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This chapter aims to identify the current challenges facing women entrepreneurs. Female entrepreneurship must be analyzed from a binary perspective: the position of women in society and the role of entrepreneurship in society. The study focused on women entrepreneurs in the European Union (EU). Considering the social-economic diversity in the EU, we evaluated the five economic systems. To highlight how these differences are manifested in the different systems, we considered for analysis one country belonging to each model, namely, Denmark for the Scandinavian system, Germany for the Continental system, Ireland for the Anglo-Saxon system, Spain for the Mediterranean System, and Romania, for the Catching-up system. The analysis considered women entrepreneurs in the labor market, female employment/management in the labor market, female entrepreneurs in the labor market, and female mentality regarding work and entrepreneurship.

This chapter in its first part analyzes the Leader approach in terms of concept, constituent elements, application, and its contribution to rural development and rural entrepreneurship. In the continuation of the text, authors analyze the application of this approach in Serbia, looking at the activities of the ministry in charge and the views of local action groups (LAGs)’ managers on this matter. The aim of this chapter is to present the results and problems Serbia has seen so far in the implementation of the Leader approach for development of rural areas on a local level. The results indicate that the lack of systemic and continuous state support resulting, among other things, in the lack of a financial portfolio for the LAGs, is the main cause of low local entrepreneurial initiatives and projects implemented within the Leader approach. Future steps in the implementation of this approach in Serbia will depend on financial support for the LAGs from all levels of government, as well as from the possibility of using funds within the EU pre-accession assistance for rural development. Also, it will be necessary to launch larger innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives both by LAGs’ managers and all stakeholders involved in local rural development.

This study explores the configurations of management control systems (MCSs) while taking into account entrepreneurial cognition styles (ECSs) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The objective is to understand the impact of ECS on deployment and identify the various modes of MCS configurations employed by SMEs. The authors draw on and synthesise two theoretical perspectives relating to cognition and management control packages to understand the associations between ECS and MCS employed by SMEs in managing their business. This study was conducted using a quantitative approach that utilises a questionnaire survey to collect cross-sectional data from 150 SMEs. The authors uncovered three cognitive styles: knowing (e.g. preciseness), planning (e.g. organising), and creativity (e.g. innovativeness). Furthermore, five configurations of MCS utilised by SMEs were identified: customer focus, performance monitoring, administrative focus, strategic focus, and development focus. By combining both analyses, the authors discovered three constellations of significant association between ECS and MCS characterised by Cluster 1’s cohesive integration approach, Cluster 2’s revealing strategic approach, and Cluster 3’s multifaceted exploration. The study is significant because it uncovers the complex relationship between ECS and MCS configurations, highlighting their interdependence within the institutional context. Using a cognitive view, the authors explore how the cognitive styles of entrepreneurs facilitated imprinting institutional context into MCS configurations. These insights enable us to envisage that ECS is not mutually exclusive but forms a continuum that provides more plausible explanations that relax the direct universal relationship between MCS configurations and contextual factors.

Every organization must deal with new challenges such as automation, digitization, or structural transformation, which requires a highly resilient and engaged workforce to stay competitive. Strong leadership in a firm and specific abilities of the leader are necessary to manage uncertainties and to be able to react to certain changes. Various studies regarding organizations and resilience focus on large enterprises, while studies on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are lacking. SMEs account for 99.6% of all companies in Austria and are largely run by entrepreneurial owners and their families. Based on transformational theory, the theory of resilience as well as positive psychology, we investigate five SME owners and their personal resilience in an exploratory study. The owners were selected by purposive sampling with the aim to develop a framework with recommended actions for the personal resilience of SME leaders.

There has been considerable discussion about the poor outcomes of irresponsible management, which are often discussed as being the result of “shortcomings” of contemporary capitalism: runaway self-interest, quarterly focus, elite orientation, volume orientation, and one-pattern capitalism (Kim, 2022). In order to address such shortcomings in business education, particularly with strategy-related modules that were taught with a focus on creating “shareholder value,” the Sustainable Decisions and Organisations (SDO) module was designed by academics as the capstone module for the master of business administration (MBA) program and delivered with the aim of developing capabilities of students to be leaders and future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large. The students participating in the module are shown how a “stakeholder” approach to developing business strategy can lead to more sustainability-oriented value creation. The module addresses how companies can contribute to “sustainability” by aligning their economic/financial, societal, and ecological impacts with limited resources through strategy. This contribution discusses the implementation of this module and demonstrates how students are provided learning opportunities around how sustainability-related issues can be embedded into a business organization's strategy to enhance the organization's performance while addressing risks by working with stakeholders to create value and thus be able to contribute to relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The importance of developing and implementing sustainable business practices has never been greater. Business schools are increasingly tasked with preparing students to contribute to this imperative and although progress is being made, the impact of integrating sustainability into business school curriculum has remained uncertain as studies exploring the impact have been lacking. The purpose of this multi-case study was to examine the impact of integration efforts in two distinct undergraduate business programs at Royal Roads University. The research focused on how students' understanding of sustainability and their associated attitudes and behaviors changed as they progressed throughout their programs. In addition to considering the impact of a sustainability-infused curriculum, other factors affecting sustainability orientations were also explored. The study was unique in both its comparative nature and in its investigation of the various contextual factors shaping sustainability orientations. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and through document analysis. Findings suggest a combination of approaches to integration is most effective in impacting sustainability perspectives. While sustainability was generally understood in a multidimensional manner, there was a noticeable environmental bias and a tendency to view it within the business framework. A need for stronger and more comprehensive conceptualizations was identified. Recommendations include: (a) embed sustainability in a comprehensive manner across the curriculum, (b) move beyond a disciplinary conceptualization of sustainability and introduce stronger sustainability discourse, (c) utilize powerful experiential and place-based pedagogies, (d) pay attention to context and ensure both the formal and the informal curriculum mutually reinforce a pro-sustainability agenda.

