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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions and perspectives of students with regards to self-determined learning in an entrepreneurship education (EE) context and its potential contribution to employability. Design/methodology/approach: This research used a mixed-methods approach with a sample of 25 students currently attending a UK higher education institute. The students had access to participation in EE modules but self-determined learning-informed modules or programmes were not currently offered. Students were invited to attend focus groups and as a result of emergent themes, a business school-wide survey was developed. Findings: This research makes two tentative contributions to the EE field. First, the findings of this student cohort are similar to those found throughout the UK and the EU with regard to the perception of the value of a degree by students; its contribution to the hidden curriculum; and the importance of practical experience. The research also adds to the field by considering the value of a self-determined learning approach to developing the capabilities and competencies of graduates. This approach to learning in a context of EE was in general well received by potential students, particularly the applied aspect of the programme. However, there is a perception of risk about this approach to learning and students are concerned about the value of a programme like this to employers in general. Originality/value: The study contributes to discussions on the value of EE on perceived employability and in particular self-determined learning through entrepreneurship activity.

This paper provides insights into the human capital development of a group of young entrepreneurs, all of whom have built growth businesses with turnovers of between 1M British Pounds and 90M British Pounds. Their development of knowledge and skills was investigated before and during the creation of their first main ventures. This is significant in the context of current UK government policies to encourage young people to consider entrepreneurship as a career. The study considers the relevant skills and knowledge the young entrepreneurs developed prior to starting their businesses, the influences they experienced and how this pre-entrepreneurial learning affected their venture creation activities. Finally, the paper considers the challenges the entrepreneurs faced as they grew their businesses. (Contains 3 notes and 1 table.)

This paper examines the process of transition from student to graduate entrepreneur. The aim is to develop a typological framework that captures the key person-environment dimensions involved in this transitional journey. This paper draws upon interview data from 15 graduates, all of whom had established their own business within five years of graduation. The paper engages with two dimensions that, we argue, usefully capture an important dynamic of the student-to-entrepreneurship transition: (1) the entrepreneurial maturity of the individual; and (2) the complexity of the business idea. The paper maps qualitative data from the graduates onto a framework based on these dimensions. This offers the basis for an enhanced understanding of the graduate entrepreneurship process. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for theory and practice and, importantly, further research. (Contains 3 figures and 1 note.)

The complexities of developing a business based on a novel product may appear insurmountable. Stereotypical convention suggests that there are two major players: polarized inventors and "greedy" investors. Surely there is a way of aligning the inventor-investor relationship into something positive for both parties? In this paper Francis Hobbs explores how both inventor and investor can be incentivized in a virtuous circle through the creation of a formal link between an "IP holding" (inventor) company and an "exploitation" (investor) company which is then free to commercialize the idea as it sees fit. With grant funding provided by the government and channelled through the exploitation company, the investor maintains cherished commercial freedom while the inventor benefits not only from paid contract employment to develop his or her own idea in the short term but royalties and, perhaps, exploitation company equity rewards in the longer term when product sales commence. (Contains 4 figures and 5 notes.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of using summative peer assessment to develop enterprise skills within higher education. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical investigation analysing students own perceptions of the peer assessment process to evaluate its impact. Findings: Participating students indicate that peer assessment aided the achievement of an enterprise learning outcome relating to persuading and influencing. They also report developing skills that will be useful for the workplace, and identify additional learning benefits. Qualitative feedback suggests some discomfort with the inherent non-traditional instructor-learner relationship. Research limitations/implications: Acknowledging the limitations of using students' own perceptions, the narrow focus on one course and the singular experience of summative peer assessment this investigation highlights the need for additional research into the impact of pedagogies where "teachers" deliver more of a facilitation role. Practical implications: The study reinforces the need for educators to invest time and effort in explaining the processes and issues involved with peer assessment. It highlights the contribution that creative industries' educators might be able to make to the wider development of enterprise skills across higher education disciplines. Originality/value: The study contributes to two important but under-explored areas of educational research: the development of enterprise skills outside the business school and the use of peer assessment within enterprise education. It provides a case study for non-traditional assessment and identifies a key challenge associated with the emergent pedagogical approach of heutagogy.

The study explores the nature and mixture of push--pull factors in the journey from higher education into graduate entrepreneurship. Using longitudinal data from 15 graduates of a British university, it compares graduates who started their own business with graduates that did not. Importantly, both groups had initially indicated a strong desire to start a business on completion of their degrees. Three main themes are identified: personal characteristics; environmental support and context; and the business idea. These are utilised to examine the similarities and differences in the nature and mixture of push--pull factors leading either to start-up (SU) or non-start-up (NSU). Whilst findings revealed SUs tended to share many similarities with NSUs, differences appeared to cluster around some personal characteristics, views of the labour market and their business idea. The paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in this transition. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are discussed.

