European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship Support Programmes and Business Growth in Brunei

Norizan Abdullah, Paul Smith, Olga Maslovskaya — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Brunei has introduced various entrepreneurship support programmes to support economic diversification efforts and reduce unemployment. However, few empirical studies have explored the relationship between programme participation and business performance. This study investigates whether micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that participated in at least one entrepreneurship programme between 2016 and 2024 achieved higher revenue and employment growth than non-participating businesses. We use MSMEs as a proxy for entrepreneurial activity because of their role in new business creation, employment growth, and income generation. We collected data through a survey of registered MSMEs in Brunei, including information on business characteristics, participation in entrepreneurship support programmes during 2016–2024, and changes in revenue and employment over the same period. We applied quasi-experimental Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach to match programme participants with similar non-participants based on business sector, size, age, and prior performance. We estimated the average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) group for revenue and employment growth. After matching, we found that programme participation was not significantly associated with higher revenue or employment growth. This study adds to the literature on entrepreneurship support programmes by providing evidence from Brunei and providing a basis for policymakers to evaluate and improve future entrepreneurship programme designs.

Institutional and Cultural Constraints on Women's Entrepreneurship in SMEs: A Conceptual Framework in the Context of Saudi Vision 2030

Sheroog Alhedhaif, Victor Y. Atiase — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Women entrepreneurs play an increasingly important role in economic diversification, employment generation, and SME growth. Yet, their participation and venture performance remain constrained by institutional and sociocultural structures rather than individual capability alone. This is particularly evident in transitional economies such as Saudi Arabia, where Vision 2030 has introduced substantial policy reform to expand women's economic participation, while prevailing cultural norms and institutional practices continue to shape the extent to which these reforms translate into entrepreneurial outcomes.

This paper develops a conceptual framework examining how institutional and cultural context shape women's entrepreneurial motivation, education-to-outcome pathways, and business performance in SMEs. Drawing on North's institutional theory and Hofstede's cultural dimensions, the framework treats formal policy support and informal cultural norms as the primary structural forces conditioning entrepreneurial activity. Education and entrepreneurial motivation are positioned not as independent drivers but as mechanisms through which institutional and cultural conditions are converted into entrepreneurial intention and venture outcomes: education builds the skills and strategic capacity to act on opportunity, while motivation, shaped by push and pull factors, determines whether structural enablement is translated into start-up behaviour. Gender equality is conceptualised as a moderating condition that influences entrepreneurial confidence, resource access, and opportunity recognition within this system.

The paper contributes a coherent conceptual model linking institutional reform, cultural context, and individual-level drivers, addressing calls in the literature for more context-sensitive theorising on women's entrepreneurship in the Gulf and other transitional economies. It offers a foundation for empirical testing, particularly relevant given the accelerating policy reform underway in Saudi Arabia, and practical implications for policymakers and entrepreneurship support agencies seeking to close the gap between formal gender-equality policy and lived entrepreneurial experience.

Integrating Clinical Trial Evidence into Design Thinking Processes for Healthcare Product Development

Mohamed Atwy — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Healthcare product development increasingly requires approaches that combine evidence-based healthcare knowledge with human centered innovation. While design thinking has gained significant attention in healthcare innovation, limited research has examined how clinical trial evidence can support design thinking processes in healthcare product development. This study develops and empirically tests a conceptual framework integrating Clinical Trial Evidence (CTE), Design Thinking Processes (DTP), and Healthcare Product Development (HPD) using Type 2 Diabetes clinical trial data. A quantitative research approach was adopted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with Smart PLS. The study utilized a structured secondary dataset comprising 1,000 trial level observations derived from publicly available Type 2 Diabetes clinical trial information. The analysis assessed the direct relationships between Clinical Trial Evidence, Design Thinking Processes, and Healthcare Product Development, as well as the mediating role of Design Thinking Processes. Reliability, validity, and predictive relevance assessments were conducted to ensure the robustness and consistency of the proposed research model. The findings reveal that Clinical Trial Evidence has a significant positive influence on both Design Thinking Processes and Healthcare Product Development. In addition, Design Thinking Processes significantly enhance Healthcare Product Development and mediate the relationship between Clinical Trial Evidence and Healthcare Product Development. These results suggest that integrating structured clinical evidence into design thinking can strengthen innovation capability, improve decision-making quality, and support more effective healthcare product development outcomes. This study contributes to healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship literature by positioning clinical trial evidence as a strategic driver of patient centered innovation. The proposed framework offers a structured approach for integrating evidence-based healthcare knowledge into design thinking and healthcare product development processes. The study also provides practical implications for healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and innovation teams seeking to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of healthcare product innovation in evidence driven environments. Overall, the paper argues that combining clinical evidence and design thinking can support more informed, patient centered healthcare product development in chronic disease contexts.

Measuring Entrepreneurship Competence Progression: Evidence from Muslim Youth in Australia

Rinto Muhammadsyah Azhar, Zuleyha Keskin — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurship competence is increasingly recognised as a critical driver of entrepreneurial behaviour and venture creation among young people. The European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp) has become one of the most widely adopted frameworks for conceptualising and assessing entrepreneurship competence; however, most empirical applications rely on self-assessment instruments that capture perceptions of capability rather than progression, and therefore offer limited insight into competence progression. This study addresses that gap by examining entrepreneurship competence progression among Muslim youth in Australia through the Entrepreneurship Competence Progression Index (ECPI), a progression-based measurement approach aligned with the eight-level EntreComp progression model. Drawing on survey data from 109 Muslim youth aged 18 to 25 across Australia, the study evaluates competence across the three EntreComp areas. The ECPI classifies each respondent at a behaviourally anchored stage for ten non-cognitive competences — a self-report that ties self-judgement to concrete descriptions of activity rather than an abstract magnitude. Descriptive, classification, and inferential analyses compared progression-based measurement with parallel self-assessment of the same competences. Respondents were generally positioned at an intermediate level of progression (mean 3.58 on the ECPI’s 1–7 scale), with most classified at the Intermediate stage and a substantial minority at the Advanced stage. Progression varied meaningfully across competence areas, with Ideas and Opportunities highest and Resources lowest. Self-assessment scores significantly and systematically exceeded behaviourally anchored progression (mean difference 0.99, large effect), while remaining only moderately correlated with it, indicating that the two approaches capture related but distinct information. Prior entrepreneurial experience, rather than gender or schooling pathway, was the strongest correlate of progression, and religiosity was associated with self-assessed competence but not with behaviourally anchored progression, underscoring the distinction between the two. The findings provide evidence that progression-based assessment offers a more conservative and more diagnostic account of capability development than conventional self-assessment, and they extend EntreComp into an underrepresented, predominantly diaspora population. The study has implications for entrepreneurship educators, policymakers, and youth-development organisations seeking to design targeted competence-development interventions and to evaluate entrepreneurial learning outcomes more rigorously.

A Conceptual Maturity Framework for Digital Twin Technology Adoption and Scaling

Mohammad Arief Dharmawan, Wawan Dhewanto, Eko Agus Prasetio — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A Digital Twin is a dynamic virtual representation of a physical entity that mirrors its real-world counterpart through continuous, bi-directional data exchange. It promises to transform how organisations design, monitor, and improve complex systems, yet adoption remains uneven. Although use-cases have spread across smart cities, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, transportation, and supply chains, most implementations stay confined to a single site or use-case, and many never move beyond the pilot stage. Existing digital maturity models describe progress as a single linear staircase. This approach does not fit Digital Twin technology, which behaves as both an intelligent environment and a complex adaptive system. The literature therefore lacks a maturity model that connects early adoption to enterprise-wide and cross-organisational scaling, and it rarely treats the two as separate problems.

This paper proposes the Digital Twin Adoption-and-Scaling Maturity (DT-ASM) Framework, which conceptualises implementation as two interrelated but fundamentally different capability-building journeys. The Adoption Maturity ladder describes progression at the use-case level, from awareness through pilot selection, deployment and operational integration to routinised use. The Scaling Maturity ladder describes how the same organisation, with its ecosystem, moves from a single use-case through multi-asset replication, cross-domain federation, and ecosystem orchestration to a self-evolving industrial ecosystem. Four cross-cutting determinants shape both journeys: risk exposure, resource allocation cycles, ecosystem maturity, and organisational alignment. The framework is expressed as seven testable propositions with an operationalisation strategy providing a foundation for empirical validation and actionable guidance for industry leaders seeking a roadmap from experimentation to scalable deployment.

Mapping the Literature on Entrepreneurial Coaching: A Two-Layer Scientometric Analysis

Hassan Bellihi, Fatima Zahra El Hadim, Laila Amzil — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose: Entrepreneurial coaching (EC) has emerged as a recognised support mechanism for venture creation. Yet its intellectual structure, thematic organisation, and conceptual positioning within the broader entrepreneurial support ecosystem remain insufficiently mapped.

Design/Methodology/Approach: This study adopts a two-layer scientometric design. Layer 1 examines the internal intellectual structure of EC through 31 peer-reviewed articles retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus (2009–2026). Layer 2 extends the analysis to 74 articles from broader entrepreneurial support literature. Performance analysis and science mapping, including co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence, thematic mapping, and Multiple Correspondence Analysis, were conducted using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny within the Bibliometrix R package.

Findings: Layer 1 reveals that EC is an emerging but progressively consolidating research domain with interdisciplinary foundations across social cognitive theory, entrepreneurship, and relational support traditions. Coaching and entrepreneurial support constitute the field's motor theme, while entrepreneurial coaching and entrepreneurial self-efficacy form a developing niche. A structural shift is identified from EC as a programmatic incubation tool to EC as a mechanism of entrepreneurial identity and capability development. Layer 2 reveals that EC occupies a conceptually distinct but structurally peripheral position within the ecosystem, forming its own cluster defined by self-efficacy, mentoring, and behaviour though absent from the ecosystem's motor themes. Multiple Correspondence Analysis confirms a fundamental conceptual separation between EC research discourse and the structural ecosystem vocabulary.

Originality/Value: This study contributes a two-layer scientometric mapping of EC, an analytical architecture that simultaneously maps the field's internal intellectual structure and its positioning within the broader entrepreneurial support ecosystem, an approach not previously applied to entrepreneurial coaching research.

Theoretical implications. EC's interdisciplinary embeddedness explains its persistent terminological fragmentation, while the progressive dominance of social cognitive theory signals an emerging phase of conceptual consolidation.

Practical implications: EC should be understood as a psychologically grounded complement to structural support mechanisms. Its value lying in the relational and behavioural dimensions that incubation and acceleration programmes do not address.

Organizational Culture and Digital Transformation: Capabilities in SMEs: A Comparative Study of AI/ML adoption in German and Italian SMEs

Kamran Jamshed, Verena Mates — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the center of the economy for every country, but they are lagging behind the large enterprises in the digitalization, AI implementation and ML optimization due to different facts like the absence of skills, limited digital maturity and cautious investment cultures. This study is focused on exploring how organizational cultural typologies shapes artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) adoption and digital transformation capabilities by SMEs in Italy and Germany. Focusing on Competing Values Framework (CVF), in this study the goal is to find out how these cultural typologies (e.g. Clan, adhocracy, hierarchy and market) constrain or enable AI/ML and digital transformation in processes and products innovation. A comparative qualitative research design is considered which is based on twenty semi structured interviews where ten interviews will be from German SMEs and ten interviews will be from Italian SMEs. These semi structured interviews are covering the CVF dimensions, digital transformation capabilities, AI/ML use cases and their impact on process and products innovation. Interview transcripts will be analyzed thematically through NVivo, and a four-stage coding framework is considered to capture General, Cultural, AI/ML and performance related themes like resistance, perceived risk and challenges including dark side of digital transformation. The results of this study will be showing the mixture of how cultural aspects are either driving or resisting the usage of AI/ML and digital transformation in process and products of SMEs. The aim of this study is to contribute to digital transformation and AI-adoption research through organizational culture, not just the resources and technology as a key mechanism. Further the cross-country analysis will highlight the key differences in how SMEs realize the value from AI-based digital transformation. The results may provide new insights for industry professionals and policymakers on how to diagnose cultural typologies and align policy support, capability building and cultural change to foster effective and responsible AI adoption in European SMEs.

Innovation intermediaries in cross-sector partnerships: A role–phase framework for innovation in wicked problem contexts

Andrea Kerstens, Angela Greco, Hans Wamelink — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) are increasingly mobilized to address wicked problems such as climate change, health inequalities, and energy transitions. While innovation intermediaries are widely recognized as critical actors in facilitating collaboration within such partnerships, existing research offers fragmented insights into how intermediary roles evolve over time and why particular forms of intermediation become salient at different moments in wicked problem innovation processes. Prior studies typically conceptualize intermediary roles as static or sector-specific, providing limited guidance for understanding their dynamic contribution across partnership phases.

This paper addresses this gap by developing a role–phase framework that explains how innovation intermediary roles emerge, shift, and recombine throughout the lifecycle of cross-sector partnerships addressing wicked problems. Drawing on an integrative literature review, we synthesize insights from 20 empirical and conceptual studies examining innovation intermediaries operating within collaborations characterized by high knowledge uncertainty, value conflict, and dynamic complexity. These three dimensions of wickedness are used as analytical lenses to interpret how intermediary activities function as responses to changing collaboration challenges over time.

Our analysis identifies seven recurring intermediary roles—convenor, mediator, learning catalyst, integrator, scoping leader, orchestrator, and policy advocate—and maps their associated mechanisms (e.g. trust building, sensemaking, alignment, coordination, and institutional influence) to distinct phases of the CSP lifecycle and the wicked problem innovation process. The framework shows that intermediary roles are not stable attributes but are enacted dynamically, with specific role configurations becoming more salient as partnerships move from problem-setting and direction-setting to implementation and review.

By explicitly linking intermediary roles to phases of collaboration and dimensions of wickedness, this paper makes three contributions. First, it advances innovation intermediation research by introducing a processual, phase-sensitive perspective on intermediary roles. Second, it shifts analytical attention from intermediary activities to the underlying mechanisms through which intermediation enables collaboration under conditions of wickedness. Third, it provides a conceptual bridge between CSP lifecycle research and wicked problem innovation studies. The framework offers actionable insights for both scholars and practitioners seeking to design and govern intermediary support in collaborations addressing complex societal challenges.

From Accelerator Programs to Business Model Innovation in Startups: The Roles of Program Quality, Knowledge Spillovers and Founder Absorptive Capacity

Safae Khloufi Belhachmi, Luis Miguel Molina Fernández — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Business model innovation (BMI) is an important mechanism through which startups refine their value proposition, adapt to market needs and strengthen their growth potential. Although accelerator programs are widely used to support early-stage ventures, the knowledge-based mechanisms through which they are associated with BMI remain insufficiently understood. This study examines how accelerator program quality is associated with business model innovation in accelerated startups, focusing on the mediating roles of knowledge spillover exposure and founders’ absorptive capacity. Drawing on knowledge spillover theory and the absorptive capacity perspective, we conceptualise accelerator programs as structured knowledge environments where startups access external knowledge through mentoring, training, peer interaction, expert feedback, market validation, investor exposure and ecosystem connections. We argue that perceived program quality is associated with BMI because higher-quality accelerator experiences provide founders with more relevant opportunities to access, interpret and apply external knowledge. However, this process also depends on founders’ absorptive capacity, understood as their ability to recognize, assimilate, transform and exploit such knowledge. Using cross-sectional survey data from 226 founders of startups that participated in accelerator programs in Spain, the study tests a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) model linking perceived program quality, knowledge spillover exposure, founders’ absorptive capacity and BMI. The findings indicate that perceived accelerator program quality is positively associated with knowledge spillover exposure, founders’ absorptive capacity and business model innovation. Knowledge spillover exposure partially mediates the relationship between program quality and BMI. Although founders’ absorptive capacity does not show a significant direct effect on BMI, its total effect becomes significant when the indirect path through knowledge spillover exposure is considered. The study contributes to accelerator research by shifting attention from accelerator participation to perceived program quality and by explaining BMI as a knowledge-driven outcome of acceleration. It also contributes to knowledge spillover and absorptive capacity perspectives by showing how accelerated startups transform external knowledge exposure into business model reconfiguration.

Lean startup for Opportunity Exploitation in Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Evidence from India's Sustainability-oriented Ventures

Mantry Priyathee, Jayshree Patnaik, Pradeep Kumar Tarei — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Sustainable entrepreneurship has received considerable attention as a means of addressing environmental and social challenges through economically viable ventures. Existing research has examined opportunity identification, yet the processes through which sustainability-oriented opportunities are exploited under conditions of uncertainty and resource scarcity remain comparatively underexplored. The lean startup approach with its emphasis on rapid experimentation, iterative learning, and customer feedback has emerged as an influential approach in entrepreneurial practice. Though empirical applications remain concentrated largely in technology and digital venture contexts. This study examines how lean startup approach support opportunity exploitation in sustainable entrepreneurship. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 founders operating in the sustainability-oriented ventures, and the resulting data were analysed using gioia methodology. Four themes emerged under aggregate dimensions, experimentation for sustainability validation, strategic resource utilization, feedback-driven opportunity refinement, and Iterative learning for adaptive opportunity exploitation. Each consistent with the lean startup literature. The findings indicate that lean startup practices with bricolage approach provide sustainable entrepreneurs with a structured pathway for translating sustainability-oriented ideas into viable ventures while navigating the dual constraints of environmental uncertainty and resource scarcity.

Agentic AI in Supply Chains: Balancing Trust and Autonomy in Disruption Scenarios

Ana Josefa Matos, Bráulio Alturas, Ahmed Kamel — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a tool that supports human decisions. It is becoming an active participant in the economy, one that negotiates, transacts, and coordinates autonomously with other AI agents at a speed and scale that no human organisation can match. This shift, from AI as assistant to AI as autonomous economic actor, represents one of the most significant innovations in how organisations operate, compete, and create value. Yet this innovation is outpacing governance. As AI agents increasingly interact with each other rather than with people, organisations are deploying autonomous systems without fully understanding when those systems should act independently, when they should defer, and when they should escalate to human oversight. Without answers to these questions, the promise of AI-driven innovation carries substantial and poorly managed risk.

Supply chains are where this tension is most directly felt. They are already among the most complex environments organisations manage, and they are precisely where the cost of getting autonomous AI wrong is highest. Disruptions propagate fast, decisions must be made under uncertainty, and the consequences of miscalibrated autonomy can cascade across entire networks of operators, suppliers, and partners.

This research proposes an innovative governance framework that addresses this challenge directly. By developing Trust-based thresholds that dynamically regulate how much autonomy an AI agent exercises depending on the reliability of its counterparts, the research introduces a new model for governing Agent-to-Agent interactions in high-stakes supply chain environments. The framework is grounded in empirical data from the European Gas Transmission Network and validated against the 2022 European Gas Supply Crisis, one of the most significant supply disruptions in recent European history. The expected outcome is both a theoretical contribution, an innovative framework for Trust-governed Autonomy in multi-agent systems, and a practical one: empirical evidence that supply chains governed by this model can recover from disruption autonomously, without continuous human intervention, opening new possibilities for resilient, AI-enabled supply chain innovation.

Iterative Stakeholder-Driven Commercialization Pathways in Academic Entrepreneurship and MVP Learning

Alexander Matrosov — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Academic entrepreneurs (AEs) commercializing deep technologies operate under high uncertainty conditions, where technological advances precede clearly defined industrial applications. At low TRL, laboratory validation and demonstrations provide technical feasibility signals, yet problem definitions, user contexts, and system-level requirements remain narrow with limited perspective. Market information is fragmented and typically hard to translate into practical use. Under such conditions, commercialization unfolds as an iterative process of entrepreneurial framing, innovation learning, and external alignment. This study examines how AEs structure early commercialization through stakeholder engagement. Empirically grounded in a low TRL technology project, the research draws on expert interviews, internal team reflections, university support actors, workshops and a literature review.

The literature provides a conceptual baseline against which emerging empirical themes are compared, refined, and structured. The analysis applies an inductive qualitative coding process, grouping findings into preliminary thematic categories such as entrepreneurial framing, iterative experimentation, business model development, technological advancement, and stakeholder alignment. Early-stage interactions within the team and university ecosystem played a critical role in articulating preliminary benefit hypotheses and shaping initial customer-oriented narratives. As engagement expanded to external stakeholders, effective progress depended on identifying actors with contextual authority and commercialization literacy. Rather than eliciting predefined requirements, exploratory questioning surfaced existing customer technical constraints. These dialogues enabled iterative reframing of problem–solution configurations, aligning technological competitive capabilities with differentiated customer contexts and value creation. Technical development progressed from proof-of-concept experimentation toward validated lab-scale feasibility, allowing more credible hypothesis testing regarding application-specific value propositions. The study conceptualizes early deep-tech commercialization as dialogical validation under time pressure and strategic risk. By integrating narrative stakeholder inquiry, structured analytical intelligence, and iterative technical experimentation, AEs can accelerate learning while managing uncertainty.

Building Biodigital Clusters in Emerging Economies: A Conceptual Framework Integrating Technological Capabilities and Governance in the Pharmaceutical Sector

José Luis Meza de la Rosa, María del Rocío Soto Flores — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The emergence of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced data analytics, and digital health technologies is transforming the pharmaceutical industry and reshaping the conditions under which innovation occurs. These developments are driving the formation of biodigital innovation ecosystems, where scientific knowledge, technological capabilities, governance arrangements, and institutional coordination become critical determinants of competitiveness and innovation performance. Despite the growing importance of biodigital convergence, existing literature has largely examined technological capabilities, innovation systems, cluster development, and governance as separate analytical domains. Limited attention has been devoted to understanding how these dimensions interact to support the emergence and consolidation of biodigital clusters, particularly in emerging economies characterized by institutional fragmentation, technological dependency, and uneven innovation capabilities. This paper presents the conceptual architecture of an ongoing doctoral research project that seeks to address this gap. The study proposes an integrative framework that combines three complementary perspectives: technological capabilities theory, governance theory, and innovation ecosystem approaches. The framework is designed to explain how technological capabilities and governance mechanisms jointly influence the development of biodigital clusters in the pharmaceutical sector. The proposed model conceptualizes technological capabilities as the ability of organizations and territories to acquire, absorb, adapt, generate, and reconfigure knowledge and technologies, while governance is understood as the set of coordination mechanisms that align actors, resources, institutions, and strategic objectives across multiple levels. The interaction between these dimensions is expected to facilitate knowledge flows, collaborative innovation, institutional learning, and ecosystem development. The research is particularly relevant in the context of emerging economies, where strengthening domestic innovation capabilities has become a strategic priority for technological sovereignty, industrial upgrading, and health resilience. Mexico provides a particularly interesting context due to recent efforts aimed at fostering innovation-driven industrial development and strengthening the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.

Benefits Management Model in the Industry 5.0 Era

Liliana Anacleto Silva — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Industry 5.0 Era has introduced greater complexity across both business and technological domains, characterised by continuous evolution and an increasing emphasis on human and machine collaboration. In this context, organisations are required to enhance their capacity for rapid and innovative responses to emerging dynamics. Managers, therefore, rely on advanced technologies to strengthen analytical capabilities, enabling data-driven insights and timely, well-informed decision-making grounded in historical evidence. The integration of human expertise with augmented intelligence enhances organisational value creation and reinforces a human-centric perspective. What opportunities and challenges does this new context present for the methodology? Could Augmented Intelligence offer advantages by supporting managers in applying Benefits Management more effectively? The Cranfield School of Management’s Benefits Management methodology offers a structured framework to guide strategic decision-making in complex projects, that is more focus on financial benefits, and, in Industry 5.0, it’s a research gap because isn’t focus on human centric. This research aims to explore the opportunities and challenges of this new context, proposing an enhanced Benefits Management model that prioritises human-centric value, sustainability, resilience, and continuous feedback, supported by augmented intelligence. The research will use the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis Method in Literature Review and the Design Science Research Methodology to produce scientific knowledge by creating, developing, and evaluating one model. The model will be validated with people involved with Industry 5.0 and Benefits Management in organisations from different sectors (predominantly in the tertiary sector), for example, Decision Makers, Intermediate and Senior, Strategy and Innovations and Benefits Project Managers from sectors like Information and Communication Technologies, Finance and Banking, and Health. The data will be analysed, and the feedback will be incorporated into the model indicating the benefits identified, the differences between the sectors, if exist and the opportunities that can be explored. It will be also suggestions future research that can be done and sectors where the model can be applied. The expected contribution of this research is to have a Benefits Management Model improvement to provide an answer for the challenges of Industry 5.0.

