The Effects of Corruption in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems on Entrepreneurial Intentions

Although researchers have identified corruption as a factor capable of affecting the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the national level of analysis, scholars have reported conflicting results regarding the exact nature of the relationship between corruption and entrepreneurial intentions. This paper formulates some propositions about the complex relationship between corruption and entrepreneurship at different levels of analysis and it suggests and explores the socio-cultural consequences of such domains' interactions. Finally, the slippery-slope effect will be discussed as an intra-individual psychological mechanism that could explain why even morally-engaged people might replicate corrupt behaviors. The limitations of this work, and its implications for future researchers and for government policies will be analyzed

Am I an Entrepreneur? Entrepreneurial Self-Identity as an Antecedent of Entrepreneurial Intention

Although many studies have shown that entrepreneurial intention can be explained according to a theory of planned behavior, some scholars have provided interesting insights into the role of job self-identity perception-in particularly the ones related to entrepreneurship-as significant precursor of entrepreneurial intention. A questionnaire has been administered to graduates and students of an Italian university (N = 153). A hierarchical regression analysis controlling for demographic variables has been performed in order to test the research hypotheses. The findings of this study have been discussed, with particular attention paid to the unexpected, weak, or non-significant effects of perceived behavioral control and social norms on entrepreneurial intention

Corruption and entrepreneurship: A bibliometric analysis

The impact of corruption on entrepreneurial dynamics became an attractive topic for scholars after the appearance of public scandals that led to the delegitimization of many governments in the last 40 years. The research that explored the relationship between corruption and entrepreneurship has produced controversial results. It appears that the interaction of these two constructs is influenced by contextual factors both at an individual and national level of analysis. By using a bibliometric methodology and a fractional counting method to analyse the scientific literature on corruption and entrepreneurship, this paper identifies and analyses 180 articles recorded in the Scopus database. It represents a contribution by showing the state of the art of research on corruption and entrepreneurship and proposes future lines of research. Important results have been found about the evolution of the volume of articles and citations on this topic over time. Significant academic interest in this field commenced in the 21st century, and more specifically in the last ten years. This work also provides findings about the most prolific journals, institutions and authors, as well as the most relevant countries, with the United States and United Kingdom leading in terms of the number of publications. In addition, an in-depth analysis of authors' keywords has identified different trends, such as institutions, economic growth, shadow economy, regulation, Africa, culture, economic development, business environment, and informal economy. Finally, some future research lines are proposed, such as institutional theory, tax morale, corruption perceptions, European regions, risk aversion and institutional entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship and psychological disorders in academic publishing

The role that different psychological disorders play in entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors is of increasing interest and importance to the scientific community. Scholars have undertaken a range of investigations that demonstrate that individuals with specific psychological disorders should be treated differently to other individuals. Some studies contribute to psychological disorders shifting from a disability paradigm to a paradigm of diversity. The main objective of this work is to carry out a preliminary analysis of the literature published about the relationship between psychological disorders and entrepreneurship. For this purpose, a bibliometric methodology and a fractional counting method of clustering were developed, identifying and analyzing 108 documents as recorded in the Web of Science and Scopus databases on the relationship between entrepreneurship and psychological disorders. This paper represents a contribution to the state-of-the-art of research on entrepreneurship and psychological disorders, identifying trends and proposing future topics and research lines

Sunny Island. An interactive learning environment to promote systems thinking education for primary school students