This chapter focuses on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) as a new approach for academic institutions, such as universities and Universities of Applied Sciences (UASs) as organizations based on empirical evidence. A University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland was selected as a case. An analysis of the organization's most representative documents, extensive interviews with employees having expertise in the different RRI keys (public engagement, gender equality/diversity, science education, open access, ethics) and Anticipation, Inclusiveness, Reflexivity, Responsiveness (AIRR) dimensions, as well as a focus group produced interesting insights regarding the discourse and institutionalization of the RRI approach in the organization. Furthermore, the drivers, barriers, best practices, and monitoring of each of the RRI keys and AIRR dimensions were further described. The findings suggest that RRI could be a helpful policy framework at a time that universities are going through a systemic change.

The fast fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries. For this reason, the industry should look into new circular business models in order to reduce its material footprint as well as the amount of waste produced. This article focuses on the question of how the sharing economy, as one possible circular business model, can contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) “Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production.” After a brief introduction to SDG 12, a short outline of the current development of the sharing economy in the fast fashion sector is given. To develop consumer buying behavior toward environmental sustainability, it is important to understand their motives. Utilitarian and hedonic motives are examined in order to determine to what extent they can positively influence buying intention and thus the acceptance of fashion sharing platforms. The database gathered through a master thesis is used to investigate the specific influence these motives have on buying intention. To increase the acceptance and thus the use of fashion sharing platforms, recommendations for action are developed in the final step of this chapter throughout the five steps of the buying cycle model. Circular business models will play a key role in the context of sustainable transformation in the future. Therefore, it is particularly important to derive concrete recommendations for action based on research in order to get the ecological footprint of environmentally harmful industries – such as the fast fashion industry – under control.

This chapter addresses the intricacies and hurdles in female entrepreneurship within Romania, scrutinizing the often-indistinct lines among authentic entrepreneurship, self-employment, and fraudulent self-employment. It notably spotlights the unique challenges faced by women, stressing the necessity of educational initiatives, legislative backing, and precise policy development. Emphasizing the importance of thorough data gathering and research, the study seeks to deepen the understanding of the specific obstacles and opportunities present for female entrepreneurs. It provides a thorough overview of the status quo of women’s entrepreneurship, outlines the systemic challenges, and discusses potential empowerment and development strategies in this domain.

Patriotism is often described as the “love of country” that individuals display in the acclamation of their national community. Despite the prominence of this sentiment in various societies around the world, organizational research on patriotism is largely absent. This omission is surprising because entrepreneurs, human resource (HR) divisions, and firms frequently embrace both patriotism and patriotic organizational practices. These procedures include (among other interventions) national symbol embracing, HR practices targeted toward military members and first responders, the adulation of patriots and celebration of patriotic events, and patriotic-oriented corporate social responsibility (CSR). Here, the authors argue that research on HR management and organization studies will likely be further enhanced with a deeper understanding of the national obligation that can spur employee productivity and loyalty. In an attempt to jumpstart the collective understanding of this phenomenon, the authors explore the antecedents of patriotic organizational practices, namely, the effects of founder orientation, employee dispersion, and firm strategy. It is suggested that HR practices such as these lead to a patriotic organizational image, which in turn impacts investor, customer, and employee responses. Notably, the effect of a patriotic organizational image on firm-related outcomes is largely contingent on how it fits with the patriotic views of other stakeholders, such as investors, customers, and employees. After outlining this model, the authors then present a thought experiment of how this model may appear in action. The authors then discuss ways the field can move forward in studying patriotism in HR management and organizational contexts by outlining several future directions that span multiple levels (i.e., micro and macro). Taken together, in this chapter, the authors introduce a conversation of something quite prevalent and largely unheeded – the patriotic organization.