This research paper focuses on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications to enhance the teaching of design thinking, aiming to provide a more effective and captivating educational experience. Design thinking, a creative problem-solving approach commonly taught in universities, emphasizes fostering students' creativity for innovative solutions to complex problems. Typically, workshops employ a straightforward toolkit comprising paper, stickers, markers, and prototyping materials. However, in response to students' pronounced interest in emerging technologies, this study investigates the integration of technology, specifically AI, into the teaching of the design thinking method. Conducting an analysis of scholarly articles published within the last two years, during the rise in popularity of AI applications such as Midjourney or ChatGPT, the paper examines the intersection of technology and pedagogy. The focus is on exploring how each step of the design thinking process can be enhanced through AI, elucidating potential limitations of employing this technology in teaching creative problem-solving, and determining the optimal balance between human creativity and machine learning. The overarching goal is to glean insights into successfully training students in the field of design thinking. It is important for educators to model responsible use of ChatGPT, prioritise critical thinking, and be clear about expectations. Educators need to present students the ethical implications of AI in education underlining the importance of skill and knowledge development rather than reliance on AI systems.

In this paper, we rely on a comprehensive dataset of European commercial banks from the ORBIS Database spanning from 2014 to 2022 and use an unconditional quantile regression to investigate the driving factors of profitability. By controlling for several bank-related factors, we aim to capture the influence of economic support measures on banking profitability as measured by the ROA. The major finding of the paper brings to light the negative impact of economic support measures on bank profitability, especially for banks associated with the lower and middle quantiles of the distribution of the ROA. This suggests that while government interventions are essential during economic downturns such as the COVID-19 pandemic, their impact on banking sector productivity is more complex. Indeed, when the government provides more intensive economic support in the form of direct subsidies, grants, or tax exemptions, it reduces the immediate dependence of economic agents on bank loans. If these entities receive funds directly from the government, their propensity to borrow from banks drastically decreases, resulting in a reduction in their interest income and other financial services.

This paper investigates how geopolitical risk influences firm profitability worldwide. Using a global panel of 7126 listed companies from 2013 to 2023, the analysis reveals that geopolitical shocks do not affect firms uniformly. Less profitable and financially fragile firms experience the strongest declines in profitability when geopolitical tensions rise, while more profitable firms show greater resilience and, in some cases, strategic gains. The results also indicate that financial structure, liquidity, tangibility, and innovation capacity explain much of this heterogeneity, highlighting that vulnerability is rooted in both balance sheet fragility and adaptive capability. These findings suggest that geopolitical instability reinforces performance asymmetries across firms and industries, with implications for corporate strategy, investor behavior, and financial stability in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

This paper analyses recent data on AI technology use among EU enterprises, highlighting AI’s rapid advancement and its benefits in transport safety, manufacturing efficiency, sustainable energy, and decision-making. AI technologies – such as text mining, computer vision, speech recognition, natural language generation, machine learning, and deep learning – enable data-driven predictions, recommendations, and decisions with varying autonomy. AI systems can be software-based (e.g., virtual assistants) or device-embedded (e.g., autonomous robots, drones). Our findings reveal a significant increase in AI adoption rates between 2021 and 2023, driven by improvements in digital infrastructure, regulatory support, and sectoral advancements. However, barriers such as limited resources, skill shortages, and data security remain significant for SMEs. The study examines current AI adoption trends across EU countries and models key factors influencing AI adoption from 2021 to 2023 using panel data analysis.

Globalization, interconnectivity, and instant access to information have multiplied the complexity of the problems industries are facing. A new way of looking, feeling and thinking is necessary that will lead to richer strategies and new tools to create organizations that have a positive impact on their environment and culture. High performance teams driving innovation are built with goal-focused individuals, from cross-functional backgrounds. They come together to collaborate on solving particular challenges of achieving an objective. The current study aims to analyze the creative process within ad hoc mission driven teams and propose a design framework for organisational practices. Strategic design transforms complex problems into sustainable solutions, by focusing on systemic innovation. Unlike design thinking, which is a formal method used mainly in the consultant model, strategic design is a design practice applied on organisations culture, policy, governance, and strategy. Questions such as how to run mission-driven teams to function on their own and how to reduce micromanagement and oversight and focus on the production, testing and iteration of innovative solutions, will be addressed. The analysis is based on qualitative and basic research, with the focus on one case-study. The paper aims to offer new perspectives to organisational leaders and team managers on how to design solutions for cultural practices that are aligned with sustainable industry goals and business performance.

Globalization, interconnectivity, and instant access to information have multiplied the complexity of the problems industries are facing. A new way of looking, feeling and thinking is necessary that will lead to richer strategies and new tools to create organizations that have a positive impact on their environment and culture. High performance teams driving innovation are built on goal-focused individuals, from cross-functional backgrounds. They are assembled to collaborate on solving particular challenges of achieving an objective. The current study aims to analyze the creative process within ad hoc mission driven teams and propose a design framework for organizational practices. Strategic design transforms complex problems into sustainable solutions, by focusing on systemic innovation. Unlike design thinking, which is a formal method used mainly in the consultant model, strategic design is a design practice applied on organizations culture, policy, governance, and strategy. Questions such as how to run mission-driven teams to function on their own and how to reduce micromanagement and oversight and focus on the production, testing and iteration of innovative solutions, will be addressed. The study is based on qualitative research, with the focus on exploring case-studies and conducting interviews. The paper helps organizational leaders and team managers to design solutions for cultural practices that are aligned with sustainable industry goals and business performance.