Exploring Digital Transformation in Organizations: A Typological Perspective

Mirela-Andreea Tudose — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Due to its rapid expansion, as well as the numerous implications it has at the organizational level, digital transformation has become an increasingly discussed topic in studies and specialized works. However, it is often treated as a homogeneous phenomenon, leading to a limited understanding of the multitude of forms it can take. This paper aims to address this issue, referring to a specific typology of digital transformation - the one proposed by Hanelt et al (2021). Specifically, it conceptualizes digital transformation as a multidimensional phenomenon, structured into four categories – Technology Impact, Compartmentalized Adaptation, Systemic Shift and Holistic Co-evolution.

From a methodological point of view, the paper has a literature-based approach, supported by the analysis of illustrative examples, for each category, of relevant international organizations. Thus, a better understanding of how the adoption of digital technologies has different impacts at the organizational level is facilitated, from limited effects related to the technological side, to profound transformations of the entire organizational structure simultaneous with those of the external environment.

The main findings highlight that digital transformation is a complex, heterogeneous and context-dependent phenomenon. In other words, similar technologies can lead to significantly different outcomes depending on organizational conditions and specific factors. From a practical perspective, the article is useful for managers and practitioners, who can be supported in the effort to more effectively manage digital transformation processes within the organization, by clearly identifying the type of desired change and the level at which it manifests itself. Therefore, the proposed typological approach facilitates the analysis and observation of different digital transformation trajectories and provides a useful framework for future research.

Entrepreneurial Innovation in Experimental Cinema: Digital Technologies, Immersive Media and New Educational Business Models

Adrian Zăvoianu — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines entrepreneurial innovation at the convergence of experimental cinema, immersive media, and digital education, emphasizing how emerging technologies are reshaping creative industries and educational ecosystems. By integrating virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), motion capture, artificial intelligence (AI), 360-degree filming, and large-scale immersive projections, experimental and avant-garde cinematic practices evolve into scalable educational and entrepreneurial ventures. The study explores how digital technologies enhance experimental film production for educational purposes by enabling immersive, interactive, and multisensory learning experiences that exceed traditional pedagogical approaches. These innovations foster increased learner engagement, deeper comprehension, and improved retention of complex information, positioning experimental cinema as a driver of educational innovation. Additionally, the paper analyzes the growth of immersive projection industries within the cultural and creative sectors, referencing prominent venues such as Atelier des Lumières (Paris), Bassins des Lumières (Bordeaux) and Carrières des Lumières (Les Baux-de-Provence). These cases illustrate how advanced projection technologies, spatialized sound, and 360° mapping enable new experience-based business models, transforming architectural spaces into interactive storytelling environments. From an entrepreneurial perspective, the research highlights how experimental cinema and immersive media act as innovation laboratories that stimulate cross-disciplinary collaboration among filmmakers, educators, technologists, and cultural entrepreneurs. The findings suggest that immersive digital tools not only redefine creative production and pedagogical methodologies but also democratize access to high-quality educational content and generate sustainable opportunities within the experience economy. This paper contributes to innovation and entrepreneurship scholarship by addressing an underexplored intersection between experimental film, educational technology, and immersive industries. Its originality lies in mapping the synergies between digital storytelling, education, and entrepreneurial innovation, offering valuable insights for creative entrepreneurs, educators, cultural institutions, and policymakers seeking to expand the boundaries of interactive learning and creative enterprise.

Brain-Driven Opportunity Validation: A Multimodal Design-Based Framework for Entrepreneurial Education

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurship education has traditionally framed opportunity validation as a rational, market-oriented process centred on analytical reasoning and persuasive argumentation. However, validation scenarios in real entrepreneurial contexts are cognitively demanding and emotionally charged, requiring students to regulate their attention, manage stress, and adapt their communication under uncertainty. Despite growing interest in brain-driven approaches to entrepreneurial learning, the cognitive-emotional dynamics underpinning opportunity validation remain underexplored in entrepreneurial pedagogy. This work-in-progress paper proposes a brain-driven redesign of opportunity validation grounded in cognitive performance, emotional regulation, and embodied learning. Adopting a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, the study implemented and iteratively refined a multimodal pedagogical framework across two student groups in an undergraduate entrepreneurship programme at a private Mexican university. The intervention integrated four design principles: authentic validation contexts using real target-market audiences; neurophysiological observation tools including EEG headbands and eye-tracking glasses; emotional design assessment grounded in the visceral-behavioural-reflective model proposed by Norman (2005); and guided reflection protocols to support metacognitive processing under pressure. Rather than focusing solely on market feasibility, the framework reconceptualises desirability as a cognitive-emotional construct, positioning validation as an embodied interaction among the entrepreneur, audience, and opportunity. Preliminary qualitative observations suggest improvements in communicative clarity, strategic argumentation, and empathic connection with the audience, dimensions rarely captured by conventional evaluation instruments. Quantitative data collected using neurophysiological devices are currently being analysed and will inform future empirical publications. By bridging brain-driven entrepreneurship and educational design, this study contributes a replicable framework for rethinking opportunity validation in higher education.

From Empathy to Impact: Examining Opportunity Recognition for Impactful, Socially Relevant Entrepreneurship

Moses Faleafaga — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurship education (EE) aims to develop students’ ability to identify, evaluate and act on opportunities, yet opportunity identification receives little structured attention. It is shaped by prior knowledge, experience and networks, which can limit students to familiar markets and problems. This creates an innovation blind spot in unfamiliar or underserved domains such as ageing, disability or accessibility, where socially relevant entrepreneurship is needed but user knowledge is less accessible. Empathy-based methods, such as empathic interviewing, perspective-taking, observation and immersion, offer a promising path but remain under-researched in entrepreneurship education. This working paper presents a PhD project that conceptualises entrepreneurial empathy as a teachable capability: an epistemic bridge through which students access, interpret and translate deeper user knowledge into higher-quality opportunities. Opportunity quality is multidimensional, spanning problem depth, user alignment, innovativeness, social relevance and impact potential. The research asks to what extent empathy-based methods enable students to identify higher-quality opportunities grounded in deeper understanding of user needs. It comprises four studies: a cross-disciplinary typology of empathy-based methods; an AI-supported scaffold for empathic interviewing; a randomised comparison of trained and conventional interviewing; and a study of physical immersion. Together they combine conceptual development, educational design and empirical evaluation to strengthen inclusive, socially relevant entrepreneurship education.

Entrepreneurial Temporal Design: Reframing the Sustainability Intention-Action Gap in Food Waste

Marwa Gad Mohsen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Persistent gaps between sustainability intentions and food-consumption behaviour remain poorly explained by attitudinal or informational accounts alone. Food-waste research shows that planning, shopping and storage routines are often more proximate predictors of household waste than stated intentions, while information-based interventions tend to produce limited or weakly sustained effects. This paper argues that part of the problem is temporal misalignment: sustainable food practices are often organised around retail or institutional rhythms that do not match how households plan meals, manage uncertainty or coordinate consumption. Entrepreneurship research has examined time mainly as a resource ventures manage internally, but less as a design variable through which ventures shape customer practices and sustainability outcomes. New ventures are especially relevant because they can build temporal structure into offerings before legacy channels, routines and customer expectations constrain redesign. The paper develops a framework of entrepreneurial temporal design for sustainable food consumption and identifies three mechanisms: rhythm alignment, which structures provision around household consumption patterns; communal synchronisation, which coordinates edible surplus with demand before discard; and routine embedding, which anchors low-waste practices in recurring behaviour. Illustrative venture examples are purposively selected to foreground one mechanism within a common consumer-facing food-waste market context; their common UK market setting aids comparison but bounds the immediate transferability of the illustrations. Four propositions are advanced, linking temporal design to reduced food waste, greater surplus utilisation, more durable behaviour change, and venture differentiation. By shifting attention from persuasion to temporal fit, the paper contributes an entrepreneurial and temporal-psychology-informed explanation of food-waste reduction that complements attitude- and information-based accounts. It concludes with a staged research agenda combining comparative case development with longitudinal or field-based testing across regions and venture types.

Regulatory Incentives and Knowledge Dynamics in Pharmaceutical Innovation: Evidence from Breakthrough Therapy Designation

Jaekwan Park, Youngha Chang, Daniele Rotolo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pharmaceutical innovation heavily depends on scientific knowledge, but it is also shaped by regulatory institutions that define safety and efficacy requirements for market entry and influence time to market. This study examines whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD), introduced under the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) in 2012, is associated with changes in scientific publication activity. Using FDA approval records and publication data from the Web of Science Core Collection, the pilot analysis examines nine drugs across three disease areas: leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. BTD-designated drugs were matched with non-BTD drugs based on comparable indications and approval timing within the 2013–2023 study window. Annual publication counts were measured over six-year periods before and after the designation and analyzed using an event-time difference-in-differences model with drug and relative-period fixed effects. Publication activity increased after designation, and the descriptive increase was larger for BTD-designated drugs than for non-BTD drugs. However, the fixed-effects estimate was positive but not statistically significant (β = 0.116, SE = 0.569). The findings suggest a possible increase in scientific publication activity following BTD designation, although the statistical evidence remains inconclusive. The findings suggest that regulatory incentives may influence clinical development without a comparable change in scientific knowledge production.

Digital Transformation and Performance of E-Service Businesses in West Africa

Hakeemat Adeleye — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In an era where digital innovation is essential for enhancing service delivery and competitiveness, understanding how these technologies influence firm performance is both timely and critical. Thus, this study examined the effect of digital transformation on the performance of e-service businesses in West Africa. Digital transformation was viewed using two dimensions: Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption and cloud computing adoption. A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted to collect quantitative data from 348 owners and managers of e-service businesses across Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone using purposive sampling. Data were gathered through digitally administered structured questionnaires and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS. The findings revealed that AI adoption had a positive and significant effect on the performance of e-service businesses, particularly in terms of service efficiency, customer experience, and decision-making processes. Similarly, cloud computing adoption demonstrated a positive and significant effect on organisational performance. These findings indicate that digital technologies are not merely supportive tools but strategic resources that enable firms to achieve sustainable competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving West African digital economy. The study contributes to the growing literature on digital transformation by providing empirical evidence from e-service businesses across five West African countries, thereby extending existing studies that have largely focused on broader SME contexts.

Universities as Living Labs for Circular Economy Entrepreneurship in the GCC

Nasser Alyahya'ei — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Universities are increasingly expected to contribute to sustainability transitions while fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. However, green campus sustainability practices are often implemented as operational initiatives, with limited integration into entrepreneurship education and student venture development. Drawing on the entrepreneurial university perspective, experiential learning theory, and the living lab approach, this study conceptualises universities as living labs for circular economy entrepreneurship and empirically examines the mechanisms through which campus sustainability practices translate into entrepreneurial outcomes. The study proposes and tests a sequential model in which students’ perceptions of green campus sustainability practices influence experiential learning engagement, which in turn enhances circular economy competencies and subsequently leads to entrepreneurial intention and early entrepreneurial behaviour. A quantitative, survey-based research design was adopted, using data collected from 313 students across multiple campuses of a higher education institution in the GCC context. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyse the data. The results provide strong support for the proposed model. Green campus sustainability practices significantly enhance experiential learning engagement, which in turn drives the development of circular economy competencies. These competencies were found to have a significant positive effect on both entrepreneurial intention and early entrepreneurial behaviour. Furthermore, the findings confirm a sequential mediation mechanism, indicating that the influence of sustainability practices on entrepreneurial outcomes operates through structured learning and competency development processes. This study contributes to the literature in three ways. First, it extends the entrepreneurial university and sustainability education literature by empirically linking green campus practices to entrepreneurship outcomes through a living lab logic. Second, it advances circular economy entrepreneurship research by highlighting the mediating role of experiential learning and competency development. Third, it offers practical insights for higher education leaders and policymakers on how campus sustainability initiatives can be strategically leveraged to foster innovation, entrepreneurship education, and early venture creation in emerging and transition economies.

An Empirical Study of Social Entrepreneurial Intention among Public Sector University Students in Pakistan: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and the Moderating Role of Need for Achievement

Muazam Ali, Sidra Pervez, Iqra Shamshad, Atta Ullah Khan, Sohail Raza — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The significance of entrepreneurship has been widely recognized by scholars and practitioners across the globe; however, social entrepreneurship remains an emerging and evolving field of inquiry. Social entrepreneurship is significant not only for its economic contributions but also for its capacity to address pressing social challenges such as poverty alleviation and community welfare, thereby serving as a catalyst for sustainable social change. Despite its growing relevance, empirical evidence explaining the determinants of social entrepreneurial efforts in developing countries remains limited. Hence, this study seeks to examine the level of youth Intention toward social entrepreneurship in Pakistan. Specifically, it investigates the influence of various antecedent factors on social entrepreneurial intention, while also exploring the moderating role of Need for Achievement and mediating role of entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy. Adopting a quantitative research strategy and a survey-based research design, data were collected from 309 students enrolled in public sector universities located in Rawalpindi Islamabad. Structural Equation Modelling was employed to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. The results demonstrate that ESE failed to significantly transmit the effects of these support variables to social entrepreneurial intention at QAU and FJWU, showing only a weak direct link at NUST. However, the need for achievement emerged as a powerful and highly robust moderator across all three universities. The interaction effects (NFAxPES and NFAxPSS) consistently strengthened the impact of perceived institutional support mechanisms on SEI. These results underscore that instead of relying purely on building student self-efficacy, higher education institutions must strategically pair robust educational and structural infrastructure with high-achievement student traits to effectively drive youth social entrepreneurial participation.

When the Model Moves: Entrepreneurial Adaptation to Foundation-Model Dependency in AI Startups

Fahad Aljadaan — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Foundation models allow artificial intelligence (AI) startups to develop sophisticated products without owning the underlying model, but this speed creates dependence on providers that control model behaviour, availability, pricing, safety settings and lifecycle decisions. This paper examines how the AI venture ecosystem publicly constructs that dependence as manageable and which adaptation strategies it makes available to downstream ventures. The study uses qualitative content analysis of 15 organisation-controlled online sources published by model providers, AI gateways and routers, developer frameworks, and observability and evaluation platforms. Sources were selected using explicit criteria concerning ecosystem role, public accessibility, recency and substantive treatment of model lifecycle, switching, routing, fallback, evaluation or integration. Provider materials are treated as strategic discourse rather than neutral evidence of implementation; interpretations are therefore bounded, compared across ecosystem roles and contextualised using recent independent research on platform power, transparency, competition and AI business models. The findings identify model volatility as the operating condition and five responses: multi-model hedging, abstraction-layer building, failure routing and fallback, evaluation-based capability monitoring, and workflow ownership. Together these responses form a dependency-management architecture. The paper defines workflow ownership as venture-specific control over the customer process, data context, integration logic, evaluation criteria, governance and assurance surrounding model inference, so that customer value can persist when the upstream model changes. The analysis develops the concept of resilient dependence: ventures may remain reliant on external models while reducing the ability of any single provider or model version to determine continuity. Economically, the architecture trades additional integration, evaluation and governance costs for lower exposure to supplier power, service interruption, margin volatility and forced migration. The study contributes a process model for research on AI entrepreneurship and a practical framework for assessing whether a downstream venture can continue delivering and capturing value when its upstream model moves.

Teaching Risk, Assessing Certainty: The Hidden Paradigm in Entrepreneurship Education

Sarah Allam — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

An entrepreneurship education module teaches risk, iteration, opportunity. Then it assesses through caution, the complete dossier, the five-year forecast. Students notice the difference, and they adjust what they submit to what the grade rewards. Over two decades, entrepreneurship education has moved its discourse from planning toward a way of acting under uncertainty. This reform reshaped what is taught. It has reached assessment more slowly, and the instruments that grade students still ask largely for plans and forecasts. Yet assessment, as much as discourse, shapes what students do and the entrepreneurial disposition they develop. The point where a programme grants its grades is also where it signals what it truly values. Drawing on a reflexive thematic analysis of open-ended responses from 58 students across a range of disciplines in Moroccan universities, this exploratory study examines how students perceive the gap between what entrepreneurship education espouses and what its assessment rewards, how they make sense of it, and how they respond to it. The gap is consistent. Assessment that speaks of risk rewards certainty. Assessment that speaks of iteration rewards the finished dossier and the multi-year forecast. The polished presentation scores. Students adjust to what the grade rewards. They de-risk their idea. Some keep their innovation to themselves, others fabricate market data, many disengage while producing the expected compliance. Where assessment matches what was taught, coherence and engagement return. The trigger is the match itself. Assessment then appears as a carrier of the predictive logic, where pedagogy has already moved toward an entrepreneurial one. The business plan and the forecast keep a causal paradigm inside reformed programmes, and can slow the entrepreneurial turn at the very point where it is measured. Impact studies built on these instruments may measure compliance as much as entrepreneurial learning. What an aligned assessment would instead reward remains to be named, and entrepreneurial marketing offers the horizon, an assessment built for uncertainty and for the value students can actually create.

Digital Technologies as an Enabler of Internal Audit Practices in the ESG Context: A Thematic Analysis of Recent Practices

Ivana Barišić, Marina Ercegović, Ivana Mamić Sačer — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The role of the internal audit function in the context of sustainability, as well as the impact of digital technologies on the transformation of the internal audit function, is receiving increasing attention in both professional and academic literature. However, it is not possible to draw clear conclusions about the involvement of internal audit in sustainability, nor about the contribution of digital technologies to the audit process in this context. All of the above indicates the need for systematic research that will contribute to a better understanding of internal audit practice and the possibilities for its greater involvement in the context of sustainability. The paper examines the role of internal audit function of the in ESG context and the contributions of digital technologies such as data analytics and artificial intelligence in strengthening internal audit for the analysis of ESG data and supporting its role in sustainability. The aim is to analyse how the application of these technologies can contribute to more effective internal audit activities in the context of sustainability. The paper employs a semi-structured literature review of scientific papers published between 2018 and 2026 in relevant scientific database. In addition, a thematic analysis is conducted in order to explore the research topic in greater detail. The paper contributes to the understanding of digital transformation in business by examining how digital technologies reshape internal audit practices and support ESG-related decision-making and governance processes.

Public Attitudes Toward ChatGPT in Türkiye: Evidence from Instagram Sentiment Analysis

Cigdem Baskici, Yunus Gokmen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

ChatGPT has rapidly emerged as one of the most widely used generative AI applications globally, and its adoption has expanded considerably in Türkiye. As individuals increasingly rely on ChatGPT for information, education, creativity, and problem-solving, understanding public perceptions of this technology has become essential for both academic research and policy development. However, systematic empirical evidence on how Turkish users perceive and emotionally respond to ChatGPT remains limited. This study examines public attitudes toward ChatGPT in Türkiye through sentiment analysis of Instagram user-generated content shared between 2022 and 2025. By analysing captions, comments, and replies related to ChatGPT, the research seeks to identify prevailing emotional patterns in online discourses. The study employs sentiment classification techniques to determine whether public discourse is predominantly positive, negative, or neutral. By utilizing social media as a primary data source, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how emerging AI technologies are perceived within the Turkish context. The findings contribute to academic discussions on human–AI interaction and provide empirical evidence for future research on public perceptions of generative AI.

Interpersonal Relationships in Entrepreneurial Team Research: a Meta-Analysis Using Advanced Computational Methods

Mikhail Bogach — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how interpersonal relationships are positioned within entrepreneurial team (ET) research, focusing on how relational themes such as trust, conflict, cohesion, diversity, and collaboration are distributed across dominant research streams. Moving beyond conventional literature reviews and performance-centred perspectives, the study provides a systematic, data-driven mapping of relational orientations in ET scholarship. Using three complementary text analysis techniques, namely topic modelling, term network analysis, and large language model (LLM)-assisted text extraction, the study examines 916 abstracts of peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and conference papers published between 1995 and 2025. This integrated approach enables multi-level analysis of a large corpus and the identification of latent research streams derived from the substantive focus of each study, followed by an examination of their term networks. Findings show that although nearly half of the publications address internal team functioning, relational constructs remain concentrated within a relatively isolated subset of research on team processes and team properties. In contrast, outward-looking research on investment, strategic growth, and international entrepreneurship largely omits explicit relational perspectives. Conflict, resilience, team reflexivity, team formation, team dynamics, transactive memory systems, and trust emerge as prominent relational constructs but are often isolated from ecosystem-level inquiry. Notably, ecosystem actors such as incubators and universities typically appear as contextual background rather than as influential agents shaping intra-team dynamics, suggesting a disconnect between ecosystem discourse and relational team mechanisms across multiple theoretical and empirical contexts. The study contributes to human-centred entrepreneurship research by offering a high-resolution analysis of relational concepts in ET scholarship. It clarifies how interpersonal relationships are presented in ET studies and identifies blind spots, particularly the limited integration of relational themes into ecosystem-level research. It also highlights opportunities to better integrate entrepreneurial ecosystem stakeholders, including academia, support organisations, policymakers, and industry actors, to strengthen collaboration, trust-building, and the development of resilient startup teams.

Successful Finnish Social Enterprises: A Case Study of Foundation-Based Social Enterprises in the Nordic Welfare Context

Kristiina Brusila-Meltovaara, Heidi Myyryläinen, Georgios Lampropoulos — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Research on social enterprises in the Finnish context remains scarce, especially regarding large, foundation-based welfare actors. This study examines how foundation-based social enterprises in Finland articulate and operationalise social responsibility within the Nordic welfare-state context. Social enterprises in Finland operate within a distinctive Nordic welfare framework, where their primary purpose is to generate social value while maintaining economic viability. Despite their growing relevance in addressing societal needs, Finnish examples have received little attention in the international literature. Thus, this study contributes to addressing this gab. Specifically, the study presents and discusses the concept of social enterprise as defined in the Finnish context while focusing on its legal and operational characteristics. Drawing on publicly available organisational communications and a qualitative, interpretive analysis, we analyse three prominent influential Finnish foundation-based social enterprises selected for their scale, longevity and social impact. Each case is described in detail, covering their origins, mission, core activities, and the social challenges they aim to address.

The findings show how foundation ownership supports the institutionalisation of social responsibility through long-term governance arrangements that limit profit distribution and routinise reinvestment for community benefit, while also revealing variation in size, sectoral focus, and sustainability strategies within the Finnish model. The analysis focuses on their operation model and how social responsibility becomes institutionalised over time. Therefore, rather than aiming to represent all social enterprises in Finland, this study offers an in-depth examination of specific cases. By situating these cases in the Nordic welfare-state setting, the article contributes to discussions on social entrepreneurship, hybrid welfare arrangements, and the evolving division of responsibility between public institutions and foundation-based actors.

Privacy Policies and the use of Personal Data as Strategic Variables for Entrepreneurs in the Health Apps Market

Cláudia Cardoso, Cândida Sofia Machado, Natália Lemos — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Health apps cover many areas and functions and are easily available. However, massive use of personal data has security and privacy risks. Although there is the widespread idea that privacy is important for app users, their efforts to protect their personal data are usually low or none. Evidence from online services show that privacy protection is still an issue, and many app developers fail on the disclosure of a privacy policy, even if it is mandatory. This is evident for health apps also, despite the sensitivity of personal health data. Entrepreneurs must choose an adequate monetization model for their health app business, including privacy concerns.

Objectives: We intend to explain how the availability of the privacy policy of a health app and how the decision of an app to explicitly inform users on the use of personal data for micro-segmentation relates with diverse revenue sources, treating those variables as business strategic variables.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of health apps available in Portugal. We use logit and probit regression models to establish cause-effect relations between variables.