To make the process of learning easier for students, schoolteachers are increasingly using Interactive Learning Environments (ILEs) in classrooms. The paper presents a system dynamics-based ILE called Sunny Island. The ILE has been designed to promote Systems Thinking (ST) education for primary school students. Through a funny fantasy tale - described in detail in a book that accompanies the ILE - students have the opportunity to discover and become familiar with the basic principles of ST, such as feedback, positive and negative causal influences, limits to growth, short and long term effects, counterintuitive behaviors, causes of policy resistances and dynamic complexity. The proposed ILE has been designed through Powersim Studio 10, a simulation software that has been used to model the social phenomena described in the tale. A pilot project has been designed to test the effectiveness of the Sunny Island ILE. Six Italian primary schools have been involved in a pilot project, which is also supervised by a Regional Education Office, a public body that represents the Ministry of Education at a local level. The very first results show a positive impact of the Sunny Island ILE on ST education.To make the process of learning easier for students, schoolteachers are increasingly using Interactive Learning Environments (ILEs) in classrooms. The paper presents a system dynamics-based ILE called Sunny Island. The ILE has been designed to promote Systems Thinking (ST) education for primary school students. Through a funny fantasy tale - described in detail in a book that accompanies the ILE - students have the opportunity to discover and become familiar with the basic principles of ST, such as feedback, positive and negative causal influences, limits to growth, short and long term effects, counterintuitive behaviors, causes of policy resistances and dynamic complexity. The proposed ILE has been designed through Powersim Studio 10, a simulation software that has been used to model the social phenomena described in the tale. A pilot project has been designed to test the effectiveness of the Sunny Island ILE. Six Italian primary schools have been involved in a pilot project, which is also supervised by a Regional Education Office, a public body that represents the Ministry of Education at a local level. The very first results show a positive impact of the Sunny Island ILE on ST education. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd

Critical issues in the management of the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: The role of some organizational flaws on the adoption of collaborative governance models

In March and April 2020, in Italy, there was a fast and uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. The number of infected people and deaths multiplied quickly; in some regions of the Country the phenomenon got out of control. Intensive Care Units (ICUs) were rapidly saturated by COVID-19 patients, generating pressures on the Regional Health System that forced to the public decisionmakers to suspend all non-emergency services. In this short note we argue that Italy’s inability to contain the outbreak of the epidemic in the first phase was due to the low willingness of public organizations to apply effective collaborative governance model

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF A QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURING THE ANTECEDENTS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION INTENTION

A limit of the questionnaires measuring Entrepreneurial Intention (EI) is the lack of a multidimensional vision of its antecedents. The definition of a multidimensional model of the main drivers affecting the intentions of aspiring entrepreneurs in building a start-up seems a fundamental milestone to overcome this pitfall. This paper aims to explore the internal consistency reliability of a new multidimensional questionnaire measuring the antecedents of EI and Entrepreneurial Education Intention (EEI). The tool consists in a self-administered online questionnaire that has been built in accordance with the Theory of Planned Behavior in entrepreneurship research. It includes 54 items adapted by others studies or created by the authors and it has been administered to college students and graduates (N = 70). Cronbach's Alpha and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) were performed using SPSS v23. The value of Cronbach's Alpha and the CFA confirmed the internal stability of the questionnaire, even if the post hoc diagnostic information forced the authors to remove some items with a low value of their standardized regression weights and to estimate some within-factor correlated errors to improve model fit. Although the number of subjects involved in the study was small, this pilot study shows a good internal consistency reliability of the questionnaire. (C) 2017 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.U

A GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR A STANDARDIZED COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE

The methodological rigour in the competence assessment represents a strategic choice to achieve a successful promotion of human capital. The role of personal and professional competences has been recognized in every professional areas and a huge number of studies have contributed to better understand how competence affect individual and organizational behaviour and what are the best methods to assure its effective assessment. The paper aims to propose an operative and standardized competence assessment procedure coherent with the more recognized international qualification frameworks, even if allowing customized reports. The proposed procedure is the result of the operationalization of a general framework able to offer good contextual and intra-individual adaptability. A four-step procedure has been identified. Each step or phase is structured in some specific sub-phases, which in turn are articulated into several activities, with a view to culminating in a structure coherent with the European Qualification Framework (EQF), where competence are described in terms of Knowledge, Skills, Ability and Other characteristics (KSAOs). The procedure, coherently with proposed framework, can be implemented both in the early stages of the job search, as i.e. graduate employability, or to detect highly specific competence finalized to promote individual and/or organizational performance. In this regard, the standardized competence assessment procedure appears to be a valid instrument to enhance individual potential, encourage competence-based organizational development and to promote Human Capital as organizational competitive resource. (C) 2017 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.U