Generative AI’s Emerging Impact.

2025-09-09T22:08:40+00:00

This working paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is shaping the evolution of Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), understood as a strategic construct including innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking. As GenAI tools become increasingly accessible and applied, their effects on entrepreneurial behavior and decisions are gaining attention. However, there is still not a clearly defined picture of the conceptual and empirical relationship between these two domains. To address this gap, a systematic review of literature has been conducted using PRISMA guidelines, across the databases of Scopus and Web of Science, collecting peer-reviewed articles between 2019 to 2025. Documents were identified, screened and evaluated, following criteria such as theoretical consistency and methodological relevance. In parallel, a science mapping approach was used, including co-occurrence of keywords, co-citation networks, and thematic clusters, with the goal to visualize the structure and growth of research. The results shows five main clusters: first, GenAI contributes to better performance by aligning well with entrepreneurial tasks; second, it enhances innovation and decision-making under uncertainty; third, it supports both generative and acquisitive learning in entrepreneurial contexts; fourth, it enables sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship by affecting how entrepreneurs perceive desirability and feasibility; and finally, GenAI plays a mediating role in product customization and market performance. Yet, there are challenges still to overcome ethical concerns, data bias and the lack of digital competencies among entrepreneurs. In conclusion, the paper recommends more studies that can go beyond correlation, including longitudinal designs or experimental methods, to better understand causal mechanisms. Also, some attention should be paid to the role of GenAI in entrepreneurial education, since many universities are still catching up with these fast technological transformations. Why is your paper of interest to the conference participants? Use this space to persuade the reviewers why they should select this abstract for the conference: This paper offers timely insight into how GenAI is reshaping entrepreneurial behavior, strategy, and education. It bridges technology and entrepreneurship through rigorous analysis and visualization, making it highly relevant for scholars, educators, and practitioners seeking to understand emerging trends and future capabilities in entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Acceleration Programs and Entrepreneurial Competences: Case Study of the Startup Point Program

2025-07-24T18:54:06+00:00

This paper evaluates the impact of the "Startup Point" program on the development of entrepreneurial competencies through a case study with questionnaires applied to participants from six editions. The program, focused on validating business models in innovative areas, offers mentorships, boot camps, and pitching sessions. Based on the data, 95% of participants reported significant advances in competencies, including leadership, innovation, and resilience, as well as positive experiences in collaborative and practical activities. The results indicate that the program was transformative in empowering entrepreneurs to face market challenges, create sustainable ideas, and strengthen the regional ecosystem. Mentorship was particularly highlighted as a key factor, offering personalized guidance and valuable insights. However, opportunities for improvement were identified, such as the need for post-program follow-up and expansion to other regions. The Startup Point program not only reinforced the participants' competencies but also established itself as an efficient acceleration model capable of significantly contributing to local and national economic progress.

Innovation Practices in Property Businesses: A Family Enterprise Case Study

2025-09-18T18:35:14+00:00

Innovation is about developing new ways to improve productivity and quality of service and achieve business goals
and objectives. It is becoming critical for property enterprises to innovate and work smart to scale up and stay ahead of the
competition. This could be achieved by utilising digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support management activities,
streamlining investment ventures, or opening new venues for cost-effective solutions. It is becoming essential for property
SMEs to ensure that they deliver on time, meet the regulations’ requirements, and their customers’ demands, and achieve
their business goals. New innovative products or services could disrupt current property business activities and operations,
and present new challenges for SMEs. Moreover, innovation can help property businesses implement smart methods and
new, more efficient procedures in their operations and add value to their products and/or services that can lead to high
returns. This paper introduces our family business innovation framework and system, which was adapted from Kashny et al.
(2015). Our enterprise uses an innovation strategy to support the business teams in implementing the necessary tools and
systematisation and achieving strategic advantage while managing risk. This helps us deal with business management and
financial challenges, market changes, and unexpected circumstances. The lack of planning and strategy could impact the
business, generating revenues and maintaining growth. This paper presents the entrepreneurial aspects of applying
innovative solutions to property enterprises' business management and operations. It aims to introduce a real-life case study
about some of the challenges property enterprises face in general and Anzar Property Group in particular. The paper will
present ongoing entrepreneurial activities in a family-owned business that specialises in the residential property business. It
will also show the innovation process and practices applied by Anzar Property Group in its entrepreneurial business activities,
operations, and development.

A Comparative Study of Entrepreneurial Intentions in Public and Private Sector Universities: The Moderating Role of Entrepreneurial Education

2025-08-04T20:23:32+00:00

The primary objective of this research is to study the entrepreneurial intentions of university students in Pakistan, focusing on the moderating role of entrepreneurial education within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). It is a comparative study of the public and private sector universities, namely Quaid-e-Azam University and Iqra University, to explore how attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and entrepreneurial education influence their intentions to pursue entrepreneurship. It a quantitative research study, and the data were collected through surveys questionnaire from 245 final-year students, with a response rate of 62.43%. The hypothesis testing and empirical analysis were performed by SMART PLS and SPSS data analysis software. The findings reveal that attitudes and subjective norms significantly predict entrepreneurial intentions in both institutions, aligning with the TPB. However, entrepreneurial education and perceived behavioral control do not show a direct significant impact on entrepreneurial intentions. Interestingly, the interaction between entrepreneurial education and perceived behavioral control significantly influences entrepreneurial intentions at Quaid-e-Azam University but not at Iqra University, suggesting contextual differences in how education enhances perceived control. The study concludes that while entrepreneurial education alone may not be sufficient to foster entrepreneurial intentions, it can play a crucial role when combined with other factors, particularly in public sector universities. These insights provide valuable implications for policymakers and educators aiming to promote entrepreneurship among university students in developing countries.

Forming B2B Sales Strategies: Digital Challenges, Mutual Benefits and Supportive Partnerships Establishment

2025-06-22T13:00:39+00:00

Digitalisation has changed the way businesses operate, including the part of Business-to-Business (B2B) sales. The rapid pace of digitalisation has sparked a surge of research interest. However, much of the research into the relationship between digitalisation and B2B sales to date, has focused on short-term tactics. Consequently, there exists a lack of in-depth research on sales strategies in combination with the balance of mutual benefits, along with relevant corporate partnerships, that generally encompasses supporting the deployment of the transacting enterprises within digital environment. Because of these research gaps, the current primary research addresses two major issues. Firstly, it seeks to examine the dynamics of digitalisation in formulating B2B sales strategies. The second aspect concerns examination of the balance of mutual stakes and support partnerships of B2Bs with regard to the digital field. Empirically, fourteen qualitative, semi-structured in-depth interviews with B2B owners and relevant executives were conducted. The research revealed that the digital environment has formulated B2B sales strategies on a new basis and simultaneously developed the state of mutual benefits and developed cooperation as well. Additionally, it enhances the competitive status and contributes to meeting challenges occurred in the business sector. On top of that, it creates value in a transparent way and creates a trustful relationship among businesses. In this regard, reciprocity of interest in trade transactions suggest satisfaction and reinforces the competitive advantage. However, due to the fact the digital transition is not equally well developed in all countries and businesses, a digital divide is being established that needs to be addressed more by relevant policies in order for the latter to support the weaker parties. Moreover, the findings of the research are both theoretically and practically intriguing, wherein they add evidence to the hitherto narrow focus of research into digital era and B2B sales strategies on long term tactics. Simultaneously, the findings could help shape relevant policies to further support entrepreneurship at international, national, regional and local level, especially those entrepreneurs involved in the B2B area.

A Case Study of Experiential Entrepreneurial Learning through LEGO® Play.

2025-08-01T13:34:02+00:00

Classroom learning through LEGO® play, or LEGO Serious Play™ methodology has been implemented within educational curricula for many years (Ng Yong Liang et al., 2021). The prominence of this approach in Higher Education management education (Martin-Cruz et al., 2022; McCusker, 2020) is growing, where LEGO® building has been viewed as a tool to help unpack management issues using creative play strategies (McGehee, 2022). Entrepreneurial learning differs from traditional, didactic learning by instead pedestalling experiential activities through learning by doing (Macht & Ball, 2016) and subsequent reflections (Kolb, 1984), essentially mimicking how entrepreneurs learn in practice (Ries, 2011). This case study focuses on providing entrepreneurship-focused learning for Foundation (Level 3) Business and Management students at a UK-based HE University. The case demonstrates a unique curriculum approach that delivers students a learning-by-doing experience through LEGO® play, before subsequently facilitating the reflective mapping of learnings to fundamental entrepreneurial concepts and skills. The class activity begins with students placed in teams, and being challenged with a seemingly simple LEGO® play task of building a model car which will subsequently be tested against other teams’ models. However, the task has been strategically devised to include purposeful complications (e.g. LEGO® sets deliberately tampered with where key pieces or instruction books/pages are missing) meaning the initially straightforward task required students to use creative problem-solving entrepreneurial skills to successfully complete. After the models were tested and a team provisionally crowned the ‘winner’, the real learning comes from the second part of the session challenging students to assess their experiential learning from the activity through a deep reflective review, constituting a fundamental component of the learning process. Data was captured through both researcher observations during the activity and learner-centric data from student presentations of their identified learning. Initial analysis of the findings identified that students mapped a spectrum of entrepreneurial concepts and skills developed from the activity (including risk-taking, adaptability, teamwork, creativity, innovation, resourcing, and leadership), illustrating how integrating LEGO® play with experiential learning approaches can foster an effective and engaging student-led learning experiences in the classroom.

Selling the Problem, not Just the Technology

2025-07-14T07:00:00+00:00

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to attract significant interest from businesses eager to integrate it into their operations. However, misconceptions about AI's capabilities—often inflated beyond what data quality and context allow—can hinder successful adoption. Clients may not fully grasp the value of AI tools, which leads to poor implementation choices and inaccurate outcomes. This research addresses the question: How can the added value of an AI tool be effectively communicated to clients? Rather than highlighting technological potential, the study shifts focus toward understanding client needs. A survey among companies, combined with academic insights, informed the development of a more nuanced sales approach. The findings reveal that sales strategies must be adapted depending on the client's level of AI maturity. For those with defined AI goals, engaging high-level decision-makers helps clarify challenges and tailor solutions. For clients without specific AI plans, the emphasis should be on uncovering key business problems through guided dialogue before introducing AI as a solution. The study underscores the importance of "selling the problem" rather than merely promoting the technology. Effective communication strategies include using real-world examples, visual demonstrations, narratives that illustrate transitions from current to desired states, and discussions of potential risks to support informed decisions. Notably, Proof of Concepts (POCs) are not seen as effective primary tools for showcasing value. In conclusion, aligning AI sales strategies with client perspectives enhances trust and clarity. By emphasizing problem-solving and leveraging social proof, companies can better communicate the true value of AI tools and increase the chances of successful adoption.

Mapping the Intellectual Structure of Digital Entrepreneurship Field with Strategic Diagram

2025-07-17T13:30:26+00:00

The convergence of digital technologies and entrepreneurship has given rise to a new phenomenon known as digital entrepreneurship. Despite growing interest, limited research has explored the intellectual structure and trends within this field. To address this gap, this study aims to map the intellectual structure and trends in digital entrepreneurship field utilizing co-word analysis. The authors searched for English-language articles published between 2006 and 2024 in the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases, using the key phrase ‘digital entrepreneur*’. 311 unique keywords were identified and clustered into eight groups via modularity clustering. A two-dimensional map based on cluster density and centrality reveals four cluster types: central and developed, peripheral and developed, peripheral and underdeveloped, central and underdeveloped—offering insights into the field’s evolving intellectual landscape.

Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Growth: An Analysis of Micro, Small, and Medium, Enterprises (MSMEs) in Iloilo Province during the Post-Pandemic Milieu

2025-07-15T14:26:14+00:00

This research examined how MSMEs in Iloilo Province adopted digital transformation during the post-pandemic era. Adopting narrative inquiry, data were gathered using focus group discussions, online interviews, and surveys among 25 owners and managers of MSMEs in both rural and urban settings. Through the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, the research identified drivers and challenges of digital adoption. Participants explained experiences applying e-commerce sites, mobile apps, and automation software to keep businesses going. By analyzing cases of Panublion Handicrafts, Farm to Kariton, and Innovate Iloilo, the study emphasized sector-specific innovations and adaptations. Results indicated that digital technologies increased customer interaction, operational efficiency, and market exposure, amidst financial challenges and limited infrastructure. The research provides policy insights for policymakers, development actors, and support institutions that seek to enhance MSME resilience and inclusive digital development in provincial environments.

Crowdfunding for University Research Commercialization: A Scoping Review

2025-07-31T18:59:21+00:00

As universities take on a broader role beyond education and research, crowdfunding is emerging as a creative way to fund research commercialization and academic entrepreneurship. Crowdfunding not only provides financial support but also serves as a validation tool, demonstrating public demand for university-led innovations. It serves as a potential alternative to traditional funding avenues, especially for early-stage projects with commercial promise. This scoping review examines key themes in the growing body of literature on research crowdfunding, focusing on its role in academia, motivations and success factors, public engagement, and associated challenges. The extent to which universities actively support, regulate, or discourage crowdfunding varies widely, shaping its effectiveness as a commercialization pathway. Crowdfunding success depends significantly on entrepreneurial communication skills and public engagement. Researchers who craft compelling narratives, leverage social media, and highlight the broader impact of their work are more likely to attract funding. Studies indicate that campaigns tied to practical applications, industry relevance, or endorsements from credible institutions often outperform those relying solely on scientific merit. Another critical aspect is how crowdfunding democratizes access to research funding, offering the public a say in which projects receive financial backing. However, current evidence suggests that it tends to attract an audience already interested in science and innovation, rather than drawing in broader investor networks. Crowdfunding does not fully replace more established pathways such as venture capital, government grants, or university-led incubators. Despite its promise, crowdfunding presents distinct challenges in academic commercialization. Researchers must navigate concerns over intellectual property, project credibility, and the significant time commitment required for campaign success.

National Resilience and Smart Specialisation RIS3: Higher Education Institutions as Centres of Excellence in Ireland and the Netherlands

2025-07-07T08:36:41+00:00

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a pivotal role in driving regional innovation, as evidenced by European funding initiatives such as the EIT HEI Initiative. This paper examines and compares the Regional Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) of Ireland and the Netherlands, exploring how their divergent approaches affect regional development and resilience. Using a systematic review methodology, the study analyses academic literature, government reports, and EU publications related to RIS3 implementation in both countries. Findings reveal that while the Netherlands employs a decentralised model with strong regional autonomy and governance, Ireland implements a centralised national approach with limited regional specificity, contributing to significant regional polarisation. The Netherlands demonstrates superior performance in circular economy initiatives, deep tech innovation, and sustainable development through its regionally specialised strategies. The paper concludes that Ireland’s path to economic resilience requires substantial infrastructure investment and a more regionally tailored approach to smart specialisation, with HEIs serving as crucial catalysts within the Triple Helix model. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of RIS3 implementation and provides practical implications for policy development in peripheral EU regions.

Innovation and Green Performance of Female-owned Firms in Emerging Economies: The Mediating Role of top Managements Team Meeting´s Intensity

2025-05-05T09:58:19+00:00

The green performance of firms and their ability to innovate are crucial for competitiveness in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), where companies face increasing environmental demands from stakeholders. Despite growing interest in sustainable business practices, female-owned firms – and mostly their innovativeness and green performance – remain underexplored, even though they tend to be more engaged in environmental issues. Moreover, CEE enterprises face challenges related to access to financing, decision-making, and strategic management, affecting their ability to integrate innovation with environmental goals. Against these lines of argument, this study aims to explore how the intensity of top management team meetings with (i) suppliers, and with (ii) employees involved in production activities influences the relationship between R&D investments, innovation, and firms' environmental performance. Our findings show that frequent top management team meetings positively influence firms’ ability to transform R&D into innovations, leading to improved environmental performance by providing a structured platform for aligning strategic decisions, optimizing resources, and enhancing internal coordination. In contrast, top management team meetings with suppliers do not consistently foster innovation, particularly in female-owned firms. These differences suggest that while top management team meetings strengthen the link between R&D and sustainability, top management team meetings with suppliers may require restructuring to support ecological transformation more effectively. This study highlights the role of managerial decision-making and structured meetings in linking R&D with green performance and provides insights into how firms in emerging economies can optimize internal and external managerial interactions to enhance sustainability outcomes.

