Jonas Gabrielsson, Hans Landström, Diamanto Politis and Roger Sørheim
Contemporary entrepreneurial education (EE) has global reach and impact, with a growing number of entrepreneurship courses, specializations, and degrees in all parts of the world…
Abstract
Contemporary entrepreneurial education (EE) has global reach and impact, with a growing number of entrepreneurship courses, specializations, and degrees in all parts of the world. There is no longer a question of the significance and demand for EE in the higher education system. At the same time, the interest in scientific knowledge and proven experience of “what works” has accelerated, resulting in a rapid growth in the number of scholars and research-based publications conversing vividly about the field. This chapter elaborates on the historical evolution of EE as a scholarly field. First, an overview of important milestones and major events that shaped the field is provided. Second, by focusing on the development over the last three decades, the authors present an overview of the advances that have occurred within the field in terms of practice, social, and research-based aspects. The historical review shows how EE began in, but gradually separated from entrepreneurship as a field, which can be observed in the development of research outlets, meeting places, and teaching practice. Consequently, this historical review can serve as a point of departure for showing how the field has emerged and how knowledge has been developed and accumulated over time. The authors believe that this review can be helpful for scholars, particularly new entrants such as PhD students and other scholars entering the EE field, to learn from and contextualize their own research-based historical insight.
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Stephan Golla, Martin Holi, Tobias Johann, Heinz Klandt and Lutz Kraft
The “New Economy” was the economic buzzword of the 1990s. Digitization and networking, accompanied disproportionally by an increasing efficiency of information and communication…
Abstract
The “New Economy” was the economic buzzword of the 1990s. Digitization and networking, accompanied disproportionally by an increasing efficiency of information and communication technology exchanges, served as the foundation for sustainable economic changes in the way business is conducted (Gersch & Goeke, 2004). The new Internet architecture and the economic transactions that are based on it became of increasing importance worldwide.
Jens Mueller, Heinz Klandt, Gael McDonald and Tanja Finke‐Schuermann
This paper aims to describe the extent to which corporate organizations in Germany and in New Zealand have included sustainability practices as part of their strategic planning…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe the extent to which corporate organizations in Germany and in New Zealand have included sustainability practices as part of their strategic planning process.
Design/methodology/approach
Current literature is reviewed to make a case for sustainability to be a driver behind corporate decision making and long‐term performance. The results of surveys of several hundred firms in both Germany and New Zealand, countries with a publicly stated commitment to sustainability, are reviewed to compare the adoption rates of sustainability practices.
Findings
There is a significant difference between what firms do and what their managers think is important. Managers largely consider sustainability practices an important factor for their future careers, while firms to a large extent do not include sustainability as part of their strategic or operational planning process.
Research limitations/implications
The International Sustainability Acceptance Measurement (ISAM) collects data in several countries through local‐language versions of the same online survey tool (www.worldreply.com). The findings in this report are specific only to New Zealand and Germany.
Practical implications
The paper points academics, corporate executives and sustainability fanatics to an alarming inconsistency between what is publicly reported as commitment to sustainability and what is practically achieved.
Originality/value
This paper adds value to the discussion of how sustainability practices have migrated into the operation of firms.
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A broad range of policy evaluations below is begun in Chapter 2 by Kate Johnston, Colette Henry and Simon Gillespie in their evaluation entitled ‘Encouraging Research and…
Abstract
A broad range of policy evaluations below is begun in Chapter 2 by Kate Johnston, Colette Henry and Simon Gillespie in their evaluation entitled ‘Encouraging Research and Development in Ireland's Biotechnology Enterprises’. This investigation critically evaluates Irish government policy towards biotechnology development over a preceding 10-year period. In Chapter 3, Anthony Ward, Sarah Cooper, Frank Cave and William Lucas examine ‘The Effect of Industrial Experience on Entrepreneurial Intent and Self-Efficacy in UK Engineering Undergraduates’ in a large-scale study that generally produces satisfactory results in terms of raising the profile of entrepreneurship among undergraduates. Deirdre Hunt, in Chapter 4, again focuses on the evolution of strategy in Ireland, this time towards the more general topic of new firm formation with a personal contribution entitled ‘Now You See Them — Now You Don’t: Paradoxes in Enterprise Development Strategy: The Case of the Disappearing Academic Start-Ups’.
Robert D. Hisrich and Barra O’Cinneide
Since 1980, there has been an increasing interest in the area of innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development. While the role of educational institutions in the…
Abstract
Since 1980, there has been an increasing interest in the area of innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development. While the role of educational institutions in the entrepreneurship/new venture creation process has been recognized, little research has been done, particularly outside the US, to identify the type and extent of involvement in this area by these institutions. Looks at the activities of European third‐level educational institutions in Western Europe, Sweden, Finland, Eastern and Central Europe, and some of the Republics of the former USSR. Universities in these geographic areas were surveyed regarding the extent (if any) of their activities in four primary areas of entrepreneurship: educational programmes; training programmes; research; and enterprise formation. There were 109 of the 227 institutions from 23 countries which responded ‐ a 48 per cent response rate. Institutions were more inclined to be involved in research than education, training and actual venture creation.