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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2021

Domingos Santos

The purpose of this paper is three-fold. The first objective is to contextualize and clarify the concepts of regional innovation systems and entrepreneurship, addressing their…

768

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is three-fold. The first objective is to contextualize and clarify the concepts of regional innovation systems and entrepreneurship, addressing their differences and complementarities and suggesting an analytical filter to enhance their understanding. The second aim is to question and analyse the challenges this renewed approach brings to the domain of territorial policy, namely, the role it may bring to local and regional development strategies, opening up the way for a set of public policy interventions on the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation promotion. Finally, the paper presents and analyses the example of Coimbra, a medium-sized city in Portugal, underlining both the role of academia and the Instituto Pedro Nunes-Incubator have had on these domains.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a case study approach, with an in-depth descriptive and exploratory analysis of the Coimbra entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Findings

The paper acknowledged the role entrepreneurial stakeholders have on the fertilization of the innovation and entrepreneurial Coimbra ecosystem. The Instituto Pedro Nunes-Incubator, with a new generation of startups, mostly born on its infrastructure as university spin-offs, gradually introduced a more business-oriented perspective on the local innovation system which, alongside the creation of a thicker networking and more profound cooperation culture, with the growing involvement of other local stakeholders such as science parks (Coimbra iParque), has had a decisive role on upgrading urban competitiveness. These new knowledge-based startups also have important spill-over effects that are beneficial to the growth of other firms in the same locality. There is evidence that they also provide an important Schumpeterian stimulus within economies by increasing competition, promoting innovation and augmenting the efficient allocation of resources within economies. Besides the more traditional transactional forms of support (tax incentives, grants, etc.), there is now the recognition that relational forms of support such as network building, developing connections between entrepreneurial actors, institutional alignment of priorities, fostering peer-based interactions have been strategic to improve both the efficiency and the effectiveness of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Research limitations/implications

There is, thus, a need for more profound theorization and empirical research that can produce additional comprehension into this domain of the cause-effect relationships between entrepreneurship, innovation and local and regional dynamics. Some authors suggest, in particular, that the existing work on entrepreneurial ecosystems within popular business literature and academic research still has a deficit of a solid theoretical foundation, making the entrepreneurial ecosystem approach somehow both ambiguous and immature concept and, thus, reducing its generalizability and policy applicability. Research that evaluates the relationship between entrepreneurial performance and the level of government participation as part of governance systems will also be of great significance over the near future as it will help researchers and policymakers to realize better where the different stakeholders can enhance entrepreneurship and where their intervention will possibly diminish positive outcomes.

Practical implications

The main practical implications of this paper are associated with the need that urban and regional policymakers to formulate more business-led strategies to promote territorial innovation and entrepreneurship. The paper also offers conceptual tools that point out the need that innovation stakeholders, namely, universities, incubators and firms, have to assume more protagonism in promoting competitiveness and sustainability.

Social implications

The entrepreneurial ecosystem approach constitutes both a theoretical and analytical useful tool to define competitive strategies for urban and regional economies. Urban and regional-innovation ecosystem construction is a representative method of realizing territorial development and competition enhancement, through sustainable job and wealth creation.

Originality/value

This paper analysis summarizes and integrates the increasing and scattered literature of both the regional innovation systems and of the entrepreneurial ecosystems and delivers new insights for the future development of this field, namely, in terms of renewal of policy formulation and implementation. The singularity of the case study is associated with the fact that Coimbra entrepreneurial ecosystem is still largely embryonic, having its roots on a paradigm strategic shift the University adopted towards a more proactive role in terms of city aand regional development.

Details

Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4620

Keywords

Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 28 January 2022

Patricia Ordonez de Pablos

358

Abstract

Details

Journal of Science and Technology Policy Management, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4620

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Article
Publication date: 17 June 2019

Gessuir Pigatto, Giuliana Aparecida Santini Pigatto, Eduardo Guilherme Satolo and Amanda dos Santos Negreti

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Brazilian food companies in the State of São Paulo determine the importance of and the need to adapt their internal resources as a…

619

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Brazilian food companies in the State of São Paulo determine the importance of and the need to adapt their internal resources as a competitive advantage for internationalization.

Design/methodology/approach

From a resource-based view (RBV), 35 different factors grouped into four categories were identified and presented to 24 companies. The data were analyzed through a gray relational analysis to establish all factors’ order of importance.

Findings

Factors linked to human and organizational resources present greater adaptability and allow companies competitive and sustainable advantages but have not yet been explored thoroughly. Identifying and adapting internal resources do not guarantee achieving competitive and sustainable advantages, as the access to international market is also a consequence of commercial agreements developed by countries and economic blocks.

Practical implications

The analysis highlights the fragility of competitiveness among the companies analyzed in exporting products with commodity characteristics, with none or little differentiation. Such products are traded mainly through trading companies, which allow the access of the same market to internal competitors and other countries. Thus, any lapse promoted by the company may be enough for it to lose its competitiveness and, hence, market space.

Originality/value

This paper stands out in the field of strategic management, specifically in the research on RBV, exportation and competitiveness, by making use of the theory of gray correlation system in an innovative and original way.