Results: If a health app is downloaded for free or if it includes in-app purchases, it will be more probable to have a privacy policy and to explicitly inform users on the use of personal data. However, the inclusion of ads within the app is not relevant. We conclude that the disclosure of privacy policies and the use of personal data cannot be disconnected from the business model of the app.

Digital Transformation in SMEs: How Strategic Orientation and Digital Capabilities Drive Value Creation and Innovation

Shu-Hsiang Chen, Chaojie Ma, Yi Ke, Claus Schreier, Jillaine Farrar — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generate value and innovation through digital transformation, focusing on the interplay between strategic orientation and digital capability development. While digital transformation is widely recognized as a strategic imperative, existing studies remain largely centered on large firms or linear technology adoption models. This means the ongoing, adaptive, and resource-limited experiences of SMEs have received less attention. Drawing on qualitative data from in-depth interviews with five SME leaders in Switzerland, this study investigates how SMEs frame digital value, develop enabling capabilities, and translate constrained resources into innovation outcomes. The study identifies four empirical themes: strategic framing of digital value, capabilities as catalysts, co-creation and network innovation, and resource constraints and strategic trade-offs. These themes show that SME digital transformation is not simply a process of adopting digital tools, but an adaptive journey in which strategic intent, technological integration, managerial learning, and external collaboration are continuously aligned. Building on these themes, this research proposes the Digital Synergy Loop—a conceptual framework capturing the iterative alignment of strategy and capability as the foundation for digital value creation. The framework comprises five interconnected stages: strategic intent and direction, capability development, digital synergy formation, value creation and innovation outcomes, and strategic refinement and feedback. By integrating the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities Theory, and effectuation logic, the study contributes to SME digital transformation literature by explaining how firms mobilize existing resources, build capabilities iteratively, and use stakeholder relationships to compensate for internal constraints. It therefore reframes digitalization as a strategic, relational, and feedback-driven capability process rather than merely a one-off technological investment. Practically, the findings suggest that SMEs should approach digital transformation through focused strategic intent, incremental capability building, co-creation with partners, and reflective feedback mechanisms. The study also offers policy implications, highlighting the need for adaptive capability-building support rather than technology subsidies alone.

Circular Migration and Entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans: From Brain Drain to Innovation Potential

Eldisa Cirogu — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines how circular migration can support entrepreneurship and innovation in the Western Balkans, using Albania as the principal analytical reference point. Migration in the region is usually framed as brain drain, yet that framing captures only one side of the relationship between mobility and development. Migrants and returnees may also accumulate skills, savings, market knowledge, work discipline, and transnational networks that can be mobilized for new venture creation, small-firm upgrading, and international market access. The paper argues that entrepreneurship is the critical mediating mechanism between migration and development: mobility-generated assets only become productive when they are translated into business formation, SME upgrading, innovation adoption, and export-oriented activity. The study is conceptual and exploratory. It draws on academic literature on brain circulation, transnational entrepreneurship, return migration, and entrepreneurial ecosystems, and combines this with desk-based analysis of recent official data and policy material from Albania. The empirical context is important. Recent official evidence indicates that Albania has around 1.6 million citizens abroad, that 37 percent of Albanian households include a current or returned migrant, that 108,503 Albanians returned over the previous 12 years including 25,595 in 2023, and that personal remittances equaled 8.4 percent of GDP in 2024. At the same time, only 23.8 percent of individuals report basic or above-basic digital skills, even though roughly 95 percent of public services are available online. The paper’s main finding is that circular migration clearly generates entrepreneurial resources, but these resources are only partially converted into innovation and growth because migration policy, SME support, digital capability, and export promotion remain weakly aligned. The paper contributes by integrating migration studies with ecosystem thinking, by grounding the discussion in stronger official evidence, and by proposing a concise conceptual framework through which entrepreneurship mediates the relationship between circular migration and development.

Structured Innovation as a Driver of Collective Transformation in Traditional Industrial Clusters

Oscarina Conceição, Teresa Dieguez, Diana Freitas — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Innovation has become a critical driver of competitiveness in traditional manufacturing industries, yet its role remains insufficiently understood in mature industrial clusters. This study examines how structured innovation practices influence firm performance and contribute to broader transformation dynamics in the textile and clothing sector of Portugal´s Vale do Ave region.

Adopting a qualitative multiple case study approach, the research draws on semi-structured interviews with senior managers from five firms at different levels of innovation maturity. Through the Innovation Scoring framework, it analyses how innovation is organised, embedded, and managed across firms.

The findings reveal significant heterogeneity. Firms with institutionalized and strategically aligned innovation demonstrate stronger capabilities in integrating innovation with strategy, fostering supportive organisational cultures, and engaging in external collaboration. These capabilities enhance adaptability and lead to superior performance. In contrast, less mature firms rely on reactive, ad hoc practices and struggle to structure innovation and assess its impact.

The study shows that innovation maturity appears to mediate the relationship between innovation practices and performance, conceptualizing it as an operational expression of dynamic capabilities. It also highlights the importance of multidimensional innovation measurement and offers relevant implications for managers and policymakers aiming to strengthen competitiveness in traditional industries.

Market Validation as a Pedagogical Strategy for Developing Entrepreneurial Competences in Higher Education

Teresa Costa, Pedro Mares — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurship education in higher education is increasingly expected to demonstrate not only student engagement but also credible evidence of competence development through pedagogical approaches that connect theory, action and reflection. However, empirical research remains limited regarding how specific experiential practices – particularly market validation – contribute to competence development and how such learning can be meaningfully assessed. This paper examines the educational value of a market validation activity implemented within a course unit in Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation at a Portuguese higher education institution. The course is structured as an integrated learning pathway through which students progress from opportunity identification and idea presentation to prototype development, market validation and business model design. The study aims to analyse how market validation contributes to the development of entrepreneurial competences and to explore its potential as an authentic assessment mechanism. A mixed-methods case study design was adopted, combining quantitative, qualitative and performance-based evidence. The study was conducted within an Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation course involving 72 undergraduate students. Data sources included a questionnaire completed by 37 students, two focus groups involving 14 students, and the analysis of market validation reports, prototypes and business model proposals as performance-based evidence of entrepreneurial competence development. The findings show that market validation supports entrepreneurial attitudes, knowledge and skills, particularly responsibility, collaboration, feedback use and evidence-based decision-making. Direct interaction with potential users, exposure to uncertainty and reflection on customer feedback emerged as key learning mechanisms. The study shows that market validation can function both as an experiential learning strategy and as an authentic assessment tool, providing observable evidence of entrepreneurial competence development.

Co-Creation and Blended Research Training: A Pedagogical Innovation for Early-Stage Researchers in Higher Education

Teresa Costa, Pedro Pardal — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Higher education institutions are under growing pressure to design pedagogical approaches that help early-stage researchers develop more than methodological knowledge alone. They also need to build collaboration, communication and project development skills. Responding to this challenge, this paper examines an international blended intensive programme for Master’s and PhD students, as well as other early-stage researchers, focused on research development and co-creation in the social sciences. The programme was proposed and hosted by the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal, and developed in collaboration with the Politehnica University of Timisoara, Romania, Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and the University of Foggia, Italy, within an international partnership framework. The programme combines online sessions and a physical mobility week built around expert-led workshops, tutor matching, collaborative project work and research proposal presentations. Its activities address literature review, scientific collaboration, researcher profiling, communication, dialogue with reviewers, quantitative research insights and proposal development. Together, these elements offer participants a structured and supportive environment in which research training is closely connected with peer learning, co-creation and international academic exchange. The study adopts a case study approach to explore the pedagogical value of this format as an innovation in higher education. Particular attention is given to how the programme integrates blended learning, collaborative knowledge production and milestone-based research development. Rather than treating research training as an individual and isolated process, the programme creates a shared learning space where participants develop their research ideas through expert guidance, peer interaction and international dialogue. The findings show that this pedagogical design supports the development of research competences, scientific communication, collaborative learning and academic confidence, positioning BIPs as meaningful formats for linking research training with active participation, internationalisation and output-oriented learning.

Measuring Emotional and Rational Drivers in Retail Customer Journeys Beyond Surveys

Tamás Darázs — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper argues that customer journey, brand, and innovation-related decisions in retail should not rely only on self-reported data and questionnaire analytics, especially when evaluating the emotional and rational drivers of consumer behaviour. In practice, surveys remain a major source of evidence for assessing communication effectiveness, touchpoint quality, packaging evaluation, and brand performance. However, self-reports often capture declared preferences and post hoc rationalisations rather than the processes that shape attention, arousal, and affect during exposure. As a result, retailers may optimise communication, touchpoints, and product or packaging presentation on incomplete evidence.

The paper proposes a dual-layer framework for measuring retail customer journeys that captures both declarative and process-sensitive components of consumer response. The first layer covers explicit evaluations, including attribute importance, trust, preferences, and purchase intentions. The second layer captures implicit signals, including visual attention patterns, physiological arousal, and affective responses during exposure to retail stimuli. The framework integrates both layers across key journey stages and links them to communication design, touchpoint prioritisation, brand consistency management, and the evaluation of retail changes across touchpoints.

Methodologically, the paper is conceptual and practice-oriented, supported by a secondary cross-study synthesis of proprietary neurolab studies conducted in a university research setting. The included studies span multiple retail contexts, including advertising, online retail environments, packaging presentation, and product experience. They are not treated as one pooled empirical dataset. Instead, they reveal a recurring managerial risk: decisions based only on questionnaire results would have supported different recommendations than decisions informed by combined explicit and implicit evidence. Across the included studies, the dual-layer approach identifies hidden friction points, underestimated brand effects, failures of perceptual access, and mismatches between declared choice logic and experienced response.

The paper contributes a framework for measuring emotional and rational drivers beyond surveys, a perspective on implicit signals as decision-relevant evidence in retail customer journey analysis, and practical guidance for combining declarative and biometric data across touchpoints. It also highlights how such evidence can support the evaluation of retail changes, redesign decisions, and selected innovation-related actions. The paper concludes with implications for practice and directions for further validation.

The Socio-Environmental Canvas: Making Invisible Value Visible in Sustainable Ventures

Cecilia de Soto — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This empirical paper introduces the "Socio-environmental Canvas," a novel strategic framework and practical instrument for policymakers, investors and socio-environmental entrepreneurs, designed to address the persistent "purpose-benefit paradox" in sustainable entrepreneurship. While traditional business design tools, such as the Business Model Canvas (BMC), are adept at maximizing direct financial returns, they frequently fail to capture the multidimensional value and systemic complexity inherent in socio-environmental ventures. These initiatives often generate significant positive impacts—including ecological restoration, social cohesion, and public health improvements—that remain "invisible" within conventional accounting frameworks, leading to structural underfunding and market marginalization. This research makes a distinct theoretical contribution by expanding current business model design theory, specifically addressing the gap in how externalized social and environmental benefits are captured. The framework explicitly integrates and quantifies "non-appropriable profitability"—the tangible economic benefits society obtains indirectly from a venture's operations—using a counterfactual cost-avoidance methodology. This approach allows ventures to demonstrate their role as strategic "cost-saving centers" for public and private stakeholders. To validate this theoretical contribution, the paper presents an empirical case study of "Abono de Mar" in Uruguay, a circular economy venture transforming monthly fish waste into high-quality compost. This case-based evidence demonstrates the tool's practical utility by quantifying an annual non-appropriable social return of USD 100,423. The methodology critically contrasts the Socio-environmental Canvas with the Triple Layered Business Model Canvas (TLBMC), identifying that while the TLBMC focuses on internal organizational sustainability layers, the Socio-environmental Canvas uniquely maps external "non-appropriable" value.

By transforming diffuse social impacts into credible financial arguments, the framework provides a credible financial narrative for institutional capital that empowers entrepreneurs to secure institutional investment and provides policymakers with an empirical basis for data-driven, equitable public policies. This shift allows ventures to be re-framed as strategic 'cost-saving centers,' where governments can justify fiscal incentives and procurement preferences based on concrete avoided costs, effectively bridging the purpose-benefit paradox.

Ultimately, this research offers a practical strategic instrument for investors and policymakers and a robust instrument for purpose-driven organizations to prevent common long-term strategic planning and operational blind spots, ensuring that their full contribution to public wealth is both visible and actionable.

Social Capital and Entrepreneurial-Specific Knowledge as Key Drivers of Innovation

Ronald Jean Degen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Innovation in startups is frequently attributed to technological novelty or access to financial capital. However, contemporary entrepreneurship research increasingly recognizes innovation as a knowledge-based and socially embedded process. This article examines how entrepreneurial-specific knowledge and social capital jointly shape innovation outcomes in startups and explores the implications of these mechanisms for Brazilian public policy and university-based entrepreneurial ecosystems. Building on the knowledge-based view of the firm, social capital theory, and the knowledge recombination perspective, innovation is conceptualized as the outcome of interactions between tacit and explicit knowledge mediated by trust-based networks. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative, theory-driven multiple-case approach based on secondary data from twelve Brazilian startups. A structured coding protocol was used to classify entrepreneurial knowledge (tacit, explicit, or mixed) and forms of social capital (relational, institutional, and market-based), thereby enhancing analytical transparency and rigor. The findings show that startup innovation rarely emerges from isolated technological invention. Instead, it results from the recombination of entrepreneurial-specific knowledge accumulated through professional experience, academic training, and sectoral immersion, combined with social capital embedded in networks of customers, partners, universities, investors, and regulators. The study extends prior research by showing that innovation outcomes depend on the alignment between knowledge type and network structure. The article contributes to theory by refining the concept of entrepreneurial-specific knowledge as a dynamic capability and to practice by advocating a shift in innovation policy from finance-first to capability-and-network-first approaches.

Sustainable Fashion: Examining Purchase Intention in Digital Second-Hand Platforms

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The global fashion industry has undergone rapid transformation in recent decades, driven by the expansion of fast fashion and the increasing adoption of digital technologies. While fast fashion has enhanced accessibility and affordability, it has also raised significant environmental concerns, prompting growing interest in sustainable consumption practices. In this context, digital second-hand platforms have emerged as an important mechanism for promoting circular economy principles by extending product lifecycles and reducing waste. This study examines the factors influencing purchase intention in digital C2C second-hand fashion platforms, with a specific focus on users in the Lithuanian market. The research investigates the role of perceived value, trust, perceived security, and usage motivations in shaping purchase intention. A quantitative research design was employed, with data collected through an online questionnaire distributed to 105 users with experience using second-hand fashion platforms. The findings reveal that perceived value is the strongest predictor of purchase intention, followed by usage motivations and trust, all of which have a positive and statistically significant effect. In contrast, perceived security does not have a significant direct impact on purchase intention, suggesting that it functions as a baseline requirement rather than a key driver of behaviour. The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence from a relatively underexplored context and highlights the importance of perceptual and motivational factors in digital second-hand consumption. Practical implications suggest that platform managers should prioritise enhancing perceived value and user motivations to strengthen user engagement and purchasing behaviour.

The Role of GenAI Startups in Reshaping Business Consulting

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how GenAI-native startups enter and position themselves in knowledge-intensive professional services and how their emergence reconfigures disruption dynamics. It adopts a qualitative-dominant multi-method design combining a dataset of 177 consulting-oriented GenAI startups with three semi-structured key-informant interviews. Three patterns emerge. First, startup formation accelerates after foundation models become widely accessible through APIs and cloud infrastructure, suggesting that GenAI operates as enabling infrastructure for a category of entrants rather than as a proprietary innovation owned by individual firms. Second, the evidence does not indicate displacement of incumbents. Startups occupy an intermediate position between consultancies and generalist AI providers, differentiating through domain expertise and deployment-ready applications while depending on upstream model suppliers that are also latent competitors. Third, the three cases combine recurring software revenues with enterprise agreements and usage-dependent infrastructure costs, producing heterogeneous commercial responses, including performance-based pricing in one case. The study qualifies Big Bang Disruption for knowledge-intensive professional services: its supply-side conditions hold, whereas near-zero marginal costs and immediate adoption do not. It also specifies the properties and boundary conditions of a triadic competitive configuration. The findings inform startup positioning above the model layer, coopetitive incumbent responses, and investment in a capital-concentrated market.

Artificial Intelligence in Startup Investment Decision-Making

Wawan Dhewanto, Taufik Faturohman, Siti Insani Adiwinata, Arianne Muthia Zahra — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently exhibiting rapid changes in shaping and enhancing the entrepreneurial landscape, including the startup ecosystem. While prior research has addressed innovative financial startup systems such as AI-based credit scoring and AI for financial fraud detection, the current understanding of AI’s optimal role in startup evaluation remains fragmented. This study addresses the need to critically assess how AI is actually reshaping a part of the startup ecosystem, namely startup investors such as angel investors, venture-capitals, corporate venture capital, governments, financial advisors, and private equities. This systematic literature review with bibliometric analysis examines the landscape of AI applications in startup investment decision-making across articles published over the past decade in Scopus-indexed journals. Using PRISMA systematic literature review protocols and VOSviewer, 623 articles were considered, and 67 were fully reviewed that were related to artificial intelligence, investment, and startups. We identify three phases in the implementation of AI in this area: methodological sophistication, relational learning, and generative AI. Our review also revealed several research gaps pertaining to its application or usage in several different levels of the startup investment stage. This study offers practical guidelines for practitioners and a theoretical foundation for subsequent research on AI. This research contributes to the entrepreneurship, technology management, and financial management literature by mapping evidence and identifying promising research directions for developing AI frameworks within the startup ecosystem. This study also implies that while investors should attempt AI-driven instruments for decision-making, final human calibration and evaluation should still be done to provide sound alignment with startup investors’ financial or investment decisions. As such, the findings provide emphasis on responsible AI adoption within the startup ecosystem.

Determinants and Intensity of Science-Business Collaboration

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This article examines the determinants and intensity of science-business collaboration from the perspective of enterprises in Poland. The study addresses a gap in the literature by distinguishing between two analytically different dimensions of cooperation with scientific institutions: the probability that a company engages in collaboration and the intensity of collaboration measured by the number of cooperation forms used by the company. The empirical analysis is based on survey data from 433 enterprises, of which 104 declared at least one form of cooperation with universities or research institutions. The study combines descriptive analysis with two regression approaches. First, a binary logistic regression model is used to identify the factors associated with the occurrence of collaboration. Second, a Poisson regression model is applied to explain variation in the number of collaboration forms declared by companies. The results show that science-business collaboration is strongly differentiated by company characteristics. Medium-sized and large enterprises are significantly more likely to collaborate than small companies, and they also engage in a broader range of cooperation forms. Innovation activity also plays a central role: both product and process innovation increase the likelihood of collaboration, while process innovation in particular is associated with higher collaboration intensity. Among the institutional variables, the perceived competence of university staff emerges as a consistent positive predictor in both models, while access to research infrastructure is especially important for explaining broader collaboration portfolios. The descriptive findings additionally show that collaboration is concentrated among production and service companies and among enterprises with longer market experience. Taken together, the findings indicate that science-business collaboration remains selective and uneven. Cooperation depends not only on companies' internal capacities and innovation orientation, but also on the practical attractiveness of academic partners and the availability of usable institutional resources. The article argues that policies aimed at strengthening university-industry relations should therefore combine support for companies' absorptive and innovation capabilities with efforts to improve the credibility, competence, and infrastructure accessibility of scientific institutions. By separating the occurrence of collaboration from its breadth, the study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how enterprise-level and institutional factors shape university-industry interaction.

Creativity and Innovation for Sustainable Development in Saudi Architectural and Engineering Firms

Mahmood Fakeerah, Yaser Obad, Khalil Alqady, Wajdy Qattan — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to validate the climate for creativity in Saudi Arabian architectural and engineering (A&E) firms using factors of climate by Ekvall, Amabile, and Woodman’s theories of creativity climate. According to Saudi Vision 2030, A&E companies' creative thinking and innovation are important for achieving sustainable development since they encourage resource conservation, resilient urban growth, and green design. Promoting innovation results in socially, economically, and environmentally sound practices. The study methodology used a quantitative survey approach to analyse the data. Fourteen hypotheses were tested, and the study sample included 460 participants from different categories of owners, managers, and employees from Saudi and international firms. The findings of the investigation on A&E firms operating in Saudi Arabia showed that Debate (80%) and Challenges (80%) are the most significant factors that serve creativity and innovation in A&E firms. While (79%) is recorded for technological knowledge, freedom recorded (76%), management strategies (76%), and organizational culture (68%). Conflict resolution (59%) ranked lowest, indicating a need for improvement in this area. The findings align with global creativity models adapting them to Saudi Arabia’s context. This study presents the Innovation in Saudi A&E Firms (CISAEF) model, a measurable framework that helps to improve innovation environment. The practical implications introduce the importance of improving the culture of debate and employee empowerment in the light of Saudi Vision 2030.

Navigating Entrepreneurial Stress: How Egyptian Female Entrepreneurs Build and Sustain Resilience

Hadia Fakhreldin, Dalia Mounir, Rania Miniesy — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Women's entrepreneurship in Egypt unfolds amid patriarchal norms, macroeconomic instability, and resource scarcity that generate stress and shape both entry into entrepreneurship and the resilience women develop in response. Drawing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with thirteen Egyptian women entrepreneurs across diverse sectors, marital statuses, and socioeconomic positions, this study develops a process model of how stress is converted, through structural coping, into self-actualisation outcomes. Hybrid deductive–inductive thematic analysis integrates the ART of Resilience Framework (Acknowledgment, Reframing, Tailoring) with Self-Competition Theory, which specifies the internally benchmarked logic against which outcomes are evaluated. The analysis identifies five interacting stressors — societal, economic, emotional, identity-rupture, and resource — and shows that resilience operates through building durable coping infrastructure rather than episodic strategy selection. The outcomes participants value most are notably non-financial and relationally embedded: identity, freedom, impact on other women, and confidence. This stress–resilience–outcomes relationship is reciprocal and moderated by marital and child-rearing status and socioeconomic class. The study offers a culturally specific, process-based account of female entrepreneurial resilience and refines both frameworks for MENA contexts.

Using Experience Design to Develop an Interactive Co-Laboratory for Inner Development Goals in Social Entrepreneurship Education: A Design-Based Case Study

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurship education increasingly emphasizes experiential and transformative learning approaches; however, little research has yet examined how experience design may intentionally foster inner development and meaningful relational connections. This exploratory case study presents a Learnfestival as a format designed for collaboration to support social entrepreneurship in Germany and especially Saxony-Anhalt. The guiding research question is how experience design can foster meaningful connections between practicing social entrepreneurs, while impacting the inner dimensions that lead to sustainable change and collaboration. The pedagogical design integrates two complementary frameworks. The Inner Development Goals (IDG) framework provided the competence lens, emphasizing capacities such as self-awareness, critical thinking, empathy, collaboration, and responsible action. On the other hand, an Experience Design Model structured the emotional and spatial learning journey. The Learnfestival was conceived as a half-day lived experience of social entrepreneurship rather than a traditional academic conference. Each phase intentionally activated relational and reflective capacities: a “Tunnel of Challenges” installation raised emotional awareness of sustainability issues; multisensory engagement spaces fostered presence; small “home groups” supported belonging; collaborative exhibition formats encouraged dialogue and collaboration; and structured reflection moments enabled sense-making. Results from a prior Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) program involving participants from Germany and Tanzania were presented as a focal element within the open, exploratory agenda. Approximately 70 participants, including social entrepreneurs, startups, civic initiatives, and students with entrepreneurial aspirations attended the event. The Learnfestival was evaluated through a structured participant feedback survey combining Likert-scale items and open-ended qualitative responses. Data analysis indicates high perceived engagement and meaningful interaction between participants, who emphasized the experiential and participatory character of the format as enabling authentic exchange beyond conventional networking settings. This study contributes to entrepreneurship education by operationalizing inner development through experience design and proposing the Learnfestival as a transferable set of design principles for connecting academic and entrepreneurial ecosystems. It suggests that intentionally designed emotional and spatial learning journeys may strengthen relational competencies essential for sustainable and social entrepreneurship.

