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Mitigating carbon emissions and waste, along with economic objectives, are the major concerns for businesses and industries today. Current studies have underlined the requirement to shift the company from entrepreneur to ecopreneur with three goals, i.e., social, economic, and environmental sustainability. This paper investigates an economic order quantity model for deteriorating items with partial backordering on integrating the factors that affect the environment and society. Carbon emissions linked to operational activities of inventory can be reduced with the help of investment in green technology. Deterioration is controlled here with the help of investment in preservation technology. Dumping of waste without the proper mechanism has a hazardous effect on society. So, the cost is also included in this study to adopt the appropriate means to dispose of the wastage. Here, imprecise demand with selling price and advertisement cost-dependent demand is considered. This paper provides some theoretical results related to the concavity of the objective function and solution algorithm to obtain the optimal values of decision variables. A numerical analysis is presented to validate the model. Concavity is demonstrated graphically by considering the decision variables in a pair. Results indicate that as the capital investment in preservation technology rises from 3 to 8 units, around 83% and 90% declines in deterioration rate and disposable cost are observed, respectively. Due to the investment in preservation technology, the disposable cost reduces and profit increases to a certain level. A decline of 4% in carbon footprints is observed due to enhancing the investment in green technology by 33%. In the end, sensitivity analysis has been performed and managerial insights have been provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a society based on data-driven, data inclusion and data access play a significant role in societal development. A called democratization of data through open access, Open Data, must be nurtured by countries to empower their citizens, entrepreneurs, companies, industries, academics, and organizations, in general. Open Data Scoring System is an evaluation system that ranks countries in 22 categories of openness in data, divided into the 3 pillars of sustainability. In this paper, we will present the importance of Industry 4.0 and its relation to sustainability and the role of Data Science in Industry 4.0 assuming an Open Design approach. Then, an analysis is made considering the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the most relevant countries worldwide, the USA and China, concerning the six (6) higher ranked categories of openness data of these countries, supported by the Open Data Scoring System from 2015 to 2020. Our findings reveal that in the USA and China the main categories are seven (7), five (5), and 2 (two) categories of economic, social, and environmental sustainability, respectively. Through a correlations and co-occurrences analysis of the open data scoring worldwide reveals that the most significant categories are four (4) economic, one (1) social, and two (2) environmental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The company's innovativeness is largely influenced by external factors, which is influenced by the increasing demand for new products, pressure from competition, or accelerating the processes of europeanization and globalization. An enterprise described as innovative is considered to be better and more desirable. Businesses recognize that they need to understand where the market is heading and create products and services that fit with it. The entrepreneurs understand that they need to innovate so as not to be left behind. The aim of the paper was to show the importance of the issues of sustainable development in relation to the innovativeness of Polish enterprises. The paper presents the idea of sustainable development, the concept of innovation and sustainable innovation in business. The theoretical considerations have been extended to the presentation of selected projects for sustainable innovations in enterprises in Poland and around the world. The considerations were also enriched with the results of research conducted among the managerial staff of selected Polish enterprises located in the Silesian Voivodeship. The research was conducted in the period November 2021 - March 2022 among companies that were known to have experience in activities related to sustainable development. The aim of the research was to get to know the awareness of management staff about sustainable development and to find out what importance is given in companies to issues related to sustainable development and sustainable innovation, how it affects their company and what actions are taken to further take into account the principles of sustainable development in their activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to support entrepreneurs in the Business Model Innovation (BMI) process, practice-oriented frameworks such as the St. Gallen Business Model NavigatorTM (BMN) are considered to be a powerful tool. The aim of this paper is to identify strengths and limitations of the BMN when applied to start-ups in their early stages and to contribute to the optimization of the BMN in terms of applicability for start-ups. Furthermore, the paper aims to emphasize the importance of BMI for start-ups and the relevance of a supporting framework as well as formulating a unified catalogue of requirements of BMI frameworks for start-ups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experience of highly developed countries proves that innovation is the driving force of economy. Emerging economies should in particular be focused on innovation, in order to achieve higher productivity and boost their competitive advantage. This is especially important in the current reality of disruptive changes related to IT and ICT new technologies rapid emergence. Technologies already partly adopted on the ground of industrial automation lead to further implementations in many sectors of economy. The reality is often adverse. This particularly concerns insufficient activities of enterprises with respect to intellectual assets creation. Although some progress is observed, emerging economies enterprises rather applicate existing solutions, than invest in their own intellectual assets. Furthermore, financial performance measures concerning innovation activity of enterprises often provide mixed findings. In this context, the purpose of this paper was threefold: to propose a practical set of adjusted performance measures, to verify if innovators sustain performance development and receive additional economic profits, and finally to encourage stronger innovation engagement of managers and entrepreneurs. The results of this empirical study proved that the selected group of enterprises generated positive performance development within three perspectives: financial, economic and intellectual capital efficiency. Moreover, these enterprises seem to have additional innovation bias revealed by further investments of retained profits in new implementations, which should also be taken into consideration with respect to performance measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of buildings especially high rise building has become one of the most successful business where business people invest large amount of their money in this field. The prosperity of nations and their economy increases by the increase of the size of their construction industry. That's why it's considered one of the most important topic that researchers should focus on how to safely proceed the work. The construction process is divided into a group of small activities that should be put in their right sequence to maintain smooth construction process with the most economic plan of optimized time and cost, Zhang and Ng (2008) [13]. Good planning in the construction projects increases the possibility of the contractor to finish within time and within budget and reduces the chance of expected chaos breaking out. This paper aims to reduce the time and cost for construction projects that experience repetition of the project activities by making use of the phenomena of learning curve that will enhance time and cost savings and also the quality of the project considering the start and end dates (deadline) of the project. This paper is concerned with the continuity of the activity in a way that reduces interruptions for fully and efficiently emphasize smooth learning curve. The paper introduces; (1) detailed scheduling of activities experiencing repetition; (2) optimization of time and cost of the project by specifying the optimal and most recommended number of crews for each activity and the recommended learning rates of the crews performing an activity. Where the learning rates may also express the degree at which the crews performing the task are skilled and intelligent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents considerations on the entrepreneurial management of SMEs. The paper consists of two main parts. The first, theoretical part outlines the most important concepts concerning the subject under consideration. These concepts became the basis for formulating conclusions from the study in the empirical part. The empirical material allows for establishing that the entrepreneurial management in SMEs is integrated with the organisation's strategy, with the process of knowledge location as well as with the process of creating innovative solutions. Moreover, it has been proved