In recent decades, the issue of environmental sustainability has become increasingly important worldwide and there is growing pressure from stakeholders for companies to transform themselves in order to mitigate their environmental impacts. Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) plays an important role in promoting a corporate culture of environmental responsibility, ensuring the effectiveness of companies’ environmental strategy through its direct role with employees. In response to the lack of studies on GHRM and its implementation in the Portuguese business context, this study aims to map the GHRM practices implemented by companies operating in Portugal and to identify the perceived benefits, constraints, and challenges in implementing these practices. A total of 15 semi-structured interviews with human resource managers and environment-related management professionals of companies selected from an Environmental Management Systems—ISO 14001 database were conducted. The results show that organizations in Portugal implement environmental practices that fall within the scope of GHRM. The practices identified also range across transversal categories such as digital, mobility, products and waste management, infrastructure, performance, production, and corporate events. However, a holistic approach is needed and GHRM should be built under a multidimensional and well-planned system. This study argues that perceived benefits are constrained by the specific characteristics of the Portuguese business context which results in obstacles for the implementation and success of GHRM practices. The implications of the results for the organizations are discussed and suggestions are put forward.

The composition of the corporate structure constitutes a relevant indicator of the entrepreneurial and economic dynamism of a certain country or territory. In contrast to past estimates over the past 45 years, the importance of small or very small scale entreprises has been steadily decreasing in the Portuguese business universe. The Portuguese socio-entrepreneurial fabric is predominantly constituted by small and very small scale businesses (micro companies): in 2015, 99,9% of the non financial Portuguese sector were SME [Small and Medium-size companies], and the micro scale companies represented around 96% of the total number of SME. In this context, family businesses acquire greater relevance due to/for the estimated weight they have on the economy (between 70% to 80% of the SME, also including great companies quoted on the stock exchange markets), on the creation of jopbs and on the role they play in the local development. Notwithstanding, there still is a significant unawareness of the business layouts of the family companies. In effect, these tend to be heterogeneousin terms of size, activity sector and degree of professionalization of the respective government models and human resources..The ongoing project, “Roadmap for the Portuguese family businesses” (2016-2018), financed by the NORTE 2020/ FEDER has as a central goal to contribute to a better acknowledgement and assessment of the impact of family companies in the northern region, as far as the local, national and international economy is concerned. For this purpose, it will build a database of the Portuguese northern region, mapping all the companies that present the layout of a family business and apply an online survey, combined with in-depth interviews to the various types and segments of family businesses, reinforcing their economic and social roles.

In recent years, Portuguese universities have diversified their strategies for the promotion of entrepreneurial education among (under/post) graduates, both through formal education and non- formal and informal activities. Indeed, Higher Education Institutions can provide entrepreneurial learning opportunities for students, stimulating new attitudes and behaviours towards entrepreneurship. In terms of non-formal and informal learning, various types of activity are of particular significance, and include entrepreneurship promotion and skills-based training, as well as monitoring of the development of ideas and projects. These activities are undertaken by various higher education stakeholders and key-actors, who contribute to the construction of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, and increase entrepreneurial spirit in (under/post) graduates. The research reported here is based on the main findings gathered from the ongoing project "Entrepreneurial Learning, Cooperation and the Labour Market: Good Practices in Higher Education (POAT-FSE)", focusing particularly on the results of a survey questionnaire completed by a diverse sample of entities linked to Portuguese public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and working to promote non-formal and informal entrepreneurial activities, as well as a set of case studies carried out regarding examples of best practice in Portuguese Higher Education. In doing so, this paper aims to highlight the importance of non-formal and informal learning, and to contribute to reflection on the added value of inter-organizational cooperation and collaborative work.

Family firms are considered the world’s most predominant form of business organisation. Notwithstanding the fact that there is a lack of consensus with regards to their definition, on recognise that family firms are different from non-family businesses due to their specific relations at three levels, namely ownership, business and family. It would appear that the family influences, shapes and conditions both the firm and its continuity, mainly through the intergenerational management succession, its planning and effectiveness. According to a recent research focused on the entrepreneurial succession in Portugal (AEP, 2011), 50% of family businesses are not passed on to the second generation, and only 20% reach the third generation. Also, taking into account the main results from the project “Roadmap for Portuguese Family Businesses” (NORTE2020/FEDER), the empirical findings have proved that the business succession planning has been identified as one of the most challenging steps in the life of the family firm, which demands for appropriate analysis. In fact, resistance to succession, relationship founder/ successor, planning of succession, type of organisational culture, among others, explain how executive succession is one of the most important and hardest tasks in organisational life. In this article, we aim to discuss the main management challenges of a family business, particularly the importance of succession preparation and the role of the family in the socialisation of the second (third or subsequent) generation. Based on an online survey (N 1148) and on in-depth interviews conducted to founder/ manager/ owner (N 23), we will seek to point out major challenges faced by the Portuguese family business, as far as this matter is concerned.

Becoming an Entrepreneur: a Diversity of Factors, Types and Pathways