Technical and Economic Gaps in Freight Diesel-to-Natural Gas Transition – A Conceptual Analysis

Lennon de Almeida Freire, Savio Figueira Corrêa, Sérgio Evangelista Silva — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Heavy-duty road freight transport plays a central role in contemporary logistical systems but remains heavily dependent on diesel, making it a primary driver of atmospheric emissions, intensive fossil fuel consumption, and exposure to energy cost volatility. Given this scenario, the transition to alternative energy technologies has been widely discussed in academic literature, particularly within the contexts of sustainability, innovation, and organisational competitiveness. Among these alternatives, natural gas-based technologies—such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)—have received significant attention for their potential to serve as transitional solutions in the short and medium term. Despite the growing volume of studies on the subject, existing literature addresses the energy transition in road freight transport in a fragmented way. Technical research focuses on engine performance, energy efficiency, and emissions, while economic studies focus on financial indicators such as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and payback periods. Meanwhile, organisational and behavioural approaches analyse institutional factors and technology acceptance. These strands progress largely in isolation, with limited integration between technical and economic issues, which restricts effective decision-making support within organisational and corporate environments. In this context, this article aims to critically examine the fragmentation of scientific literature regarding the transition from diesel to alternative energy technologies in heavy-duty road freight transport, and to propose a conceptual framework integrating technical and economic feasibility. The study adopts a theoretical-analytical approach based on critical synthesis of the literature, thereby addressing a gap in the integration of techno-economic dimensions in existing research. The article organises the technical, economic, and decisional dimensions involved in the energy transition, repositioning the debate beyond isolated environmental assessments. In doing so, it establishes a clear conceptual foundation for the development of integrated performance evaluation models and for future empirical investigations aimed at supporting strategic decision-making in the road freight transport sector. This approach contributes to bridging the gap between technical performance and economic decision-making in energy transition studies. The proposed framework is particularly relevant for fleet managers, logistics operators, and policymakers operating in contexts characterised by infrastructure constraints, regulatory uncertainty, and cost sensitivity.

From Intention to Action: The Role of Entrepreneurial Education and Opportunity Recognition in Tourism Students’ Business Aspirations

Anderson Galvão , Rafael Medeiros, Carla Marques, Telma Mendes — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Drawing upon the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study explores the main antecedents of entrepreneurial intention and the desire to start a new business among Tourism students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is based on data collected from 152 finalist students from Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs) using a self-report questionnaire. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to assess the measurement and structural model. The results reveal that fear and anxiety related to COVID-19 do not significantly influence either entrepreneurial intention (βs = -0.100; p = 0.133) or the desire to start a new business (βs = 0.066; p = 0.177). Conversely, opportunity recognition (βs = 0.471; p < 0.001) and perceived entrepreneurial education (βs = 0.284; p < 0.05) positively influence entrepreneurial intention. Furthermore, entrepreneurial intention (βs = 0.446; p < 0.001) and anticipatory emotions (βs = 0.204; p < 0.05) significantly enhance the desire to start a new business. Surprisingly, TPB antecedents – attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control – do not show statistically significant effects on this outcome. The findings also indicate that entrepreneurial intention fully mediates the relationships between opportunity recognition (βs = 0.210; p < 0.01) and perceived entrepreneurial education (βs = 0.127; p < 0.05) with the desire to start a new business. This study extends entrepreneurship research in crisis contexts by highlighting the central role of entrepreneurial intention as a mediating mechanism and by evidencing the limited explanatory power of traditional TPB antecedents in shaping students’ entrepreneurial behavior during periods of uncertainty. The findings also suggest the coexistence of distinct crisis-response logics – “acting” vs. “wait-and-see” – influencing entrepreneurial outcomes.

When Generative AI Builds or Undermines Entrepreneurial Capability

Violetta Bacon-Gerasymenko, Andrew C. Corbett, William J. Wales — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: Generative AI (GenAI) is rapidly becoming foundational cognitive infrastructure for entrepreneurship. Yet a critical question remains: why does GenAI enhance entrepreneurial capability for some while quietly eroding it for others? Responding to the ETP Special Issue’s call to move beyond main-effect accounts, this study advances a human-GenAI cognitive engagement framework that explains when GenAI functions as a competence-development rather than a competence-erosion tool. Drawing on goal orientation theory and entrepreneurial cognition, we demonstrate that GenAI’s effects depend on the joint configuration of entrepreneurs’ initial competence and motivational orientation, revealing a paradoxical downside of GenAI-enabled efficiency largely overlooked in entrepreneurship research.

Emergent Strategy and Innovation in Entrepreneurship: A Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective

Ghayur Ahmad — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurship research increasingly recognises that opportunities, strategies and innovations develop in settings where technologies, institutions and stakeholder relationships change together. Yet the relevant literatures often locate explanation at different levels: opportunity research privileges entrepreneurial judgement, ecosystem research emphasises interdependence, and strategic entrepreneurship concentrates on the mobilisation of resources. This conceptual paper connects these levels through a complex adaptive systems perspective. It asks how entrepreneurs translate distributed environmental change into coordinated action and innovation without assuming either complete foresight or purely spontaneous adaptation. The framework was developed through a theory-integration approach that compares the causal roles assigned to variation, interaction, feedback and selection across complexity, opportunity and strategic entrepreneurship research. It distinguishes five constructs: environmental complexity and disequilibrium, opportunity emergence, adaptive entrepreneurial capability, adaptive self-organisation, and innovation outcomes. Three propositions specify the mechanism. Environmental disequilibrium makes opportunities more likely to emerge when change creates interpretable gaps in existing arrangements; adaptive entrepreneurial capability strengthens the conversion of those possibilities into self-organised action; and emergent strategy carries the effect of such action into innovation while performance feedback reshapes later interpretation and capability. The contribution is a process model that joins individual judgement to collective reconfiguration and treats innovation as both an outcome and a source of subsequent adaptation. The framework also identifies boundary conditions—resource slack, network accessibility and feedback quality—that can interrupt the proposed sequence. The paper concludes with an empirical agenda using longitudinal, multilevel and process-sensitive designs.

Building Innovation Capability Through Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Universities of Applied Sciences

Minna Hämäläinen, Kati Peltonen, Sanna Joensuu-Salo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how entrepreneurship promotion within universities influences organizational-level innovation capability. Innovation capability is defined as an institution’s capacity to foster innovation through the effective use of knowledge, resources, and collaboration, resulting in outcomes such as new products, processes, systems, research outputs, and innovative teaching methods (Lawson & Samson, 2001; Bartoloni et al., 2021). Rather than focusing on individual or team-level innovation, the study investigates how university staff perceive their institution’s overall ability to innovate. The study is grounded in the entrepreneurial university framework, which highlights universities’ evolving role as active contributors to innovation, economic development, and societal change (Clark, 1998; Etzkowitz, 2003). Building on prior research on organizational innovation capability (Lawson & Samson, 2001; Hero et al., 2017), this study addresses calls for a deeper understanding of its determinants in higher education contexts (Mendoza-Silva, 2021). Empirically, the study focuses on two organizational drivers of innovation capability: perceived management support for entrepreneurship and institutional support for student entrepreneurship. These dimensions reflect both strategic leadership and the entrepreneurial culture embedded in university structures and practices. Data were collected from two Finnish universities of applied sciences between November 2024 and January 2025, yielding responses from 134 staff members, including teaching and RDI personnel across disciplines. Organizational-level innovation capability, management support, and support for student entrepreneurship were measured using validated multi-item scales. Linear regression analysis was conducted, with the university included as a control variable. The results show that the model explains 56.2% of the variance in perceived innovation capability. Both management support for entrepreneurship and support for student entrepreneurship are positively and significantly associated with organizational-level innovation capability, with management support emerging as the strongest predictor. The control variable indicates some institutional differences, while the overall pattern of relationships is consistent across both universities. The findings contribute to research on entrepreneurial universities by demonstrating that innovation capability is embedded in organizational leadership and culture rather than solely in individual initiatives. Practically, the study highlights the importance of integrating entrepreneurship into institutional strategies and support structures to enhance universities’ long-term competitiveness, relevance, and societal impact.

Gen Y to Gen Z Female Entrepreneurs and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Exploring New Challenges and Opportunities

Angela Hamouda, Kate Johnson, Bronwyn Wood — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurial ecosystems have received renewed interest in recent years. Initially developed by Moore (1990s) and later popularized by Isenberg (2010, 2011), the entrepreneurship ecosystem approach provides a unique but dynamic framework for studying entrepreneurship development. As noted by Stam (2015), ecosystems offer a more holistic and imbedded approach to entrepreneurship development and as such, policy makers and academics alike have been keen to apply this framework in policy development, support structures and funding strategies. The question of how to ignite an ecosystem that recognises the changing needs of entrepreneurs has been considered in recent years, particularly in terms of women entrepreneurship, ensuring the infrastructure is in place to support women in business (Hernandez, 2022). However, the emergence of Generation Y and subsequently Gen Z has reignited the debate on entrepreneurship and ecosystems. As this new generation of young, technologically and social media savvy entrepreneurs have emerged, their particular generational trait and motivations, have forced policy makers to look at what changes need to be made, or facilities employed to support them in their entrepreneurial journeys? There is no doubt that this new generation represents a potentially un(der)tapped source of economic growth, vital for future economic growth and sustainability. However, understanding how we can better align supports to this new cohort and reflect the business environment in which they typically operate is still an emerging area. Furthermore, earlier research indicates a ‘disconnect’ between support agencies and this new generational group which impacts on them accessing enterprise supports (Hamouda et al., 2020). The study seeks to draw on new insights into these entrepreneurial sub-groups and discuss the implications for the development of dynamic (lean) entrepreneurial ecosystems that better support their entrepreneurial endeavors. The paper closes with a number of recommendations regarding emerging areas of research that will address the disconnect between these entrepreneurs and existing policy frameworks.

A Trilevel Framework for Innovation Management in National Innovation Systems

Fabian Hecklau — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Innovation is widely recognized as a key driver of economic growth, competitiveness and societal development. However, innovation does not emerge only from isolated organizational activities, but from the interaction of heterogeneous actors embedded in national innovation systems. While innovation management literature has traditionally emphasized organizational strategies, processes and capabilities, related streams on open innovation, innovation networks and network governance show that innovation also depends on interorganizational collaboration and systemic coordination. This paper brings these perspectives together by introducing the Trilevel Innovation Management Framework for National Innovation Systems. The framework conceptualizes innovation management as a multi-level capability operating at three mutually connected levels: the micro level of units and organizations, the meso level of networks and collaborative structures and the macro level of national innovation systems. It argues that innovation management can act as a catalyst for national innovation system performance when it aligns organizational capability building, interorganizational collaboration and system-level governance. The framework is illustrated through the case of the SENAI Innovation Institutes in Brazil, a national network of applied R&D institutes to strengthen the connection between scientific knowledge and industrial application. The case demonstrates how systematic planning, implementation and evaluation supported the development of individual institutes, collaboration within regional and national innovation ecosystems and measurable macroeconomic impact. The paper contributes to innovation management and national innovation system research by offering an integrated perspective on how management practices at different levels can jointly strengthen innovation system performance.

Understanding Sustainable Travel Choices through the Value-Belief-Norm Theory: Implications for Tourism SMEs

Elina Järvinen, Jonna Kielenniva, Sanna Joensuu-Salo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how travelers’ sustainability-related values influence responsible tourism choices. The objective of this study is to investigate how the perceived importance of sustainability predicts tourists’ responsible travel choices and to provide insights for tourism entrepreneurs and SMEs on how to respond to travelers’ value-driven preferences. The research builds on the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory (Stern et al, 1999). The study explores how sustainability values shape responsible travel behavior in the context of domestic tourism in Finland.The data were collected through the South Ostrobothnia Tourist Survey 2024, conducted by Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and the University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute. The final sample includes 526 respondents. Two dimensions of sustainability importance, environmental and socio-cultural, were measured using validated multi-item scales, and logistic regression analyses were used to assess their relationships with responsible travel choices. The results show that environmental sustainability has a stronger positive association with responsible travel choices (Exp(B)=1.70, p<.001) than socio-cultural sustainability (Exp(B)=1.49, p=.003). This indicates that while tourists value both dimensions, environmental aspects are more visible and therefore more influential in their decision-making. However, the significance of the socio-cultural dimension suggests untapped potential: tourists may not yet recognize its importance, but businesses can enhance its impact through clearer communication about local employment, cultural heritage, and community collaboration. The study extends the VBN framework to a broader sustainability context and contributes to the entrepreneurship and tourism literature by offering actionable insights for tourism SMEs. Strengthening the visibility of socio-cultural sustainability can help firms differentiate their services, communicate authentic local value, and align business strategies with travelers’ evolving ethical expectations.

Reassessing MSME Classification Thresholds in the Philippines: Evidence of Structural Finance Misalignment from Sectoral Cluster Analysis

Ian Jester M. de Vera, Rizza G. Valdez-de Vera — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines are classified primarily using static, asset-based
thresholds established by law. Despite their policy centrality, these thresholds have remained unchanged whilst the
enterprise landscape has undergone substantial growth and structural change. This paper uses the Asian Development
Bank’s Asia SME Monitor (ASM) 2025 dataset for the Philippines to empirically reassess the adequacy of the current MSME
classification framework. Using national data on enterprise counts, employment, and bank lending across seven sectors for
2019–2024, the paper undertakes a multi-dimensional assessment: it constructs sector-level profiles combining MSME
population shares, employment shares, and loan shares; applies k-means++ clustering to identify structural finance
archetypes; and examines temporal trends in access to finance. Cluster analysis consistently reveals three sector profiles: a
mass-market sector (wholesale and retail trade) with broadly proportional enterprise, employment, and loan shares; a
labour-intense but chronically underfinanced sector (other services); and a group of sectors with disproportionately high
loan shares relative to their MSME population. Critically, MSME loans as a share of total bank lending declined from 6.1% in
2019 to 3.9% in 2024, even as MSME count grew by 24.2%. Geographic concentration is severe: 83.8% of MSME loans were
extended in Metro Manila, where only 17.8% of MSMEs are located. These structural misalignments support a reframing of
MSME policy beyond uniform size thresholds toward sector-informed, risk-differentiated support frameworks.

Understanding Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Mediation Model of Self-Efficacy, Gender, and Role Models

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurial intentions are critical precursors to entrepreneurial action, yet the psychological and social mechanisms that underpin intention formation remain underexplored, particularly in integrated empirical models. Drawing on a nationally representative sample from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Adult Population Survey from Finland, this study examines how entrepreneurial self-efficacy mediates the effects of gender and exposure to entrepreneurial role models on entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy refers to individuals’ beliefs in their ability to successfully perform the tasks required to start and run a business. The analysis focuses on individuals aged 18–64 who were not currently engaged in entrepreneurial activity (n = 1,264). We apply structural equation modeling as a path-analytic framework to estimate direct and indirect relationships among gender, role model exposure, self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intentions. Given the dichotomous nature of the variables, the results are interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. Indirect effects are assessed using bootstrapped confidence intervals. The results indicate a very good model fit (CFI > .98, RMSEA < .04), suggesting that the hypothesised relationships are well supported by the data. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy emerges as the strongest predictor of entrepreneurial intentions among the variables included in the model and mediates part of the effects of both gender and role model exposure. Individuals with higher self-efficacy report stronger entrepreneurial intentions, and this confidence partly explains why men and those with entrepreneurial contacts exhibit higher intentions. At the same time, both gender and role model exposure retain significant direct effects, indicating that social context influences entrepreneurial intentions beyond individual beliefs alone. These findings highlight the importance of integrating psychological and social determinants in models of entrepreneurial intention formation. By examining mediation mechanisms within a single empirical framework, the study provides a more nuanced understanding of how gender and social exposure shape entrepreneurial intentions and offers implications for entrepreneurship education and policy.

Public Funding, Collaboration and Intellectual Assets in a Moderate Innovator: Evidence From Portugal

Cidália Jorge, Florinda Matos — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Innovation is a central driver of economic competitiveness, which grants science, technology and innovation policies a prominent role. In this respect, Portugal is a paradigmatic case: across successive editions of the European Innovation Scoreboard, it has remained a moderate innovator, below the European Union average, despite sustained public investment, with persistent weaknesses in intellectual assets and in the commercial translation of innovation. Although the literature widely discusses the relationship between public policy and innovation ecosystems at the macro level, firm-level evidence on the mechanisms linking public funding and collaboration to the creation of intellectual assets remains scarce, particularly in peripheral economies dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises. This study addresses that gap by analysing how public funding, collaboration and export orientation relate to the patenting activity of Portuguese firms. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design is adopted. In the quantitative phase, hypotheses on the association between patent applications and factors of public funding, collaboration and internationalisation are tested using chi-square and t-tests on data from the Community Innovation Survey (CIS 2022), covering 13,802 national firms. In the qualitative phase, two interviews with national experts, analysed through content analysis, interpret and contextualise the observed patterns. The results show that public funding is significantly associated with patenting, but with small effect sizes, whereas collaboration, particularly with universities, displays the strongest association, exceeding inter-firm cooperation; patenting, in turn, is associated with greater export orientation. An asymmetric articulation of the innovation system's helices emerges: a robust academic sphere and a structurally fragile business sphere that does not generate enough demand to convert funding and knowledge into intellectual assets. Reading these results through the triple helix model suggests that, in a moderate innovator, strengthening the articulation between academia and the business fabric is a precondition for the transition towards more complex and sustainable innovation ecosystems. The study contributes to the innovation management literature with firm-level empirical evidence from an under-explored peripheral context, and offers practical implications for innovation policy, underlining that public effort is more effective when directed at science-industry articulation rather than at direct funding alone. It also warns of the limits of indicators such as the European Innovation Scoreboard in assessing economies with Portugal's profile.

Venturethon: A Validation-First, Studio-Templated Pedagogical Model for Entrepreneurship Education

Artūras Jurgelevičius — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: This paper develops a conceptual framework for Venturethon, a sprint-based pedagogical model for entrepreneurship education centered on real-world business model validation. Its novelty is configurational rather than componential. Entrepreneurship education has shifted, over two decades, from lecture-based instruction toward experiential formats, yet a persistent gap remains between pedagogical methods and the authentic processes of new venture creation. Two competition-based formats dominate practice: hackathons, which compress innovation into 24 to 72 hours and rarely enable customer interaction; and business plan competitions, which reward written planning over market evidence. Recent empirical reviews show that lecture-centered teaching persists even where experiential intent is stated, and that participation in assessment-based startup competitions yields no significant entrepreneurial-intention advantage over controls. In parallel, a separate research stream — four randomized controlled trials covering 759 firms and a recent extension in Tanzania — has shown that a hypothesis-driven, theory-based approach to entrepreneurial decision making improves search efficiency and idea quality. The design challenge is therefore not whether validation matters, but how to embed it pedagogically. The Venturethon model rests on three theoretical pillars: experiential learning theory, hypothesis-driven entrepreneurship, and venture studio architecture. The paper specifies nine testable propositions linking program design features to expected learner outcomes and articulates four boundary conditions: deep-tech ventures with multi-year R&D timelines, regulated industries with constrained customer access, pre-undergraduate participants, and prior-MBA participants shown to resist hypothesis-driven methods. No existing format — hackathon, business plan competition, accelerator, I-Corps, or studio — jointly instantiates the translation of venture studio architecture (cohort parallelism, shared infrastructure, systematized process) into educational program design combined with open access, evidence-gated pedagogy, and pre-committed post-sprint pathways. The paper concludes with a quasi-experimental design for empirical evaluation against matched hackathon and business-plan-competition cohorts, inviting independent empirical testing.

Aligning the Expectations for University–Industry Cooperation: Experiences from the Field

Pasi Juvonen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Finland has lacked economic growth for almost two decades. Universities of applied sciences can help facilitate growth. This article examines misaligned expectations of value creation between SMEs and universities. The study focuses on LAB University of Applied Sciences in South Karelia and Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. LAB runs about 200 RDI projects annually, several of which aim to strengthen SMEs’ innovation capabilities and improve cooperation that creates business opportunities. Despite extensive cooperation, UASs and SMEs often differ on what creates value. UASs tend to approach companies with solutions, while companies expect needs-led dialogue. The research asks: What should change to create more mutual value in UAS–SME relationships? Data include findings from regional RDI projects (2023–2025) and sixteen theme-based interviews with LAB staff, other stakeholders, and company representatives. The data were analyzed thematically as a qualitative case. The results suggest that companies want universities to be more customer-focused and proactive in outreach. Companies also need to communicate their needs and participation conditions more clearly in publicly funded RDI projects.

Students’ Experiences and Reflections Following an Impact Entrepreneurship Course: An Exploratory Study

Verena Kaiser, Bettina Maisch, Malgorzata Krzywonos — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This exploratory study examines students’ experiences and career-related reflections following participation in an impact entrepreneurship course. Data were collected through structured self-reflection protocols completed by 26 Bachelor-level students from eight countries after participating in an interdisciplinary and international entrepreneurship course delivered in the winter term 2025/26. The course focused on impact entrepreneurship. The material was analysed using qualitative content analysis supported by MAXQDA. Participants described several ways in which the course informed their thinking about future professional pathways. Some expressed interest in establishing an impact-oriented venture, pursuing intrapreneurial roles, or working for mission-driven organisations. Students who did not report a change in their intended career direction nevertheless indicated that social and environmental impact had become an important criterion in evaluating future professional opportunities. The findings provide exploratory evidence of the perceived career relevance of impact entrepreneurship education. They reflect students’ self-reported experiences and aspirations rather than observed career decisions.

Network Capital as a Success Factor for Entrepreneurs: Beyond the Buzzword

Prof. Dr. Eva-Yasmine Kaiser, Jan Schikofsky — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Startup success has long been a point of interest within entrepreneurship discussions and ecosystems. Startup and entrepreneurial success have often been based upon and measured by hard factors such as performance and sales volume. Although these hard factors are important, there is increased discussion surrounding the topic of networking. Particularly, the topic of social capital and weak ties. There is often acknowledgement that social contacts and networks help shape the success of an entrepreneur equally. Network capital research supports the vitality of social relationships in the growth and sustainability of startups. This paper thus explores the role of network capital and weak ties in building ecosystems as a success factor, analyzing how these factors shape entrepreneurial endeavors. This research paper includes theories from the Expectancy-Value-Cost Theory. The research follows a quantitative method. Data was collected via a survey with 200 participants within the entrepreneurship community. The data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and SmartPLS. This research identifies significant influencing motivational factors behind network-oriented behavior patterns. The findings also demonstrate mental tradeoffs between expectations and costs (time and effort) associated with networking activities. In this regard, self-expected competence can be identified as an important influencing factor on network-related activities. Furthermore, the results show that network activities significantly affect startup success in different ways (i.e., access to external investors and funding, internal startup performance, and identification of new business opportunities). Our findings contribute to entrepreneurship research by explaining important interrelations between motivational influencing factors on networking activities and building supportive ecosystems for progressive startup development. Practical implications include making a concerted effort to invest in social capital, network and maintain relationships. This may not only positively affect startup success, but in turn can lead to a positive return on investment in terms of crucial resources such as knowledge, expertise and opportunities.