that the coexistence of three orientations, i.e. strategic orientation, knowledge location orientation and innovation orientation, enables SMEs to develop and implement entrepreneurial management practices that are aimed at recognising and seizing market opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research paper is to explore the antecedents and consequences of circular entrepreneurship in emerging markets. The consequences of circular entrepreneurship will be explored through the lens of three dimensions of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental. This study used a multi-case approach, which is frequently applied in circular business literature. The study used convenient and purposeful sampling techniques to identify circular entrepreneurs starting a business by recognizing opportunities in CE. We interviewed the 15 entrepreneurs (all participants engage in plastic circular entrepreneurship) with more than 8 years of experience. We employed a semi-structured interview method because respondents explored important information during the interview. Atlas.ti, a prominent qualitative software package, was used for analysis. This study portrays the antecedents and consequences of circular entrepreneurship identified when circular entrepreneurs take the initiative to serve low-income customers. This study points out that circular entrepreneurs can be motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically. The consequences of circular entrepreneurship show how such enterprises impact on society, sustainability, and the economy. The study points out that circular entrepreneurship can have both positive and negative impacts on the environment. By investigating the determinants and consequences of circular entrepreneurship in emerging markets, the authors make a significant contribution to the field of circular economy and entrepreneurship. We have limited logistics and resources, thus we did not collect data from stakeholders, who might provide a richer picture and insights into how circular products affect their lifestyle. Policymakers can get a better understanding of such enterprises from the findings of this study. They should reassess policies regarding circular entrepreneurship and suggest ways to promote open innovation within circular entrepreneurship. Circular enterprises serve low-income customers by offering an affordable product with attractive features. The government should develop an open innovation action-packed forum to find, design, and create prototypes, as well as introduce more comprehensive sustainable solutions for wastable plastic products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's rapidly changing business landscape, innovation is recognized as a critical driver of growth and competitiveness for organizations. As businesses strive to remain agile and respond to evolving customer demands, the need for effective tools to assess innovation performance has become increasingly vital. Problem Statement: To better understand Research, Development, and Innovation (RD&I) projects, it might be valuable to investigate and implement new approaches to improve the current innovation indexes. Such exploration could allow for a more detailed and nuanced analysis, enabling a comprehensive evaluation of various aspects of the projects. It may be beneficial to explore ways to enhance the current innovation indexes to provide more nuanced and comprehensive insights into RD&I projects. Traditional indexes are not designed to account for the uncertainty, non-linear progression, and the necessity for long-term impact assessment of RD&I projects. Moreover, projects that involve both hardware and software components introduce additional complexities due to their interdisciplinary nature, integration challenges, and differing lifecycle speeds, making their assessment particularly challenging. This paper describes the conceptualization and evaluation of the InnoVation Index (IVI), underscoring its role in the innovation assessment within the complex landscape of RD&I projects, focusing on those involving hardware and software components. The methodology comprised a two-fold process. Initially, a literature review was conducted to comprehensively understand existing innovation indexes and their shortcomings, especially in hardware and software projects. Drawing on the insights from this review and leveraging the expertise of innovation specialists, we formulated the conceptual framework of the IVI. Subsequently, the IVI was implemented in an RD&I Centre affiliated with a public university in Brazil. The IVI evaluation encompassed over 40 projects from collaborations with about 20 global IT companies. Rigorous data collection procedures were employed, involving at least three data collection sessions for different phases of each project. More than 150 data collection sessions engage project managers and business professionals to provide a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the project activities and their innovation levels. Using the IVI measurement, we successfully identified "disruptive", "potentially disruptive", "potentially innovative", and "non-innovative" projects, allowing stakeholders to tailor their strategies and resource allocation accordingly. The application of the IVI has proven instrumental in aiding stakeholders in decision-making, resource allocation, and project activity realignment. These results underscore the pivotal role of the IVI in overcoming the limitations inherent in traditional indexes, offering a tailored and efficient approach to assess and enhance innovation efforts within the RD&I context, especially in projects that bridge hardware and software domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at examining academic production on social entrepreneurship, in order to identify approaches and drivers, as well as offer an analytical overview on the topic. Social entrepreneurs are individuals with a social mission, capable of combining practices and knowledge as well as developing partnerships to promote sustainable social change. The weaving of a social mission into an enterprise can bring about social innovation through the development of solutions to long-standing problems and the improvement of the living conditions of a community. The present paper is the result of a systematic survey in the Web of Science database that aimed at analyzing academic production in the area. Its practical and theoretical contributions will allow the construction of a network of themes and the identification of new emerging areas. Moreover, it analyses the dimensions and drivers of social entrepreneurship research, obtaining thus an integrative perspective. It provides also a panoramic assessment of available researches, allowing the authors to identify gaps of knowledge and, consequently, new topics to be investigated. Finally, it can offer a unique perspective for institutions, companies and communities challenged by the need to perform holistic social innovations. The authors propose a research framework that may offer guidance to specialists and researchers willing to investigate the link between dimensions and elements of a social entrepreneurship from a social development point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how the notion of degrowth directs our focus as researchers, which leads us to deliberate on the consequences of empirically placing degrowth 'in the world.' We propose to rethink methodological questions about how phenomena are put into relation with notions of degrowth (or not) – and our own role as researchers in this process. Mobilizing the concept of diffraction, we argue that careful attention must be paid to what notions of 'degrowth' do in/to our research practices, including their role in researchers' selecting, thinking and talking about social phenomena – as well as the material and discursive practices encountered in fieldwork. This is illustrated through engagement with two studies, which undertook research on a housing community in Manchester (United Kingdom) and eco-social entrepreneurs in Stuttgart (Germany). Analyzing these cases with a diffractive lens, we show how an attunement to difference allows for attention to be paid to the 'translation' and 'operationalization' of degrowth in (research) practice. This orientation, we suggest, can help scholars with the inevitable negotiations intrinsic to the choice of how and whether to engage with and understand degrowth in empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inventory control is a widely discussed topic in the real world, and recently, it has become closely linked to concerns about carbon emissions and global warming. Global warming is a pressing issue, mainly due to a lack of awareness and action. Traditional inventory models, which typically use integer-order differential equations, overlook the memory aspect of the system. Addressing inventory management is essential in our efforts to combat global warming. This paper introduces a novel approach by incorporating carbon emission costs within a fuzzy environment. Fractional Calculus, a powerful mathematical tool, is employed to capture the memory effect of the system. This approach distinguishes between long memory, characterized by a strong memory effect, and short memory, associated with a poor memory effect, through the use of fractional derivatives and integrals. Numerical results are analyzed based on these memory concepts. Entrepreneurs often find it difficult to determine exact values for known parameters in the real world. Therefore, this study considers the uncertain nature of ordering