Search

Deploying systems-theoretical conceptuality, this paper improves understanding of the organisational consequences of the intensified societal engagement of a research university. Aligning its work with Luhmannian organisational analysis, it addresses the dynamic interplay between two modes of administrative decision-making communication, namely, the traditional professional administration and the New-Public-Management-oriented (NPM) managerial techniques. Our research observes how the politico-economic conditions of the society translate into the university's decisions concerning an initiative to engage in start-up entrepreneurship. The article contributes to higher education literature by showing that the university's professional administration is a discrete organisational function internally differentiated into specialised administrative branches, each of which operates according to a sense-making regime associated with its primary societal system reference, such as education, science and the economy. The article also demonstrates the structurally conditioned differences in branch-specific temporalisations of the entrepreneurial initiative during decision-making. Inspired by the Luhmannian view on temporality, we demonstrate how administrative decisions synchronise the varied structural time horizons within the university's professional administration. Focus on temporality in decision-making thus allows us to see how the NPM-inspired managerial techniques are operationalised in administrative communication at universities. Consequently, the paper argues that university administration is a complex dynamic entity, which varyingly aligns itself to national policy scripts, and only selectively enacts features of a global trend known as NPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-pandemic era has transformed work-life boundaries, driven by factors such as working hours, an increased number of working women and single parents, the implementation of various ICTs, and the rise of flexible work arrangements. This study examines the role of female workers and entrepreneurs in establishing and managing coworking spaces (CSs) designed to improve work-life balance through flexible scheduling and location options. The challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in promoting an inclusive society and economic system are also explored, as well as the benefits experienced by independent workers and teleworkers in terms of networking, social interaction, knowledge exchange, and community building. The "She Economy" is analyzed in three stages: germination, growth, and maturity, considering challenges from both family and workplaces. This paper investigates the background of female identity and the ideological transformation of female identity in the consumption process after the pandemic, using mass media, especially female-focused media, as a lens. Finally, the paper proposes recommendations for the future development of the "She Economy" from the perspectives of communicators, women, and the social environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1950s saw the emergence of the science-driven model of engineering education. In the following decades, the model has been continuously challenged to incorporate aspects such as liberal arts, information & communication technology, design, entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability, industry 4.0, and more recently, online-learning. This has triggered several initiatives at institutional and national levels, and manifested in approaches and practices for transforming engineering education. One approach that appears to be gaining attention is design-centric engineering, with its emphasis on learning-by-doing, product design and entrepreneurial orientation. While literature points to several variants of design-centric engineering and challenges in implementation, it also calls for more empirical studies and deeper theoretical inquiry into the contradictions and paradoxes that this approach might present to the students at the micro-level, and guidance on how they might make sense and find pathways of action jointly with internal and external stakeholders. This paper throws light on the contradictions and paradoxes experienced by undergraduate engineering students while implementing a design-centric engineering program at a young public-funded institute in India, involving approximately 1500+ students over a period of six years. The paper also discusses the theoretical and pragmatic aspects of the approach adopted to encourage students to make sense of the contradictions and paradoxes, namely: (a) leveraging the affordance offered by one of the courses in the program—"Sociology of Design—to synthesize engineering, design and sociological perspectives; (b) turning the contradictions and paradoxes into sources of learning and change, informed by the theory of complex responsive processes; and (c) application of multiple methods such as rich pictures, reflective writing, self-organized interactions and data analysis to enable sense-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade, different values, tools and practices promoted by maker culture have been adopted in formal educational settings with the aim of reinvigorating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have also engaged with maker culture to explore its potentialities regarding education, entrepreneurship and innovation. However, these collaborations with various stakeholders are not always smooth and educators need to deal with significant challenges that arise in these engagements, despite the problem-solving learning opportunities that they can offer their students. This paper presents the results of a case study that dealt with these issues through the establishment of an open and collaborative learning ecosystem (OCLE) between different educators, students and external stakeholders. The empirical work was based on thirty-three semi-structured interviews across four countries, eight focus groups and a final participatory workshop. The study argues that maker culture can offer several potentialities for pushing forward an integrative vision of STEM education as well as other disciplines from social sciences and humanities. An emphasis is placed on how tertiary education can benefit greatly from the adoption of OCLEs and how these communities of practices can encourage an education oriented to meeting societal challenges. The paper also warns that these kinds of interventions face significant organisational challenges in HEIs that demand significant institutional recognition and support to overcome this organisational resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global university rankings influence students' choices and higher education policies throughout the world. When rankers not only evaluate universities but also provide them with consulting, analytics, or advertising services, rankers are