Communicating the Dual Mission: Analysis of Websites of Finnish Social Enterprise Mark Holders

Päivi Karhunen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Social enterprises are defined as organizations that prioritize social goals over profit maximization. However, to sustain these goals, they must also remain economically viable. The tension between social and commercial logics, and the ways organizations manage this balance, is a central theme in social enterprise research. Despite this, little attention has been paid to how such tensions are communicated externally. This paper addresses this gap by analyzing the websites of 157 Finnish limited companies that have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark. The study examines how these firms communicate the two main criteria for receiving the mark: generating social good and allocating a significant share of profits toward that goal. Additionally, the analysis explores whether and how companies incorporate commercial aims—such as growth and profitability—into their strategy and mission statements. The findings identify three distinct ways in which social and commercial logics are combined, resulting in a typology of three company types. The first type, labeled “idealists,” emphasizes social impact as the primary purpose of the organization and does not explicitly address commercial aspects. Some even rhetorically distance themselves from traditional business language, presenting themselves as communities rather than companies and referring to customers as partners. The second type, “pragmatists,” presents profitability as a means to achieve social objectives. These organizations—often owned by municipalities or non-profit entities—highlight cost-efficiency and financial sustainability as necessary conditions for fulfilling their social mission. The third type, “legitimizers,” communicates social goals in very broad or unclear terms and does not explicitly state how profits contribute to social purposes. As a result, these firms are difficult to distinguish from conventional companies based on their external communications. The study contributes to academic discussions by demonstrating that organizations labeled as social enterprises vary significantly in how they interpret and communicate compliance with certification criteria. Practically, the findings offer insights for organizations responsible for awarding social enterprise labels, particularly in evaluating how clearly and consistently such criteria are communicated.

The Global State of Digital Transformation Across Organisations: Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey

Florian Kidschun, Ronald Orth, Rusudan Kavtaradze — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Digital transformation is widely recognised as a key driver of innovation and competitiveness, yet systematic empirical insights into its implementation across organisations remain limited. Existing studies are often fragmented, based on limited samples or focused on specific sectors, technologies or organisational contexts. This paper addresses this gap by analysing the status quo of digital transformation based on 2,024 valid organisational responses collected between June 2020 and March 2026 through the Digital Transformation Assessment (DTA). The DTA is a scientifically grounded and empirically validated self-assessment instrument that conceptualises digital transformation as a holistic organisational phenomenon across seven dimensions: Corporate Strategy, Leadership and Corporate Culture, Organisation and Processes, Employees and Competences, Technology, Products and Services, and Supply Chain and Networks. The analysis combines descriptive, comparative and benchmark-oriented methods to examine maturity patterns across dimensions, items and contextual variables. Results show a globally moderate digital transformation maturity of Ø 3.12. Technology is the strongest dimension, whereas Employees and Competences is consistently the weakest dimension across regions, industries, organisational sizes and management levels. The findings suggest that the main bottleneck of digital transformation is increasingly human and organisational rather than purely technological. The paper contributes large-scale empirical evidence on digital transformation maturity and provides implications for research and managerial practice.

Beyond Profit: Sustainable Business Model Innovation in Ireland’s Emerging Seaweed Bioeconomy

Ronald Wankya, Ciarán Ó hAnnracháin — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the transition toward sustainable economies, niche blue bioeconomy ventures must rethink how they create, deliver, and capture value beyond purely financial returns. This study examines how Ireland’s seaweed-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) design and adapt sustainable business models within a context characterised by resource constraints, fragmented markets, and evolving regulatory frameworks. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on eight in-depth interviews conducted across Ireland, including six seaweed processing firms, one regulatory representative, and one sector expert. Using Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities (DC) frameworks, the study analyses how firms build, reconfigure, and deploy capabilities for sustainability-oriented innovation. Findings reveal a sector driven by entrepreneurial commitment and market-proximate experimentation, yet constrained by capability gaps, regulatory complexity, and limited institutional support. The paper contributes to understanding how micro-enterprises in the niche food business sectors operationalise sustainability in business models and highlights the need for coordinated policy and innovation support systems to enable scaling in emerging bio-based industries.

Bridging Regional Innovation Gaps: The Innovation Bridge Model for SME Support and Cross-Regional Competence Sharing

Heta Hotokka, Anna-Maija Kiukas, Kati Korhola — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: Finland has set a national objective to increase the number of companies engaged in research, development, and innovation (RDI), with a particular focus on encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to scale up their RDI investments and deepen collaboration with other businesses, research organisations and RDI stakeholders. The innovation capacity of SMEs plays a crucial role in driving regional growth and competitiveness. This paper introduces the innovation bridge concept, developed within a joint project between higher education institutions operating across Finnish regions. The concept is grounded in an innovation capability assessment conducted among 50 innovation-oriented SMEs in South Savo, Finland, which examined barriers and support needs related to innovation commercialisation. The assessment identified key structural and competence-related gaps in existing regional innovation support. The results indicated that promising business ideas often remain unrealised due to a lack of timely support, limited local expertise, or the absence of suitable testing and development environments. The innovation bridge addresses this gap by integrating fragmented regional support services into a clear, company-oriented service pathway that brings complementary expertise and resources closer to SMEs. It functions both as a practical tool for SME support and as a strategic mechanism for regional development. The model is built on regional Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), which act as local one-stop shops and coordinate access to specialised expertise, testing environments, and networks across regions. Through cross-regional collaboration, the innovation bridge offers a concrete approach to strengthening SME innovation activity and regional vitality, particularly in structurally challenged regions. The innovation bridge enables intentional sharing and movement of know-how so that ideas, technologies, skills, and practices developed in one region can be understood, adapted, and used in the other. In the long term, the innovation bridge benefits both regions involved and their companies, while enabling development actors to operate within a more impactful innovation landscape and achieve more significant outcomes.

Governance of Innovation Ecosystems: Evidence from Lisbon through the Quadruple Helix Lens

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: This paper examines how government, industry, academia, and civil society perform their respective roles within the innovation ecosystem of Lisbon, Portugal, focusing on the governance mechanisms that sustain cross-sector collaboration and on how such coordination contributes to fostering innovation. The study adopts a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with eleven key informants drawn from across the four helices, complemented by documentary analysis of public innovation policies implemented in the territory. The analysis focuses on four analytical dimensions: the governance of the public policy cycle, inter-organisational integration, the alignment between funding instruments and strategic priorities, and the extent of civil society participation in decision-making processes. Findings indicate that Lisbon exhibits an institutionally stabilised ecosystem in which the government plays a central coordinating role by designing consistent policy instruments, leveraging national and European resources, and coordinating regional development mechanisms. The private sector demonstrates high capacity for collaboration with universities and research centres, particularly in knowledge-intensive sectors, a dynamic facilitated by a predictable regulatory environment and formal cooperation channels. Non-governmental organisations and other civil society organisations are recognised as relevant stakeholders, especially in social and urban agendas; however, their strategic influence, whilst formally acknowledged, has yet to be decisively embedded in co-productive decision-making processes. The paper argues that innovation processes in the Lisbon ecosystem derive less from individual sectoral excellence and more from structured coordination among the helices. The ecosystem’s long-term resilience, however, depends on strengthening the meaningful and substantive participation of civil society organisations and consolidating mechanisms for inter-institutional learning that convert technocratic integration into social co-production. The study’s principal theoretical contribution is the empirical operationalisation of the distinction between procedural and substantive civil society participation as the critical variable differentiating a functional Triple Helix from a realised Quadruple Helix. Practical implications address the redesign of civil society engagement mechanisms and the simplification of compliance requirements that disproportionately burden peripheral ecosystem actors.

Organisational Aesthetics in Sustainable Human Resource Management: A Four-Dimensional Framework

Daniela Kond, Arvi Kuura — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Organisations increasingly face pressure to develop more human-centred and sustainable approaches in complex and rapidly changing environments. One such development is the ‘aesthetic turn’ in management, which integrates sensory and artistic dimensions into organisational practices. This study examines the relationship between organisational aesthetics, human resource management (HRM), and sustainability, addressing a gap in the literature on sustainable HRM. A systematic literature review of 38 peer-reviewed journal articles, identified through searches in Scopus and Web of Science, was conducted using an iterative coding process. The analysis identified 20 themes, which were aggregated into four key dimensions: (1) talent attraction, (2) organisational culture and diversity, (3) physical work environment, and (4) employee well-being and satisfaction. The findings show that organisational aesthetics function as a connecting mechanism between HRM practices and the social dimension of sustainability. The analysis also reveals key limitations, including the uneven distribution of aesthetic benefits, the superficial use of aesthetics in employer branding, and the risk of reinforcing appearance-based biases. The study contributes to theory by proposing a four-dimensional framework of organisational aesthetics in sustainable HRM and by integrating fragmented multidisciplinary insights into a coherent structure. It also highlights the need for further empirical research and demonstrates that organisational aesthetics is a critical, yet underexplored, driver of sustainable HRM.

From Strategic Planning to Innovation: The Mediating Role of Environmental Proactivity in Food Industry Firms

Laura Könönen, Sanna Joensuu-Salo, Emilia Kangas — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how strategic planning and environmental proactivity relate to firm-level innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises. Drawing on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities perspective, the study conceptualizes strategic planning and environmental proactivity as complementary organizational capabilities that enable firms to respond to sustainability-related challenges while fostering innovation. Recent research has emphasized that environmental proactivity can function as a strategic resource rather than compliance-driven costs. However, empirical evidence on how these capabilities jointly relate to different types of innovation remains limited. Using survey data from 185 food industry firms and covariance-based structural equation modeling, the study examines relationships between strategic planning, environmental proactivity, operational innovation, and market-oriented innovation. The results indicate that strategic planning is positively associated with operational innovation and market-oriented innovation. Environmental proactivity shows a strong positive relationship with operational innovation and a moderate but significant association with market-oriented innovation. The study contributes to sustainability and innovation research by demonstrating how strategic and environmental capabilities jointly shape innovation within SMEs. For practitioners, the findings highlight the importance of integrating environmental considerations into formal strategic planning processes to support innovation.

The Infiltration of Corruption and Money Laundering in Indonesia’s Startup Ecosystem

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The technology startup sector in Indonesia has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Startups are characterized by their reliance on digital transactions, flexible corporate structures, and platform-based business models. However, in 2024, many startups went bankrupt or faced serious internal challenges. One of the primary factors contributing to this situation was weak working capital management, which directly affected corporate liquidity and operational sustainability. Beyond financial mismanagement, a more serious concern has emerged: the misuse of startup business entities as instruments for economic crimes, including corruption and money laundering. This study aims to examine startups implicated as suspects in alleged corruption cases involving the mismanagement of investment funds by MDI Ventures at TaniHub and its affiliates between 2019–2023. In addition, this study investigates suspected money laundering practices involving startups such as eFishery and Crowde, which allegedly engaged in financial manipulation, falsification of investment data, and embezzlement of funds. Using normative legal research methods, this study finds that startups can be exploited as vehicles to conceal or disguise the proceeds of predicate crimes, particularly corruption, by channelling illicit funds into corporate investments. Corporations, including startups, are legal entities that may be held criminally liable, especially in cases involving corruption and money laundering. Accordingly, startups may be charged with money laundering if they are involved in concealing, disguising, or benefiting from the proceeds of criminal activities. Similarly, startups may be implicated in corruption when their business operations are proven to have actively or passively facilitated such unlawful activities. In conclusion, corporations operating as startups may be subject to criminal prosecution under the doctrine of corporate criminal liability. This liability extends not only to the corporate entity itself but also to its employees, directors, commissioners, and shareholders when criminal acts arise from or are embedded in business activities.

Circular Business Models of Biocomposites - Value Creation in an Industrial Ecosystem

Anu Kurvinen, Alexander Matrosov — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Market and regulatory drivers encourage circularity of materials and the development of circular business models. Governments, companies, and consumers aim to reduce carbon footprints and plastic dependency. The use of biocomposites is increasing globally in various industrial applications. Biocomposites are natural fibre-reinforced materials composed of two or more materials. Conventional materials are in some cases replaced with biocomposites. Product development of substitute products and the establishment of suitable manufacturing infrastructure are complex processes. Business models determine how an organization creates value, delivers value, and captures value linked with internal strategies and processes. All these are needed for business model development and innovation. Linear business models are typically based on the use of virgin materials. In circular business models, resources are circulated as long as feasible, thus eliminating waste, and circulating products and materials. Business models are an interplay between regulations, varying market expectations, and market opportunities. Transition from linear business models towards circular business models requires a system-level approach. This incorporates circular design as a holistic starting point for new product development. The circular approach needs to cover both biological and technical material flows. Strategic business choices for circularity are developed for circular value chains. In a circular approach, the product design process is integrated at an early stage, because design and material choices are closely interlinked, and they affect resources, infrastructures, and activities.
This research article combines a literature review of circular business models with the case of biocomposites and studies how adopting biocomposites affects business models and value networks. Circular business models in biocomposite value network are further studied via combining the theoretical insights with interviews that were conducted among companies that participated in a two-year research project related to biocomposites.

Attracting and Retaining Innovative Talent in Region

Nathalie Lachapelle, Julie Bérubé, Naomie Allard — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurial success depends on several ecosystem-related factors, including social capital, the presence of support structures, and the ability to leverage the unique characteristics of a given territory. While innovative entrepreneurship can emerge across an entire territory, entrepreneurs operating in regional areas face challenges that differ significantly from those encountered in metropolitan environments. This paper explores regional entrepreneurship as a lens through which to better understand the opportunities, challenges, and barriers associated with starting and growing innovative ventures outside major urban centers. Labor shortages are particularly acute in more remote regions, which often contend with limited infrastructure and greater distance from markets, suppliers, and specialized resources. In this context, attracting and retaining innovative entrepreneurs can be especially challenging. The objective of this research is to identify ways to strengthen regional entrepreneurial ecosystems and enhance their capacity to attract, support, and retain innovative entrepreneurs. To address this issue, the study adopts an action research approach based on focus groups conducted with innovative entrepreneurs established in 10 remote regions. Five sectors with strong potential for innovation were targeted: technology, culture, agriculture, the social economy, and green technologies. The project seeks to foster the exchange of best practices while recognizing the distinctive characteristics and development needs of each region. Consistent with the principles of action research, the study aims not only to generate knowledge but also to produce practical outcomes that can be readily implemented by regional stakeholders. Preliminary findings identify four key attractiveness factors, three major regional strengths, and six significant challenges, along with potential solutions to address them.

From Utility to Belonging: Re-Socializing the Technology Entrepreneur through Evolutionary Psychology

Sami Lanu — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Technology-driven startups typically emerge from a "product-first" logic, where systematic consideration of markets often lags behind technical development. In early-stage venture creation, entrepreneurs frequently reduce customer understanding to functional utility or demographic segments, neglecting the deep-seated psychological and social dimensions that drive long-term brand resilience. This research addresses this gap by documenting the initial strategic mindsets of technology entrepreneurs and proposing a theory-informed training framework designed to shift their focus toward social value creation. The paper presents a "Customer Understanding" training module, which functions as a specific intervention within the broader Tech2Scale startup coaching programme. This framework integrates evolutionary psychology (EP) and tribal branding theory to reframe brands as "social coordination mechanisms" rather than mere symbols of product differentiation. By utilizing evolutionary insights into human motives—such as the need for status signaling and cooperative group membership—the training guides entrepreneurs to move from "use value" (technical utility) toward "linking value" (social embeddedness). Empirically, the paper analyzes baseline data collected from a targeted cohort of university researchers, startup founders, and students (n=10) specifically prior to the commencement of training. Although the sample size is small, it represents a high-validity group of nascent entrepreneurs actively engaged in new venture creation, rather than a generalized student population.

Exploratory evidence suggests the presence of a techno-centric bias in this cohort of early-stage entrepreneurs, with participants emphasizing technical utility over social and relational dimensions of value creation. Crucially, the pre-training data suggest relatively low interest in social dynamics; respondents showed the lowest agreement with the idea that a brand should act as a coordination mechanism for users to find one another (M=2.6) and largely conceptualized customers as isolated problem-solvers rather than members of affectual tribes. Given the small sample (n = 10) and the descriptive nature of the analysis, these findings should be interpreted as indicative rather than generalizable. The empirical component is therefore positioned as exploratory, aimed at diagnosing initial cognitive orientations prior to intervention.

Challenges in Developing Student Entrepreneurship in the New Startup Ecosystem of Eastern Finland

Emma Latvala, Vesa Alatalo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Student entrepreneurship is a key source of future innovation and potential vitality, especially in areas where population development and skills shortages challenge economic growth. In Eastern Finland, student entrepreneurship is strongly linked to the functionality of regional entrepreneurship ecosystems and the role of universities as enablers of new business ideas and paths. Despite this, the development of student entrepreneurship appears fragmented and project-based, and the current structure does not support the long-term and systematic construction of entrepreneurship skills. The aim of this article is to examine what is missing from the student entrepreneurship ecosystems in Eastern Finland and why the current structures do not meet the needs of student entrepreneurship. Special attention is paid to Generation Z, whose work-life values, expectations, and ways of operating challenge traditional entrepreneurship support models. The study was conducted as a descriptive case study, and the data consists of semi-structured theme interviews and a group interview with key ecosystem actors and student entrepreneurship actors. In addition, the results are reflected in the observations of the Slush Finnish Founder Survey. The results show that the most significant deficiencies in the student entrepreneurship ecosystem are the lack of systematics and continuity, the weakness of trust between actors, and the lack of common physical and digital spaces. These factors weaken the ecosystem's ability to meet Generation Z's expectations of a meaningful, communal, and well-being-supporting entrepreneurial environment. The article highlights the need to move from fragmented support measures towards a systematic, student-centered, and generation-sensitive ecosystem development in Eastern Finland. The findings indicate that the current ecosystem lacks structural coordination and long-term continuity, which limits its ability to support student entrepreneurship in a sustainable manner. The results contribute to entrepreneurship ecosystem research by highlighting the importance of generation-sensitive and student-centered design. Future research should focus on comparative ecosystem models and the impact of coordinated interventions on student entrepreneurial outcomes.

Crafting the Entrepreneurial Persona: Insights From the Narratives Entrepreneurs Tell

Katherine Lewis, Anh Mattick, Simon Buchart — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurship research increasingly recognizes storytelling as a central mechanism through which founders interpret venture experiences, mobilize resources, and construct entrepreneurial identities. Yet little is known about the linguistic patterns that shape these narratives in contemporary media environments such as podcasts. This study addresses that gap by examining how entrepreneurs narrate venture creation, growth, and emotionally salient experiences in long-form podcast interviews. We adopt a mixed-methods design based on a corpus of 81 founder interviews and combine natural language processing with inductive narrative analysis. Quantitatively, we use co-occurrence network analysis to identify relationships among entrepreneurial key terms and dictionary-based sentiment analysis to assess evaluative language surrounding those terms. Qualitatively, we analyze a curated subsample of interviews following the Gioia methodology to interpret the meanings embedded in salient and ambivalent concepts.

The findings reveal a dense semantic core structured around business, company, work, money, need, product, and learning, indicating that founders narrate entrepreneurship primarily through interconnected themes of venture building, economic activity, and personal development. Sentiment analysis shows that entrepreneurial narratives are predominantly positive overall, while terms such as problem and risk are framed more ambivalently, appearing both as sources of strain and as catalysts for opportunity, resilience, and learning. Further qualitative analysis shows that founders present themselves as learning-oriented protagonists, frame money as both a practical resource and a symbolic marker of success, and connect emotions such as love and passion to ventures, products, and social relationships. This study contributes to entrepreneurship research by offering a language-centered perspective on entrepreneurial sensemaking and identity formation in a fast-growing media setting. Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of combining computational text analysis with qualitative narrative interpretation to capture both structural patterns and contextual meaning. Practically, the findings provide implications for entrepreneurship education, mentoring, and founder support by showing how entrepreneurial stories can shape self-understanding, legitimacy, and opportunity perception.

Bridging the Readiness Gap: A Framework for Transitioning Generation Z into Practice

Melany Lotter — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A readiness gap leaves financial planning graduates technically proficient but underprepared for the socio-emotional and cognitive demands of professional fiduciary practice. This transition is complicated by the unique cognitive profile of Generation Z, characterised by digital fluency but a preference for fragmented information processing over complex sensemaking. To address this, this paper proposes a multidisciplinary framework, a pedagogical shift designed to address the misalignment between students’ digital habits and the rigorous sensemaking required in the professional financial practice. Using situated and authentic learning as a lens, this study highlights a shortcoming of conventional lecturing: it doesn’t move students beyond informal habits and peer-group logic toward the professional discernment required in practice. Anchored in the situated cognition paradigm, the paper conceptualises a workplace simulation: an authentic sociotechnical environment that utilises legitimate peripheral participation to move students from the classroom periphery toward the centre of professional practice. By navigating ill-defined case studies and high-stakes client-advisor interaction under industry supervision, students are compelled to activate inert knowledge and stabilise professional logic. This approach mitigates the vulnerability of inexperience and offers a scalable path to mastery; it builds the interactional agility and fiduciary readiness required not just to secure a role, but to sustain a career and eventually transition into independent practice. The study aligns pedagogy with industry demands, building a more resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Developing Entrepreneurial Competencies in Tourism Higher Education: A Design-Based Curriculum Innovation

Michal Lukáč, Ján Ganobčík, Stanislava Honzová, Peter Pisár — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The paper presents a design-based curriculum innovation framework developed for a bachelor’s programme in Tourism and Hospitality Management at a public university in Slovakia. The innovation includes two newly introduced courses: Entrepreneurial Marketing and Branding in Tourism and Venture Ecosystem. The approach is based on project-based learning, real-world cases, and the use of digital tools. The study adopts a design-based conceptual approach to curriculum development and proposes a structured model for integrating entrepreneurial, digital, and innovation competencies. The paper also outlines implications for educators and policymakers. The paper represents the first phase of

Innovation Measurement During Organizational Constraints: Opportunities and Challenges.

Kinga Lundholm-Reinert, Thomas Østergaard — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Businesses across the world compete to maintain market leadership, with innovation playing a central role in long-term competitiveness, growth, and resilience (Bouncken et al., 2024). For this reason, innovation is also prioritised by institutions such as the European Union through initiatives like the EU Green Deal and the EU Innovation Fund. Despite this, many organisations struggle to measure innovation effectively. Without credible measurement practices, innovation becomes difficult to justify financially, particularly during economic constraint. This study examines how the quality of innovation measurement influences innovation outcomes in a large organisation during financial pressure and governance constraints. Drawing on qualitative interviews, observations, and innovation theory, the findings reveal fragmented definitions of innovation, inconsistent expectations across organisational levels, lack of measurement ownership, and a tendency to deprioritise innovation during financially difficult periods. The study concludes that improving innovation measurement requires structural alignment and outlines recommendations for strengthening innovation processes and making innovation more visible, defensible, and sustainable.

Business Model Strategies in Mobile Health: The Role of In‑App Purchases

Cândida Sofia Machado, Cláudia Cardoso, Natália Lemos — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The health sector, despite fundamental, is currently under significant pressure. The ageing of the population, combined with the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, has intensified burden on healthcare budgets. Simultaneously, the struggle with shortages of qualified professionals and limited resources create additional barriers to delivering effective care. Therefore, health systems face a dual challenge: they must improve efficiency to manage rising costs and ensure long‑term sustainability; but also, they must maintain high standards of quality and equity to satisfy more informed, more demanding, and increasingly involved patients. To address these global pressures, the concept of e‑Health has emerged, driven by the integration of electronic communication and information technologies into healthcare. Advances in digital tools have made health information and services more accessible worldwide, often at significantly lower costs, enabling improved healthcare delivery. Within e-Health, m‑Health has gained prominence. By leveraging mobile technologies, m‑Health has shifted the healthcare paradigm from a reactive model to a more proactive and preventive approach. The widespread adoption of smartphones and wearable devices allows individuals to monitor and manage their health anytime and anywhere, from using apps that track physical activity to devices that monitor vital signs in real time. The increasing use of healthcare-related mobile apps has led to the growth of its market, making it an attractive business for investors. A health app needs a sustainable business model that can generate revenue. Considering that most health apps are free, one of the most important and growing sources of revenue in the e-health market are in-app purchases (IAP). Despite the growing importance of IAP as a revenue source, few studies exist dedicated to this monetization mechanism. This study contributes to fill in this gap and aims to study the factors that explain the use of IAP as a revenue source. Applying probability models to a sample of health apps from Google Play and Apple App Stores, results show that IAP are positively correlated with the use of personal data for micro-segmentation. Also, the presence of IAP is an alternative to payment for downloading, but complementary to ads.