costs, the rate of deterioration, and demand rates as triangular fuzzy numbers. The optimal average cost and ordering intervals are determined using a solution methodology. A sensitivity analysis is performed to demonstrate how different system parameters influence the outcomes within a fuzzy environment. Notably, it is observed that profit tends to be higher under conditions of strong memory compared to poor memory effects. Moreover, it's worth emphasizing that profits are notably more favorable when employing the signed distance method compared to the graded mean integration method, especially in situations marked by strong memory effects. This study highlights the importance of considering sensitive parameters in the model, especially under conditions of strong memory effects. Such parameters require careful attention in the pursuit of effective inventory management strategies to mitigate carbon emissions and combat global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As long as there is an academic discussion about the essence of finance, specifically, of whether it is ‘art’ or ‘science,’ managers and entrepreneurs, especially beginners, experience the necessity to acquire realistic and basic knowledge of financial management. Financial knowledge helps people feel more committed and involved in an organization. In our opinion, a manager does better when he understands how financial success is measured and how he has an impact on the company's performance. In this case we speak about a manager's financial literacy. The results of this paper reveal the effect of personal qualities of undergraduate students on the efficiency of acquisition of financial subjects. Sixty four participants between the age of 18 and 23 were recruited for this study from the programs Transport and Business Logistics and Business Management in Transportation of the Transport and Telecommunication Institute. The attainment of financial literacy amongst this student population was studied through the study of learning outcomes for financial subjects and the role of achievement motivation, its components and intellectual capabilities of these learner managers, future managers of transportation and logistics companies. To obtain the answer to the question of whether there is any correlation between achievement motivation and acquisition of financial literacy, the Achievement Motivation Inventory (AMI) of 17 facets and Raven's Progressive Matrices (SPM-C) were deployed, and the learning outcomes for financial subjects were analysed. The results of this paper indicate that striving for attainment is one of the main motivational factors for the achievement of financial literacy and development of financial management skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software bought revolutionary change making entrepreneurs fortunate enough to make money in less time with least effort and correct output. SDLC (Software development life cycle) is responsible for software's reliability, performance, scalability, functionality and maintainability. Although all phases of SDLC have their own importance but Software architecture serves as the foundation for other phases of SDLC. Just like sketch of a building helps constructor to correctly construct the building, software architecture helps software developer to develop the software properly. There are various styles available for software architecture. In this paper, clear picture of all important software architecture styles are presented along with recent advancement in software architecture and design phases. It could be helpful for a software developer to select an appropriate style according to his/her project's requirement. An architectural style must be chosen correctly to get its all benefits in the system. All the architectural styles are compared on the basis of various quality attributes. This paper also specifies the application area, advantages and disadvantages of each architectural style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first primary motivation of this paper is to propose new methods for measuring similarity between interval-valued fuzzy sets based on an order relation of the intervals, which are a possible and necessary similarity measure. To capture the basic idea of the suggested approach, one has to realize that an interval-valued fuzzy set (IVFS) can be considered as a family of closed intervals describing imprecise information, or uncertainty, on the possible belongingness of each element of the universe of discourse and the dependence between them. Consequently, any relation between two interval-valued fuzzy sets could be analyzed using the links between the corresponding families of intervals. The core of the proposed methodology is based on the description of possible and necessary inclusion and the width of the corresponding intervals in epistemic issues, i.e. optimistic (possible) and pessimistic (necessary) measures. Our second motivation is to use our concept of measures to early detect the risk of depressive episodes among students tested for this research. We propose an effective algorithm to estimate the risk of depressive episodes. By using machine learning methods concerning uncertainty, we obtained more sensitivity to diagnosis compared to the currently used tests, e.g., CESD-R. We aim to identify the risk of depressive states before they are indicated in other tests such as CESD-R, which can prevent the appearance of symptoms after early medical consultation. In the initial study, we were able to achieve a 4-week faster diagnosis of at-risk depression in 20% of subjects who had CESD-R at risk, so we are talking about a more sensitive test, in this sense, as a result of this work. The proposed methodology, in the form of a system, will be used in medical centers by general practitioners or entrepreneurs for their subordinates to eliminate depression-related breaks at an early prevention stage. • Effectively may be described uncertainty by similarity in the optimistic (possible) and pessimistic (necessary) issues for interval-valued fuzzy sets. • The need to create a sensitive test for early depression diagnosis and depression prevention with life-threatening episodes. • The usefulness of the method of machine learning in diagnosing depression and also in avoiding its severe cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the knowledge economy nowadays, a physical working space is less valuable than virtual networks and business clusters. Science technology parks and innovation centers, virtual incubators and business information centers could be a far more convenient way to support start-ups in the process of transferring business ideas, challenges and innovative technologies into competitive profitable businesses that create wealth. Presence and cognition technologies play an important role in the knowledge management process, helping entrepreneurs learn and solve lots of different problems more effectively. In this regard, it is very important to figure out the most effective technological solutions and principal directions for implementing work-based learning strategies in the learning process. The work with knowledge implies creation of content: generation of a new knowledge in order to stimulate the development of innovative processes. The goal of the paper is to get a new perspective view and understanding of the development of virtual business support infrastructure is facilitated in order to develop a network of innovative SMEs, foster communication, collaboration, individual's motivation and exchange of experiences of SMEs. This paper describes the theoretical principles of information flow modelling in network of collaborative and innovative SMEs with a practical example of a virtual business support infrastructure. The research idea is to describe the principles of virtual support system for entrepreneurs, cognition technologies that influence development in each individual to ensure sustainable entrepreneurship. WBL is used as a tool to achieve the goal of internalizing knowledge by experience in the workplace. For an employee, it is an opportunity to learn and possibly obtain a higher degree and collaboration with colleagues, while for an employer a way to increase the power of the company thanks to better-qualified staff and business partners. The result of the research is the analysis of the virtual business support infrastructure, improved quality of knowledge flow, and recommendations for developing work-based learning with regard to the encouragement of efficient knowledge management in entrepreneurship for common aims. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Historically, universities have played many roles in transforming societies, by educating decision-makers, leaders, entrepreneurs, and academics. However, education and research on sustainability in universities is at an early stage in many institutions. This introduction highlights findings from articles, most of which were presented at the Environmental Management for Sustainable Universities (EMSU) 2010 conference, held at Delft, the Netherlands. The articles contribute to answering the questions: 1. Are universities leading in the development of sustainable development mental models and paradigms and in transferring the related sustainable development memes to their students or are they reacting to stimuli from society and thus the sustainable development memes are being transferred to the universities from the society? 