Details

Grey Systems: Theory and Application, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2043-9377

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Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Domingos Fernandes Campos, Guido Salvi dos Santos and Felipe Nalon Castro

The purpose of this paper is to examine, through a longitudinal study, undergraduate student perceptions of service expectations, priorities and quality of the higher education…

948

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine, through a longitudinal study, undergraduate student perceptions of service expectations, priorities and quality of the higher education institution that they attend, using an importance–performance rating matrix.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was carried out with students exposed to a new type of educational program that combines face-to-face encounters with distance learning experiences. Respondents belong to five graduate courses in management. Data collection was performed at five different time points, targeting all attending students as they continued their studies.

Findings

The findings showed that the students’ expectations of the set of factor-defined dimensions and attributes studied increased notably over time. Senior students tended to be more demanding than beginning students. Aside from the comfort levels of the classroom, the attributes rated as most important by the majority of students were directly linked to the professors, whether with respect to their practical experience, teaching methods, motivation or training received. This was the case at each stage of data collection.

Practical implications

The importance × performance gaps matrix offers managers at higher education institutions with information to support decisions, especially with regard to setting priorities. The information obtained enables managers to align actions with emerging areas of need, and effectively direct resources to ensure student satisfaction, retention and loyalty. Using importance ratings taken at different stages of student interaction with the institution was found to be useful at the institution investigated. Institutions could attract new student customers by meeting expectations with such trend data.

Originality/value

The current research captured students’ changes in expectations of their undergraduate coursework that combined classroom and distance learning approaches. In addition, the study documented variations over time in students’ perceptions on key service areas. The paper provides data on student-perceived priorities, quality gaps and criticality levels, seen both at a level of aggregate dimensions and at the level of individual service attributes.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present and describe the main actions carried out in six different faculties and common areas such as cultural and research centres and administrative buildings in the Ferrol campus at the University of A Coruña to achieve the second green flag on a Galician University.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study describing the steps for implementing a green campus programme in a medium-size, young university campus integrated into a small city. An Environmental Campus Committee was created to assess the main factors that affect environmental footprint, discuss sustainability initiatives and develop a guide to action regarding different goals related to sustainable transport options, energy, water conservation and waste reduction. The actions included several fields such as education, circular economy and healthy life and involved the on and off-campus community.

Findings

The programme achieved a decrease in water consumption and electrical energy. An important change in educational values and behaviours regarding sustainability was observed in and out of the campus community. The measurements adopted mainly in waste management, mobility and education led the Ferrol campus to achieve a green campus flag on November 2019.

Originality/value

This experiment can serve as a guide to establish the Green Campus philosophy in other similar university campuses.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 21 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

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Article
Publication date: 13 December 2022

Igor Gomes Vidigal, Mariana Pereira de Melo, Adriano Francisco Siqueira, Domingos Sávio Giordani, Érica Leonor Romão, Eduardo Ferro dos Santos and Ana Lucia Gabas Ferreira

This study aims to describe a bibliometric analysis of recent articles addressing the applications of e- noses with particular emphasis on those dealing with fuel-related…

99

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to describe a bibliometric analysis of recent articles addressing the applications of e- noses with particular emphasis on those dealing with fuel-related products. Documents covering the general area of e-nose research and published between 1975 and 2021 were retrieved from the Web of Science database, and peer-reviewed articles were selected and appraised according to specific descriptors and criteria.

Design/methodology/approach

Analyses were performed by mapping the knowledge domain using the software tools VOSviewer and RStudio. It was possible to identify the countries, research organizations, authors and disciplines that were most prolific in the area, together with the most cited articles and the most frequent keywords. A total of 3,921 articles published in peer-reviewed journals were initially retrieved but only 47 (1.19%) described fuel-related e-nose applications with original articles published in indexed journals. However, this number was reduced to 38 (0.96%) articles strictly related to the target subject.

Findings

Rigorous appraisal of these documents yielded 22 articles that could be classified into two groups, those aimed at predicting the values of key parameters and those dealing with the discrimination of samples. Most of these 22 selected articles (68.2%) were published between 2017 and 2021, but little evidence was apparent of international collaboration between researchers and institutions currently working on this topic. The strategy of switching energy systems away from fossil fuels towards low-carbon renewable technologies that has been adopted by many countries will generate substantial research opportunities in the prediction, discrimination and quantification of volatiles in biofuels using e-nose.

Research limitations/implications

It is important to highlight that the greatest difficulty in using the e-nose is the interpretation of the data generated by the equipment; most studies have so far used the maximum value of the electrical resistance signal of each e-nose sensor as the only data provided by this sensor; however, from 2019 onwards, some works began to consider the entire electrical resistance curve as a data source, extracting more information from it.

