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The purpose of this paper is to study the role of entrepreneurship in economic development based on the four dimensions of the quadruple helix model (Government, University, Enterprise and Society) in relation to the three stages of economy defined by the GEM (innovation-, efficiency- and factor-driven economies). In this context, the authors considered a set of variables that allowed them to measure and verify the stimulus that the four helixes represent in economic development.

This study was supported on secondary data from the GEM platform for 58 countries, for 2015. SPSS software was used to analyze data, which allowed the use of the ANOVA and Kruskall-Wallis tests, as well as the generalized linear regression.

The results show that in the factor-driven economies, there is a greater influence by the industry, while in the efficiency-driven economies, there is homogeneity among the four dimensions, highlighting only the variables “R&D transfer” and “Entrepreneurial Intention”. Because of the constant need for innovation to become more competitive, in the innovation-driven economies, business and government are the most important dimensions.

Both in the scientific community with future empirical studies that can confirm the relevance of this model to better understanding which dimensions of quadruple helix improve economic development, and in the governmental community, to serve for policies and strategies that stimulate entrepreneurship to foster the transition from one stage of economic development to another.

Proposal and test of a quadruple helix model, using the variables available in the GEM database, to the three stages of economic development of the economies that were involved in the GEM.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach for gauging the performance of the operating units of a retail banking organisation, responding to the special demands of an internal evaluation.

The paper defines a measure of internal performance (MIP) based on behavioural theory, particularly on disappointment models.

MIP is applied for the internal evaluation of a network of bank branches. Application to this real managerial setting reveals that bank managers' preferences support behavioural decision theory, including prospect theory.

The paper shows how MIP can be used as a management tool for improving organisational performance. The approach can be extended to other sectors.

The proposal differs from others existing in the literature in two main aspects. Firstly, it is consistent with the requirements of an internal evaluation because it uses the managers' real preferences instead of assuming them. Secondly, it takes into account that each unit has a different target to achieve according to its specific characteristics.

We outline the standards for “good” performance measures and propose the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as a method for performance measurement on individual level.

Using the example of a German cooperative bank with a cohort of 40 employees, we apply a multi-stage DEA approach to measure employee performance and report on the results. Based on those results a DEA-based approach for a strategic performance appraisal process is introduced.

We illustrate that DEA provides clear feedback information on an individual level, which enables management to accurately identify fields of specific improvement.

The proposed approach for a strategic performance appraisal process is yet of theoretical nature. Consequently, the practical implementation of this approach is a purpose of further research.

The paper analyses the emerging role of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) universities in contemporary society via third- and fourth-mission activities. In particular, the paper investigates the potential contributions that SSH universities can offer in developing and enhancing capacities, supporting the changing conception of innovation coherently through a Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) approach.

The case study presents multiple third- and fourth-mission activities carried out by the University of Macerata (Italy). The activities are framed according to the roles universities could have in supporting S3.

Within third- and fourth-mission activities, SSH universities can play different and broader roles (generative, absorptive, collaborative and leadership), which could support regions in designing and implementing S3.

The paper shows the important contributions that SSH universities can make in their regions, both to support S3 and enhance the transition to sustainable development.

The article emphasises SSH universities’ multiple contributions to sustainable development and to innovation in the knowledge society/economy framework.

This case study captures SSH universities’ contributions to S3 and the wider innovation paradigm, by highlighting their transformational effect on regional economies.

This metasynthesis aims to build a theory on the concept of innovation ecosystem from the state of the art of qualitative case studies available in indexed scientific production using interpretive synthesis (Hoon, 2013).

This research was conducted by the postulates of the metasynthesis method (Hoon, 2013) to generate theory from qualitative case studies. The authors retrieved 77 research papers from databases, of which 6 were used for synthesis purposes. Each selected research paper reported one or more cases, which were analyzed separately. At the final stage, a data synthesis was structured and the cases were crossed, which allowed the development of a schematic representation and a theoretical construction of the innovation ecosystem concept. The approach used in this research is a metatheoretical assumption from economics and management and ecology to explore the theoretical gap in the concept of innovation ecosystems.

