Search Results (169)

The production of spirits generates significant amounts of waste in the form of fusel oils-previously treated mainly as an environmental problem. This paper presents an innovative installation designed to recover valuable components from this difficult waste. The key achievement is the effective separation and recovery of pyrazine derivatives-natural aromatic compounds with high utility value in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. The designed system allows for the recovery of as much as 98% of pyrazines and isoamyl alcohol and isobutanol fractions with a purity above 96%, which is a significant advance compared to previous disposal methods. The installation was designed to be consistent with the idea of a circular economy, maximizing the use of by-products and minimizing losses. The results of the work indicate that fusel oils, previously perceived as waste, can become a source of valuable secondary raw materials, and the presented solution opens up new possibilities for the sustainable development of the alcohol industry. Full article

This study examines the relationship between fear of failure, entrepreneurial passion, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy among university business students from four emerging Latin American economies: Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador. This research addresses the need to understand the psychological factors that influence entrepreneurship, particularly in developing economies. Using non-probability convenience sampling, surveys were distributed between June 2021 and August 2022, and 961 valid responses were obtained. Scales from renowned researchers were used, which were translated and semantically validated in Spanish to measure the three variables. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with PLS. The overall results reveal that fear of failure negatively affects entrepreneurial passion, while entrepreneurial passion has a positive and significant relationship with entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Furthermore, entrepreneurial passion has a positive and significant relationship with fear of failure and entrepreneurial self-efficacy, with substantial differences between countries. Gender differences were also identified: in women, all relationships in the model were significant, while in men, the direct effect of fear of failure on entrepreneurial self-efficacy did not reach statistical significance. These findings contribute to the entrepreneurship literature by demonstrating that the relationship between these psychological variables varies by context (country) and gender, contradicting the notion of a universal effect. Full article

Entrepreneurship development strategies are crucial for translating academic potential into economic and societal value. To achieve this, educational institutions must understand the factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial intentions. While research on academic entrepreneurship exists, comparative studies that explore these factors across different national contexts are scarce. This study addresses this gap through a comparative analysis of student entrepreneurship in Bulgaria, Malta, and Turkey, investigating key factors, such as attitudes toward entrepreneurship (ATE), the role of entrepreneurship education (EEdu), and entrepreneurial inspirations. Based on 415 survey responses collected between April and June 2024, hypothesized relationships were tested using appropriate bivariate statistical analyses. The results indicate that a positive evaluation of running one’s own business significantly increases entrepreneurial intentions, particularly when the business is perceived as safe, realistic, pleasant, and strong. The university’s role is pivotal: students largely relied on institutional support for their business initiatives; showed a strong preference for practical, hands-on educational methods; and identified a lack of entrepreneurship education as a key obstacle. A family background with entrepreneurial parents also positively influenced students’ preference for running their own businesses. Interestingly, the findings challenge a simple dichotomy between employment and entrepreneurship. A preference for full-time employment did not diminish entrepreneurial intentions, suggesting students may view these career paths as complementary or sequential. Conversely, preferences for part-time or self-employment did not have a significant positive impact on entrepreneurial initiatives. These findings underscore the need for universities to provide tailored, practical support and to recognize the complex and non-linear career trajectories envisioned by modern students. Full article

Crowdsourcing has become increasingly relevant in academic research due to its role in the evolving digital landscape, where information is a key driver of organizational performance. In a context dominated by emerging technologies and digital platforms, organizations are turning to external sources for data and idea generation. This paper offers a comprehensive review of the literature on crowdsourcing and digital information, using bibliometric techniques and qualitative analysis to identify major trends. The findings reveal several shifts in focus: from conceptual frameworks to practical applications; from customer participation to broader stakeholder involvement; and from general technological and managerial approaches to specific technologies and emerging perspectives in entrepreneurship and finance. The primary contributing disciplines are Computer Science, Engineering, and Information Science. Recent research (post 2023) emphasizes constructs such as “crowdfunding”, “digital platforms”, and “machine learning”, moving beyond earlier focuses like “citizen science” and “social media.” This review also reveals growing interest in managerial, medical, and cultural heritage applications, alongside a decline in research related to geography and crisis management over the past two years. This study enhances our understanding of current research directions and practical implications in crowdsourcing and digital information, offering valuable insights for both academics and practitioners. Full article

