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Creating Entrepreneurial Mindset
Abstract and Figures
Entrepreneurship, combined with entrepreneurial skills, are nowadays perceived as one of the most desired in today`s world. However, despite existing broad evidence on different aspects of entrepreneurship, which may be traced in a body of theoretical literature, the question on how to create and support entrepreneurial activities, attitude and norms, still remains unanswered. In theoretical works, there may be found substantial trials of identifying and defining the most effective techniques applied to develop extensively entrepreneurial skills. In addition, the public debate on elaboration of support system for companies and other institutions still takes place on various grounds. The main value of this book consists in providing new perspective on the process of creating entrepreneurial attitudes and norms, putting special emphasis on the various issues associated with entrepreneurship teaching. This novel book ‘Creating Entrepreneurial Mindset’ provides deep insight into seminal issues intimately related with entrepreneurship teaching and different aspects of entrepreneurship, like e.g. human resource
management or creation and adoption of innovations. Throughout this book, we offer new and fresh insights into ‘doing business’ – in a broad perspective, which leads the reader toward better perception of different entrepreneurial behaviors. Understanding the problems that today`s entrepreneurs are constantly forced to manage, is what enables us to account for divers performance of companies in modern and fast changing environment.
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Purpose
The purpose of this pilot study was to identify the key factors that influence the decisions of entrepreneurs who are considering the creation of a new venture. The pilot was conducted to explore the cognitive antecedents of entrepreneurial decision-making and whether specific factors contribute to the decision to create a new venture.
Design/methodology/approach
The study utilised an inductive and interpretive research design within a constructivist paradigm. The sample comprised entrepreneurs situated in a business incubation unit who engaged in a series of semi-structured interviews. The results of this study will be used to refine the questions asked in preparation for a larger sample using in-depth interviews with identified entrepreneurs. The resulting narrative in this pilot was subjected to discourse analysis and is categorised into relevant themes.
Findings
The findings in this pilot study reveal that factors such as technological advancement, market opportunity, competition, customer demand and prevailing market conditions have a significant influence on the decision-making process involved in creating a new venture.
Research limitations/implications
Although the pilot has identified several factors in entrepreneurial decision-making, further work will be needed in the research design to be able to expose the cognitive processes associated with each factor. The aim is to identify the common cognitive characteristics associated with thinking through the decision to create a new venture with a much larger sample of entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
The value of this research lies in exploring and developing a better understanding of the antecedent cognitive processes used by entrepreneurs for identifying unique, innovative new ideas and converting them into exploitable products or services through new venture creation.
Zachowania przedsiębiorcze zależą zarówno od indywidualnych kompetencji ludzi, jak i kontekstu, w jakim działają. Książka opiera się na założeniu, że działania gospodarcze, w tym intensywność i sposoby realizacji aktywności przedsiębiorczej, są zakorzenione kulturowo. To założenie prowadzi do wniosku, iż do tego, by społeczeństwo było przedsiębiorcze, nie wystarczą (choć są konieczne) odpowiednie uregulowania prawne, dostęp do technologii i środków na finansowanie działalności. Nieodzowny jest klimat kulturowy, który pozwoli ludziom wykorzystywać szanse i stworzy warunki do rozwoju. Celem monografii jest odpowiedź na pytania: jakie wartości, przekonania i symbole związane są z działaniami przedsiębiorczymi? czy mają one trwały charakter? jak przejawia się ich związek z przedsiębiorczością? czy kultura stwarza dogodne warunki do tego, by przedsiębiorcy chcieli zapewniać swoim firmom dalszy byt i rozwój? Odpowiedzi na te pytania są kluczowe dla zrozumienia warunków rozwoju przedsiębiorczości w Polsce.
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Przedsiębiorcze działania jednostek są uzależnione od uwarunkowań materialnych i kulturowych: wpływają one na kompetencje przedsiębiorcze, motywy i sposoby prowadzenia działań. Uwarunkowania kulturowe są względnie trwałe – podlegają wprawdzie zmianom, leczy wolniej i trudniej niż inne uwarunkowania przedsiębiorczości (np. ekonomiczne, prawne). Na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań wskazuję, że trwałość wartości kulturowych, norm i wzorów postępowania możemy obserwować w Polskiej rzeczywistości gospodarczej niemal 20 lat po transformacji systemu (2008). W dużej części uwarunkowania te nie sprzyjają podejmowaniu działań przedsiębiorczych. Konsekwencjami ich trwałości może być w takiej sytuacji hamowanie aktywności lub/i promowanie jej bardziej zachowawczych form i mało innowacyjnych sposobów zarządzania. Zjawisko takie może występować nawet pomimo prawnych i ekonomicznych warunków działania (a zwłaszcza wtedy, gdy również one pozostają dla przedsiębiorców niesatysfakcjonujące). Wiele historycznie ukształtowanych wartości jest nie tylko trwałych, ale i podtrzymywanych przez media, literaturę, film czy wypowiedzi decydentów (np. polityków). W konsekwencji negatywne stereotypy przedsiębiorczości i przedsiębiorców są żywe nawet wśród młodych, zainteresowanych ekonomią osób, co czyni karierę przedsiębiorcy mniej atrakcyjną. Sprawia to także, że przedsiębiorcy w codziennych praktykach zarządzania organizacjami zmagają się z ciągle niezbyt przychylnym odbiorem społecznym, niskim poziomem zaufania i często decydują się podejmować działania zachowawcze (w miejsce choćby schumpeterowskiej twórczej destrukcji) i stronią od współpracy.
