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Inclusive and Responsible Entrepreneurship in a Turbulent Era
(Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 2025-01-01) Durst, Susanne; Mbena, Jacques Yana; Viala, Céline; Department of Business and Economics
This incisive book uses real-world examples and historical insights to shed light on how inclusive and responsible entrepreneurship can lead to stronger economies and communities. Combining inclusivity, responsibility, crisis management and other related concepts, authors Susanne Durst, Jacques Yana Mbena and Céline Viala adopt a holistic approach to examining the practical benefits of inclusive and responsible entrepreneurship. The book highlights the crucial role that entrepreneurship plays in developing and implementing sustainable solutions in turbulent times and emphasises that contemporary entrepreneurship is more than just making money, but is about inclusion and equity in all entrepreneurial activities. The authors provide a variety of historical insights and examples to demonstrate the ways in which inclusive and responsible entrepreneurship can be a tool for social justice, economic equality and societal sustainability. Inclusive and Responsible Entrepreneurship in a Turbulent Era identifies barriers to incorporating inclusive and responsible entrepreneurship and presents practical and effective solutions to address them. Inclusive and Responsible Entrepreneurship in a Turbulent Era is an essential resource for scholars of entrepreneurship and business, as well as students of sustainable business development, business ethics and other related subjects in the social sciences. Entrepreneurs, policymakers and organisations wishing to support this form of entrepreneurship will also benefit from the book’‘s insights.
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New Distributed Interactive Proofs for Planarity : A Matter of Left and Right
(Schloss Dagstuhl- Leibniz-Zentrum fur Informatik GmbH, Dagstuhl Publishing, 2025) Gil, Yuval; Parter, Merav; Kowalski, Dariusz R.
We provide new distributed interactive proofs (DIP) for planarity and related graph families. The notion of a distributed interactive proof (DIP) was introduced by Kol, Oshman, and Saxena (PODC 2018). In this setting, the verifier consists of n nodes connected by a communication graph G. The prover is a single entity that communicates with all nodes by short messages. The goal is to verify that the graph G satisfies a certain property (e.g., planarity) in a small number of rounds, and with a small communication bound, denoted as the proof size. Prior work by Naor, Parter and Yogev (SODA 2020) presented a DIP for planarity that uses three interaction rounds and a proof size of O(log n). Feuilloley et al. (PODC 2020) showed that the same can be achieved with a single interaction round and without randomization, by providing a proof labeling scheme with a proof size of O(log n). In a subsequent work, Bousquet, Feuilloley, and Pierron (OPODIS 2021) achieved the same bound for related graph families such as outerplanarity, series-parallel graphs, and graphs of treewidth at most 2. In this work, we design new DIPs that use exponentially shorter proofs compared to the state-of-the-art bounds. Our main results are: There is a 5-round protocol with O(log log n) proof size for outerplanarity. There is a 5-round protocol with O(log log n) proof size for verifying embedded planarity and O(log log n + log ∆) proof size for general planar graphs, where ∆ is the maximum degree in the graph. In the former setting, it is assumed that an embedding of the graph is given (e.g., each node holds a clockwise orientation of its neighbors) and the goal is to verify that it is a valid planar embedding. The latter result should be compared with the non-interactive setting for which there is lower bound of Ω(log n) bits for graphs with ∆ = O(1) by Feuilloley et al. (PODC 2020). The non-interactive deterministic lower bound of Ω(log n) bits by Feuilloley et al. (PODC 2020) can be extended to hold even if the verifier is randomized. Moreover, the lower bound holds even with the assumption that the verifier’s randomness comes in the form of an unbounded random string shared among the nodes. We also show that our DIPs can be extended to protocols with similar bounds for verifying series-parallel graphs and graphs with tree-width at most 2. Perhaps surprisingly, our results demonstrate that the key technical barrier for obtaining o(log log n) labels for all our problems is a basic sorting verification task in which all nodes are embedded on an oriented path P ⊆ G and it is desired for each node to distinguish between its left and right G-neighbors.
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Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) use and dependence : an approach from behavioral economics
(2025) Robayo-Pinzon, Oscar; Rojas-Berrio, Sandra; Camargo, Jorge E.; Foxall, Gordon R.; Department of Business and Economics
Objective: This study aims to explore the perceived dependence on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools among young adults and examine the relative reinforcing value of AI chatbots use compared to monetary rewards, applying a behavioral economics approach. Participants/methods: A total of 420 university students from Bogotá, Colombia, participated in an online survey. The study employed a Multiple Choice Procedure (MCP) to assess the relative reinforcement between different durations of GenAI use (1, 2, and 4 weeks) and monetary rewards, which varied in amount and delay. Additionally, an adapted AI Dependence Scale evaluated levels of dependence on AI tools. Data analysis included repeated measures ANOVA to examine the effects of reward magnitude and delay on choices, and correlations to assess the relationship between perceived dependence and reinforcement values. Results: Participants reported low average dependence on AI tools (mean AI Dependence Scale score = 65.6), with no significant gender differences. MCP findings indicated significant differences in crossover points across varying durations or delays for AI chatbots use, suggesting a higher relative value of use for the option to use AI chatbots immediately. The average reinforcement value for AI use versus monetary rewards did significantly vary with reward magnitude. On the other hand, significant differences were found in the levels of perceived dependence on AI, according to the average daily time of AI tool use. Conclusion: The results suggest that young adults exhibit low perceived dependence on GenAI tools but show differential reinforcement values based on usage duration or delay conditions. This behavioral economics approach provides novel insights into decision-making patterns related to AI chatbots use, emphasizing the need for further research to understand the psychological and social factors influencing dependence on AI technologies.
