Search Results (67)

This study examines how entrepreneurial ecosystem constraints shape MSME resilience in the Jakarta–Bogor–Depok Indonesia corridor using a qualitative multiple-case design. Drawing on 20 MSME case reports across food and beverage, retail, services, and small-scale manufacturing, the study addresses two questions: (1) which ecosystem domains are the most binding constraints, and (2) how MSMEs convert ecosystem resources into resilience outcomes. The analysis shows that market pressure is the most universal constraint (20/20 cases), followed by digital-managerial support infrastructure gaps (18/20), supply chain volatility (13/20), and finance, human capital, and institutional constraints (each 12/20 cases). Cross-case evidence identifies four recurrent mechanisms: market pressure is managed through digital channel orchestration and customer engagement; capital constraints are managed through internal cash discipline and partnership-based financing; input volatility is managed through supplier diversification, local sourcing, and inventory control; and skill gaps are managed through internal training and process standardization. Building on these mechanisms, the study develops a threefold resilience typology: Adaptive Leaders, Operational Survivors, and Vulnerable Traditionalists. The main theoretical contribution is to show that MSME resilience is configurational and depends on inter-domain alignment rather than on isolated ecosystem components or entrepreneur-level grit alone. The practical contribution is a typology-based policy logic that prioritizes integrated intervention bundles, which are finance, digital capability, operations, supply chain, and managerial upgrading, over fragmented support programs. Full article

This study investigates the Business Model Canvas (BMC) as a visual education tool within a training pathway aimed at enhancing human capital in inner areas. Using a qualitative case study involving 22 participants, data were collected through observations, analysis of four canvases, trainers’ reflections, and jury evaluations. Findings show that the BMC reduces cognitive load, supports distributed cognition, and fosters reflexivity, creativity, and collaborative learning. Moreover, it enables the development of entrepreneurial and strategic skills, contributing to social innovation and sustainable territorial development. Full article

This study examines the interplay among ICT skills, perceptions of employability, and entrepreneurial intention among university students, focusing on how generic and scarce ICT competencies influence their confidence in employment opportunities and their inclination toward entrepreneurial intentions. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study explores how digital competencies shape entrepreneurial attitudes, perceived feasibility, and behavioural readiness. A quantitative research approach was adopted, and data were collected using a convenience sampling method from 117 university students enrolled in ICT-related programmes. A reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and chi-square tests were used to examine the relationships among ICT skills, employability perceptions, and entrepreneurial constructs. Findings reveal that students possess strong generic ICT skills and high self-efficacy, suggesting confidence in their general capabilities and labour market readiness. However, scarce ICT skills were found to be unevenly distributed across departments and campuses, indicating disparities in access to advanced technical training. Regression results show that both generic ICT skills (β = 0.27, p < 0.01) and scarce ICT skills (β = 0.34, p < 0.001) significantly predict employability (R² = 0.29), while generic (β = 0.29, p < 0.01) and scarce ICT skills (β = 0.46, p < 0.001) significantly influence perceived feasibility (R² = 0.41). Furthermore, employability (β = 0.31, p < 0.01) and perceived feasibility (β = 0.25, p < 0.05) significantly predict entrepreneurial intention (R² = 0.27). The results also show strong entrepreneurial desirability among students, yet perceived feasibility remains comparatively low, highlighting a gap between entrepreneurial aspiration and perceived capability. Importantly, advanced ICT competencies strengthen students’ confidence in their ability to pursue entrepreneurial activities. The study concludes that strengthening scarce ICT competencies, experiential entrepreneurship education, and industry collaboration within higher education institutions is essential for enhancing graduate employability and entrepreneurial potential in South Africa. Full article

Education in entrepreneurship offers university students the opportunity to develop sound problem-solving and critical-thinking dexterity, which are crucial for navigating contemporary higher education. This research explores the opportunities and challenges of education in entrepreneurship within universities based in Lebanon, focusing on the role of fostering entrepreneurial alertness/awareness. This paper further examines how emerging technologies—specifically Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI)—impact these relationships. In spite of the increasing relevance of entrepreneurship, the results reveal constant limitations in students’ innovation and creativity, together with a lack of mentorship and training prospects for teachers. The study underlines the importance of integrating innovative systems, digital technological means, and sustainable education values to support SDG 4 (Quality Education) and reinforce learning quality environments. To empirically explore the relationships between the variables, the research uses a quantitative research design, using SmartPLS4 to investigate the structural paths between entrepreneurship education, student innovative behavior, entrepreneurial alertness, and the use of Gen-AI. Our data was collected from 197 participants through a validated survey scheme, together with insights received from instructors and students. The results indicate that instructors consider entrepreneurship education positively and recognize the potential of Gen-AI to improve teaching quality, encourage entrepreneurial alertness, and strengthen quality learning practices. Students also highlighted their requirement to acquire new skills and access new opportunities to enhance their decision-making abilities. Generally, the results/findings suggest that entrepreneurship education—emboldened by entrepreneurial alertness and moderated by Gen-AI—plays a vital role in improving students’ innovative behaviors and progressing SDG 4 through high-quality, inclusive, and transformative higher education. Full article

