Tracks for change, flexibility, interdisciplinarity and creativity in engineering education

This paper describes the early stages of the developments of Tracks, an initiative to create,implement and evaluate a new educational model where the structure of the education isdeveloped to give students the opportunity to create multi- and interdisciplinary competencies,meet their expectations and need for a more individualized study plan and shorten the leadtimes for changing the education to embrace new technologies. The new education model isbased on the creation of tracks with different themes lying between existing programs notbelonging to a specific department or school. The idea is to create individual and flexible studyopportunities by introducing Track-courses within the themes. These courses address specificchallenges that may be broad societal and profound research-driven. Tracks also include largeinvestments in Chalmers learning environment. The paper focuses on Tracks as a largechange initiative, strategies to manage the complexity of this change as well as developmentphilosophy and working methods in the early phases of the initiative. Change at universitieshas been discussed previously, but this is a unique opportunity to study how large change maybe managed over time, including both the content of the education and the learningenvironments. Through action research, where interventions may be done to influence theinitiative, it is possible to develop practical contributions for other universities in need of similardevelopment. The research has been conducted over approximately a year and includes datafrom interviews and action research, where the authors are the main people working with thisinitiative. The close contact with the data gives a unique understanding of how differentactivities within the initiative influence the outcome. Thus, this paper will contribute to theunderstanding of how large institutional change initiatives are facilitated by a flexible and agileapproach contrasting the traditional and somewhat slower university culture

Travels of Business Incubators Exploring Entrepreneurship Support from an Embeddedness Perspective in Uganda and Tanzania

This thesis contributes to business incubation research, focused on business environments in Uganda and Tanzania. Business incubation is not a new phenomenon and research began in earnest in the 1980s. Thus, there is a broad range of studies on business incubators, how they are defined and what they do to support entrepreneurs. Establishment of business incubators has also been increasingly common as a method of supporting entrepreneurs who are expected to increase regional and national economic growth through their activities. The phenomenon of business incubation originates in the US and Europe but has an increasing prevalence in the rest of the world. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the understanding of how context impacts the establishment of business incubators, especially in African countries. The aim of this thesis is to develop a deeper understanding of business incubator establishment in selected African settings. Moreover, this thesis is based on a perspective of entrepreneurship as embedded in social and economic contexts. The aim is approached through three questions, delving into the expectations on and embodiments of the entrepreneurs, the role of context, and how theories of business incubation and its propagation may be adjusted based on the findings from this research. The theories chosen to understand business incubator propagation are institutional theory, actor network theory and a transfer model.The research conducted is qualitative with a design based on an interpretative approach. This approach is deemed appropriate as the research questions aim to explore business incubation and have developed over time through the process of the research. The empirical settings of Uganda and Tanzania are suitable for the study because they include a mix of formal and informal institutional environments and show a current increasing trend of business incubators. Other characteristics for these environments are a small private sector and an abundance of entrepreneurs. The thesis builds on empirical material from two field studies including interviews, participant observations, and secondary data. The findings indicate that a business incubator may be seen as a complement to a broader system of entrepreneurship support. However, business incubator establishment needs to include an increased awareness of prerequisites, limitations and consequences of such establishment. Prerequisites include how embeddedness in a mix of formal and informal institutions influences the performance of economic transactions for the entrepreneurs. Furthermore, business incubators have capacity limitations creating a difficult task for managers responsible for identifying promising entrepreneurs from the large variety of entrepreneurs found in the studied settings. These findings are consequential since the funding of business incubators could possibly be spent elsewhere. This thesis contributes to business incubator theories through an understanding of how business incubators are embedded in the studied contexts. Furthermore, the theories of propagation included in this thesis facilitate the understanding of how business incubators travel around the world, but need to be sensitised towards power asymmetries between countries. The analysis of managerial practices of business incubators contributes to business incubator policy by suggesting a deeper analysis of local needs and of how to compensate for contextual constraints

Perceptions of success of a social entrepreneurship initiative: a cross-cultural management approach.

Entrepreneurship is often linked to economic growth andis increasingly popular as a tool for economic development. However,entrepreneurship and cross-cultural management in Africa is still an underresearched area. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of howdifferent perceptions of a fruitful project are a key aspect in the management ofsocial entrepreneurship projects. It reports on a Swedish social entrepreneurshipinitiative in Uganda which was longitudinally studied from 2007 to 2010. Datawas collected during field studies and interviews. The conclusion pointsat the fact that the interpretation of the results is influenced by thecross-cultural management perspective of the interpreter and easily follows thesame ethnocentric pattern that we try to avoid when formulating projects.Those findings could be applied in similar projects anywhere in the world

Perceptions of success of a social entrepreneurship initiative: a cross-cultural management approach.

Entrepreneurship is often linked to economic growth andis increasingly popular as a tool for economic development. However,entrepreneurship and cross-cultural management in Africa is still an underresearched area. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of howdifferent perceptions of a fruitful project are a key aspect in the management ofsocial entrepreneurship projects. It reports on a Swedish social entrepreneurshipinitiative in Uganda which was longitudinally studied from 2007 to 2010. Datawas collected during field studies and interviews. The conclusion pointsat the fact that the interpretation of the results is influenced by thecross-cultural management perspective of the interpreter and easily follows thesame ethnocentric pattern that we try to avoid when formulating projects.Those findings could be applied in similar projects anywhere in the world

