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The health crisis in 2020 resulted in accelerated digitalization and technological innovation in higher education. However, digital technologies and innovation pose challenges and issues in pedagogy (Caputo et al., 2022). This chapter explains how to (re)design student learning experiences addressing pedagogical issues and challenges experienced by students using digital innovation. In response, we adopted design thinking allowing for a deeper understanding not just of students’ needs but also their thoughts, feelings, and overall experience. Design thinking is a user-centred problem-solving method. It starts with empathizing with users, followed by identifying the real problems, generating ideas, prototyping, and testing solutions. The design thinking method allowed engagement with students in the innovation process as the main users. Primary data were collected using interviews with students over two main waves of data collection during the health crisis in 2020 and 2021 and the post-pandemic period in 2022–2023. In total, more than 300 students from seven different programmes were engaged. For data analysis, we used thematic analysis and reflection. In analysing, we adopted a sociotechnical perspective and the nature of experience. Our findings illustrate design principles that instructors need to keep in mind while (re)designing distance (online) education to enhance the student learning experience. We discuss the practical implications of the study and how the findings can help instructors and higher education managers in innovating higher education. As digital technologies and innovation are becoming critical for teaching and learning in higher education, the findings of this study can be generalized to the post-pandemic period.

The literature identifies the need to understand better the role of universities’ entrepreneurial orientation (EO), even while this remains an unexplored field. This study seeks to overcome this shortcoming and put forward empirical evidence on the EO of universities and it examines the moderating effects of networks, knowledge and trust, market orientation, and implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs) on the design and development of entrepreneurial universities.

To test the conceptual model, the authors used a sample of 125 questionnaires obtained from Portuguese higher education institutions, and it was deployed a structural equation model by a partial least squared as the estimation method.

The results show that the different dimensions of EO significantly influence the design and development of entrepreneurial universities. Furthermore, our findings show how market orientation and SDGs have moderating effects on the development of university entrepreneurship.

As for practical implications, the results point to the influence EO holds over entrepreneurial universities, and this causal relationship undergoes moderation by networks, knowledge and trust, market orientation and SDGs. As such, HEI rectors, deans and directors need to leverage these moderating effects, fostering human capital and universities’ active initiatives and policies to conceive and develop more entrepreneurial universities.

Our research model seeks to contribute to advancing studies on the EO of universities and assists in better understanding EO within the scope of influence of the third university mission as entrepreneurial institutions.

A critical issue in organizations concerned with cybersecurity is how to motivate personnel to engage in safety and security behaviors to counter potential threats. For these organizations to be effective, they must rely upon their members who are motivated to engage in behaviors to assure various forms of cybersecurity.

A conceptualization is described outlining the factors and processes involved in motivating cybersecurity behaviors. The theoretical starting point is the reasoned action approach (Fishbein and Ajzen, 2010), which provides a strong and parsimonious basis for considering the processes and factors that predict safety and security behaviors (intentions, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, attitude toward the behavior and beliefs).

The conceptualization presented goes beyond the reasoned action approach to consider factors involved in cybersecurity behaviors that might not be reasoned (work routines and habits and motivating emotions). This more integrated conceptualization describes how personal factors such as anticipated affect, attitude toward the process and personal norms can be seen as contributing to motivated behavior.

The beyond reasoned action conceptualization is of value to organizations for which motivated safety and security behaviors contribute to their effectiveness, with the conceptualization providing practical recommendations for enhancing cyber safety and cybersecurity. A research agenda based on this beyond reasoned action conceptualization articulates numerous avenues for further investigation.

Human and artificial intelligence has often been examined through competitive and oppositional lenses, which may no longer suffice in modern digital and knowledge-based societies. This paper advocates for a holistic perspective by integrating human and artificial intelligence within the conceptual framework of intellectual capital (IC).

Employing a deductive approach rooted in systems theory, this study reinterprets established dimensions of IC for the era of artificial intelligence.

Drawing inspiration from the Information Variety Model and the 4C Curve Model, both developed within the research framework of the Viable Systems Approach, a conceptual framework is proposed to transcend fragmented perspectives. It aims to provide researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive understanding of human–artificial intelligence relations within the realm of IC.

This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on the potential evolution of IC in the era of artificial intelligence by presenting a multidisciplinary framework that challenges reductionist perspectives. It underscores the importance of systems thinking in reframing, analyzing and discussing key dimensions of IC in the context of the artificial intelligence era.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for educational innovation and digitalization during crises where many educational institutions were forced to shift to online and remote learning. This chapter is a discursive review of problems and solutions and key trends that have emerged because of crises. One of the key benefits of educational innovation and digitalization during crises is the ability to continue providing education and learning opportunities to students even when traditional face-to-face learning is not possible. Educational institutions need to invest in building resilient online learning ecosystems to ensure that education can continue uninterrupted even in the face of unforeseen disruptions. This ecosystem should include robust technological infrastructure, a diverse range of digital resources and tools, and training and support for educators. Ultimately, a resilient online learning ecosystem is not just a response to crises but a proactive investment in the future of education.

The paper aims to analyse the construct of business model innovation (BMI) in the digital and sustainable landscape, investigating the key role of boundary strategies. The paper advances a comprehensive framework aimed at further understanding the overlap among digitalization, sustainability and BMI development, by a “boundary approach”.

The paper follows a theoretical approach based on an in-depth review of relevant literature on BMI, digitalization and sustainability as relevant megatrends and, boundary management. By critically integrating the literature, a framework is developed with the objective of supporting firms in the current transformation challenges.

