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1 – 10 of 13João Rafael Galvão, Licinio Moreira, Gonçalo Gaspar, Samuel Vindeirinho and Sérgio Leitão
Taking into account the current relevance of the concept of smart city connected with the Internet of Things, this work aims to study the implementation of this concept by…
Abstract
Purpose
Taking into account the current relevance of the concept of smart city connected with the Internet of Things, this work aims to study the implementation of this concept by applying a new energy model in an existing public building. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the sustainability and energy autonomy of the building.
Design/methodology/approach
The building referred to in the case study is a library, and simulations related to the ongoing study are based on an energy audit, comprising a survey on electrical and thermal energy consumption. The innovative proposed model consists of a mix of energy production processes based on photovoltaic panels and biomass boilers. Economic analysis of the energy model has already yielded some results regarding the payback on investment, as well as avoided emissions in the context of development of a low-carbon economy with avoided emissions and socioeconomic advantages.
Findings
It is possible to enhance the sustainability of the library studied by the retrofit of the current energy system. With the integration of photovoltaic panels and the conversion or replacement of boilers from natural gas to biomass, the GHG emissions could drop around 121 t CO2 per year. Another benefit would be the inclusion of endogenous resources over imported energy resources. The payback period for the measures proposed ranges from 2.5 to 8 years, proving that the increase in environmental sustainability is viable.
Originality/value
The intention here is to implement the concept of smart city, in more sustainable buildings, bringing them to the lowest possible energy consumption levels, hence increasing performance and comfort. Also, taking into account that the energy-consuming buildings are already constructed, it is urgent to reconvert them to lower the use of energy and emissions using technologies based on renewable energy, boosting the use of local resources.
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María Alejandra Costa and Éric Montpetit
This chapter explores how the capacity of different sectors of the government influences which topics are prioritized in the legislative agenda. We focus on the complex and…
Abstract
This chapter explores how the capacity of different sectors of the government influences which topics are prioritized in the legislative agenda. We focus on the complex and challenging topic of agriculture and the environment in Brazil and analyze how it's framed in both the media and the legislature. Our analysis shows that, in normal circumstances, the governmental actors with the highest state capacity prevent threatening topics from entering the legislative agenda, biasing it toward the status quo. However, we find that the media can act as a tool for sectors with lower capacity to bring their priorities to the forefront and trigger a legislative response.
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Mariana Leitão, Ricardo Jorge Correia, Mário Sérgio Teixeira and Susana Campos
This study explores the perception of employees in textile industry firms in Northern Portugal regarding the influence of leadership and reward systems (RS) on their motivation…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the perception of employees in textile industry firms in Northern Portugal regarding the influence of leadership and reward systems (RS) on their motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) and job satisfaction (JS).
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was addressed to the employees of 12 firms, obtaining a sample of 256 valid responses, for which a structural equation model was estimated.
Findings
The results showed that leadership and RS influence JS only through the mediating effects of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Originality/value
This study makes empirical and theoretical contributions, testing the relationship between leadership and employees' JS and how this relationship can be mediated by RS, and motivation – both intrinsic and extrinsic. Moreover, this study was conducted in Portugal, country where these issues have not been researched jointly before.
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Alberto Arenal, Claudio Feijoo, Ana Moreno, Cristina Armuña and Sergio Ramos
Academic research into entrepreneurship policy is particularly interesting due to the increasing relevance of the topic and since knowledge about the evolution of themes in this…
Abstract
Purpose
Academic research into entrepreneurship policy is particularly interesting due to the increasing relevance of the topic and since knowledge about the evolution of themes in this field is still rather limited. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the key concepts, topics, trends and shifts that have shaped the entrepreneurship policy research agenda during the period 1990–2016.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses text mining techniques, cluster analysis and complementary bibliographic data to examine the evolution of a corpus of 1,048 academic papers focused on entrepreneurship-related policies and published during the period 1990–2016 in ten relevant journals. In particular, the paper follows a standard text mining workflow: first, as text is unstructured, content requires a set of pre-processing tasks and then a stemming process. Then, the paper examines the most repeated concepts within the corpus, considering the whole period 1990–2016 and also in five-year terms. Finally, the paper conducts a k-means clustering to divide the collection of documents into coherent groups with similar content. The analyses in the paper also include geographical particularities considering three regional sub-corpora, distinguishing those articles authored in the European Union (EU), the USA and South and Eastern Asia, respectively.
