Search Results (25)

Sustainable development has emerged as a critical priority for the global community, influencing all aspects of development worldwide. Within this context, the role of education and training in advancing sustainable development can contribute to this. This research aims to explore whether the integration of Information and Communication Technology educational tools into the curricula of engineering technicians helps trainees better understand the concepts of climate change and resource management, which are directly linked to the green transition and the green economy, compared to traditional educational methods. The study was conducted with trainees from Higher Vocational Training Schools (SAEKs) in the wider Athens area, Greece. According to the results, using educational technology to teach engineering courses aids students in developing the competencies needed to change production processes and business models in the direction of a greener future. This is especially crucial as future technicians will be able to use cutting-edge methods to lower emissions and boost resource use efficiency. The findings of the study could provide important information for all those involved in the design of educational curricula of engineering technicians. Concerns and thoughts on the effective use of educational technology in the educational process are also expressed. Full article

Characterized by inexpensive and readily available products, fast fashion has increased the consumption and disposal of clothing, for which criticism has been significant due to its negative environmental and social impact. Therefore, transitioning to sustainable business models (SBMs) that balance profit with corporate social responsibility (CSR) is critical. This study explores sustainable value propositions in Polish Zero Waste fashion businesses, addressing the gap in research on SBMs. It also employs the theory of organizational paradoxes to examine tensions between profit maximization and CSR. Data were collected from 249 Polish Zero Waste companies listed on mapazerowaste.pl and analyzed through content analysis and statistical methods. Additionally, 21 YouTube videos from 2020 to 2022 were examined to study sustainable fashion promotion. Multiple coding and categorization schemes were used to identify themes, followed by frequency analysis and correspondence analysis. Second-hand clothing emerged as the most common value proposition (120 companies), reflecting consumer trends in resale. The repair sector with cobbler and leather repair services (55 companies) also showed a strong presence, highlighting demand for tailoring and upcycling services Rental services (2 companies) remain niche due to limited consumer acceptance. Promotion efforts on YouTube focus on building awareness of fast fashion’s impacts and teaching sustainable behaviors. Sustainable value propositions, exemplified by Polish Zero Waste businesses, synthesize profit and CSR strategies, addressing organizational paradoxes. These findings inform strategies to balance financial and socio-environmental goals, with implications for policy and practice in advancing sustainable fashion. Full article

Background: Social innovation and gerontology develop a wide range of actions aimed at supporting and improving the needs of long-lived populations. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are drivers of change, and their potential to develop solutions through teaching students’ social innovation skills should be considered in the field of longevity. This article reports the results obtained by the Senior Innovation Lab (SIL) training initiative. Methods: Challenge-based learning, design thinking, and lean startup approaches were implemented in training 26 participants with the final aim of developing innovative solutions to previously identified long-lived population needs. Results: Final products were innovative ideas developed through collaboration between students, academic staff, and business employees, indicating the importance of adopting entrepreneurial approaches in academic teaching. The participants identified motivation and perseverance as the most relevant entrepreneurial skills and most of them also perceived that they possessed it. The participants also considered spotting opportunities (chance to add value) as the most desired skill throughout the whole experience. Conclusions: SIL’s assessment showed that social innovation methodologies contributed to the development of learning strategies, enabling potential solutions for the ageing challenges. Full article

We analyzed gender pay gap in academia using detailed performance data of all faculty members at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, during 2012–2022. Although we initially observed a small average pay gap in favor of male academics, we found that female academics received higher remuneration compared to their male counterparts, once we controlled for research and teaching productivity, prior education and work experience, ethnicity, and various academic appointments. Our results provide an insight into possible sources of gender bias and highlight the need to control for teaching and research performance when investigating gender pay gaps. Full article