Traits of Innovative Leadership

2025-06-12T07:28:21+00:00

Innovations are essential in maintaining or obtaining a competitive advantage. Innovations emerge from the combination of new resources and creative efforts, providing a significant foundation for economic growth. By promoting a culture of innovation, an organization’s ability to innovate is strengthened. Innovative companies are better positioned to utilize the full potential of external knowledge and resources to enhance their innovation activities and, in turn, gain competitive advantages. The culture of an organization is directly affected by the leadership of an organization. Leadership can promote a culture valuing creativity and risk taking while also encouraging employees to seek innovative ideas. Innovative leadership is also characterized by the ability to inspire and motivate teams to embrace change. Innovative leadership involves setting a clear vision, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and encouraging collaboration across all levels of the organization. Organizations are faced with rapidly changing environments and smart technologies. Innovative leaders are adaptable to changing environments and new technologies, open to new ideas, and skilled at leveraging diverse perspectives to drive growth and improvement. Innovative leaders also place great emphasis on effective communication and collaboration. An online questionnaire was distributed to Master level students at two universities of applied sciences in Finland. The participants had several years of work experience as at least two years of relevant work experience after their first degree is required for them to be eligible to apply. The questionnaire was distributed to identify the traits of innovative leaders and the importance of organizational culture and values as elements of innovative leadership. The research aims to establish how various leadership factors, including understanding content technologies, communication with stakeholders, visionary thinking, and internal and external conditions, influence the effectiveness and innovation of leadership within an organization. The relationship between different aspects of leadership and their impact on organizational success and innovation are also examined in this study.

Integrating Entrepreneurial Mindset Education into a Midwifery Curriculum

2025-09-19T07:00:13+00:00

Against the background of national media criticism of the maternity services, an attempt to illuminate the midwife’s
role as a change agent, was made in relation to the current literature on leadership. Whilst the concept of the change agent
is discussed as a pivotal role in midwifery leadership, less is understood about the skills and attributes midwives need to
develop, to become effective leaders. Moreover, even less is understood about the meaning of the change agent in the clinical
environment, when change, a nebulous concept, is typically associated with senior management roles. Using a case study,
the development and delivery of entrepreneurial mindset education for student midwives is explored in the context of
professional identity and their role as future leaders; and is framed as a necessity for personal and professional growth and
development. This paper will examine how the focus on Entrepreneurial Mindset Theory (EMT) presents a teachable
framework, in which skills, attributes and behaviours, can be explored to illustrate the synergy between entrepreneurial skills
and those expected of the professional midwife. Making enterprise education relevant to the professional role is crucial and
not without its challenges, therefore aligning curriculum content with programme objectives for practice learning and the
development of clinical proficiencies, is essential. Exploring the features and implications of adopting a growth mindset,
enables students to understand the importance of developing a strategic approach to navigate complex systems and
processes, and the relevance of a solution focused lens to address issues in an ever-changing and challenging maternity
environment. This paper illustrates that integrating entrepreneurial mindset education into the midwifery curriculum at its
core, offers students the opportunity to find clarity in their role and use their skills, knowledge and current evidence in a
creative and innovative way to make change happen, confirming that adopting an entrepreneurial mindset is crucial to the
professional role of the midwife and the future of midwifery.

Transforming Science into Business: Science-Business Roadmap for University-Based Scientific Entrepreneurship

2025-07-28T23:52:56+00:00

Scientific entrepreneurship has become a fundamental pillar for innovation and economic development, especially in countries seeking to strengthen their technological production. However, the journey for researchers to transform science into business still presents significant challenges, including a lack of knowledge about innovation processes, limited access to professional networks, insufficient information on accessing financial resources, and difficulties in structuring viable business models. This study, part of an ongoing postdoctoral research project, proposes the application of the Science-Business Roadmap, a tool designed to guide researchers through the scientific entrepreneurship journey. The framework structures the entrepreneurial process, from identifying market opportunities and challenges to securing financial resources, implementing open innovation, and scaling research-based businesses. The study builds upon insights from research published at the European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ECIE) – Innovation and Entrepreneurship of Professors in Public Universities: Case Study in Brazil – which resulted from a doctoral thesis analyzing the experiences of successful entrepreneurial professors in Brazilian public universities. Based on these findings, this research presents the validation of the Science-Business Roadmap as a practical tool to support researchers in transitioning their research from academia to the market. Initially applied at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), the tool can be used by researchers from various fields of knowledge. Its implementation and validation include interviews, workshops, and user monitoring. Beyond providing a structured model to increase the success rate of entrepreneurial initiatives in public universities, this tool fosters innovative businesses, expanding the impact of academic research. Additionally, this tool plays a crucial role in training scientists and researchers to become successful entrepreneurs, connecting them with companies, investors, and other key stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem. This approach aims not only to generate economic and technological impact but also to strengthen the culture of innovation and scientific entrepreneurship in Brazil and beyond, facilitating strategic partnerships and fostering an environment conducive to transforming science into innovative businesses and driving the growth of deep tech companies.

A Case Study on Bridging the Employment Gap: A Human-Centred Innovation for South Africa's Information Job Sector

2025-08-20T07:40:23+00:00

Unemployment in the informal job sector is a persistent social challenge, particularly for individuals with limited or no work experience in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates worldwide. Many job seekers struggle to access updated CV formats, trusted references, and direct employer connections, limiting their chance for employment. Addressing this issue requires an innovative, human-centred business approach that not only connects job seekers with employment opportunities but also fosters long-term social and economic impact. This paper explores iLink, a web-based application designed to bridge the gap between informal job seekers and employers. Unlike mainstream job-finding platforms, iLink is specifically tailored to serve the workforce in the informal sector by leveraging community input to build credible online profiles for job seekers. In South Africa, many domestic workers, gardeners, and nannies work without formal contracts, making them vulnerable to low wages, job insecurity, and limited legal protections. Through low-cost vetting processes and employer feedback mechanisms, iLink enhances job matching by ensuring that employers can find workers with verifiable skills and references. This paper examines how human-centred innovation can drive employment accessibility, improve workforce readiness, and contribute to economic inclusion in the informal job market.

Age in the Nascent Entrepreneurial Stage: A Multi-Level Analysis Approach

2025-07-02T12:33:08+00:00

This study investigates the role of age in the entrepreneurial landscape, moving beyond the traditional focus on individual founder age to examine how age diversity within newly formed entrepreneurial teams (ETs) is associated with launching new products or services. To provide a theoretical foundation, we integrate two primary frameworks. First, the information/decision-making model, coupled with social capital theory, is employed to elucidate the mechanisms through which age diversity within nascent ETs can facilitate successful market entry. Second, the study draws upon life span theory to examine the relationship between the nascent ET leader's age and the transition from entrepreneurial intention to actual exploitation. While age can positively moderate the intention-to-exploitation transition, it may also have negative effects on opportunity identification and overall entrepreneurial activity. This study proposes that the accumulated experience, established networks, and greater strategic patience associated with increasing age in nascent ET leaders can be beneficial in navigating the inherent complexities and uncertainties of launching a new venture. By focusing on the nascent stage of entrepreneurship, this research offers a more granular understanding of how age dynamics at both the team and leadership levels influence the fundamental process of transforming entrepreneurial ideas into tangible market offerings.

Innovating Together: The Power of Clusters in Poland’s Social Economy

2025-06-16T14:55:24+00:00

The aim of the paper is to analyze social economy clusters (SECs) as innovative organizational structures that bring together social enterprises (SEs) and other actors to jointly solve social, economic, and environmental challenges. The article examines the role of SECs in fostering the development of SEs, focusing on the areas: implementation of innovative solutions, management of business operations, and creation of social and environmental impact. We assess how the clusters facilitate cooperation, knowledge exchange among SEs, and increase their visibility. The research includes a case study analysis of a specific SEC from Poland - the Cluster of Social Economy Initiatives (Klaster Inicjatyw Ekonomii Społecznej, KIES). This case was selected because it provides a practical example of how social economy principles can be implemented within a cluster framework. The analysis focuses on the cluster’s structure, objectives, member composition, governance model, and the mechanisms it employs to promote both economic development and social cohesion. SECs, as a form of cooperation between different actors (e.g. NGOs, SEs, public administration, financial institutions), may be a response to the growing demand for innovative solutions for sustainable development. The cluster as an organization based on cross-sectoral cooperation allows for a better exchange of knowledge, resources, and innovations, which can be crucial for sustainable development. The Polish context shows that European Union (EU) funds have played a key role in the creation of SECs, but their long-term viability depends on local leadership, political will, and the creation of a broader enabling environment. The findings will provide policymakers, practitioners, and researchers with valuable information on how SECs can promote economic inclusion, environmental responsibility, and social innovation regionally and nationally.

Andragogy and Remote Executive Education: A Case Study on Live Learning for Entrepreneurs in Brazil

2025-07-21T15:07:45+00:00

This paper examines the design, delivery, and participant perceptions of the G4 Journey program, a remote executive education initiative in Brazil that integrates andragogical principles, generative artificial intelligence (AI), and Visible Thinking routines. While remote learning has become increasingly prevalent, existing research often overlooks tailored approaches that address the immediate, practical learning needs of entrepreneurial leaders in dynamic environments. Using qualitative feedback gathered from six participant cohorts through post-session surveys, this study explores how mentor-led, technology-enhanced learning experiences can deliver actionable, context-specific knowledge. The analysis reveals the value of combining structured content, interactive dialogue, and AI-driven personalization to promote learner autonomy, critical reflection, and practical application. Findings demonstrate how integrating problem-based learning, expert mentoring, and technology-supported diagnostics can support adult learning principles such as relevance, authenticity, and social learning. The study contributes to the literature on remote corporate education by offering an applied case of learner-centred, technology-enhanced design, while also identifying implications for instructional design, limitations related to qualitative scope and context specificity, and directions for future research in developing scalable, adaptive learning solutions.

AI-driven Business Models in the Data-information-intelligence Economy: The NRT Methodology

2025-08-19T08:37:27+00:00

The exponential rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) coupled with the continuous growth of big data led to the need for transforming traditional business models into AI-driven business models. These AI-driven business models are crucial in providing much needed Strategic Intelligence (SI) to strategic decision-makers. This research paper seeks to introduce the nominal ranking technique (NRT) methodology as a strategic methodology for streamlining the management of big data towards innovation. The NRT methodology is a structured and systematic approach, innovatively developed for the management of big data. The NRT methodology is further reinforced with the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule. The Pareto principle in the management of big data considers that 80 percent of insights derived often stems from 20 percent of the big data. When the NRT methodology is applied in the management of big data, four primary elements are considered, namely - 1) standard of inclusion of data, information and intelligence, 2) data cleansing, 3) relationship of data, information and intelligence, and 4) VARCS principles. VARCS refer to the validity, accuracy, reliability, credibility, and sufficiency of data, information and intelligence. The NRT methodology considers the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environments in which the world operates. The NRT methodology is an iterative process that can be applied in large-scale data-information-intelligence management initiatives, as it encourages adaptability based on ongoing findings and challenges. Overall, the strategic insights derived from the application of the NRT methodology highlight its potential as a valuable tool in the data-information-intelligence economy. By enhancing decision-making frameworks, promoting collaboration, identifying key variables, providing visual representations of data, and fostering continuous improvement, the NRT methodology significantly contributes to the effectiveness and success of complex business environments. Research data collected and analysed from content analysis determined that businesses are concerned about the strategic nature and use of data, information, and intelligence for strategic decision-making and innovation.

Entrepreneurial Insights From Data to Strategic Intelligence Driving the Sustainable Development Goals

2025-08-19T08:53:20+00:00

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 provide a basis to address global challenges. The SDGs are aimed at eradicating poverty, protecting the planet, and to ensure prosperity for all. In this context, achieving the SDGs demands innovative solutions in entrepreneurship, particularly within the everchanging volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world. The emergence and continuous development of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Blockchain, and Robotics continues to reshape the global landscape, further contributing to the VUCA world. Structured content analysis was done on 50 World Economic Forum (WEF) Strategic Intelligence Topics (SITs) articles. The research findings from the content analysis communicate an insightful message, that the analysed WEF SITs articles resonate towards the importance of strategic - data, information, intelligence, and innovation, for strategic intelligence. This paper underpins the importance of strategic intelligence, in empowering entrepreneurs to effectively navigate the VUCA world to drive impactful growth towards the SDGs. In the VUCA world, entrepreneurs must harness the power of AI to identify emerging opportunities and anticipate potential disruptions, transforming raw data into actionable intelligence. This intelligence translates to strategic decision-making, enabling the development of innovative solutions to address VUCA world challenges, contributing to the attainment of the SDGs. It is crucial that entrepreneurs recognise the challenges of the VUCA world in order for them to contribute meaningfully to achieving the SDGs. Through the message relayed in the 50 WEF SITs articles, it is clear that the VUCA world will continue to accelerate, coupled with the transformative potential of emerging technologies, which presents opportunities for entrepreneurial insights to be achieved, by moving from data to strategic intelligence to drive the SDGs. Finally, this paper emphasises the importance for entrepreneurs to embrace a pre-emptive, agile approach in driving the achievement of the SDGs within the constantly evolving VUCA world, to work towards achieving the SDGs through strategic intelligence.

Has Social Entrepreneurship Reduced Economic Inequality Among Non-state Actors? A Systematic Review

2025-09-19T07:15:47+00:00

This paper explores the relationship between social entrepreneurship (SE) and economic inequality, aiming to
understand SE’s potential in addressing economic disparities among non-state actors. Social entrepreneurship, often
recognised for its capacity to create social value and drive social change, offers unique opportunities to tackle pressing
societal issues, including economic inequality. By leveraging innovative business models, SE can bridge gaps in income
distribution and create sustainable livelihoods for marginalised communities. However, understanding the extent of this
impact requires a closer examination of SE’s contributions to economic inclusion and equity. Through a systematic literature
review, as well as a bibliometric and content analysis of the selected studies, this paper investigates the growing body of
research on SE, identifying key themes, trends, and research gaps. The analysis reveals a global interest in SE, as evidenced
by an increasing number of publications over the past two and a half decades. This rise in academic attention reflects the
recognition of SE’s potential to address various social challenges. Despite this progress, the direct relationship between SE
and economic inequality remains underexplored. Most research has focused on SE’s social impact—such as community
development, poverty alleviation, and environmental sustainability—rather than its economic implications. The paper also
identifies core concepts associated with SE, including social entrepreneur, social enterprise, social innovation, social capital,
economic development, work and employment, and sustainable entrepreneurship. However, references to economic
inequality are often implicit rather than explicit, highlighting a gap in the literature. This suggests a need for more focused
research that examines how SE can effectively reduce economic disparities, particularly through income redistribution,
wealth creation, and access to economic opportunities for marginalised communities. Whilst SE has the potential to be a
powerful tool for reducing economic inequality, realising this potential requires addressing persistent challenges. Among
these challenges is the widening gap between low- and high-income sectors, which complicates SE interventions and limits
their transformative impact.

Geopolitical Risks: Threats or Opportunities in Shaping Entrepreneurial Intentions?

2025-05-22T08:42:31+00:00

Geopolitical risks have intensified globally, creating both challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurs. This study examines the impact of geopolitical risk on entrepreneurial intentions using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as a framework. Through an analysis of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control, this research seeks to understand how individuals perceive and navigate uncertainty in a volatile global landscape. The focus of the study is specifically on young entrepreneurs and business students in Cyprus, a region of strategic geopolitical importance situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. A qualitative methodology was employed, utilizing focus groups to capture insights into how geopolitical risks influence entrepreneurial decision-making. The findings reveal that geopolitical risks impact entrepreneurship by reshaping market conditions, altering access to resources, and driving innovation in response to uncertainty. While geopolitical turbulence creates barriers such as supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures, and investment uncertainty, it also generates opportunities, particularly in technology-driven sectors. Attitudes toward risk and resilience, social expectations, and perceived control over external challenges play a crucial role in shaping entrepreneurial intentions. The study contributes to the understanding of entrepreneurship in unstable environments and provides insights for policymakers and business educators on fostering resilience and opportunity recognition in high-risk contexts.

Orchestration and Governance in the Extended Reality Ecosystem

2025-07-17T08:42:35+00:00

This study explores through a multiple case study the dynamics related to a nascent ecosystem by examining interactions between orchestrators and complementors within an evolving technological environment. Based on multiple case studies in the extended reality technology landscape, the research identifies critical challenges related to governance, standardization, and alignment. While incumbent firms provide essential infrastructure, their pursuit of proprietary platforms and closed governance models contributes to market fragmentation and to delays in ecosystem consolidation. Complementors, facing strategic ambiguity and lacking coordination, hesitate to commit to any dominant trajectory. This study contributes to the ecosystem literature by highlighting the role of complementors in early-stage ecosystems and to XR scholarship by highlighting the governance and alignment dynamics shaping the evolving technology.

