Luís Filipe Sardinha

Ourism is developing amid changing visitor expectations, business models and relationships between destinations and the communities that host them. Digitalisationcreates new possibilities for promotion, interpretation and management, but it also raises questions about value creation, the distribution of benefits and the capacity of territories to respond to competing pressures. This editorial examines four relateddimensions of contemporary tourism: tourism experiences and heritage valorisation; sustainable destinations, territorial governance and tourism development; tourism business management, marketing and competitiveness; and digital innovation and educational approaches. Drawing on recent research and previous contributions published in e3, it considers why tourism should be understood in terms broader than demand growth or the adoption of new technologies. Value creation also depends on the quality of experiences, organisationalcapabilities, community participation and the institutional conditions in which tourism takes place. The editorial places these issues within the wider debate on sustainable destination development and discusses the contribution of the present volume to that debate.

Entrepreneurial competencies are increasingly recognised as important learning outcomes in higher education, creating a need for assessment instruments that are both psychometrically sound and educationally meaningful. Although the EntreComp framework has become a widely adopted reference for entrepreneurship education, validated instruments for measuring entrepreneurial competencies in Portuguese-speaking higher education contexts remain scarce. This study examined the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of the EntreComp Questionnaire (Armuña et al., 2020). Data were collected from 409 higher education students. Following translation and cultural adaptation, the instrument was evaluated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, reliability assessment, and convergent validity analysis using entrepreneurial intention. The findings supported a four-factor structure that differed from the original model and explained 68.56% of the total variance. The alternative structure showed improved fit, high internal consistency (α = .950), and positive associations with entrepreneurial intention (ρ = .779, p < .001), providing evidence of reliability and construct validity.The findings support the use of the Portuguese EntreComp Questionnaire (PEQ) for assessing entrepreneurial competencies in higher education. The instrument may support learning outcome assessment, curriculum development, programme evaluation, and entrepreneurship education research in Portuguese-speaking contexts.

This editorial marks a particularly significant milestone in the trajectory of e3 – Journal of Economy, Business and Entrepreneurs in the CPLP, corresponding to the publication of the first regular issue following the journal’s inclusion in the Scopus database. This achievement represents an important recognition of the journal’s scientific quality, editorial rigor, and growing internationalization, while simultaneously reinforcing its commitment to the dissemination of knowledge relevant to both academic and professional communities. The articles included in this issue address current and multidisciplinary topics, reflecting some of the main challenges faced by institutions, students, and territories in a context of profound social, technological, and organizational transformation. Based on the contributions presented, three major thematic axes can be identified: institutional transformation, governance and innovation; students’ experiences, competencies and development trajectories; and sustainability, innovation and territorial development. Taken together, the published works highlight the importance of scientific research in understanding contemporary processes of change and in supporting informed responses to future challenges.

Tourism is currently going through a particularly intense period of transformation, marked by the expansion of digital technologies, the growing centrality of data and the search for more sustainable, resilient and inclusive territorial development models. In this context, Volume 2 of the special edition of e³ – Journal of Economics, Businesses and Entrepreneurs in the CPLP (e3) brings together a set of studies that reflects the complexity and multidisciplinary nature of contemporary tourism systems, articulating perspectives on territorial governance, smart destinations, digital transformation, tourism experience, competitiveness, entrepreneurship and organizational change. The included contributions show the consolidation of data-driven approaches, integrating smart technologies, recommendation systems, digital platforms, immersive experiences and sustainable territorial management mechanisms. In parallel, they reinforce the importance of the human, social and organisational dimensions of tourism, particularly through discussions around female entrepreneurship, labour participation, organisational agility and business resilience in contexts of continuous change. The integrated reading of these works allows us to understand tourism not only as an economic activity or experiential phenomenon, but as a deeply interdependent territorial, technological and social system, where innovation, sustainability and digital intelligence influence each other. The volume thus seeks to contribute to the deepening of the scientific debate around the challenges that mark contemporary tourism, offering relevant perspectives

This editorial frames issue V11N2 of the e3 journal within the context of contemporary organizational and digital transformations. The articles address topics such as continuous improvement in social organizations, digital heritage representation, decision support through business intelligence, digital globalization, academic data intelligence, and scientific reproducibility in the age of artificial intelligence. Together, these contributions highlight the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the interaction between technology, management, and society, advancing scientific knowledge and supporting more informed and sustainable organizational practices

This study explores future forecasting methodologies through a qualitative, exploratory lens, bridging theoretical constructs with applied strategies in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Anchored in literature review and selected case analyses, it draws on insights from the Design Competences for Digital Maturity (DC4DM) project to illustrate how trend analysis, business modelling, and envisioning techniques can be operationalized by SMEs and startups to cultivate strategic resilience and future-readiness. Emphasizing the integration of foresight tools into both academic curricula and entrepreneurial practice, the findings reveal the transformative potential of scenario-based thinking for innovation and adaptability. The paper identifies critical gaps in empirical validation and proposes pathways for future research to refine and scale such approaches in diverse organizational and cultural contexts.

Digitisation has significantly redefined the concept of human resources, reshaping traditional practices such as recruitment and selection to make processes more efficient and appealing to candidates. Furthermore, automation and digitisation are clearly the new trends, optimising administrative procedures and consequently leading to strategic restructuring by managers and human resource managers. This competitive, globalised reality requires a new leadership profile that promotes an inclusive organisational culture and uses technology to empower employees rather than replace them. Taking a qualitative approach based on a literature review, this article analyses digital transformation and its direct impact on Human Resource Management (HRM), exploring the historical evolution of the phenomenon and the milestones that have driven technological integration within organisations. A proposal for the correct implementation of digital resources in recruitment and selection within an organisation was presented. The article highlights the strategic repositioning of HRM as a critical thinking element adapted to organisational needs, thus consolidating its role as a strategic driver for the future of organisations. Notably, digital transformation redefines HRM practices, requiring employees trained to address emerging technological challenges and establishing itself as a critical factor in organisational competitiveness in a global context. Limitations and future suggestions are presented at the end.