The integration of legitimacy in entrepreneurial ecosystem theory is under-researched, resulting in scholarly vagueness about how entrepreneurs acquire resources. Our qualitative study with 31 (co-)founders of startups following the triple bottom line investigates entrepreneurs' daily practices for building legitimacy in entrepreneurial ecosystems. We identify that entrepreneurs follow a sequential process to build legitimacy: 1) engaging and assimilating with culture, 2) establishing and utilizing networks, 3) enhancing visibility, and 4) leveraging the sustainable mission. Following this sequential process builds different levels of legitimacy. Each level grants access to resources from the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We contribute to the scholarly conversation on legitimacy in entrepreneurial ecosystems and provide practical implications for entrepreneurs.

Purpose/Rationale European elite football often fails to translate its economic success story and revenue growth into financially viable businesses. This paper aims to extend the current research on financial performance in European football, adding a significant but missing pan-European comparison to the research field. It analyzes the bankruptcy likelihood of clubs in four leading European football leagues from 2017–2022. Approach We use Altman’s Z-Score to assess the financial risks of 88 clubs in England (28), Spain (23), Germany (17), and Italy (20) that played in the national top division for at least one season during the period under review. Panel regression is used to assess the impact of five performance variables on Z-Scores. Data were sourced from dissecting clubs’ annual accounts and extracted from other football financial databases. Findings The results show significant financial distress across European football clubs. The analysis emphasizes that the COVID pandemic has exacerbated clubs’ financial challenges, but not caused them. However, the absence of spectators due to COVID restrictions did aggravate the situation, as stadium utilization positively correlated to Z-Scores. Fixed-effects panel regressions show that a balanced wages-to-revenue ratio is a critical performance metric for improving Z-Scores. Practical Implications European football needs collective governance efforts to enforce stricter financial discipline post-COVID and remedy its financial situation. Research Contribution The findings have significant implications for policymakers, club managers, and investors, highlighting the financial risks across Europe’s the four leading football leagues. Originality This first pan-European analysis compares clubs across different geographies, thus extending existing country-view work/approaches.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the association between narcissistic tendencies, gender and funding success in high-growth start-ups. It aims to bridge a critical research gap by exploring the combined effect of gender and narcissism on start-up funding success. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed 540 founders of high-growth start-ups in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, using the NPI-16 questionnaire to assess narcissistic tendencies. By focusing on high-growth start-ups as opposed to small firms, the authors enhanced the validity of the sample. This study isolates and analyses the effects of gender and narcissism, providing insights into their individual and combined contributions to start-up funding success. Findings The findings reveal that gender is associated with lower start-up funding and lower narcissistic tendencies. This highlights the intricate relationship between gender, narcissism and funding success within the context of high-growth start-ups. Practical implications These findings have important implications for investors, policymakers and entrepreneurial educators, suggesting that a nuanced understanding of founders’ psychological traits could enhance funding strategies and start-up support mechanisms. Originality/value This research addresses the critical gap in the literature by examining the joint influence of gender and narcissism on funding success in high-growth start-ups. The study contributes to a nuanced understanding of the factors shaping founder psychology and performance dynamics, offering valuable insights for future research in gender, narcissism and start-up success.

The Ukraine war, the aftermath of COVID-19, Brexit and shifting US geostrategic interests are putting pressure on the European defence situation, strategy and budgets. The current crises expose warfare capability gaps in the European armed forces and capacity constraints of the European defence industry after decades of the peace dividend. More nations are calling for stronger engagement of the EU in the defence sector to overcome these challenges and complete the European defence sector integration that started in the late 1990s. It is estimated that more cooperation in defence procurement and research could save up to 30% of the current 290 bn total EU27 defence budgets. Can this combination of recent factors provide new impulses towards a unified European defence market, more cooperation on defence procurement and industry consolidation? We conducted a literature review ('meta-synthesis') of 172 journal articles, studies and think-tank papers since 1995 to build a holistic picture. The analysis aims to describe the progress and challenges of European defence market integration from an economic viewpoint. It provides future researchers with a basic understanding of defence industrial challenges, motivations and economic drivers of European defence integration as well as of reasons for resistance and potential scenarios.

Purpose In public management research, the focus in the public value debate has been on public administration organizations’ broader societal outcomes. Public value describes how public administrations form a vital part of the social context in which people develop and grow. However, there has not yet been an analysis of how public administration contributes to happiness in society. Design/methodology/approach In this study, we empirically analyze the relationship between people’s happiness and the public value of public administration. Our approach is based on a unique Swiss survey dataset comprising 870 individuals. Findings We find a positive relationship between public administration’s public value and happiness. We also find preliminary evidence with a moderation analysis that the relationship between a value-creating public administration sector and self-reported happiness is stronger for public administration employees. Research limitations/implications While correlation studies cannot claim causal explanations and common method bias may additionally limit any research in social science, we took a number of measures to mitigate related problem. We tested our model in two samples and took both several procedural techniques and a survey design minimizing common method bias. Practical implications The paper discusses implications for public sector performance measurement for public management and practitioners. Social implications This study calls for a more positive view on the multiple functions public administration performs for society. After an era of critical voices, our study helps reclaim public administration as a positive force for society at large in times of grand challenges, such as climate crisis, demographics and digitization. Originality/value This study has highlighted the importance between public administration’s public value and happiness in Swiss public service organizations. The study also showed that an employment in the public administration contributes to the happiness of individuals and beyond to society.