Content Marketing and Digital Advertising in Cypriot SMEs: Relevant Strategies, Challenges and Opportunities

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This empirical study seeks to examine the role of content marketing and digital advertising within Cypriot small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by essentially exploring the degree to which these businesses utilise digital marketing tools. In addition, it delves into the relevant challenges faced by these enterprises located in different regions in Cyprus and the outcomes gained of implementing such digital strategies. More specifically, this research highlights the significance of these advanced strategies in a rapidly evolving business landscape. A qualitative research method was applied interviewing owners and business executives via semi-structured in-depth interviews. The findings reveal that while the majority of the firms investigated by the research team have incorporated social media, email marketing, and search engine advertising into their strategies, a gap in strategic planning, budget allocation, and performance measurement is traced, respectively. Most of the them have focused on ad hoc tactics within their digital marketing endeavours, a fact that strategically showcases limitations with regard to their potential for sustained growth and competitiveness, especially when it comes to long-term goal achievement. However, interviewees underscored the considerable opportunities that effective content marketing and targeted advertising may provide with regard to customer loyalty, brand visibility, and sales. The study wraps up by recommending certain key structured digital marketing strategies, suggesting ways to improve training for social media managers, and pushing for better access to resources and analysis tools.

Preliminary Techno Economic Factors Shaping Industrial Adoption of Biocomposites

Alexander Matrosov, Anu Kurvinen, Kirsti Cura — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Circular business incentives encourage the use of biobased materials and technologies to replace fossil-based materials and look for material alternatives that support reaching overall sustainability targets. Biocomposites continue to gain acceptance as potential substitutes for conventional fossil-based plastics and composites, supported by developments in biobased fillers, fibre-matrix interfaces, and scalable processing techniques. Industrial adoption is influenced not only by material properties but also by process-level requirements, manufacturing compatibility, and technoeconomic conditions across the value chain. Given the limited availability of comprehensive techno-economic studies of emerging biocomposites, this paper adds a qualitative perspective on the conditions that influence their adoption in industrial contexts. These insights inform a preliminary framework outlining the conditions under which biocomposites may progress toward competitive industrial performance. This study combines literature-based insights with preliminary insights from interviews across multiple stages of the biocomposite value chain to examine how organisations transition toward the use of biocomposite materials. Across the interviews, the emphasis is placed on meeting fundamental technical requirements, such as achieving process stability, consistent material quality, and alignment with established product specifications, as essential conditions for adoption. Interviewees also highlight that decisions increasingly draw on environmental performance data and highly economically driven scenario-based assessments. The reference material system is restricted to polyolefin matrices combined with cellulosic reinforcement or filler fractions, representing a baseline compound for which preliminary laboratory-level extrusion trials exist. Additives to improve weathering or fire performance are added at the early stages of the material base. Profile extrusion is selected as the industrially relevant processing method for continuous profiles across various construction applications. The technical system is represented as a conceptual process flow comprising feedstock preparation, compounding and pelletizing, pellet drying (as required), profile extrusion, and downstream calibration, cooling, haul-off, and cutting. These process blocks are described generically, and throughput values are estimated from various sources to reflect realistic economic drivers.

Dynamic Signal Formation: A Longitudinal Case Study of Steve Jobs’s Voice

Satoshi Miyajima — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Existing signaling research has predominantly focused on the effects of signals on evaluative outcomes, while the processes through which signals are formed and transformed over time remain under-theorized. In particular, prior work has tended to treat signals as stable attributes, overlooking their temporal emergence and adaptation across shifting contexts. This study addresses this gap by reconceptualizing nonverbal signals, particularly vocal signals, as dynamic processes rather than static attributes. Building on signaling theory, the study investigates how such signals emerge, adapt, and evolve across time and context, thereby foregrounding the processual nature of signaling. To capture these dynamics, a longitudinal single-case research design is employed, analyzing keynote presentation audio data from Steve Jobs. Specifically, the analysis focuses on a series of keynote speeches delivered over a 28-year period, spanning from age 28 (1983) to age 56 (2011). This approach enables the examination of temporal variation and the identification of generative mechanisms underlying signal formation. Two exploratory quantitative analyses are conducted on acoustic features, including speech tempo, pauses, and pitch variation, allowing for a fine-grained assessment of within-individual changes over time. The findings reveal that while speech tempo remains relatively stable over time, pauses and pitch variation are systematically reorganized in response to shifts in role and organizational context. These results suggest that vocal signals are not fixed traits but evolve through continuous interaction with situational demands and accumulated career experiences. Furthermore, the accumulation of short-term adaptive adjustments appears to produce longer-term structural transformations in signaling patterns, indicating a recursive relationship between micro-level adaptation and macro-level change. By shifting the analytical focus from signal effects to signal formation, this study extends signaling theory into a temporally embedded framework that incorporates time, identity, and experience. The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence for the dynamic nature of signaling and by proposing a conceptual foundation for understanding how strategic communication capabilities develop over the course of a professional career.

Measuring What Matters - or What Can Be Measured? Social Impact as Sensemaking

Heidi Myyryläinen, Kristiina Brusila-Meltovaara, Ieva Žebrytė — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Social impact measurement is critically important in many kinds of organisations, particularly hybrid organisations with a social mission. Practitioners struggle with impact measurement and management (IMM). Social IMM involves the complex task of balancing meaningful impact assessment with metrics that are practical yet sufficiently reflective of key values. The study examines social IMM as a sensemaking accomplishment. What is presented as social impact is shaped by the sense-making of what counts as social impact and what is feasible to measure. Drawing on qualitative analysis of public social impact communications from three hybrid company cases, the study investigates how social impact is made meaningful, which forms of impact become measurable, and which meanings are more implicit. The analysis proceeds in three phases: first, examining how organisations construct meanings of social impact, then how they argue these meanings. This study analyses how certain interpretations are measurable or reportable. Third, the findings are synthesized to reflect the sensemaking of social impact to advance theoretical perspectives. Social impact presentations reveal traces of meaning that go beyond what is formally documented or quantified. Quantitative indicators tend to foreground discrete outcomes, while more processual, relational, and long-term impacts can also be acknowledged rhetorically. Public impact communications play a central role in legitimizing particular interpretations of impact. By conceptualising social impact measurement as a sensemaking process, this study underscores the construction of social impact meanings. The central challenge in IMM is mediating between assignable outcomes and diffuse systemic transformations. The study highlights the need for greater reflexivity about how meaning, attention, and resources shape what counts as social impact.

Value Co-Creation in Social Innovation Ecosystem: The Translational Role of Higher Education Institutions

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Creating value for social innovation in developing countries often faces many challenges. The Quadruple Helix model emphasizes the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in promoting social change. This study sheds light on the role of HEIs in developing countries by examining their contribution to the development of a social innovation ecosystem. Data were collected from two focus groups and 13 interviews with various stakeholders in Vietnam. Findings show that HEIs play a translational role by aligning the different perspectives and resources of various actors within the ecosystem. Furthermore, by following a bimodal approach that simultaneously shifts their strategy toward innovation and promotes the interpersonal governance of professionals, HEIs overcome the institutional void and provide a protective space for innovation initiatives necessary for the formation of social innovation in the country.

Designing A System That The Intrapreneur Cannot Build Alone: Institutional Design for Non-Core Business Creation and the Corporate Relay Model

So Nishina — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Individual intrapreneurs occasionally succeed at non-core venture creation; organisations almost never succeed at replicating them. This paper addresses that structural gap. Building on an empirical single-case study in which one HQ manager at a major Japanese tourism corporation launched three non-travel ventures in a single fiscal year, it shifts the unit of analysis from the individual to the institution and asks: what design allows a large organisation to reproduce that performance at scale? Existing corporate entrepreneurship research identifies the cultural and structural antecedents of intrapreneurial activity but offers limited guidance on the mechanics of HQ-to-branch venture transfer — particularly the conditions under which transfer succeeds without hollowing out the ownership capacity of the receiving unit. The Over-Competence Trap, introduced in a companion study, names this failure mode: when HQ executes all the technically demanding work of incubation, the branch that inherits the venture can operate it as a procedure but cannot adapt it as an owner. This paper designs around that trap. The Corporate Relay Model (CRM) is proposed: a three-phase institutional framework comprising demand validation at branch level, HQ-led incubation with partial delegation, and staged branch ownership transfer across three defined sub-stages. From twelve individual-level success factors identified in the companion study and the informant's explicit scalability target — growth from three ventures per year to thirty — five design propositions are derived, governing validation protocol, talent selection, phased transfer, budget architecture, and HQ role differentiation. A workload analysis demonstrates that the current single-person model operates at or near its structural ceiling, and that full CRM implementation with a three-member HQ team could raise theoretical annual capacity to approximately eighteen ventures. The CRM contributes to ambidexterity theory by identifying staged ownership transfer as a structural mechanism for resolving the Over-Competence Trap, and to implementation science by demonstrating how individual-level success factors translate into replicable institutional design. The framework applies to any large organisation with a tiered HQ-branch structure and an existing customer relationship asset.

BI4Impact: Business Intelligence for Employability-Oriented SEOs

Ana Fernandes, Pedro Oliveira — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: Social Economy Organisations (SEOs) working in employability operate under growing pressure to document results, monitor beneficiary trajectories and demonstrate accountability to funders and partners. Yet many still rely on fragmented spreadsheets, paper files and informal recording practices, which weakens longitudinal follow-up and evidence-informed decision-making. This paper presents BI4Impact, a Business Intelligence (BI) prototype designed to support information management, indicator monitoring and reporting in SEOs delivering employability interventions. The study adopts an exploratory mixed-method design. First, an online survey mapped current information practices and perceived needs across 26 professionals from Portuguese SEOs. Second, five semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify operational bottlenecks, functional requirements and ethical concerns. Third, a preliminary validation of the prototype involved 20 potential users who assessed usability, perceived usefulness, priority functionalities and expected barriers to adoption after a guided demonstration. Findings reveal substantial data fragmentation: 61% of respondents rely on dispersed spreadsheets and 48% still combine digital records with paper-based files. At the same time, 91% expressed interest in a simple data-visualisation tool. Prototype validation showed high usability scores for navigation, visual clarity and information comprehensibility, as well as very high perceived usefulness. Participants prioritised dashboards with key indicators, automated reports for funders, structured registration of job placements and longitudinal follow-up features, while identifying the main adoption barriers as lack of implementation time, current data disorganisation and training needs. The paper contributes by documenting information-management constraints in employability-oriented SEOs, proposing a low-cost and ethics-aware BI architecture tailored to the social economy, and arguing that digital transformation in mission-driven organisations should be understood less as technological sophistication and more as organisational capacity-building for evidence use, accountability and learning. The study does not claim causal effects on employability outcomes; rather, it offers preliminary evidence on the relevance and feasibility of BI adoption in a socially oriented organisational setting.

From Digital Skills to Competitive Advantage: The Impact of Digital Business Training on SMEs

Anna Ollanketo, Saara Pylvänäinen, Mervi Rajahonka — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Digital business transformation is increasingly shaping the operating conditions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across all industries. In Finland, where digital services are widely used and broadband connections are reliable, customers primarily search for and use services through various digital channels, creating new demands for digital business capabilities among SMEs. However, access to technology alone does not guarantee successful digital transformation. SMEs operating in traditional sectors, in particular, often struggle to translate digital skills into concrete business development and a competitive advantage. This highlights the need for effective support models that go beyond mere access to digital tools. This paper examines the impacts of a digital business training and coaching model on business development orientation, growth and competitiveness among SMEs. Using the Digital Steps programme implemented in South Savo, Finland, as a case study, the study draws on survey data and qualitative interviews with participating companies. The target group consisted of micro-enterprises and small businesses, including sole traders operating in the service, tourism, retail and other traditional industries. The analysis explores perceived competency development, the adoption of digital tools and initial business-related outcomes, with particular attention paid to differences related to the intensity of participation. The findings indicate that combining structured training with company-specific coaching helps SMEs translate digital skills into improved marketing, customer engagement and operational efficiency. These developments are associated with perceived improvements in competitiveness and growth potential, highlighting the role of tailored digital business training in supporting SME development in a digital business environment. While the immediate effects on revenue and employment were limited, participants reported visible impacts. Moreover, more intensive participants reported business outcomes such as access to new networks and markets and improved competitiveness, rather than merely knowledge gains or tool adoption. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of supporting SMEs’ digital development through regional business support systems that seek scalable and impactful digitalisation initiatives.

Educational Partnerships and Innovation in Small Firms: Evidence from Finland

Outi-Maaria Palo-oja, Sofi Granö — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

University–industry collaboration is frequently promoted as a means of strengthening innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in regional ecosystems where firms and higher education institutions (HEIs) interact closely. This paper investigates whether small companies that collaborate with HEIs exhibit higher innovation activity than firms without such partnerships and assesses whether this relationship varies across firm characteristics. The study draws on survey data collected in 2025 from 291 small companies (fewer than 50 employees and less than €10M revenue) in South Karelia, Finland; the analytic sample includes 242 firms with complete information. In the survey, firms report recent innovation activity, cooperation partners, and other information, such as perceived barriers and enablers to development. Using logistic regression, we estimate the relationship between HEI collaboration and a binary indicator of whether the firm developed a new product, service, or process within the past two years. The results show a positive and statistically significant relationship between HEI collaboration and innovation activity. In substantive terms, the results indicate that the likelihood of innovating is 41.7 per cent among non-collaborating firms and 55.7 per cent among collaborating firms, holding covariates constant. We further report marginal effects to facilitate interpretation and to assess whether the relationship differs by firm size, revenue class, industry, and municipality. The estimated collaboration effect is broadly stable across these categories, suggesting that HEI collaboration is positively associated with innovation activity, and that there is little meaningful variation in the effect measured separately by firm size, revenue class, industry, or municipality. The analysis is exploratory and based on cross-sectional survey data; accordingly, the findings should be interpreted as associational rather than causal. By focusing on small firms in a non-metropolitan setting, the study complements prior evidence that is often dominated by high-tech or R&D-intensive contexts. Overall, the results highlight HEI collaboration as a promising—and broadly relevant—lever for supporting innovation activity in small firms and for informing place-based innovation policy and institutional outreach.

Examining the Challenges of Indian Deep-Tech Startups: Pathway for Sustainable Entrepreneurial Practices

Shalini Katare, Vimala Raja Priya Mudapaka, Jayshree Patnaik — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deep-tech startups are rooted in scientific and engineering innovations and hold transformative potential for addressing critical societal challenges in healthcare, clean energy, water treatment, and sustainable infrastructure. Unlike traditional digital startups, which scale swiftly via continuous innovation, deep-tech startups confront distinctive hurdles due to lengthy R&D periods, intensive capital investments, stringent regulatory compliance, and unpredictable market penetration. These conditions expose them to the Valley of Death (VoD), a critical phase in which promising innovations fail to reach commercial viability before funding is exhausted. This vulnerability stems from a fundamental misalignment between experimental outcomes and commercial viability, further compounded by systemic gaps in institutional support, including inadequate legal frameworks and limited market awareness in emerging market contexts. Despite growing scholarly interest in both the Valley of Death and the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, there is limited research to explain how technological, organizational, and environmental conditions collectively produce specific commercialization barriers for deep-tech startups. This study addresses this gap through qualitative research with five deep-tech startups in India operating across agritech, healthcare technology, neurotechnology, nanotechnology, and cybersecurity. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews resulted in interrelated themes, each representing a different aspect of the TOE framework. The results reveal that technological, organizational, and environmental barriers are not isolated phenomena but dynamically reinforce one another, giving rise to three interrelated Valley of Death barriers: funding gaps, market translation failure, and legitimacy deficits. The proposed TOE–VoD framework therefore suggests that overcoming commercialization challenges in deep-tech startups requires an integrated perspective that simultaneously addresses technological, organizational, and environmental dimensions. The framework further provides founders with a diagnostic tool, policymakers with a rationale for multi-dimensional interventions, and researchers with a foundation for comparative and longitudinal inquiry into deep-tech commercialization across emerging market contexts.

Max Weber on Entrepreneurship: Exploring His Examples

Tor Helge Pedersen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Although Max Weber (1864–1920) is often associated with topics other than entrepreneurship, in several accounts of entrepreneurship research, Weber is included among classic contributors (Aldrich, 2005; Botelho et al., 2024; Landström, 2005). The literature especially referred to his study “Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” (1904–1905), in which Weber explored the connection between this religious doctrine (religious values) and the rising entrepreneurial spirit. However, some literature also indicates that Weber discussed entrepreneurship in several publications and approached it in different ways (e.g., Swedberg, 2000; Landström, 2005). These entrepreneurship discussions were spread across publications, not a specific work. Few scholars have explicitly explored these issues relative to entrepreneurship. This paper follows up this gap and explores examples of Weber’s discussions of entrepreneurship and its relevance to contemporary research by asking the following: How did Weber understand and discuss entrepreneurship—and what was his relevance to contemporary entrepreneurship research? This theoretical exploration is based on approximately eight publications drawn from a larger corpus of publications that Weber wrote between 1889 and 1920. In addition, it draws on the contemporary literature on Weber. This paper identifies five examples in which Weber discusses entrepreneurship foremost using the term “entrepreneur.” These examples are discussed and grouped into three conceptualizations of entrepreneurship. Finally, the paper illustrates the relevance of these concepts. This discussion will interest those intrigued by classic contributions to the topic.

Digitalisation and Innovation in the Largest Czech Family Businesses: Innovative Behaviour and Generational Decision-Making

Jindra Peterkova, Matej Sehnal, Stefan Kolumber, Peter Starchon — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Digital technologies open up new possibilities and opportunities for family businesses to innovate and grow. They change the way companies think and implement innovation. Digital innovation supports new products, processes, and business models, and changes innovation processes. Family businesses in the Czech Republic are managed by the founding generation or the first generation of successors and are active in traditional industries. Research on Czech family businesses in the field of innovation is minimal. The innovation activities of companies operating in the Czech Republic are monitored by the statistical office according to the Oslo Manual methodology, without a focus on family businesses, including findings related to digital technologies and innovation. The aim of this paper is to determine how digital technologies are changing innovative behaviour and generational decision-making in the field of innovation in family businesses. To this end, a questionnaire survey was conducted on a research sample of 200 of the largest Czech family businesses. This ranking of family businesses is determined by Forbes based on selected financial indicators and specific characteristics related to family ownership. The results of the questionnaire survey made it possible to answer the following research questions: What digital tools are used in the innovation process? How does the introduction of digital technologies influence the implementation of certain types of innovation? How do the attitudes of the founding generation and the successor generation towards digital transformation differ? What are the main barriers to the introduction of digital technologies in family businesses operating in traditional industries? The questionnaire is evaluated using descriptive statistics. At the same time, cluster analysis, Ward’s technique with Euclidean distance, is applied, which allows the research sample of the largest family businesses to be divided into groups based on criteria related to innovation behaviour and generational decision-making. Family businesses must transform to survive and grow, because the skills and approaches needed to implement innovation and thus grow the business today are very different from those needed by previous generations.

Making Academic Entrepreneurship Measurable: An Interpretive Framework for Comparative Indicators

Sara Proença, João J. Ferreira — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Comparative measurement has become a central feature of research and policy analysis in innovation and higher education, where indicators are widely used to assess performance, support benchmarking, and inform decision-making. Yet measuring complex and institutionally embedded phenomena such as academic entrepreneurship remains challenging. These difficulties extend beyond data availability to the conceptual and interpretive conditions that govern how heterogeneous and evolving practices are translated into cross-country indicators. Drawing on the sociology of quantification and the literature on innovation indicators, this paper examines how academic entrepreneurship is rendered measurable in comparative settings. It argues that measurement cannot be reduced to a purely technical exercise but rather involves a series of structured choices related to conceptual definition, proxy selection, institutional context, and data representation. Academic entrepreneurship spans a wide range of activities, from formal commercialisation, such as patents and spin-offs, to broader forms of engagement that are often only partially visible in conventional data sources. As a result, empirical representations are necessarily selective, capturing some dimensions of activity while others remain only partially captured or inferred. To address these challenges, the paper develops an interpretive framework that specifies the key analytical conditions that shape comparative measurement. These include boundary ambiguity, proxy-based observation, institutional variation, functional comparability, temporal alignment, causal interpretation, and communicative simplification. These conditions explain why formally comparable indicators do not always support equivalent interpretations across contexts, and how measurement choices shape the representation of academic entrepreneurship. This paper contributes a diagnostic framework that renders these conditions analytically explicit and provides a basis for a more transparent and reflexive use of indicators in cross-country analysis. Rather than proposing a new measurement instrument, it clarifies what comparative indicators can and cannot capture. The paper also outlines implications for research and policy, emphasising the importance of explicit definitions, theoretically grounded proxy selection, and context-sensitive interpretation. Reframing measurements as an interpretive analytical practice contributes to a more differentiated understanding of comparative evidence in innovation and higher education research.

From Execution to Curation: Generative AI Adoption and the Reshaping of Design Work in the Creative Industries

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly transforming work processes in the creative industries, particularly in design-related activities where experimentation, speed, and originality are central to value creation. While existing studies have explored the technical capabilities and economic potential of GenAI, less attention has been given to how design professionals incorporate these tools into everyday practice and how their perceptions shape patterns of adoption. Inspired by technology adoption theories, particularly the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this paper investigates how professional designers interpret and integrate GenAI into their work. The study adopts an exploratory qualitative approach, based on 10 semi-structured interviews with designers working in agency and freelance contexts in Brazil. Data were analyzed through content analysis combining inductive coding with conceptually informed interpretation. The findings reveal three central themes. First, GenAI is frequently perceived as a co-agent in the creative process, often described as an "assistant" or "intern" operating under human supervision. This perception reflects the role of perceived usefulness and performance expectancy, core constructs in TAM and UTAUT, in supporting the integration of AI tools into creative workflows. Second, designers identify important tensions and limitations, including aesthetic homogenization, loss of creative singularity, and uncertainty regarding authorship and copyright. These concerns illustrate how perceived risks and ethical considerations may shape adoption dynamics beyond purely instrumental factors. Third, GenAI is widely understood as a productivity lever that accelerates operational stages, expands experimentation, and redistributes effort toward more strategic and conceptual tasks. The findings suggest that GenAI adoption in design can be partially explained by traditional acceptance constructs such as usefulness and effort expectancy. Also, its adoption unfolds within a broader transformation of creative labor, in which designers increasingly shift from execution to curation of AI-generated outputs while navigating tensions over originality, autonomy, and institutional pressure to use technology. This study contributes to current discussions on digital transformation, technology adoption, and innovation in the creative industries.

Bridging Institutional Fragmentation: Designing a Coordinated Support Infrastructure for Deep-Tech Scale-Up in Europe

Olga Rantanen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Deep technology ventures are widely recognized as critical drivers of industrial transformation and sustainability transitions. Yet their progression from laboratory validation (TRL 4-5) to pilot and demonstration scale (TRL 6-7) remains structurally constrained within fragmented European innovation systems. While substantial public funding instruments and research infrastructures exist, deep-tech startups continue to face persistent coordination failures in accessing capital, pilot facilities, and industrial validation environments. Drawing on exploratory qualitative insight from an in-depth interview with an experienced startup mentor within an EIT HEI project, this study identifies recurring systemic bottlenecks in the TRL 4-7 transition. These include limited visibility and accessibility of mid-scale pilot infrastructures, fragmented and poorly sequenced funding architectures, and misalignment between blended finance instruments and long development cycles. Anchored in entrepreneurial ecosystem theory, regional innovation systems literature, and the “valley of death” framework, the paper combines this empirical diagnosis with a structured desk analysis of European support mechanisms, including the European Innovation Council (EIC), EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), Horizon Europe, Eurostars, InvestEU, and Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) networks. The analysis demonstrates that Europe’s deep-tech scale-up gap reflects not an absence of support, but insufficient institutional integration and orchestration across funding and infrastructure domains. In response, the study advances a design-oriented framework for coordinated support infrastructure within EIT HEI ecosystems. The proposed model conceptualizes EIT HEI as a systemic intermediary performing three functions: (1) venture-stage diagnostic alignment, (2) infrastructure and blended finance brokerage, and (3) cross-institutional ecosystem orchestration. By integrating dispersed opportunity structures into a coherent navigation architecture, the framework aims to reduce transaction costs and improve pathway continuity for research-intensive ventures. The paper contributes to ongoing debates on Europe’s deep-tech scale-up challenge by reframing fragmentation as a coordination problem and proposing institutional design principles for enhancing systemic alignment within innovation ecosystems.