Findings
Results of the analysis show that inclusion, employment and regulation-related papers have largely dominated the research in the field, evolving from an initial classical approach to the relationship between entrepreneurship and employment to a wider, multidisciplinary perspective, including the relevance of management, geographies and narrower topics such as agglomeration economics or internationalisation instead of the previous generic sectorial approaches. The text mining analysis also reveals how entrepreneurship policy research has gained increasing attention and has become both more open, with a growing cooperation among researchers from different affiliations, and more sophisticated, with concepts and themes that moved the research agenda forward, closer to the priorities of policy implementation.
Research limitations/implications
The paper identifies main trends and research gaps in the field of entrepreneurship policy providing actionable knowledge by presenting the spectrum of both over-explored and understudied research themes in the field. In practical terms the results of the text mining analysis can be interpreted as a compass to navigate the entrepreneurship policy research agenda.
Practical implications
The paper presents the heterogeneity of topics under research in the field, reinforcing the concept of entrepreneurship as a multidisciplinary and dynamic domain. Therefore, the definition and adoption of a certain policy agenda in entrepreneurship should consider multiple aspects (needs, objectives, stakeholders, expected outputs, etc.) to be comprehensive and aligned with its complexity. In addition, the paper shows how text mining techniques could be used to map the research activity in a particular field, contributing to the challenge of linking research and policy.
Originality/value
The exploratory nature of text mining allows us to obtain new knowledge and reveals hidden patterns from large quantities of documents/text data, representing an opportunity to complement other qualitative reviews. In this sense, the main value of this paper is not to advise on the future configuration of entrepreneurship policy as a research topic, but to unwrap the past by unveiling how key themes of the entrepreneurship policy research agenda have emerged, evolved and/or declined over time as a foundation on which to build further developments.
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Paula M. Hernandez-Diaz, Jorge-Andrés Polanco, Sergio Andrés Osuna-Ramírez, Erika Jaillier-Castrillón, Tatiana Molina-Velasquez and Manuela Escobar-Sierra
This paper aims to find the incidence of university sustainability, as sustainability practices, in university performance at private universities.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to find the incidence of university sustainability, as sustainability practices, in university performance at private universities.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative research using structural equation modelling. Data collection and analysis followed sustainability and performance scales from previous research. The scales were validated by surveying students, teachers and administrative staff of five private universities in Medellin, Colombia. The responses (i.e. 5,344 useful answers) were collected between April 2019 and December 2020 and analysed using the Smart partial least square (PLS) software and the PLS calculation methodology.
Findings
The results confirmed the reliability and validity of the sustainability and performance university measurement models and validated the dimensions proposed to determine sustainability and performance holistically in private universities. The results confirmed that universities implementing sustainability holistically in their system positively impact their performance as higher education institutions. The university sustainability is forecasting the University Performance in about 60% of the universities analysed, with a considerable contribution from sustainability in outreach and strategic management.
Research limitations/implications
This study was cross-sectional and empirically validated the model of sustainability and performance at five private universities in a single period and territory. A broader validation from longitudinal studies considering other universities in Colombia and Latin America is suggested to understand local and regional trends better.
Practical implications
Results provided a model for better understanding the incidence of sustainability in performance holistically at private universities in developing countries such as Colombia. In addition, the proposed dimensions and model could help regional decision-making on higher education.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first attempts relating a structural equation model and inter-university research on the incidence of sustainability in private university performance. This work contributes to a local consensus on sustainability and performance models at private universities. Furthermore, from this research emerged a joint policy framework for incorporating sustainability holistically and regionally as an effective strategy for universities and their commitment to sustainable development.