2. What can university leaders and their faculty do to ensure that sustainable development becomes an integral part of the University's culture? The starting point of this special volume is a paper on declarations and initiatives for Education for Sustainable Development which is complemented by a paper on inter-linking the declarations to the university's commitment and policies. Two papers explore campus operations and greenhouse gases, whilst three papers focus on curricula for sustainable development. Then two papers are included, which address multi-stakeholder regional collaboration, via linking the university to small and medium size enterprises through sustainable development initiatives. They are complemented with new perspectives on attitudes and perceptions of students to environmental and sustainability issues. The final two papers focus on transdisciplinary research and on a new metaphor designed to help faculty, students and societal members work is harmony with our eco-system. Collectively, these articles provide an encouraging, holistic and trans-disciplinary perspective on higher education for sustainable development via articles that provide critical reflections on methodological perspectives where ‘the sciences meet the arts’. The articles were selected to encourage educators, globally to engage in sustainable development initiatives within and outside their universities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we draw on open innovation paradigms and Activity Theory to describe how a research organization operates and manages the development of a platform for serious gaming. In particular, we focus our efforts on the relationships formed within the research organization and across the gaming community, and consider whether open innovation practices followed. While open innovation has been explored considerably in relation to its business value and its wide application in gaming, what misses in the literature is a micro-analysis of why and how it occurs through discursive activities. The paper addresses this gap in the literature by offering an understanding of how dialogues develop between individuals that have never developed a gaming platform before neither do they have a working history on this specific field. Discourse analysis is performed to study the initial interactions of actors with each other and the mediating tools they have at their disposal until they manage to develop a platform for serious games which will then attract contributions from the gaming community. The case study provides an instructive example of the innovation process and shows that the innovation process can be comprehensively examined as a shared activity. Addressing the scope of the conference, the paper suggests that Activity Theory, a multi-disciplinary approach, can support organizations and entrepreneurs in developing an effective design strategy for serious applications of games and virtual world technologies and thus addressing the challenges raised by the shift towards immersive world applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Only a small fraction of SMEs are successful in achieving exceptional performance and sustainable growth, The literature shows that there is still a gap for effective ways to increase the size of that fraction. This paper aims to contribute in filling the gap by identifying factors affecting SME performance and, hence, their development; and to develop a conceptual framework explaining their relationships. The literature reveals that although there is positive relationship between entrepreneur traits and firm performance in the context of SMEs, the relationship is still inconclusive; suggesting that there are intervening constructs between the two constructs. Field observations and literature reviews suggest five second- order constructs serving mediating roles between entrepreneur traits and firm performance that may clarify the relationship, i.e., (1) innovative performance, (2) innovative capacity, (3) organizational search, (4) market orientation, and (5) entrepreneurial orientation. Although the relationships among the seven constructs have been extensively studied in the extant literature, this paper is one of the few efforts, if any, in investigating the seven constructs in a comprehensive framework as a basis for further studies. If empirically supported, the proposed framework may provide an effective alternative in assisting entrepreneurs and SMEs’ owners to develop their firms more effectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This discussion highlights and defines key factors and organisational structures for the transformation of local agro-biomass based bioenery systems in Sweden and Denmark. Cross case study analysis is applied to 13 examples where straw is used for energy at various scales within a conceptual framework developed by the authors. This also delivers a cross-country comparison of systems and of the stakeholder entrepreneurs involved in straw-to-energy activities. The paper then delineates four different types of agro-biomass based frameworks for organisation and action. These include ‘small scale local heat production’, ‘medium scale local heat provision with excess for sale’, ‘medium scale conversion and district heating’, and ‘large scale power or combined heat and power generation’. Three categories of farm-based entrepreneurs (i.e. pluriactive, resource exploiting and portfolio farmer) emerge from case studies and are described in the paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper empirically analyzes the effect of the indigenous R&D, introduction of technology on the energy consumption intensity in China, based on a panel of 31 industrial sectors for 1998–2006.The results show that indigenous R&D contributes to a significant decline of energy intensity in high energy-consuming intensity group and 31 industrial sectors,and has no significant effects on energy consumption intensity in low energy-consuming intensity group. Foreign technology purchased has a significant negative influence on energy consumption intensity only in 31 industrial sectors. Domestic technology transfer has no significant impact on energy consumption intensity in all samples. This paper will interest those policy makers and industrial entrepreneurs who are willing to improve energy efficiency in the industrial sector. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The evolution of globalization has provided a vast array of opportunities to the whole world. Companies have moved across the boundaries to take advantage of wider customer base. While exploring benefits of globalization and moving across boundaries, these giant multinational companies often pose a serious threat to the local companies of the host country by intensifying the competition for them. Especially the SMEs of less developed countries are more vulnerable because of their limited investment, already insufficient to remain competitive in the market. The establishment of stable and prosperous SME sector ensures the economic success of a country. Most of the developing economies are pursuing their growth by stabilizing their SME sector. These developing countries with gradually increasing purchasing power parity due to their economic growth are also a charm for the MNCs. These MNCs along with their huge resources, technological expertise and already achieved economies play a dominating role and evacuate the markets of local SMEs by their cost leadership strategy resulting in destruction of local industrial base and consequently the economic growth of the country. The paper indicates the negative effects of the MNCs on the growth of local industry thus providing a framework to the policy makers to devise policies safeguarding their local companies. The research also aims to facilitate local small scale entrepreneurs to be aware of the possible threats and enabling them to better combat against the giant MNCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The influence of business schools on business practitioners is considerable. An important proportion of corporate leaders hold a degree in business administration or an MBA, if not both. In the context of climate change, this influence matters: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a selection of global 500 companies approximate that of the USA and the EU15 combined. Not only do corporations have a significant climate footprint, but the impact of climate change on the business landscape is already noticeable. Yet, meeting the managerial challenges that climate change brings requires knowledge only moderately addressed in business education and scholarship today. Climate change tends to be discussed in electives – hence reaching only a fraction of students – and tends to be treated alongside a myriad of other corporate social responsibility issues. Moreover, from 1992 to 2008, only seven articles with titles containing climate change or global warming were published in the top-30 peer-reviewed management journals (this paper, see also ). In this paper, by mapping the diffusion of climate change within press media and academic peer-reviewed publications, I argue that understanding the existing lag in business scholarship engagement requires a fundamental understanding of processes that either hinder or lead to the diffusion of new ideas. To do so, I present a simple yet novel approach for the quantification of climate change or global warming (CCorGW) coverage relative to population size. My results on the diffusion of the climate change idea over time show: (a) an overall increase in proportional coverage in all databases (b) tipping points around the late 1980s and circa 2005 and (c) delays in adoption between press categories. I explicate the