This article explores experts’ perspectives on the most important soft skills for entrepreneurial success in the Western Balkans (WB) and identifies effective educational and workplace practices to foster these skills. Using a qualitative Delphi study supported by a literature review, the research gathered and synthesized opinions from 20 experts representing Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Findings show that communication, adaptability, flexibility, teamwork, and critical thinking are essential for business success, while leadership, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and teamwork are considered most vital for future entrepreneurs. Experts emphasized that group projects, specialized courses, and blended learning approaches are effective in educational settings, while workplace skill development benefits from training programs, mentoring, active communication, and openness to feedback. This study provides region-specific insights into skill-building strategies for young entrepreneurs, addressing a key research gap. By integrating expert consensus with evidence-based practices, the article offers a framework for educators, policymakers, institutions, and businesses to strengthen entrepreneurship education and workforce readiness across the WB region. Full article

The NewEcoSmart project addresses the need to foster inclusive green and digital transitions in rural habitat sectors by systematically assessing local socio-technical readiness and tailoring capacity-building interventions. We adapted the validated SCIROCCO Exchange Maturity Self-Assessment Tool—selecting eight dimensions relevant to environmental, technological and social innovation—and conducted a two-phase evaluation across three pilot sites in Italy, Portugal and Spain. Phase 1 mapped stakeholder evidence against predefined criteria; Phase 2 engaged local actors (45+ adults, SMEs and micro-firms) in a self-assessment to determine digital, green and entrepreneurial skill gaps. For each domain of the SCIROCCO Tool, local actors can assign a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 5. The final score of the SCIROCCO tool can be a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 40. Quantitative maturity scores revealed heterogeneous profiles (Pacentro and Majella Madre = 5; Yecla = 10; Adelo Area = 23), underscoring diverse ecosystem strengths and limitations. A qualitative analysis, framed by Smart Healthy Age-Friendly Environments (SHAFE) domains, identified emergent training needs that are clustered at three levels: MACRO (community-wide awareness and engagement), MESO (decision-maker capacity for strategic planning and governance) and MICRO (industry-specific practical skills). The adapted SCIROCCO tool effectively proposes the assessment of socio-technical maturity in rural contexts and guides the design of a modular, multi-layered training framework. These findings support the need for scalable deployment of interventions that are targeted to the maturity of the local ecosystems to accelerate innovations through equitable green and digital transformations in complex socio-cultural settings. Full article

The integration of emerging technologies is reshaping the teaching skills required in the 21st century, yet little evidence exists on how contextualized training supports rural teachers in adopting active methodologies and critically incorporating AI into entrepreneurship education. This study evaluated the impact of a 40-h professional development program implemented in Educational District 15D01 in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Thirty-nine secondary school teachers participated (mean age = 43.1 years); 36% lacked prior entrepreneurship training, and 44% had not recently mentored student projects. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. The quantitative phase employed a 22-item questionnaire that addressed four dimensions: entrepreneurial knowledge, competencies, methodological strategies, and AI integration. Significant pre–post improvements were found (p < 0.001), with large effects for knowledge (d = 1.43), methodologies (d = 1.39), and AI integration (d = 1.30), and a moderate effect for competences (d = 0.66). The qualitative phase analyzed 312 open-ended responses, highlighting greater openness to innovation, enhanced teacher agency, and favorable perceptions of AI as a resource for ideation, prototyping, and evaluation. Overall, the findings suggest that situated, contextually aligned training can strengthen digital equity policies, foster pedagogical innovation, and empower educators in underserved rural communities, contributing to sustainable pathways for teacher professional development. Full article