Digital Literacy as a Catalyst for M-Commerce Adoption in South Africa

2025-07-08T11:32:10+00:00

The global digital economy has undergone significant transformations especially with the rise of mobile commerce in emerging markets like South Africa. Digital transactions have become more accessible through the increasing adoption of smartphones and numerous mobile payment solutions. However, this transition has come with challenges, especially in developing economies like South Africa. Therefore, digital literacy remains a crucial factor in consumer participation in the digital economy. The digital divide in South Africa in addition to cyber security concerns and limited digital skills hamper consumers from engaging with online platforms confidently. These challenges need to be addressed to achieve inclusive economic growth. This study explores the impact of digital literacy on mobile commerce adoption in South Africa and introduces a Digital Literacy Checklist for mobile commerce as a practical tool to assess and enhance consumer readiness. Embedded in Digital Inclusion Theory and Consumer Empowerment Theory, this study employs a qualitative approach by integrating interviews and a content analysis to analyze how consumers interact with digital platforms. Interviews were conducted with electronic commerce professionals to understand the digital literacy challenges and opportunities. In addition, policy documents, digital literacy training material and reports were reviewed to assess the current frameworks and strategies as well as identify gaps in consumer preparedness. Findings suggest that digital literacy enhances consumer confidence in online transactions, the ability to identify fraudulent scams and the awareness of mobile payment security features. The key barriers to mobile commerce adoption were limited digital skills, trust and security concerns and socio-economic disparities. Findings also suggest that higher levels of digital literacy correlate with increased confidence in online shopping, mobile payments and financial transactions. This in turn leads to a more inclusive and competitive digital economy. This study contributes to the discourse on digital transformation by highlighting strategies to improve digital literacy. In turn, business innovation, economic inclusion and sustainable growth in mobile commerce’s eco-systems are driven. Businesses, policy makers and educators can make use of these insights to create targeted interventions that are able to empower consumers to enhance resilience in the digital economy.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Rule-Based WhatsApp Chatbot in Automated Query Resolution

2025-07-08T11:41:55+00:00

Conversational chatbots have become integral to automated query resolution across industries to enhance customer service efficiency. However, their effectiveness in accurately addressing diverse customer queries remains a critical area of evaluation. This study examines the performance of a rule-based WhatsApp chatbot deployed by a South African telecommunications service provider, focusing on its ability to resolve customer queries effectively. This paper analysed chatbot interaction reports and quantifies success, failure, and abandonment rates across various query types. This study adopted a quantitative research approach with interpretivism as a philosophical paradigm. Furthermore, document analysis was employed for the analysis of TELCO X WhatsApp Chat’s extracted reports to examine and evaluate human-chatbot interaction. This method allowed the researcher to determine, from the interactions, resolved and unresolved queries. The findings indicate that the chatbot achieves high success rates for routine and structured queries, such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and retrieving account-related information. However, the chatbot’s performance declines significantly in handling complex, multi-step, or context-dependent queries, including SIM swaps and product purchases. The chatbot exhibits lower success rates, with a significant number of customer interactions resulting in unresolved queries or user abandonment. The analysis highlights key performance limitations, including natural language understanding, contextual retention, and the inability to process multi-step interactions effectively. Additionally, the absence of seamless escalation mechanisms to human agents contributes to customer frustration when the chatbot fails to provide satisfactory resolutions. The study provides recommendations for optimising chatbot performance, particularly in enhancing AI-driven response mechanisms, refining intent recognition, and using advanced dialogue management techniques. Additionally, integrating seamless escalation pathways to human agents is proposed to improve resolution rates for complex queries. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the importance of continuous performance monitoring and iterative improvements. Identifying key performance gaps and improvement areas provides valuable guidance for organisations looking to optimise chatbot functionality.

Brand Development in Early-Stage Technology Startups: An Effectual Approach

2025-08-04T13:10:51+00:00

In this study, we explore the brand development processes in early-stage technology startups, focusing on corporate identity, brand identity formation and decision-making. While most of the branding literature pertains to established firms, branding can provide significant competitive advantages to startups, enhancing their chances of survival. However, given the high uncertainty, resource constraints and dynamic market conditions typical of early-stage startups, traditional branding strategies may not always be suitable. Drawing on the branding literature and entrepreneurial decision-making theories, particularly Sarasvathy’s (2001) effectuation framework, this study examine how startups shape their brand identity. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with eight key informants from five technology startups and two experts in branding and entrepreneurship. The findings reveal that entrepreneurs play a crucial role in early branding decisions, with brand identity often being closely tied to the entrepreneur’s personal vision, values and networks. With startups frequently adjusting their brand based on market feedback, several of the informants pointed to the importance of customer interaction as well as social media as a vital tool that enables direct customer engagement and serves as a cost-effective branding platform. Furthermore, startups often develop their brands iteratively, making real-time adjustments. On one hand, this flexibility allows them to navigate market uncertainties; on the other, it presents challenges, such as inconsistent branding. Finally, in this study, we find that while some branding adaptations are intentional, others result from external pressures or resource constraints. This research contributes to the literature on branding and entrepreneurship by illustrating how startups balance strategic branding efforts with the realities of early-stage business development.

Understanding Brazilian Migrant Entrepreneurship in Portugal: Motivations, Barriers, and Policy Implications

2025-09-19T07:35:25+00:00

This study examines the entrepreneurial activities of Brazilian migrants in Portugal, focusing on their motivations,
challenges, and policy implications. It addresses two central research questions: What are the key motivations and barriers
for Brazilian migrant entrepreneurs in Portugal? And how can policy interventions enhance their business success? Based on
58 interviews and secondary data, the study uses thematic qualitative analysis. The findings are grouped in two
entrepreneurial profiles: opportunity-driven and necessity-driven. Opportunity-driven entrepreneurs typically migrate with
capital, prior experience, and strategic business plans. They often launch scalable ventures in sectors such as consulting, IT,
and gastronomy, leveraging networks, education, and foresight. Conversely, necessity-driven entrepreneurs transition into
self-employment after low-skilled employment, pushed by limited job prospects and Portugal’s relatively low minimum wage
(under €900). These ventures are concentrated in labour-intensive, low-margin sectors like retail and construction, often
facing barriers related to financing, bureaucracy, and informality. Findings show that both groups are motivated by economic
instability, violence, and a declining quality of life in Brazil. Portugal is perceived as a safe and accessible destination, offering
better education, public services, and long-term stability. While opportunity-driven entrepreneurs benefit from EU market
access and time zone advantages, necessity-driven ones rely heavily on informal networks and face greater difficulty in
formalizing their businesses. Despite these disparities, Brazilian entrepreneurs contribute significantly to the Portuguese
economy by generating employment, revitalizing neighbourhoods, and enriching cultural diversity. The study underscores
the importance of differentiated policy frameworks: European market integration and investment incentives for high-growth
ventures, and simplified regulations, microcredit, training, and community-based support for subsistence-level businesses.
These insights are valuable for policymakers, incubators, and scholars focused on migrant entrepreneurship and inclusive
development. Addressing structural barriers can further unlock the entrepreneurial potential of Brazil’s growing diaspora in
Portugal.

Optimizing Startup Team Composition: A Generative AI and Genetic Algorithm–Based Approach

2025-07-16T10:03:21+00:00

Founding team composition is widely acknowledged as a key determinant of startup ventures success. Entrepreneurship scholars have examined founding teams’ characteristics through various perspectives, including human and social capital, psychological traits, personality, and diversity. Despite the recognized importance of team composition, traditional team formation methods often rely on convenience or heuristic-based combination. These approaches frequently overlook the systematic alignment of critical attributes such as complementary skill sets, personality compatibility, and shared motivations, leading to suboptimal outcomes and ultimately impacting team dynamics and performance. Given the transformative impact of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) across multiple entrepreneurship domains, we investigate how Large Language Models (LLMs) can enhance the process of founding team formation by making the most of individual profiles. By employing advanced prompt engineering techniques, we properly instructed an LLM to develop a genetic algorithm to iteratively optimize team formation by evaluating and refining groups of three based on multiple criteria. The designed algorithm considers multiple sets of team configurations and efficiently converges on team assignments by applying selection, crossover, and mutation over subsequent generations to maximize demographic variety, hard and soft skills variety, personal value and motivation similarity and personality compatibility (based on the Big Five model). To facilitate reproducibility, we provide detailed prompt engineering strategies for implementation. To validate our method, we conduct an empirical study within a higher education entrepreneurship course where students are required to work in teams. We evaluated each team composition across seven metrics and assigned each team an overall score. Results suggests the effectiveness of our AI-assisted team formation approach. Our study addresses the growing interest in integrating generative AI into entrepreneurship research, offering insights to multiple stakeholders. While we tested our approach in the educational context, its applicability extends also to practitioners, including aspiring entrepreneurs searching for co-founders, startup studios forming founding teams, and organizations enhancing recruitment strategies.

Corporate Venture Governance: Key Success Factors and Challenges for Entrepreneurial Autonomy

2025-06-17T10:23:34+00:00

This study investigates key success factors and challenges in governing corporate venture (CV) initiatives for digital innovation, drawing on in-depth interviews with 40 practitioners from established firms in the German-speaking DACH region. As digital transformation accelerates, corporations increasingly turn to CV as a strategic tool to foster business model innovation and maintain competitiveness. However, effectively balancing entrepreneurial autonomy with integration into the parent organization presents persistent governance challenges. This research organizes its qualitative analysis around three interconnected dimensions defined by previous research: (1) Structures, (2) operations and processes, and (3) relational mechanisms. The study adopts a four-phase methodological approach, including developing and pretesting a semi-structured interview protocol, followed by qualitative content analysis. The sample encompasses a diverse range of industries and CV models, ensuring broad relevance of the findings. The results emphasize management support as a crucial success factor in governance. Executive sponsorship legitimizes CV initiatives, secures resources, and aids corporate navigation. Governance models must balance integration and autonomy while ensuring resource access. Operational barriers include misaligned incentives, resource allocation issues, and bureaucratic inertia. Middle management resistance, budget constraints, and competing priorities hinder CV initiatives. A paradox exists: efficient corporate processes conflict with the exploratory nature of CVs. Successful CVs address these tensions through selective process decoupling and dedicated resources, especially in IT and sales. Relational mechanisms like strong networks, cultural compatibility, and interdisciplinary teams are vital for effective CV governance (CVG). Integrating experienced corporate staff with external hires enhances knowledge transfer and reduces alienation. We provide guidelines for practitioners, emphasizing the need to tailor governance to specific innovation objectives. Recommendations include formalizing executive sponsorship, designing incentive structures, and cultivating cross-boundary networks. The research offers insights that extend existing frameworks and inform academic understanding and managerial practice. Findings underscore the importance of dynamic, context-sensitive governance for leveraging CV as a driver of digital innovation.

Unlocking Startup Funding: The Role of Alliances, Patenting, and Network in Entrepreneurial Support Ecosystems

2025-08-26T07:05:09+00:00

This study explores critical determinants influencing startups' equity financing outcomes, focusing particularly on the roles of strategic alliances, patenting activities, and network dynamics generated within incubators, which constitute a specific form of Entrepreneurial Support Organizations. Leveraging an extensive dataset of 238 startups incubated at European Space Agency Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), we apply probit regression and Weibull Accelerated Failure Time (AFT) models. Findings reveal that R&D alliances established during incubation markedly enhance both the likelihood and timing of securing equity investments by effectively signalling innovation capability to investors. Conversely, commercial alliances display negligible impact, underscoring their limited signalling potential in technology-focused environments. Interestingly, patenting activities undertaken during incubation negatively affect equity financing prospects. This intriguingly result contributes to existing debates by highlighting that while patents may initially serve as valuable signals, their influence can diminish over time as information asymmetries decrease. Additionally, this study empirically substantiates the "Bridging Effect", demonstrating that extensive incubators networks significantly promote alliance formation among incubated startups. These insights hold theoretical significance and practical implications for entrepreneurs, incubator managers and policymakers striving to optimize support structures within entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Open Innovation Adoption in Emerging Economies: A Qualitative Exploration of Practices, Enablers and Barriers in the Turkish Ecosystem

2025-08-26T07:09:12+00:00

This study investigates Open Innovation (OI) adoption in emerging economies, specifically examining how firms strategically leverage external knowledge sources to enhance their innovation capabilities. Employing a qualitative exploratory methodology, the research involves semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted with innovation managers from four prominent Turkish firms, selected for their recognized innovation capabilities and strategic importance within Türkiye’s dynamic innovation ecosystem. The findings highlight a pronounced strategic emphasis on inbound Open Innovation activities, predominantly executed through partnerships with startups, academic institutions, and external technology providers. Among these collaborative forms, structured startup programs emerge as the most frequently utilized and strategically significant, driven by firms' imperative to rapidly respond to evolving market demands and sustain their competitive agility. Key organizational enablers identified include robust senior managerial commitment, well-defined and structured innovation management processes, and a deeply embedded innovation-oriented organizational culture. Conversely, the study identifies critical barriers, such as cultural resistance towards external collaboration (the Not-Invented-Here syndrome), concerns regarding intellectual property management, and significant limitations related to financial and human resources. Theoretically, this research contributes significantly to existing Open Innovation frameworks by explicitly integrating the distinctive institutional, cultural, and resource-based dynamics characterizing emerging economies, aspects that have received limited attention in previous studies. In doing so, it emphasizes the need to refine and expand Open Innovation theories to more accurately reflect contextual influences and strategic adaptations inherent in emerging market settings. This approach enriches the theoretical discourse on innovation management by providing nuanced insights into how context-specific factors uniquely shape Open Innovation processes and practices. From these empirical results, the study concludes that successful Open Innovation adoption within emerging economies requires deliberate managerial efforts to address internal cultural resistance and proactively manage resource constraints, particularly through strategic alignment with agile external partners such as startups and academic institutions. Additionally, fostering an organizational environment characterized by openness, flexibility, and structured innovation processes significantly enhances firms' capacity to exploit external knowledge effectively. Implications for further research include expanding the analysis through comparative studies across multiple emerging economies to better understand cross-contextual dynamics and integrating longitudinal methodologies to explore the evolution of Open Innovation practices over time. Practically, the findings offer clear, actionable recommendations for innovation managers, entrepreneurs, organizational leaders, and policymakers, guiding strategic decision-making, effective partnership management, and resource allocation to foster sustainable competitive advantage and growth in rapidly evolving innovation ecosystems.

Gendering, Biology, and Stereotypes in Entrepreneurship Training

2025-05-21T23:08:10+00:00

This conceptual paper interrogates the gendered assumptions underpinning perceptions of women’s capacity for economic agency. It challenges biologically determinist and historically entrenched narratives that continue to shape entrepreneurship discourse. It unravels the persistent stereotypes, rooted in outdated constructions of women's domestic seclusion, workforce needs, and gendered labour divisions, that have relegated women to the margins of entrepreneurship and innovation. It critiques how postfeminist and neoliberal feminist narratives obscure the socio-historical processes through which these assumptions have been normalised. Through its critical reconceptualisation of gender, biology, and economic agency, it highlights how normative legacies continue to shape attitudes to gender and entrepreneurship and innovation. It argues for the integration of structural and historical analysis into entrepreneurship education to unsettle essentialist logics and equip students with the conceptual tools to examine how entrepreneurial subjectivities are institutionally and discursively constituted. It proposes a shift toward reflexive pedagogical approaches that encourage students to critically reflect on how assumptions, stereotypes, and practices are embedded in understandings of economic agency and gender. Its theoretical contribution is its advance of the imperative of analytical engagement with the socio-historical formation of institutional frameworks and their normative legacies to unpack gendered assumptions that continue to undermine women's entrepreneurial and innovation capacities.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Final-year Social Area Students’ Intervention Initiatives Intentions

2025-05-09T20:22:20+00:00

Education for social entrepreneurship in higher education is an area in consolidation. However, social innovation is a labour market requirement to which students in the social field should not be oblivious. We sought to explore the interests in the field of social entrepreneurship - type of proposal, target audience, theme/social issue to be solved - of 94 final year students of a Social Education degree, 96% of whom were female. An ad hoc questionnaire was used. In analysing the content of the answers, the intention to develop a social project after graduation or to create a social support product/material prevailed, 32% and 31% respectively. Less expressive were the intention to innovate an existing organisation or to create a company/organisation, 17% and 16%, in that order - the latter perhaps due to the greater risk it entails. In terms of the proposals target population, there was a variety of groups covered (to be expected in this social area), with children and young people/school community and the elderly standing out (27% and 26%), as well as people with disabilities (19%) and children and young people at risk (15%). Other groups in vulnerable situations, such as the unemployed, immigrants and refugees, prisoners, informal carers and the homeless (between 2 and 6%) were mentioned to a lesser extent. Ideas included, above all, the implementation of skills training programmes (33%). This was followed by the distribution of essential goods/access to services (19%), artistic activities to promote inclusion (17%) and support services at home (14%). Other possibilities included leisure initiatives, intergenerational activities, support to promote employability, infoinclusion actions and the development of support materials (between 3 and 8%). Despite the relevance of the proposals, the majority (69%) did not anticipate any source of funding (public funds or corporate/organisational social responsibility). These students training should provide for the development of entrepreneurial skills centred on creativity and social innovation and, in a structured way, knowledge of financing options and business plans design using management skills, which are equally fundamental in the social area.