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Firm size as a moderator of stakeholder pressure and circular economy practices : Implications for economic and sustainability performance in SMEs
(2025) Ahmadov, Tarlan; Durst, Susanne; Gerstlberger, Wolfgang; Nguyen, Quang M.; Department of Business and Economics
PURPOSE: This study examines the interplay between stakeholder pressure (internal and external), circular economy (CE) practices, firm size, and their impact on the sustainability and economic performance of Small and Medium sized Enterprises. This research underscores firm size as a key moderator in the relationship between stakeholder pressures and CE adoption, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of this dynamic in SMEs. METHODOLOGY: Based on a cross-sectional survey of 124 SMEs in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with respondents primarily being owners and managers of firms, a three-step approach tested the proposed model for CE practices. First, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to ensure that the observed variables represented latent constructs. Second, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Weighted Least Squares (WLS) regression methods were used to control for factors influencing CE adoption. Finally, the interaction terms assessed the moderating role of firm size. FINDINGS: The research shows that firm size moderates these effects, with external stakeholder pressure significantly influencing CE adoption more than internal pressure. These finding underscores how firm size shapes SMEs’ responses to stakeholder pressure when adopting CE practices. IMPLICATIONS: This study provides empirical evidence that stakeholder pressure significantly influences SMEs in the Baltic States to adopt CE practices, thus impacting economic and sustainability performance. Smaller firms can enhance CE practices by strategically managing stakeholders, whereas larger SMEs should align with external stakeholder expectations for more effective CE initiatives, leading to improved organizational performance. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: This study demonstrates how stakeholder pressures drive CE practices and impact organizational sustainability and economic performance. Firm size plays a crucial role as a moderator amplifying the influence of external stakeholder pressure on CE practices.
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Proteomic characterization of Lysinibacillus reveals early-stage PET biodegradation potential
(2026-03-24) Dudziak, Radoslaw B.; Muñoz-Hisado, Víctor; Hidalgo-Arias, Andrea; Martínez-Carrancho, María; Garcia-Lopez, Eva; Fakhouri, Farayde Matta; Martinez-Alonso, Emma; Alcázar, Alberto; Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Margrét Auður; Fonseca, Gustavo Graciano; Cid, Cristina; Faculty of Natural Resource Sciences
Plastic pollution is a global challenge due to the persistence of synthetic polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and the limited efficiency of current recycling strategies. While microbial biodegradation is a promising alternative, the relatively recent introduction of plastics has constrained microbial evolutionary adaptation and enzymatic efficiency. In this study, a PET-associated bacterial strain was isolated from Icelandic soil, identified as Lysinibacillus sp. via 16S rRNA sequencing, and evaluated through growth assays, proteomics, in silico screening, and surface imaging. In mineral medium with PET as the sole carbon source, Lysinibacillus sp. exhibited a shorter lag phase and higher early-stage growth than the reference strain Ideonella sakaiensis (p < 0.05 at Weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6) over six weeks. FE-SEM revealed microbial colonization, surface erosion, fissures, and delamination, indicating polymer surface alteration. MALDI-TOF MS proteomic analysis did not detect canonical PET-degrading enzymes such as PETase or MHETase. The in silico genome-wide screen similarly failed to identify PETases or other known polyester hydrolases carrying the conserved GXSXG motif, the Ser-His-Asp catalytic triad, or compatible α/β-hydrolase domain architecture. Instead, PET exposure triggered metabolic reprogramming dominated by oxidative-stress response proteins (peroxiredoxins, superoxide dismutases, thiol peroxidases) and central metabolic enzymes. Although several proteins annotated as hydrolases were expressed, these lacked the catalytic signatures and structural features characteristic of validated PET-degrading polyesterases. Taken together, the proteomic and in silico results indicate that Lysinibacillus sp. responds to PET through broad metabolic and oxidative-stress adaptation rather than through expression of dedicated PET-hydrolyzing enzymes. This stress-driven remodeling may support limited transformation of PET-associated compounds but does not constitute evidence of direct PET depolymerization. The rapid adaptive response of Lysinibacillus sp. complements the slower, enzyme-driven strategy of I. sakaiensis, supporting the potential of microbial consortia for multi-stage plastic biodegradation.

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