This article explores how public-private collaboration can drive digital transformation in rural areas to foster social sustainability. Using the strategic approach to social sustainability as an analytical framework and drawing on an in-depth case study of the partnership between Convergenze S.p.A. Societ & agrave; Benefit and the municipal administrations of several small towns in Italy's Cilento region, the research analyses the roll-out of fiber-to-the-home infrastructure in underserved and unattractive territories. The study identifies three interdependent factors that make collaboration effective (community needs, mutual trust, and proximity) and shows how these elements enable digital investments to translate into social sustainability outcomes. The article demonstrates that public-private collaboration aimed at driving the digital transformation of rural areas can generate significant social sustainability impacts, which, in turn, reinforce the very foundations of the collaboration, thereby supporting new rounds of digital transformation and triggering a self-sustaining virtuous cycle. On this basis, the study proposes a circular model linking public-private collaboration, digital transformation, and social sustainability in rural contexts. It contributes both theoretically and practically to the literature on social sustainability and to the broader discourse on rural digitalization, offering actionable insights for policymakers, local administrators, and entrepreneurs.

Humane Entrepreneurship, an entrepreneurial strategic posture that integrates sustainability and human-resource attention, is growing rapidly among scholars as a research field; in parallel, many firms have emerged in the corporate world that are humane-entrepreneurship-oriented. This study aims to investigate (1) how Humane Entrepreneurship influences firm financial performance; (2) the link between employees’ beliefs and credos about sustainability actions and firm financial performance; and (3) how Humane Entrepreneurship mediates the relationship between employees’ beliefs and credos about sustainability actions and firm financial performance. The analysis was conducted via a survey of Italian mechanical firms and by testing the proposed framework with structural equation modeling. The study examines Humane Entrepreneurship’s general relevance by providing evidence of the link between Humane Entrepreneurship and firm financial performance in the business field. In addition, the research demonstrates that employees’ beliefs assume a role in boosting both Humane Entrepreneurship and firm financial performance. Moreover, our research holds practical significance in promoting Humane-Entrepreneurship-oriented companies that correspond to contemporary trends. Does Humane Entrepreneurship have value? Exploring the link between employees’ beliefs and firm financial performance: a perceptual approach.

The study aims to investigate the association between education of digital creativity and innovation and entrepreneurial intention (EI) using the Theory of Planned Behavior. The study employed a sample of 78 students enrolled at the University of Salerno in Italy, across various courses of study. To test the proposed empirical framework and hypotheses, the study adopts a quantitative approach through a survey and OLS Regression Analysis. The investigation revealed that the education of digital creativity and innovation plays a significant role in the formation of students’ entrepreneurial intentions. This relationship is mediated by the effects that the classical antecedents of intentions, according to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), have on behavioral intentions. The study contributes to entrepreneurship research on student entrepreneurial intention, also providing practical suggestions for educators and policymakers who aim to enhance the effectiveness of entrepreneurship discourse through new digital tools. This research stands out as the first study, to our knowledge, in the field of entrepreneurship determinants, shedding light on the pivotal role of education of digital creativity and innovation in shaping entrepreneurial intentions among university students. The study emphasizes the need for more comprehensive digital creativity and innovation education in academic curricula to boost student entrepreneurial activities and mindsets, encouraging future research on the long-term impacts of such education on entrepreneurial success.

Universities play a crucial role in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, extending beyond their traditional missions of research and education. This paper investigates the evolving model of entrepreneurial University, focusing on the evolution toward a network model based on the creation of entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems in the university context. Starting from the analysis of FabLabs movement, the paper explores the motivations and development process of DFGN (Design Factory Global Network). Furthermore, through the examination of the Design Factory of the University of Bologna, Oper.space, the paper illustrates how these networks integrate maker philosophy and design thinking to support entrepreneurship education and provide infrastructure necessary for innovation. The analysis highlights the impact of DFGNs on University Entrepreneurship. While this study provides an initial exploration, further research is recommended to delve deeper into the relationship between DFGNs and FabLabs within universities and to examine the reasons behind the establishment of DFGNs at various institutions.

Through the lenses of Entrepreneurial Event Theory and the Affective Processing Principle, this study aims to explore the interplay between cognition and emotion in the entrepreneurship education-entrepreneurial intention link, exploring the specific role of fear, conceptualized as a negative, avoidance-oriented, emotion. A moderation- mediation empirical model was tested on a sample of Italian University students. The results of the study discovered significant interactions. Fear decreases all the direct and mediating relations, suggesting that an assessment of the importance of emotions in the students' learning and decision-making processes is a vital issue that entrepreneurship scholars are advised to take into account to foster the formation of intentional behavior. Theoretical advancements and implications for academics, professors, and students will be finally discussed.

