Fostering an entrepreneurial mindset: A typology for aligning instructional strategies with three dominant entrepreneurial mindset conceptualizations

Entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions (HEIs) increasingly aims at fostering an entrepreneurial mindset (EM) in students. However, large heterogeneity exists in conceptualizations of EM. This is a challenge for educators as it is difficult to develop instructional strategies to foster students’ EM when there is no clarity about what this mindset is. The purpose of the article is to address this challenge. It does so by analysing and synthesizing current literature in the field of entrepreneurship education in HEIs and develops a taxonomy that depicts three dominant conceptualizations of EM, their theoretical origins and the type of attributes typically associated with each conceptualization. The article goes beyond the integrative literature review by reflecting on the consequences for the design of entrepreneurship education of the simultaneous existence of these three dominant conceptualizations. The author develops a typology for aligning instructional strategies with the EM conceptualizations and thus contributes to practice by providing a better understanding of how to achieve coherence between learning outcomes and instructional choices. The article advances the field’s conceptual knowledge about EM and thereby facilitates future theory generation.

Impact of collaborative, entrepreneurship education on the financial risk taken by university students

Based on the definition of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs can be considered as risk-takers. The literature contains conflicting theories as to whether risk-taking can be influenced by external factors. The current paper investigates the effect of entrepreneurship education and collaborative environment on financial risk-taking behavior among university-age young people. To this end, an online survey was conducted involving 510 participants and various statistical tests were utilized to test the research hypothesis. To measure financial risk-taking propensity, the Choice Dilemma Questionnaire methodology was implemented. The results of the analysis reveal that both the level of entrepreneurship education and a collaborative environment increase financial risk-taking. Moreover, multiple linear regression methodology was used to capture the significant factors that influence financial risk-taking when investing alone and investing in a collaborative environment. As a policy recommendation, the authors suggest that an entrepreneurship training curriculum should be developed that incorporates the various activities and elements of a collaborative environment.

Implementing a service learning Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program: Recruiting college student participants and understanding the benefits to all stakeholders

Service learning for business students is an important activity for learning professionalism while adding volunteer and leadership experiences to their resume. The purposeful inclusion of in-field volunteerism in the accounting curriculum by participation in the USA’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program each spring offers a host of additional benefits for students, as well as their communities and educational institutions. To better understand and identify these stakeholder benefits, the authors surveyed participants and found that students gained both career building work skills and community and social awareness, while community participants increased their personal satisfaction. Given the overall student benefits from participation, the second phase of the exploratory research examined ways to increase student participation for future VITA programs, because the success of any VITA program depends on both the strength and the presence of sufficient student volunteers. Faculty suggestions for recruiting are presented along with areas for future research.

The influence of creativity on the entrepreneurial intention of university female graduates: An SEM approach

Entrepreneurial activities have been vital to economic growth as a feasible career option for many university graduates. Nonetheless, it has been recognised that the lowest intentions to undertake entrepreneurial activity are among female graduates. While entrepreneurship is claimed to be a reflection of creative activity from which individuals generate value, graduates’ creativity can be a crucial aspect of entrepreneurship, with innovative concepts, products and services. This study examines the role of creativity skills in the entrepreneurial intentions of female university students attending business programs. Built on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the survey results collected from 303 female business graduates identified the positive influence of creativity on entrepreneurial intentions. Recognising the need to embed creative skills and activities in the university curriculum is fundamental to encouraging entrepreneurial aspirations among female graduates.

Students’ perceptions of the entrepreneurial culture in Finnish higher education institutions

The purpose of this study is to add to the literature on entrepreneurial universities by investigating entrepreneurial culture (EC) in higher education institutions (HEIs). The authors investigate how students experience EC and which factors explain their perceptions of EC. The study is based on a survey of HEI students in Finland with 1277 responses. The results show that formal institutional support and institution-level activities have the strongest impact on the students’ experienced EC. According to the findings, formal institutional support has a greater impact on students’ perceptions of EC than student-driven activities. Furthermore, the results highlight that the encouragement of teachers has a greater influence on students’ perceptions of EC than peer students and student-driven activities. Accordingly, the paper’s theoretical contribution to the literature lies in its demonstration that institutional support, in addition to the encouragement of teachers, influences HEI students’ perceptions of EC. With regard to practical implications, the findings indicate that, if HEIs wish to build an EC and operate entrepreneurially, it is vital to support teachers’ entrepreneurial behaviour and thinking. In addition, equal emphasis needs to be placed on the observable artefacts and on clear, well-communicated organisational structures and processes.

