“Entrepreneurship suffers from the myth that it only
deals with the creation of a new venture. However,
entrepreneurship is much broader than that as it is
not just about establishing a new business but
instead about a way of thinking and behaving”
Cooney & Murray (2008, p68)
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Between the
Dragon’s Den and
the Didactic
Sharing national
practices in
Entrepreneurship
Education from a
study of Irish HEIs
Maébh Coleman, Programme Manager
Accelerating Campus Entrepreneurship @ NUIG
Introduction

The ACE Initiative



Supply Side Perspectives




Policy & culture
What are other HEI’s doing in this space?
No really…. what are they up to?
Demand Side Perspectives



The story of Accelerating Campus Entrepreneurship
A little bit about Entrepreneurship
Students (undergraduate and postgraduate)
Industry
Blue Skies

Findings, frameworks and future thinking
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
The ACE Initiative

Interrogative pronoun challenge!

Who are we?


What are we going to achieve?


4 targeted actions: Pedagogy, multidisciplinary,
embeddedness and culture change
When is it happening?


ITS, ITB, CIT, NUI Galway and led by DkIT
Sept 2008 to Sept 2011 (terms and conditions apply)
Why is this important?
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Research (and methodology)
•Secondary research
•Reports, papers, books and journals
•Best practice cases and study visits
•NICENT
•University of Satakunta, Finland
•National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship
•Surveys
•Supply side surveys
•National survey of Irish HEIs
arning
e
L
d
ng an
ture
eachi es
T
d Cul
c
n
•
r
a
u
s
o
e
s
Re
olici
•
gy, P
e
t
a
r
t
hes
S
cture y Approac
u
•
r
t
s
a
r
Infr
lina
•
discip t
i
t
l
u
n
M
•
pmen
inatio lisation
evelo nd Co-ord
D
cia
•
mmer
na
o
g
i
C
s
e
d
n
D
•
tion a
nnova
I
•
•4 stakeholder groups
•Presidents, Business
School, non-Business
School and TTO/ILO
•Demand side surveys
•Undergraduates
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
•Postgraduates
•Enterprise
Entr*pren**r – Is it a dirty
word?
FICTION: To be an entrepreneur you
must be born that way.
Research suggests that entrepreneurs often
possess these traits:
•calculated risk taker
•creative
•innovative
•vision
•persistence
•inquisitiveness
•strong drive to achieve
•high energy level
•goal oriented
behavior
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
•self confident
•tolerance for failure
•commitment
•problem solving skills
•tolerance for ambiguity
•strong integrity
•highly reliable
•personal initiative
•strong management skills
•competitive
•change agent
Social Fusion – Harvard B School
Social Fusion works with local and global social
entrepreneurs that are growing exceptional hybrid
businesses, both nonprofit and for-profit, that
accomplish large-scale social impact through a strong
business model
Their vision is a sustainable future built
by empowered entrepreneurs
Their bottom line: having your head,
heart and wallet all headed in the same
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
direction
Supply Side (that’s us)
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Entrepreneurial Island: Policy
Context
GEM Report 2008
Bubble chart of nations sized
according to new business
density. Source: 2008 World
Bank Group Entrepreneurship
Survey.
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
•No change in new firm entrepreneurs
(7.6%) to the fore in terms of
international comparison of early
stage entrepreneurs
•Nascent entrepreneurs decreased
4.2% in 2007 to 3.3% in 2008
•Sharp decrease in perception that
there were good opportunities
(sharpest of all GEM countries) 46%
to 27% between 2007 and 2008
•Necessity entrepreneurs rose from
6% to 19% so 1 in 5 are motivated by
necessity
•Positive social and cultural norms,
sharp decline in perception of
entrepreneurship as a good career
choice
•Upward trend of women starting
businesses has now reversed 5.6%
to 4% while men increased 10.6% yo
11.26%
Breadth and Depth: A message
for the new economy?

