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26 pages, 3876 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Entrepreneurial Agility in Digital Entrepreneurship and Creating Value in Response to Digital Disruption in the Newspaper Industry

by Jahangir Karimi and Zhiping Walter

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2741; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052741 - 03 Mar 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5300

Abstract

Recently, digitization has fundamentally changed and disrupted the dynamics of the economy, society, and markets. This study integrates existing strategic entrepreneurship and business model concepts and constructs with a digital platform-related perspective by focusing on the cognitive aspects of strategic entrepreneurship decision-making and [...] Read more.

Recently, digitization has fundamentally changed and disrupted the dynamics of the economy, society, and markets. This study integrates existing strategic entrepreneurship and business model concepts and constructs with a digital platform-related perspective by focusing on the cognitive aspects of strategic entrepreneurship decision-making and clarifying the conceptual foundation of entrepreneurial agility and its dimensions. It investigates how entrepreneurial agility can combine or integrate opportunity- and advantage-seeking behaviors for product and business model innovation to pursue digital entrepreneurship, to foster sustainable processes and practices, and to create value in response to digital disruption. It finds that entrepreneurial agility directly impacts building digital platform capabilities for product and business model innovation and that building digital platform capabilities indirectly influence creating value through business model innovation adoption. This study discusses the theoretical and managerial implications for digital entrepreneurship research in detail by identifying and testing the relationships among these constructs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regional Economic Development)

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18 pages, 249 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Value of Cluster Association for Digital Marketing in Tourism Regional Development

by Raúl Tarazona-Montoya, Marta Peris-Ortiz and Carlos Devece

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9887; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239887 - 26 Nov 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3371

Abstract

This paper analyses the advantages of membership in a cluster in the effective use of digital marketing tools and in a general way, in the performance, especially for the small and medium firms in underdeveloped regions. For this purpose, a case method research [...] Read more.

This paper analyses the advantages of membership in a cluster in the effective use of digital marketing tools and in a general way, in the performance, especially for the small and medium firms in underdeveloped regions. For this purpose, a case method research was conducted in the tourism sector, specifically in the hotels in the La Guajira Department, Colombia, where there is a regional tourism cluster. The tourism sector especially depends on digital marketing and the proper use of available digital marketing tools play an essential role in the performance. To conduct the study, 40 hotels in La Guajira were analyzed, whether or not they were members in the cluster. The obtained data were assessed by means of fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to check the hypotheses. The results reveal the most effective combinations of digital marketing tools and the activities in which especially small and medium firms must engage in the cluster to obtain better results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regional Economic Development)

21 pages, 1595 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Beneficiaries of Training Co-Financed by the ESF and Their Employability Market Orientation in Creating Labour Market Competitiveness

by Przemysław Dubel and Anna Pawłowska

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9712; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229712 - 21 Nov 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1679

Abstract

The key objective of this article is to present the importance of human capital in the training process co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) in shaping sustainable economic development attitudes from the perspective of the labour market competitiveness. The presented research process [...] Read more.

The key objective of this article is to present the importance of human capital in the training process co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) in shaping sustainable economic development attitudes from the perspective of the labour market competitiveness. The presented research process focuses on the role of the psychological and competitive potential of individuals as workpreneurs on the modern labour market, showing an adaptive set of behaviours referred to as Employability Market Orientation. It has been assumed that one of its dimensions, which is Career Exploration, is of importance for the use of training as ESF interventions and is a manifestation of the scope of realization of the assumed goals under the European Union (EU) cohesion policy. CAWI type of research was carried out on a group of 840 Poles at the ages 18–60. The analysis of Pearson’s r correlations led to the establishment of the existence of a relationship between participation in ESF training and Career Exploration (CE). Persons with high CE indicated more frequently than the remaining respondents that ESF training had increased their competitiveness on the labour market, whilst there were fewer of those who noted they had brought them no benefits. On the other hand, no relationship was identified between CE and non-participation in EFS training on account of poor adjustment of the offer to the needs of the labour market. A conclusion may thus be drawn from the obtained results that regions in which individuals show diverse levels of CE features will avail of the training co-financed from the ESF to a varying degree, regardless of their form or efficiency of their procedures. The role of human capital potential was thus confirmed in realizing the basic goals of the EU cohesion policy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regional Economic Development)

