Carla Susana Marques, Gina Santos, Vanessa Ratten and Ana B. Barros
Rural entrepreneurship is an emergent field of study, with these start-ups becoming one of the most noticeable ways to promote rural development, but the few studies concerning…
Abstract
Purpose
Rural entrepreneurship is an emergent field of study, with these start-ups becoming one of the most noticeable ways to promote rural development, but the few studies concerning innovation among artisans have thus far only been exploratory. The purpose of this paper is to examine the entrepreneurial artisan initiatives of young innovators in a peripheral northern area of Portugal where black pottery is produced.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative data analysis was carried out on in-depth semi-structured interviews with three young artisan innovators and entrepreneurs and one individual who functions as a cultural booster. The content analysis was done using QSR International’s NVivo Version 11 software.
Findings
These young entrepreneurs have developed commercial activities and introduced innovations (i.e. design and process) into black pottery production, while taking advantage of endogenous materials, local culture and traditional knowledge. These individuals have sought not only to generate their own innovations but also to keep their culture and local traditions alive, thereby contributing to rural development by establishing networks with local young artisans.
Research limitations/implications
Some limitations are linked to the sample’s size and basis in a specific geographic reality.
Practical implications
The findings provide a fuller understanding of why some rural artisan firms grow, suggesting that artisans’ networks and innovative and entrepreneurial behaviours play a key role.
Originality/value
This research’s results contribute to the literature on the role that innovation can play as a booster of rural artisanship through networks and entrepreneurship. This paper is among the first to discuss black pottery as a form of artisan entrepreneurship. The results underline the value of innovations and networks, which were found to be the core ingredients in rural artisan entrepreneurship.
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Gina Gaio Santos, Ana Paula Ferreira and José Carlos Pinho
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of career attitudes (traditional career vs boundaryless career) on perceived employability (internal vs external…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of career attitudes (traditional career vs boundaryless career) on perceived employability (internal vs external employability). In addition, the authors examine whether career self-management strategies act as mediators of these relationships. Due to high unemployment rates in the last two decades, it is important to assess the extent to which young graduates’ career attitudes affect perceived internal and external employability, along with the role of career self-management strategies as an employability enhancement tool.
Design/methodology/approach
As part of a cross-sectional research design, the authors administered a survey questionnaire to a sample of 131 graduates (i.e. master’s students) with at least one year of work experience. The empirical data were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling, which combines confirmatory factor analysis, multiple linear regression and path analysis.
Findings
The results reveal that there is a positive and significant impact (direct effect) of a traditional career attitude (TCA) on internal employability, while there is no significant negative impact of a TCA on external employability. Additionally, the results show that there is a negative impact (direct effect) of a boundaryless career attitude (BCA) on internal employability, while no significant positive impact is found of a BCA on external employability. This study also confirms the mediation effect (full mediation) of career positioning strategies on the BCA-external employability relationship, and a partial mediation of career influence strategies on the TCA-internal employability relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of this study relate to the sample size and the use of a convenience sampling technique. Hence, some caution is needed regarding results’ generalization. In addition, this research uses a cross-sectional design, thus the authors cannot assess longitudinal causal relationships between variables. Future research should be replicated with different types of respondents and in different cultural contexts.
Practical implications
The results suggest that organizations would benefit more from employees that hold a TCA than those that hold a BCA, especially if they are interested in fostering the internal employability of their workforce. At the individual level, the results identify optimal career self-management strategies (internal vs external employability) for young graduates.
Originality/value
This study offers new empirical evidence of the predictive value of perceived internal vs external employability and the mediating role of career self-management strategies in explaining employability. Young graduates perceive a TCA as more advantageous than a BCA for both internal and external employability. This is an unexpected but interesting finding, since the bulk of the literature on contemporary career attitudes overemphasizes the advantages of a BCA, while disregarding potential disadvantages for both individuals and organizations.
