Sustainability is a fundamental principle for human resource management worldwide. This study aimed to examine the effect of knowledge management components on the sustainability of technology-driven businesses mediated by social media in emerging markets. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in April 2022. The statistical population comprised 537 businesses, and the sample size (estimated using Cochran’s formula) was 224 research and development employees. A 25-item questionnaire scored on a 5-point Likert scale was administered to collect data, which were analyzed in SmartPLS 3. The findings showed that for technology-driven businesses to be in a sustainable environment, knowledge management components must be applied in all parts of the company. The application of knowledge management creates value and a sustainable competitive advantage in a dynamic environment. Furthermore, effective participation in the organizational social network can activate knowledge management and create value. Thus, knowledge acquisition through social media optimizes learning and ideation, and for technology-driven companies that lack resources, this acquisition enables development and sustainability in a dynamic environment.

Technology-based enterprises play a paramount role in blooming a country economically. Nevertheless, according to a society’s capacity to launch such enterprises in various eras, their volume is less than expected in many economies. Therefore, establishing such enterprises is necessary for developing any country, although its innovation system contributes to establishing them. This paper considers the impact of entrepreneurial education on technology-based enterprise development, including motivation as a mediator variable, in Esfahan Scientific and Industrial Town. Despite much research investigating the correlation between entrepreneurial education and technology-based enterprises’ progress, it seems that no study has already considered this correlation with remarking the motivation as a mediator variable. This applied research follows a quantitative research design. The statistical population includes 500 enterprises in the Esfahan Scientific and Industrial Town, and for sampling, Cochran’s formula was applied (n = 217). Additionally, the researcher-made questionnaire and PLS3 software were used for data gathering and analysis. The results demonstrated that entrepreneurial education elements (including entrepreneurial skill, entrepreneurial learning, and entrepreneurial intention) positively affect technology-based enterprises’ development, considering motivation as a mediator variable. However, the impact of entrepreneurial intention on technology-based enterprises was not supported. It reveals that the entrepreneurial intention of motivated individuals could have a meaningful effect on the development of technology-based enterprises. Therefore, motivation is a critical issue to be considered by managers and policymakers while considering entrepreneurial education-related policies and initiatives.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate social capital's effect on family business development in selected family media firms.Design/methodology/approach: The statistical population includes 100 individuals who run a family business in this industry. Eighty individuals are selected as the research sample through the stratified random sampling method. The data are collected using a questionnaire. The authors used structural equation modelling method for data analysis.Findings: The results indicate that social capital affects the development of family businesses in media firms. According to the results obtained from the structural equation test, the effect of the relational dimension of social capital on trust and the effect of the cognitive and structural dimensions of social capital on trust are supported, while the effect of the relational dimension of social capital on commitment as well as the effect of the cognitive dimension of social capital on trust are not supported.Practical implications: This research could help family firms in media industries improve trust and commitment by paying attention to different aspects of social capital. Besides, it shows that even the impact of relational and cognitive social capital, respectively, on commitment and trust, are not supported; these two could affect trust and commitment, respectively.Originality/value: The paper is among the first studies that investigate family firms in media industries. Besides, the relationships between relational, cognitive and structural aspects of social capital and trust and commitment are rarely studied in the literature as two determinants of family business development.

This study lends new insights into the hitherto-unexplored relationship between entrepreneurial thinking and the sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Iran, mediated by social media. The goal was to investigate the effect of entrepreneurial thinking, mediated by social media, on the sustainability of SMEs in Iran from January to February 2022. The statistical population comprised 407 SME managers based in the Pardis Technology Park and the Science and Technology Town (Iran). Using Cochran’s formula, a sample of 197 SME managers was selected via the simple random method. The data were collected using a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire with 25 questions, the reliability and validity of which had been examined and confirmed. The data were analyzed in SmartPLS 3. The results revealed that entrepreneurial thinking plays a pivotal role in managerial decisions and is a crucial factor in the sustainability of SMEs in Iran. Managers, as creators and reformers of the internal business environment, can establish and enhance a strong link between business sustainability and employees’ ability to acquire entrepreneurial thinking.

Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes original research papers and case studies