BA School of Business and Finance

The evolution of technology transfer in the 21st century has been significantly shaped by the rise of AI-driven digital platforms and the innovative practices of leading Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) worldwide. This research explores how artificial intelligence and digital platforms are transforming the frameworks employed by globally renowned TTOs, aiming to advance strategic technology transfer models for the digital age. Drawing from case studies at prominent universities across North America, Europe, and Asia, this study critically evaluates the effectiveness of TTO processes in deploying AI and digital platforms to accelerate technology commercialization. The research provides a thorough analysis of innovation management tools, including Stage-Gate processes, Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), and ecosystem-based approaches. It further examines how AI enhances IP management, stakeholder collaboration, and strategic decision-making within TTOs. Preliminary findings reveal that institutions integrating AI-driven solutions demonstrate significant improvements in efficiency, scalability, and innovation output. However, challenges persist, such as aligning academic priorities with industrial expectations and ensuring equitable access to digital resources. To address these challenges, this study proposes an adaptive framework that combines global best practices with advanced AI functionalities to foster a more inclusive and sustainable technology transfer ecosystem. The research provides actionable insights for policymakers, academic leaders, and industry practitioners, contributing to the broader discourse on the intersection of AI, digital transformation, and technology transfer strategies.

This study examines the management of Nigeria’s trade openness and the distribution of its merchandise exports to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2023. The main objective is to assess how export flows to LMICs specifically in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia impact Nigeria’s trade openness. The study addresses a major gap in existing literature, which tends to focus on Nigeria’s trade with advanced economies, overlooking the strategic potential of South–South trade and the influence of trading partners’ income levels. Theoretical grounding is provided by the Gravity Model of Trade, which better captures spatial, economic, and structural trade dynamics compared to the Theory of Comparative Advantage. Using an ex-post-facto research design, the study employed time series data sourced from the World Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria. Quantitative analysis, including the Augmented Dickey-Fuller test and the ARDL model, was applied to assess variable relationships. Key findings reveal that exports to South Asia have a positive and significant impact on trade openness, while exports to Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia and Pacific regions show negative and significant effects. Exports to Europe and Central Asia exhibit a negative but statistically insignificant impact. Recommendations include diversifying export markets, strengthening trade agreements especially with South Asia and improving infrastructure to support trade with African and Asian partners.

The idea of making learning enjoyable using games, GBL, encourages students to think out of the box, work with others and oversee individual learning. This paper investigates GBL by explaining its theoretical framework and explaining the advantages while putting into perspective the practice issues such as lack of sufficient resources and hostility towards change. This segment provides evidence of two educational games that were adapted digitally. The Circular Economy game which is an offshoot of the Quadruple Helix Concept project allows students to use games and artificial intelligence to test business sustainability ideas. The Fiftyville Investigation on the other hand exposes the students to a world of mysteries and helps them perform better in research as well as analysis and teamwork within a virtual space. These games are effective in stimulating GBL, the bridging of concepts and the application of knowledge, as well as the development of strong and deep learning which caters to students� diverse needs. And although there are obstacles, their use exemplifies the great potential of new strategies in promoting vibrant and comprehensive learning environments and training students to deal with complex problems of the world.

In this study, we examine banks’ sustainability orientations (SOs) in the Baltic region, focusing on how institutional, stakeholder, national culture, and leadership factors influence strategic alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We assess how Baltic banks integrate sustainable development using a bibliometric review, financial performance analysis, Spearman’s rank correlation, and content analysis of sustainability-related disclosures for 2023, and interpret Hofstede’s cultural dimensions of the Baltic countries alongside these results. Our bibliometric review reveals limited research on SO and SD in banking, with a gradual annual increase of 14.8%. Our content analysis findings suggest that smaller banks are more broadly aligned with the SDGs; however, 36.4% of the largest banks in the region did not have a dedicated sustainability report a year before ESRS and CSRD requirements became mandatory. Notably, the reporting approach shows no statistically significant correlation with assets, size, global/local coverage, or the number of aligned SDGs. Furthermore, our content analysis findings reveal a persistent sustainability paradox: while economic and environmental goals are strategically prioritised, social SDGs are significantly underrepresented. We propose that this reflects a lack of demand for socially sustainable development rooted in regional contexts and national culture, which shape SO and organisational and leadership responses.

Digital transformation has significantly altered workplace dynamics, particularly in regulated sectors like healthcare, where diverse stakeholder competencies and strict legislative frameworks create unique challenges. While existing research has extensively examined digital transformation's technological and strategic aspects, the human dimension—critical to increasing digital service offerings—remains underexplored. The aim of the study is to investigate the interaction between individual and organisational level relationships and the relevance of behavioural aspects and conditions essential for sustaining learning and achieving the strived outcome of increased digital service offerings. This research employs a qualitative approach grounded in dynamic capabilities theory, including interviews and focus group discussions with 31 healthcare sector stakeholders in Germany. A conceptual model is proposed, illustrating how the emerged factors enhance digital service offerings. This study extends the theoretical understanding of dynamic capabilities by redefining sustained learning as a continuous and integrative process critical to digital transformation in healthcare. Practical implications for organisations and policymakers include designing low-threshold learning opportunities, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and addressing diverse competency levels. The findings offer actionable insights for navigating digital transformation in resource-constrained and regulated environments, contributing to academic and practical advancements in the field.

