There is an increasing recognition that dealing with sustainable development need to address the social structures that encourage unsustainable economic and environmental practices. Universities... Show More

There is an increasing recognition that dealing with sustainable development need to address the social structures that encourage unsustainable economic and environmental practices. Universities represent important sources of knowledge for addressing sustainable development, but there has been relatively limited consideration of their contributions to these social elements. Drawing on recent interest in social innovation as to conceptualise social change and community development, this paper aims to understand universities' involvement in the process of social innovation, for the particular case of a Brazilian higher education institution. By exploring how universities can contribute to the different stages of the social innovation process, it highlights the capacities that universities have to address the social sustainable development challenge. The paper identifies five characteristics of universities contributions to social innovation and sets out an agenda for future research necessary to understand universities' wider contributions to sustainable development.

The mining industry has a huge environmental and social impact in the country/region where is located, consequently its contribution for sustainable development has been widely discussed. Corporate... Show More

The mining industry has a huge environmental and social impact in the country/region where is located, consequently its contribution for sustainable development has been widely discussed. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) represents a challenge for this industry, namely, its inclusion as a common management practice integrated in the company´s management control system. For such, it´s imperative that there is a balance between the economic, environmental and social company's concerns. The aim of this article is to study that challenge in a Portuguese subsidiary belonging to a Japanese economic group. The data were collected through interviews and document analysis. The results suggest that CSR practices are not integrated in the management control system, are not part of a long-term environment strategy, and only reflect compliance with Portuguese legislation. It is expected, with this study, to contribute for the literature enrichment about CSR in multinationals companies operating in the extractive industry.

Multiple Helix Model is the theoretical framework where reciprocal university-industry-government relationship constitutes a key element of the innovation process. In the centre of this model arise... Show More

Multiple Helix Model is the theoretical framework where reciprocal university-industry-government relationship constitutes a key element of the innovation process. In the centre of this model arise the Science Parks (SPs) as hybrid agents that, having a close relationship with university, promote technology transfer and innovative entrepreneurship, with a legal framework defined by the public sector. The aim of this article is to analyse the link between SPs and sustainability under the hypothesis that they might become drivers of sustainability. A qualitative analysis of a sample of 12 Spanish SPs has been conducted. It concludes that SPs have high potential as sustainable knowledge facilitators and a proactive attitude in relation to environmental commitment, although there is still room for enhancements in their sustainability approaches. This study highlights the potential of STPs as facilitators of sustainable practices and also presents theoretical implications for future research linking Quintuple Helix Model and sustainable entrepreneurial strategies.

Sustainable development and entrepreneurship are increasingly high profile issues and matters of importance to different international agendas. Alongside this interest, there have emerged studies on... Show More

Sustainable development and entrepreneurship are increasingly high profile issues and matters of importance to different international agendas. Alongside this interest, there have emerged studies on entrepreneurship and innovation that point to their driving positive impacts at the level of regional development. With their research the authors intend to bridge the gap that exists in the literature on the relationship between innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship, in the sense that innovation does not have to imply actions that suppose a growth of entrepreneurship without any planning. The objectives of this research involve contributing towards the literature on this field of study in terms of knowledge about which environmental and innovation variables best foster the greatest impact of entrepreneurial activities. To this end, the authors deployed aggregate data at the national level gathered by the Environment, Population, International Trade, Labour and National Accounts Statistics, from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for the years between and including 2005 and 2012 and for the 35 member states of this organisation. They correspondingly verify that environmental patents do have a positive impact on Real GDP.

There are a variety of different conditions that support entrepreneurship and affect sustainable development. The aim of this paper is to focus on the issue of territorial advantage, based on the... Show More

There are a variety of different conditions that support entrepreneurship and affect sustainable development. The aim of this paper is to focus on the issue of territorial advantage, based on the dimensions analysed by the World Economic Forum (WEF). This helps to assess the sustainable competitiveness of different geographic regions in the world based on the variables of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). The geographic regions the authors focus on in the analysis are 1) Asia and Oceania, 2) Europe and 3) Latin America and the Caribbean. From the analysis they analyse which variables best explain the socio-economic development of these geographic regions and whether there are any major differences. The results based on partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) show the variables within each group of countries, which best explain the regional development. This helps to understand the association between competitiveness and entrepreneurship variables with sustainable growth in order to help explain best interventionist priorities to use in order to foster entrepreneurship.

Circular economy is an alternative to traditional industrial system based on producing and consuming as much as possible. Contrary to produce and dispose model, circular economy emphasizes resource... Show More

Circular economy is an alternative to traditional industrial system based on producing and consuming as much as possible. Contrary to produce and dispose model, circular economy emphasizes resource efficiency in both consumption and production cycle. This research aims to reveal potential role of circular economy with specific applications to small and medium sized enterprises in Kuwait. It is proposed that by applying circular economy concepts, Gulf Cooperation Council countries, particularly Kuwait, can achieve a competitive edge in global economy while minimizing the impact of industrial activities to the environment. Is it also proposed that small and medium sized enterprises tend to be the least efficient enterprises. Therefore, they have the highest potential for circular economy applications that lead to innovation, sustainability and resource efficiency.

This study focuses on exploring the sustainability characteristics of the regional produce, which comes from the Beiras region of Portugal to support new differentiation claims and forecast its... Show More

This study focuses on exploring the sustainability characteristics of the regional produce, which comes from the Beiras region of Portugal to support new differentiation claims and forecast its effect on a global mass-market. Considering a Multiple Helix approach, this study aims to examine the role and perception of local academia in relation to this new premise to enhance the dynamic and competitive positioning of such regional produce. To this end, several in-depth interviews were conducted with local researchers and decision-makers, allowing the significance and potential of the proposed green claims to be discussed. Several insights into the subject were developed and new directives were presented. Nonetheless, complementary research may still be necessary to assess the remaining multiple helix actors of the local ecosystem in order to identify and develop the most promising strategies to effectively promote local endogenous produce to a global market.

There has been increasing recognition that for regional competitiveness in rural areas there needs to be a focus on sustainable farming initiatives especially for family farms that are competing... Show More

There has been increasing recognition that for regional competitiveness in rural areas there needs to be a focus on sustainable farming initiatives especially for family farms that are competing with global conglomerates. Family farms, whilst declining in number, are the purpose of this paper studying the rural entrepreneurship in family farms as they are at the heart of rural communities and the overall agricultural industry and comprise a high percentage of total farms. This paper takes a case study approach using in-depth semi structured interviews to delve into the types of entrepreneurial strategies that are distinctive of family farms in terms of their sustainability approach to farming. Dairy farms in the West Victorian area of Australia are studied and the findings suggest that family farms can increase their regional competitiveness and international standing by focusing on their collaborative, social and sustainable entrepreneurial strategies.