Entrepreneurship Education: Embedding Practitioner Experience

The QAA Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (England) in General Business and Management states that ‘Preparation for business should be taken to mean the development of a range of specific business knowledge and skills, together with the improved self-awareness and personal development appropriate to graduate careers in business with the potential for management positions and to employability in general. This includes the encouragement of positive and critical attitudes towards change and enterprise, so as to reflect the dynamism and vibrancy of the business environment’ In a report recently produced by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE), the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) concluded that ‘Entrepreneurship education is currently taught primarily through modules in business school courses and extra-curricular activities. HEIs need to enhance the perception and relevance of entrepreneurship education, so students and staff recognise the value of its combination of innovation, creativity, collaboration and risktaking skills to a wide range of disciplines’. This paper focuses on a ground breaking programme specifically designed to address these criticisms of the way in which enterprise and entrepreneurship is taught in universities. There are a huge number of programmes on offer across within European Higher Education with the words ‘enterprise’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ in the title, but what makes the BA (Hons) Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management unique is the close involvement of entrepreneurs right from the outset, including course design, module content and delivery. This is achieved through an ‘entrepreneur in residence’ network, with Walter Herriot, Managing Director of St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, one of the world’s leading incubation centres, as Director. This enables leading entrepreneurs to be embedded in fabric of the programme through playing a very active role in the continued development of the curriculum, content, and delivery of the pathway. Additionally, each student is allocated an entrepreneur as mentor for the duration of the three year programme. This paper will firstly explore the key issues raised by the policy community and others calling into question the appropriateness of the way in which enterprise and entrepreneurship is taught. It will then look at the way in which UK universities are responding to these comments. The paper concludes with a case study of an academic programme developed and delivered jointly by academics and practitioners.education, entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship Education: Embedding Practitioner Experience

In a report recently produced by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE), the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) concluded that ‘Entrepreneurship education is currently taught primarily through modules in business school courses and extra-curricular activities. HEIs need to enhance the perception and relevance of entrepreneurship education, so students and staff recognise the value of its combination of innovation, creativity, collaboration and risk-taking skills to a wide range of disciplines’. This paper focuses on a ground breaking programme specifically designed to address these criticisms of the way in which enterprise and entrepreneurship is taught in universities. There are a huge number of programmes on offer across within European Higher Education with the words ‘enterprise’ and ‘entrepreneurship’ in the title, but what makes the BA (Hons) Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management unique is the close involvement of entrepreneurs right from the outset, including course design, module content and delivery. This is achieved through an ‘entrepreneur in residence’ network, with Walter Herriot, Managing Director of St John’s Innovation Centre, Cambridge, one of the world’s leading incubation centres, as Director. This enables leading entrepreneurs to be embedded in fabric of the programme through playing a very active role in the continued development of the curriculum, content, and delivery of the pathway. Additionally, each student is allocated an entrepreneur as mentor for the duration of the three year programme. This paper will firstly explore the key issues raised by the policy community and others calling into question the appropriateness of the way in which enterprise and entrepreneurship is taught. It will then look at the way in which UK universities are responding to these comments. The paper concludes with a case study of an academic programme developed and delivered jointly by academics and practitioners.entrepreneurship; education; enterprise education.

Top barriers and drivers to SME internationalisation

This report presents the main findings of work undertaken in 2007-2008 by the OECD Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship in the framework of its activity on SME Internationalisation. Internationalisation and international entrepreneurship among SMEs is a topic of considerable relevance, principally owing to the observed growth effects of cross-border venturing, and the demonstrated capacity of SMEs to drive economic development at national, regional and global levels. A new report presents an in-depth analysis of the top barriers to SME internationalisation identified in previous OECD-APEC research, and offers deeper understanding of the measures aimed at addressing top barriers. It also reviews recent work on the factors that drive the internationalisation of SMEs

An exploration of the role and contribution of entrepreneurship centres in UK higher education institutions

This study evaluates current and future roles of UK entrepreneurship centres (ECs) within Higher Education institutions. Literature suggests current activity in entrepreneurship education is strongly associated with the contribution of ECs. However, ECs experience resource limitations and high stakeholder's expectations, leading to a proliferation of aims, roles and identity issues. The study evaluates five UK EC using evidence from a range of stakeholders within each centre. The study considers the strategic direction of ECs, their aim and roles, resourcing and the leadership role they adopt. The study assesses the role ECs are fulfilling in the promotion of entrepreneurship and the resource constraints limiting future development. The need for EC identity and community contribution are identified as a determinant of success. This study offers novel insight into factors influencing EC behaviour and future strategy, which will be of value for UK HEI and Entrepreneurship educators

Strategies for internationalization within SMEs: the key role of the strategic leader and the impact of organizational culture

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) today are faced with the critical issue of how to create and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in the light of the increased complexity of international trade and business links. The strategic imperative facing firms of all sizes is how to respond to the double pressures of trade liberalisation and increasing international competition. Traditional ways of competing whereby the firm could differentiate itself on the basis of technology, product or price are fast disappearing and the firm must look to new solutions. Firms able to access the benefits of international markets such as low cost production facilities, economies of scale in production, distribution marketing and management and able to translate these benefits into lower prices are able to decimate those enterprises still stuck in their old assumptions about the way in which the business world works

The Interplay of Entrepreneurial Cognition and Internal Stakeholders

Entrepreneurial cognition studies have looked at the way in which the entrepreneurial mindset drives the company forward, but have failed to explore how aspects of shared cognition with internal stakeholders contribute to organisational performance. Empirical data period from three established entrepreneurial organisations from different industries in Cambridge, UK is presented. The findings provide evidence of cognitive dissonance between the expectations, perceptions and cognition of the entrepreneur and internal stakeholders. This article argues that cognitive dissonance between the entrepreneur and the internal stakeholders moderates organisational learning which limits performance. These findings contribute to our knowledge of how and why shared cognition between the entrepreneur and internal stakeholders affect the performance of the organisation and how through organisational learning established entrepreneurial organisations can sustain its entrepreneurial orientation and growth through the ageing process