Data-Driven AI in Social Care Wales: Identifying Gaps and Opportunities

2025-09-19T07:53:10+00:00

This study presents a narrative synthesis of the available evidence of the role of data-driven artificial intelligence
(AI) in shaping social care in Wales, UK. The increasing integration of AI technologies across various sectors has raised critical
questions about their potential impact on social care services, particularly concerning decision-making processes, ethical
considerations, and the overall quality of care provided to vulnerable populations. While AI has been widely adopted in
healthcare and other industries, its application within social care remains relatively underexplored with limited empirical
evidence regarding its effectiveness in supporting professionals, caregivers, and service users, making it imperative to
establish a solid evidence base to guide future implementation and policy decisions. Data collection involved comprehensive
searches across multiple databases, including SCOPUS, PubMed, Social Care Online, and Google Scholar, alongside grey
literature to ensure a thorough review of existing studies. The search strategy utilised specific keywords related to 'Artificial
Intelligence' or ‘AI’, 'Social Care', and other relevant terms such as ‘data-driven’ or ‘data driven’, ‘old age’, ‘caregivers’, and
‘service users’, combined primarily using the Boolean operator 'AND,' with selective use of 'OR' to refine results, particularly
around the topic of 'old age.' This focused approach yielded 642 studies, with 148 addressing AI in Social Care. Following
rigorous screening, 22 studies were ultimately included, revealing substantial variability in quality, settings, and outcomes.
Majority of studies focused on older people in care settings. While some studies demonstrated that AI could enhance
efficiency, personalise care, and ease caregiver burdens, others highlighted significant ethical and practical obstacles. Key
concerns included data privacy and security, algorithm biases, the digital divide, and a lack of trust and understanding of
emerging technologies among older adults. Findings suggest AI has the potential to revolutionise social care, improving
outcomes for service users, caregivers, and professionals, and highlight the need for evidence-based policymaking to
integrate AI into social care and focus on long-term studies and interdisciplinary collaboration to address ethical and
accessibility issues in the future.

Financial Inclusion as a Pathway to Informal Sector Sustainability in Africa

2025-06-12T11:54:45+00:00

Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) are the backbone of economies worldwide. However, the ‘unseen economy challenges’ hinder their sustainability in developing markets. Many informal businesses operate outside formal financial systems, limiting access to credit, banking services, and growth opportunities. Financial institutions are pivotal in addressing these barriers by enhancing access to financial systems and developing innovative financial products. This study examines how financial inclusion, embedded within an ecosystem approach, can assist businesses in the informal sector to become more sustainable in the long term. Using a qualitative design, the study investigates how formal and informal finance intersect to support informal SMMEs in South Africa and beyond. A structured literature review and thematic analysis of studies from the last seven years inform the development of a conceptual framework linking financial inclusion to informal business sustainability. The framework incorporates the SMART goal-setting approach to guide financial institutions in engaging with informal businesses. The study emphasises a holistic approach, integrating financial inclusion, ecosystem support, and tailored financial products for informal businesses. The proposed framework advocates for a support ecosystem where informal lenders and formal institutions can work together to tackle issues such as cash reliance, theft risks, and limited growth opportunities. Formal financiers may want to become part of a support ecosystem that is transforming into an attractive option, even for the bankable in informal markets. Recommendations include collateral alternatives, administrative simplicity and trust-building strategies to enable financial institutions to serve this market more effectively. The study also identifies priorities for future research, including practical tools and policy pathways that foster deeper financial integration for informal businesses.

Enhancing Regional Innovation Systems in Cymru (Wales): Lessons from AgorIP and CALIN

2025-09-19T08:01:46+00:00

This paper presents a practitioner report of two exemplar European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) projects
within Cymru (Wales). Namely analysing the AgorIP and Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network (CALIN) business
and research support projects within the context of Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) (Cooke et al, 2004; Pino & Ortega,
2018). Cymru has had a long history tied to innovation with Llywodraeth Cymru (Welsh Government) placing the need to
encourage Research Development & Innovation (RD&I) and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) competitiveness at the
forefront of their vision for Cymru’s future economy. Both lead by Prifysgol Abertawe (Swansea University), the AgorIP and
CALIN projects had different delivery models, AgorIP having secondees in external Cymru HEIs and GIG Cymru UHBs (NHS
Wales University Health Boards) that supported the delivery at the main hub, and CALIN, a partnership between three Cymru
and three Irish HEIs. Jointly supporting over 300 enterprises and organisations across their lifetimes, the projects' outcomes
offer the potential to learn from previous publicly funded business support initiatives within the Cymru RIS. This paper will
use these outcomes to inform future Cymru RIS support projects that could learn from and improve on the operations of
those before it. These new projects should focus on sharing capabilities and avoiding duplication where possible,
incorporating and utilising the individual capabilities and knowledge bases of Cymru's HEIs and Science Parks, with the ability
to work on projects that combine organisations across Cymru and beyond. Further, the projects should adopt AI-enabled
software as a ‘shopfront’ to engage with users, automate the creation of RIS networks, and provide business support
templates and training that can be supplemented by additional support from project partners.

A Possible Way to Enhance European Competitiveness

2025-07-30T14:38:31+00:00

In our Conference presentation, we would like to present a possible way to enhance European Competitiveness, which is registered in the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office under the name of the “IK & International Innovation Center” Project. (Voluntary registration number: Y2500012). In the introductory part, our previous research results – primarily related to Library Innovation, generating creativity and startups and the associated social media platform – will be briefly presented. In our presentation, we will also discuss the results of university students’ responses to online questionnaires related to this topic. The International Innovation Center Project (IICP) aims to increase the competitiveness of the EU by establishing an International Innovation Center, which would be implemented in the capital of an EU member state, with the participation of all EU countries. Some main parameters: in the 27-story “Metropolis”, each EU member state would have its own floor – research lab, mini innovative exhibition area, luxury apartment – as well as a “common” innovative Startup centre (permanent interactive exhibition open to both professionals and the general public), a common, high-tech equipped, ergonomic, library research and development lab including Coworking elements, an international conference centre, a cultural and sports centre, an Innovation Park with a helipad. The Project would be an investment of a similar volume to the MOL Campus in Budapest. In the conclusion, we outline the research directions that will generate further innovation.

Hackathons as a Method for Fostering Corporate Innovation and Competitive Advantage

2025-07-07T07:29:16+00:00

Hackathons, originally rooted in the software and technology sectors, have evolved into powerful tools for corporate innovation. Today, organizations across diverse industries use them to accelerate idea generation, boost employee engagement, and strengthen competitive positioning. However, despite their growing popularity, the mechanisms by which hackathons drive innovation within firms remain underexplored in academic literature, particularly from the standpoint of innovation theory and strategic management. Much of the existing research is fragmented across disciplines such as healthcare, education, and computer science, lacking a unified framework for understanding hackathons as instruments of organizational innovation. This study addresses that gap by examining hackathons as structured innovation development mechanisms. Drawing on a comprehensive review of scholarly sources, we investigate the definitions, theoretical foundations, and practical implementations of corporate hackathons. The paper develops a conceptual model that delineates the phases, design components, critical success factors, and post-event integration processes necessary to foster sustainable innovation outcomes. Our findings suggest that hackathons support corporate innovation by enabling rapid experimentation, attracting entrepreneurial talent, and cultivating internal knowledge-sharing communities. Moreover, they provide a low-risk environment conducive to intrapreneurship and openness to change. This article contributes to the academic discourse on innovation and organizational learning by situating hackathon practices within strategic innovation frameworks. It also offers actionable insights for practitioners on how to effectively design, implement, and leverage hackathons to drive competitive advantage in dynamic and uncertain business environments.

Towards Sustainable Value Creation: Students’ Perspective of Team Learning

2025-06-03T11:21:41+00:00

This paper studies student’s perceptions to team learning and team entrepreneurship (TLE) study path that has been employed to offer students a possibility to learn as team entrepreneurs in a Finnish Higher Education Institute since 2010. The goal for the study was to explore what kind of experiences current and alumni students have about the TLE study path, and how they value their experiences. The study is part of a larger study started in 2024. Data for the paper is qualitative and consists of three different datasets, one questionnaire for current students (n=24), and another questionnaire for alumni (n=9). In addition, 17 theme-based interviews were done among the TLE alumni, total number of informants is 50. Grounded theory method including open, axial, and selective coding phases guided the data analysis. The results show that the TLE alumni value both meta-learning such as teamworking and dialogue skills and developing their content skills like understanding of how digital marketing tools are used in real customer projects. As a valuable topic discussed by the TLE alumni, was persistence to try and try again, and not to give up, to develop one’s abilities to learn. The regards the alumni wanted to send to current TLE students as well as organizing staff of the study paths was to foster to coach the ability to learn and adapt for students. In these current unpredictable times developing one’s resilience was expressed as crucial. It was also suggested that the coaching process should include some mandatory elements such a book everyone should study or tools everyone should learn to guarantee a more common knowledgebase for the team.

Effects of Regulatory Quality and Political Stability on Sustainable Competitiveness in the EU: The Mediating Role of Environmental Innovations

2025-08-05T16:46:03+00:00

With rising environmental challenges, the role of policymakers in promoting eco-innovation has become increasingly critical. This study examines how political stability and regulatory quality influence environmental innovation and sustainable competitiveness in the European Union. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) on panel data from 27 EU countries (2017–2022), the study investigates both direct and indirect effects of governance quality. The findings indicate that political stability and regulatory quality significantly enhance eco-innovation, which mediates their impact on sustainable competitiveness. A stable and predictable regulatory environment reduces uncertainty, supports investment in green technologies, and fosters private sector engagement in sustainability initiatives. These results highlight the strategic role of governance in enabling eco-innovation and advancing sustainable economic growth. The study offers practical insights for policymakers seeking to strengthen governance mechanisms—such as regulatory predictability and mission-oriented innovation policies—to create favorable conditions for eco-innovation and long-term competitiveness.

Framing Inclusion in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

2025-07-06T11:08:09+00:00

The concept of inclusion is a timeless issue that is increasingly relevant for Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (EEs) and the European policy agenda in general. EEs are dynamic and highly complex structures which are shaped by external and internal forces, and a variety of stakeholders. They present the types of cultural, social, economic, and political resources that surround and support entrepreneurs. Even within the same EE, entrepreneurs with different social and economic profiles (e.g., female entrepreneurs, disabled persons, refugees, etc.) may encounter vastly different support services and opportunities. Many studies also highlight that most current ecosystem approaches do not pay enough attention to factors that structurally exclude and marginalize certain groups in entrepreneurship. Inclusion as a term refers to the process where secure citizens have the same opportunities to participate fully in economic, social and cultural life. Hence, it highlights having a certain standard of living and well-being, considered as normal in the society and context in which they live. Additionally, it encompasses equal access to the labor market, facilities, services, and resources. Applying this approach in the context of contemporary EEs is crucial to provide opportunities for every citizen and capitalize on the capabilities of a more diverse workforce. In this context, the U.N. has called for a review of ecosystems addressing the challenge of developing enterprises by the underserved. Consequently, the question arising is how current literature addresses inclusion in the context of EEs. This study aims to identify the contemporary academic understanding around inclusion in entrepreneurship, provide insights on the challenges for inclusion in EEs, and suggest actions that can enhance EEs in terms of inclusion. This work starts from gender inclusion and expands across the spectrum of excluded groups. To address this issue, a systematic literature review was carried out encompassing the research topic concerning the relationship between EEs and inclusion followed by an analysis of the main topic and issues identified. Using this approach, this work identifies gaps in the existing EE literature around the concept of inclusion while also providing a mapping of under-researched topics and highlighting under-represented groups and their current and potential connection to EEs.

Experience With Artificial Intelligence and Attitudes Towards Social Media Copywriting

2025-06-19T16:11:46+00:00

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most discussed phenomena in social media marketing communications today. Its application offers extensive possibilities for streamlining the production of media and advertising texts, thus fundamentally changing the established methods of work of marketers. The present study investigates how individual experience with different AI technologies influences users' attitudes towards the prospectivity of AI in copywriting in the digital environment. Specifically, three areas of AI technologies were analysed: generative AI tools, natural language processing (NLP), and machine learning (ML). Data for this study was collected through quantitative research via an online questionnaire, with a total of 1308 respondents from different age and social groups. It was hypothesized that experience with these technologies would significantly influence respondents' attitudes towards the use of AI in marketing communications. Statistical analysis (chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression) confirmed these hypotheses. Respondents who had direct experience with generative AI tools, NLP or ML technologies demonstrated statistically significantly more positive attitudes towards the application of AI in content creation. However, the overall frequency of use of AI technologies had the strongest effect on positive expectations. Thus, the results point to the fact that more interaction with AI increases trust and acceptance of its applications in marketing. The findings of the study have important implications for practice. Marketers and social media managers should emphasize actively engaging customers in interactions with AI technologies, which can increase their positive perceptions of AI-generated content. The paper also discusses the limitations of the research and suggests future directions for further study, recommending a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to gain deeper insights. The study contributes to the academic debate on the importance of understanding consumer attitudes when implementing AI in digital marketing.

Low-threshold Help for Students Entrepreneurship

2025-08-04T07:05:01+00:00

Low-threshold help refers to supporting students in their own strengths on their own terms. Higher education students should be able to try entrepreneurship in a genuine realistic context, so that their knowledge and skills would accumulate for future entrepreneurship. It is important that entrepreneurs come from as diverse backgrounds as possible. Future entrepreneurs will show what our world will be like. If innovations and entrepreneurship are limited to a certain homogeneous group of young people, our world and our future companies will become very uniform. This was a case study on the entrepreneurial enthusiasm of university students in the LUT group in South Karelia. The data for this study was based on the results of a student survey conducted at LUT group in 2024, based on which obstacles to entrepreneurship were identified. In addition, six (6) students with an entrepreneurship or team learning orientation were deeply interviewed for the study. Of the respondents to the student survey (n 141), as many as 63% saw entrepreneurship as a possible career option in the future. However, students still need a lot of support for entrepreneurship. More and more respondents reported that they do not have a business idea to develop. Fear of failure was also identified as an obstacle based on the interviews. It can be difficult for a student to see themselves as an entrepreneur and recognize their own entrepreneurial readiness, unless they receive support in the process. The perception of one's own ability also reflects the courage to try and innovate new things.

Business and Competitive Intelligence Maturity Models Enhancing Decision-Making for Entrepreneurs: A Systematic Literature Review

2025-09-10T19:34:37+00:00

Entrepreneurs are essential for the growth of any economy. Hence it is imperative to ensure that sufficient support functions are put into place to support entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial initiatives. Business intelligence (BI) and Competitive intelligence (CI) enable organisations to convert raw data into meaningful insights, which significantly enhances the quality of strategic and operational decision-making, by doing so contributing to the overall sustainability of an organisation. The importance of applying BI and CI as support functions within the entrepreneurial space can contribute significantly to growth and sustainability. This study aimed to examine existing BI and CI maturity models as presented in academic literature, with the objective of identifying models that could potentially support enhanced decision-making among entrepreneurs. Through a systematic literature review, this study identified existing BI and CI models, and their adaptations, spanning over the years 2010 – 2023. Scopus was used as the database of choice due to its comprehensive coverage of academic journals, and its inclusion of a vast array of disciplines and top-quality peer-reviewed journals. The use of a PRISMA flow diagram and Mendeley ensured that the 75 articles that were identified from an initial search on Scopus, were carefully filtered through using a pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. The 10 articles that complied with all the inclusion criteria for this study were then synthesised using visualisation and textual analysis. The findings of this study contribute to entrepreneurs enhancing their BI and CI capabilities through the application of various maturity models. The findings of this study also contribute to more agile and competitive business decision-making within the entrepreneurial space.

Student’s Perceptions Towards Blackboard and Moodle as Tools for Innovative and Self-directed Learning

2025-09-10T10:28:28+00:00

A Learning Management System (LMS) contributes highly to the learning experience of university students. A Learning Management System plays a fundamental role in modern education by providing a well-organised platform for managing, delivering, and tracking learning activities. The importance of Learning Management Systems has grown significantly, as educational institutions and organisations progressively lean towards digital learning environments to promote innovative learning. Learning Management Systems such as Blackboard and Moodle can offer a flexible platform for students to foster self-directed learning, collaboration and digital competency. However, it is imperative to gain student buy-in as the success of a platform such as Blackboard or Moodle depends on student acceptance and engagement. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of university students towards two different Learning Management Systems, namely Blackboard and Moodle, as tools for innovative learning and self-directed learning. The sample for this study was made up of 196 third-year students who had experience working with both Blackboard and Moodle. Online questionnaires were sent out to the identified third-year students and responses were then analysed using both data visualisation and descriptive analysis. The results yielded from the study gave a clear guideline of the perceptions that students had towards Blackboard and Moodle as tools for innovative learning and self-directed learning. The findings of this study strongly indicate that Blackboard was perceived by students as a more effective platform for supporting innovative and self-directed learning compared to Moodle. Blackboard's structured layout, intuitive navigation, and features such as progress tracking, announcements, and virtual classrooms were frequently cited as factors that enhanced students' ability to manage their learning independently and engage creatively with course material.