Waga kulturowych uwarunkowań sprawia, że muszą być one brane pod uwagę przy kształtowaniu programów rozwoju przedsiębiorczości i działań edukacyjnych na różnych poziomach a także w działaniach przedsiębiorców.
Scientific consequences are dependent on premises that are logical proportions of the phenomena concerned. These proportions are verbal and linguistic statements, and therefore, at the initial philosophical thinking they all include vagueness and imprecision. As more and more scientific evidence becomes available either rationally or empirically the validity degree these statements increases, or vagueness proportion decreases. In the philosophy of science so far scientific statements are either assumed as absolutely correct but more often they are accepted with some probability. However, objective probability attachment to scientific statements is a difficult task, and therefore, subjective (Bayesian) proportions are attached to these statements in practice. After a detailed account of what were the advocators and opponents to scientific absolute correctness and probability, a fuzzy thinking and consequently membership degree attachments rather than probability are presented by considering fuzzy subsets in this paper.
This paper looks into the evolution of the innovation system in India and the role of the universities in the light of various system theories of innovation. Its passive role in the Indian innovation system notwithstanding, there is evidence to show that the university system has contributed to the innovative capacity of India over the years, albeit in ways that are not reflected through conventional measures of innovation. There are many hurdles that constrain the university system in India from playing a more effective role in the national innovation system. This paper points to the path-dependent issues that have arisen during the evolution of the university system over 150 years as the major factors which prevent the sector from being actively involved in the innovation processes within the country. The paper concludes with some suggestions as to how these problems could be mitigated and the active role of the university system in innovation restored. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
Currently in universities there is a widespread and formal promotion of ‘community engagement’, but there is also conceptual confusion, debate and contestation, as reflected in vastly differing interpretations of what counts as ‘engaged practice’. Universities are grappling to define what ‘community engagement’ means, and a lively debate on the relationship between the university and society in a developing country like South Africa is emerging.This article contributes to theoretical debate around the definition and conceptualisation of ‘community engagement’ in South Africa. It presents a conceptual framework that was developed to conduct empirical research to measure existing ‘engaged’ academic activities, in order to map forms of interaction in different types of university and disciplinary fields. The objective of the article is to show how the conceptual framework was developed, and how it can be used to guide empirical research, institutional strategic planning and national higher education policy processes. The conceptual origins lie in an unfolding body of research on the changing role of universities in economic development, using a national system of innovation framework. The article begins by developing a working conception of the role of the university in economic and social development in the first section. It then shifts to consider the policy debate and emerging research literature in South Africa, highlighting a disjuncture between higher education and innovation studies in the second section. A growing alignment provides a foundation for developing a new conception of university engagement. The third section then focuses specifically on the adaptation and extension of a conceptual framework used for studying university–firm interaction, to the study of university interaction with a range of external social partners – community, government, civil society, firms or farmers. The final section sets out how such a framework can be used to map interactive practice within a university and across the national system of innovation.
This paper presents an empirical investigation into how academic researchers develop interactions with industry. Interviews with researchers in biotechnology in the two largest private and public universities in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, were analyzed by applying a grounded theory approach. Findings show that researchers at both universities are motivated by the social impact that their research may have. However, biotech researchers at the public university appear to be more economically driven. In both cases, the participation of the technology transfer office is perceived to be weak. An implication for technology policy is that academic researchers' motivational patterns are important for the better design of policies seeking to promote university-industry interactions at a regional level.
Higher education system has vital importance to train qualified workforce that a country needs. Although holding young population turns out to be an advantage in a well structured education system, overgrowth of young population may cause threat. Higher education system in Turkey has significant problems in terms of efficient use of limited resources. Due to the failure in educational planning, number of graduates exceeds labor market demands in some fields, whereas over capacity problem occurs in some faculties. In this respect engineering and health sciences and also vocational higher education fields are particularly problematic. The other deficiency in Turkish higher education system is that; graduates lack basic acquirements and skill that labor market needs. There is no doubt that higher education is not existent only to train workforce for labor market. However, discrepancy in educational structure and realities of labor market means inefficient use of resources. In this respect, education system in Turkey need to be revised. An education system, more sensitive to labor market demands contributes to increase individual prosperity at micro level and it will also contribute to international competition and development of our country at macro level.
Using the case of the Thai dessert industry, this paper highlights the knowledge sector as the driver of activities within the triple helix network and as a basis for the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Knowledge transfer to SMEs and its impact on technological capability development is facilitated by social capital which is influenced by policy initiatives. A survey of 159 firms, drawn from three categories (household-based, community-based and factory-based firms) of the Thai dessert industry provided evidence which suggests that social capital is a major factor enhancing SMEs' access to knowledge sources. The extent to which government intervention has succeeded in promoting the triple helix as a strategy for the growth of SMEs in the Thai dessert industry is considered empirically. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.