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Carla S.E. Marques, Gina Santos, Anderson Galvão, Carla Mascarenhas and Elsa Justino
This study aims to evaluate the impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) on the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of higher education students, as mediated by gender and family…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) on the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of higher education students, as mediated by gender and family history. A survey tool for measuring EO was developed and used in one university. The responses were processed using statistical methods.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected with an online questionnaire distributed to students of engineering and business and social sciences in the past year of their degree program at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Some respondents had a class in entrepreneurship, while others did not have it.
Findings
The results highlight that EE generally has a greater impact on business and social sciences students. Family background and gender are moderating variables with a positive influence on individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO).
Practical implications
This study’s main practical implication is that evidence was found that universities need to develop more effective didactic approaches to EE. These must take into account new market demands and students’ profile and always taking into account their different academic areas and levels of previous EE.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to filling a gap in the literature by identifying the importance of EE, gender and family background to the development of IEO in students of different academic programs (i.e. engineering, business and social sciences).
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Carla Mascarenhas, Carla Susana Marques, Anderson Rei Galvão and Gina Santos
This study aims to explore and analyse the literature, related to the Entrepreneurial University, published in the ISI Web of Science, from 1900 to present. The objectives of this…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore and analyse the literature, related to the Entrepreneurial University, published in the ISI Web of Science, from 1900 to present. The objectives of this paper are, first, to describe how this field of research is organised in terms of publications, authors and sources (i.e. documents), and, second, to identify the main references cited and ways in which they are grouped (i.e. clusters). In addition, this paper discusses how this literature presents challenges. Namely, from this bibliometric study, what has already been studied and the limits of these studies, as well as the research opportunities for this area, can be understood.
Design/methodology/approach
The documents obtained from a search of the ISI Web of Science were subjected to a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software.
Findings
A systematic literature review showed that universities are increasingly dedicated to the commercialisation of knowledge. The results include three clusters: Cluster one – “Entrepreneurial Universities” focuses on changes in the university paradigm; Cluster two – “Academic Entrepreneurship” refers to the commercialisation of knowledge; and Cluster three – “Creation of Technology-Based Companies” focuses on spin-off creation.
Originality/value
By studying the citation profile of documents on the entrepreneurial university, this study has contributed to a better understanding of the flow of production and scientific practices since the beginning of the 21st century. This study also examined research tendencies to identify the emergent areas of this field.
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Gina Santos, Carla Susana Marques and Vanessa Ratten
The purpose of this paper is to assess women winemakers’ motivations for and objectives in creating a formal, horizontal, and inter-organizational network in Portugal. To this…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess women winemakers’ motivations for and objectives in creating a formal, horizontal, and inter-organizational network in Portugal. To this end, an analysis was carried out of the practical case of a network of women wine producers from some of the main wine regions of Portugal (i.e. D’Uva – Portugal Wine Girls).
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative data analysis was carried out of in-depth semi-structured interviews with seven wine producers and the network manager. The content analysis of interviews was done with QSR International’s NVivo Version 11 software.
Findings
The results support the conclusion that the D’Uva – Portugal Wine Girls network promotes the creativity and innovation fundamental to communicating unique features to consumers. These are narrated in a feminine, cohesive, and united voice and supported by a passion for winemaking. The network is open to adding other women producers, which could contribute to its growth and further sharing of knowledge, contacts, and experiences.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide a better understanding of the processes of internationalization and networking among women winemakers in Portugal.
Practical implications
The benefits of this network in terms of relationships were examined, showing that the stimulation of better performance and the effects of antecedents were important in the creation and formalization of the network.
Originality/value
This research sought to contribute to the literature on female entrepreneurship and, more specifically, networks of entrepreneurial women. The findings stress that, through the formalization of networks, women can gain more advantages, namely, sharing knowledge and experiences, increasing their level of internationalization, and expanding their networks.
