Education in entrepreneurship offers university students the opportunity to develop sound problem-solving and critical-thinking dexterity, which are crucial for navigating contemporary higher education. This research explores the opportunities and challenges of education in entrepreneurship within universities based in Lebanon, focusing on the role of fostering entrepreneurial alertness/awareness. This paper further examines how emerging technologies—specifically Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI)—impact these relationships. In spite of the increasing relevance of entrepreneurship, the results reveal constant limitations in students’ innovation and creativity, together with a lack of mentorship and training prospects for teachers. The study underlines the importance of integrating innovative systems, digital technological means, and sustainable education values to support SDG 4 (Quality Education) and reinforce learning quality environments. To empirically explore the relationships between the variables, the research uses a quantitative research design, using SmartPLS4 to investigate the structural paths between entrepreneurship education, student innovative behavior, entrepreneurial alertness, and the use of Gen-AI. Our data was collected from 197 participants through a validated survey scheme, together with insights received from instructors and students. The results indicate that instructors consider entrepreneurship education positively and recognize the potential of Gen-AI to improve teaching quality, encourage entrepreneurial alertness, and strengthen quality learning practices. Students also highlighted their requirement to acquire new skills and access new opportunities to enhance their decision-making abilities. Generally, the results/findings suggest that entrepreneurship education—emboldened by entrepreneurial alertness and moderated by Gen-AI—plays a vital role in improving students’ innovative behaviors and progressing SDG 4 through high-quality, inclusive, and transformative higher education.

Green transformational leadership is a sustainability-oriented approach with a focus on implementing green strategies among employees and the organization to improve environmental performance. The current study examines the effects of green transformational leadership on perceived ESG performance among employees of Turkish SMEs. In this respect, the indirect effects of green innovation capability as a mediating element and strategic renewal as a moderating factor are also investigated. A total of 256 SME employees from Istanbul, Ankara, and Antalya were gathered through purposive and convenience sampling methods and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results suggest that green transformational leadership positively influences employees’ perceptions of ESG. This is because such a leadership style fosters the innovation capabilities of the enterprise, which in turn contributes to the formation of positive perceptions among employees. The results also show that the positive leadership–perceived ESG link is stronger as strategic renewal increases. Using the premises of Dynamic Capabilities Theory and the Resource-Based View model, the findings offer insight into how leadership activates and directs organizational capabilities, which enable green transformation and, thus, improve ESG performance. The current findings are relevant to academic and leadership practices within a green context. However, the findings are subject to the limitations inherent in self-reported survey designs, which restrict causal inference and generalizability. However, in terms of the theories used, this study contributes by showing how green leadership yields ESG outcomes through capability-based and renewal-based mechanisms rather than managerial influence alone.

The circular economy has emerged as a compelling alternative to the traditional linear “take-make-dispose” economic model, gaining significant traction across academia, industry, and policymaking (Geissdoerfer et al., 2020). This shift is primarily driven by an increasing awareness of the environmental impacts associated with linear systems, especially the rapid depletion of resources and growing waste production (Henry et al., 2020). At the heart of this transformation, circular business models offer innovative solutions that decouple economic growth from resource depletion by prioritizing closed-loop systems and enhancing resource efficiency (Adam et al., 2017).In this section, the chapter will define circular economy business model (CEBM) in precise terms. The circular business model notion is based on two underlying concepts: the circular economy and business model innovation. This section will introduce the circular economy, business model innovation and circular business models topics. The researchers will conduct a literature review of the circular business models.

Orientation: At the higher education level, students face numerous social, psychological and academic responsibilities that can detach them from communities and bond them to their learning environment. Understanding the effect of university instructors’ leadership behaviours on students’ sense of belonging is essential. Research purpose: This research examined the servant leadership (SL) traits of university lecturers and their influence on students’ sense of belonging. It also examined how trust and social attachment mediate this relationship. Motivation for the study: Many universities face difficulties fostering inclusion and a sense of belonging among students, especially in diverse environments. Exploring SL as a supportive and ethical leadership style may provide insights into how educators improve student engagement and well-being. Research approach/design and method: A total of 158 data points were collected from two universities in Northern Cyprus via a survey and analysed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique. Main findings: The results support the notion that university lecturers can be a major source of enhancing the faculty environment which, in turn, are pillars for building trust and establishing a sense of attachment between students and their lecturers. Practical/managerial implications: Developing lecturers with SL characteristics leads to a greater sense of belonging among students. Especially for universities with diverse student bodies, it can enhance students’ well-being, satisfaction and academic performance. The findings provide pathways for future investigations along with practical implications for universities. Contribution/value-add: This study demonstrates that SL dimensions are key drivers of students’ sense of belonging, enhancing their perceptions, attitudes and emotions in the academic field.