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Alfonso Torres-Marín, José Ernesto Amorós, Marcelo Leporati and Sergio Roses
The purpose of this study is to make an exploratory analysis of the impact of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) as defined by Acs et al. (2014) on opportunity-driven senior…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to make an exploratory analysis of the impact of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) as defined by Acs et al. (2014) on opportunity-driven senior entrepreneurial activity in Latin America.
Design/methodology/approach
The research uses data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor and the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute of five Latin America countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico), providing a total of 15,019 observations of people that are 50+ years old, between the years 2013 and 2017. A multi-level logistic regression model was used to estimate the relation between the total entrepreneurial activity by opportunity of seniors and some EE indicators. A total of three equations were estimated on the data set described.
Findings
This research confirms the relevance of some elements of EE on senior entrepreneurship in Latin America. Entrepreneurial attitudes have a positive relationship with senior entrepreneurs, generating higher levels of entrepreneurial ventures. The combination of institutions that support these attitudes on the EE enhances senior entrepreneurial activity. It also demonstrates that a higher level of entrepreneurial education at postschool stages is relevant to increasing senior entrepreneurial activity.
Originality/value
This research makes some interesting contributions in the field of measuring the impact of EE on senior entrepreneurship by opportunity in developing countries, filling a literature gap. It allows us to glimpse some measures that policymakers could take to improve the entrepreneurial activity of this segment in the region, such as implementing programs that facilitate networking opportunities and mentorship, along with providing training in business and financial literacy.
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Giuditta Pezzotta, Claudio Sassanelli, Fabiana Pirola, Roberto Sala, Monica Rossi, Sophia Fotia, Angelos Koutoupes, Sergio Terzi and Dimitris Mourtzis
Nowadays manufacturers companies are increasingly compelled to navigate towards servitization. Different methods and approaches were proposed in literature to support them to…
Abstract
Purpose
Nowadays manufacturers companies are increasingly compelled to navigate towards servitization. Different methods and approaches were proposed in literature to support them to switch from traditional product-based business model to product service systems (PSSs). However, new knowledge, capabilities and skills were needed to consistently develop PSSs, since they need a joint focus on both customer’s perspective and company’s internal performance and at the same time a proper support for the integration of product and service design. The purpose of this paper is to propose the Product Service System Lean Design Methodology (PSSLDM), a structured methodology to develop PSSs along their entire lifecycle.
Design/methodology/approach
Retrieving concepts from interpretative, interactive and system development research traditions, and strongly reminding the design research methodology framework, the adopted research methodology is composed of three main phases (observation and conceptualization, theory building and tool development, validation) and involved three heterogeneous companies.
Findings
This paper provides an overview of the PSSLDM, explaining how the different methods supporting its conduction should contribute to properly design an integrated PSS. Moreover, companies highlighted several benefits in the different stages along the PSS lifecycle deriving by the adoption of the PSSLDM.
Research limitations/implications
The development of a platform based on the PSSLDM methodology raises a discussion on the possible changes needed by current Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) models and systems when they have to do with PSSs.
Originality/value
The PSSLDM enriches the already proposed SErvice Engineering Methodology, introducing new several components linked by lean rules in each of its phases (starting from customer analysis, going through solution concept and detailed design, until the offering analysis) and better supprting the deatil design of both prodcut and service components.
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Ana Sofia Ramos, Jonas Hammerschmidt, Antonio Sérgio Ribeiro, Francisco Lima and Sascha Kraus
The purpose of this longitudinal study is to examine the dual career and entrepreneurial experiences of professional football players and their influence on the career transition…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this longitudinal study is to examine the dual career and entrepreneurial experiences of professional football players and their influence on the career transition process to entrepreneurship or employment.
