No abstract

The purpose of the study is to clarify the concepts of social entrepreneur and to identify Latvia's social entrepreneurs in the context of entrepreneurship based on a review of scientific literature, a survey of social entrepreneurs and expert interviews. On the basis of an analysis of the scientific literature, a theoretical framework of entrepreneurial competences is created which forms the basis for the practical solution of the research problem. The survey method and the interview method was used for learning about a social entrepreneur's personal qualities and skills, main motives and opportunities to create social enterprises and to develop entrepreneurship, as well as to learn about the potential gains, risks and sustainability of development social enterprises. The results of the research indicate that, in order to promote social entrepreneurship, more attention should be paid to the training of social entrepreneurs within the framework of the education system, as well as the development and implementation of the conceptual action plan of the government, and also the provision of several support instruments.

This paper aims to investigate the experience and to identify the drivers of transforming traditional universities into Entrepreneurial Universities for ensuring sustainable higher education in Latvia. Due to the wide scope, Entrepreneurial University characteristics, the present research study is limited and focuses on the university providing access to students to business incubation facilities, relationships with business incubators for students, as well openness of university to collaboration and knowledge co-creation with its external stakeholders. Analyses of the experiences of universities of Latvia business incubators providing services to students, as well cooperation between higher education institutions (HEI) and local governments and entrepreneurs show that there is a positive trend. In opposite, such a trend can’t be observed towards building Entrepreneurial Universities in Latvia over the past 5 years. The results of the survey show that there is a need put higher efforts to assist young entrepreneurs in building cooperation networks and strengthening knowledge co-creation with external stakeholders.

The current period describes the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis on businesses and the lives of citizens. It has accelerated digital transformation in all areas. The work and learning of many individuals have moved to the digital environment. In order to use digital technologies, employees need to acquire new knowledge and skills. The aim of this research study is to perform an analysis of the development of digital transformation and relevant competencies for employees and to identify the opportunities and challenges in Latvia. The research methodology applied for this research study is based on examining relevant theoretical concepts and publications of the EU regarding digital transformation. A survey method was used to find out the opinions of Latvian employers regarding the importance of digital transformation and relevant competencies for employees. The analysis of the research indicated that the majority of the respondents surveyed rated the level of implementation of digital transformation as high or medium-high, which shows that this is a good trend, and the digitalization process continues to progress. However, about a third of enterprises are only at the early stage of digitalization, while some have not yet begun it. The problem is the development of human capital competencies and digital skills. This is a specific research study that expands and provides insights into the situation in Latvia on the possibilities of implementation of digital transformation, which is closely linked with the development of human capital competencies and digital skills. This requires maintaining a holistic approach to targeted digital transformation management.