From Non-STEAM to Innovation: Developing Entrepreneurial and Technological Competencies through Hackathons

Claudia Rodrigues, Liliana Pereira, Rúben Carvalho, Cristina Pereira, Pedro Melo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the context of accelerating digital transformation and the increasing demand for transversal competencies, higher education institutions are challenged to adopt innovative pedagogical approaches that foster entrepreneurial mindsets across different fields of study. Hackathons, originally rooted in software development, have evolved into interdisciplinary learning environments that promote creativity, collaboration and problem-solving. This study explores the role of a hackathon—Digit’all MakerDay—as a capacity-building mechanism for almost 200 students enrolled in non-STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics), professional higher education courses, at Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (Portugal). The primary objective of the hackathon was to introduce the participants to emerging fields such as technology and robotics, while simultaneously fostering entrepreneurial skills, innovation capacity, and teamwork. The event was structured during a whole day around key phases, including initial training, challenge presentation, ideation, prototyping, and final project presentation, simulating real-world innovation processes. A quantitative research approach was adopted through the administration of a post-event questionnaire to participating students. The survey aimed to assess the perceived development of both technical and transversal competencies identified by the World Economic Forum, including creativity, communication, adaptability, and problem-solving—skills highlighted as critical for future employability. The findings suggest that participation in the hackathon significantly contributed to the development of entrepreneurial attitudes and a broader set of personal and behavioral competencies. Additionally, students reported increased confidence in engaging with technological concepts such as robotics, despite their non-STEAM background. The collaborative and challenge-based nature of the hackathon environment proved particularly effective in stimulating innovation and experiential learning. This study reinforces the value of hackathons in the preparation of future professionals for responsible innovation. It also highlights their potential to bridge the gap between non-STEAM education and emerging technological domains, contributing to more holistic and future-oriented entrepreneurial education models.

Designing Entrepreneurial Viability for Mid-Career Entry under Static Uncertainty

Yohei Sato — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Regional innovation ecosystems increasingly depend on experienced human capital, yet mid-career professionals remain systematically underrepresented in entrepreneurial entry. Existing entrepreneurship theories—from Knightian uncertainty to effectuation and lean experimentation—implicitly assume that entrepreneurial failure is reversible and that uncertainty can be reduced through action. While these assumptions hold for early-career founders, they become problematic for individuals embedded in dense life-course commitments. This paper argues that mid-career non-entry is not primarily psychological but structural, driven by static uncertainty—action-independent risks such as income discontinuity, constrained re-employment, and identity loss. We introduce the Life-Aligned Entrepreneurship Framework (LAEF), distinguishing between dynamic uncertainty (reducible through action) and static uncertainty (irreducible without institutional intervention). Under high commitment conditions, individuals optimize not expected value but survival viability under a ruin constraint. Building on this framework, we propose Static Uncertainty Design (SUD), a set of institutional mechanisms—administrative, contractual, and epistemic—that reduce irreversibility and enable entrepreneurial action. Using a qualitative case study of a regional entrepreneurship program in Japan, we show that mid-career individuals prioritize resolving static uncertainty before engaging in opportunity exploration. The paper contributes to entrepreneurship and innovation policy by reframing ecosystems as systems of downside-risk allocation and by offering actionable design principles for reducing downside risk and mobilizing experienced human capital.

Business Model Canvasses Revisited: Complementing Dynamic Layers for Start-up Investment and Entrepreneurial Perceptions

Ulrich Schmitt — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Current sustainability frameworks, such as the Triple-Layered Business Model Canvas (TLBMC), succeed in mapping environmental and social impacts but often fail to address the 'entrepreneur-or-investor-eye view' or the fast-changing realities and/or perceptions of the start-up space. To bridge this gap, this paper proposes the Venture-as-a-Product (VaaP) model; based on a dynamic 12-Slot-Scale able to synthesize diverse rubrics such as, for example, BMCs, it allows start-ups to define their ventures’ flows and services by addressing client value and investor-readiness simultaneously. The framework expands the Osterwalder-Joyce-Paquin 9-slot-foundations by introducing a Perceptual Alignment Layer (PAL) of common denominators, including Operational Mapping, Internal Balancing, and Accountability Profiles. The dynamic scaling allows for affording a diagnostic, predictive, and iterative tool for start-ups, incorporating Suh’s Axiomatic Design to ensure structural stability and methodologies like, for example, Greiner’s Growth Phases to anticipate organizational crises. By transforming traditional static 'canvas elements' into modular dynamic 'Nodes', the VaaP model enables founders to communicate complex flow trajectories and risk-mitigation strategies to stakeholders. Specifically, the paper highlights how one of the added slots (Scalable Integrity) integrates 'Trust Engineering', turning intangible entrepreneurial perceptions into assessable milestones. This research offers a start-up-friendly template that balances the requirements of a sustainable future with the firm metrics of financial backing, ultimately empowering founders to navigate uncertainty while offering investors a clear view of risk, return, scalability, and credibility. It also offers venture builders or startup studios/factories a means to integrate their portfolios.

Digital Twins in Industrial Transformation: A PRISMA-Based Review with Human Resource Implications

Manisha Gupta, Mamta Singh — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: The rapid advancement of Industry 4.0 technologies has transformed traditional industrial systems into intelligent, data-driven ecosystems. Among these, digital twins have emerged as key enablers of industrial transformation by integrating real-time data, simulation, and predictive analytics. This study presents a systematic literature review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework to examine the role of digital twins in driving innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainability across industries. Using the Scopus database, an initial pool of 220 articles was identified, of which 15 studies were selected through a rigorous screening and eligibility process. The findings indicate that digital twins function as multidimensional strategic tools that enhance predictive maintenance, optimize resource utilization, and accelerate product development through virtual prototyping. In addition, digital twins contribute to sustainability by supporting energy efficiency, circular economy practices, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives. These capabilities highlight their role in enabling organizations to transition from reactive to proactive and data-driven decision-making systems in complex industrial environments globally and across diverse sectors. Importantly, the review highlights the organizational and human implications of digital twin adoption. The integration of digital twins creates hybrid decision-making environments where human judgment is augmented by algorithm-driven insights, influencing accountability, trust, and workforce roles. This transformation necessitates the development of new competencies, including data literacy, digital collaboration, and adaptive decision-making, while emphasizing the role of human resource management in facilitating reskilling, change management, and the development of data-driven organizational cultures. The study also identifies key challenges, including high implementation costs, interoperability issues, data security concerns, and resistance to change. By synthesizing technological, strategic, and human perspectives, this research positions digital twins as drivers of both operational and organizational transformation. The findings provide valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers seeking to leverage digital twin technologies for sustainable and competitive industrial development.

Enhancing Grassroots Entrepreneurship Development through Market Orientation

Sonal Hukampal Singh, Birud Sindhav, Bhaskar Bhowmick — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Grassroots innovation (GRI) is often cited as a key to entrepreneurship development; however, the factors of influence for prompting entrepreneurial actions at the grassroots level are often unclear. As the key challenges of grassroots innovators are limited understanding and accessibility of market information, market orientation plays a significant role by helping grassroots innovators relation to sources of important information and opportunities. In the grassroots context, market orientation serves to promote entrepreneurial activity by bridging the market information gap effectively and ensuring involvement from various communities in responding to market needs and demand. This study analyzes the role of market orientation on the connection between GRI and entrepreneurial orientation. It reveals that market orientation helps improve economic benefits from entrepreneurial activities.

Predictors of Green Entrepreneurship Intentions Among Business Students: Evidence From Croatia

Marina Lovrinčević, Vlatka Škokić, Rita Grubišić — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the context of global efforts to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility, it is important to examine how young people, particularly students, perceive green business initiatives and what motivates or discourages them from starting their own green businesses. This paper identifies the key factors influencing green entrepreneurship intentions and examines the role of university support in fostering green entrepreneurship among students in economics faculties in the Republic of Croatia. An online questionnaire was the primary instrument for data collection. The questions were designed to capture self-efficacy, psychological, social, and educational factors, as well as university support factors that may be significant for green entrepreneurial intentions. The data were analysed using correlation and regression methods. The results show that students in Croatia have low intentions to engage in green entrepreneurship. Although some interest and willingness to participate in green ventures exist, most respondents report limited motivation due to a lack of practical experience, limited knowledge of green entrepreneurship, and insufficient social and educational support. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the strongest predictors of intention to engage in green entrepreneurship are self-efficacy and social factors related to subjective norms, followed by psychological factors related to attitudes towards the behavior, as described in Ajzen’s Theory of the Planned Behaviour. The results suggest that Croatia's education system, along with social support, needs improvement to encourage entrepreneurship and increase student interest in the green sector. Targeted initiatives, practical learning opportunities, and awareness raising campaigns can be particularly effective in encouraging the next generation of green entrepreneurs. Additionally, the research shows that university support is a statistically significant predictor of these intentions. Furthermore, university support plays a vital role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, serving as a catalyst for education, as research suggests. Although the importance of university support was recognized, students considered it limited and insufficient, particularly regarding specialized study programs and practical experience in the green sector.

Challenges of Scaling Cultural Edupreneurship in an Institutionalized Educational Ecosystem: The Case of a Digital Platform Startup

Victoria Slettli — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paper examines the challenges of scaling digital platform startups and contributes to emerging discussions on platform grafting in institutionalized ecosystems. Drawing on the case of Ekulturskolen, a Norwegian digital platform startup operating at the intersection of educational and cultural entrepreneurship, the study contributes to the literature on digital entrepreneurship and platform scaling. Specifically, it investigates scaling challenges within a strategically important Business-to-Government (B2G) context, drawing on insights from research on digital entrepreneurship, platform ecosystems, and digital startup growth. Ekulturskolen operates within the Norwegian municipal music and arts school system, offering digital educational content that complements existing public services. The findings suggest that successful platform scaling depends not only on technological capabilities and market demand but also on the platform’s ability to engage with and become embedded within the existing ecosystem of public extracurricular arts education. The study further contributes to the understanding of “platform grafting” by illustrating how scaling a digital startup can be a prolonged and complex process, even in the presence of an identifiable unmet need and a technologically robust value proposition. Strongly institutionalized sectoral ecosystems may create substantial barriers to market entry and growth. These barriers are both institutional and ecosystemic in nature and include: (a) structural constraints, such as annual budget cycles and public procurement procedures, and (b) cultural-cognitive barriers among professional stakeholders who may perceive digital innovation as a threat to their professional roles. To overcome these challenges, digital ventures must invest in relationship-building with municipalities, develop partnerships with established actors within the ecosystem, and work toward financial models that are compatible with municipal budgeting practices and procurement requirements.

The Human vs The Artificial, and Entrepreneurial Opportunities of Training the AI

Andre Slowak, Souad Slyman — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Increasingly, services and products are infused with artificial intelligence features. This paper addresses the blurred boundary between human and artificial intelligence. It looks at how AI could or could not execute what appears as uniquely human intelligence. Through a series of qualitative research interviews with AI, our findings imply entrepreneurial opportunities for SMEs and tech startups serving ‘AI tech markets’.

The Efficiency Indicators of the Involvement of Scientific Institutions on European and International Patents Formation as Innovations Management Tools

Inese Spica, Sarmite Jegere, Kalevs Kants, Lada Kalinina, Paula Jegere — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Innovations management is very important for innovation development. Academic staff employed in scientific institutions creates the knowledge needed to develop innovation. New knowledge generated by scientific institutions is offered to the public in different forms. It is therefore important to clarify the efficiency of the academic staff involvement in the production of European and international patents. These efficiency indicators can serve as tools for innovation management in scientific institutions. The object of the research is the formation of European and international patents at scientific institutions in various branches of science. The subject of the research is the comparative analysis of the efficiency of formation of European and international patents at scientific institutions in various branches of science in Latvia. The objective of the research is the analysis of efficiency indicators of the involvement of scientific institutions in European and international patents formation as innovation management tools in various branches of science in Latvia in the period from 2013 to 2018. The following tasks were determined to reach the objective: to study the formation of European and international patents at scientific institutions in various branches of science; and to implement the tools for innovation management of scientific institutions in various branches of science in Latvia. Research methods used in the paper are: content analysis, economic analysis, and economic experiment.

Firms’ Innovation Behaviour Under Constraints in Central and Eastern Europe

Ada Spiru, Armelina Lila, Maria Buonarota — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Innovation is widely recognised as a key driver of productivity growth and long-term economic development, yet firms’ ability to innovate is strongly shaped by the quality of the business environment in which they operate. This paper investigates how perceived business constraints are associated with firms’ innovation behaviour in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Using firm-level data from the sixth round of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), we analyse whether innovative and non-innovative firms differ in their perception of obstacles related to financial conditions, institutional quality, regulation and infrastructure. The analysis employs non-parametric Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney tests to compare the distribution of perceived constraints across firms and explores heterogeneity between EU and non-EU economies. The results show that innovative firms tend to be more sensitive to financial, taxation and infrastructure-related constraints, while non-innovative firms more frequently report barriers associated with human capital limitations and organisational capabilities. Significant differences also emerge between EU and non-EU economies, reflecting the role of institutional development and market conditions in shaping innovation dynamics. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of an enabling business environment for fostering firm-level innovation and provide policy-relevant insights for strengthening innovation capacity in the CEE region.

Digital Governance of the Women Entrepreneurs Organization (PERWIRA) in Empowering MSMEs

Elza Syarief, Rina Shahriyani Shahrullah, Agustina Fitrianingrum — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Discrimination against women, including in the economic sphere, essentially indicates that women's human rights are still being neglected. One effort to increase women's participation in the economy is the establishment of the Indonesian Women Entrepreneur Union (Perkumpulan Perempuan Wirausaha Indonesia /PERWIRA). Technological advances, particularly the use of the internet as a communication tool, have inspired PERWIRA to apply Information and Electronic Transactions (IET) in managing its activities. Increasing the capacity and governance of PERWIRA's activities can only be carried out efficiently and effectively if supported by proper management. In this regard, IET can be used as an approach in managing PERWIRA's activities. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of adopting the IET approach, thereby producing a system and/or good example in implementing activity management for organizations involving women MSMEs. It applies empirical research using a sociological-legal approach, collecting data through purposive sampling-based interviews. It finds that the challenges faced by PERWIRA are not only at the individual level of MSME actors but also at the policy ecosystem and institutional capacity levels. At the individual level of women MSMEs, limited access to capital and financing makes it difficult for PERWIRA to encourage its members to scale up their businesses, especially in the micro business sector. Women MSMEs in PERWIRA still manage their businesses traditionally, accompanied by a lack of understanding of risk management and cash flow. In addition, digital transformation has not been evenly distributed among MSME members. PERWIRA also faces internal challenges related to uneven capacity among regional-level administrators. Therefore, a collaborative approach between PERWIRA, the government, and the private sector is often offered as a solution. However, such partnerships and synergies are not easy to achieve because they require the alignment of government policies. Therefore, this study adopts IET-based management to harmonize partnerships and synergies between PERWIRA and its members, including the development of partnerships and synergies with the government and the private sector.

How Does an Iconoclast Venture Studio’s Investment Model Ensure the Scaling of an Early-Stage Deeptech Venture?

Laurent Téoule-Dorey — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: This study investigates how a nonprofit venture studio helps ensure the perennial scaling of a “born-global” Climatetech firm transforming industrial waste heat into efficient electricity. Intervening during a period of liquidity constraints and governance instability, this impact investor secured equity control to stabilise the firm and provide critical capital. The research analyses a hybrid investment model blending impact investing with social innovation, specifically through a novel “license” agreement, an open licensing approach leading cross-innovation and market expansion to address climate urgency. Utilising founders’ interviews and a thorough documentary analysis, this research examines how the hybrid model navigates a Deeptech venture through early-stage obstacles by syncing unconventional funding with proof-of-market milestones. The case underscores a central theme within Climatetech: while patient capital provides the necessary resilience for prolonged R&D cycles, the urgency of the climate crisis forces a difficult paradox, requiring both founders and funders to maintain rigorous stability while remaining highly adaptable. Findings enrich scholarship on hybrid governance and purpose-driven innovation, underscoring nonprofits' pivotal role in scaling Deeptechs. Through financial alliances and novel licensing, they empower small, specialised firms to leap from prototypes to global commercial impact.

Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Artificial Intelligence on Digital Entrepreneurial Resilience: the Mediating Role of Commitment to Learning

Oumeima Toumia — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Abstract: In today's rapidly changing digital landscape, many firms suffer unprecedented volatility, making digital entrepreneurial resilience a key capability for survival. While previous studies have extensively investigated traditional resilience, there is no research dealing with how artificial intelligence strengthens digital entrepreneurial resilience in emerging economies such as Tunisia. More precisely, it remains unclear how a firm's commitment to learning converts technological adoption into resilient outcomes. Therefore, this article investigates the impact of entrepreneurial orientation and artificial intelligence on digital entrepreneurial resilience, specifically examining the mediating role of commitment to learning. Data were gathered through a survey of 90 Tunisian business founders and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling with bootstrapping. We found that entrepreneurial orientation strongly drives the adoption and integration of artificial intelligence. Furthermore, artificial intelligence has a positive direct impact on digital entrepreneurial resilience and commitment to learning. Crucially, the findings confirm that commitment to learning acts as a complementary mediator. This suggests that, while artificial intelligence gives technical tools for resilience, a continuous commitment to learning enhances these benefits by helping businesses to better integrate these technologies. These findings provide crucial insights for Tunisian entrepreneurs and policymakers. Managers should consider artificial intelligence not as a static technology, but as a catalyst for organizational learning. To maximize digital entrepreneurial resilience, organizations must adopt a twin strategy. On the one hand, managers should incorporate advanced digital tools to significantly enhance their managerial work. On the other hand, they have to create a learning environment that can adjust to the complex technological outputs. As a result, Tunisian startups can maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. Nevertheless, this study is restricted by its small sample size and cross-sectional design. Future research should use longitudinal designs to observe how the relationship between artificial intelligence and resilience changes over time in various geographic contexts.

Understanding the Multilevel Aspects of Resistance to AI Adoption in Higher Education

Olga Tunkevichus, Konstantin Bagrationi — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study aims to examine how resistance to artificial intelligence adoption in higher education is shaped by current research directions. By employing a systematic approach combined with bibliometric co-citation analysis authors seek to understand the multilevel phenomena of resistance to AI adoption and uncover possible research gaps in the existing scientific field. The analysis, performed in accordance with PRISMA statement and mixed-method approach, included 2121 peer-reviewed publications from Scopus with manual qualitative interpretation of thematic clusters. The results reveal four interconnected dimensions of resistance. First, behavioral traits were uncovered, capturing how such factors as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, self-efficacy, and expected performance outcomes influence educators’ desire to engage with AI tools. Secondly, organizational readiness for change including such parameters as institutional capacity, culture, and change management was highlighted as highly important in understanding the phenomena and nature of teachers and students resistance to adopt AI. Thirdly, ethical considerations were found to be crucial for current AI adoption management understanding. This research direction included variables such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, transparency, accountability, and broaden debates about the legitimacy of AI in knowledge production, assessment, and teaching practice. Finally, understanding psychological factors such as trust in AI, AI anxiety and perceived loss were also identified as promising research stream. These clusters combined demonstrated that resistance to AI adoption in higher education is a multi-layered phenomenon that can be observed complexly by scientists, combining different analysis levels rather than focusing solely on technological or attitudinal aspects. The findings contribute to organizational behavior theory research by clarifying how emotional, cultural, and institutional mechanisms interact in shaping AI resistance. The study provides a structured basis for integrating resistance factors into a broader model of organizational readiness for AI adoption in higher education, including institutional determinants in addition to psychological and organizational ones.

Knowledge Exchange and Entrepreneurial Value in University–SME Collaboration

Jaani Väisänen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

University–SME collaboration is widely promoted as a pathway to entrepreneurial renewal, yet the mechanisms through which collaboration generates entrepreneurial value—and the frictions that undermine it—remain unevenly specified in practice-oriented research. Building on a Triple Helix context where universities are expected to contribute to innovation and growth beyond teaching and research, this study asks: 1) Through what mechanisms and process stages does university–SME collaboration create entrepreneurial value? and 2) Which frictions weaken value creation, and what governance mechanisms (e.g., trust, contracts, roles, intermediaries) help overcome them? The theoretical framing is two-fold. First, Relational View of Interorganizational Value Creation conceptualizes entrepreneurial value as “relational rents” generated through cross-boundary knowledge-sharing routines, complementary capabilities, and governance arrangements—offering a mechanism to trace how value emerges in the relationship rather than within either party alone. Second, Knowledge Exchange in Open Innovation frames collaboration as a purposeful mechanism for combining and utilizing external knowledge, and how intermediaries, clarified roles, and appropriate formalization can enable continued exchange under constraints. Empirically, the study draws on qualitative material collected in the NOKKA project, designed to empower SMEs to utilize academic research in their innovation processes. This study utilizes a shared semi‑structured interview protocol, documented in multiple interview summaries. The interviews emphasize SMEs’ articulated needs for external expertise, capability development, and low‑barrier collaboration formats such as student-based contributions and applied, interactive support, while also highlighting constraints related to limited resources and the difficulty of navigating collaboration structures. The paper offers actionable guidance for designing low‑barrier university–SME collaboration that clarifies roles and value propositions early, to produce tangible outputs that SMEs can utilize in entrepreneurial development and commercialization pathways.

Complexity and Paradox in Smart Port Transformation: Evidence from Sines' Port Case

Ricardo Veloso-Carvalho, Soumodip Sarkar — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Smart Ports are increasingly required to pursue digitalisation and decarbonisation simultaneously while maintaining operational continuity. Although these transitions have attracted growing academic attention, existing studies generally examine technological innovation or sustainability independently and provide limited theoretical explanations of how organisations manage both transformations concurrently. This study addresses this gap by investigating how organisations navigate digital and green transitions within complex operational environments through the complementary perspectives of Complexity Theory and Paradox Theory. A qualitative single-case study was conducted at the Port of Sines, Portugal, combining a semi-structured interview with the senior manager responsible for innovation and digital transformation with documentary evidence from institutional reports and strategic documents. An abductive research design and thematic analysis were employed to interpret the empirical material. The findings indicate that Complexity Theory explains Smart Port transformation as an adaptive and evolutionary process characterised by emergence, interdependence and continuous organisational learning. Paradox Theory complements this perspective by explaining how managers continuously balance persistent tensions, including efficiency versus sustainability, innovation versus operational continuity, and stability versus organisational change. The empirical evidence suggests that neither theoretical perspective alone fully explains the observed organisational dynamics. Accordingly, the study proposes an Integrated Complexity–Paradox Framework, demonstrating that adaptive system evolution and paradox management jointly enable digitalisation and decarbonisation within Smart Ports. The study contributes to innovation literature by providing a more comprehensive conceptual explanation of sustainability-oriented transformation and offers practical implications for managers responsible for leading complex infrastructure transitions.