This study explores the evolution of academic entrepreneurship, emphasizing the crucial role of universities in fostering innovation and economic development. Through a systematic review guided by the PRISMA methodology, the research identifies six critical dimensions in academic entrepreneurship: university entrepreneurial ecosystems, organizational structures, capacity building, impact evaluation, contextual influences, and sustainability. The review highlights the integration of sustainability principles, digital transformation, and innovative financing models as central themes driving contemporary university entrepreneurship. Additionally, it underscores the necessity for adaptive governance frameworks and interdisciplinary collaborations to address diverse socioeconomic contexts. The findings offer theoretical insights and practical recommendations for policymakers and university administrators, with the aim of enhancing the design and implementation of effective entrepreneurial ecosystems. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and strategies that enable universities to act as catalysts for innovation and sustainable economic growth. Full article

This study reviews various academic discussions utilising distinct interpretations of entrepreneurship and resilience. The inadequacies of contemporary literature are explored and avenues for subsequent studies are offered in light of these discussions. Notable shifts in literature across themes, eras, and contexts have been documented. The body of literature has been steadily expanding over time, with a significant portion of research included in this SLR published from 2010 to 2024, which was not considered in earlier SLRs. A methodical, multidisciplinary evaluation of 44 publications divided into multiple academic dialogues was conducted to lay the groundwork for critical examination of each field of study. Resilience in the modern era encompasses not only the power to bounce back from stressful situations and adjust to a changed environment but also the dynamic process to improve learning capacity and foster personal development through continuous self-improvement, the acquisition of novel experiences and a forward-leaping framework. These findings contribute to the clarification and critical analysis of the current state of entrepreneurial resilience which will have several policies implications. Full article

This study conducts a bibliometric and altmetric analysis of women’s entrepreneurship, examining research trends, challenges, and contributions to sustainable development. By analyzing 6729 journal articles from the Web of Science (1975–2024), this study employs citation analysis, co-citation analysis, and co-word analysis, alongside altmetric indicators, to assess research impact. Visualization tools such as VOSViewer (version 16.20) were used to map the scholarly landscape. Key findings highlight critical themes, including gender disparities, financial barriers, socio-cultural challenges, and digital transformation, underscoring the crucial role of women entrepreneurs in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study identifies major research clusters, leading authors, and institutions that shape the field, while also revealing regional disparities in research output. The growing prevalence of open-access research has enhanced knowledge dissemination, yet access to financial and technological resources remains a challenge for women entrepreneurs. This study emphasizes the need for targeted policies to improve access to finance, digital tools, and entrepreneurial education, fostering an enabling ecosystem for women-led businesses. By integrating traditional bibliometric techniques with altmetrics, this research provides a comprehensive assessment of global trends in women’s entrepreneurship, offering valuable insights for academics, policymakers, and practitioners. It contributes to the literature on gender and entrepreneurship by identifying emerging themes and gaps, advocating for inclusive policies and enhanced support mechanisms to drive sustainable economic growth. Full article

