Business Commons^™

An Entrepreneurial Context For The Theory Of The Firm: Exploring Assumptions And Consequences, Arturo E. Osorio, Paul Donnelly, Banu Ozkazanc-Pan

Articles

While entrepreneurship may be driven by personal interests and lifestyle choices, entrepreneurial actions are not only economically driven opportunity-searching processes but also enactments of social transformation that may or may not lead to socioeconomic benefits. We advance that exploring these entrepreneurial processes can inform a theory of the firm that may explain how socioeconomic processes shape the socioeconomic environment of communities while serving individuals. This article discusses several understandings of the firm, as theorized in extant literature. Guided by these different conceptualizations, we present a case study of an artist and artisan cluster in Western Massachusetts to demonstrate various understandings …

Towards Entrepreneurial Learning Outcomes In Business Education And Beyond – Next Practice? Design & Guidance, Anthony Paul Buckley

Other

High growth economies can be differentiated from low growth economies by their high investment in knowledge, low knowledge filter and high levels of entrepreneurial capital. These states help create entrepreneurial capital by providing their citizens with opportunities to learn to be more enterprising in their pursuit of value creation and capture. What should be taught, how and what are the appropriate learning outcomes of entrepreneurship education and training (EET) then become the relevant questions. This paper reviews the relevant EET literature, assesses current thinking and practice and concludes, in the absence of empirical evidence in favour of a particular pedagogical …

The Process And Problems Of Business Start-Ups, Natasha Evers

The ITB Journal

“… there is little known about the initial phases of the process (of entrepreneurship). The conception, birth and early development of new ventures are very much an uncharted territory”. (Reynolds and White, 1997:1). This paper sets out to examine the process and problems encountered by new business start-ups. A didactic overview, based on past and current literature in the field, identifies the most common theoretical frameworks frequenting the academic literature and assesses their contribution to explaining and understanding the Process and Problems of New Venture Creation. The founding of a new organisation is not instantaneous and the process is a …

Who Wants To Be An Entrepreneur?, Maura O Connell

The ITB Journal

So you want to be an Entrepreneur? What does it take? Are you suited to entrepreneurial life? Have you got the required personality characteristics and what social factors influence whether or not you become an entrepreneur? While many studies have tried to answer these questions the results are somewhat mixed.

Using Sequential Mixed Methods In Enterprise Policy Evaluation: A Pragmatic Design Choice?, Anthony Paul Buckley

Articles

How might policy instruments contribute to indigenous firm growth and how can the effects of these instruments be evaluated at both firm and policy level? This paper illustrates how a mixed methods research design and data analysis strategy can pragmatically address the research questions outlined above. The advantages and challenges of employing quantitative research methods (what happened?) followed by confirmatory qualitative research methods (how and why did it happen?) in a multiphase sequential explanatory design is explored. The data analysis strategy is firstly to analyse the data generated from a ‘before and after’ quasi-experiment (with statistical controls), then data from …

Aligning Aims In Innovation Management: A Participatory Approach To Defining Mission And Vision Statements, Colm O’Kane, Pearl M. O'Rourke

Level 3

The problem of ensuring management and employees have clearly defined goals to work towards is one which has engaged management practitioners for some time. It is a challenge which engages organisations across industry sectors and business types (Prahalad 1999; O’Gorman 1999). This article describes the development of a framework for the identification of guiding goals for organisations using the principles of participatory design. The framework described involves internal and external stakeholders in the development of mission and vision statements. A pilot study using the initial stages of this framework was implemented with academic staff of an undergraduate academic programme in …

Development Of A Framework To Facilitate A Collaborative Peer Learning 2:1 Model Of Practice Placement Education, Ann-Marie Lynam, Clare Corish, Deirdre Connolly

Level 3

Aim: The educational approach towards practice placement education in health-related disciplines has changed in recent years. The use of collaborative or peer learning models has increased, associated with positive effects on desired outcomes such as learning, competence and reflective practice. At present, there is little published literature on the implementation or use of such models in dietetics practice placement education. The aim of this study was to conduct a pilot study of a collaborative peer learning 2 students to 1 educator (2:1 model). Methods: Experienced practice placement educators from four clinical sites in the discipline of dietetics in the Republic …

An Investigation Into The Tacit Knowledge Transfer Process In An Open Plan Office Environment, Caroline Bernie

Level 3

The research described in this article aimed to investigate the link between the internal organisational layout and its impact on the tacit knowledge transfer process in an open plan administrative working environment. In recent years academic literature in the area of Knowledge Management has concentrated on the management of knowledge within the organisation with particular focus placed upon management systems and the introduction of knowledge measurement tools.

Taking A Step Back From The Individual Social Entrepreneur, Ziene Mottiar

Conference papers

An investigation of how a national tourism policy resulted in the emergence of new social entrepreneurs in destinations across Ireland.

‘Enterprise Engagement In Education (Eee) Pathways And Supports Project, Anushree Priyadarshini

Reports

The EEE Pathways and Supports Project is a collaborative initiative between CEEN and HECA, focused on promoting enterprise engagement within the HEI, to both inform and contribute to the delivery of entrepreneurship education. From a teaching and learning perspective, enterprise engagement is integral to the development of activity based pedagogies; a critical component of ‘learning by doing’ entrepreneurship education approaches. Working across HEI partners, the project seeks to map and document approaches to enterprise engagement across the CEEN/ HECA networks.

Economic Recession As A Catalyst To Increased Collaboration In Rural Tourism, Catherine Gorman, Ziene Mottiar

Books / Book chapters

Purpose: This chapter illustrates the collaborative strategies used by a rural village and community to counteract the rapid decline in economic and social activity in tourism that occurred during and after the recession in Ireland.

Design/methodology/approach: A review of literature focuses on collaborative strategies evident within a rural context, and considers benefits, challenges, inter and intra- relationships including ties, structure and communication. Motivational factors relating to social and economic need are also discussed. The case study is set in context with a brief review of the Irish economic environment, rural policy and rural tourism.

Findings: In a community rich in …

Connected: An Enhanced Online Interface For Engagement Between Industry And Academia, David Kirk, John J. Keogh, Terry Maguire

Conference Papers

The drive for third level education institutes to engage with industry, enterprise and the community recognises their interdependence and need for continuous knowledge exchange. The extent to which students are capable of embracing their post-qualification roles, may be determined by the currency of the curriculum and work-readiness, which is informed by the context of the ‘real-worlds’ however they are shaped. Similarly, the activities that challenge industry, enterprise and the community could find support in the broad the spectrum of knowledge, skills and expertise that resides in the domain of formal education.

A key obstacle to collaboration between higher education institutes …

Using Sequential Mixed Methods In Enterprise Policy Evaluation. Special Mixed Methods Edition., Anthony Paul Buckley

Articles

How might policy instruments contribute to indigenous firm growth and how can the effects of these instruments be evaluated at both firm and policy level? This paper illustrates how a mixed methods research design and data analysis strategy can pragmatically address the research questions outlined above. The advantages and challenges of employing quantitative research methods (what happened?) followed by confirmatory qualitative research methods (how and why did it happen?) in a multiphase sequential explanatory design is explored. The data analysis strategy is firstly to analyse the data generated from a ‘before and after’ quasi-experiment (with statistical controls), then data from …