Table Of ContentEDITED BY
GIUSEPPINA PASSIANTE
ALDO ROMANO
CREATING
TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Foundations, Processes and Environments
Creating Technology-Driven Entrepreneurship
Giuseppina P assiante • Aldo R omano
Editors
Creating
Technology-D riven
Entrepreneurship
Foundations, Processes and Environments
Editors
Giuseppina Passiante Aldo Romano
University of Salento University of Salento
Lecce , Italy Lecce , Italy
ISBN 978-1-137-59154-8 ISBN 978-1-137-59156-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-59156-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016941769
© Th e Editor(s) (if applicable) and Th e Author(s) 2016
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with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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Th e use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
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To the lovely memory of Aldo Romano, our inspiring
mentor and visionary leader
Foreword
In today’s business age, organisational and local wealth creation is increas-
ingly the result of an entrepreneurial spirit found within entrepreneurs,
employees and change agents. Th is authoritative book makes a contribu-
tion towards disentangling the driving force of value creation represented
by entrepreneurship. With a specifi c focus on the relevance of technology-
driven entrepreneurship, some crucial questions are addressed that
engage current debate. What is the role of technological entrepreneurship
in transforming the current economic scenario? How can technology-
driven entrepreneurship support innovation, job creation, productiv-
ity and economic growth? How are the processes of change fostered by
technology-driven entrepreneurship? What are the main activities of a
technology-driven entrepreneur? What is the learning process grounding
the new forms of knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship? Th ese are some
of the relevant research and practical issues explored in this book. Th e
editors, Giuseppina Passiante and Aldo Romano—interweaving a range
of research contributions—provide answers and new insights about the
nature, content and impact of technology-driven entrepreneurship, and
outline how the entrepreneurs, exploiting advanced knowledge and tech-
nology, can enhance economic and social value-creation dynamics.
In Creating Technology-Driven Entrepreneurship: Foundations, Processes
and Environments , the authors argue specifi cally regarding the importance
vii
viii Foreword
of elaborating entrepreneurial learning processes and the need to create
personalised entrepreneurial ecosystems made up of key stakeholders,
resources, knowledge assets, services, competencies and relationships sup-
porting the development of new business ideas, and enabling the capacity
to overcome the geographical and industrial limitations of the tradition-
ally based ecosystems. In particular, the framework for Entrepreneurial
Learning is proposed and its three key principles are addressed and dis-
cussed, highlighting primarily the fundamental importance of developing
entrepreneurial pedagogic approaches in teaching, learning and hands-on
practices; second, the need for the creation of enabling environments to
stimulate and increase entrepreneurial spirit and skills; and, fi nally, the
relevance of nurturing the entrepreneurial ecosystem through a continu-
ous engagement of its key stakeholders.
Th is book makes a signifi cant contribution to strengthening the con-
ceptual and empirical basis of a better understanding of the relevance of
technology-driven entrepreneurship in the economic scenario, and how
entrepreneurial learning processes can impact successfully on the capacity
to translate new ideas, technologies and inventions into economic and
social value, through innovative and knowledge-based business models.
Th e proposed models and frameworks aim to illuminate and elaborate
on new entrepreneurial learning mechanisms that can equip organisa-
tions and individuals with the capacity to go beyond simple knowledge
acquisition and transfer to encompass the context-specifi c values, atti-
tudes and behaviours linked strictly to innovations.
A t the present time, with so many challenges continuously emerging,
and issues that are radically changing economic, social and employment-
related scenarios, it is increasingly critical that individuals and organ-
isations feel and develop new mixes of entrepreneurial attitudes,
entrepreneurial skills and knowledge of entrepreneurship, as these are
essential to achieve the goals they set for their entrepreneurial activities,
and more generally for the purpose of value creation.
Th is book provides a new way of looking at entrepreneurship and
entrepreneurial learning mechanisms, and introduces eff ective models,
tools and techniques to transform economic and competitive scenarios,
and more broadly to enhance intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth
and employment.
Foreword ix
F or this reason, C reating Technology-Driven Entrepreneurship: Foundations,
Processes and Environments is a signifi cant scientifi c contribution
towards advancing the understanding of the role and relevance of
entrepreneurship. It is an authoritative research work that will help
entrepreneurs and organisations to understand how to create, use and
integrate eff ectively knowledge and technologies to create value for
them as well as for society in general.
Th e book not only presents the results of decades of research undertaken
by the research team co-ordinated by Aldo Romano at the University of
Salento, but most important integrates his spirit and vision. Aldo always
embedded in his endeavours a mix of disruptive and forward-looking
knowledge-based entrepreneurial competence and capability. He is an
example of an academic entrepreneur who dedicated his life to inspiring a
new generation of scholars and practitioners. Aldo developed initiatives,
frameworks, events and institutions with the aim of fostering the devel-
opment of an entrepreneurial mindset and the capacity to better and
impact in a positive way on individual, organisational and local wealth
creation. His passion and dreams for entrepreneurial learning and devel-
opment have aff ected all those who were lucky to have the opportunity
to be inspired by his energy. Th is book is the last research contribution
by Aldo to the academic community, but all his accomplishments will
continue to inspire and enrich our activities towards a better society.
University of Basilicata , Matera , Italy Giovanni Schiuma