Operationalizing Digital Transformation: A Capability-Based Maturity Model

2025-05-21T14:30:23+00:00

Digital transformation (DT) has become a strategic imperative for organizations navigating an era of rapid technological advancements. It deeply requires the development of capabilities that enable firms to continuously sense, seize, and reconfigure resources to sustain competitive advantage. However, despite this need, existing maturity models primarily focus on technological dimensions, often overlooking the organizational capabilities required for a systematic and effective transformation. This study addresses this shortcoming by proposing a capability-based maturity model that extends the Digital Transformation Dynamic Capability framework developed by Leso et al. (2023), operationalizing its thematic areas (designing and managing transformation, fostering digital value propositions, engaging in digital business ecosystems, systematizing structural changes, and leveraging enablers) into a structured assessment tool. By integrating dynamic capabilities theory with a maturity perspective, this model provides a comprehensive framework to evaluate an organization’s ability to undergo and sustain DT. To test the model, we conducted expert content validation and empirical testing with 43 Italian companies embedded in a digital innovation ecosystem. The results indicate that while organizations exhibit moderate to high maturity in areas such as digital innovation management and technological infrastructure, they face challenges in transformation planning and business model adaptation. These findings underscore the necessity of a strategic and capability-oriented approach to digital maturity, moving beyond a purely technological focus. By providing an actionable framework, this research equips organizations with a strategic roadmap to enhance their digital capabilities, ensuring adaptability in an increasingly complex and evolving digital landscape

Perspectives on the Development of Green Social Entrepreneurship at Universities in Poland

2025-09-19T08:26:50+00:00

Green social entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly important component of sustainable development, as
it combines economic objectives with environmental protection and social inclusion. In Poland, universities play a crucial
role in promoting this concept; however, comprehensive research on its potential remains limited. The growing interest in
the green economy and social entrepreneurship within academic settings highlights the need for deeper analysis. This study
aims to evaluate perspectives on the development of green social entrepreneurship at Polish universities, with a particular
focus on students’ perceptions of its potential, based on the case of the University of the Commission of National Education
(UNEC) in Kraków. The main hypothesis assumes that universities in Poland have significant potential to promote green social
entrepreneurship, but lack the necessary tools and institutional support, including knowledge of how to apply artificial
intelligence (AI) in this field. The study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted among students. The results indicate
that universities, such as UNEC, possess considerable potential to advance green social entrepreneurship, although this
requires enhanced intersectoral cooperation and improved access to relevant resources. The findings also show that
students increasingly recognize the importance of green entrepreneurship for sustainable development. These insights may
contribute to the formulation of strategies that support the growth of green social entrepreneurship at Polish universities,
including the integration of AI tools to promote sustainability and innovation.

Innovation Platforms: A New Perspective to Unleash the 5G Potential for MNOs

2025-07-18T10:34:31+00:00

The current economic situation of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) is far from flourishing, as the entire telecommunications industry faces financial challenges. Meanwhile, the rapid development of emerging technologies, particularly 5G, presents new strategic opportunities. Unlike previous connectivity generations, 5G is not merely an enhancement but a foundational enabler for application services, especially in the enterprise sector. Beyond its intrinsic nature as a connectivity infrastructure, 5G may serve as an innovation platform to foster the development of new business models and services. This technological shift offers MNOs a unique chance to reposition themselves within the mobile telecommunications ecosystem, avoiding the risk of becoming “commodity providers”, limited to selling connectivity per se. This study explores how MNOs can leverage 5G as an innovation platform to transform their business models and regain a central role in the telecommunications sector. Through a multiple-case study in the Italian market, findings show that MNOs are gradually transitioning from basic connectivity providers to platform orchestrators focused on service integration and value co-creation. The study advances current literature by framing 5G as an innovation platform and offers practical insights into platform governance and strategic repositioning.

The Effect of Media and Social Capital on Entrepreneurial Intention and Behaviour: Does Gender Really Matter?

2025-08-28T14:55:14+00:00

High unemployment rates have increased the importance of entrepreneurship. As a result, encouraging individuals to become self-employed is considered a viable solution for job creation. Since entrepreneurial activity is driven primarily by individuals’ intentions, it is vital to identify and assess the drivers of entrepreneurial intention and behaviour. This will help policymakers to develop and implement support programmes that could assist individuals to start their own businesses. This study examined how media, social capital, and gender influence the key determinants of entrepreneurial intention and intention among university of technology and TVET college students in Gauteng, South Africa. Additionally, the study investigated the effects of perceived behavioural control and entrepreneurial intention on entrepreneurial behaviour. Data were collected from 496 final-year TVET and university of technology students using a structured, self-administered online questionnaire. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was applied to test the hypotheses. Media and social capital were positively related to all the three determinants of entrepreneurial intention: attitude towards entrepreneurship, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms. While the media directly and significantly influences entrepreneurial intention, social capital does not. Gender was negatively related to both attitude towards entrepreneurship and perceived behavioural control but showed no significant impact on subjective norms. Attitude towards entrepreneurship and perceived behavioural control significantly influenced entrepreneurial intention, while subjective norms showed no significant effect. Entrepreneurial intention and perceived behavioural control had a direct, positive relationship with entrepreneurial behaviour. Attitude towards entrepreneurship and perceived behavioural control partially mediated the effects of the media on entrepreneurial intention. Perceived behavioural control partially mediated the effects of social capital on entrepreneurial intention. These findings suggest that leveraging both the media and social capital while accounting for gender differences could have a positive influence on entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial activity. These findings are valuable for entrepreneurship educators and policymakers in their efforts to implement interventions aimed at encouraging the youth to pursue entrepreneurship.

Epistemic Curiosity and Entrepreneurial Intentions: Insights from China's Emerging Ecosystem

2025-06-05T05:51:28+00:00

Guided by Entrepreneurial Event Theory (EET), we analysed survey data from 179 engineering students at Xi’an Jiaotong‑Liverpool University’s Entrepreneur College (Taicang) to identify what drives entrepreneurial intention (EI). Interest in entrepreneurship and epistemic curiosity (EC) emerged as the strongest predictors, with EC partially mediating the pathway from both entrepreneurial interest and perceived organisational valuing of creativity (POVC) to EI. Counter-intuitively, higher family income predicted lower EI, challenging resource-based assumptions. The model explains 42.2% of the variance in EI, consistent with prior research. Findings suggest that entrepreneurship programmes should prioritise curiosity-driven, creativity-supportive learning environments and tailor support to students' socioeconomic backgrounds. By positioning EC as a cognitive catalyst and highlighting the nuanced role of income, the study extends EET and clarifies how demographic, attitudinal, and contextual factors interact within China’s pro-innovation landscape.

The Role of Resilience and Theory of Planned Behavior Components in Shaping Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Study Among Business Students at IPS

2025-07-18T22:51:22+00:00

Entrepreneurial intention (EI) is shaped by a combination of cognitive and psychological factors. This study investigates how resilience and the three components of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) – Personal Attitudes (PA), Subjective Norms (SN), and Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC) – influence EI among undergraduate business students at the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (IPS). A quantitative approach was employed, using a structured questionnaire that combined the Entrepreneurial Intention Scale developed by Liñán and Chen (2009) with the Resilience Scale proposed by Campbell-Sills and Stein (2007). Data from 128 students were analyzed using factor analysis to confirm construct validity, followed by linear regression to test the proposed hypotheses. The results demonstrate that PA and PBC are strong positive predictors of EI, while SN has a weaker, though still significant, effect. Additionally, resilience shows a moderate but significant positive impact on EI, supporting its role as a relevant psychological contributor to entrepreneurial motivation. These findings reinforce the validity of the TPB framework while highlighting the added value of resilience. The study suggests that entrepreneurship education should not only address cognitive determinants but also integrate strategies that foster students’ psychological adaptability to better prepare them for entrepreneurial challenges.

From Idea to Business Plans: Designing a Seminar for Teaching Digital Health Entrepreneurship

2025-06-06T09:11:27+00:00

Technology entrepreneurship, together with its subfields such as digital health entrepreneurship, is gaining increasing attention, with digital transformation playing a pivotal role in shaping its landscape. This transformation has the potential to revolutionize various industries. However, technology entrepreneurship, in particular, demands a unique set of entrepreneurial competencies. To address this, we designed a seminar focused on the healthcare sector, enabling graduate students to explore the field of digital health entrepreneurship. The seminar guides students through the process of developing a Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) business model with a focus on the European Union (EU). This paper presents the conceptual design of the seminar and evaluates its effectiveness based on seminar results and participant feedback. In the seminar, students work in teams, assuming the role of an early-stage startup team in the digital health industry. Through a multi-stage design process, they identify healthcare needs, apply creative ideation techniques to generate business ideas, and refine them into comprehensive business models. The final stage involves pitching their business concept to potential investors. Additionally, seminar participants are introduced to EU medical device regulations and reimbursement pathways to develop viable revenue models. The seminar is structured around an action-based learning approach. Students first receive theoretical input, which they then apply practically to their case studies. Their work is presented in intermediate sessions, where they receive feedback from peers as well as supervisors. To support collaboration and interactive learning, several custom-designed canvases are integrated into digital interactive tools. Seasoned entrepreneurs hold guest talks to give a complementary perspective through their experience. Having been conducted over multiple semesters, the seminar has received positive feedback from participants. This work offers valuable insights into the key aspects of developing a seminar for the entrepreneurial journey of building a SaMD in the EU. It may serve as inspiration for other researchers and facilitators in the fields of technology entrepreneurship and broader entrepreneurship education.

Innovation Management in Small and Large Companies: Comparative Insights from Switzerland

2025-07-15T06:24:04+00:00

Innovation is a key driver of growth, competitiveness, and technological progress at both micro and macro levels. Despite Switzerland's position as the world’s most innovative country, there is limited research on how innovation is managed within its businesses. This study addresses this gap and explores how small and large Swiss companies establish innovation strategies, processes, and structures to achieve organisational goals. This comparative study examines innovation management in small (10–49 employees) and large (250+ employees) Swiss companies across various industries, using qualitative semi-structured interviews with innovation leaders. Findings show that while both groups prioritize innovation, their approaches differ. Large companies rely on structured processes but often face bureaucratic barriers to radical innovation. In contrast, small firms benefit from agility and intuitive practices but may lack efficiency due to informal processes and limited evaluation. Innovation culture is easier to shape in small firms through direct leadership, whereas large firms struggle to encourage risk-taking. The study suggests that large firms can enhance innovation by adopting more agile methods, while small firms could benefit from more structured planning and evaluation. This paper enriches academic understanding of innovation management by providing a qualitative comparison of small and large Swiss businesses and offers practical insights for companies and policymakers aiming to strengthen innovation capabilities.

What Drives Venture Studios Success? Uncovering Successful Configurations in the European Landscape

2025-09-03T23:17:44+00:00

This study investigates the emerging phenomenon of Venture Studios, organizations that systematically create and launch multiple startups, operating as "startup factories". While their global presence has expanded significantly, academic research on Venture Studios, and particularly on the factors driving their success, remains limited. In fact, existing literature has primarily focused on comparing Venture Studios to established Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs) and analysing their heterogeneity. To address this research gap, this study employs Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to identify the configurations of factors that lead Venture Studios to success. Leveraging a publicly available Venture Studio database and a funnelled sampling strategy, our analysis focuses on 25 European Venture Studios founded between 2009 and 2014. Building upon theoretical sampling, we examine configurations arising across five critical conditions influencing their performance at micro, meso, and macro level: founders’ entrepreneurial experience, industry specialization degree, external affiliation, international orientation, and geographic positioning within entrepreneurial ecosystems. The outcome, Venture Studios success, is defined as the ratio of successful exits achieved by a studio's startups divided by its lifetime. Our results reveal four distinct configurations leading to Venture Studio success, confirming the heterogeneity of Venture Studios, and finding that multiple pathways to performances. Previous founding experience emerges as a predominant condition, appearing in three of the four successful configurations and never being absent. Also, a compensatory relationship between specialization and location is observed, suggesting that deep domain expertise can offset geographical disadvantages and that generalist studios can leverage their advantageous positioning. These results contribute to the literature on entrepreneurial support organizations and portfolio entrepreneurship by conceptualizing Venture Studios as an institutionalized form of portfolio entrepreneurship. The study provides also actionable insights for aspiring founders, investors, and policymakers, emphasizing the importance of considering interdependent factors for Venture Studio development and success.

When Lean Startup Meets Complex Societal Problems: Challenges in Startup Early-Stage Experimentation

2025-09-03T23:21:45+00:00

In today's rapidly evolving entrepreneurial landscape, addressing complex societal challenges, or has emerged as a crucial area of focus for startups. On the other hand, startups are often encouraged to adopt experimental lean approaches, which emphasize focusing on a customer problem and developing hypotheses to envision a viable value proposition and business model. However, while lean methodologies prioritize quick iterations and scalability, they may fall short when tackling complex issues that require long-term commitment, collaboration across diverse stakeholders, and careful consideration of societal impact. The study's research question is centred on understanding how lean startup approaches can be applied to engage with stakeholders, pivot, and iterate their business models based on feedback received from various actors. To explore this, we select the mobility industry in Italy as the empirical setting for this study. Italy's urban mobility landscape presents a unique and complex context, characterized by a growing need for sustainable transport solutions, the presence of public and private sector collaboration, and the active role of diverse actors working to address these challenges. We employ an exploratory multiple-case study approach, examining five startups addressing mobility-oriented problems. A total of 13 in-depth interviews were conducted in two waves. Data was triangulated with secondary sources, such as podcasts, whitepapers, and press releases, to understand the stakeholder dynamics involved in the experimentation phase. Our findings suggest that: (i) startups typically begin with broad, ambitious goals, only to pivot toward more narrowly focused problems, thereby reducing the scope of their initial ambitions; (ii) startups addressing more complex problems tend to find support from public entities, while those focused on less wicked problems prioritize direct engagement with end-users and industry experts, as the lean startup approach suggests. Moreover, by adopting as an analytic device the three main categories derived from the lean Impact startup framework (value search, value creation, and value distribution), we identify specific challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the first two stages of the process. The study concludes by offering practical insights into how entrepreneurs can better navigate the complexities of stakeholder engagement when tackling wicked problems.

Entrepreneurship Ecosystems: The Gardener Metaphor

2025-05-27T18:43:56+00:00

This paper proposes a novel framework for understanding entrepreneurship ecosystems (EEs) through the gardener metaphor, integrating complexity theory, distributed leadership, and institutional design. Drawing on empirical insights from Manizales Más in Colombia and grounded in a design-driven, hermeneutic methodology, the metaphor reimagines EEs as dynamic, cultivated environments requiring strategic vision, adaptive care, and collaborative effort. Key components of EEs—markets, culture, human capital, public policy—are mapped onto garden elements like plants, soil, pollinators, and fertilizers. The gardener becomes a symbol of ecosystem leadership, moving beyond individualistic or laissez-faire approaches to emphasize stewardship, design, and resilience. This narrative framework bridges abstract theory and actionable strategy, offering scholars and practitioners a fresh, integrative lens for cultivating entrepreneurial ecosystems. This research contributes to the broader discourse on EEs by providing an accessible yet robust conceptual model that bridges the gap between abstract theory and practical application. The metaphorical framework enhances understanding and decision-making for policymakers, ecosystem developers, and researchers, emphasizing the importance of holistic, adaptive, and inclusive approaches to entrepreneurship support. Through this work, I invite readers to explore the intricate beauty and challenges of cultivating entrepreneurship ecosystems, drawing inspiration from the natural world to inform sustainable and impactful development.

Industrial Organisation Analysis of the Mobile Market in Latin America

2025-05-27T18:46:00+00:00

This paper examines the structure and performance of the mobile telecommunications market in six Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. Drawing on industrial organisation theory, the study focuses on the degree of market concentration and the presence of oligopolistic dynamics. Key indicators—such as market share, the number of mobile lines per operator, and the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI)—are used to assess the competitive structure of each national market. The findings reveal consistently high levels of concentration across all six countries, with América Móvil and Telefónica emerging as dominant regional players. These multinational firms maintain a significant presence in multiple markets, reinforcing a pattern of regional consolidation. In Colombia, for instance, three operators—Claro, Movistar, and Tigo—control nearly the entire mobile market, highlighting the sector’s oligopolistic nature and its implications for pricing, service quality, and innovation. The study employs a descriptive and quantitative methodology, using firm-level data and official reports from national regulators and organisations such as ECLAC. It also incorporates insights from the literature on strategic firm behavior and product differentiation to contextualise how dominant actors maintain market power. Despite the existence of regulatory frameworks aimed at fostering competition, the research finds that enforcement is often insufficient to curb concentration. Strategic behaviors—such as service bundling, infrastructure control, and aggressive marketing—allow dominant firms to entrench their position. This paper contributes empirical evidence on telecommunications market dynamics in emerging economies and calls for stronger regulatory mechanisms and regional coordination to promote fairer, more competitive, and inclusive digital markets.