This systematic literature review studies student entrepreneurial competence and its impact on sustainable development in the context of higher education in China. The objectives of this study are to identify the key factors affecting student entrepreneurial competence, recent research trends, and the role of student entrepreneurial competence in sustainable development. Using the PRISMA model, relevant literature from 2016 to 2025 was screened from databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, and a total of 11 empirical studies from peer-reviewed journals were analyzed. The results show that entrepreneurial competitions, entrepreneurship education, experiential learning, interdisciplinarity, entrepreneurship policies, teachers, entrepreneurial curricula, the entrepreneurial environment, and morals all influence student entrepreneurial competence. In addition, this study reveals the role of student entrepreneurial competence in promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically in promoting innovation, creating employment opportunities, and enhancing college students’ sense of social responsibility. This study systematically identifies the core factors that affect student entrepreneurial competence in Chinese universities and provides practical suggestions for optimizing entrepreneurial education policies, improving student entrepreneurial competence, and promoting sustainable entrepreneurship. This study provides a theoretical basis for policymakers and university administrators and proposes strategies for optimizing entrepreneurial education that can be used as a reference, providing the Chinese experience for other emerging Asian economies to learn from, thereby expanding the global academic discussion on sustainable entrepreneurial education. Full article

Women’s entrepreneurship in the tourism industry plays a vital role in promoting economic growth, advancing gender equality, and encouraging innovation. Female entrepreneurs contribute to the diversification of tourism services, job generation, and the revitalization of local economies. This study employs data from the Web of Science database to examine research on tourism and female entrepreneurship over the past two decades. The primary goals are to explore emerging trends, publishing patterns, and the geographical regions most active in this area of research, as well as to identify the key journals, authors, and keywords shaping the field. The bibliometric analysis uncovers the progression of academic studies and highlights regions with significant research activity. While female entrepreneurship is a driving force for economic development and gender equity in tourism, persistent obstacles, such as limited research in certain areas and barriers to women’s participation, remain. This work underscores the increasing significance of women’s contributions to tourism and offers a framework for future studies and policies aimed at fostering gender equality and sustainable economic development. Full article

There has been recent proliferation of entrepreneurship theorizing involving the true uncertainty of a system—most often labeled as Knightian. This has been noted in both individual papers and in the main partial theories that attempt to explain entrepreneurial activity more holistically. We detect a danger in this work involving such true uncertainty—defined by the condition that decisions plagued by it are non-optimizable by every interested party. It is that all the recent theorizing misinterprets that uncertainty in one of two ways: with a logical contradiction (i.e., that the non-optimizable is actually optimizable); or with a misrepresentation (i.e., that an uncertainty consisting of a knowable unknown that can be made known through known means by the time the decision must be made is true). Our concern is that such misinterpretations create unnecessary costs to academics and practitioners who are struggling to define the system they are managing. We explain this concern and its costs, detail the underlying premises, illustrate it with several examples, and then offer various specific directions to improve the theorizing over such uncertainty in entrepreneurship. Full article

Entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in driving innovation, productivity, and economic growth, with universities emerging as key actors within entrepreneurial ecosystems. This study seeks to expand the understanding on the role of Latin American universities on entrepreneurial ecosystems by examining the case of alumni from Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN). Employing a mixed-methods approach, this research explores individual, organizational, and institutional dynamics within the Ecuadorian entrepreneurial ecosystem. Results indicate that universities like EPN nurture professional and technical capabilities but face institutional obstacles that restrict their capacity to foster knowledge-based, high-growth ventures. This study highlights several institutional-level barriers, including market dominance, limited access to formal financing, corruption, and complex regulations, that limit innovation. Thus, universities in the region play an important role in preparing potential entrepreneurs, yet their impact is ultimately restricted by contextual factors. To overcome these challenges, universities can strengthen their support by integrating entrepreneurship education, networking opportunities, early-stage venture experiences, and exposure to role models or success stories. Particularly in contexts like Ecuador, fostering self-efficacy, resilience, and opportunity recognition can boost entrepreneurial behavior. In addition, enhancing university–industry collaboration, encouraging business transparency, improving funding accessibility, and supporting knowledge-intensive businesses are essential steps to harness the full potential of universities in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Full article

