This article explores experts’ perspectives on the most important soft skills for entrepreneurial success in the Western Balkans (WB) and identifies effective educational and workplace practices to foster these skills. Using a qualitative Delphi study supported by a literature review, the research gathered and synthesized opinions from 20 experts representing Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Findings show that communication, adaptability, flexibility, teamwork, and critical thinking are essential for business success, while leadership, emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and teamwork are considered most vital for future entrepreneurs. Experts emphasized that group projects, specialized courses, and blended learning approaches are effective in educational settings, while workplace skill development benefits from training programs, mentoring, active communication, and openness to feedback. This study provides region-specific insights into skill-building strategies for young entrepreneurs, addressing a key research gap. By integrating expert consensus with evidence-based practices, the article offers a framework for educators, policymakers, institutions, and businesses to strengthen entrepreneurship education and workforce readiness across the WB region.

This study examines the impact of structured internal innovation project management (IPM) practices and external innovation ecosystem (IE) characteristics on sustainable and responsible innovation (SRI) in EU widening countries. Using a two-stage Delphi-informed survey of 100 firms across Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, and Serbia, the research applies moderated multiple regression analysis to examine the interplay between internal processes and external ecosystem maturity. Results show that both structured innovation phases and tools have a positive impact on SRI. However, while innovation phases consistently enhance SRI regardless of ecosystem conditions, the effect of innovation tools weakens in stronger ecosystems, suggesting a resource substitution dynamic. These findings challenge the assumption that greater ecosystem support uniformly improves innovation outcomes. The study contributes to the theoretical integration of the Resource-Based View and Innovation Ecosystem Theory, highlighting context-specific conditions in transitional economies. Practical implications are offered for managers and policymakers; firms in weaker ecosystems should prioritize building internal innovation capabilities, while those in mature ecosystems may gain more from leveraging external collaborations. The research advances debates on sustainable innovation strategies by showing how the effectiveness of internal management practices depends on ecosystem maturity, offering insights for both policy interventions and strategic innovation management in developing economies.

Public concern about environmental issues has led to growing interest in sustainability across various sectors, including entrepreneurship. However, beyond the concern for environmental protection and the presseration of natural resources for future generations, additional conditions are necessary to foster the development of sustainable entrepreneurship. While developed countries provide examples and evidence of the successful implementation of this concept, its application in developing countries presents challenges due to a range of limiting factors. In addition to essential financial support, the literature often highlights the lack and/or complexity of sustainability reporting, the absence of standards and clearly defined sustainability metrics, insufficient regulation, and the lack of support from higher education institutions as barriers to the transition toward sustainable entrepreneurship. This paper aims to examine the feasibility of applying the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship in Western Balkan countries, taking into account the aforementioned constraints. For the purpose of the empirical research, potential limitations were evaluated by managers and business owners in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The results of the study answer the question of whether developing countries have the potential to foster sustainable entrepreneurship, given the analyzed constraints, or whether the implementation of this concept is reserved solely for large enterprises and economically advanced countries.

This study aims to investigate individual and joint effects of digitalization and inbound open innovation (OI) on technological (product and process) innovations in German firms. In particular, two specific forms of digitalization are considered – artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics (BDA), as well as the search breadth as a measure of inbound OI. To answer this research question, an econometric analysis is conducted on a sample of Germany firms using the Mannheim Innovation Panel dataset from the wave conducted in 2019 and covering the period 2016–2018. Moreover, the study reports results for the manufacturing and service sectors separately. This sectoral analysis sheds light on any potential differences in the innovation effects of digitalization and OI practices. Our empirical findings are heterogeneous and show that, overall, AI positively impacts product innovation, while BDA increases the likelihood of process innovation. Moreover, AI and the breadth of knowledge search do not yield synergistic innovation effects, while BDA weakens the positive impact of search breadth on process innovation. Based on empirical findings, we discuss theoretical, managerial and policy implications. This study contributes to the literature by examining the influence of digitalization and inbound OI on technological, product and process innovations. In addition, this study examines the mediating effect that digitalization and inbound OI can exert on technological innovation in German firms. The full sample is divided into manufacturing and service sectors to disentangle potentially heterogeneous effects of inbound OI and digitalization on innovation performance.

Background: The expansive advancement of technology has prompted scholars to investigate the links between external factors that influence the success of technology-based entrepreneurs, with particular emphasis on the link between national culture and technological entrepreneurial orientation. Purpose: This paper examines the relationship between national culture and technological entrepreneurial orientation during the early stages of entrepreneurial activity, utilizing Hofstede's national culture dimensions as a theoretical framework. Study design/methodology/approach: The empirical analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression, based on data obtained from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database. The sample comprises 8,000 participants from Southeastern Europe. Findings/conclusions: The research findings indicate a statistically significant relationship between national culture and technological entrepreneurial orientation. A similar standard of living, associated with a lower index of power distance, is positively linked to technological entrepreneurial orientation, whereas the perception of entrepreneurship as a desirable professional career, typical of an individualistic society, is statistically significant but negatively associated with technological entrepreneurial orientation. A lower index of Power distance encourages innovativeness and efficiency in entrepreneurial ventures within high-tech sectors; conversely, Individualistic societies lead to a greater prevalence of enterprises in low-tech sectors. Limitations/future research: A group of drivers of technological entrepreneurial orientation was examined. We recommend that future research, in addition to national culture, also considers other factors, such as individual or sociodemographic factors.