Harnessing Generative AI as a Knowledge Companion in the Venture Creation Process: An Exploratory Study

2025-05-20T05:46:30+00:00

Artificial intelligence is creating an astute impact on new venture creation. In recent years, large language models (LLMs), such as Generative AI (GenAI), have played a pivotal role in adopting artificial intelligence. GenAI is a potential instrument for providing knowledge, assistance and suggesting ideas throughout various entrepreneurial phases. Entrepreneurs can leverage GenAI to identify and exploit novel business opportunities in the dynamic market. GenAI may serve as a knowledge base in the entrepreneurial learning of nascent entrepreneurs. However, the adoption of GenAI in venture creation from an entrepreneur’s perspective has received limited attention. This research delves into the capabilities of GenAI as a knowledge companion for nascent entrepreneurs on their entrepreneurial path. This study uses a qualitative approach comprising semi-structured interviews with nascent entrepreneurs to explore the application of GenAI, precisely ChatGPT, in the early stages of venture creation. The thematic analysis uncovered patterns in how participants leverage Generative AI throughout their entrepreneurial journeys. Findings support the capabilities of GenAI to be a knowledge repository in venture creation. The key themes that emerge from the analysis are idea and opportunity recognition, market research, operation, and business incorporation. The study highlights ChatGPT's ability to make the venture creation process more cost-effective. ChatGPT can be an accessible and multifunctional tool for entrepreneurs to create a venture without prior knowledge or experience. The themes are associated with the utility of ChatGPT in the venture creation process by nascent entrepreneurs. The study contributes to the growing literature on AI's role in the venture creation process. This extends the scope of human-AI collaboration to exploit entrepreneurial opportunities and foster innovative entrepreneurial pathways.

Unraveling the Role of Culture in Social Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

2025-06-10T06:50:51+00:00

This study explores the role of culture in shaping social entrepreneurship ecosystems with a lens of context dependent framework on culture. While ecosystems have been studied in terms of actors, networks, and resources, the cultural layer remains understudied. Responding to the lack of in-depth, culturally informed analysis beyond broad syntheses in literature on the topic, this study sheds light on national social-enterprise ecosystems through Abramson’s context-dependent model to show how locally embedded values, meanings, resources and motivations shape, and are in turn shaped by entrepreneurial ecosystem dynamics, thus extending existing theory. A qualitative content analysis is used to analyze four EU social enterprise ecosystem country reports in terms of how they describe cultural meanings, resources and motivations in the country’s social enterprise ecosystem. The findings shed light on which cultural elements are emphasized within social entrepreneurship ecosystems across different country contexts. Through cross-analysis, four thematic categories are identified, describing cultural elements emphasized in the country’s social enterprise ecosystems, welfare and institutional models, history of cooperatives, associations, perceptions of entrepreneurship, the role of institutions and the overlapping category of values and norms. This study argues culture in social entrepreneurial ecosystems should be studied viewing culture as an overarching and inseparable dimension, from a more heuristic point of view. The key themes that emerge from the study are the role of welfare systems, perceptions of entrepreneurship, institutions and values. These themes function as symbolic carriers of cultural meanings in social entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Empowering Malaysian Women Entrepreneurs in Small Enterprises Through Institutional Support

2025-05-26T03:42:21+00:00

Women-owned small businesses are essential to Malaysia’s socio-economic growth. However, they face challenges such as limited access to funding, education, and industry connections. Although institutional support is available, it often lacks a gender-focused approach and does not fully address the unique struggles women entrepreneurs face, particularly within patriarchal cultural systems and male-dominated industries. This study explores how institutional support can empower women entrepreneurs by using institutional work theory through the aspects of create, maintain, and disrupt to examine how formal and informal systems help them succeed. Through a detailed review of academic research, policy documents, and international case studies, this study is a conceptual paper that identifies key gaps in financial aid, mentorship, training, and networking opportunities. It compares Malaysia’s efforts with global best practices to highlight areas that need improvement. The findings show that women entrepreneurs require targeted, gender-specific programs to overcome the barriers they face. Many existing programs do not consider the social and structural challenges that make it harder for women to grow their businesses. Beyond financial support, this study highlights the importance of mentorship, policy changes, and skills training in promoting gender equality and inclusive economic growth. These elements are crucial for helping women entrepreneurs succeed and expand their businesses. Additionally, this study calls for policy reforms that focus on gender-inclusive strategies within Malaysia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. By closing the gap between available support and the real needs of women entrepreneurs, this research offers practical recommendations for policymakers, business leaders, and support organizations. Strengthening institutional frameworks will not only help women entrepreneurs but also drive economic progress and sustainable development in Malaysia. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for a more inclusive and structured approach to supporting women entrepreneurs. By aligning policies with global best practices, Malaysia can create a fairer and more supportive business environment, allowing women entrepreneurs to thrive and contribute more effectively to national development.

Development and Validation Measures for Green Entrepreneurship and Environmental Sustainability of SMEs in Nigeria

2025-07-04T00:52:35+00:00

The global emphasis on environmental sustainability has placed pressure on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to embrace green entrepreneurial practices. Despite increasing global emphasis on sustainable business practices, empirical tools tailored to the Nigerian SME context remain scarce. This research aimed to develop and validate measurement scales that incorporated five proxies of green entrepreneurship (environmental entrepreneurship, green institutional entrepreneurship, and green market appropriating entrepreneurship, green producer-focused and green customer-focused informational entrepreneurship) as well as ecological entrepreneurship of SMEs in Nigerian context. A total of 313 entrepreneurs took part in this research. Data were analyzed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), by the use of partial least square – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The reliability was achieved through the composite reliability (rho_a and rho_c), outer loading constructs, and cronbach’s alpha. The validity was performed through convergent validity which was obtained by measuring the average variance extracted (AVE), while the discriminant validity of the instrument was confirmed through heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT). CR and AVE values showed a satisfactory level to establish measurement model and all values assed to prove discriminant validity achieved the HTMT criterion. Model fit assessment was performed through SRMR and NFI criteria, which confirmed the study’s model fit as sufficiently robust to support further analysis. Fundamentally, the development and validation of measurement scale through PLS-SEM has showed that the scales developed in this research are valid and statistically reliable.

Customer-Centric Digital Business Training: Evaluation of Entrepreneurs’ Skills and Training Content

2025-06-06T06:08:49+00:00

In an increasingly digitalised business environment, customer-centricity has become a key factor in ensuring long-term success and competitiveness for micro-enterprises. Understanding the needs of the customer is essential for developing sustainable and valuable digital services, as it enables micro-enterprises to target products and services efficiently. As customer needs and digital services are changing and evolving, the digital skills and competences of micro-enterprises often need to be developed or regularly refreshed. To understand how digital business training can foster a customer-centric approach in entrepreneurs, this paper examines the outcomes of a project providing digital skills training for micro-enterprises in the South Savo region, Finland. This two-year case study evaluates the effectiveness of the digital business training in developing customer understanding. The research questions are: 1) How do micro-entrepreneurs assess their level of customer understanding before and after attending the project’s training sessions? 2) How successful has the project been in fostering and supporting customer-centricity and understanding through its training programs? Following a customer-centric approach grounded in the theoretical literature, we surveyed 129 entrepreneurs using a questionnaire on digital business competences. Using metrics, we assessed the entrepreneur's level of customer understanding and the supporting business practices. Further, we analysed the content of 29 different digital business training courses to evaluate how they support, or not, entrepreneurs in improving their focus on the customer and the types of customer-oriented actions in their business operations. The results reveal that project contributed to a visible improvement in entrepreneurs’ customer-related competencies. Digital business training courses supported this by using customer-oriented methods and training sessions themselves being described in customer-centric way. More research would be needed on assessing the long-term impact of customer-centric digital business training on micro-enterprises’ operational practices, customer engagement, and sustained business growth, particularly in how newly acquired competencies are maintained, adapted to evolving digital environments, and translated into measurable business outcomes over time.

The Courage to Cross Over: A Case Study of Identity Evolution in Academic Entrepreneurship

2025-06-11T05:24:10+00:00

This study examines unexpected events and critical incidents that shape identity development in an academic entrepreneur. Using an intensive case study approach, we analyse how these critical incidents influence identity reconstruction, entrepreneurial motivation, and the shift from academic to entrepreneurial contexts. We also study the role of experienced colleagues in fostering the courage to take the first entrepreneurial step. The research data consists of in-depth interviews with the entrepreneur and observations made over six years on their career development. Their company has since secured significant seed funding and a partnership with a global investor. Additional data sources include press releases and media reports, investor pitching materials, and company records from the Orbis database. The data is analysed through a Critical sensemaking (Helms Mills, Thurlow & Mills, 2010) framework, highlighting identity construction in the social context, where interactions and events shape decision-making. Individual passion and will, environmental factors, and the social dynamics of existing networks characterise personal development from academic researcher to entrepreneur. While the outcome was a successful business, alternative paths remained equally viable. In the early stages, high hopes and unrealistic expectations often drive decisions. However, after establishing a formal company, the entrepreneur faces increased responsibilities, such as ensuring employee salaries and satisfying shareholders. According to our research, only at this stage does the academic identity undergo a true transformation. European innovation policies and university strategies encourage researchers to commercialise their research-based inventions. Although forms of support have been developed for starting a company, external support is often lacking for researchers' support and growth. This study highlights critical stages where forms of support should be developed to meet society's expectations. The path from researcher to entrepreneur is not linear but characterised by interactions of internal and external factors. This study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurial identity by demonstrating through a critical sensemaking approach how social contexts influence the evolution of academic entrepreneurs. Research shows that different forms of support are needed for the researcher-entrepreneur path to meet societal expectations.

Paradoxes and Creativity in Organizations: A Theoretical Exploration

2025-06-20T11:03:57+00:00

Following the expansion of innovation as a research topic, scholars have discussed or proposed new approaches and theories. Within the field of public sector innovation, the hypothesis about the positive impact of collaboration (or co-creation) on public sector innovation has been studied or advocated. Within the field of diversity management, the positive influence of different types of diversity on innovation is explored. Within the field of organizational paradox studies, several have argued for a positive link between adopting paradoxical frames and generating creative or innovative solutions (Smith and Tushman, 2005; Miron-Spektor, Gino and Argote, 2011; Lewis and Smith, 2022). Although all three examples could be topics of theoretical exploration, the focus of this paper will be on the third example. While several refer to the idea of working with paradoxes (paradoxical frames) and Albert Rothenberg’s idea of janusian thinking as a central reference, few studies have focused on this idea per se and its cross-disciplinary travel and use in organization and management studies. Motivated by this observation, this paper asks: What are the empirical and theoretical arguments behind the theoretical idea—and how is it relevant to contemporary organizations? To answer this question, this paper focuses on the sources, development, diffusion, use, and relevance of the idea of paradoxical frames. The theoretical discussion is based on a selection of publications in two areas: (i) publications that cover the spread of theoretical ideas of paradoxical thinking and (ii) literature from the field of organizational paradox studies that discuss the idea. The discussion could be of interest to those interested in creativity and/or organizational paradoxes.

Between Tradition and Agility: How Swiss Start-ups are Overcoming the Consequences of Individualisation Through Market Segmentation and the 'Lean Start-up' Approach

2025-07-15T12:43:34+00:00

This study investigates how Swiss startups address the challenges posed by increasingly individualised customer needs through traditional market segmentation and Lean Startup principles. The ongoing process of individualisation is leading to a shift towards self-determination, different lifestyles and complex customer interactions. The diversity of customers is increasing, and start-ups are forced to respond methodically to this situation. Using a qualitative content analysis of 44 business plans submitted to the Swiss Innovation Challenge (2022–2023), the study identifies the methods and procedures employed by startups to manage this customer differentiation. The findings show that while traditional segmentation and qualitative data collection are widely used, Lean Startup elements—especially the build-measure-learn loop—are less consistently applied. The study concludes that a hybrid approach combining traditional and Lean Startup methods enhances customer-centric innovation. These insights have implications for startup support programs and future research on entrepreneurial adaptation in dynamic markets.

Exploring Digital Innovation Issues in Luxury Hospitality Enterprises Towards EU Funding Status

2025-07-05T11:01:39+00:00

The current study explores the trends of the technological advancements with regard to digital tools utilised by 4&5-star hotels, in order to identify how the relevant Cypriot market is in alignment with such innovative practices, leading oftentimes to improved entrepreneurial growth. Additionally, it emphasizes whether such enterprises are willing to implement such advanced instruments in order to ensure higher productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness. More specifically, this primary research strives to examine the strategic role of managerial decisions in applying cutting-edge technological tools and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their operations in order to achieve sustainability and deploy innovation as well as ensure organisational resilience supported by EU funds. Empirically, qualitative study was conducted by tracing the views and experiences of 12 business executives within the Cypriot hospitality sector. Convenience sampling was employed by the research team to recruit potential participants before semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out in the field, respectively. Moreover, through the perspectives of interviewees, the research offers insights of Cyprus' market reality, by taking into account that tourism constitutes the flagship of the country’s economy. Findings indicate that digital innovation applications play a pivotal role in the ongoing digital transformation of the examined luxury tourism enterprises whilst they are prevalent used in certain internal and external functions ensuring enhanced organisational resilience and entrepreneurial competitiveness. Additionally, the support EU programmes, derived from the Green Deal, appear to be impactful on the establishment of the aforementioned digital equipment. Furthermore, conclusions, and recommendations provide a basis for future research on the specific topic, especially regarding certain EU policies contributed to enterprises' resilience process. Lastly, study's evidence could be useful to European and National institutions that deal with challenges towards digital transformation and formulate relevant policies as well as potential and active entrepreneurs in the field.

How to Boost Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Higher Education Institutions

2025-07-23T10:16:40+00:00

Entrepreneurship and innovation are critical drivers of economic growth, employment creation, and societal development. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a key role in fostering entrepreneurial mindsets and creating innovation-driven ecosystems. However, many universities face challenges, including rigid academic structures, limited industry linkages, and insufficient support programs for academic startups. Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to explore strategies to enhance entrepreneurship and innovation in HEIs by integrating entrepreneurship education, establishing innovation hubs, strengthening industry-academia partnerships, and improving access to funding and mentorship. A robust entrepreneurial ecosystem within HEIs requires a multidisciplinary approach that embeds entrepreneurship in curricula across disciplines. This includes experiential learning methodologies such as business simulations, bootcamps, project-based collaborations, and startup incubators, allowing students to develop problem-solving and risk-taking skills, as well as consider creating their own company as a way of employability. Additionally, faculty members' engagement in entrepreneurial activities, supported by incentives for research commercialization, is crucial for fostering a culture of innovation. This study examines INOPOL – The Entrepreneurship Academy of the Polytechnic University of Coimbra (PUC) – as a case study to illustrate how academic institutions can foster entrepreneurial ecosystems. The findings indicate that INOPOL has played a significant role in integrating entrepreneurship education, promoting innovation, supporting business creation, and facilitating collaboration between academia and industry. A key initiative, Poliempreende, is a national program that provides mentorship, networking, financial support, and incubation opportunities for student-led startups within the polytechnic education network. The results also point out the importance of strategic partnerships in strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems, providing students with practical experience, mentorship, employment opportunities, and access to funding. Furthermore, the adoption of intellectual property policies that promote technology transfer and the valorisation of research outputs emerges as a crucial success factor. INOPOL has contributed to advancing PUC’s third mission while providing a dynamic and transferable model for integrating entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education.

Overcoming the Energy Crisis: Strategic Responses of Italian SMEs

2025-08-28T14:35:38+00:00

Permacrisis is a term that captures the uncertainty of our era, marked by overlapping crises such as wars, pandemics, economic turmoil, and the looming threat of recession. In such volatile times, understanding how organizations adapt and thrive is critical, not just for survival but for future resilience. This study focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), investigating how they develop and leverage dynamic capabilities to effectively navigate crises. Using the energy crisis as a focal point, the research examines the strategic responses of twelve Italian SMEs through three critical phases of crisis management: pre-crisis preparation, in-crisis adaptation, and post-crisis recovery. Adopting a qualitative methodology, this research employs in-depth case studies to construct a comprehensive model that integrates process and variance analyses. By addressing the central research question—how SMEs develop and use dynamic capabilities to gain competitive advantages in response to crises—this study uncovers critical insights into organizational response. The findings reveal that SMEs implement tailored strategies for each crisis phase. In the pre-crisis phase, firms focus on risk anticipation, environmental scanning, and building resource flexibility. During the crisis, they engage in rapid reconfiguration, leveraging innovation and collaboration to mitigate disruptions. In the post-crisis phase, they consolidate lessons learned, embedding them into their operational frameworks to enhance long-term resilience. These efforts lead to the emergence of first-order dynamic capabilities, which, over time, evolve into second-order capabilities. This study highlights how these dynamic capabilities enable SMEs to navigate uncertainty, capitalize on emerging opportunities, even in adverse conditions. Furthermore, it provides actionable insights for practitioners seeking to enhance organizational resilience. By combining theoretical rigor with practical relevance, this research advances the understanding of crisis management strategies and the evolution of dynamic capabilities, contributing to academic discussions and providing a roadmap for fostering resilience in SMEs.