This study applies deep learning predictive networks and multi-objective decision-making algorithms to the context of innovation and entrepreneurship education, aiming to explore the characteristics of students in different majors regarding innovation and entrepreneurship. It also investigates how their inputs contribute to the enhancement of their innovation and entrepreneurship abilities, as well as the improvement of their academic performance. The researchers designed survey questions across four levels: internal and external factors, and subjective and objective factors. Longitudinal data are collected from 650 students at different grade levels. The results show a clear positive correlation between grade point innovation (GPI) and grade point average (GPA), and the relationship between students’ learning characteristics and GPI and GPA is established using a deep network of deep kernel extreme learning machines. The strategies in the questionnaire are used as control variables to obtain learning strategies for different students using a multi-objective decision-making approach based on evolutionary algorithms. This study shows the effect of different resources on the improvement of students’ innovation abilities and provides possible innovation strategy suggestions for different groups. The results of this study may contribute to the improvement of innovation and entrepreneurial curricula and educational methods. Full article

Despite the growing global interest in African entrepreneurial ecosystems and increased attention from international organizations and governments, the research on the sustainability of Sub-Saharan African entrepreneurial ecosystems remains limited. This study aims to qualitatively examine the major determinants and priorities within the ICT start-up ecosystems of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, where these ecosystems are expanding but still under-researched. Based on the prior research, questions were designed using a priori codes. A total of 15 participants were interviewed, including five stakeholders from the start-up ecosystems in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. The results of the interviews were analyzed through a thematic analysis. While the Sub-Saharan African ICT start-up ecosystem is often viewed as a single, homogeneous entity, this study identified 10 sub-categories derived from the top-five parent categories in each country. This offers valuable insights into the ICT start-up ecosystems of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. This research provides both academic and practical value by analyzing the unique prioritization of determinants within the ICT start-up ecosystems of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, each recognized as a leading ecosystem in the region. This is particularly relevant in the context of various entrepreneurship programs expanding across Africa highlighting significant implications for increasing sustainable development cooperation and investment efforts across the continent. Full article

Public sector entrepreneurship (PSE) is a growing area of knowledge that studies the application of innovative activities and processes to enhance public service quality. This can ultimately affect the public organization’s performance and the country’s economic success and growth. Even though PSE has been studied through the lenses of several academic disciplines, its assumptions are often based on the insights derived from research on entrepreneurship in the private sector. The theories of public entrepreneurship are scattered throughout the literature, while empirical research is still scarce. There exists a need to build a conceptual characterization that distinguishes its unique indicative dimensions. This paper aims to collect and summarize some of the definitions, theories, dimensions, and determinants of public sector entrepreneurship and propose avenues for future empirical research. It is a literature review using the PRISMA methodology to examine public sector entrepreneurship, systematically collecting and synthesizing previous research. This approach yielded 55 publications, which were used as sources for developing a comprehensive conceptualization of PSE. The paper’s contribution is reflected in this review and analysis, as well as its suggestions for future research topics and empirical methods in this developing area of knowledge. Full article

Recognizing the factors that influence business formation in developing contexts is critical for promoting economic growth. This study examines the drivers of entrepreneurship among university alumni in Ecuador, addressing gaps in the literature regarding the roles of individual, organizational, and institutional factors in business creation. Drawing on established theories such as the Theory of Planned Behavior and Resource-Based Theory, a multilevel causal model was developed and tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected from 550 alumni through a structured questionnaire, complemented by semi-structured interviews. The model integrates micro-level (entrepreneurial attitudes and funding experience), meso-level (entrepreneurial knowledge acquired from working experience), and macro-level determinants (opportunity cost). Results indicate that while individual traits play a role, organizational knowledge and institutional context have more pronounced impacts on entrepreneurial actions. In particular, opportunity costs have a negative impact on the business formation process, reflecting the challenges of entrepreneurship in unfavorable environments. The findings highlight the importance of fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems within universities, emphasizing education and support mechanisms tailored to overcoming institutional barriers. This study contributes to the understanding of entrepreneurship in Latin America, offering insights for policymakers and academic institutions aiming to enhance entrepreneurial activity and economic development. Full article