Exploring business incubation in Tanzania

This paper aims to contribute to the business incubation literature, focusing on the questions of “how”, “why” and “in what context” business incubators operate. These questions are discussed based on interviews conducted in Dar es-Salaam, Tanzania, in 2013. The conclusions show that the questions are connected and that there are a variety of reasons to “why” people engage in business incubation. If the whole process is not understood properly there is a risk that the purpose of the business incubator will not be achieved, implying that business incubation may not be the preferred support structure for entrepreneurs in Dar es-Salaam

Business Incubation in Dar es Salaam

Business incubation is increasingly emphasized on development agendas globallyas a tool for entrepreneurship, employment and economic growth. Previousstudies focus on comparing European and US business incubators, andoutcomes of business incubation in sub-Saharan African settings arecomparatively unknown. This paper contributes to the understanding of businessincubation in Tanzania by focusing on three themes of business incubationidentified from 43 semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs and peopleworking with entrepreneurs in Dar es Salaam: 1. The role of the entrepreneurand how it influences business incubation; 2. The business incubator aim andoutcome; 3. Perceived constraints for business incubation in Dar es Salaam.Findings include: 1. The variety of entrepreneurship demands additional types ofsupport to generate a valuable contribution; 2. There is a risk that businessincubators become excluding organizations, cementing existing roles in society;3. Business incubators may compensate for constraints on entrepreneurship, butit is important to make themfit local needs

Travels of Business Incubators Exploring Entrepreneurship Support from an Embeddedness Perspective in Uganda and Tanzania

This thesis contributes to business incubation research, focused on business environments in Uganda and Tanzania. Business incubation is not a new phenomenon and research began in earnest in the 1980s. Thus, there is a broad range of studies on business incubators, how they are defined and what they do to support entrepreneurs. Establishment of business incubators has also been increasingly common as a method of supporting entrepreneurs who are expected to increase regional and national economic growth through their activities. The phenomenon of business incubation originates in the US and Europe but has an increasing prevalence in the rest of the world. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the understanding of how context impacts the establishment of business incubators, especially in African countries. The aim of this thesis is to develop a deeper understanding of business incubator establishment in selected African settings. Moreover, this thesis is based on a perspective of entrepreneurship as embedded in social and economic contexts. The aim is approached through three questions, delving into the expectations on and embodiments of the entrepreneurs, the role of context, and how theories of business incubation and its propagation may be adjusted based on the findings from this research. The theories chosen to understand business incubator propagation are institutional theory, actor network theory and a transfer model.The research conducted is qualitative with a design based on an interpretative approach. This approach is deemed appropriate as the research questions aim to explore business incubation and have developed over time through the process of the research. The empirical settings of Uganda and Tanzania are suitable for the study because they include a mix of formal and informal institutional environments and show a current increasing trend of business incubators. Other characteristics for these environments are a small private sector and an abundance of entrepreneurs. The thesis builds on empirical material from two field studies including interviews, participant observations, and secondary data. The findings indicate that a business incubator may be seen as a complement to a broader system of entrepreneurship support. However, business incubator establishment needs to include an increased awareness of prerequisites, limitations and consequences of such establishment. Prerequisites include how embeddedness in a mix of formal and informal institutions influences the performance of economic transactions for the entrepreneurs. Furthermore, business incubators have capacity limitations creating a difficult task for managers responsible for identifying promising entrepreneurs from the large variety of entrepreneurs found in the studied settings. These findings are consequential since the funding of business incubators could possibly be spent elsewhere. This thesis contributes to business incubator theories through an understanding of how business incubators are embedded in the studied contexts. Furthermore, the theories of propagation included in this thesis facilitate the understanding of how business incubators travel around the world, but need to be sensitised towards power asymmetries between countries. The analysis of managerial practices of business incubators contributes to business incubator policy by suggesting a deeper analysis of local needs and of how to compensate for contextual constraints

Entrepreneurship as a Tool for Economic Development - Experiences from Eastern Africa

Entrepreneurship as a tool for economic development became an item on the development aid agenda in the years after World War II. After having fallen out of fashion, it returned in the 1980s, when the fallacies of other economic development interventions had become apparent. The notion that entrepreneurship is a key for economic growth is today an important part of national development strategies in both developed and developing countries. As a means of introducing a more organized approach to entrepreneurship and a model of encouraging it, business incubator initiatives are established in developing countries. Such initiatives are intended to diversify economies, commercialize technologies and to create jobs and wealth.This thesis focuses on how entrepreneurs are supported through business incubators and discusses some implications of business incubator initiatives in developing countries. Research has previously shown that there is unclarity regarding the effectiveness of certain interventions, such as business incubators, on economic development. A deeper understanding of business incubation initiatives as means for economic development is therefore motivated. The research underlying this thesis was conducted on a single case in a village in Uganda. Here, students from Sweden aimed to establish a business incubator, starting in 2007. A study of this social entrepreneurship project was performed during 2009 and 2010. Data collection methods have included semi-structured interviews and participant observation and have been complemented by a literature study.The thesis considers issues related to how entrepreneurship and specifically business incubation is utilized as a tool for economic development. It contributes to the literature by discussing how and under what conditions it is valuable to translate the concept of business incubation from the developed to the developing world. It furthermore suggests that mobilization of entrepreneurship may be more fruitful than attempts to create it, and posits that project initiators need awareness of the risk of falling into ethnocentric perspectives. Based on the findings, areas for possible further research are outlined and discussed. The text thus points to two other possible areas for further enquiry: first, alternative forms of business incubation and alternatives to business incubation as a tool for economic development; secondly, the relation between entrepreneurship initiatives and other activities supporting economic development. The research is aimed at contributing to the knowledge around social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship as a tool for economic development