Entrepreneurship imperatives in higher education institutions: The case of Australian Universities

Earlier research has not explicitly emphasised the dynamic integration of entrepreneurship imperatives and transformation in developing the entrepreneurial university. The purpose of this research is to examine the linkage between the strategic intents articulated by universities and their corresponding level of entrepreneurship transformation. This article develops a theoretical framework to examine transformational imperatives, applying a data analytical approach to assess strategic documents using automated content analysis and complex algorithms. Australian universities were chosen for the research given the specific context of the higher education sector and the availability of strategic documents on the institutions’ websites. In the research context, the findings show that, while there are some variances with specific institutions, Australian universities in general, and several groups of universities in particular, expressed different levels of determination, ranging from moderate to moderately strong, to transform themselves into being entrepreneurial. Universities’ management can benefit from the theoretical framework developed in this research to craft strategies to further adopt entrepreneurship imperatives. Implications are also provided to inform universities, industry and government with regard to enhancing the dynamics of entrepreneurship ecosystems.

Social capital and university–business collaboration in doctoral education

University–business collaboration in doctoral education has been promoted by governments and universities. In contexts where there is limited contact between the academic and business sectors, individuals and their social capital might play an important role in the formation and success of such partnerships, including the frequency of interaction and continuity of partnerships. Here, data from a survey of directors of doctoral programmes in Portugal were used to explore these aspects. The social capital of the directors seems to increase both the intensity and continuity of collaboration, especially in scientific fields considered to be more distant from companies and in which university–business collaboration is less common. Previous collaboration will create relational capital, resulting in mutual knowledge and trust which, in turn, lead to more intense and sustainable collaboration. Academic experience with companies—reflecting cognitive aspects of social capital—increases the diversity of university–business collaboration in doctoral programmes, while also reinforcing the possibility of long-term collaborations. The findings indicate that academics’ social capital is an important factor in determining the success of collaborative doctoral education, and should be taken into account when designing and supporting collaborative doctoral programmes.

Enhancing graduates’ employability through polytechnic–industry collaboration

The unemployability of many Nigerian graduates is somewhat attributable to the existing wide collaboration gap between Nigerian higher education institutions and industry. Against this backdrop, this study explores how Nigerian polytechnics and industry can collaborate to enhance graduates’ employability. Adopting a focus group discussion approach, three focus groups involving 20 people (eight polytechnic lecturers, six National Board for Technical Education officials and six industry executives) participated in the study. Content analysis of the focus group discussions revealed the need to involve industry experts in curriculum development and review to meet today’s job requirements in industry. The need to involve industry experts in teaching certain aspects of the curriculum was also highlighted. The findings further revealed the desirability of exposing students and lecturers to industrial work situations to equip them with workplace skills and experience. Additionally, the study found that a comprehensive collaboration policy framework, funding, commitment, mutual benefits and trust are required to achieve successful polytechnic–industry collaboration. This research demonstrates that effective collaboration between polytechnics and industry will help to improve the employability of graduates. The findings provide policy and practical implications for polytechnics, regulatory bodies, industry and government.

University–industry collaboration in curriculum design and delivery: A model and its application in manufacturing engineering courses

The advantages and importance of university–industry collaboration, particularly in curriculum design and delivery, are well-known. However, although curriculum development models are available in the literature, very few are sufficiently concrete to be applicable in practice or are generalizable beyond their discipline of origin. In this paper, a co-operative model based on the Plan–Do–Study–Act cycle is presented and described. An example of its application in the curriculum design of two courses in welding within a Manufacturing Engineering Master’s program is detailed. The model was found successful based on the evaluation of the courses by students, teachers, and the industrial representatives involved. Therefore, it proved to be an effective tool for bridging the gap between industrial needs and academia in the field of Manufacturing Engineering education. At the same time, the methodology is generalizable and is applicable to any field of education.

The role of third mission orientation and motivational characteristics in young scientists’ entrepreneurial intention

This study examines the relationship between the individual motivational characteristics of young scientists (i.e. PhD students and post-docs) and their entrepreneurial intention, exploring also the mediating role of their third mission orientation. For this purpose, the authors considered the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship at the level of the individual and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Having university scientists as the unit of analysis, they used structural equation modelling to survey a sample of 337 young scientists working in a major Italian university. The authors were able to empirically identify the importance of third mission orientation as a mediating variable between scientists’ motivational characteristics and their entrepreneurial intention. The entrepreneurial orientation is reinforced if scientists are also engaged in third mission activities. The findings offer valuable insights for policy makers and higher education managers to develop strategies that could enhance knowledge transfer activities and produce additional benefits for universities and societies.