Hydrogen energy, as a clean and green energy medium, is characterized by large capacity, extended lifespan, convenient storage, and seamless transmission. On the one hand, in the power system, hydrogen can be prepared by the electrolysis of water using the surplus power from intermittent new energy generation, such as photovoltaic and wind power, to increase the space for new energy consumption. On the other hand, it can be used to generate electricity from the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen through the fuel cell and be used as a backup power source when there is a shortage of power supply. In this paper, based on the teaching practice, the conversion mechanism and coupling relationship between various forms of energy, such as photovoltaic energy, hydrogen energy, and electric energy, were deeply analyzed. Further, a hydrogen-electricity coupling digital simulation experimental system, including photovoltaic power generation, fuel cell, and electrolysis hydrogen system, was formed. Simultaneously, considering the synergy between hydrogen production and electricity generation businesses, as well as the demand for the efficient utilization and flexible regulation of multiple energy sources, eight sets of simulation experimental scenarios were designed. A cooperative control strategy for the hydrogen-electric coupling system was proposed and validated through simulation on the MATLAB/SIMULINK-R2023a platform. This study shows that the simulation system has rich experimental scenarios and control strategies, and can comprehensively and accurately demonstrate the multi-energy complementary and cooperative control characteristics of the hydrogen-electric coupling system. Full article

It is widely accepted that service design is a discipline that is becoming increasingly recognized as a key element for productive collaboration between multidisciplinary stakeholders. However, it is difficult to understand the interplay between service design and product innovation in higher education. There is a gap in the service design literature on how its way of teaching can enable better product innovation if introduced within product innovation degrees. This study seeks to explore how product innovation might be stimulated by service design teaching, with a focus on collaborative participant activities often used within the service design discipline. Previous studies on service design pedagogy have provided various frameworks for teaching service design that are often drawn from different disciplinary perspectives, such as engineering, social sciences, marketing, business, etc. This article, in contrast, examines service design pedagogy strategies applied in design education within the realm of product innovation. A bibliometric analysis method was adopted to review the existing literature. We found that the selected studies touched upon several themes, which all relate to collaboration among participants and stakeholders in service design and product innovation. The findings shed light on specific projects and case studies that were implemented via team collaboration. Further analysis proposes that the service design pedagogy in design education enhances product design via wider value considerations such as sustainability principles and methods. This study begins to illustrate how service design as a systemic approach to designing products might better enable product innovators to consider wider aspects of value co-creation and sustainability via explicitly involving and considering wider stakeholder networks beyond simply designing a product for a user. Full article

We propose the use of a Virtual Tour to substitute in-person visits to a manufacturing plant for a lecture on Enterprise Productivity at the School of Business Administration at our University. Traditionally, during this lecture, students are required to visit a production site to observe its process and apply their knowledge in a real-life scenario. However, finding businesses that are willing to participate and offer the right learning conditions has become a challenge. This situation is now worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we present a prototype of a virtual tour of an assembly line in a simulated environment, where students can explore and learn about the manufacturing process of car seats. We performed a mixed method user study, with quantitative and qualitative data, to determine whether the application can help learn the intended concepts and improve the learning experience and motivation of students. Results show that the use of the virtual tour application increased motivation in learning. Full article

Demand for foreign nurses and medical staff is rapidly increasing due to the severe labor shortage in U.S. hospitals triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, empirical studies on the effect of the racial diversity of medical staff on hospital operations are still lacking. This research gap is thus investigated based on the foreign medical staff working in 3870 U.S. hospitals. Results show that workforce racial diversity has a significantly positive relationship with hospital operational efficiency regarding occupancy rate, manpower productivity, capacity productivity, and case mix index. Notably, this study empirically supports that increasing the ratio of foreign nurses positively affects the overall operational efficiency of hospitals. In addition, the study results also indicate that the hospital location, size, ownership, and teaching status act as significant control variables for the relationship between racial diversity and hospital efficiency. These results imply that hospitals with these specific operating conditions need to pay more attention to racial diversity in the workplace, as they are structurally more sensitive to the relationship between racial diversity and operational efficiency. In short, the findings of this study suggest that hospital efficiency can be operationally improved by implementing workforce ethnic diversity. For this reason, hospital stakeholders and healthcare policymakers are expected to benefit from this study’s findings. Above all, the results of this study imply that if an organization adapts to extreme external environmental changes (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) through appropriate organizational restructuring (i.e., expanding the workforce racial diversity by hiring foreign medical staff), the organization can gain a competitive advantage, a claim that is supported by contingency theory. Further, investors are increasingly interested in ESG, especially companies that embody ethical and socially conscious workplaces, including a diverse and inclusive workforce. Thereby, seeking racial diversity in the workforce is now seen as a fundamental benchmark for organizational behavior that predicts successful ESG business practices, a claim that is supported by stakeholder theory. Therefore, in conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that workforce racial diversity is no longer an optional consideration but should be considered as one of the essential determinants of competitive advantage in organizations, particularly in the healthcare sector. Full article

