1,721,003 research outputs found
Evaluating the network's value creation and its dependence on absorptive capacity and social capital factors
No full textNetworks are assumed to enhance small firms' performance and competitiveness. Research indicates that there are various sources of value that could derive from networks, such as cost and time efficiency, quality improvement, flexibility and innovation. However, in most cases these values are associated with a general framework of what Information Communication Technologies (ICT) and network models are supposed to offer to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their participating actors. Little empirical research has focused on the real value that participating firms can appropriate and create. Based on an empirical study involving SMEs, this paper analyses the value that SMEs can create and/or appropriate by participating in networks and the extent to which value creation depends on factors such as absorptive capability and social capital. This study demonstrates that SMEs can create and appropriate a great deal of value when they become an integral part of network systems. However, factors such as absorptive capacity and social capital need to be taken into consideration, since they greatly impact and affect the capability of firms to create and appropriate value. It is argued that in order to create and appropriate value through networks, they need to emphasize knowledge assimilation and sharing as well as creating continuous learning capability
Social entrepreneurship education: A combination of knowledge exploitation and exploration processes
No full textIt is widely accepted that entrepreneurship education has become a key development priority for coping with uncertainty and for addressing various social, economic, and technological concerns related to health, living conditions, education systems, employment, and economic growth. In recent times we have witnessed a proliferation of Entrepreneurship Education (EE) programs and initiatives with the aim to promote the creation of new skills, competencies, and capabilities to deal with a wide range of social issues and for creating new societal. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has introduced radical challenges to the society and has impacted significantly, especially the process of entrepreneurial competencies, skills and attitudes development. This paper aims to provide insights into knowledge mechanisms and learning strategies that have been activated for the effective creation of entrepreneurship competencies. We have based our evaluation on an exploratory analysis of 10 program studies that deliver social entrepreneurship education. The paper presents elements of originality under two perspectives: it proposes a framework with the main patterns characterizing social entrepreneurship education (SEE), and it argues that the creation of an entrepreneurship mindset and competencies is an evolutionary process that combines dynamic knowledge exploitation and exploration mechanisms
Shaping the future: ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of digital innovation ecosystems (DIEs) amid the Twin Transition
No full textPurpose – This study aims to investigate the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of digital transformation within digital innovation ecosystems (DIEs), particularly in the context of the Twin Transition, which integrates digital and green transformation. It seeks to highlight the agency and heterogeneity of actors within DIEs, emphasizing their active role in implementing strategies that align innovation with sustainability. By moving beyond a technology-centered perspective, the study contributes to the discourse on how DIE stakeholders navigate the intersection of digitalization and sustainability through collaborative innovation. Design/methodology/approach – Using a three-phase qualitative research approach, this study first conducts a thematic analysis of academic literature on ELSI within DIEs, conceptualizing them as multi-actor ecosystems. It then applies a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis to identify the internal challenges and external pressures faced by the diverse participants in DIEs. Finally, it employs the TOWS framework to develop strategic, actor-specific recommendations for navigating the Twin Transition. Findings – The research underscores that addressing ELSI is fundamental to achieving a responsible digital transformation that aligns with sustainable development. It highlights that the success of DIEs is not driven by centralized decision-making but by the collective actions and strategic choices of diverse stakeholders. By leveraging ecosystem-wide strengths and opportunities while mitigating weaknesses and threats, DIE participants can foster inclusive, ethical and socially responsible value creation. Practical implications – The findings provide actionable insights for participants within DIEs, demonstrating how ELSI-informed strategies can guide digital transformation while ensuring technological progress remains equitable and responsible. It provides a structured methodology for ecosystem actors to assess risks, identify ethical challenges and develop governance mechanisms that support sustainable innovation. Social implications – By addressing the broader societal consequences of digital transformation, this research highlights the governance-related dimension of ELSI, stressing the need for a clear vision of the type of society that digital transformation seeks to build. It reinforces that DIEs must engage in active, inclusive decision-making to ensure that digital innovation contributes to equity, safety and long-term social welfare, ultimately shaping a responsible and sustainable digital future. Originality/value – This study advances a human-centered, actor-driven approach to DIEs, moving beyond the implicit assumption of DIEs as self-governing entities. By embedding ELSI into strategic frameworks like SWOT and TOWS, the study advocates for a holistic approach that transcends mere technological adoption, respectively, a politically engaged and ethically grounded perspective on digital transformation. It argues that strategic planning must actively involve stakeholders in defining a sustainable, inclusive and ethically responsible digital future
Towards a framework for measuring creative economy: evidence from Balkan countries
No full textPurpose – The creative process through which the territorial resources, knowledge and culture are used,
exploited and configured to match needs and to achieve congruence with the changing business
environment has become a crucial process for competitiveness. This is even more relevant for economies
of developing countries which are continuously struggling to reap the benefits of globalisation, as well as
to grasp the new opportunities for competitiveness. As such, this paper aims to try to concentrate on the
dynamic perspectives of the creative economy of countries by distinguishing between the potentialities
and performance. The paper tackles the influence that creativity capacities might have on performance
of countries.
Design/methodology/approach – The methodology consists in identifying creative economy indicators
from a diverse data set of the World Economic Forum and distinguish them between potential and
performance indicators.
Findings – Data reveal as good progress and emphasis is being devoted to increasing the level of
creativity; however, the Balkan countries still holdup in their capacity to boost innovation.
Practical implications – The paper provide a new focus of research on creativity measurement that is
significant for understanding what creative capacities territories possess and the ability to make
proficient use for growth and innovation.