Decarbonising Smart Ports: A Complexity and Paradox Perspective of Sines and Leixões

Ricardo Veloso-Carvalho, Soumodip Sarkar — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The decarbonisation of maritime transport and port infrastructure has become a central challenge in the global transition towards climate neutrality. Smart ports are increasingly positioned as innovation hubs where digitalisation, energy transition, and sustainability intersect. However, the pathways through which ports adopt and implement decarbonisation strategies remain heterogeneous and theoretically underexplored, particularly regarding how different strategic approaches emerge in practice. This paper investigates how smart ports navigate decarbonisation through the combined lenses of Complexity Theory and Paradox Theory. It addresses three research questions: (1) What factors influence the adoption of decarbonisation practices in smart ports? (2) How do these factors shape strategic responses? (3) To what extent do emerging vectors, such as green hydrogen, represent innovation opportunities within port ecosystems? The study adopts a qualitative comparative case study methodology, analysing the ports of Sines and Leixões in Portugal. Data were collected from secondary sources, including strategic plans, institutional reports, and policy documents, and analysed through thematic coding across five dimensions: decarbonisation goals, technologies, public policies, partnerships, and expected outcomes. Findings reveal that both ports are aligned with European climate objectives but follow distinct strategic pathways. Sines adopts a large-scale, infrastructure-driven approach, leveraging international energy corridors and industrial integration projects. In contrast, Leixões pursues a more decentralised and innovation-oriented trajectory, emphasising earlier carbon neutrality targets and strong collaboration with research institutions. The analysis shows that decarbonisation emerges as a complex adaptive process shaped by multi-actor interactions, while also involving persistent tensions between growth and sustainability, centralisation and collaboration, and efficiency and experimentation. These tensions are actively managed as drivers of innovation rather than constraints, enabling differentiated yet effective transformation pathways. The paper contributes in three ways: (1) it integrates Complexity and Paradox Theory in the context of sustainable innovation; (2) it provides empirical insights from a comparative smart port analysis; and (3) it identifies green hydrogen as a strategic opportunity for complementary innovation ecosystems.

Capital Conversions in the Interaction Space between Social Entrepreneurship and Academic Field

Ksenija Vuković — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The paper examines the possibilities of capital conversion arising from the interaction of social enterprises and the academic field in Croatia. The objectives of this paper are multifold. The study investigates the extent to which social enterprises collaborate with academic institutions, identifies the dominant forms of the cooperation between them and examines the potential of capital conversions between their different forms through the cooperation. Additionally, the research analyses the direction and dynamics of knowledge spillover between the two fields, particularly focusing on the constraining conditions to such processes. The theoretical framework of the research combines Bourdieu's theory of practice (i.e. the concepts of capital and field) to understand the relations of actors and the used resources. This is complemented by the knowledge spillover theory, to explain how the knowledge circulates among the actors. Methodological framework relies on a qualitative research design. The empirical data were collected through phenomenological in-depth semi-structured interviews that were conducted among 30 social enterprises operating across various economic activities, with many of them focusing on the providing community services. The findings show multiple channels of cooperation of social enterprises with the academic community, including academic research in the field of social entrepreneurship, provision of services by faculties to social enterprises, joint partnerships in EU-funded projects, guest lectures and presenting social enterprises to students, supervision of students' theses and the use of social enterprises as teaching and practice bases. In addition to conventional, unidirectional knowledge transfer from academia to practical, the study also identifies reverse knowledge spillovers from social enterprises to the academic field. These results further demonstrate the interconversions of capital arising from the interaction of social entrepreneurs and the academic actors. However, the obstacles to greater use of knowledge spillover to improve the efficiency of social enterprises exist primarily due to the limited financial resources.

Legal Requirements for Data Trustees

Anja La Combe, Sven Kurrle, Julian Hoffmann , Patrick Weber — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The cooperative use of data in data ecosystems is central to realizing the potential of data-based
value creation. Data trustees, neutral intermediaries between data providers and users, are intended to
promote trust and legal clarity in accordance with the EU Data Governance Regulation. While the technical
aspects of such models have been professionally researched, the legal requirements from a business
perspective have largely been overlooked. This paper aims to shorten this research gap by examining (1)
requirements companies place on the legal design of data trustee models and (2) legal forms used in practice.
Based on twelve qualitative expert interviews 30 specific legal requirements were identified such as ensuring
the legal independence of the data trustee, ownership of data or information, and the decision-making
process. This paper contributes by conceptualizing legal requirements as a design dimension of data
ecosystem governance and providing a structured requirement framework derived from empirical evidence.

Strategic Responses to Barriers Affecting Sustainable Entrepreneurship Performance: Ethiopian Apparel Manufacturing Case

Leake Weleabzgi Gebrehiwot, Lohithaksha M. Maiyar, Jayshree Patnaik — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The apparel industry in emerging countries is crucial in creating employment, enhancing export earnings, and stimulating industrial growth. Within an increasingly competitive global environment, the apparel managers are expected to strategically overcome the triple bottom line barriers to achieve sustainable entrepreneurship performance (SEP) and remain competitive. Failure to overcome these barriers can significantly diminish the performance of sustainable entrepreneurship in the industry. Although several studies have substantiated the barriers to sustainability performance, further research is needed to develop a decision-support framework that determines the set of strategic approaches to overcome SEP barriers, particularly in emerging countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a decision-support framework to find the best set of strategic responses for barriers affecting SEP in Ethiopian apparel industries. The study follows a multi-faceted research methodology approach with a mix of qualitative and quantitative techniques. In the first phase, managers from the apparel industry were interviewed to identify context-specific barriers to SEP and a clear set of strategic responses to these barriers. The barriers were grouped into economic, social, and environmental dimensions based literature analysis. The Best-Worst Method (BWM) was then used to rank them based on their relative severity of effects on SEP. Subsequently, the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) approach was used to investigate the relationship between the prioritized barriers (WHATs) and strategic responses (HOWs) for enabling sustainable entrepreneurship performance and to rank the best strategic responses as a key takeaway for managerial decision-making. The results indicate that low product quality, weak buyer-supplier relationships, and high cost pressure are the strongest barriers to SEP. The study discovers that including developing circular practices (3R), adopting demand-driven production planning, and improving training and skill development are the most effective strategic responses to overcome the barriers. Grounded on stakeholder and resource based view theories, the decision support framework helps apparel managers for systematically prioritizing the barriers of SEP and build a best strategic response portfolio.

Competitiveness of Small Rural Tourist Establishments in Northern Norway

Knut Ingar Westeren — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Competitiveness is a severe challenge for rural tourism including factors like authenticity, clean nature, and sustainable use of the environment. In this project, we collected data from six small rural tourist establishments in Northern Norway, three lodging activities and three tourism service providers. We compared and interpreted the competitive situation using two types of indicators: Porter-type strategy indicators based on structured interviews and financial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The theoretical discussion of the competitiveness of rural tourist establishments shows large differences in the understanding of competitiveness, depending on different theoretical frameworks and measurement methods. The results indicate that the KPI-based indicators are more relevant for short-term financial structural changes, one of them being how to develop products/niches that can be profitable for the company. The questionnaire-based analysis adds a longer-term perspective, introducing marketing options, key personnel developments, and environmental considerations. The important competitive factor, how to even out seasonal changes, is the best example where both types of analysis are applied. The novelty of this study is that the Porter-based strategic considerations often contain too much “wishful thinking”, while the KPIs point at rural tourism variations in profitability, and many businesses make too little money and have solvency issues, which indicates that they should focus more on survival. Of course, all companies, including rural tourism, must have a vision, but that must be based on a reasonably sound financial situation.

Fostering Intrapreneurial Skills: Trait-Pedagogy Fit in Corporate Training Innovation

Wen-Kuei Wu — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Corporate intrapreneurship training increasingly relies on innovative pedagogical designs to develop the adaptive influence capabilities that B2B professionals require in complex selling and negotiation environments. Innovative instructional approaches have gained wide adoption on the premise that active engagement leads to deeper knowledge and more sustainable behavioral change. However, whether such innovations benefit all learners equally or whether their effectiveness depends on the fit between pedagogical demands and individual learning characteristics remains underexplored in entrepreneurship education research. This study draws on Cognitive Load Theory and March's (1991) exploration–exploitation framework to examine how different teaching approaches interact with learners' exploratory and exploitative tendencies to shape engagement, exhaustion, and training outcomes. Data were collected from 557 B2B sales professionals and corporate intrapreneurs participating in influence tactics training programmes. A scenario-based survey presented participants with nine instructional conditions derived from a 3 × 3 combination of teaching approaches (Cognitivist, Constructivist, Behaviorist) and salesperson influence tactics (Professional-oriented, Motivation-oriented, Consequentialism-oriented). Data were analyzed using Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling, Moderated Multiple Regression, Multi-Group Analysis, and exploratory K-Means clustering. Results reveal a dual-pathway mechanism: both exploratory and exploitative tendencies are positively associated with engagement, which facilitates training outcomes, while the exploitative trait is additionally associated with learning exhaustion under high-demand conditions, generating a significant negative indirect effect on behavioral change (β = −0.130). Multi-Group Analysis further indicates this negative pathway is substantially stronger among exploitative learners (Δβ = 0.271, p < 0.001), whereas exploratory learners show structurally consistent response patterns. Three-way interaction modelling explains 48.6% of the variance in behavioral change and identifies differentiated instructional fits across learner profiles. These findings challenge the assumption that more interactive instructional designs are universally superior and offer an evidence-based framework for aligning corporate intrapreneurship training with individual learner characteristics.

Organisational Culture, Innovation and Performance in SMEs: A Systematic Literature Review of Emerging Research Trends

Panagiota Xanthopoulou, Alexandros Sahinidis, Apostolos Gkikas, Vassilis Vyttas — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

In the contemporary business environment, characterised by rapid technological change and intense competition, innovation has emerged as a critical determinant of organisational success and long-term sustainability. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular, rely on innovation to enhance competitiveness and respond effectively to dynamic market conditions. Organisational culture plays a fundamental role in shaping firms’ internal environments and influencing their innovation capabilities and overall performance. This study presents a systematic literature review examining the relationship between organisational culture, innovation, and SME performance. A structured search of the Scopus database was conducted in March 2026, focusing on English-language peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2015 and 2026. Following the screening process, 38 studies were included and analysed using thematic synthesis. The findings indicate that organisational cultures characterised by collaboration, adaptability, knowledge sharing, and employee empowerment are more likely to foster product, process, marketing, and organisational innovation, ultimately contributing to improved organisational performance. However, the review also suggests that the relationship between organisational culture and performance is influenced by contextual and organisational factors. The study contributes to the literature by synthesising current evidence, identifying key research gaps, and proposing directions for future research. The review is limited to English-language journal articles indexed in Scopus, which may have excluded relevant studies published in other databases or languages.

Bridging Social and Environmental Impact Through Social Entrepreneurship: Insights from the Shanshui Partners Case Study

Yi Ke, Shu-Hsiang Chen, Tong He — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As environmental degradation and rural inequality continue to intensify alongside rapid economic development, social entrepreneurship has emerged as an important mechanism for integrating ecological sustainability with socioeconomic advancement. This study examines Shanshui Partners, a conservation oriented social enterprise operating in Sichuan Province, China, to explore how hybrid organizational models can reconcile biodiversity protection with rural livelihood development. Grounded in the perspectives of sustainable entrepreneurship, Resource Dependence Theory, and community-based resource governance, the study investigates both the opportunities and tensions embedded within conservation based social enterprises. The findings identify a three-dimensional value creation system implemented by Shanshui Partners. First, the organization reconfigures agricultural value chains by connecting certified panda friendly products to premium urban markets. Second, it institutionalizes payments for ecosystem services (PES), transforming biodiversity protection into a viable source of rural income. Third, it develops local human capital through ecological monitoring and green skills training programs for rural youth. The case demonstrates how conservation incentives can be integrated into local economic systems while contributing to ecological restoration and community empowerment. At the same time, the analysis highlights structural vulnerabilities associated with hybrid organizations, including dependency on corporate sustainability funding, the risk of mission drift, and tensions between conservation objectives and local development pressures. The study contributes to the literature on social entrepreneurship and sustainable development by showing that market driven conservation models can generate both environmental and social value, while also remaining highly dependent on institutional support and long-term stakeholder collaboration.

Patent Portfolio Management in Utility Organizations: An Innovation-to-Value Framework for Transforming Invention Disclosures into Strategic Organizational Assets

Mariam Alqasimi — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Patent portfolio management has evolved beyond the traditional role of intellectual property protection and increasingly serves as a strategic mechanism for supporting innovation, organizational competitiveness, and value creation. Despite growing investments in research and development, many utility organizations continue to face challenges in systematically transforming invention disclosures into measurable organizational outcomes. Existing literature predominantly focuses on patent protection, valuation, and commercialization as independent domains, while limited attention has been given to an end-to-end management framework that connects invention generation, intellectual property protection, portfolio optimization, and strategic value realization. This paper proposes an Innovation-to-Value Patent Management Framework (IVPMF) designed specifically for innovation-intensive utility organizations. Drawing upon more than seven years of professional experience in intellectual property portfolio management, innovation governance, patent strategy, and technology transfer, the framework demonstrates how organizations can transition from reactive patent filing practices toward proactive portfolio management approaches that align innovation activities with organizational objectives. The proposed framework consists of nine interconnected stages: opportunity identification, invention disclosure, technical validation, prior-art intelligence, patentability assessment, strategic portfolio prioritization, protection strategy, commercialization readiness, and strategic value creation. The framework is supported by practitioner observations derived from the management of more than one hundred patentability assessments, fifty to sixty patent filings, twenty granted patents, and twenty-three commercialization support and internal deployment pathways across multiple technology domains. The findings suggest that organizations can significantly improve innovation outcomes when patent portfolio management is integrated into broader innovation governance structures rather than treated as an isolated legal function.

An Interpretable Framework for Startup Success Assessment Using Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Intelligence

Fardin Sarrafnia, Ahmad Movahedian Attar, Shahabaldin Gheysari — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs) need metrics to evaluate ventures within entrepreneurial ecosystems, but assessing startup readiness remains difficult. Current practice relies mainly on descriptive indicators that are hard to measure and to reproduce, and little is documented about how these indicators are operationalised or how well they perform. The Open Innovation Framework for Pitch Competitions (OIF-PC) (Movahedian Attar et al., 2025) takes a systems-thinking view in which entrepreneurial support is treated as a funnel whose design parameters shape venture development. Its constructs, however, are defined at programme level and have not yet been expressed as measurable attributes. Expressing them at venture level would give programmes a more useful basis for evaluation.

This study therefore operationalises the OIF-PC orientation as measurable attributes of startups and examines whether these attributes are associated with observed outcomes. A secondary dataset of 923 records describing 922 unique ventures, with 45 raw attributes covering funding, milestones, networks, and the ecosystem, was analysed using Logistic Regression, Random Forest and XGBoost. SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) was used to interpret model outputs and to quantify the contribution of original and derived variables to the assessed readiness score.

Access to resources is associated with more favourable outcomes. How those resources are used, and how actively a venture engages with its entrepreneurial environment, account for a comparable share of the model's attribution, with network connectivity the single most influential attribute. This indicates that ecosystem constructs of the OIF-PC type can be operationalised through venture-level variables, but it is not a validation of the framework itself. On this basis, the study introduces the Startup Success Readiness Index (SSRI), which combines four pillars (Relational Strength, Milestone Achievement, Investor Diversity and Funding Efficiency) into a weighted score using SHAP-derived attribution. The SSRI gives ESOs a transparent readiness measure that they can use to profile ventures, find capability gaps and inform programme design.

Keywords: Startup Success Assessment; Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs); Open Innovation Framework for Pitch Competitions (OIF-PC); Machine Learning; Startup Success Readiness Index (SSRI); SHAP

Reframing the Ecosystem: Ranking Organizations as Emerging Stakeholders in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Maximilian Stadler, Herbert Gillig, Steve Gedeon — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurial ecosystems are increasingly assessed through global ranking systems that claim to measure innovation capacity, competitiveness and startup activity. Yet little is known about how these rankings influence and shape the very environments they evaluate. This study addresses this gap by examining ranking organizations as influential actors within entrepreneurial ecosystems. Drawing on stakeholder theory and based on seventeen semi-structured expert interviews, the study applies the Gioia methodology to explore how rankings affect perceptions, strategies and governance processes. The analysis identifies five mechanisms through which ranking organisations exert influence: structural data constraints, methodological ambiguity, stakeholder-oriented interpretation, interaction with ecosystem actors and legitimacy building effects. Our results show that the influence of rankings derives less from empirical precision than from their interpretive use, perceived legitimacy and public visibility. The findings further indicate that the understanding and use of rankings develops through ongoing dialogue between producers and users, resulting in an emerging interpretive form of co creation. Building on these findings, we introduce the concept of meta-stakeholders, defined as actors that evaluate entrepreneurial ecosystems while simultaneously influencing their development. The study demonstrates the performative power of measurement and its role in shaping entrepreneurial legitimacy and policy agendas. It contributes to research on entrepreneurial ecosystems by advancing a relational and interpretive perspective on evaluation processes and by conceptualising ranking organisations as meta-stakeholders that actively shape ecosystem dynamics.

European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship Support Programmes and Business Growth in Brunei

Institutional and Cultural Constraints on Women's Entrepreneurship in SMEs: A Conceptual Framework in the Context of Saudi Vision 2030

Integrating Clinical Trial Evidence into Design Thinking Processes for Healthcare Product Development

Measuring Entrepreneurship Competence Progression: Evidence from Muslim Youth in Australia

A Conceptual Maturity Framework for Digital Twin Technology Adoption and Scaling

Mapping the Literature on Entrepreneurial Coaching: A Two-Layer Scientometric Analysis

Organizational Culture and Digital Transformation: Capabilities in SMEs: A Comparative Study of AI/ML adoption in German and Italian SMEs

Innovation intermediaries in cross-sector partnerships: A role–phase framework for innovation in wicked problem contexts

From Accelerator Programs to Business Model Innovation in Startups: The Roles of Program Quality, Knowledge Spillovers and Founder Absorptive Capacity

Lean startup for Opportunity Exploitation in Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Evidence from India's Sustainability-oriented Ventures

Agentic AI in Supply Chains: Balancing Trust and Autonomy in Disruption Scenarios

Iterative Stakeholder-Driven Commercialization Pathways in Academic Entrepreneurship and MVP Learning

Building Biodigital Clusters in Emerging Economies: A Conceptual Framework Integrating Technological Capabilities and Governance in the Pharmaceutical Sector

Benefits Management Model in the Industry 5.0 Era

Exploring Digital Transformation in Organizations: A Typological Perspective

Entrepreneurial Innovation in Experimental Cinema: Digital Technologies, Immersive Media and New Educational Business Models

Brain-Driven Opportunity Validation: A Multimodal Design-Based Framework for Entrepreneurial Education

From Empathy to Impact: Examining Opportunity Recognition for Impactful, Socially Relevant Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial Temporal Design: Reframing the Sustainability Intention-Action Gap in Food Waste

Top 100 Global Sustainable Solutions- Ten Years on

Regulatory Incentives and Knowledge Dynamics in Pharmaceutical Innovation: Evidence from Breakthrough Therapy Designation

Digital Transformation and Performance of E-Service Businesses in West Africa

Universities as Living Labs for Circular Economy Entrepreneurship in the GCC

An Empirical Study of Social Entrepreneurial Intention among Public Sector University Students in Pakistan: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and the Moderating Role of Need for Achievement

When the Model Moves: Entrepreneurial Adaptation to Foundation-Model Dependency in AI Startups

Teaching Risk, Assessing Certainty: The Hidden Paradigm in Entrepreneurship Education

Digital Technologies as an Enabler of Internal Audit Practices in the ESG Context: A Thematic Analysis of Recent Practices

Public Attitudes Toward ChatGPT in Türkiye: Evidence from Instagram Sentiment Analysis

Interpersonal Relationships in Entrepreneurial Team Research: a Meta-Analysis Using Advanced Computational Methods

Successful Finnish Social Enterprises: A Case Study of Foundation-Based Social Enterprises in the Nordic Welfare Context

Privacy Policies and the use of Personal Data as Strategic Variables for Entrepreneurs in the Health Apps Market

Digital Transformation in SMEs: How Strategic Orientation and Digital Capabilities Drive Value Creation and Innovation

Circular Migration and Entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans: From Brain Drain to Innovation Potential

Structured Innovation as a Driver of Collective Transformation in Traditional Industrial Clusters

Market Validation as a Pedagogical Strategy for Developing Entrepreneurial Competences in Higher Education

Co-Creation and Blended Research Training: A Pedagogical Innovation for Early-Stage Researchers in Higher Education

Measuring Emotional and Rational Drivers in Retail Customer Journeys Beyond Surveys

The Socio-Environmental Canvas: Making Invisible Value Visible in Sustainable Ventures

Social Capital and Entrepreneurial-Specific Knowledge as Key Drivers of Innovation

Sustainable Fashion: Examining Purchase Intention in Digital Second-Hand Platforms

The Role of GenAI Startups in Reshaping Business Consulting

Artificial Intelligence in Startup Investment Decision-Making

Determinants and Intensity of Science-Business Collaboration

Creativity and Innovation for Sustainable Development in Saudi Architectural and Engineering Firms

Navigating Entrepreneurial Stress: How Egyptian Female Entrepreneurs Build and Sustain Resilience

Using Experience Design to Develop an Interactive Co-Laboratory for Inner Development Goals in Social Entrepreneurship Education: A Design-Based Case Study

Technical and Economic Gaps in Freight Diesel-to-Natural Gas Transition – A Conceptual Analysis

From Intention to Action: The Role of Entrepreneurial Education and Opportunity Recognition in Tourism Students’ Business Aspirations

When Generative AI Builds or Undermines Entrepreneurial Capability

Emergent Strategy and Innovation in Entrepreneurship: A Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective

Building Innovation Capability Through Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Universities of Applied Sciences

Gen Y to Gen Z Female Entrepreneurs and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Exploring New Challenges and Opportunities

A Trilevel Framework for Innovation Management in National Innovation Systems

Understanding Sustainable Travel Choices through the Value-Belief-Norm Theory: Implications for Tourism SMEs

Reassessing MSME Classification Thresholds in the Philippines: Evidence of Structural Finance Misalignment from Sectoral Cluster Analysis

Understanding Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Mediation Model of Self-Efficacy, Gender, and Role Models

Public Funding, Collaboration and Intellectual Assets in a Moderate Innovator: Evidence From Portugal

Venturethon: A Validation-First, Studio-Templated Pedagogical Model for Entrepreneurship Education

Aligning the Expectations for University–Industry Cooperation: Experiences from the Field

Students’ Experiences and Reflections Following an Impact Entrepreneurship Course: An Exploratory Study

Network Capital as a Success Factor for Entrepreneurs: Beyond the Buzzword

Communicating the Dual Mission: Analysis of Websites of Finnish Social Enterprise Mark Holders

The Global State of Digital Transformation Across Organisations: Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey

Beyond Profit: Sustainable Business Model Innovation in Ireland’s Emerging Seaweed Bioeconomy

Bridging Regional Innovation Gaps: The Innovation Bridge Model for SME Support and Cross-Regional Competence Sharing

Governance of Innovation Ecosystems: Evidence from Lisbon through the Quadruple Helix Lens

Organisational Aesthetics in Sustainable Human Resource Management: A Four-Dimensional Framework

From Strategic Planning to Innovation: The Mediating Role of Environmental Proactivity in Food Industry Firms

The Infiltration of Corruption and Money Laundering in Indonesia’s Startup Ecosystem

Circular Business Models of Biocomposites - Value Creation in an Industrial Ecosystem

Attracting and Retaining Innovative Talent in Region

From Utility to Belonging: Re-Socializing the Technology Entrepreneur through Evolutionary Psychology

Challenges in Developing Student Entrepreneurship in the New Startup Ecosystem of Eastern Finland

Crafting the Entrepreneurial Persona: Insights From the Narratives Entrepreneurs Tell

Bridging the Readiness Gap: A Framework for Transitioning Generation Z into Practice

Developing Entrepreneurial Competencies in Tourism Higher Education: A Design-Based Curriculum Innovation

Innovation Measurement During Organizational Constraints: Opportunities and Challenges.

Business Model Strategies in Mobile Health: The Role of In‑App Purchases

Content Marketing and Digital Advertising in Cypriot SMEs: Relevant Strategies, Challenges and Opportunities