vulnerable to conflicts of interest that may potentially distort their rankings. The paper assesses the impact of contracting with rankers on university ranking outcomes using a difference-in-difference research design. The study matches data on the positions of 28 Russian universities in QS World University Rankings between 2016 and 2021 with information on contracts these universities had for services from QS—the company that produces these rankings. The study compares the fluctuations in QS rankings with data obtained from the Times Higher Education rankings and data recorded by national statistics. The results suggest that the universities with frequent QS-related contracts had an increase of 0.75 standard deviations (~ 140 positions) in QS World University Rankings and an increase of 0.9 standard deviations in reported QS faculty-student ratio scores over 5 years, regardless of changes in the institutional characteristics. The observed distortions could be explained by university rankers' self-serving bias that benefits both rankers and prestige-seeking universities and reinforces the persistence of rankings in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In group decisions, two issues need to be tackled: weighting opinions of different decision-makers and aggregating their evaluations. Many group aggregation techniques analyse these issues. These approaches can be correctly applied only if the weights assigned to all decision-makers are available. Unfortunately, there are situations where such weights are unavailable or incomplete, the negotiation required to better define them is not possible or decision-makers are unwilling to revise their judgments. These situations could pose a critical problem for the correct application of aggregation procedures. This problem is exaggerated if there are more than one group of decision-makers. In this paper, we present a new algorithm based on the Frobenius norm that considers the choice of the weights in aggregating judgments in a non-negotiable multi-group problem. This approach facilitates the computation of several sets of weights simultaneously, showing the roles played by each decision-maker and by each group in defining the global priority. To illustrate the method, we apply it in designing a new curriculum in entrepreneurship based on an entrepreneurial learning approach informed by perceptions of three stakeholders: entrepreneurship educators, entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship students. Data is collected by pairwise comparison within the analytic hierarchy process and is aggregated using our proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethiopia is urbanizing rapidly and migration is the major factor in the urbanization process. Migration is selective and rural youth are more likely to migrate to cities than others. However, the capacity of cities to accommodate migrants by providing formal employment is limited. Consequently, migrants remain without access to employment opportunities. The majority are pushed into self-employment in the informal sector. Despite such challenges, harnessing the benefits of the youth bulge and promoting inclusive development through entrepreneurship programs has become a priority area since 1990s. Although progresses have been made, entrepreneurship programs are unable to reach the unemployed youth and those engaged in informal sector. The objective of this paper is to explore barriers that hinder the youth to join entrepreneurship programs. The study followed qualitative approach. Data were collected through key informant interviews and focus group discussions from four cities-Addis Ababa, Adama, Bahir Dar and Hawassa. The findings show that politicization of entrepreneurship; lack of understanding the needs of the youth, weak institutional systems, low levels of service capacity and inefficiency and lack of entrepreneurship education and youth negligence hinder the success of entrepreneurship programs thereby attaining inclusive development. Entrepreneurship programs thus need to follow flexible and participatory approach. Programs need to be selective in the type of entrepreneurial initiatives and supports that can address the needs and priorities of the youth. Providing youth with entrepreneurial education has a positive effect on their decision to be engaged in entrepreneurial activities. The government needs to minimize its political intervention in entrepreneurship programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses how lower secondary pupils experience their participation in the Danish science and green entrepreneurship competition, called Edison. The study uses a qualitative research method to investigate pupils' descriptions, in retrospect, on the process of their entrepreneurial work. We completed semi-structured interviews with two teachers and six groups of pupils from two schools. Independence and being able to determine their own product were motivating factors. Often the pupils included other actors, particularly family members, on their own initiative as part of their work. The pupils' interest in STEM education did not appear to have been affected except for two pupils who broadened their educational perspective. However, the awareness of sustainability issues has for some of them been supported, one of them with a change of lifestyle. By including engineering design process models in the analyses, the concept of entrepreneurship in science and technology became more process oriented and operational, which may also help both the teachers' facilitation and the pupils' inventing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the popularity and awareness of keywords in Google Trends data related to entrepreneurship of women in a global and cross-regional setting by using market basket analysis. Google Trends is one of the digital data platforms that provides a time series index of the volume of queries users enter into Google in a given geographic area. It is the most popular tool for gathering any information, and it has been used in several topics. Market basket analysis indicates items that appear/used together and the frequency of these appearances. Such technique is appropriate in finding hidden associations between items, which is also crucial in assessing individuals' thoughts on a specific topic. This study contributes to the literature in terms of being the first study to use market basket analysis on Google trends data in the context of women's entrepreneurship finding hidden associations between items, which is crucial in assessing individuals' thoughts on a specific topic. The results of the analysis are interpreted through the lens of gender-responsive strategies, equality, efficiency and social justice in different country and region contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature on STEM education outcome in the tertiary context has pursued the construct of non-cognitive attributes distinctly