Originality/value

This study opens a new and promising way for the effective use of e-nose as a fuel analysis instrument, as low-cost sensors can be developed for use with the new data analysis methodology, enabling the production of portable, cheaper and more reliable equipment.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 43 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 15 May 2017

Yasmina Frem, Marta Torrens, Antonia Domingo-Salvany and Gail Gilchrist

The purpose of this paper is to examine gender differences in lifetime substance use and non-substance use (non-SUD) psychiatric disorders among illicit drug users and determine…

181

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine gender differences in lifetime substance use and non-substance use (non-SUD) psychiatric disorders among illicit drug users and determine factors associated with non-SUD psychiatric disorders independently for males and for females.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary analysis of five cross-sectional studies conducted in Barcelona, Spain during 2000-2006. Lifetime DSM-IV substance use and non-SUD psychiatric diagnoses were assessed using the Spanish Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental disorders (PRISM) among 629 people who use substances (68 per cent male) recruited from treatment (n=304) and out of treatment (n=325) settings. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using binary logistic regression.

Findings

The prevalence of any lifetime psychiatric (non-SUD) disorder was 41.8 per cent, with major depression (17 per cent) and antisocial personality disorder (17 per cent) being the most prevalent disorders. After adjusting for age and study, the odds of having any lifetime non-SUD (OR 2.10; 95%CI 1.48, 2.96); any mood disorder (OR 2.13; 95%CI 1.46, 3.11); any anxiety disorder (OR 1.86; 95%CI 1.19; 2.92); any eating disorder (OR 3.09; 95%CI 1.47, 6.47); or borderline personality disorder (OR 2.30; 95%CI 1.36, 3.84) were greater for females than males. Females were less likely than males to meet criteria for antisocial personality disorder (OR 0.59; 95%CI 0.36, 0.96) and attention deficit disorder (OR 0.37; 95%CI 0.17, 0.78).

Research limitations/implications

Psychiatric disorders are common among people who use substances, with gender differences reported for specific disorders. Gender-sensitive integrated treatment approaches are required to prevent and to address comorbidity psychiatric disorders among this population.

Originality/value

This secondary analysis of five cross-sectional studies included a large sample size allowing sufficient power to examine the differences between men and women. An additional strength of the methodology is the use of the gold standard PRISM which was used to assess disorders.

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Article
Publication date: 10 February 2021

Nicolas Salvador Beltramino, Domingo Garcia-Perez-de-Lema and Luis Enrique Valdez-Juarez

The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of the intellectual capital of SMEs on innovation and organizational performance in the context of an emerging country.

1072

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of the intellectual capital of SMEs on innovation and organizational performance in the context of an emerging country.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 259 industrial SMEs from the Cordoba, Argentina. The data were analyzed by partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM).

Findings

The study provides empirical evidence that the three components of intellectual capital generate positive and significant effects on innovation in processes and products. Structural capital is the component that has the greatest effect on innovation. It also showed a positive and significant relationship between innovation in processes and performance, contributing to the scarce empirical literature in the context of SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

The research exposes limitations that uncover a path for future. First, the work uses as the only source of information, the consultation at the highest level of the company. Second, the study covered only industrial companies. Future studies should focus on other sectors and countries.

Practical implications

The results may have important practical implications for SME owners and managers and offer a vision of the influence of intellectual capital on the innovative capacity of the organization.

Originality/value

The value of work lies in establishing the importance of intellectual capital in the environment of an emerging country such as Argentina, given the low level of knowledge that exists in this area.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

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Article
Publication date: 30 April 2020

Nicolás Salvador Beltramino, Domingo García-Perez-de-Lema and Luis Enrique Valdez-Juárez

The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of the structural capital of SMEs in the capacity of innovation and organizational performance, in the context of an…

1434

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study is to analyze the influence of the structural capital of SMEs in the capacity of innovation and organizational performance, in the context of an emerging country.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 259 industrial SMEs from the province of Córdoba Argentina. The data was analyzed by Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS–SEM).

Findings

The study provided evidence that acquisition of information and knowledge management, organizational culture and structure, systems and processes have positive and significant effects on the innovation capacity of SMEs. Only the communication and cohesion component did not show positive and significant results on it. It also showed a positive and significant relationship between the capacity for innovation in processes and performance, contributing to the scarce empirical literature in the context of SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

The research exposes some limitations that uncover a path for the development of future lines of research. In the first place, the work focuses on the use of a single source of information, the consultation at the managerial level of the company, without considering other representative variables to measure the capacity for innovation. Second, the study covered only companies in the industrial sector and country. Future studies should focus on other sectors and countries.

Practical implications

The results of the study can have important practical implications for the owners and managers of SMEs. The results offer a vision of the dimensions of structural capital that most influence the innovative capacity of the organization. This is especially useful given that in the context of Argentina there is a low level of knowledge and structural capital is key to being more competitive. The managers of SMEs can thus increase the innovative potential of the company and favor the acquisition of information and knowledge and improve its processes and systems to contribute to the development of innovation capabilities to make SMEs more competitive.

Social implications

The results obtained can be useful for those responsible for making public policy decisions, since in the knowledge of the economy to maintain a developed state and nation, it is necessary to include as one of the main issues on the national agenda the improvement of intellectual capital of its people to promote the competitiveness of companies.

Originality/value

The research contributes to the development of intellectual capital literature focused on the generation of innovation and performance in the perspective of SMEs in emerging countries.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 21 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Available. Content available

Abstract

Details

Advances in Dual Diagnosis, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-0972

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