Waste in HEIs is difficult to identify, so identifying and prioritizing waste is challenging. This research aims to develop a framework within which to identify and prioritize waste reduction in HEIs. The novelty of this study is that it analyzes and prioritizes waste in HEI from the perspective of four stakeholders in teaching, research, and community services, as well as supporting activities. The process of waste identification was undertaken via observation and literature review, while prioritization of waste was based on the criticality level of waste (CLoW). Determining the criticality level of waste (CLoW) consists of two stages: the first stage is calculating waste scores using questionnaires from students, lecturers, and education staff; the second stage is calculating the critical level of waste using a questionnaire from HEI leaders and analyzing it with fuzzy methods. This study identified 59 types of waste and grouped them into eight types: over-production, over-processing, waiting, motion, transportation, inventory, defects, and underutilization talent. Waste occurs in three HEI activities: teaching, research, community service, and supporting activities. The results also show the priority order of waste reduction and proposed improvements to reduce waste. This study offers a practical contribution to the management of HEIs to identify and prioritize waste reduction. The theoretical contribution of this study is that it fills the research gap of waste reduction prioritization in all aspects of HEI activities involving all HEI stakeholders involved in the business process, namely, students, academics, non-academic staff, and HEI leaders. Full article

The world is facing rapid changes after the emergence of innovative technologies. These changes aim to ensure that a country keeps track of current world developments, strengthens its economy, and reduces its dependence on imports. Hence, every country is now amid technological transformation in the industrial sector by replacing manpower with machines to increase production and efficiency, allowing for mass production. Technology advancements in control, information technology, and automation that are applied to business and industry production processes are referred to as ‘Industry 4.0’. The objective is to increase the autonomy, adaptability, and effectiveness of decision-making and production processes utilizing cyber-physical systems (CPS), Big Data (BD), artificial intelligence (AI), and the industrial Internet of Things (IoT). Specifically, this article first introduces Industry Revolution (IR) 4.0, followed by a delineation of the concept of BD. Correspondingly, we discuss BD in education and relate mathematics education with BD. The article concludes with the implications of BD for Malaysian teaching and learning practices. Full article

Although society, governments and the business sector are increasingly demanding that Higher Academic Centers translate their innovative potential into products and services that affect society, little is known or done about the entrepreneurial skills that both lecturers and students need in the context of electronic engineering academic degrees. Inevitably, the fact that some teachers lack certain skill sets will have a negative impact on some students’ professional careers. This article demonstrates a range of initiatives in knowledge transfer which have been carried out over more than 30 years by the university research team making the proposal. Such initiatives have allowed the integration of, not only creative thinking, but also other skills differing from traditional teaching and which can help students to successfully compete for jobs requiring higher qualifications. Following the methodology of a case study within the framework of the Polytechnic University School of Vilanova i la Geltrú (EPSEVG) of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), the novelty of the research lies in its focus on the results obtained. In the 1990s, entrepreneurial initiatives encouraged the creation of reference laboratories and the teaching of innovative subjects in the field of virtual instrumentation. Years later, this teaching activity would be complemented by the launch of lines of research/technology transfer. It should be noted that, in its initial stages, this entrepreneurial trajectory was characterized by limited material and human resources, but thanks to the discovery of little-explored areas of activity (niches), opting for working in cooperation networks (science-technology symbiosis), and the entrepreneurial profile of the members of the research team, it has been possible to gain a space in the research/development of marine technologies in the national and European context, as stated in the text. This empirical research has contributed significantly to shaping a new degree in Marine Sciences and Technologies. Likewise, the results of this study reveal that a significant number of electronic engineering students have acquired entrepreneurial skills by engaging in teaching and research and development activities in different Higher Academic Centers. Full article