from that of entrepreneurship skills and pedagogical competencies, notwithstanding the inferred indications that the three can be adapted in an integrated model to enhance positive outcomes. This study established that there is a range of approaches seeking to optimize positive learning outcomes in tertiary level institutions. This paper argues that there is need to incorporate entrepreneurship and pedagogical skills training in the curriculum for STEM educators at the tertiary level institutions. The study has therefore proposed an integrated theoretical model which can be used to generate data sets to address identified gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our five-year ethnographic study of Palestinian tech entrepreneurship provides a unique case that examines the interplay between technology, politics and power dynamics. In this paper, we trace the formation of the Palestinian tech entrepreneurial public and analyse how it has transformed from being a counterpublic to serving as a beacon for the development of the Palestinian economy while under Israeli occupation. Despite its apparent success, the foundation of the Palestinian entrepreneurial public is fragile, as it is stuck in a repeat and rewind cycle involving the eternal application of the lean startup approach and the associated business models, which encourage the mimicking of Western design solutions. We develop the concept of a public of erosion to characterise how the Palestinian entrepreneurial public has been produced and shaped by the attrition stemming from the interlinked infrastructures created by donor agencies, powerful billionaires, the government and the Israeli occupation. A public of erosion is characterised by heavy dependencies on factors outside its immediate control, and is shaped by processes that constantly dismantle resources, leading to the wearing down of its foundation. The concept of a public of erosion is intended to provide researchers with a new language and a lens to apply when investigating digital technologies in the Global South. Finally, we demonstrate how the current structural conditions result in producing bounty hunters and real estate projects, rather than a strong digital ecosystem necessary for the development of sustainable digital technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We know relatively little about the conditions that encourage people to jump into the political fray as policy entrepreneurs, advocates who devote substantial time, energy, and resources to campaigning for a policy goal. This paper aims to fill that gap by investigating the catalysts of policy entrepreneurship in municipalities across the State of New York, where between 2008 and 2012, hundreds of local jurisdictions passed measures opposing or supporting high-volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking). These local policy actions were often enthusiastically encouraged and, in some cases, vociferously opposed, by enterprising advocates. I propose a threat-centered theory of policy entrepreneurship, emphasizing the role of loss aversion in pushing actors toward advocacy. The empirical analysis shows that oppositional advocacy within a polity draws would-be policy entrepreneurs into battle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the light of Bandura's (Social foundations of thought and action: a social cognitive perspective, Princeton-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 1986) social cognitive theory (SCT), we investigated the roles of four different entrepreneurial factors: entrepreneurial qualities (EQ), entrepreneurial knowledge (EK), perceived entrepreneurialism (PE) and entrepreneurial inspiration (EIN), in entrepreneurial intention (EI) formation. Alongside, this paper explored the unique role played by entrepreneurial self-efficacy as a mediator among the list of determinants and EI. The study approached with a sample of 1062 final year engineering student from 15 premier technical institutes in India. The findings show that the effects of EQ, PE, and EIN on EI are partially mediated by entrepreneurial self-efficacy whereas a full mediation between EK and EI, which is consistent with the SCT framework. The implications suggest for improving the EK delivery system, which in turn will make students feel self-efficacious toward being entrepreneurial. The article argued on various pedagogical as well as the policy-related context of business venturing at Indian technical institutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present paper is to explore the relationship between perceived gender stereotyping and women's entrepreneurial aspirations. Two studies were conducted. Study 1 was based on a sample of 64 U.S. undergraduate students and focused on the direct and indirect roles of perceived gender stereotyping on entrepreneurial aspirations. Study 2 was based on a sample of 100 mostly working U.S. graduate students and focused on venture preferences and their moderators. Findings establish that experiencing gender stereotypes is not only negatively associated with women's entrepreneurial aspirations, but also interferes with the positive influence of self-efficacy and prior entrepreneurial exposure on women's entrepreneurial aspirations. Results also show that perceived gender stereotyping affects the type of ventures women prefer to start, compelling women away from more agentic type growth-oriented ventures and toward more communal type ventures. The effects of moderators were explored showing that the presence of men as role models and in the workplace are both associated with lower likelihood that the potential woman entrepreneur will pursue growth ventures. Overall, the research supports the notion that stereotype threat constitutes a useful lens to view women's participation in entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology transfer (TT) is still a high risky activity and has high failure rate. Many TT critical factors and models are identified but have limited real application. This paper proposes an agent-mediated and entrepreneurship-oriented Model for Assessing TT. The entrepreneurship-oriented perspective proposes that the entrepreneurial capabilities of the transferee is critical factor to the success of TT. The agent plays the role of bridge to enhance the understanding of both sides during TT and to facilitate the incubating of entrepreneurial capabilities of the transferee. The model was tested in 10 real-life cases. This project reflects on the fact that technology transfer is not simply transferring the technology from one party to another. It should be commercialized from the client’s perspective. The research aims to create a win–win–win model for R&D firms who own technology, consulting firms as agents and client companies who need technology. It will also help transferee companies to absorb new technologies and develop their innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]