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25 pages, 1912 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Nonlocal Entrepreneurial Teams Achieve Sustainable Performance: The Interaction between Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Organizational Legitimacy

by Longjun Liu, Wenhai Wan and Yenchun Jim Wu

Sustainability 2020, 12(21), 9237; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219237 - 06 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2314

Abstract

Nonlocal entrepreneurship plays an important role in promoting regional economic development. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the influence of the subjective and objective factors (organizational legitimacy and regional entrepreneurial ecosystem) of nonlocal entrepreneurship on its sustainable performance and boundary conditions. [...] Read more.

Nonlocal entrepreneurship plays an important role in promoting regional economic development. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the influence of the subjective and objective factors (organizational legitimacy and regional entrepreneurial ecosystem) of nonlocal entrepreneurship on its sustainable performance and boundary conditions. Through the analysis of 608 questionnaires of 237 teams at different times, the following conclusions are drawn: First, we find that entrepreneurial ecosystems and organizational legitimacy effectively promote nonlocal entrepreneurial teams’ sustainable performance, and strategic flexibility has positive moderating effects on this relationship. Secondly, through polynomial regression and response surface analysis, we find that the interaction between entrepreneurial ecosystems and organizational legitimacy has a positive impact on sustainable performance. Specifically, compared with the inconsistent status of entrepreneurial ecosystems and organizational legitimacy, the sustainable performance is higher under a consistent status. Compared with the low consistency status of entrepreneurial ecosystems and organizational legitimacy, the sustainable performance in the high consistency status is higher. Therefore, we suggest that the government, universities, and enterprises should build entrepreneurial ecosystems to promote the sustainability of nonlocal entrepreneurial teams. For nonlocal entrepreneurial teams, organizational legitimacy and strategic flexibility should be enhanced. The presented research adds to the literature by integrating subject and object factors (organizational legitimacy and regional entrepreneurial ecosystem), which has important theoretical significance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regional Economic Development)

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21 pages, 897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Smart Specialisation as a Strategy for Implementing the Regional Innovation Development Policy—Poland Case Study

by Magdalena Kogut-Jaworska and Elżbieta Ociepa-Kicińska

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7986; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197986 - 27 Sep 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3689

Abstract

Regional Innovation and Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) are treated as one of the key tools in implementing the concept of smart and sustainable growth. The strategies make it possible to focus investments on research, development and innovation (RD & I) in the areas [...] Read more.

Regional Innovation and Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) are treated as one of the key tools in implementing the concept of smart and sustainable growth. The strategies make it possible to focus investments on research, development and innovation (RD & I) in the areas showing the greatest economic and competitive potential of the regions. The article is based on the assumption that innovativeness on the one hand determines and on the other hand is determined by smart and sustainable growth. The aim of the analysis is to present new research assumptions and the results of the regional benchmarking based on a synthetic measure of development, and verification of the relationships between the level of innovative development and the economic development in the regions. This article presents the results of a research study covering all the sixteen regions of Poland, the outcome of which is an indicator of regional innovativeness based on 17 features, which means that the study considered a total of 2992 features. The methods applied in the study included the zero unitarisation method, the linear ordering method, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. The completed research study has shown the stability of positions held by the individual regions and the considerable, persisting disproportions in the innovation development between the regions taking the positions at both ends of the ranking. Moreover, a moderate positive correlation was identified between the GDP per capita level and the value of the synthetic measure of regional innovation development in 2009. The completed analyses made it possible to formulate the conclusions that show the benefits, weaknesses and dilemmas related to the introduction of smart specialisations for sustainable and innovative regional development in Poland over the past decade. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regional Economic Development)

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18 pages, 959 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Country’s Entrepreneurial Environment Predictors for Starting a New Venture—Evidence for Romania

by Carmen Păunescu and Elisabeta Molnar

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7794; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187794 - 21 Sep 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3036

Abstract

Entrepreneurship has been recognized as a key contributor to the economic development of countries and societal wellbeing. Building and sustaining an adequate entrepreneurial climate challenges—to a high extent—transitional economies world-wide, pushing these countries to develop policies and strategies aimed to sustain high-quality national [...] Read more.