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Gina Gaio Santos, José Carlos Pinho, Ana Paula Ferreira and Márcia Vieira
Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study aims to assess the moderating effect of the psychological contract (PC) type (relational, transactional and…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study aims to assess the moderating effect of the psychological contract (PC) type (relational, transactional and balanced) on the relationship between psychological contract breach (PCB) and organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors administered a survey to a sample of 159 nurses working in a large public hospital. To analyse the survey data, the authors used partial least squares with SmartPLS v.3.3, a variance-based structural equation modelling technique that combines principal component analysis, path analysis and regression analysis.
Findings
This study shows that nurses counteract the loss of resources following a PCB by investing more in stronger interpersonal relationships with co-workers and patients as a way to recuperate from resource loss and gain social resources. In addition, the moderating effect of the PC type reinforces the relationship between a PCB and OCB in a way that relational and balanced PC types support OCB-I positively but negatively OCB-O. Furthermore, the transactional PC does not reinforce negatively the link between PCB and OCB-I, and the negative interacting effect on the PCB and OCB-O link is only partially supported.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings are grounded on a cross-sectional research design and a convenience sampling strategy.
Practical implications
The results highlight the relevance of human resources management practices centred on employee involvement and participatory supervision styles for ensuring OCB display at the workplace.
Originality/value
The results add new evidence to COR theory by highlighting the importance of social resources as a mitigator in the relationship between nurses’ PCB and OCB towards co-workers and patients (OCB-I). Hence, the OCB-I display will vary in function of the target and the moderating effect of PC type (relational, balanced or transactional).
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Manuel J.C.S. Reis, Gina M.M.C. Santos and Paulo J.S.G. Ferreira
The purpose of this paper is to summarise the authors' experience in furthering the educative use of Information Technology and the internet in the primary schools of northeast…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to summarise the authors' experience in furthering the educative use of Information Technology and the internet in the primary schools of northeast Portugal. The main goal of the Programme “Internet in Schools” is the development of Information Technology in Portuguese schools. It focuses on the use of the technology, rather than on its immediate pedagogical use. The characteristics of the target regions help in understanding this aim: teachers and students, as well as the population in general, were largely unaware of the potential of IT in general.
Design/methodology/approach
The project, the first and still the largest of its kind in Portugal, ultimately involved 1,137 schools, more than 1,700 teachers, and roughly 13,000 pupils. It was decided to centre the training process in the schools and communities themselves. The methodology implemented is distributed rather than centralised, and involves a series of school visits interspersed with training sessions.
Findings
The transfer of the training process from the university campus to the schools and communities themselves allowed for a very high degree of teacher participation. The first school visit was vital, allowing for the creation of a strong feeling of empathy between the trainer and the teachers and pupils. This was undoubtedly one of the main factors that lead to an easier and more enthusiastic participation from the teachers. The efforts to put theory into practice in the classrooms were rewarded by a quicker rate of acceptance of IT in the classroom. The use of the internet, namely of web services and e‐mail, was stimulated through the various training and awareness raising sessions (supported by Netmobiles) directed at the community in general. Such sessions enabled many individuals in the region to have their first contact with and experience of IT. This constitutes a sound and valuable contribution in terms of awareness raising, training and development towards IT in the region. The following factors played a very important role in the achievement of the goals: the training team was always present or could be easily contacted; both teachers and pupils contributed with material and resources; there was a continuous exchange of experiences; a vast number of individuals and entities participated in the project.
Originality/value
This was the first and still the largest approach of its kind in Portugal, and this is the only paper purposing and describing the used methodology in detail and the main conclusions reached.
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Alina-Petronela Haller, Mirela Ștefănică, Gina Ionela Butnaru and Rodica Cristina Butnaru
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of economic growth, digitalisation, eco-innovation, energy consumption and patents on environmental technologies on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the influence of economic growth, digitalisation, eco-innovation, energy consumption and patents on environmental technologies on the volume of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) recorded in European countries for a period of nine years (2010–2018).