Design/methodology/approach
The study examined a Portuguese employer–employee data set from 1991 to 2017 using the logit model, a binary choice regression model that allows predicting the probabilities of two possible qualitative and binary outcomes.
Findings
Entrepreneurial experience is the key driver for retired football players to pursue entrepreneurship. Having a dual career and working during the athletic career leads to higher chances of continuing in the labor market as an employee. Higher education levels did not significantly influence the decision to pursue a second career but having secondary education increases the chances of continuing as an entrepreneur.
Research limitations/implications
First, the study aims to shed light on success factors in career transition of professional football players who engage in a dual career. Second, the authors introduce sport entrepreneurship as a possible activity alongside an athletic career.
Practical implications
Athletes can benefit from the experience they gain during a dual career in the process of career transition. Working in the final year of an athletic career represents a promising strategy to gain work experience alongside sport without jeopardizing sporting success.
Originality/value
This study adds evidence to the contemporary discourse on dual career theory and career transitions and reconciles the theory of sport entrepreneurship and dual careers.
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Alejandra Pulido-López and Alejandra López-Salazar
This paper aims to understand the impact of intellectual capital components (human, structural and relational capital) on business internationalization through exports, analyzing…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand the impact of intellectual capital components (human, structural and relational capital) on business internationalization through exports, analyzing the Colombian manufacturing sector.
Design/methodology/approach
A binomial logistic regression model was used in which the export propensity was the dependent variable. The explanatory variables consisted of the human capital, including training and managerial characteristics; the structural capital, including innovation, intellectual property, certifications and management and the relational capital, encompassing relationships with other companies, public entities and the domestic market. The Survey of Development and Technological Innovation - EDIT - Industry 2018, carried out by the National Administrative Department of Statistics of Colombia, was used to collect data from 7,529 companies in 24 manufacturing subsectors.
Findings
The research findings suggest that there is a positive relationship between internationalization and human capital (postgraduate, university and school training), with structural capital (innovation in organizational processes, ownership of patents, software rights, industrial rights, trademark registration, obtaining intellectual property rights, complexity in design, process certifications, compliance with technical requirements and the existence of production goals) and with relational capital (confidentiality agreements with other companies and contracts with the international public sector).
Originality/value
This article contributes to the literature generating knowledge on the relationship between intellectual capital and the internationalization of Colombian industrial companies. It will also have managerial and social implications serving as input for the decision-making process of firms undergoing internationalization, and for policymakers.
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Miguel Ângelo Vieira, Sérgio M.O. Tavares and Silvina L. Félix
The effects of climate change have been contributing to coral reef degradation. Artificial reefs are one method being used to counteract this destruction. However, the most common…
Abstract
Purpose
The effects of climate change have been contributing to coral reef degradation. Artificial reefs are one method being used to counteract this destruction. However, the most common artificial approaches, such as sunken vehicles and prefabricated cement reefs, do not allow adequate coral development. This paper aims to demonstrate how designers, using additive manufacturing and computational design techniques, can create artificial reefs that better mimic natural reef structures.
Design/methodology/approach
This research focuses on developing three-dimensional matrices through computational design using additive manufacturing to achieve better coral settlement. A “Nature Centered Design” approach was followed, with the corals at the center of the design project. Samples with different geometries and roughness, produced using paste-based extrusion with porcelain and porcelain with oyster shell, were tested in a controlled environment to investigate the settlement preference of soft corals.
Findings
The rapid prototyping of samples confirmed the preference of corals to settle to complex surfaces compared to smooth surfaces. Porcelain showed comparable results to Portland cement, suggesting further testing potential. A closer resemblance to the natural and intricate forms found in coral reefs was achieved through computational design.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a new approach combining rapid prototyping with coral’s biological responses to enhance the understanding of their surface settlement preference. The Nature Centered Design approach, with additive manufacturing and computational design, made it possible to create an innovative working model that could be customized depending on the implementation area or intended coral species, validating the design approach as a method to support environmental conservation.
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