Purpose: The employment market means students need to be equipped with wide-ranging enterprising skills and experience. With small- and medium-sized enterprises crucial to the health of the UK economy providing graduates with the skills to start-up their own business is also of increasing pertinence. The purpose of this paper is to analyse universities' provision and delivery of student support in developing their enterprise knowledge, skills and experience outside of the curriculum. Design/methodology/approach: An e-survey of universities alongside three follow-up semi-structured interviews with participants and an in-depth case study was gathered. The e-survey quantified what enterprise support activities the sample institutions currently offered and the interviews and case study examined the delivery of those activities through the perceptions of university staff/students. Findings: The respondents offered a range of enterprise support activity outside of the curriculum but delivery was hindered by a limited means to track proceedings. Support activities were predominantly concentrated both in delivery and receipt within business schools rather than across departments. Support typically consisted of networking events, business advice sessions and workshops as opposed to intensive provisions such as incubation space or start-up loans. The presence and influence of student-led enterprise groups was apparent. Practical implications: The results will inform those staff involved in the planning and delivery of enterprise support activity at UK universities. Originality/value: This research extends a limited literature mapping extra-curricular enterprise support provision at universities with qualitative data on the delivery of these activities as perceived by staff/students.

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the factors that influenced seven graduates in the creative and digital industries to start their own businesses in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK--an area with lack of employing establishments and locally registered businesses. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews identified the constraining and enabling factors graduates may encounter when attempting to start a business, and explored the impact of support provided. Findings: Perceived constraining factors were: lack of general business knowledge, contradictory advisory support from external agencies, lack of sector-specific mentors, lack of finance, and experience of familial entrepreneurship. Perceived enabling factors were: co-mentoring from business partners, course content, financial gain, creativity and innovative ideas, control and risk taking, and the overarching package of support. Linkages between internal and external support could be improved. Research limitations/implications: The study provided insights into constraints and enablers to self-employment for a small cohort of recent graduates looking to start-up in the creative and digital industries. Further studies are required to explore the suggested effect of the "creative identity", and of sector-specific family entrepreneurial background. Practical implications: The support provided by universities can facilitate the transition from early stage ideas to actual graduate business start-up. Issues such as provision of specialist advice and links with external parallel and follow-on support need to be considered. Originality/value: University start-up units provide an important contribution to the development of graduate entrepreneurs and their role in the growth of national and global economy. Suggestions for improvements in performance, such as closer links with external business development agencies and support providers, are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the possible implications for graduate employability of the economic changes which are affecting the UK in the wake of the "credit crunch". It explores the changing economic context and its implications both for HEIs and for graduates starting their careers. Design/methodology/approach: The article uses current surveys and analysis of the graduate employment market, the labour market and the economy in general to identify and comment on possible trends and scenarios. Findings: There appear to be variations between general media coverage of "the state of the UK economy", which tend to emphasise bad news and survey data, which suggest that the outlook for graduate career prospects and employability remains reasonably strong. The article comments on the increasing connections between enterprise and employability which are being made by universities and summarises current developments in graduate employability and enterprising learning in order to assess how well-prepared graduates are for the emerging economic environment, and the associated implications for HEIs and educators. Practical implications: The article has practical implications for enterprise educators and careers and employability professionals within universities as well as for students. It recommends that graduates need a higher level of economic literacy in order to make informed career changes in the changing economic context. A proposal for further research to explore the topic is suggested. Originality/value: The article is intentionally speculative and aims to inform the discussion on the changing nature of graduate employability and enterprise in the context of rapid economic changes. (Contains 1 table.)