Design/methodology/approach
Two empirical methods were integrated into the theoretical approach developed based on the analysis of the current scientific framework. Multiple linear regression, an extended version of the OLS model, and a non-causal analysis as a robustness method, Dumitrescu–Hurlin, were used to achieve the proposed research objective.
Findings
Digitalisation described by the number of individual Internet users and patents on environmental technologies determines the amount of GHG in Europe, and economic growth continues to have a significant effect on the amount of emissions, as well as the consumption of renewable energy. European countries are not framed in well-established patterns, but the economic growth, digitalisation, eco-innovation and renewable energy have an impact on the amount of GHG in one way or another. In many European countries, the amount of GHGs is decreasing as a result of economic growth, changes in the energy field and digitalisation. The positive influence of economic growth on climate neutrality depends on its degree of sustainability, while patents have the same conditional effect of their translation into environmentally efficient technologies.
Research limitations/implications
This study has a number of limitations which derive, first of all, from the lack of digitalisation indicators. The missing data restricted the inclusion in the analysis of variables relevant to the description of the European digitalisation process, also obtaining conclusive results on the effects of digitalisation on GHG emissions.
Originality/value
A similar analysis of the relationship among the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth, digitalisation, eco-innovation and renewable energy is less common in the literature. Also, the results can be inspirational in the sphere of macroeconomic policy.
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Few research has addressed the factors that undermine people’s subjective perceptions of career success. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to further illuminate the issue of…
Abstract
Purpose
Few research has addressed the factors that undermine people’s subjective perceptions of career success. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to further illuminate the issue of career barriers in perceptions of career success for a specific group of professionals: academics.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts an interpretative-social constructionist methodology. Complementarily, it was employed a phenomenological method in data gathering and analysis – with the use of in-depth interviews and a theme analysis. The research was undertaken with a group of 87 Portuguese academics of both sexes and in different stages of their academic careers.
Findings
The findings pinpoint the existence of multi-level barriers encountered by the academics when trying to succeed in their careers. The interviewees mentioned particularly the organizational-professional career barriers pertaining to three general themes: poor collegiality and workplace relationships; the lack of organizational support and employment precariousness; and the career progression standards and expectations. At the individual life cycle level the interviewees referred to the theme of finding balance; at the same time, the gender structure was also a theme mentioned as an important career barrier in career success, particularly by the women interviewed.
Research limitations/implications
One of the limitations of this research is related to the impossibility of generalizability of its findings for the general population. Nevertheless, the researcher provides enough detail that grants the reader with the ability to judge of its similarity to other research contexts.
Practical implications
This research highlights the role played by distinct career barriers for a specific professional group: academics. This has implications for higher education policy-makers and for human resources managers in higher education institutions.
Originality/value
The current study extends the literature on career success by offering detailed anecdotal evidence on how negative work experiences might hinder career success. This research shows that to understand career barriers to success it is useful to consider multi-level factors: organizational-level factors (e.g. poor collegiality and workplace relationships); individual-level factors (e.g. life-cycle factors such as age/career stage); and structural-level factors (e.g. gender).
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Andrea Bramberger and Kate Winter
This chapter provides foundations of differentiating the sophisticated and various theoretical approaches towards safe spaces demonstrated in this book. For the purpose of framing…
Abstract
This chapter provides foundations of differentiating the sophisticated and various theoretical approaches towards safe spaces demonstrated in this book. For the purpose of framing the examples provided in this collection, we offer three broad ways of thinking about safe spaces: safe learning spaces as separate, counterhegemonic, or third spaces; safe learning spaces of difference, sameness, and intersecting identities; and deliberative and democratic learning spaces. It needs to be noted, however, that these are not mutually exclusive but different aspects to consider and that they each operate within and across, and are therefore influenced by, the five levels of inequity discussed in Chapter 2. That said, not all levels of inequity are necessarily addressed by any given space, regardless of the frame used to interpret it. This discussion respects the multiple paradoxes in education, especially the one of pluralism and sameness, offering approaches to modes and learning settings of inclusion and exclusion and how they create different, yet “safe,” spaces.