occurrence of these tipping points as well as the existence of delays by theoretically unifying my analyses with results from previous studies under the umbrella of the diffusion of innovation paradigm. I suggest that the following key factors have contributed in slowing the diffusion within business scholarship: (a) corporate values, beliefs and operational modes (b) social structures and incentives prevailing within academia and finally (b) academia''s valued research communication channels. I conclude by elaborating key recommendations to facilitate the diffusion of this idea to business scholars and other influential audiences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent years, the Circular Economy (CE) has gained attention as a strategy for achieving sustainable development through cleaner production and reducing waste and pollution. At the same time, digital technologies are recognized as crucial sustainability drivers by enabling efficiency, collaboration, and innovation. This research paper explores the factors that support Green Entrepreneurship (GE) and digitalization in the context of CE and Waste Management (WM) in Indian manufacturing "Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises" (MSMEs). Further, the study prioritizes, establishes a contextual relationship, and clusters the GE factors that enable digitalization in the CE and WM of Indian manufacturing MSMEs. To meet research goals, the study uses a mixed-methods approach that includes a literature review, qualitative interviews with MSME managers, and theoretical support (stakeholder theory, resource-based view, dynamic capability theory, met expectation theory, and upper echelons theory) to find the enablers. Further, two-phase "Multi-Criteria Decision Making" (MCDM) tools are utilized. Initially, the quantitative "Best-Worst Method" (BWM) was used for ranking, and then "Total Interpretive Structural Modeling" (TISM) was used to establish a mutual relationship among the enablers. The strength of relationships among the enablers was established based on "dependence power" (DEP) and "driving power" (DRP). The findings through BWM analysis show that among the main category, technology-based enablers, and among sub-categories, top management and organizational coordination are the high-priority enablers/sub-enablers to optimize sustainable action. The findings also suggest that technology infrastructure for cleaner and sustainable manufacturing, knowledge of green entrepreneurs, training, the dynamic capacities of digitalization towards a CE, subsidies, and finance are driving enablers. The research contributes to understanding the enabling factors of GE and digitalization and their interdependencies for CE and sustainable development. [Display omitted] • Green Entrepreneurship and Digitalization drive Sustainable Waste Management and Circular Economy. • Top management and organizational coordination are crucial for sustainable action. • Infrastructure and knowledge drive digitalization in the Circular Economy. • Digitalization and green entrepreneurship complement the circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the existing tools for design in a sustainable fashion context are too complex, overly conceptual, require experts to apply, have a high cost, were created for large corporations, or fall short in holistically supporting sustainable fashion design entrepreneurial practices. Micro-sized enterprises represent a significant portion of the fashion industry and can meaningfully contribute to the transition to a more sustainable apparel and textile industry. This paper addresses this gap through the development of an original design tool, the reDesign canvas, to support design entrepreneurs in developing sustainable fashion enterprises. Informed by design thinking and systems thinking, the canvas was developed based on an in-depth review of the academic literature and the collection of qualitative data. Qualitative data were gathered through both participatory action research (PAR) and interviews with 38 sustainable fashion design entrepreneurs and experts in sustainable fashion. Both the PAR and the interviews were used to test and refine the reDesign canvas in order to ensure it meets the needs of sustainable design entrepreneurs operating micro-sized companies. The final version of the canvas is based on 12 building blocks that a design entrepreneur would encounter in building a sustainable fashion brand. The reDesign canvas can help advance both the theory and practice of sustainable fashion design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aside from potential environmental benefits, the implementation of circular economy principles in businesses can have merits for the labour market. The current unemployment in several regions of Europe and the qualitative mismatch between supply and demand could be countered by reskilling the labour force to adjust supply and demand to one another for increased reuse, repair, or recycling, among others. This study uses interviews to increase the focus of the research question and uses survey data to perform an ordered probit regression analysis to sketch the current and future landscape of startups' skills in Flanders (Belgium), and to analyse the relationship between circular strategies and different types of skills. The results show that design to lower material use increases the need for transport and logistics skills, digitalisation increases the need for R&D and IT skills, and the recuperation of waste requires technical knowledge. Furthermore, gender, age, and experience of the entrepreneur influence the needed skills. The paper probed for policy recommendations for the uptake of circular strategies and recommendations for future research. The most asked policy measures by the respondents are innovation and collaboration support (subsidies), fiscal measures that support circular goods and services, and public procurement for circular goods and services. This research is of relevance for several stakeholders, such as startup ecosystems, sector organisations, policy makers in innovation policy and labour market policy, and educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we attempt to study the relation between variance among entrepreneurs and the social and economic dynamics of a small Brazilian community that over a comparatively short period emerged from abandonment and obscurity to become one of the premier tourist destinations in the country. Although our study was unabashedly exploratory, inspired on the Grounded Theory method, we encountered several accounts reflecting the literature in our initial interviews. Some viewed the town's recent development as the result of the inspired intervention of a few prominent leaders while some viewed the town's trajectory as a straightforward result of macroeconomic evolution. The importance of variance among entrepreneurs and their relations among themselves and with the broader community became more apparent and we found a modest body of work that helped us to interpret our results and which we in turn will attempt to inform. We will explore our results and their likely relationship to existing theory, but for introductory purposes we preview six major findings: (1) The community has developed a shared vocabulary of oppositional categories which express the major social tensions created by the town's rapid development; (2) different entrepreneurial postures or types are located in different spaces created by the intersection or juxtaposition of these oppositional categories. the different types are aware of their location and the location of others in this positional scheme; (3) different types of entrepreneurs have different goals and preferences for the development of the community, which have radically different implications for the long term nature of the community; (4) the distribution of different types of entrepreneurs has an impact on the economic and social dynamics of the community; (5) the types of entrepreneurs identified by the community's cognitive system overlap but do not duplicate existing typologies in the entrepreneurship literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence and diffusion of green and sustainable technologies is full of obstacles and has therefore become an important area of research. We are interested in further understanding the dynamics between entrepreneurial experimentation, market formation, and institutional contexts, together playing a decisive role for successful diffusion of such technologies. Accordingly, we study these processes by adopting a technological innovation system perspective focusing on actors, networks, and institutions as well as the functions provided by them. Using a qualitative case study research design, we focus on the high-speed flywheel energy storage technology. As flywheels are based on a rotating mass allowing short-term storage of energy in kinetic form, they represent an environmentally-friendly alternative to electrochemical batteries and therefore can play an important role in sustainable energy transitions. Our contribution is threefold: First , regarding the flywheel energy storage technology, our findings reveal two subsystems and related markets in which development took different courses. In the automotive sector, flywheels are developing well as a braking energy recovery technology under the influence of two motors of innovation. In the electricity sector, they are stagnating at the stage of demonstration projects because of two important system weaknesses that counteract demand for storage. Second , we contribute to the theory of