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The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to shed light on the increasing start-up competitions (SUCs) phenomenon; second, to provide an interpretive framework to understand whether the SUCs have the potential to be effective entrepreneurial learning environment; third, to analyse the different roles of public and private actors in organizing SUCs.

The paper presents a cross-section analysis of the Italian SUCs population. In total, 77 competitions are analysed on the basis of different criteria which should properly mirror their distinguishing structural features, helping understand the potential of SUCs as learning environments.

The recent increase in the number of SUCs has been mainly fuelled by private actors. Moreover, Italian SUCs show some features that make them rich learning environments. Private and public actors play different roles, as confirmed by statistical tests performed. Privately organized SUCs follow mainly a market-oriented approach, while publicly organized ones are more education oriented.

The findings cannot be easily generalized mainly due to the peculiarities of the Italian context.

Soft forms of regulation should be defined to strengthen those features which could potentially support the entrepreneurial learning processes. In this view, SUCs should be part of a start-up friendly ecosystem where actors (startuppers, incubators, venture capitalists) are effectively coordinated with each other.

Despite the remarkable diffusion of SUCs, there are significant gaps in literature about this phenomenon. Given the lack of a systematic and comprehensive analysis of SUCs as effective entrepreneurial learning environments, the paper represents an important starting point.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of higher education on the emergence of entrepreneurial intention (EI) and human capital (HC) as a component of intellectual capital (IC) that strongly influences the entrepreneurial process.

On the basis of a literature review, a theoretical model that is focused on the theory of planned behaviour was defined to verify the impact of higher education on the development of EI and HC. To this end, the structural equation modelling methodology was applied to two samples of students and academics, which differ each other in terms of both education level and specific characteristics of entrepreneurship education activities.

The main results show that there are significant differences between the two considered samples. In particular, the level and specific characteristics of entrepreneurial education are the key factors for the development of EI and HC.

The research may be of relevance for universities and policy makers. Universities must devote more attention to training and practice-oriented entrepreneurial courses and collateral activities (projects, initiatives, actions), both for students (first mission) and academic aspiring entrepreneurs (third mission) to encourage the emergence of EI and HC formation. For policy makers, this study suggests the need to define policy guidelines and frameworks to support universities’ educational programmes and activities to strengthen the entrepreneurial process, so that they can be consistent with the EU and national entrepreneurship policies.

This explorative research intends to contribute to the scientific debate by filling the knowledge gap that is due to the very limited number of studies that analyse whether and how EI can mediate the relationship between higher education and HC as an IC component.

Pursuing sustainable development has become a necessity for all types of businesses, owing to the increasing sensitivity of stakeholders towards pollution and environmental degradation related to economic activities. To sustain this approach, investments supporting green innovations (GIs) are required. The paper investigates how stakeholders affect the choices of companies to pursue sustainable development objectives through the use of GIs.

A sample of 222 innovative Italian SMEs was collected and analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique and the importance performance map analysis.

The authors found that the stakeholders with not-contractual ties with SMEs affect GIs. Among stakeholders with not-contractual ties only workforce represents a strong stimulus to eco-innovate. Anyway, contrary to expectations, public administrations exert a negative influence; that is, they appear to hinder SMEs approach towards GIs.

This paper contributes to filling the knowledge gaps about the factors stimulating innovative SMEs' investments in GIs. Specifically, by analysing the stakeholders' influences, many policy indications emerge, such as extending facilities and regulations, encouraging partnerships and networking and attracting private and institutional investors.

Until now, the prominent interest of researchers and policymakers has been focused almost exclusively on large manufacturing corporations because of their higher ecological footprints and the belief that SMEs are supposed to be mainly followers rather than first adopters of innovations. But in many international areas, the role of SMEs is widely predominant, and these SMEs chiefly operate in the service sectors.

Le Musée national à Amsterdam possède un portrait de Gresham, un tableau à l'huile de toute beauté, peint dans la seconde moitié du seizième siècle par Antonio Moro. Sir Thomas Gresham, un financier anglais réputé (1519–1579), est considéré comme le fondateur de la Bourse de Londres. Cette ville était également le berceau des assurances. Si paradoxal que cela puisse sembler, il est un fait certain que l'assurance dont le rôle consiste à prévenir l'individu des risques et à lui donner une plus grande sécurité dans la vie sociale, trouve son origine dans un pays, également connu pour la passion des paris dans tous les domaines. Un des paris les plus fantastiques qui est entré dans la littérature, fut décrit par Jules Verne dans son livre «Le Tour du Monde en 80 Jours», où Phileas Fogg, un Anglais, après bon nombre d'aventures extraordinaires gagne enfin sa gageure.

Since the latter half of the twenty-first century, African American college enrollment has shifted from historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) toward Predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Despite these trends, HBCUs continue to disproportionally award bachelor’s degrees to African Americans. Although researchers have explored the experiences of African American college students at HBCUs, less is known about the factors that contribute to their initial decision to attend. Focusing on the “twenty-first century college student,” the purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of these factors and the characteristics of students who choose HBCUs. Findings from interviews with 51 HBCU recent alumni from 20 institutions reveal three major influences on the decision to attend an HBCU: the desire to be in a predominantly Black environment; the reputation of academic programs; and cost/financial aid. This chapter highlights the strategies useful for HBCUs interested in attracting students from diverse backgrounds, illustrating that students choose HBCUs to be connected with the unique culture and traditional practices associated with HBCU campus environments. Understanding the college choice motivations of successful HBCU students can provide insights into how to foster institutional policies and practices to recruit and retain the twenty-first century student and beyond.