Originality/value – This paper proposes a new operational framework formeasuring and interpreting the
creative economy indicators by identifying not only indicators that gauge the potentialities of a country,
but also indicators that are linked with the performance dimension, as well as the relationship amongst
them
Rethinking Technology Entrepreneurship Education for Inspiring a University Wide Entrepreneurial Mindset: the Entrepreneurship Centers’ role
No full textInsights for shaping Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Education: Evidences from European Entrepreneurship centers
No full textUnderstanding intellectual capital disclosure in online media Big Data: An exploratory case study in a university
No full textPurpose: Intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) in universities is gaining increasing attention, especially through the adoption of innovative technologies. Online media, as a relevant source of Big Data, is shifting ICD. The purpose of this paper is to explore how Big Data generated through online media, such as websites and platforms like Facebook, can be used as rich sources of data and viable disclosure channels for ICD in a university. Design/methodology/approach: This is an exploratory case study, following the methodology in Yin (2014), that examines how online media data contributes to closing the ICD gap. The IC disclosed through different online media channels by a private university in Albania is analysed using Secundo et al.’s (2016) collective intelligence framework. The online data sources include the university’s website, Facebook page, periodic reports and statements outlining future goals. Findings: What the authors discover in this research is that IC is an important part of how universities operate, and IC is communicated through social media, although unintentionally. However, this only serves to highlight the importance of IC, and if researchers want to discover IC and understand how it works in an organisation, they need to include social media and a prime resource for developing that understanding. Research limitations/implications: Most importantly, the findings add to a growing consensus that ICD researchers, and researchers in other management and accounting disciplines, who traditionally rely on annual corporate social responsibility and other periodic reports, they need to change their medium of analysis because these reports no longer can be relied on to understand IC and its impact on an organisation. Originality/value: Online media tools and the advent of Big Data have created new opportunities for universities to disclose their IC information to stakeholders in a timely manner and to gain relevant insights into their impact on the society. The originality of the paper resides in the contribution of Big Data to the ICD research stream
Insights for Shaping Entrepreneurship Education: Evidence from the European Entrepreneurship Centers
No full textAbstract: The pivotal role of Entrepreneurship centers in the development of Entrepreneurship
Education (EE) is receiving more attention. This study aims to open the “black box” of “how, when,
why and what” entrepreneurial mindset and competencies in the field of technology entrepreneurship
are learned over time in the Entrepreneurship Centers. The study adopts an empirical web-based
content analysis of ten entrepreneurship centers in European Universities from seven countries,
analyzing 105 curricular and extra-curricular entrepreneurship education programs. This method
allows researchers to address generalization bias and to effectuate a cross-case comparison,
thus revealing more common patterns regarding the phenomenon. Findings reveal some common
pillars of EE as developed within the Entrepreneurship centers in terms of five key dimensions: target
audience, learning objectives, entrepreneurship contents, learning pedagogies and stakeholders’
engagement. This analysis provides the basis to introduce a process-based framework for
entrepreneurial mindset creation in EE that is organized around four main phases: inspiration,
engagement, exploitation and sustainment. The process-based model of EE supports entrepreneurship
centers in designing learning initiatives that are aimed to inspire students at all levels of
education, young entrepreneurs and start-uppers and scientists in their need to be equipped with
an entrepreneurial mindset for technology entrepreneurship. The originality of the paper stands
on the “process-based” framework that is proposed that serves as an interactive pathway that
dynamically combines the phases toward entrepreneurial venture creation, the entrepreneurial
competence level, the entrepreneurial learning strategies and collaboration with the University’s
stakeholders’ network toward the achievement of the competence goal
Sustainable Journeys: Navigating the Circular Economy Wave in EU Tourism for a Greener Future
Full text linkThis research explores the complex relationships between tourism, economic factors, environmental sustainability, and transportation infrastructure within the European Union (EU), as the tourist scene changes globally. Our research uses a comprehensive model to investigate the factors that influence the number of tourists arriving in the EU, focusing on the years 1990 to 2022. The model considers transportation infrastructure, environmental sustainability indices, and economic variables as major determinants of tourism flows. Economic variables encompass exchange rates, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and per capita income, while environmental sustainability indicators include carbon footprint and renewable energy usage. Additionally, the model considers transportation infrastructure by assessing the quality and availability of transportation modes. We use a two-way fixed effect to account for any unobserved heterogeneity. Fixed effects give control over nation-specific factors that might affect tourism, as they are a reliable method to deal with potential biases in the estimated parameters. Our study aims to provide insightful information about the sustainable growth of tourism in the European Union, providing policymakers, scholars, and industry stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of the variables influencing visitor arrivals. This research contributes to the tourism literature by integrating CE principles with behavioral insights from the theory of planned behavior, highlighting how tourists’ pro-environmental attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control influence travel choices. In the framework of the circular economy, the authors hope to inform policy choices and advance a more environmentally conscious travel industry in the EU by examining the points where economic, environmental, and transportation aspects converge
The rhetoric of rape : an extended note on apologism, depoliticisation and the male gaze in Ndou v S
Full text linkIn this extended note, I provide a critical reading of the recent Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment in Ndou v S against contemporary feminist theories of rape and specifically, feminist engagements with the concepts of 'consent' and 'force'. This reading aims to explore, analyse and expose the 'rhetoric' or discourse of rape employed in the Ndou judgment. In other words, it aims to question what rape mythology and normative theory of sex and gender relations was at work in the judge's decision to reduce the sentence of life imprisonment that the appellant had originally received after being found guilty of raping his 15-year-old stepdaughter? What was the broader gender-cultural source of the implicit assumptions that generated the factors the judge identified as constituting the substantial and compelling circumstances that warranted such a reduction?http://www.jutalaw.co.za/catalogue/itemdisplay.jsp?item_id=3600am201
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