The focus of this monograph is on the profound changes brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the transition to the post-digital era, in which digital technologies, automation, and innovations shape industries, institutions, and everyday life. Digital transformation enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups to achieve a more level playing field compared to global corporations, creating conditions for the development of dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems. Startups, defined as temporary organizations designed to find a scalable, repeatable business model, are key drivers of economic development. The monograph focuses on digital entrepreneurship, business model innovation, open innovation, entrepreneurial finance, entrepreneurial marketing, the digitization of processes and global value chains, and the sustainable growth and development of post-startup ventures within contemporary ecosystems. Special attention is given to the circular economy as a key approach to reducing negative environmental impacts and transitioning from the linear “take–make–dispose” model to sustainable business models based on reuse, recycling, and repair. In this context, the growing importance of ESG principles is emphasized, as they integrate environmental, social, and governance dimensions into business strategies and contribute to long-term value and corporate reputation. The monograph addresses the critical question of the benefits that growing enterprises can achieve by adopting ESG principles, as well as how innovative business models create value for all stakeholders. Managing the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, digital entrepreneurship, growth strategies, and entrepreneurial management represents a thematic continuation and qualitative enhancement of the author’s previous editions. Finally, the monograph highlights the importance of continuously building entrepreneurial culture and innovative ecosystems as prerequisites for societal prosperity and for motivating new generations of entrepreneurs, researchers, and creators.

Southeast European transition economies continue to struggle with turning innovative ideas into sustainable commercial successes. This paper examines the factors that drive effective and lasting Technology Transfer (TT) within emerging open innovation ecosystems in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Albania. Unlike earlier studies that focus on a single country or rely on limited methods, this research adopts a comprehensive mixed-methods approach, combining a two-round Delphi study, focus groups, a needs analysis, and a survey of 100 companies.Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) on data collected from companies and research institutions, the study demonstrates that robust Intellectual Property Protection (IPP) exerts a significant and direct influence on enhancing technology transfer. In contrast, innovation capabilities alone do not significantly affect transfer outcomes. Instead, network dynamics strengthen these capabilities, which in turn support technology transfer — but only when embedded within solid institutional frameworks. These findings challenge the common assumption that innovation capabilities are sufficient for successful technology commercialization. They emphasize the critical importance of institutional quality and cooperation networks in transitional economies. At the theoretical level, the study integrates resource-based, institutional, and open innovation perspectives to address the “innovation-implementation” gap. Practically, it highlights key policy priorities: strengthening IPP enforcement, establishing specialized IPP courts, and fostering partnerships between universities and industry, as well as within innovation clusters. For companies and universities, developing absorptive capacity and engaging in cross-border collaborations are essential for maximizing the benefits of external knowledge. While limited by its regional focus and cross-sectional design, this research offers a nuanced framework for sustainable technology transfer in Southeast Europe and underscores the need for further comparative and longitudinal studies to deepen our understanding of this phenomenon.

The expanding research on team emergent states explains many facets of team dynamics in an entrepreneurial context. However, the interactions between team emergent states are still unknown. Detached from team emergent states, studies on student entrepreneurship have disclosed findings clustered around students' entrepreneurial intentions while neglecting the issue of persistence with a developed business idea. This study contributes to the literature by proposing an intersection between team emergent states and student entrepreneurial education research via a model where transactive memory systems mediate the effect of team efficacy on team persistence. The model is tested on a sample of student teams using a partial least‐square structural equation modelling approach. The findings support the proposed indirect effect. The study offers theoretical implications for team emergent states and policy implications for entrepreneurial education.

The relationship between firms’ exports and increases in productivity is generally regarded as positive. While the causal effects of process innovation are straightforward and positive, the effect of product innovation on productivity is ambiguous. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on a joint effect that innovation and exports have on firms’ productivity. In our attempt to fill this gap, we explore individual and joint effects of innovation and exports on productivity by employing cross-sectional firm-level data. We use the sixth wave of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS VI: 2018–2020) conducted by the EBRD and the World Bank. Using a stratified random sampling, the data was collected from interviews with representatives of randomly chosen firms from 32 countries. The overall results suggest that exporting firms are more productive than non-exporters, while the impact of innovation is more heterogeneous. Whereas EU and high-income countries reap the productivity benefits, this effect is absent in other regions and countries with medium and low-income levels. Finally, our results indicate the absence of a joint effect of innovation and exports on productivity, across different geographical regions and countries of different income levels.