Sara Nunes

The Impact of Polytechnic Institutes on the Local Economy.

Higher education institutions and, particularly, polytechnic institutes in Portugal are, generally speaking, recognized as the key stakeholders in regional development. However, due to the economic recession of recent years and the consequent budget constraints, higher education institutions more than ever need to demonstrate the social and cultural impact of their activities within their communities and their contribution to its economic development. The aim of this paper is to estimate the economic impact of a group of polytechnic institutes located in regions with diverse socio-economic characteristics using a common methodology. This common framework enables a comparative study and a better identification of the variables that differentiate the different regions, the respective polytechnics and their impacts.

Determinants of Tourism Destination Competitiveness: A SEM Approach

Abstract The competitiveness of tourist destinations has been the subject of great research interest in recent decades. Nevertheless, and despite the diversity in the literature, studies focusing on the empirical validation of tourism destination models of competitiveness have still to be completed. Hence, this research project seeks to contribute to filling this shortcoming through the identification and evaluation of the factors underlying tourism destination competitiveness in Portugal. The study methodology adopted requires primary data that were sourced from a questionnaire deployed as a structured research instrument based upon the variables put forward by the Dwyer and Kim model (2003). Through recourse to structural equation models, the results report the existence of significant relationships between resources, supply and tourism destination management as the core and essential factors to the competitiveness of a particular tourist destination.

Conditions Supporting Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Growth

There are a variety of different conditions that support entrepreneurship and affect sustainable development. The aim of this paper is to focus on the issue of territorial advantage, based on the dimensions analysed by the World Economic Forum (WEF). This helps to assess the sustainable competitiveness of different geographic regions in the world based on the variables of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). The geographic regions the authors focus on in the analysis are 1) Asia and Oceania, 2) Europe and 3) Latin America and the Caribbean. From the analysis they analyse which variables best explain the socio-economic development of these geographic regions and whether there are any major differences. The results based on partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) show the variables within each group of countries, which best explain the regional development. This helps to understand the association between competitiveness and entrepreneurship variables with sustainable growth in order to help explain best interventionist priorities to use in order to foster entrepreneurship.

Linking innovation and entrepreneurship to economic growth

The purpose of this paper is to study the linkage of innovation and entrepreneurship to economic growth in countries with different levels of development.,Following quantitative analysis, the authors carry out three empirical approaches to examine the effects of innovation and entrepreneurship on competitiveness. In accordance with their initial study framework, they test the conceptual model of competitiveness through applying descriptive statistics, structural equation modelling (SEM) and hierarchical cluster analysis. Descriptive statistics and SEM data sources from the Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum were analysed for 148 countries. The hierarchical cluster analysis furthermore analysed Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data on 67 different countries.,The study confirmed that innovation and sophistication factors are crucial to the competitiveness of economies. The study also revealed the definition of five clusters relative to the competitive performance of advanced economies following the introduction of new entrepreneurship variables.,This research aims to open up avenues for the development of regional competitiveness studies.

Determinant factors of competitiveness in the hotel sector: the case of Portugal

Purpose Competitiveness has been the objective of investigation in tourism in general, and particularly in hospitality, by many researchers in the past decades. The purpose of this study is to identify which main factors are considered crucial for the increase of competitiveness in hospitality, by applying the Porter’s diamond model to this sector. Design/methodology/approach The methodology used in the study required the use of primary data from which the authors obtained 285 responses from companies related to hospitality in Portugal. In the processing of data, the authors used a structural equation model. Findings The results showed that “government policies”, “factor conditions”, “related and supporting industries” and “cooperation and innovation” were determinant factors of the competitiveness of the sector. Originality/value Despite the importance of competitiveness in hospitality, the number of studies focused on the empirical validation models of competitiveness, applied to the hospitality industry, is still incipient. This study contributes to fill this gap.