The expectation on becoming agile is rising. Businesses implement agile values in the last 20 years, especially in the software and product development, and in the fast-changing and often unforeseen environment, agility may sound as a solution to fast adaptation and flexibil-ity. At the hard of this adaptability lies the agile leader, driving the organizational resilience and innovation. While micro and macro levels of corporate hierarchy have been widely studied, meso level and hierarchical interplay between individual and leader are so far being neglected. The aim of this study is to spot key attributes that define agile leadership excellence. To achieve this aim, a qualitative study based on interviews has been performed. In total, 40 Chief Technology Officers (CTO) who apply agile values and methods in their daily businesses have been interviewed during July-August 2024. In addition, a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis have been applied to elaborate on academic research in this field. The bibliometric analysis is based on a literature review of publications obtained from Scopus using an inclusive search strate-gy. To visualize the data, Bibliometrix and VOSviewer have been used. This article aims to enhance research on agile leadership by identifying key traits of agile leader to manage complexity, reciprocate team capabili-ties and enhance outcome. By examining these traits, author is uncovering the role of leader regarding all stakeholders. The study comes with the conclusion and recommendations for both business and academia.

A fundamental debate among sustainable development researchers and practitioners is whether, and through what mechanisms, sustainability contributes to gaining a competitive advantage. To address this consideration, this study draws on the general systems theory (GST), organisational information processing theory (OIPT), resource-based theory and recent studies on big data analytics capability (BDAC), digitalisation, sustainability, digital sustainability reporting (DSR), and business performance. A comprehensive research model was developed to assess the interrelationships and mediating effects of the mentioned constructs; the analyses utilised a sample of 75 large Latvian organisations preparing for the first reporting under Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. The results obtained using partial least squares structural equation modelling contribute to the theory by revealing that digital sustainability reporting fully mediates the relationship between sustainability and business performance. Moreover, BDAC emerges as a fundamental enabler, forming the foundation of a “house” where digitainability and DSR serve as its walls and enhanced business performance as its roof. This study also contributes to the sustainability and sustainability accounting literature by presenting a sustainable business development framework that offers practical insights for organisations navigating the integration of sustainability reporting in highly uncertain environments.

The increasing significance of digital health services necessitates a sustained learning process. This study explores the linkage between motivation and the opportunity to actively participate in designing new concepts and competencies, emphasizing sustained learning as a dynamic capability. We conducted two focus group discussions with 21 participants. The collected data were analyzed and categorized using NVivo software. Our findings highlight the applicability of the Ability, Motivation, and Opportunity (AMO) model in digital transformation within healthcare. The role of first movers or early adopters emerges, driving innovation and inspiring broader adoption in the sector. Building digital competencies must be accessible and seamless, ensuring knowledge access and practical learning concepts. We advocate for integrating all stakeholders to foster a shared vision and comprehensive approach to digital implementation. Professional contexts significantly influence motivation, reinforcing the importance of autonomy in selecting learning strategies. This paper theoretically links the AMO Model to dynamic capabilities, clarifying how ability, motivation, and opportunity affect human resources development in healthcare. Relevant stakeholders must be engaged by providing tailored, practice-integrated learning initiatives that align with real-world healthcare challenges.

Energy is often described as the lifeblood of a nation’s economy, and the world energy trilemma calls for collaboration and innovative solutions at the national level. This is where Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) plays a crucial role, helping integrate the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while addressing the challenges posed by the energy trilemma. Europe’s strong commitment to transitioning to sustainable energy is evident in its response to geopolitical changes and climate targets. Notably, the Baltic States have taken decisive action in response to the war in Ukraine, choosing to completely halt electricity imports from Russia and Belarus. This shift was supported by increased energy imports via interconnectors from Finland, Sweden, and Poland, with electricity imports rising to 13,053 GWh—an increase of 2.6% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Latvia, which holds the highest green energy potential in the Baltic Sea region, has nevertheless lagged behind its Baltic counterparts in terms of implementation. In 2021, Latvia ranked third among European Union (EU) countries for renewable energy share in final energy consumption, with 42.1%, significantly higher than the EU average of 21.8%. However, further progress is needed to meet Latvia’s 2030 target of 14% renewable energy use in transport. The Baltic States aim to produce 98–100% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2050. The Baltic States should be regarded as a unified energy system, with a coordinated strategy for achieving sustainable energy development through collaboration and joint planning. This analysis highlights the complexities of managing energy markets amidst global and regional challenges, emphasizing the importance of well-designed public interventions to secure long-term benefits. The study concludes with a call for enhanced interagency cooperation to reform ESD and create a new interdisciplinary sector dedicated to “Sustainable Development”.