New strategies to measure and strengthen the social role of business incubators: their application to a Spanish region

Abstract

Business incubators can be defined as a service meant to promote entrepreneurship and firm creation, especially within sectors characterised by a high innovative content. The present paper takes as its starting point a review of previous studies dedicated to the profitability of investments in general, and particularly to that of business incubators, seeking to propose an own method which can make it possible to measure both the economic and the social profitability of business incubators. The subsequent application of this method to the incubators based in a specific Spanish region will lead to the conclusion that incubators are undoubtedly profitable, since society recovers 2.8 euros via taxes from each euro invested. Nevertheless, a number of lacks become visible amongst our findings which should definitely be corrected. Hence our decision to make a number of suggestions aimed at improving both the operation of business incubators and their economic and social profitability levels.

Persuasive strategies in the SME entrepreneurial pitch: Functional and discursive considerations

“…Hussain et al, (2018, p. 124) have shown that the leader's 'ethicality' is one of the most important sources for organisational change, while Sanz Ponce, Peris Cancio, and Esc amez S anchez (2018) have cogently argued for the need to introduce human development and capabilities as an alternative notion which transcends classical economic patterns of thinking, merely based on Gross Domestic Product. Gonz alez-Ramos, Donate, and Guadamillas (2018), Llanos-Contreras & Alonso-dos-Santos (2018), Kallmuenzer, Hora, and Peters (2018), and Sentana, Gonzalez, Gasco, and Llopis (2018) have also contributed to highlighting the importance of ethical notions like social sensitivity, socioemotional priorities, socioemotional wealth and social profitability in small business and entrepreneurial decisions. Similarly, Vuorio, Puumalainen, and Fellnhofer (2018) have argued that sustainability is becoming a main driver of entrepreneurial intentions.…”