Exploring the Microfoundations of Open Innovation: Insights from the Italian SME-Startup Collaborative Landscape

2025-08-28T14:25:27+00:00

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and innovative startups play a crucial role in driving economic growth and technological advancement. Open Innovation (OI) has emerged as a key strategy for these firms to access external knowledge and foster collaboration. However, while OI research has largely focused on large corporations or SMEs, limited attention has been given to the microfoundations that shape OI collaborations between SMEs and startups. This study addresses this gap by examining the individual and organizational factors that influence the success or failure of such partnerships. While both SMEs and startups face resource constraints and legitimacy challenges, they differ significantly in their market positioning, operational structures, and strategic priorities. SMEs typically have established industry expertise, stable customer bases, and access to financial resources, yet may struggle with rigid processes and risk aversion. Startups, in contrast, are characterized by agility, innovation-driven mindsets, and exploratory approaches but often lack financial stability, market access, and operational experience. These complementarities present both opportunities and challenges for OI collaborations. Adopting a multiple-case study approach, we analyse seven OI projects in the Italian context, each involving an SME and a startup. Through qualitative interviews and secondary data analysis, we identify key microfoundations that enable or hinder collaboration. Additionally, we introduce a framework to explore how different microfoundations interact, showing that enabling factors can yield mixed or negative outcomes when combined with other elements. This research contributes to the OI literature by providing a nuanced understanding of the micro-level dynamics that shape SME-startup collaborations. The study also offers practical implications for managers and policymakers, emphasizing the need for targeted support mechanisms that facilitate strategic alignment and mitigate potential collaboration frictions.

Flexibility’s Price: Are Workers in the Gig Economy Thriving or Just Surviving?

2025-05-24T15:48:20+00:00

The gig economy has reshaped traditional labor markets, offering new earning opportunities—but at what cost? This study examines the financial realities and job quality of gig workers operating through digital platforms in the Metropolitan Area of Lima, Peru, focusing on drivers and couriers employed by the region’s most widely used ride-hailing and food delivery apps. Drawing from survey data collected from over 400 gig workers, this research evaluates their income stability, working conditions, and access to essential digital tools. The findings reveal a double-edged sword: while gig work provides quick access to income and a degree of autonomy, it is also characterized by precarious employment conditions, including unpredictable earnings, job insecurity, and the absence of critical benefits such as health insurance, paid leave, and retirement plans. Many workers rely on multiple platforms to piece together a livable income, highlighting the instability of gig-based employment. Moreover, despite their reliance on digital tools, many workers face technological barriers such as limited training, outdated devices, and inconsistent internet access, further complicating their ability to compete in this evolving labor market. This study also highlights workers' growing dependence on the very digital platforms that mediate and control their work, raising questions about who truly benefits—those striving to earn a living or the platforms profiting from their labor. This dynamic underscores a power imbalance, where risks are shouldered by workers while rewards flow to platform operators. Additionally, the study explores the challenges faced by regulators in adapting labor protections to a rapidly evolving digital workforce. By shedding light on these pressing issues, this research contributes to the global debate on the sustainability of gig work. It urges policymakers, platform operators, and other stakeholders to develop stronger labor protections, fairer wages, and improved working conditions, fostering a more equitable and sustainable economic model for the future.

The Role of Digital Technologies and AI on the Development of Entrepreneurial Mindset in First-Year University Students

2025-08-06T14:47:12+00:00

In the context of an increasingly digitalized world, entrepreneurship education must adapt to new technological paradigms to effectively prepare students for future challenges. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the ways in which first-year university students engage with entrepreneurial learning, influencing their mindset, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. This study explores the extent to which AI-driven tools, digital platforms, and online collaborative environments contribute to the early development of an entrepreneurial mindset among first-year students in higher education. Through questionnaire surveys, this research investigates how students interact with digital learning resources, including AI-driven business simulations, virtual mentorship programs, and automated feedback systems. The study seeks to analyze whether these technologies enhance students’ ability to identify opportunities, develop resilience, and think innovatively, key characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. Additionally, the research assesses potential barriers, such as gaps in digital literacy, resistance to AI adoption, and ethical concerns related to data privacy and bias in AI-generated recommendations. The results of this study will provide valuable insights into the role of AI and digitalization in the development of students’ entrepreneurial skills, both in terms of pedagogical outcomes, such as the ability to deliver presentations, work in teams, or solve case studies, and in fostering creative and innovative ideas with the potential for business creation. Ultimately, this study contributes to the ongoing debate on the role of AI and digitalization in transforming entrepreneurship education. By understanding the impact of these technologies on first-year students, we can develop more effective learning strategies that not only enhance entrepreneurial thinking but also empower students to become problem solvers and innovators in an ever-changing global market.

An Exploration on the Impacts of Public R&D Policies

2025-07-14T11:55:14+00:00

This paper explores the role of public funding and policies in supporting research, development, and innovation (RD&I) across various national contexts, including both developed and developing countries. The analysis assesses the impacts of such policies on innovation capacity, economic growth, and the generation of positive externalities via integrated innovation systems. Challenges faced by National Innovation Systems (NIS)—such as fragmentation between the public and private sectors and limited technological absorption—are critically examined. The paper presents practical examples highlighting the value of public-private partnerships and long-term strategic agendas to enhance RD&I outcomes. The study concludes that a coordinated approach, integrating academia, government, and industry, is vital for promoting sustainable innovation and global socioeconomic development.

Artificial Intelligence and Green Innovation: A Pathway to Sustainable Business Practices

2025-07-02T23:08:29+00:00

Companies today face growing challenges in becoming sustainable. Sustainable business models help companies address environmental, social, and economic problems in creative and responsible ways. This study looks at how artificial intelligence (AI) supports sustainable business models, with a focus on the role of green innovation (such as eco-friendly technologies) in this process. A correlational research design, structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to survey data collected from 118 senior managers and executives working in science and technology parks across Iran. The findings reveal that AI significantly strengthens both green innovation practices and sustainable business models. Furthermore, green innovation not only directly enhances sustainable business models but also acts as a mediator in the relationship between AI and long-term sustainability outcomes. This suggests a sequential relationship: AI adoption drives advancements in green innovation, which in turn enables organizations to reimagine their business models to align with global sustainability goals.

Business Advisors and SMEs in the Digital Era: Essential Skills

2025-06-09T10:23:38+00:00

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in the European economy, but they often face challenges in keeping up with digitalisation. Business advisors serve as an essential part of the support infrastructure for SMEs. This article explores the alignment between SMEs' digital needs and the digital know-how and future priorities of business advisors. The central research question is: How well do the current competencies and future development priorities of business advisors correspond with the digital development needs expressed by SMEs? The study follows a descriptive and comparative research approach, based on two online survey datasets: one targeting 118 SMEs and the other 100 business advisors from different public advisory organisations in Finland. The results indicate that SMEs and business advisors agree on key areas of digital competence. Although both groups share a mutual understanding of digital priorities, there are differences in the use of tools, which can undermine the effectiveness of business advice. To effectively support SMEs, business advisors need to have up-to-date digital skills and the organisational conditions to apply them in practice. Bridging these gaps requires targeted training, better application of digital tools in daily work and continuous competence development for both business advisors and SMEs.

Reframing Innovation: Contextualizing Resilient Intrapreneurship and Social Value in Academic Libraries through the FluxLib Model

2025-05-13T03:47:52+00:00

This study reconceptualizes opportunity recognition (OR)—a core entrepreneurial competency—as a culturally embedded behavior within academic libraries. Drawing on case studies from Malaysia and New Zealand, we explore how librarians practice resilient intrapreneurship—the ability to initiate, adapt, and sustain innovation amid constraints. Using the FluxLib framework, we show that Malaysian librarians anchor innovation in spiritual values and policy alignment, while their New Zealand counterparts rely on intercultural reflexivity and distributed leadership. Despite differing institutional logics, both demonstrate behaviors that generate socially meaningful innovation aligned with the Third Mission of universities. The study advances entrepreneurial competency theory through culturally responsive constructs such as spiritually anchored motivation, curated participation, and empowered vulnerability. We also provide practical pathways for embedding innovation-readiness in resource-constrained, culturally diverse environments. By shifting the focus from individualist, market-oriented entrepreneurship to embedded intrapreneurial behaviors, FluxLib offers a transferable framework for building socially impactful innovation ecosystems in public knowledge institutions. However, the findings are limited to selected institutions and cultural contexts. Future research may test the FluxLib framework across other national settings or apply it in longitudinal studies to examine sustainability over time.

Key Determinants of Economic Growth in Central and Eastern European Countries in 1995-2019

2025-09-01T10:11:11+00:00

The single greatest enlargement of the European Union happened in 2004, when ten new countries joined, eight of which were from Central and Eastern Europe, known as CEE. Economic growth matters to all countries, but it is particularly important for those that have recently become members of the European Union. This study aims to research the economic growth of three Central and Eastern European countries: Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Specifically, it investigates the relationship between economic growth and several key determinants, such as Foreign Direct Investment, Inflation, Research and Development and Unemployment. This paper identifies which of these issues are in fact the main determinants of economic growth, especially affecting gross domestic product. Time series annual data are used for the period from 1995 to 2019, OLS regression analysis is carried out for three CEE countries to test variables in each of the selected countries. The choice of the research period results from the reasons regarding the availability of data and the emergence of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which significantly influenced the international economic situation. The main conclusion is that inflation negatively impacted the economic growth of all three analysed countries. While, it is also noted that Hungarian economic growth was positively impacted by foreign direct investment, and economic growth in the Czech Republic was positively impacted by research and development. Also, in Poland the economic growth was negatively affected by a high rate of unemployment. This study contributes to the existing literature by identifying key determinants of economic growth in CEE countries. This research can be useful for policymakers who can observe CEE countries to see how specific determinants impact economic growth. The motivation to undertake the research resulted from the personal scientific interests of the authors and the revealed cognitive gap.

Exploring Montenegro’s Entrepreneurship: Connecting Structural Support and Entrepreneurial Intentions

2025-07-11T10:01:27+00:00

Entrepreneurship is a critical driver of economic development in emerging economies like Montenegro. However, structural challenges, including fragmented access to funding, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and uneven entrepreneurial education, continue to hinder small business growth. Prior studies using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) framework have predominantly focused on student samples. While valuable, such studies often overlook real-world barriers non-student entrepreneurs face, such as regulatory burdens, informal financing, and post-launch instability. This gap is especially relevant in Montenegro, where structural inefficiencies remain underexamined yet heavily impact entrepreneurial action. This study evaluates Montenegro’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by integrating structural factors (government policy, funding, and entrepreneurial education) and personal motivations (attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioural control) through the TPB and GEM frameworks. Public awareness is examined as a factor linking institutional support to entrepreneurial outcomes. A survey of 189 Montenegrin citizens—sampled through non-student random and convenience methods—was used to test the hypotheses on the relationships embedded in the study’s model that connects structural factors and the TPB. The paper’s findings validate its model in that perceived behavioural control (H2), personal attitudes (H1), and subjective norms (H3) significantly influence entrepreneurial intentions. Additionally, structural elements—public policy (H5), entrepreneurial education (H4), and financing options (H6)—significantly influence perceived behavioural control, personal attitudes, and subjective norms, respectively. Public awareness also emerged as an important mediating factor; respondents already engaged in entrepreneurship reported greater familiarity with available resources, correlating with stronger entrepreneurial intentions. The validated model suggests that Montenegro has a bright entrepreneurial future if it can address deficiencies in structural factors. Limitations include a modest sample size and reliance on self-reported data within a geographically limited population, which may affect generalizability. Future research should expand demographic diversity, apply longitudinal designs, and incorporate mixed methods to validate results. This study contributes to understanding entrepreneurship in developing contexts by demonstrating how structural and psychological factors interact. Practical implications include launching targeted awareness campaigns, improving policy communication, and embedding entrepreneurship education in curricula.

Social Entrepreneurship as a Catalyst for Reducing Urban Inequalities: Challenges and Opportunities in Montijo, Portugal

2025-08-21T22:22:27+00:00

Social entrepreneurship has stood out as a promising approach to addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities in urban contexts. This study explores the main structural challenges and opportunities for social entrepreneurship in the parishes of Montijo and Afonsoeiro, Portugal. Using a qualitative approach based on focus groups with local stakeholders, including civil society representatives, social entrepreneurs, associations, and government entities, the research identifies key barriers such as limited access to economic opportunities, social exclusion, and inadequate infrastructure. The findings reveal the transformative potential of socially oriented entrepreneurial initiatives, particularly when supported by strong and collaborative local networks. This work contributes to the understanding of urban vulnerabilities and highlights the importance of supportive ecosystems in promoting inclusive and sustainable development. The insights generated are relevant for policymakers, social entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations committed to fostering social innovation in similar urban settings.

Mapping and Analysing the Scottish SME Landscape to Support Change Management Initiatives

2025-07-24T16:10:48+00:00

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are recognised as key drivers of economic growth. Despite their significant contributions, Scottish SMEs face many challenges and barriers when transitioning from a start-up to scale-up, including, for example, adapting to organisational structures, securing funding, and having limited time to develop innovation strategies. This study aims to understand the change management needs of Scottish SMEs in the scale-up phase and map the current business support landscape while exploring how these needs are perceived by support consultants. The paper begins by setting the context of the SME landscape across Scotland before describing how the data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with business support and change management consultants to determine the strategic barriers that SMEs face. The technique of empathy mapping was used to initially visualise and document SME needs, followed by a Thematic Analysis (TA) to uncover deeper research themes and insights. The findings reveal specific challenges related to mindset, leadership, and cultural factors that impact growth and change management for SMEs. The research also highlights the importance of business community engagement, the necessity of open-mindedness and receptiveness to external advice in enabling SME founders to grow and change. The paper concludes by discussing trends and gaps in the SME support landscape and emergent opportunities for intervention, laying the groundwork for a broader conversation on the systemic conditions shaping SME success in Scotland and underscoring the need for further research into how support for SMEs is designed and implemented in an ever-evolving landscape of small business growth.

Entrepreneurial Learning and Entrepreneurship Education in Business: Τhe Case of the Aegean Archipelago

2025-08-01T10:32:41+00:00

Entrepreneurial learning and entrepreneurship education are two distinct concepts which, even though they are often considered identical, are clearly differentiated in academic literature. While a significant number of studies have explored the ways in which entrepreneurship is taught within formal education systems, such as university programs and structured training initiatives, there are also studies emphasizing experiential forms of entrepreneurial learning. These include learning through observation, accumulated experience, and informal knowledge-sharing mechanisms, which are fundamentally different from structured educational approaches. This research aimed to map the landscape of entrepreneurial knowledge and education among businesses and entrepreneurs in the Aegean Archipelago, addressing a notable gap in the documentation of entrepreneurial activity in this geographically specific context. Drawing on data collected from 512 businesses/entrepreneurs, the research provides valuable insights into how entrepreneurial learning and entrepreneurship education are perceived, acquired, and applied. The findings shed light on both the formal and informal mechanisms through which entrepreneurs develop their skills, offering a comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurship in peripheral and regional environments.

Advancement of Blockchain Technology for Innovation and Efficiency in Business Models

2025-05-18T02:41:55+00:00

The augmenting business advancement and the advent of Artificial Intelligence build the business process to develop novel ways of collaboration. Digitalization of business is fostered and data privacy can be provided through blockchain technology. Blockchain enhances security, trust, transparency, and instant traceability among employees. It utilizes a shared and static ledger with the members of a business process who have permission for its access. It reduces errors, and paperwork, and minimizes overheads and transaction costs. It eliminates the requirement of middlemen to verify transactions. Thus, it contributes to cost savings by improving the efficiency, speed, and automation of business processes. The application of Blockchain has continuously evolved since its first inception in cryptocurrency. This paper is based on the innovation and efficiency provided through the introduction of blockchain technology to innovative business models. The research surveys literature to obtain a comprehension of the opportunities provided by blockchain in enhancing business. It bestows altering and upgrading business models to the needs of customers, suppliers, and competitors. The study suggests that the combined impact of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Sensing Technology with blockchain has the potential to provide remarkable benefits to the business. Its ingenuity empowers organisations to work with their business partners in a protected environment. It provides numerous incentives to transform consumers into blockchain business models. Employing blockchain technology in business models facilitates the application of cryptography and tokenization. Start-up firms use initial coin offerings (ICOs) to generate investments through crowdfunding of these token-based ecosystems. This research would assist organisations in innovating their business models through the implementation of blockchain technology and enhance efficiency, security, and transparency in their business.