Van Stel A. J. and Storey D. J. (2004) The link between firm births and job creation: is there a Upas Tree effect?, Regional Studies 38 , 893-909. This paper examines the relationship between firm births and job creation in Great Britain. It uses a new data set for 60 British regions, covering the whole of Great Britain, between 1980 and 1998. For Great Britain as a whole, no significant relationship between start-ups and employment creation is found in the 1980s, but there is a negative relationship for the 'low enterprise' area of the North East of England. For the 1990s, a significant positive relationship for Great Britain as a whole is found, but for Scotland, which focused policy on start-ups, a negative relationship is found. The authors feel this raises questions over policies designed to raise rates of new firm formation as a strategy for employment creation, particularly in 'low enterprise' areas. Van Stel A. J. et Storey D. J. (2004) Le lien entre la création d'entreprise et la création d'emploi: l'effet Upas, existe-t'il?, Regional Studies 38 , 893-909. Cet article cherche à examiner le lien entre la création d'entreprise et la création d'emploi en Grande-Bretagne. On emploie un nouvel ensemble de données portant sur la période de 1988 à 1998 et pour 60 zones britanniques couvrant toute la Grande-Bretagne. Pour la Grande-Bretagne dans son ensemble, il ne s'avère aucun lien important entre la création d'entreprise et la création d'emploi dans les années 1980, mais un lien négatif pour ce qui est de la zone dite 'à faible entreprise', à savoir le nord-est d'Angleterre. Pour les années 1990, il s'avère un lien positif important pour la Grande-Bretagne dans son ensemble, à la différence de l'Ecosse où la politique a porté sur la création d'entreprise et qui fait preuve d'un lien négatif. Par la suite, des questions se posent sur les politiques qui cherchent à augmenter le taux de création d'entreprise dans le but de créer des emplois, surtout dans les zones dites à 'faible entreprise'. Van Stel A. J. und Storey D. J. (2004) Die Verknüpfung von Firmengründung und Arbeitsbeschaffung: Gibt es einen Upasbaumeffekt?, Regional Studies 38 , 893-909. Dieser Aufsatz untersucht die Beziehung zwischen Firmengründung und Arbeitsbeschaffung in Großbritannien. Dazu werden neue Datenreihen für 60 britische Regionen benutzt, die ganz Großbritannien im Zeitraum 1980-98 erfassen. Für Großbritannien als Ganzes ergab sich während der achtziger Jahre keine signifikante Beziehung zwischen Firmengründung und Arbeitsbeschaffung, doch eine negative in den 'unternehmensschwachen' Gebieten Nordostenglands. Für die neunziger Jahre wird für Großbritannien insgesamt ein signifkant positives Verhältnis festgestellt, aber ein negatives in Schottland, das seine Bestrebungen auf Firmengründungen konzentrierte. Dies wirft Fragen betreff Bestrebungen auf, die speziell auf Anhebung von Firmengründungen als Strategie zur Beschaffung von Arbeitsplätzen abzielten, besonders in 'unternehmensschwachen' Gebieten. Van Stel A. J. y Storey D. J. (2004) El vínculo entre los nacimientos de empresas y la creación de empleo: existe un efecto Upas Tree ?, Regional Studies 38 , 893-909. Este artículo examina la relación entre los nacimientos de empresas y la creación de empleo en Gran Bretaña. Utilizamos una nueva base de datos para 60 regiones británicas, cubriendo Gran Bretaña en su totalidad, entre 1980 y 1998. Para Gran Bretaña en su totalidad no encontramos ninguna relación significativa entre las nuevas empresas y la creación de empleo en los años 80, pero sí encontramos una relación negativa para la zona de 'baja actividad emprendedora' del Noreste de Inglaterra. Para los años 90 encontramos una relación positiva significativa para Gran Bretaña en su totalidad, sin embargo, para Escocia, que concentró sus políticas en la creación de empresas, encontramos una relación negativa. Creemos que esto plantea cuestiones sobre políticas diseñadas a aumentar los índices de formación de nuevas empresas como estrategia de creación de empleo, particularmente en zonas de 'baja actividad emprendedora'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a recent resurgence in interest in female entrepreneurship has focused attention on working 'on their own account', the artificial distinction made between professional women and women in business has had the effect of segregating rather than integrating research findings. This article focuses on the first cohort of women to qualify as veterinary surgeons in interwar Britain to challenge the assumption that moving beyond the experience of professional women is the only way to bring new insights into women in business. It examines the construction and contestation of the image and role of the female veterinary surgeon in the two decades after they were first able to qualify in 1919, and the experience of women running their own veterinary businesses. It concludes that in a profession with high levels of self-employment, women's identities were defined to a greater degree by their business activities than their professional status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Both the UK''s Labour Government and Scotland''s devolved Labour–Liberal Democrat coalition Executive have committed themselves to reducing health inequalities. Furthermore, both institutions have emphasised the importance of using evidence to inform policy responses. In light of such political commitments, a significant amount of work has been undertaken in the field of health inequalities in order to: (i) review the available research evidence; (ii) assess the extent to which policies have been based on this research evidence; and (iii) evaluate the success (or failure) of policies to tackle health inequalities. Yet so far only limited attention has been given to exploring how key actors involved in research-policy dialogues understand the processes involved. In an attempt to address this gap, this article draws on data from semi-structured interviews with 58 key actors in the field of health inequalities research and policymaking in the UK to argue that it is ideas, rather than research evidence, which have travelled from research into policy. The descriptions of the varying journeys of these ideas fit three types—successful, partial and fractured—each of which is outlined with reference to one example. The paper then employs existing theories about research-policy relations and the movement of ideas in an attempt to illuminate and better understand the contrasting journeys. In the concluding discussion, it is argued that the third approach, which focuses on the entrepreneurial processes involved in the marketing of ideas, is most helpful in understanding the research findings, but that this needs to be discussed in relation to the political context within which negotiations take place. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A need exists to profile 'successful' members of ethnic minority communities to act as learning vehicles for prospective entrepreneurs from the respective communities. • Arguably, existing literature concerning ethnic minority businesses has become somewhat dated given the integration of communities in the UK over time. • Some entrepreneurs from ethnic minority communities have combined best practices from their own culture with that of the UK to form an 'Anglo-Asian way' of undertaking business in contributing to their success. • Successful entrepreneurs seem to be able to manage serendipitous events in exploiting opportunities and do not rely exclusively on strategic management practices that feature in business school teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of new business start-ups cannot be over-emphasised. The UK government has taken actions designed to stimulate the growth of new businesses and aid their survival. The identification of barriers to entry is important, together with strategies to minimise their impact. The UK continues to lag behind the USA in its levels of entrepreneurship. The removal of barriers to start-up is key to rectifying this situation and stimulating the new business aspect of the economy. The paper highlights the government's position in furthering entrepreneurship, draws on initial primary research into student barriers to start-up and makes recommendations for how higher education institutions can assist in breaking down the barriers identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a new wave of hyperlocal community news websites has developed in the United Kingdom (UK), with many taking advantage of new opportunities provided by free open-source publishing platforms. Given the trend in the UK newspaper industry towards closure and retrenchment of their local and regional press titles, it is perhaps understandable that policy-makers have shifted their gaze to these sites. This article examines the viability of hyperlocal news services with a particular focus on those that are independently owned and managed. Such operations often have a longevity that sits in contrast to a number of failed attempts by major media organisations to operate in the hyperlocal space. Yet many of the business models that underpin these sites seem precarious, often benefiting from a degree of self-exploitation. Drawing on 35 interviews with hyperlocal news publishers from across the UK, this article argues that publishers draw upon a civic discourse in order to make sense of their practice. This framing may limit the potential to develop economic sustainability and risks alienating policy-makers keen to work with an idealised “fictive” hyperlocal entrepreneur. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article focuses on the innovation process in an important leisure-based industry in Great Britain since 1960. It explores the peculiar juxtaposition of social, economic, technological, and sporting forces, which provided the springboard for a number of British outdoor companies, including Karrimor, Berghaus and Mountain Equipment, to become leading international brands. More particularly, it highlights the way innovations were developed in relatively small entrepreneurial firms. The prime focus is on the way in which networking activity underpinned innovation and, by implication, the competitive advantage of firms. To achieve this, it also traces the bridges within the supply chain and, by exploring the relationship between innovation and markets, places an emphasis on products and their design. The small companies of the British outdoor trade were able to achieve high levels of innovation through a combination of personal knowledge and networks. The environment itself--with buoyant, emerging, and changing markets--encouraged innovation, which in turn was inseparable from sporting advances. Networking behavior also evolved through time, with changes in market conditions, company profiles, and the environment. Personal networks were especially important in the 1960s and 1970, when firms were small and where owners were usually responsible for both designing and marketing.

Focuses on the various aspects of small business and entrepreneurship. Characterization of the owner/entrepreneur offered in the seminal Bolton Report in Great Britain; Resilience of the small firm sector against formidable economic and political pressures; Key to understanding the management profile and capability of the firm.

The article comments on entrepreneurship in Great Britain during the late Victorian period. In using the total factor productivity index to analyse late-Victorian entrepreneurship, two propositions are confronted. The first is that the late-Victorian economy was characterized by perfectly competitive product and factor markets and by an efficient allocation of resources. The second is that the measured residual derives from the effects of the activities of entrepreneurs. The purpose of what has gone before has been to show that at the theoretical level, whether approached from theories of entrepreneurship or from the body of neoclassical theory, these two propositions are contradictory. The competitive equilibrium assumption necessary to justify using factor shares as the relevant partial elasticities creates a world in which entrepreneurs of whatever variety have no function and indeed cannot exist. It follows that whatever is measured by the residual, and it has already been pointed to its rag-bag nature, entrepreneurship is excluded by the assumptions which are made in order to generate it.