There is not yet a conceptual consensus on the term, which sometimes leads researchers to address partial or complementary concepts. The analysis identified constitutive elements of an innovation ecosystem that lead to structuring a framework of organic and dynamic interrelationships that a given organization has with various external organizations, allowing the creation of innovative products in a faster way.

This paper helps scholars and researchers consider a new metatheoretical perspective to analyze dynamics, constitutive elements and multilevels of an innovation ecosystem.

For practitioners, this paper sheds lights on the importance of recognizing a systemic consideration of innovation ecosystems that falls in global relationships, industry dynamics and identification of main global–local actors/enablers to produce innovations internally at a given organization.

The novelty of this paper lies in a more delineated definition and a schematic representation of an innovation ecosystem based on a global–local perspective of product creation and manufacturing and interactions that a given company has, regardless of the geographical location of its dispersed strategic partners.

By using the Triple Helix model, the purpose of this paper is to uncover the perceptions of nascent entrepreneurs about a university–industry–government collaboration program, in particular about the role of each agent to foster rural entrepreneurship; the value and effect of this collaboration; and their own contributions to local development.

A qualitative case study method is adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and secondary data. The text is analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

The interaction of the Triple Helix partners is perceived as valuable both at the personal and the business levels. One of the most salient results is the value ascribed to the knowledge-rich environment created. Entrepreneurs are aware of their contribution to local development, identifying economic, social and cultural effects.

The research strengthens the importance of the joint efforts of the Triple Helix partners by uncovering a number of outputs from their collaboration, which affect both the entrepreneurs and local development through entrepreneurship.

Previous studies assume that the Triple Helix fosters technological innovation that favors regional development, mainly by adopting a macro-level perspective. This study makes a contribution by furthering the knowledge on the micro-level dynamics of the Triple Helix, through the view of low tech, rural entrepreneurs, considering their context.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the effect of including the customer as a resource in efficiency measurement. Variations in counting the customer illustrate the different impacts on efficiency between a transactional and a relational approach to bank branch marketing.

The paper uses data envelopment analysis to analyse the efficiency of the branch network under consideration. This technique, while well established in the bank branch efficiency literature, is used here to gain insight into how relationship and transactional paradigms are affecting performance.

Although the average profile of the efficiency scores was similar, the scores of the individual branches differed greatly depending on how customers were counted. Some branches then can be typified as relationship oriented while others as transactions oriented bearing in mind that all branches have both remits.

Future research in efficiency measurement should include customers as a resource of the bank given the importance of them for the activity of co‐production. Careful consideration is required however of the method of accounting for these customers bearing in mind that different conceptualisations may significantly affect the efficiency score of the individual branches.

This paper sheds light on what is happening at branch level in a large network in the UK in terms of how transactions and relationship marketing approaches are affecting efficiency scores and the objectives of the branch. It also answers a call for research into organisations that simultaneously use relationship and transactions marketing.

The purpose of this paper is to compare different approaches to the evaluation of the economic performance of wineries.

This paper simultaneously applies traditional profitability and productivity measures and a non‐parametric technique to estimate efficiency, and compares the results obtained. A cluster analysis has been applied to identify different groups of firms. The empirical application is carried out on a sample of 1,222 Spanish wineries in 2007.

The results reveal important differences depending on the methodology employed. Overall, none of the methodologies can be said to be better than the rest.

This paper has only considered the economic performance of wineries and its findings are not substitutes for other subjective measures directed at the assessment of aspects such as the quality of the wines produced.

Managers should be aware of their own performance in order to guarantee the competitiveness and future investments of their wineries.

For the first time, this paper analyses the economic performance of Spanish wineries, simultaneously using different approaches widely employed in the management literature.