The paper highlights the interplay among BMIs, megatrends and boundary management. The pressures and opportunities driven by the technological changes have made even more relevant the management of resources placed in the boundary area. Our study shows how firms can rethink their BMs in the digital and sustainable landscape by providing a boundary-based framework.

The framework offers insights and guidelines to help practitioners manage the change processes dictated by digitalization and sustainability. The authors encourage a focus on boundary resources/capabilities to increase the effective management of the digitalization and sustainability processes, to grasp the external stimuli driven by these two megatrends and to develop new/renewed BMIs.

This study emphasizes the importance of developing new BMIs in the current digital and sustainable landscape starting from the analysis of firm’s boundaries. The paper enriches the BMI literature supporting the enhancement of boundary management, leading firms to overcome challenges in the digital and sustainable landscape.

Two essential components, a robust information technology (IT) infrastructure and faculty training in student-centred pedagogies and technology usage, are necessary for effective blended learning designs. Many universities invest in IT infrastructure such as bandwidth, high-end subscriptions, servers, SMART boards, projectors, Wi-Fi enhancement, learning management systems, IT support, and other tools. Faculty training is crucial and includes instruction on using the new infrastructure and adopting pedagogical methods associated with blended learning. This study’s primary objective is to explore the challenges and pedagogical transformation towards blended learning designs in India. The research also investigates the impact of social context and emotional support on blended learning. It examines the mediating role of technostress among teachers between hybrid mode transformation and blended learning. The study’s results will provide critical insights for academic institutions’ higher management to encourage the adoption of learning designs and blended techniques by their employees during unforeseen events in the future, utilizing effective leadership and management skills. The study aims to assist academic institutions in meeting the demand for experiential learning in the classroom by incorporating blended learning. It acts as a bridge between industry expectations and academic outcomes. The study uniquely addresses the need for increased student engagement in the classroom.

This paper aims to investigate materiality judgement providing insights, critiques and future research paths in light of the open debate on the role of materiality in corporate financial disclosure, highlighting potential connections and implications with sustainability and intellectual capital (IC) reporting.

The research presents an overview of the analysis of financial materiality, including new stimuli from recent studies and regulatory requirements for financial and non-financial reporting. Accordingly, this study used a systematic literature review (SLR) based on a combination of content, text and bibliometric analysis of materiality in accounting research studies, collecting data from the Scopus database as one of the most relevant repositories.

The SLR identified four relevant research trends, concerning: (1) the relevance of materiality principles in corporate disclosure; (2) financial reporting practices and materiality; (3) theories and approaches in defining financial materiality and (4) the existence of quantitative and qualitative thresholds in the materiality judgement.

The results provide theoretical and practical implications when comprehending the development of the concept of financial materiality in financial statements and whether they can be appropriate in reporting IC as well. We identified future research paths.

From a practical perspective, this study is useful for companies implementing financial materiality based on stakeholder engagement and improving their transparency in financial and non-financial reporting practices.

The research investigates if the process for assessing materiality is in line with the expectations of all stakeholders involved in financial and non-financial reporting.

This research is the first to investigate the scientific basis and applicability of the concept of financial materiality to sustainability and IC reporting.

This paper aims to determine the impact of perceived virtuality on team dynamics and outcomes by adopting the Input-Mediators-Outcome (IMO) framework. Further, it also investigates the mediating role of team processes and emergent states.

The authors collected survey data from 315 individuals working in virtual teams (VTs) in the information technology sector in India using both offline and online questionnaires. They performed the analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM).

The authors investigated two sets of hypotheses – both direct and indirect (or mediation interactions). Results show that psychological empowerment and conflict management are significant in managing VTs. Also, perceived virtuality impacts team outcomes, i.e. perceived team performance, team satisfaction and subjective well-being.

The interplay between the behavioural team process (conflict management) and the emergent state (psychological empowerment) was examined. The study also helps broaden our understanding of the various psychological variables associated with teamwork in the context of VTs.

Findings from this study will aid in assessing the consequences of virtual teamwork at both individual and organisational levels, such as guiding the design and sustainability of VT arrangements, achieving higher productivity in VTs, and designing effective and interactive solutions in the virtual space.

The study examined the interplay between behavioural team processes (such as conflict management) and emergent states (such as psychological empowerment). The study also theorises and empirically tests the relationships between perceived virtuality and team outcomes (i.e. both affective and effectiveness). It may serve as a guide to understanding team dynamics in VTs better.

This exploratory study attempts to enhance the current understanding of the research and practice of VTs within a developing economy.

Turbulent times include economic crises, recessions, health pandemics, war situations, including the recent COVID-19 crisis which had significant economic and social ramifications. Turbulence impacts the economy, businesses, and societies as whole. Crises impact the education industry not only in terms of teaching and learning but also the next level of learning outcome as job opportunities and career growth of the stakeholders. University systems play a major role in handling turbulence and generating resilience methods to ensure the least possible impact on the sector. The entrepreneurial mindset of the universities encourages them towards risk-taking, becoming initial movers, and being innovators in their approaches (Etzkowitz et al., 1998). This chapter provides a broader understanding of different types of turbulence, as well as the intensity of impact on the higher education sector. It also discusses how these turbulent times come with opportunities which can be leveraged by institutions. With an extensive literature review and understanding, it proposes a conceptual multilayered model to support entrepreneurial development. This study employs desk research methods to understand, review, and propose methods and methodology to encourage and adapt universities handling turbulence and crises. Lack of research in handling crises and turbulence in the case of higher education makes this study imperative. The outcome extends the conceptual understanding of turbulent situations and will help the universities to self-introspect and understand the ways for reacting to these changes, crises, and turbulences. Discussion on National Education Policy enhances the understanding for educators and universities to utilize added opportunities.