Marta Peris-Ortiz

Carlos Rueda-Armengot

Jaime Alonso Gómez

José M. Merigó-Lindahl

This book analyses the importance of the entrepreneurial university, specifically in relation to the creation of entrepreneurial ideas and attitudes in students and entrepreneurial initiatives in academic institutions. The aim of the editors and contributing authors is to provide the reader with a set of experiences illustrating the advantages of communicating and encouraging entrepreneurship among students, thereby highlighting the “third mission” of the university: the need to adopt entrepreneurial strategy without disrupting the quality of teaching and research. Featuring initiatives from institutions around the world, the authors argue that the increasing importance of knowledge in the technical and social dimensions of today’s world provides greater relevance to the entrepreneurial university. In this context, universities transcend their traditional focus on teaching and basic research to carry out technology transfers, marketing ideas, and patent registrations, and incorporate spin-off companies that contribute to industrial innovations, economic growth, and job creation. In the teaching dimension, the entrepreneurial university represents a focus on programs which train students in the applications and most advanced practices in knowledge-driven fields. The book addresses such questions as: Can marketing ideas deteriorate the quality of research in the long term? What importance does the cultural framework have for an entrepreneurial education? What circumstances and programs facilitate spin-offs in universities What are the key features of entrepreneurial universities? In reference to entrepreneurship education in its broadest sense, then, it corresponds to the framework of ideas and general features on which entrepreneurship is founded: in-depth knowledge of the projects or ventures which they wish to carry out, capacity to perceive the relevant characteristics of the environment, and the leadership and goal setting skills to achieve success.

Exploring the Academic and Innovative Dimensions of Entrepreneurship in Higher Education

Entrepreneurial Universities

José Álvarez-García

This book examines the ways in which quality management methods, tools, and practices help improve an organization’s performance and achieve sustainable competitive advantages. This volume includes quality techniques and tools such as the EFQM Model, SERVPERF model, E-S-Qual scale and the ISO 9001 certification and provide a wide variety of empirical studies in different economic sectors. In the current economic environment, characterized by economic turmoil and fierce competition, quality management has become a key strategy for organizations to overcome today’s challenges. Organizations benefits from implementing quality management systems by following two approaches. First, they implement quality practices aimed at ensuring customer satisfaction by considering consumer expectations and establishing strategies accordingly. Second, organizations improve processes by establishing efficient and effective process management systems that improve productivity, lower costs, reduce unnecessary expenses, eliminate all non-value added activities, and ultimately maximize excellence and customer satisfaction. Quality management thereby provides tools, techniques, and methods for continuous process improvement in both the professional and academic worlds, which, when implemented by organizations in times of crisis, enable more effective administration of activities undertaken by managers. Containing contributions from various academics and scholars, this new book provides cutting edge research, methods and techniques providing a reference manual for academics, scholars, practitioners and policy-makers.

Achieving Competitive Advantage through Quality Management

María de la Cruz Del Río Rama

The aim of this book is to show how wine tourism can be used as a model for sustainable economic development, driving economic growth and social development in some locations. It will explore the interaction between tourism and viticulture in wine tourism destinations, while also explaining some of the repercussions of these activities. This book covers various topics including regional development, environmental management, sustainable viticulture, quality management in wineries and wine tourism routes among others. Wine tourism, which combines two important yet distinct economic activities (i.e., tourism and viticulture), has recently emerged as a new tourism product driven by tourists’ search for new experiences and wineries’ need to diversify their businesses and seek new revenue streams to boost sales. This new form of tourism, which typically takes place in rural areas and which combines wine production with tourist activities, is becoming important for such regions by providing a complementary income source. It provides a model for sustainable economic development for these regions, which for various reasons may otherwise struggle to develop. Featuring cases and business implications from various locations, this book provides an important source of knowledge—both theoretical and practical—suitable to academics, scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the tourism sector and the wine industry.

A Strategic Segment for Sustainable Economic Development

Wine and Tourism

Francisco Vélez-Torres

This book examines education in entrepreneurship through an action-learning environment that uses educational innovation tools. It explores various education tools, technology tools and pedagogical methods being implemented into university curriculums around the world. Entrepreneurship in society is rapidly gaining popularity as entrepreneurial activities aimed to create social value are fundamental in the development of an innovative, sustainable economy. This notion has been encouraging universities to incorporate entrepreneurship-related competencies into the curriculums of almost all subjects. Thus, developing an action-learning environment with educational innovation tools, technology tools and pedagogical methods is becoming increasingly important to universities. Students must be fully prepared to face the many challenges in the world and to help develop an innovative and sustainable economy. Universities should therefore promote active learning through innovation so that students can become active participants in their learning. Featuring contributions and case studies from academics, researchers and practitioners from around the world, the is book provides international perspective into entrepreneurship education and innovation.

Carlos Rueda-Armengot

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