Recently, there has been a widespread recognition of Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE) as a means to facilitate innovation within firms. In this context, it is important to revisit the concept of innovation, through the lenses of Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0, in order to understand the role of innovation in this context. More specifically, Innovation 5.0 can be defined as an approach to support the development of resilient, human-centered, sustainable, and digitally driven businesses. Despite the interest in this topic, there is a lack of recent literature that examines the relationship between CE and innovation processes, resulting in a fragmented body of knowledge. The primary objective of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature on Corporate Entrepreneurship by bridging the gap and focusing on the role of CE in innovation processes. The aim is to gain a deeper understanding of how CE impacts business innovation activities and to highlight how CE can support companies in developing innovations that align with the Industry 5.0 paradigm. To achieve our goals, we conduct a Bibliometric Analysis employing and Bibliographic Coupling analysis to find linkages between the CE and Innovation literature. More specifically, an ad hoc protocol has been developed for this BA. The selection of articles occurred in three steps, with Scopus being the chosen database due to its extensive coverage of indexed publications. Two tools were used in this study: VOSviewer software for constructing and visualizing bibliometric networks, with magazines, and researchers, based on common citations or paternity relationships and Bibliometrix, an R package for running extensive science mapping analysis which allows authors to perform analyses and graphs for sources, author, and document level and conceptual, intellectual, and social knowledge structures. The analysis highlights six discussion topics with theoretical e practical implications how CE activities can contribute to defining a new approach to innovation within firms, referred to as Innovation 5.0. These findings shed light on the ways in which CE can play a pivotal role in shaping innovative strategies and practices within organizations.

As inovações tecnológicas trazem benefícios para o mundo jurídico, com isso, é importante o investimento em sua imersão na era digital de maneira efetiva, priorizando os projetos inovadores, utilizando de formas de trabalho mais eficientes. Assim, tem-se a importância da atualização e aperfeiçoamento do Direito Civil, em especial do Direito Sucessório, considerando as mudanças nas relações jurídicas e sociais. Com o desenvolvimento da tecnologia, apresentando o Projeto de Lei 3.799 de 2019, que anuncia importantes mudanças, com possibilidades tecnológicas para a elaboração de testamentos, garantindo segurança e eficiência, e mostrando grande avanço com a legislação nacional. Este trabalho tem como objetivo abordar a importância da tecnologia no sistema jurídico, em especial, na confecção de testamentos com gravação em audiovisual, a fim de perpetuar e testar, post mortem, a vontade de um indivíduo. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória, de base qualitativa, com levantamento bibliográfico em periódicos e livros que contemplam o assunto em foco. Percebe-se que com as tranformações, é necessário inovar o ordenamento jurídico com a inserção de meios tecnológicos tendo o intuito de possibilitar a efetivação do testamento através de gravações audiovisuais, garantindo segurança e facilidade ao ato, o que virá a refletir verdadeira na revolução capaz de melhor operacionalizar os atos sucessórios.

This case study presents the story of Santomiele, a company that has built up an international business by enhancing a product closely linked to its local area. Located in southern Italy, the company processes and markets dried figs. The case focuses on the company's digital transformation. Digitalisation is the company's response to a critical problem in its supply chain. Digital transformation allows the company to achieve process innovation while also providing the opportunity to achieve product innovation and to enter new business sectors. The university plays a key role in the digital transformation of Santomiele. This case offers the opportunity to critically analyse the role of digitalization in the innovation of mature, low-tech, and non-digital businesses. In particular, the case highlights how digital technologies can help these types of business to both create higher margins in existing markets and catch opportunities to enter new markets. At the same time, the case shows how university-SME collaboration can succeed to help SMEs achieving digital transformation.

PurposeThe paper aims to define a model for rural development, able to stimulate collaborations between actors involved in the agrifood chain and based on digital technologies as enabling factors for such collaborations. Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory research, based on a qualitative approach, is conducted, using both constructivist grounded theory and Gioia methodology. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and roundtables administered to Italian key players. FindingsThe authors identify five actions (definition of territorial identity, involvement of internal and external supply chain actors, definition of quality standards, cooperation intra and infra supply chains, communication through technology) for collaboration in the development of rural areas that policymakers should encourage and actors in the supply chains must implement. The paper also entails both theoretical and practical implications. From the theoretical point of view, this study contributes to the literature on the relationship between agrifood, local development and the role of technologies. From the managerial point of view, this paper provides insights for policymakers to define strategies and actions aimed at developing collaborations between actors involved in the agrifood chain and leveraging digital technologies to support rural development. Originality/valueThe paper proposes a framework for the collaboration of the actors of the agrifood sector and related food tourism that could be the basis for the development of a digital platform able to connect all the subjects involved in rural development.

