Research and Innovation Practices: Cooperation and Collaborations in Scientific and Entrepreneurial Contexts

Sabbaticals should be a main feature of every academic career. This article provides some personal insights from experience along with an analysis of the benefits to the home and host institutions. Furthermore, the paper includes extensive and easy-to-follow timelines and guides for one’s own sabbatical. It is hoped that this article will expand the use of sabbaticals for everyone’s benefit in academia. Full article

eSports events are a groundbreaking phenomenon worldwide. For this reason, this study aims to recognize the potential of eSports as an alternative for tourism events diversification in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Within the methodological framework of an exploratory-descriptive scope, it was proposed to analyze the conditions of eSports events and the tourist perception of them in the selected city. A survey was applied to 384 participants of eSports events (potential tourists), using video game rooms and player community networks throughout Latin America. The instrument used to collect data was a questionnaire available online for six months for further analysis. The principal findings in terms of quality performance of the event, perception of the event, destination image, and satisfaction revealed four vital indicators associated. Event staff, event atmosphere, hospitality, and good feelings about live attendance must be taken into consideration while designing a satisfactory experience to integrate into eSports into the city’s tourism offerings. Attendees also expressed their willingness to return to the city in the future. These results contribute to expanding the scientific literature on the evaluation and management of eSports events for other developing cities and countries. Full article

Climate change is one of the greatest threats of the 21st century due to its global economic, social, and environmental causes and consequences, which affect developing countries to a greater extent. It is worrying that climate models project a temperature increase of more than 2 °C if the current trend in emissions continues, so it is necessary to progressively reduce the annual flow of emissions from approximately seven tons to two tons per capita in the next 40 years. In this sense, this research is aimed at evaluating the effect of deforestation on climate change in Ecuador between 1990–2020, based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, for which control variables were added (livestock and agriculture). The Johansen co-integration test, a VAR Model, a VEC Model, and Granger causality were estimated to examine the short-term and long-term relationships and the direction of causality of the variables. The results showed that deforestation does not directly affect climate change; however, it does so indirectly as the existence of a short- and long-term relationship between the variables included in the model was determined. In addition, a causal relationship was determined that goes from agriculture to deforestation and in conjunction with livestock and climate change. It is worrying that variations in climate change occur in the short term because it is in danger to comply with the objectives proposed at the global level regarding climate change. Finally, intensive reforestation is recommended in conjunction with public and educational institutions, as well as the implementation of green buildings. In addition to this, government support in terms of credits, subsidies, training, and technology allow the emission of polluting gases to be reduced as much as possible. Full article

The point of view expressed in this article is theoretically grounded in the PRISMA statement, which is a tool for critically evaluating academic papers in public health. Bibliometrics analysis, systematic review, meta-analysis, and storytelling techniques (BSMS) were used to identify relevant studies and create a process for documented urban planning and design research. To promote the construction of new facts based on compelling evidence reported in earlier literature reviews, academics in urban planning and urban design are encouraged to build their own suitable review procedures to support the formation of conclusions based on compelling evidence. Providing a strategic approach and practice process is one of the significant contributions of this knowledge research. Full article

This article studies an international banana and plantain trading company in Colombia and its relationship with the largest Fairtrade producer in the world, whose importance lies in the global trade certification that allows consumers to buy products that were produced under fair labor standards, regulated by the Fairtrade International organization. This ignores some administrative principles that put this type of organization at risk, resulting in a series of inconsistencies in business operations. We aim to design strategies that can be implemented in this type of company, improve the organizational climate, and adapt it to certification. For the design of this model, the deductive research method with a qualitative approach will be used. The obtained results seek to improve the organizational climate and the operational and administrative efficiency of certified companies. Full article

In Malaysia, social innovation programs are fully supported by the government. However, reports and findings on the related matter have yet to be comprehensively collected due to the current interest. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to provide a better insight and understanding on how social innovation projects could assist in achieving the SDG agenda. Since social innovation is emerging and has just recently been embraced in Malaysia, we present the study as a case based on an entrepreneur cooperative, named KOKULAC, with a grounded theory analysis as a core approach. The findings suggest that there are five sustainability development goals that are very closely related to KOKULAC’s agenda. These goals are no poverty, zero hunger, decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, and partnership for the goals. In addition, the case also presented how the values of sustainable development spur greater social benefits of shared prosperity. We conclude that the proposed model contributes to the expansion of innovation capability theory by shaping the innovations within the scope of social needs, which could be applied in other settings. For future research, we recommend a higher integration between the social innovation model and dynamic capabilities of the networking structures. Full article