Digitalization is reshaping entrepreneurship, yet the mechanisms that translate new technological possibilities into entrepreneurial intention remain poorly understood, especially for resource-constrained small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Building on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Entrepreneurial Risk-Taking Theory and Affordance Theory, this study proposes and tests an integrated model that captures how individual cognition, digital capability and platform-related risk interact to shape digital entrepreneurial intention (DEI). Survey data from 428 Greek SME owner-managers were analyzed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Results show that entrepreneurial self-efficacy, financial risk tolerance, digital literacy and perceived platform affordances each exert significant positive effects on DEI, whereas perceived platform risk exerts a significant negative effect. Importantly, platform risk also dampens the positive impact of self-efficacy, revealing a boundary condition often overlooked in intention research. The findings position digital transformation as a double-edged phenomenon amplifying opportunity through affordances while simultaneously magnifying risk. The study advances theory by integrating risk perceptions and affordance recognition into a TPB framework, and it offers actionable guidance: policy makers should stabilize digital-regulatory regimes, platform providers should increase transparency and reliability, and SME support programs should blend digital-skills training with calibrated risk-management tools. Together, such measures can convert latent entrepreneurial confidence into resilient digital venture creation. This study contributes to theory by extending the Theory of Planned Behaviour with risk-sensitive boundary conditions, broadening Risk-Taking Theory to account for platform-specific uncertainties, and validating Affordance Theory in a digital SME context. Practically, it provides actionable guidance for entrepreneurs, policymakers, and platform operators on balancing digital capability development with systemic risk governance. Full article

This study investigates the mediating role of self-awareness within the broader framework of business acumen, emphasizing its connection to entrepreneurial accounting proficiency and financial performance in community enterprises across Thailand. The purpose is to advance theoretical understanding by integrating metacognition theory and the resource-based view (RBV), and to provide practical insights for strengthening grassroots entrepreneurship. Using survey data from 210 enterprises, a hybrid Structural Equation Modeling–Artificial Neural Network (SEM–ANN) approach is applied to capture both linear and nonlinear relationships among cognitive, technical, and financial variables. The results confirm that accounting proficiency has a significant and positive effect on self-awareness with value of 0.125. However, self-awareness does not exert a direct influence on financial performance. These findings suggest that self-awareness may function as a cognitive enabler, facilitating the translation of entrepreneurial skills into effective decision-making, rather than serving as an independent predictor of financial outcomes. Empirical patterns further reveal that commercial enterprises report higher self-awareness than service firms, unregistered enterprises show greater awareness than registered ones, and financially stable firms display lower awareness, suggesting complacency or overconfidence. In contrast, regular participation in training significantly enhances awareness, underscoring the role of continuous learning. Full article

The purpose of the current research study was to identify appropriate educators for teaching entrepreneurship at the university level and to explore the best teaching methods for developing entrepreneurial knowledge and skills among students. The study aims to address two key questions in entrepreneurship education: (1) Who should teach entrepreneurship in universities? and (2) What methods are effective in teaching entrepreneurship in universities? The study was conducted using an interpretative phenomenological qualitative research approach. Data were collected from a purposive sample of eight (8) entrepreneurship educators from a South African university. Data collection spanned three months, from November 2024 to January 2025. The key findings of the study suggest that entrepreneurship should be taught by academics with practical experience, academics with at least a Master’s degree, entrepreneurs invited as guest lecturers, incubator professionals, and technology professionals. Additionally, the research revealed teaching methods that can be used to effectively teach entrepreneurship in universities: Universities need to prioritise hiring and training entrepreneurship educators with both academic and real-world experience and facilitate collaborations with incubators and real-world entrepreneurs. Teaching methods need to incorporate experiential learning methods such as startup simulations, case studies, and partnerships with innovation hubs. The study offers valuable insights into who should teach entrepreneurship and how it should be taught, emphasising the need for a multidisciplinary approach and practical orientation to develop entrepreneurial capabilities and mindsets among students. Full article

This paper examines the influence of institutional quality, stakeholder networks, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and policies on the adoption of circular economy practices by SMEs in twelve Central–Eastern European and Western Balkan countries. Using the Flash Eurobarometer 549 data, we first cluster countries by the level of circular economy adoption and find that they are highly interdependent. We apply cross-validated LASSO regression to identify two circular economy practices with the highest leverage (minimizing waste and saving materials). We also show that EU membership benefits appear when national administrations can effectively absorb and deploy EU incentives, helping firms transition from basic resource efficiency towards more advanced circular strategies. A two-pillar policy agenda is recommended: building targeted capability bundles inside firms (green-skills training and support for eco-design and production) and strengthening institutions and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Full article

