Evolving missions and university entrepreneurship: academic spin-offs and graduate start-ups in the entrepreneurial society

The gender gap in Ph.D. entrepreneurship: How do students perceive the academic environment?

This paper investigates gender issues in Ph.D. entrepreneurship. The empirical analysis is based on data from a questionnaire survey run in 2014-15 in Italy. We analyse how Ph.D. students perceive the institutional entrepreneurial environment, the drivers and the factors hindering entrepreneurship and gender-equality among faculties at the parent institution. We find evidence of a gender bias in Ph.D. entrepreneurship and that the perception about the factors either hampering or supporting entrepreneurship is deeply different between sexes. The academic environment can have a fundamental impact on students' decisions to start new ventures and on the probability that they will abandon their entrepreneurial intentions. Female student entrepreneurs particularly benefit from the opportunity to engage with a gender-balanced work environment.

Conceptualising the entrepreneurial university: the stakeholder approach

This study uses the stakeholder perspective to knowledge spillover theory at university to explain how various characteristics of internal and external university stakeholders will affect its entrepreneurial outcomes. Acknowledging the heterogeneity between entrepreneurial universities, we theoretically developed and empirically tested a model for four types of stakeholders (knowledge enablers, knowledge creators, knowledge codifiers, knowledge facilitators) across three university types (Russel group, teaching-based and polytechnic universities). To test our hypotheses related to the role of stakeholders in entrepreneurial outcomes of a university we used panel data on 139 UK universities that achieved entrepreneurial outcomes during 2010 and 2016. The results demonstrate significant differences in the role that stakeholders play in knowledge spillover entrepreneurship at universities with the effects vary across three distinct university types.

Human resource management practices at university spin-offs

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the human resource management practices and the associated dimensions of quality of employment in university spin-offs. Through this, it becomes possible to explore and recognize the practices and difficulties placed on the employees of university spin-offs.

Design/methodology/approach

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) framework to assess the quality of work in the European Union is adopted. It is used a qualitative approach through the development of four case studies at university spin-offs located in Portugal. These case studies relate to four sectors of activity, such as information technology, urban mobility, health and electronics.

Findings

The findings reveal that most of the challenges of quality of work in a spin-off university are common to those in an SME or micro company. Among these factors, the authors highlight the lack of job security, reduced or no social protection and very low income and nonwage pecuniary benefits. Other factors specific to university spin-offs also emerge, such as the numerous opportunities for skills development and training, the potentialities to become an entrepreneur and the high number of working hours that are necessary to face the vibrant market dynamics.

Originality/value

The study aims to contribute, in a theoretical and empirically grounded basis, to the knowledge about the quality of employment in a spin-off university. This work becomes relevant for policymakers to understand in depth the specific challenges faced by employees of a spin-off university.

Scientist or Entrepreneur? Identity centrality, university entrepreneurial mission, and academic entrepreneurial intention

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between identity centrality and entrepreneurial intention. Based on a survey of 275 academic scientists from 14 Chinese universities, the results show that entrepreneurial identity centrality positively influences the intention to engage in research commercialisation activities, such as spin-off creation, patenting and licensing, contracting research and consulting. We also found that the conflict between entrepreneurial and scientific identity centrality is less problematic than expected in the literature. In fact, the interaction between both identity centralities strengthens academics scientists’ intention to involve in academic entrepreneurship. Concerning the influence of institutional factor on academic entrepreneurship, the finding confirms that university entrepreneurial mission moderates the relationship between both identity centralities and the intention to establish spin-offs. Finally, this paper provides insights for academic entrepreneurship in China and practical recommendation for policy makers.

Measuring Entrepreneurial Orientation of University Employees in Developing Countries Using the ENTRE-U Scale

This research examines the difference in the level of entrepreneurial orientation among university employees within the European Union compared to university employees in non-EU countries. The EU Member States included in the research are the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Croatia, and the non-EU countries include the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Montenegro, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Northern Macedonia. In the sample of 1474 respondents, the ENTRE-U scale was used to measure the entrepreneurial orientation of universities, and multivariate analysis of MANOVA variance was used for data processing. The ENTRE-U scale has proven applicable not only to developed countries but also developing countries. Moreover, it proved that being a member of the European Union in this part of Eastern Europe does not significantly affect the entrepreneurial orientation of universities.