A Clash of Paradigms: Hidden Paradigms Within Entrepreneurship Pedagogy

2025-06-29T21:17:40+00:00

As the literature around entrepreneurship pedagogy matures and the number of entrepreneurship programmes continue to flourish, we see a clash of paradigms that hide assumptions about what success is and how success is internalised as an internal cognitive schema. This has implications for the way entrepreneurship is viewed by stakeholders, how behaviour success is measured and how it is taught to aspiring students. The goal of this paper is to examine two contradicting paradigms we propose underlie much of existing entrepreneurship pedagogy. Based on existing literature, this paper develops and draws on two main extreme alternative entrepreneurship approaches that is found in literature: The individualistic competitive approach (i.e. often populated by Individuals with problematic narcissistic tendencies) versus the collectivist team-based approach (i.e. embedding extensive psychological safety and a collectivist logic). The previous approach in some of the literature, have been proposed to give superior outcomes in terms of economic measures. More recent research however questions this approach and its outcomes. Among others, the dependent variables on which the more individualistic research orients do not account for the wider set of value(s) that mission-driven and sustainable entrepreneurship build. As such, the two approaches represent different paradigms of entrepreneurship and what entrepreneurship is about. The paper uses existing literature and document analysis of the entrepreneurship programme descriptions at the master level across Europe, Asia and the US. We classify the dominance of the different approaches across programmes and geographies using online available descriptions from the university’s sites. As such, we develop insights into the underlying values and assumptions on which the programmes are based and the consistency of their learning outcomes, given their orientation. The findings illustrate that both paradigms are found in most entrepreneurship programmes, but with different emphasis, while at the same time addressing the difficulties of integrating the two paradigms in the same educational programmes.

Tools for Impact Measurement of University and Scientific Institution on Innovation Development

2025-08-25T21:51:50+00:00

Nowadays innovations are very important for entrepreneurship and economic development. In turn, academic staff and students employed in universities and scientific institutions create the knowledge needed to develop innovation. Traditionally, new knowledge generated by universities and scientific institutions is offered to the general public in the form of scientific articles, monographs or patents. It is therefore important to clarify the efficiency of the involvement of academic staff and students in the production of scientific articles, monographs and patents. The above efficiency indicators can serve as tools for measuring the impact of universities and scientific institutions on innovation development. The object of the research is the formation of peer reviewed scientific articles not included in international databases WoS or SCOPUS at universities and scientific institutions in various scientific sectors. The subject of the research is the comparative analysis of the efficiency of formation of peer reviewed scientific articles not included in WoS and SCOPUS at universities and scientific institutions in various scientific sectors of Latvia. The objective of the research is the analysis of tools for impact measurement of universities and scientific institutions in various scientific sectors of Latvia on innovation development in the period from 2013 to 2018. The following tasks were determined to reach the objective: to study the formation of peer reviewed scientific articles not included in WoS or SCOPUS at universities and scientific institutions in various scientific sectors of Latvia; to identify the concept of the efficiency of peer reviewed scientific articles not included in WoS or SCOPUS formation in various scientific sectors; to carry out the tools for impact measurement of universities and scientific institutions on innovation development in various scientific sectors in Latvia. Research methods used in the paper are content analysis, economic analysis, and economic experiment.

Learner Satisfaction, Academic Performance, Micro-credential Design: A Case Study from European Universities

2025-06-26T10:09:11+00:00

Recently, asynchronous distance learning has been gaining research attention at an accelerating pace, enabling digital transformation in education and helping learners acquire the necessary skills. Hence, micro-credentials have also raised significant scholarly interest. One of the main challenges in distance online learning is to keep the learners engaged throughout and satisfied with their learning journeys. This is especially true in micro-credentials, which, more often than not, come on top of regular studies and professional and social commitments of the learners. In general, a substantial body of research exists on student satisfaction with online distance learning and micro-credentials specifically. Researchers investigate the effectiveness of specific activities, create and compare varied course designs, and analyse factors affecting student satisfaction with online learning. However, the existing research is fragmented due to the different spectrums of learning activities analysed in different educational contexts. In addition, the research on innovative learning designs of micro-credentials is limited. To address these gaps, we present a case study of a micro-credential “AI for Business” which is proposed to students from 14 European universities collaborating under the European Consortium of Innovative Universities umbrella. The body of the micro-credential includes 51 learning activities, including hands-on small projects invoking artificial intelligence and process automation tools, discussions, interactive e-texts, memory cards, games with sound and motion, interactive videos, quizzes, peer assessment, experiential learning, challenge-based learning with challenges from real businesses – our social partners and, at the same time, leaders in their markets, and much more. Such a great variety of learning activities within the same micro-credential allows for comparing the learning activities by student satisfaction while ensuring equal environmental conditions and eliminating potential inaccuracies which otherwise could have arisen from different courses – that is, contexts – in which the activities are employed. In addition, we present the micro-credential design and explore whether the learner satisfaction rates correlate with the grades received. Therefore, this case study enriches the research on innovative learning designs for micro-credentials and learner satisfaction with online learning activities, both subjects which scholars have highlighted as needing deeper academic investigation.

Innovation Balancing Enterprise Capabilities and Local Technological and Consumer Requirements

2025-06-11T06:12:58+00:00

This paper explores the development of an innovative skylight solution adapted for the Sri Lankan market, focusing on the transfer of corporate insights from temperate to tropical climates. It highlights the collaborative efforts with GOODLITE to optimize design, materials, and technology for tropical conditions. The study identifies key challenges such as high humidity, intense solar heat, and heavy monsoonal rains, and proposes solutions like the TropiLite Skylight. Overheating is an evident challenge that needs to be addressed when introducing western designed solutions from cooler climates into new markets characterized by higher solar exposure and more intense temperatures. By offering innovative solutions to address overheating, GOODLITE could unlock new market opportunities and drive growth by adapting to local climate challenges while staying true to their core values and preserving the unique qualities of their products that set them apart in a competitive global landscape. The research emphasizes the importance of modular and customizable designs to cater to diverse economic segments, ensuring affordability and functionality. This study also investigates useful strategies that could be used to introduce a foreign product into a new market by leveraging localized marketing, strategic partnerships, and product adaptations to meet regional needs. However, for long term success, the local ecosystem must also evolve, developing the necessary infrastructure, technical skills, and maintenance capabilities to support and sustain the introduction of such products. Hence, the study leverages on GOODLITE’s expertise in skylights and roof window innovation and brings forward the experience in bringing market adapted solutions to new markets to ensure the proposed solution is suitable. The study demonstrates how strategic adaptations can address local climatic and market needs, paving the way for a scalable solution that could be used in tropical regions across the world. Through entrepreneurship, the introduction of a new skylight product to a foreign market aims to address specific consumer needs by offering a climate adapted solution.

Attracting Investors by Managing Psychological Challenges in the Perspective of Serial Entrepreneurship

2025-06-08T10:03:24+00:00

Since many ventures fail the intriguing thing is that entrepreneurs continue to start new businesses despite the financial, emotional, and reputational damage. These business people are called serial entrepreneurs since they frequently fail and start new ventures. This condition indicates that people may have positive intentions despite their fear of failing because entrepreneurs may gain deeper insights from failure to stay motivated. This study employs a qualitative case study to investigate whether serial entrepreneurs process failure and extract lessons to improve future ventures for attracting new investors. Interviews were conducted among 5 serial entrepreneurs who experienced success after several failures and attracted a lot of investors. The result of the study shows that serial entrepreneurs experience failure, extract valuable lessons, and develop strategies to enhance future performance. A strong network is built by serial entrepreneurs to ensure social and financial resources for profitable business operations. Serial business owners can overcome psychological barriers and win back investors' trust to keep their company going.

From Destructive Leadership to Good Leadership in Expert Organisations: Identifying the Determinants of Effective Leadership

2025-06-26T09:10:15+00:00

Leadership culture in expert organisations strongly influences organisational well‑being, employee retention and productivity. Destructive leadership, marked by authoritarian control, lack of transparency and neglect of employee welfare, erodes motivation and performance. Conversely, good leadership builds trust, fosters participation and supports professional growth. Drawing on eight semi‑structured interviews with leaders in Finnish expert organisations of varying size, this study identifies the behavioural patterns that differentiate destructive from good leadership and proposes a development framework for practice. Reflexive thematic analysis was used; data saturation was achieved after the sixth interview and confirmed with two additional interviews. Results show that good leadership rests on: 1) values‑based communication, 2) fairness and psychological safety, 3) shared decision‑making, 4) strategic clarity and 5) systematic capability development. The study contributes to leadership theory by integrating destructive and constructive perspectives and advances the debate on sustainable work in knowledge‑intensive contexts. Managerially, the findings point to organisation‑wide interventions, rather than reliance on individual charisma, as the route to improved leadership quality and employee well‑being.

People and Machines or People Against Machines? How Readiness to Artificial Intelligence is Changing Higher Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

2025-07-04T17:40:21+00:00

AI is rapidly shaping modern higher education in the last 3 years. This paper aims to identify key areas and prospects of readiness to use AI in higher education. The following research question was formulated: What new research directions are observed in the existing discourse on readiness for the spread of artificial intelligence technologies in higher education? To answer the research question, a bibliometric analysis of the joint citations of 2,138 publications indexed in the SCOPUS database for the period 2016-2025 was carried out. Further, within the framework of the study, qualitative coding of annotations was carried out to narrow the sample to 568 of the most significant publications. The analysis identifies five main research areas: (1) the development of strategic readiness for AI within universities, (2) the formation of organizational readiness for AI adoption, (3) the development of consumer readiness among faculty and students, (4) the establishment of psychological parameters of readiness, and (5) the creation of decision-making mechanisms for AI implementation. The integrated implementation of AI in higher education requires information, the development of digital literacy and legal regulation, as well as consideration of social impacts and motivating factors (including hedonism and anthropomorphism) to increase trust in technology. The findings reveal the multi-level nature of AI readiness in higher education, encompassing strategic, organizational, and individual-psychological dimensions. Successful integration of AI depends not only on technological infrastructure and regulatory frameworks but also on users' trust in algorithms, their emotional comfort, and a sense of personal competence. Effective integration is possible only with the coordinated participation of all stakeholders, focused on creating an ethically responsible and technologically advanced educational environment. The presented bibliometric analysis systematizes existing research and highlights new directions in the field of AI application in education. This bibliometric review contributes to an in-depth understanding of the role of artificial intelligence as an important factor in the transformation of higher education and forms the basis for further research directions and practical solutions.

A Study on Unified Payment System & its Role in the Growth of Fintech Sector in India

2025-06-25T07:31:32+00:00

The study aims to identify the potential of United Payment System (UPI) as common interface for consumer payment solutions in India. India is one of the fastest-growing Fin-Tech marketplaces in the world. India is currently ranked fourth in terms of total fintech funding. A number of important elements contribute to India's status as a hub for the growth of fintech sector. The fintech market in India is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.7%, from a value of US$106.2 billion in 2024 to US$769.5 billion by the end of 2031. By 2025, the worldwide fintech market is expected to be worth $306 billion. With an impressive 14% of worldwide investment, India's FinTech industry is a major player on the international scene. The FinTech Market Opportunity is expected to reach an astounding $2.1 trillion by 2030, and the nation ranks second in terms of deal volume. The methods we use as customers to access our bank accounts, make purchases, and obtain loans are all undergoing significant change. In an effort to anticipate consumer demands, cater to existing clients, and stop fraud, financial institutions are also continuously changing and adopting UPI as most widely acceptable payment gateway.

Benefits and Importance of Digital Technologies as Digital Maturity Drivers: A Case Study of Finland

2025-09-19T10:06:55+00:00

This research explores the factors driving digitalization in Finnish SMEs and contributes to the discussion on Digital
Maturity Models (DMMs). It examines how perceived benefits and the importance of digital technologies influence SMEs'
digital capabilities. By identifying key motivators and barriers, the study aims to provide practical insights for both academics
and practitioners, bridging the gap between theoretical models and real-world applications. A stratified sample of 1002
Finnish SMEs is used. K-means clustering categorizes these companies into three distinct clusters based on their digital
maturity levels. Logistic regression models predict the likelihood of a company belonging to each cluster, using perceived
benefits and the importance of digital technologies as predictor variables. This approach systematically analyzes the
relationship between these factors and digital maturity, offering a robust framework for understanding digitalization in SMEs.
Additional analyses explore interaction effects between predictor variables, providing deeper insights into the dynamics of
digital transformation. The study yields six logistic regression models with 19 statistically significant coefficients (p<0.05).
Results indicate that perceived benefits and the importance of digitalization vary across clusters, highlighting different
motivators for digital initiatives based on digital maturity levels. SMEs with higher digital maturity perceive greater benefits
and place higher importance on different digital technologies compared to those with lower maturity. These findings
emphasize the need for tailored strategies to support digitalization efforts and reveal significant variations in the adoption
of specific technologies at different stages of digital maturity. The findings guide practitioners and academics in focusing on
relevant technologies and their outcomes concerning SMEs' digital maturity. Targeted interventions and support
mechanisms should address the specific needs of SMEs at various stages of digital maturity. The study contributes to the
evolution of DMMs by providing empirical evidence on the factors driving digitalization in SMEs and underscores the
importance of a phased approach to digital transformation. Future research should include cross-country comparisons and
longitudinal studies to enhance the reliability and validity of the results and understand the temporal aspects of digital
transformation.

Developing Cyber-Physical Systems as Entrepreneurs: Agile Development in Startups and SMEs

2025-07-02T09:08:42+00:00

As mechatronic systems evolve into cyber-physical systems (CPS) through IoT integration, start-ups face unique challenges in CPS development due to limited knowledge, resources, and time. Although they often adopt agile methods, this is typically done unconsciously. Prior research highlights four key problem areas: unclear entrepreneurial motivation, uncertainty in idea validation, resource-constrained prototyping, and low acceptance of tools and methods. Building on earlier exploratory studies, this paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) of 1,929 papers to analyse CPS engineering practices across start-ups, SMEs, and large enterprises. We identify the types of CPS developed, compare engineering approaches, and propose a framework to classify CPS projects by organizational type and system level. The study outlines best practices and key requirements for successful CPS development and offers guidance to support tailored toolkits for diverse development contexts.

Digital Entrepreneurship Competencies: Empowering Rural Youth through Microcredentials

2025-06-23T09:50:01+00:00

The aim of this research is to analyse the impact of microcredentials-based training on the development of digital competencies among young people living in rural areas. The authors hypothesise that participation in microcredential-based training significantly improves digital and entrepreneurial competencies, as well as self-confidence and initiative among rural youth. The research seeks to understand how acquiring such competencies affects young people’s attitudes toward entrepreneurship and their ability to apply digital tools effectively. Additionally, the study aims to identify how the integration of these two domains – digital competences and entrepreneurship – can contribute to reducing the competences and employment gap in rural regions. The study involves a sample of 200 young people (aged 18–30) from rural areas, who are mainly at the early stages of their professional careers and have limited access to digital resources and/or entrepreneurial education. Participants are engaged in training modules focused on entrepreneurship and digital competencies, allowing for the assessment of the impact of such training on both their personal and professional development. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining survey questionnaires and comparative analyses to gather both qualitative and quantitative data. The survey questionnaires explore participants’ experiences and perceptions of entrepreneurship and the use of digital tools, while the comparative analyses allow for evaluation of the effectiveness of the training in shaping attitudes among rural young people. The research provides insights into the effectiveness of microcredential-based training in enhancing digital and entrepreneurial competences. It contributes to a better understanding of how these competencies influence the potential career development of young people in rural communities. The innovative aspect of this research lies in the application of microcredentials – modern, modular form of learning – in the context of rural youth, while integrating two critical areas: digital competencies and entrepreneurship. This is the first study of its kind to explore this intersection from an academic perspective, offering new insights into the transformative potential of competence development for rural economies.

Signalling vs. Support: The Strategic Design of Start-up Accelerators

2025-07-15T09:31:29+00:00

Start-up accelerators play an important role in providing resources to new ventures through mentoring, education, peer interaction, certification, networking, and (in-kind) financing. Numerous studies have described different design choices of accelerators and empirically evaluated their effectiveness on start-up performance, e.g., revenue growth and funding success. However, the determinants and strategies shaping an accelerator’s design have been underexplored, as existing studies predominantly treat the design as exogenous. This paper addresses this gap by developing a formal model that conceptualises accelerator design as an endogenous, strategic response to environmental parameters such as the quality and number of applying ventures. The model considers an accelerator that selects a cohort from a pool of heterogeneous start-ups with unobservable quality and supports the selected start-ups through training. The accelerator can exert effort to improve the precision of noisy quality signals (screening) and allocate resources to post-entry support to selected ventures. Both activities incur costs and are constrained by a fixed budget. The accelerator maximises the expected post-program cohort quality, taking into account the trade-off between improving selection accuracy (which increases the perceived quality of start-ups through signalling) and directly supporting selected start-ups (which directly improves the quality of participants), yielding closed-form expressions for the optimal accelerator design. Solving the model for the Subgame Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium, we show that the optimal design critically depends on the entrepreneurial context, such as the share of high-quality start-ups and the selectiveness of the program (cohort size relative to applicant pool size). We find that when high-quality applicants are scarce, screening effort declines and more resources are allocated to post-entry support, as the returns to screening are relatively low. Conversely, the model shows that as program selectiveness increases, accelerators invest more in screening to extract maximum value from limited cohort slots. These comparative statics yield empirically testable predictions and offer practical implications for accelerator managers, suggesting that design should adapt dynamically to changes in the applicant pool and program maturity. The paper contributes to the accelerator literature by providing a strategic explanation for observed variation in program design and resulting effectiveness. Thus, it lays a foundation for future theoretical extensions and empirical validation aimed at refining our understanding of entrepreneurship support organisations.