This study presents a sustainability competencies map (SCM) for Business Administration and Management (BAM) disciplines as a tool to support education in sustainability at the university level. The study describes in detail the design and elaboration of the map based on the competencies defined by the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) and complemented with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) adopted by the United Nations. In addition, to externally evaluate the proposed SCM, we conducted a series of interviews with top managers and founders of five organizations that vary in size and industry. As the main contribution, the SCM for BAM studies is presented, containing 58 learning objectives. The qualitative research framework performed to obtain evidence from the interviewees showed that the holistic dimension of the proposed SCM is highly valued by the interviewed practitioners. Additionally, the SCM’s division of competencies into three levels of achievement was considered practical and helpful to measure them. Finally, the interviewees expressed concerns regarding the implementation of the SCM in real classroom, calling for the necessity of special training for teachers and flexibility of higher education system. Reinforced by the interviewees’ opinions, we believe that the SCM for BAM education presented here will facilitate the design of different methodologies by the teaching staff to guide students towards compliance with the 17 SDGs in 2030.

In the last few decades, universities have engaged in the creation of university-affiliated venture capital (UVC) funds to solve the funding gap of new ventures that emerge from academic research. Little is known about their specific characteristics and typology in terms of their role, investment rationale and governance. This study undertakes an attempt to explore the diversity of UVC funds through the lens of an archetype approach. The analysis of 11 European UVC funds suggests that similarities and differences in such issues as governance system, industry focus and the stage of a venture development are the possible elements that define three distinct archetypes of UVC funding. The study contributes to academic research by proposing a categorisation of UVC funds, and demonstrating their uniqueness in terms of institutional hybridity, and dual organisational schemes and structures. It also suggests that UVC archetypes are not isolated and tend to borrow elements from each other, which contributes to creating a more fluid and flexible entrepreneurial university ecosystem.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the drivers of the evolution of a subsidiary’s strategic role from an ordinary subsidiary into a springboard subsidiary in multinational corporations, paying special attention to the role of subsidiary management in this transformation.Design/methodology/approach: The authors apply a case study methodology to analyse the transformation of three Spanish subsidiaries of European multinational companies into springboard subsidiaries to pursue opportunities in the Latin American region.Findings: The results present evidence that the development of a springboard subsidiary’s role is influenced by a set of preliminary factors that include: (1) the coincidence of a favourable economic change in the target region of expansion and unfavourable market conditions in the springboard subsidiary’s home market; (2) location-specific advantages of a subsidiary that allow it to develop unique capabilities, such as the ability to reduce the psychic distance between the headquarters and target region, to balance intra-regional conflicts within the target region, and to effectively transfer knowledge from the headquarters to the target region; and (3) micro-political headquarters-subsidiary negotiation processes as a result of the subsidiary’s strong initiative, peculiarities of the structure of a multinational company, and a strong dependency of the headquarters on the subsidiary’s unique capabilities.Originality/value: The study contributes to the International Business literature by providing an in-depth analysis of the evolution of springboard subsidiaries and explaining how ordinary subsidiaries located in saturated markets can trigger organisational change and achieve the extension of their strategic role.

The institutional complexity of social enterprises (SEs) often hinders their access to financing from conventional investors. To align the interests of SEs and their investors, innovative investment instruments of social finance are emerging. However, there is evidence of a mismatch between the financial needs of SEs and the instruments offered by social finance entities (SFEs). The analysis of 34 SEs and 6 SFEs through the lens of agency theory shows that some barriers are caused by contradictory agent—steward models of behaviour, whereas others are deficiencies of the SE sector in general. The study demonstrates that the SE financing gap is a complex problem that requires multifaceted solutions.

This case is based on La Casa de Carlota (Carlota’s House), a limited liability company founded in 2013 and located in Barcelona. The company integrates a design studio and a professional communication agency and employs people with Down’s syndrome or autism. This case features the decision process followed by the two cofounders, José Maria Batalla and Sergi Capell, regarding the opportunity of growing, by either scaling up the activity of the company or replicating the model in other countries. The case describes the concerns that the entrepreneurs had to face in order to make a decision, such as the choice of funding sources in order to finance the growth, or the issues related to the hiring and managing of people with Down’s syndrome or autism. The case also describes the background of the entrepreneurs, the start-up, and the industry. The case introduces the students to the social entrepreneurship field and explains a business model that generates an important social impact. It also introduces a topic of start-ups’ scaling and growth, and different alternatives for financing them. The case sheds light on critical questions that social entrepreneurship students, scholars, investors, and authorities often pose.