The innovation chain of the pharmaceutical industry is more and more complex. In particular, a new type of players, the start-ups founded by researchers (Academic Start-ups) have proven to be particularly effective in the first steps of exploring new, radically innovative technologies. These small start-ups miss the financial resources and the industrial experience necessary to embark in the later stage of technologies’ development. To overcome these limits, what academic start-ups require the most is a collaborative linkage with large biotech and pharma companies. To such end, Business Development Professionals are offering their services to academic start-ups, to set up a collaborative linkage with potential partners. Our article investigates the process of engagement between Academic Start-ups and Business Development Professionals and in particular, we focus on the factors that influence collaboration between the two actors. In order to investigate the development process of collaboration we conducted an exploratory study trough the submission of a semi-structured questionnaire covering different aspects of the engagement process to a sample of business professionals. The study provide first evidences about the main factors that prevent the development of collaborations and provides some suggestions to overcome the challenges that both parts found in the collaboration process.

suoi allievi, che ha sempre coinvolto nei suoi lavori.

COVID‐19 has been the most important pandemic that hit the world in the last century. An overwhelming number of initiatives aimed to save lives and protect humanity came out especially at the beginning of the health crisis, following an outside the box approach to address relevant R&D problems. Digital makers, not surprisingly, have been part of the game. Being masters in using digital technologies for customized products, and being strategically fitted to cope with the imperative to be fast, many of the players on the front line to fight the pandemic have looked at them as the ‘providers next to the door’ able to offer fast solutions to critical problems. Based on these premises and adopting frugal innovation as theoretical base, the aim of the study is to analyze how digital makers have taken part in R&D processes to find solutions to the problems created by an exogenous and unexpected sanitary problem. Through an in‐depth case study, we provide insights on if and how frugal approach to innovation is adapt to cope with the extraordinary pressure coming from event like the COVID‐19. The results of the study highlight the power of connecting frugal innovation principles, agile mindset of makers and open innovation strategies in providing effective solutions on a local scale and eventually exploit their potential global impact. Furthermore, we highlight implications and pathways for future researches.

Our world is experiencing environmental and social threats never seen before, and this should lead us towards a radical re-discussion about theories and policies that have guided our social life. The field of entrepreneurship cannot be insensitive to that compelling need of a careful scrutiny of leading beliefs and assumptions that have set the agenda of scholars through the years. I think that few today could believe that free-market forces alone, and the entrepreneurial spirits, free of constraints, can solve the environmental and social issues we are facing. I also think we should be skeptical about recipes that show unlimited faith in politics and social institutions to fix negative externalities created by human activities.

Entrepreneurhsip is becoming a more and more attractive option for students at the completion of their studies. In response to these aspirations, and recognizing the potential contribution to the economic development, Universities all around the world have experimented a broad range of course and labs to improve the formation ratio of start up by students. The impact of these programs on the Entrepreneurial orientations and on the acquisition of useful skills by the students is still a matter of question. The intention of the Special Issue with the help of this short Introductory contribution, is to offer new insights elaborated from a quite broad range of perspectives to the Scholars interested in the field.

The Journal of Small Business Management (JSBM) and the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), in collaboration with a team of leading Humane Entrepreneurship researchers, are pleased to present this special issue examining “Contemporary Perspectives on Social and Humane Entrepreneurship.” This special issue comes at a crucial moment as we sit at the precipice of life in a postCOVID world. The articles to follow embody the global movement toward a more humane and just economy and world. This special issue’s format combines three articles approved by the guest editors, followed by three articles from JSBM’s current inventory of accepted work in the domain of social and humane entrepreneurship.

Humane entrepreneurship (HumEnt) is a new model of entrepreneurship in which the attention that firms have traditionally paid to business is integrated with care for the following: firm members, the planet, and society at large. The goal of this article is to address some preliminary issues to develop a measurement scale to validate firm humane entrepreneurial orientation (HEO). The articles defines HEO beginning with the review of the main literature in terms of its three components: entrepreneurial orientation (EO), sustainable orientation (SO), and humane resource orientation (HRO). The article thereby makes some contributions with regard to how and at which organizational level the components of HEO can be measured.