Sustainable development in mountain areas faces numerous socioenvironmental and economic challenges that public institutions have sought to address for decades. The EU is increasingly demanding Higher Education Institutions be more socially relevant and responsible in addressing the needs of these often-underserved communities. To this end, one central principle of the Erasmus+ Project 2014–2020, also consolidated by the Programme 2021–2027, has been to enhance the development, transfer, and implementation of innovative practices fostering social engagement at the local and international levels. The paper describes a case study developed in the “Socially Engaged Universities—(SEU)” project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme 2014–2020, which aimed to strengthen the cooperation between universities and local communities. A local foundation and the University of Parma co-piloted a project to strengthen the short supply chains of a group of farmers in the Italian Appennines. The partnership identified factors that fostered and hampered the effectiveness of community–university partnerships. We propose some final recommendations to ensure that sustainable rural development fully leverages university resources. This includes higher education teaching and research programmes tailored toward the needs of the local community. Full article

Proceeding from the idea that it is possible to correlate economic with social development, this research focus on cooperatives and their management systems. Based on studies and publications on cooperative management practices in several countries, this study seeks to acquire sufficient knowledge about cooperatives to understand them as efficient and proactive organizations. They seek an alignment between economic and social development of their members sharing a common goal of prosperity. This study pursues the following question: “Does the competence of the operational management of cooperatives make it possible for cooperative members to overcome the obstacles that prevent their social and economic development?” To answer this question, it was proposed to carry out a bibliometric analysis of the cooperative systems in several countries between 1995 and 2020, with the focus on the economic and social development of their members. As for the methodology employed in this study, a collection of publications on cooperatives in the world and a systematic review was organized. As a result, the characteristics of cooperatives could be identified, allowing an overview of the organizations’ qualifications as promoters of social and economic development. Full article

Cleaning services are a transversal activity that guarantees the proper functioning and conditions of safety, hygiene, and health across all economic sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for clean, sanitary spaces, particularly in health services and other areas with a large number of people. The workers in these services were often placed on the frontline without any specific training or information. Their low average schooling aggravated this situation. Therefore, exploring these workers’ perceptions about the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential influence on their mental health was the primary goal of our research. Structured interviews were conducted based on questionnaires in a sample of 436 women. Their characterisation focused on three aspects related to the pandemic. First, to prevent infecting others (85.5%) and that people close to them could die (86.0%) were the dominant concerns; second, the feeling of permanent vigilance was mentioned (56.2%); and third, the fear of not getting medical care (60.7%). Thus, the workers felt there was a need for more dissemination of individual protection measures, as well as more training, better general working conditions, and access to psychological counselling. Full article

Quality is not only the basis for business survival and development but also a key issue that cannot be ignored in supply chain management decisions. In practice, the impact of quality on goodwill does not show an immediate effect, and there is a dynamic delayed effect. Therefore, we developed a dynamic model that considers the delayed effect of quality on goodwill. Firstly, we constructed a delayed differential equation for the effect of quality on goodwill based on the Nerlove–Arrow model for a two-channel supply chain in a competitive environment and studied the dynamic quality decision problem of manufacturers and retailers under the delay effect. Secondly, we constructed the manufacturer and retailer Hamilton functions based on the principles of being of great value, solving and comparing the optimal product quality level, having an optimal service quality level, product goodwill, and overall profit of the supply chain under both decentralized and centralized decision modes, and investigated the effect of delay time on the profit and quality decisions of supply chain members. The conclusions show that: (i) delay time is an important reference for supply chain members when choosing the decision mode, and the overall profit size of the supply chain has different relationships with the different values of delay time taken into account with the two decision scenarios. (ii) Adopting a centralized decision mode can motivate manufacturers and retailers to improve the quality level, which in turn promotes the sales of products and the accumulation of brand goodwill. Full article

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore how information and communication technologies have affected the way in which research groups are connected in their professional setting. It also analyses the techniques of interaction and cooperation of research groups, the exploration of information and the gateway to information, as well as the main tendencies and variations that researchers have observed during the last years. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was proposed to 305 scholars from different areas observing 159 variable responses. In order to complement and correctly interpret the information gathered within the survey, selected researchers were interviewed, and some of their opinions are reported in this work. Findings: Researchers see how their scientific networks expand thanks to digital tools, establishing professional relationships with other researchers. Moreover, researchers want to increase the amount of their scientific collaboration but they also need analogical meetings with others researchers, where face-to-face relations can accomplish the lack of this in digital communication. Originality: The dominance of tools used in scientific network activity is mixed, composed of analogical and digital ones. Researchers recognize the primary role assumed by digital practices in their work, increasing the quantity and the quality of it thanks to the efficiency and the access to information from different parts of the world. Social implication: Digital transformation has modified the research practices of researchers, from communication among them to the management of data. This new context of professional relations opens innovative implications and approaches for sharing knowledge between researchers and international collaborations. Full article