Entrepreneurship has been recognized as a key contributor to the economic development of countries and societal wellbeing. Building and sustaining an adequate entrepreneurial climate challenges—to a high extent—transitional economies world-wide, pushing these countries to develop policies and strategies aimed to sustain high-quality national entrepreneurship. The paper seeks to understand the key determinants of a country’s entrepreneurial environment that drive potential entrepreneurs to assume an entrepreneurial status. It attempts to examine the countries’ entrepreneurial environment factors that influence the development of entrepreneurial spirit and affect the potential entrepreneurs’ decision to start a new venture as a desirable career opportunity. Entrepreneurial spirit is measured by entrepreneurial desirability, feasibility and social stability, taken from the Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report (AGER) 2018 data on national entrepreneurship. The results of the linear regression employed in the paper suggest that, in transitional economies like Romania, clear and stable rules and regulations, manageable taxes, an overall beneficial economic situation, as well as availability and accessibility of technology, may lead to greater entrepreneurial drive and ambition, which is fundamental to sustaining economic growth. The article ends with a discussion about the results and implications of the research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regional Economic Development)

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25 pages, 322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Regional Perspective on R&D Policies for SMEs: Does Success Breed Success?

by Sonja Radas, Andrea Mervar and Bruno Škrinjarić

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3846; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093846 - 08 May 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1886

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the effects of EU policy schemes that support innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises. Since the effectiveness of innovation schemes can be expected to differ across Europe as entrepreneurship and innovation tend to be more intense in more [...] Read more.

In this paper, we examine the effects of EU policy schemes that support innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises. Since the effectiveness of innovation schemes can be expected to differ across Europe as entrepreneurship and innovation tend to be more intense in more developed regions, we postulate that the effect of EU instruments on additionality increases with the level of development. We offer a multi-country perspective using two waves of Community Innovation Survey data (CIS 2008 and CIS 2012). We find that the impact of EU funding depends on the level of country’s innovativeness: both national and EU public schemes exhibit smaller additionality in less developed countries, while crowding-out is observed only in recently joined EU members. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regional Economic Development)

14 pages, 248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does State-level Upgrade of High-tech Zones Promote Urban Innovation Efficiency: Evidence from China

by Qiong Wang, Ru Yang, Ruyue Zhao and Chengyuan Wang

Sustainability 2019, 11(21), 6071; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216071 - 01 Nov 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5434

Abstract

Among China’s existing state-level High-tech Industry Development Zones (HIDZ), the number of upgraded ones account for more than 65%, which are supposed to fulfill the important mission of leading innovation. However, while the upgraded state-level HIDZ enjoy more opportunities than before, they also [...] Read more.

Among China’s existing state-level High-tech Industry Development Zones (HIDZ), the number of upgraded ones account for more than 65%, which are supposed to fulfill the important mission of leading innovation. However, while the upgraded state-level HIDZ enjoy more opportunities than before, they also face major challenges such as the significant inter-generational differences between them and the born state-level HIDZ. Based on the panel data of Chinese (prefecture-level) cities from 2007 to 2015, the paper empirically examines the impact of the state-level upgrade of HIDZ on urban innovation efficiency by using a difference-in-differences propensity score matching approach (PSM-DID). The results show that the upgraded state-level HIDZ has significantly improved urban innovation efficiency, and this positive effect has gradually increased with the implementation of the upgrade policy. The further heterogeneity analysis shows that the higher the scientific research level of higher education institutions in the cities, the greater the promotion effect of the state-level upgrade. The paper evaluates the policy effect of the upgraded state-level HIDZ from their stated mission, which is a powerful complement to the existing research and provides more effective guidance for policy-makers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regional Economic Development)

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