technological innovation systems by better understanding the internal dynamics between different functions of an innovation system as well as between the innovation system and its (external) contextual structures. Our third contribution is methodological. According to our best knowledge, we are the first to use system dynamics to (qualitatively) analyze and visualize dynamics between the diverse functions of innovation systems with the aim of enabling a better understanding of complex and iterative system processes. The paper also derives important implications for energy scholars, flywheel practitioners, and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular economy practices contribute to achieving sustainability and alleviating the consequences of value chain disruptions and surging prices of energy and raw materials. While startups are increasingly recognized as a powerful engine for innovation processes needed to support this transition, empirical studies on the selection and implementation of circular strategies among startups remains scarce. In this paper, we report findings from the first academic survey on circular startups (N = 165) that allows for multivariate statistical analyses, considering both personal and company characteristics, and perspectives of the entrepreneurs involved. This survey includes startups with varying degrees of implementation levels of a set of 10 circular strategies at different startup lifecycle stages. Our results suggest that younger startup entrepreneurs tend to focus on inner circle strategies, while older startup entrepreneurs rather engage in outer circle strategies or no circular strategies at all. Female startup entrepreneurs are found to be less inclined to combine multiple circular strategies, and business-to-business and business-to-government market segments tend to be frontrunners for circular business models. Circular startups mostly acknowledge sustainability and circularity as a comparative advantage, and startup entrepreneurs with a migrant background seem to be more optimistic to start a profitable circular business. Our results suggest that there is no such thing as 'the' circular economy startup, so we recommend policy makers to develop tailor-made solutions to support startups implementing different circular strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the recent stream of econometric entrepreneurship research by introducing the environmental orientation of new ventures as a key factor for sustainable development. It empirically assesses whether relationships exist between national shares of green entrepreneurial activity (GEA) and economic, social, and environmental development. Theory and first empirical evidence suggest that – compared to conventional new ventures – new green ventures have a more positive economic and social impact and are less harmful or even beneficial to environmental quality. OLS regressions were estimated to empirically test the impact of GEA rates (share of total entrepreneurial activity) on GDP, the modified HDI, and CO 2 emissions. For this purpose, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data for 11,909 early-stage entrepreneurs was aggregated to the macro-level of 53 countries and merged with further international datasets. The results confirmed that higher shares of GEA are positively related to economic and social development but not to environmental development. Additional tests proved the robustness of the results for different economic development levels, time-lag variations, and different measurements of dependent and independent variables. The identified economic and social importance of GEA warrants intensified policy efforts to support the discovery, creation, and exploitation of green business opportunities. Potential explanations for the counterintuitive non-significant environmental impact are discussed, leading to new research avenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business incubators (BI) are increasingly expected to nurture sustainability-driven start-ups and contribute to the economy's sustainable transformation. However, while previous (qualitative) research suggested a positive relationship between BI support services and sustainable impacts by entrepreneurs, no study has explored this link statistically, leaving sustainability-driven business incubation (SBI) haphazard and strategically ill-informed. Given the absence of a comprehensible assessment approach, this paper develops a coherent theoretical framework for structuring SBI. Moreover, it quantitatively investigates the relationship between entrepreneurs' usage of various BI support services and their self-proclaimed contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Building on a sample of 299 German university spin-off start-ups, we provide empirical evidence that BI support services are generally related to the sustainable impacts of entrepreneurs. However, at a more nuanced level, we show that economic and ecological SDGs are associated with only a few BI services. In contrast, social SDGs are attained by a broad support service portfolio. In conclusion, we advise policymakers and BI managers to recognize the diverse support needs of sustainable entrepreneurs and tailor BI programs towards specific sustainability challenges rather than generalized approaches. [Display omitted] • A theoretical framework for sustainability-driven business incubation • Economic SDGs are related to infrastructure and team composition • Social SDGs are related to a broad range of incubator services • Environmental SDGs are related to funding and network support • Specialized incubator strategies may prove more impactful than generalized approaches [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Enterprise Zone (EZ) based on cleaner production is an increasingly popular government policy to accelerate the sustainable cities agenda. The purpose of this review paper is to critique EZ theory and the credibility of policy transfer to sustainable production in cities. To this end we undertook a literature review on EZ theory; produced a survey of cleaner production EZs to highlight its application in England; and developed a conceptual framework for a triple bottom line form of EZ. Based on our findings we argue that for the credible transfer of EZ theory to the sustainable cities agenda, policy should align to our conceptual framework for an Ecological Empowerment and Enterprise Zone (EEEZ). The EEEZ is an EZ which is ecologically restorative, places an emphasis on community involvement to better harness market forces, and understands the utility of state with the public sector as an entrepreneur. These research results will be of value to the literature focused on spatial low carbon enterprise strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operational support assists users while process instances are being executed, by making predictions about the instance completion, or recommending suitable actions, resources or routing decisions, on the basis of the already completed instances, stored as execution traces in the event log. In this paper, we propose a case-based retrieval approach to business process management operational support, where log traces are exploited as cases. Once past traces have been retrieved, classical statistical techniques can be applied to them, to support prediction and recommendation. The framework enables the user to submit queries able to express complex patterns exhibited by the current process instance. Such queries can be composed by several simple patterns (i.e., single actions, or direct sequences of actions), separated by delays (i.e., actions we do not care about). Delays can also be imprecise (i.e., the number of actions can be given as a range). The tool also relies on a tree structure, adopted as an index for a quick retrieval from the available event log. Our approach is highly innovative with respect to the existing literature panorama, since it is the first work that exploits case-based retrieval techniques in the operational support context; moreover, the possibility of retrieving traces by querying complex patterns and the indexing strategy are major departures also with respect to other existing trace retrieval tools proposed in the case based reasoning area. Thanks to its characteristics and methodological solutions, the tool implements operational support tasks in a flexible and efficient way, as demonstrated by our experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic, political, and demographic changes, technological advances, two crashes of the economy, ethical scandals, and other developments in the business environment have strained the roles and enrollments of American universities' business schools. The b-schools have not responded adequately. Prevailing theories in many of the management disciplines have broken down, partly as a result of the same environmental changes. Again, schools and curricula have not adapted. Collegiate business education is in dire crisis. In this paper we document the crisis, note measures that have been taken - both constructive and otherwise - and make further suggestions for improving the situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to indicate the increasing significance of innovations both in traditional and virtual enterprises. The growth in the number of e-enterprises reflects the increasing social awareness with relation to the role of the Internet. Activities that are undertaken by way of electronic means may reach a greater number of clients over a must faster time period and at reduced cost. Entrepreneurs aiming to sell