(1) Background: Regional Innovation Strategies on Smart Specialisation (RIS3) receive higher attention due to the start of the new European funding period 2021–2027. Compared to the previous period, RIS3 will focus more attention towards social needs and challenges in their design and implementation to commit themselves towards sustainable regional development and contribute to the European Green Deal and UN Sustainable Development Goals. Nevertheless, RIS3 as innovation policy has not yet incorporated social innovation concepts or socio-ecological demands on its pathway within the constant transition of Europe’s society to become more sustainable. (2) Methods: A systematic literature review has been conducted to identify key insights and gaps in existing literature. (3) Results: The review exposed clustering as a policy tool for sustainable development, a lack of integration of social capital and regional assets to RIS3 design to overcome societal challenges and missing political capabilities to utilize social innovation governances under RIS3 towards sustainability. (4) Conclusions: Future research should pick up these gaps to contribute to a better understanding of social innovators in designing RIS3, meeting social needs and forging the pathway towards sustainability. Full article

Limited data regarding the resources and methods used by organic fruit growers to learn about production practices are available, even though this information is crucial to improving the efficacy of knowledge transfer. Therefore, a survey to gain information from knowledge networks dealing with organic fruit production about their structural organisation, tasks and methods of communication was carried out in twenty-one countries from Europe and the Mediterranean basin. A total of 56 networks representing about 42,500 professionals were identified as a result of the survey. The vast majority of them were only active at the regional or national level and were composed of farmers, advisors and researchers. About 3/4 of the networks were developing improved strategies for agronomic practices and about half of them were also involved in different knowledge-transfer activities between their members. Personal contact was the most used method to exchange and disseminate information within the networks as well as to elaborate improved strategies. The findings were analysed in view of the methods and practices commonly used to share both explicit (scientific) and implicit (practical) knowledge among practitioners. It was concluded that knowledge networks play an important role in the development of more resilient organic cropping systems, frequently making organic fruit growers the drivers of innovation. Networking for knowledge exchange was considered a process that encourages the active involvement of farmers in experimentation and innovation applying a method of knowledge sharing that is rooted in the very foundation of organic philosophy. Some recommendations and future research were suggested to further foster the development and functioning of networks for knowledge exchange. Full article

Manufacturing new ventures aiming to realize green innovative development play an essential role in the process of realizing the green transformation of economy and society. However, there is limited research on green manufacturing new ventures, and scholars have different views on whether green innovation strategy can improve new venture performance. This paper attempts to fill this gap by proposing a comprehensive framework of the relationship among green innovation strategy, green knowledge sharing, business model innovation, and new venture performance, based on the natural resource-based view. Through the empirical analysis of 240 sample enterprises in China, the results show that green innovation strategy has a significant positive effect on new venture performance. Green knowledge sharing and business model innovation are the essential paths for new ventures to achieve performance growth. Additionally, green knowledge sharing and business model innovation play a chain mediating role between green innovation strategy and new venture performance. This study suggests directions for manufacturing new ventures implementing a green innovation strategy to enhance performance and establishes a theoretical basis for the green transformation development of China’s economy and society. Full article

This research was designed to test and extend the model of emotional dissonance. Previous models of emotional dissonance, such as the Job Demand-Resource (JD-R) and the Stress-Strain-Outcome (SSO) models, are limited in that they do not account for the influences of work and work–family-related conflicts. The present paper focused on emotional labor carried out by married women working in call centers. We developed the model of emotional dissonance influencing intrinsic motivation and job stress, with the moderating effects of work overload and work–family conflict. The data of 468 employees analyzed using least square regression showed that that emotional dissonance is positively related to job stress, but is negatively related to intrinsic motivation. Both work overload and work–family conflict were found to be significant moderators that aggravate the positive relationships between emotional dissonance and job stress, and the negative relationships between emotional dissonance and intrinsic motivation. Theoretical and practical implications on emotional labor and emotional dissonance are discussed. Full article