This research is a reflection on new challenges in the economy called Industry 4.0, which has brought about revolutionary changes in many areas of life, including education. To fully use the potential of smart products, services and business opportunities that are expected to be widely used in all sectors in the near future, education systems need to be revised to produce the skilled labour force required by this dynamic process. The ability of companies and institutions with a strong IT and technology infrastructure to reflect advanced digital technologies in innovation and production processes requires specific skills, described as 21st-century skills. Education 4.0 should be a response to these challenges with changed learning and teaching paradigms. In this context, we have organised an extensive survey on the relationship between the economy and higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We have created a web questionnaire that contains desirable characteristics of new employees and a set of questions, the analysis of which was used to determine an actual connection between the economy and higher education. After the factor analysis of the questionnaire, we obtained four desirable characteristics of new employees and the assessment of employers on their representation in each individual. We also concluded that the current impact of the economy on the processes of adopting new curricula is very low. We got the impression that higher education and economic development run in parallel, often without any points of contact. Full article

Nowadays, the theme of computer thinking is a common topic for educational research. The scientific literature on the subject has gradually appeared, in which psychologists emphasize the need for the development of thinking of children. Research often relates only to the development of computational thinking at elementary and high schools. Nowadays, almost everything is digitalized, so it is important to also develop the computational thinking skills of students at higher levels. In our study, we present the results of the conducted data analysis in which we examined the development of students’ efficiency. On the basis of the results, we propose a possible solution for the development of computational thinking. Using data research processes, we examined the results of the object-oriented (OO) planning and programming subject of Budapest Business School, going back 5 years. The results show that the level of particular computational thinking could be measured using the exam results, and teacher advancement (experience) improved the level of particular computational thinking. Today, education has been greatly influenced by COVID-19, challenging not only teachers but also students. The production of particular computational thinking under COVID-19 or online is much more effective than the pursuit of full computational thinking through traditional teaching. Full article

Digital transformation (DT) has changed the means and mechanisms for acquiring knowledge, meaning that higher education institutions (HEI) have changed the form of student-lecturer and teaching-learning interaction. Digital transformation must have a relevant role in building the hard skills (HS) necessary for academic entrepreneurship, where HS are easily taught and measured. This study analyses the basis of HS for digital academic entrepreneurship, answering the following research hypothesis: What are the hard skills—entrepreneurial education—for digital academic entrepreneurship and how are they formed? An extensive, inclusive literature review revealed that, due to the possibility of editing, reprogramming and generating digital technology, the basis of DT can support the development of HS in higher education students. The results show that HS can be developed considering three major pillars: (i) Management Tools, (ii) Digital Process, and (iii) Digital Products. Since HS are easily taught, this study shows how the use of digital technology can transform this scalable teaching process in order to reach the maximum number of students. It is therefore suggested that those in charge of HEIs use the pillars presented here in the framework proposed to guide their institutions’ strategic planning. With these pillars in mind, the aim is to stimulate the development of innovative business proposals developed in the academic environment and promote digital academic entrepreneurship. Full article

Several colleges and universities in the Middle East have been undertaking significant initiatives to forge and foster corporate entrepreneurship. The viability and success of those initiatives rest upon the input of faculty, possessing to various degrees an entrepreneurial orientation that revolves around innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactivity. This study investigates the extent to which individual-level factors moderate the influence of faculty entrepreneurial behavior on the entrepreneurial orientation of higher education institutions in Kuwait. These factors include gender, academic qualifications, teaching experience, school affiliation, scientific productivity, industrial experience, and professional certification. Data were collected using questionnaires filled by 291 faculty members, and the model was analyzed using structural equation modelling. The differences for each faculty characteristic in the structural path coefficients were tested using the Z-score statistics. The eight hypotheses that were partially validated as the most notable findings indicate that entrepreneurial orientation among male or business faculty has a greater impact on their institutions’ organizational, entrepreneurial orientation. In contrast, the differences for the rest of the moderating characteristics were insignificant. The originality of this study pertains to the fact that the scope of faculty intrapreneurship does not seem to be strongly affected by any individual-level characteristic. Full article