their produce try to reach a multitude of potential clients, which in turn provides them with the possibility of acquiring greater profit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa is one of the fastest growing mobile phone markets in the world with more than 630 million mobile subscribers and the lowest mobile penetration rate at 63.9% (2014). It is experiencing an unprecedented growth in sectors such as health, education, agriculture and citizen participation thanks to mobile technology. Local developers and entrepreneurs with the right set of skills have an important role to play in the creation of mobile services solving local problems. However, very few multi-year capacity building initiatives on mobile app development exist in the region, and universities are often slow in offering new curricula. In this paper, we present and evaluate a model of teaching mobile app development that was implemented in Senegal and used in the last six years through the MobileSenegal project. We determined the impact of this capacity building effort on participants and the Senegalese tech ecosystem by administering a survey in year five, and systematically analyzing the mobile solutions they designed throughout the years. Our findings show that participants are trained with skills that are valuable in the Senegalese job market and MobileSenegal responds to a specific need in the Senegalese tech ecosystem that is not covered by other initiatives. Further directions of MobileSenegal and its sustainability are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examined the factors associated with the accumulation of technological capability among metalworking firms in Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered to 200 firms, of which 133 (66.5%) responded. Data were gathered on internal and external factors which are believed to influence capability build-up in the firms. The empirical evidence suggests that prior work experience of the entrepreneur, in-house training of technical staff and networking with the industry association had significant and positive influence on the accumulation of firm-level technological capability. Collaboration between the firms and research institutes was found to be weak. We conclude that firm-specific assets such as entrepreneurs’ training and experience as well as in-house training are highly important for the build-up of technological capability in developing country firms. The relative importance of interaction through the industry association casts some doubt on the relevance of university-industry interactions for these firms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In a cluster and in a network the figure of the entrepreneurs appear as an apparatus of social relations and cooperation. We believe that entrepreneurial networks are key elements for a cultural quality system, but recent literature tends to not consider the social flow (internal) of spillovers produced by these (entrepreneurial) networks. The purpose of this paper is to stress the role of entrepreneurs through a conceptual map that relies upon strategic entrepreneurial networks. We suggest to fill a theoretical gap in entrepreneurial literature, and make the figure and role of entrepreneurial networking team emerge with a strategic role for creating opportunities and new social knowledge. From our interpretation appears what is still unexpressed or not well explicated in literature: the entrepreneurial team and its natural attitude in producing social knowledge. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Organizational goals serve as the most important achievement target in every organization. Even though some researchers have developed the concept of the organization goals, but structuring the organization goals model is always questionable by the way it is being used. In this paper, we propose ontology to develop a unified model for the organization goals structure. We review the recent literature on the organization modelling and ontology development as an effort to evaluate the organization goals using a metrics for the achievement of the organization goals. We suggest that the metrics is important to identify the relevant organization data in relation to the organization goals conformance. In order to achieve this purpose, we investigate various associated concepts and organize the literature based on the organization goals, organization ontology and metrics model. We observe our proposed models are important for domain experts and entrepreneurs to evaluate the relevant organization data and to assist them in decision making. In summary, the contribution of this survey may serve as a first step in understanding the evaluation of the organization data for the achievement of the organization goals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, based on our experience and literature study, we propose a new set of audit functions to govern audit process effectiveness. We make a review of the existing literature to identify the audit principles with the aim to find connections between them and the newest audit functions. For each function we associate a group of principles in view of a better understanding of the role of audit process. Using a survey we tested the staff perceptions on the audit functions hierarchy, on audit principles importance and the links between audit principles and deontology and competence of the auditor. The audit functions established were assessed in two ways, by direct ranking on a three-point scale and indirectly, by evaluating the importance level of audit principles on a five-point scale. The results of the survey have been statistically investigated using Principal Component Analysis and illustrate that: the entrepreneurs are the ones who give the greatest importance to the audit principles in contrast with the opinion of management representatives and the process owners; the opinions of the participants in the survey concerning the level of importance given to the audit functions are different in the direct evaluation compared with the ones obtained in the indirect evaluation, accomplished by assessment of associated principles. The general assessment of the auditor''s behavior highlighted the need to approach the audit principles in a percentage of 68.385%, from the ethical point of view, and 31.615% from the point of view of applying his competences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Enhancing the offer for entrepreneurship education is an important challenge for the nowadays knowledge societies. The eSG project is addressing this issue by analysing the added value that could be contributed by employing serious games (SGs) as a tool for allowing students – in particular technology students - to become familiar, mainly through practice, with basic concepts of entrepreneurship and company management. This paper presents the main requirements for the course and SGs obtained by surveying literature, entrepreneurs, students and teachers. We represented the requirements in a table template keeping into account usability, pedagogy, the entrepreneurship skills expressed by state of the art models and three major axes for entrepreneurship education at universities. These table descriptors were then used to assess validity of SGs and choose an appropriate mix for the courses. We have also defined a set of metrics to evaluate the advancement of students during the course. Based on these tools and knowledge, the next steps of the project will involve extensive user testing in the actual courses that are being performed in Genoa, Delft and Barcelona. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Challenges for the entrepreneurship education being probably higher than ever, especially for an emerging business community, our paper aims at providing a case study regarding the decision behavior of trainees, based on the application of a business simulation. A comparative analysis was made upon a set of indicators that trainees used as a scorecard, indicating the fundamentals of their decisions. We could discover that, in a very realistic environment as the one that Planet simulation provides, and considering the effort of a team work, it is a real challenge to decide and maintain a strategy, but it is an enriching experience for future entrepreneurs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper shows that if a very small, exogenously given probability of terminating the exchange is introduced in an elementary investment game, more reciprocators will choose the defection strategy. Everything happens as if they “hide behind probabilities” in order to break the trust relationship. Investors do not alter their behavior in a significant way, at least not for a very small external risk. Financial assets all come with a predetermined and contractual probability that by the time when the buyer has to receive the reward for his investment, “bad luck” might have brought the asset value down to zero. In the light of the experimental findings, such trades would not provide a favorable environment for building trust. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Statistical records showed that China mainland is having a decline of state-owned enterprises and a fast growth of small and medium enterprise. It has been proved to be of great importance for the country''s economic transformation in the past decades. However, there is still several critical weaknesses in the country''s system of innovation that prevents most of entrepreneurs in struggle because of financial factors. In this paper, we carried out an analysis on the development of SMEs in China and the financial supportive policies. And a comparative analysis of Korea is also discussed. Implications and policy recommendations is suggested in the last section. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper discusses ecological development in China based on the theory and methodology of SENCE (social–economic–natural complex ecosystem), and two typical case studies of Yangzhou city and Dafeng city. Ecological development in China refers to the integrative learning process, integrative design process, interactive adaptation process resulting in ecologically sound, economically productive and behaviorally feasible development. Ecological development in China includes the ecological assessment/evaluation, ecological planning/design, ecological engineering and ecological management which require systematically responsible planning, totally functional design and ecologically vivid management. Since several decades of years, different scales of ecological administrative units including ecological county, ecopolis (eco-cities) and ecological provinces have been developed, which indicated that the process of ecological development helps local people to engage in a vision and actions regarding how the urban or regional ecosystems are coupling systematically, vitalizing and functioning ecologically and how the actions are connected with their social, economic and long-term ecological interests. The constructive practice of ecopolis and eco-provinces in China has demonstrated this success. The key instrument for ecological development in China is the eco-integration of total metabolism of material and energy; total cultivation of eco-industry, eco-scape and eco-culture; total coordination of systematic coupling in time, space, quantity, structure and order; total design of developmental goals of wealth, health and faith; total cooperation between decision makers, entrepreneurs, researchers and the public. The special emphasis of China''s ecological development has been placed on encouraging bottom-up and flexible actions rather than top-down and rigid institution, and helping local people to help themselves through capacity building. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In developing and developed countries alike, microenterprises have the potential to alleviate poverty by allowing the motivated poor to go into business for themselves. Many, however, may not have the knowledge or skills needed to identify the opportunities available and create a viable business plan. This paper looks at defining and employing microfranchise templates to facilitate the process of starting and running franchise instances. These templates will include workflows that guide the entrepreneur and employees via mobile phones, will support the formation of collaborative federations to minimize waste and maximize profits, and will provide adaptive parameters that can be adjusted over time based on past results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: UML is currently the most widely used modeling language for the specification of the conceptual schema (CS) of an information system (IS). However, UML falls short when it comes to allow business people to define in their own language (e.g. using their own terms in natural language) the policies and rules by which they run their business. To this purpose, the semantics of business vocabulary and business rules (SBVR) metamodel specification was proposed. SBVR is conceptualized optimally for business people and it is designed to be used for business purposes, independently of information systems designs. Clearly, SBVR and unified modeling language (UML) cannot be considered as isolated languages. Many of the business rules specified by business people must be automatically executed by the underlying information system, and thus, they must also appear in its UML CS. In this sense, the main goal of this paper is to bridge the gap between UML and SBVR by providing an automatic transformation from UML to SBVR specifications. Thanks to our transformation, designers will be able to interact with the business people (in their own language) to refine and validate the information modeled in the CS before the generation of the final IS implementation. Our transformation also takes into account all possible textual object constraint language (OCL) expressions that complement the UML graphical elements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The standards for management systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 are developing towards a higher degree of compatibility. At the same time, organisations increasingly integrate these systems. The paper discusses this development and presents different levels of integration. The aim is to suggest the next steps to take in order to improve an integration which promotes sustainable management. Product-oriented management and stakeholders are in focus and the standards for management systems and the need for a common integrated ISO standard are discussed. Finally, the need for changes in life style and needs is presented as crucial to the development of more sustainable management systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article analyzes the business strategies of Singapore-Chinese companies that have been venturing into China since the 1980s. Based on a number of case studies, the investment practices of Singaporean Chinese companies are investigated in terms of cultural, economic and political triggers. The question raised is whether increased investments by Singapore-Chinese private and public companies in China have been due to shared cultural values, to capitalist profit seeking, or to the fact that governments have framed policies to support such investments. The paper argues in favour of a combination of the three perspectives. It is, first and foremost, for cheap labour and untapped markets that Singapore-Chinese entrepreneurs invest in China. However, sentimental or moral reasons may encourage Singaporean Chinese entrepreneurs to strengthen ties with their "hometown" in China and other ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs in the world through economic investments. At the political level, the Singaporean government provides incentives and facilities for domestic companies to venture across borders, and acts as the main investor in transborder joint ventures, and sponsor for trade missions to China. Finally, from the mainland Chinese perspective, Singaporean Chinese are interesting business partners not for their "Chinese" identity but for their "transnational" competencies, that is, their mediating role between Western and Chinese business strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of entrepreneurs in advancing sustainable lifestyles (SLs) to address climate change and social inequity. It is based on empirical study of eight U.S.-based sustainable entrepreneurs, focused on reducing material consumption. While business has a key role to play, many large companies are unwilling to promote SLs as this is contrary to their current business models which are focused on growing consumption and sales. This presents an opportunity for entrepreneurial companies with innovative business models who are passionate about sustainability and social impact, and better positioned to take risks and innovate. The research examined emerging business models for advancing SLs, key success factors and challenges reported by the entrepreneurs, the social and environmental impacts of their actions, and the future opportunities for scaling up such practices. The study found that entrepreneurs are well positioned to address simultaneously environmental and social issues, however, they lack resources to effectively measure these impacts to demonstrate an overall positive benefit and strengthen their value proposition. Promoting green attributes alone is not enough to change the behavior of most consumers. It is critically important to emphasize other benefits such as a product/service quality, time or cost savings, or social impact. Social media, formal and informal sustainability networks, IT, sustainability policies, and consumer awareness are key to developing viable business models and competitive strategies that are difficult to replicate. The study found that sustainable entrepreneurs often face "costly" sustainability actions and lack the power to change „the rules of the game"; for this they need to collaborate with other key stakeholders, including NGOs, policy makers, and progressive companies. Based on the research findings the author proposes a new framework for the role of sustainable entrepreneurs as civic and political actors who not only offer innovative products and services, but help educate and influence key stakeholders, develop informal sustainability ecosystem, and thus create momentum for policy changes. Sustainable entrepreneurs act as civic and political actors who not only offer innovative products and services, but also educate and influence key stakeholders, develop informal sustainability ecosystem, and thus help create momentum for civil and political changes. Image 1 • Entrepreneurs as civic and political actors who help create momentum for political changes. • Their value proposition based on time & cost savings, social & env. impact, and quality service. • IT, sustainability networks, and social media - key to developing viable business models. • Key challenges: costly sustainable actions, impact measurement, resources, brand awareness. • Shifting to SLs requires stakeholder collaborations and bold policy action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]