Entrepreneurial Competence (EC) is increasingly recognized as essential to foster innovation and enhance educational quality. This study explores how education professionals perceive and develop the EC within educational centres, using a qualitative approach through structured interviews with education professionals. The findings highlight the need for a more explicit and systematic development of the EC, emphasizing continuous teacher training in entrepreneurial approaches. While digital and paper-based resources support the EC, educators stress the importance of active and practical methodologies such as Project-Based Learning and Learning by Doing. Limited collaboration among educators is identified as a barrier to effectively foster EC. Moreover, the lack of strategic planning within educational institutions remains an obstacle. This study underscores the importance of introducing structured and innovative pedagogical approaches to ensure that students cultivate the skills necessary to navigate an evolving and uncertain future. Full article

This research examines the link between business models and entrepreneurial capabilities among social assistance program participants who are aging adults in an emerging economic environment. The research targets the insufficient use of entrepreneurial abilities in seniors to advance their active aging potential while enhancing their life quality. This study collected data from selected participants by using Osterwalder and Pigneur’s business model framework as a basis for their structured questionnaire, which followed a quantitative–qualitative method. Researchers applied Spearman’s Rho statistical methods to measure relations between business elements and skills in self-confidence, creativity, initiative, perseverance, and teamwork demonstrated by entrepreneurs. The study results clearly showed that properly executed business models create substantial growth in entrepreneurial abilities among people of advanced age. This study contributes novel empirical evidence from a rural Peruvian context, confirming that structured business model training is positively associated with entrepreneurial outcomes among elderly populations. The findings (r = 0.755, p < 0.001) support the urgency of integrating capability-building into social assistance schemes. These results emphasize how targeted training programs should empower this population since this initiative supports Sustainable Development Goals like “Decent Work and Economic Growth” (SDG 8) and “Reduced Inequalities” (SDG 10). The analysis demonstrates that teaching entrepreneurial abilities to mature individuals leads to better social entrepreneurship sustainability together with superior economic involvement and social connections. Full article

The paper explores virtual worlds as an innovative training platform for upskilling and reskilling smart city professionals, comprising technicians and engineers. Focusing on developing soft skills, the study presents findings from the pilot of a virtual training which was part of a comprehensive tech skills program that also included transversal skills, namely soft, entrepreneurial and green skills. Moreover, the paper describes the methodological approach adapted for the design and the use of the soft skills’ virtual world during the online multi-user sessions, and depicts the technical infrastructure used for its implementation. The virtual world was assessed with a mixed-methods approach, combining a specially designed evaluation questionnaire completed by 27 trainees with semi-structured interviews conducted with instructors. Quantitative data were analyzed to assess satisfaction, perceived effectiveness, and the relationship between curriculum design, support, and instructional quality. Qualitative feedback provided complementary insights into learner experiences and implementation challenges. Findings indicate high levels of learner satisfaction, particularly regarding instructor expertise, curriculum organization, and overall engagement. Statistical analysis revealed strong correlations between course structure and perceived training quality, while prior familiarity with virtual environments showed no significant impact on outcomes. Participants appreciated the flexibility, interactivity, and team-based nature of the training, despite minor technical issues. This research demonstrates the viability of VWs for soft skills development in technical professions, highlighting their value as an inclusive, scalable, and experiential training solution. Its novelty lies in applying immersive technology specifically to smart city training, a field where such applications remain underexplored. The findings support the integration of virtual environments into professional development strategies and inform best practices for future implementations. Full article

As the European Union advances its bioeconomy strategy, the agricultural sector emerges as a key domain requiring targeted upskilling in digital and entrepreneurial competencies. This study examines how agricultural professionals perceive the importance of these competencies and identifies related training needs, drawing on the European Commission’s Digital Competence Framework (DigComp) and Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp). Using a quantitative survey methodology, data were collected from 140 respondents, including farmers, agronomists, consultants, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, in four European countries: Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden. Descriptive and non-parametric analyses (Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests) revealed strong recognition of digital competencies across all groups, with significant variation by country, while perceptions of entrepreneurial competencies differed mainly by professional role. Moreover, a significant lack of formal bioeconomy-related education was identified. The findings underscore the need for targeted, competence-based education and policy interventions to equip professionals with the skills required for a sustainable and innovation-driven agricultural sector. Full article