EU, National and Organisational policies





Lisbon Strategy, Barcelona Agreement
NDP, Smart Economy, SFI, Government
Agencies
Focus is on commercialisation of research
outcomes at HEI level, not entrepreneurial
mindsets
Entrepreneurship education spans several
different government portfolios
Investment still not enough to unlock the
knowledge reservoir – 1/50th of the total
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Bertie on the Dragons Den

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE5o79AO
XAw
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
HEI Context: Top Goals
Presidents



Foster entrepreneurial behaviours, skills and
mindsets and to increase the number of student
start-ups
Seek opportunities to commercially exploit
knowledge at institution
Inspire students towards an entrepreneurial career
or life
gests
g
u
s
ch
to
sear
e
f EE
o
R
n
U
io
p
E
rovis ts is of to
p
t
a
n
th
stude
L
L
A
© Maébh
ity Coleman, 2009.
prior
Na
n
tu
ra
A
So l S rts
c
Bu cia l ien
sin Sc ce
es ien
s
St ce
ud
Te ies
Fo c h
od ni
In cal
d
Ag u s
ric try
He ult
u
Pu alth re
bl
ic C ar
Se e
rv
ice
Ed
uc
at
io
Percentage - %
Course provision of
Entrepreneurship Education
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Business Academic
HOS - Non-Business
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
UL
What are other HEI’s doing in
this space?
Business Schools
ood
y of g ns
e
v
r
u
tio
EU s
institu reneur
e
c
i
t
c
pra
trep
ied en case
f
i
t
n
e
id
,
sroom
in clas and project
s
studie
teams
Never
s
ni
e
pa
ny
om
pa
iC
om
ul
a
tio
ns
/M
in
C
on
e
Pr
a
ct
iti
Sometimes
Vi
si
t
st
rG
ue
es
ud
i
St
m
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Si
as
e
C
Le
ct
ur
in
of all
d
63.7% ents name
d
n
respo eir TTO;
th
either s plan
s
ew
e
busin tions and n
i
et
comp simulation
re
ventu
g
Rarely
Often
No really, what are they up to?
Type
Response
In-Curricular
•
•
•
•
•
Guest speakers and lecture
Academic modules or part modules
Project work with or without a multidisciplinary
focus
Industry placement
Business game or venture simulation
Extra-Curricular
•
•
•
•
•
Entrepreneurs society or forum
Commercialisation and mentoring
Enterprise week and business week
Sabbatical exchange for academics
Workshops and blue-sky days
Business Plan and
Competitions
• Enterprise Ireland competition
• Newstalk student competition
• Involvement of Irish Marketing Institute
• © Maébh
AIBColeman,
Innovation
Fund
2009.
• General exhibitions, local initiatives
Demand Side
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Maslow’s pyramid of human needs
Undergraduate Students



Lecturers are the least likely to
influence undergrads!!
 Motivations include: wealth
and success (55.9%) and
being own boss (53.9%)
 Helping community also high
78.1% are interested in starting a
business
72.4% found entrepreneurship
education to be an important
course element
My
Entrepreneurial
Instincts
Rating
Avera
ge
(N)
I continually come up
with new ideas
2.13
281
I prefer to follow others
lead
2.85
287
I want to be my own
boss
1.81
282
I prefer a steady income 1.79
stream
282
2.00
283
ts
uden
t
s
s
to
llow
I like to take risks
“..it a n’t want m
a
do
e
r
o
t
s
h
w
in
to ma a
n
i
o
e
g
o hav
t
s
b
jo
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
e”
c
i
o
h
c
Postgraduate Students


63% would prefer to use the
HEI infrastructure to
commercialise their idea
81.5% identified access to
finance opportunities would
play a significant role in the
success or failure of their
idea
n
cts ca
a
t
n
o
c
ness ake when
i
s
u
B
“
m
rd to dustry and
a
h
e
b
in
o an
t
w
an
e
n
from ckground
g
n
i
com ering ba
cepts
e
n
n
o
i
c
g
'
n
s
e
sines r”
u
b
'
e
th
milia
a
f
t
o
are n
HEI Support for
Networking
Avg
(N)
Formal Engagement
with EI
2.44
25
Potential Customers
2.08
24
Legal Advice
1.92
25
Other Researchers in
Your Field
2.5
26
Suppliers
2.28
25
Other
3
12
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Enterprise and Industry





50% of respondents thought that communication skills are the
most important skill required by entrepreneurial graduates
followed by innovative and creative thinking (45.8%) and problem
solving skills (34.8%).
Surprisingly team-work did not rank highly as a key skill (33%).
Other capacities are how to pitch the business and project
management skills.
45% of respondents felt that real life projects help to promote
entrepreneurship.
36% felt that student work placement would be an effective tool
in the pedagogy of entrepreneurship education whist 37% felt
that venture simulations would be of benefit
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Findings, frameworks and
future thinking
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
What problems to academics think
student entrepreneurs face?
Academic
Financial and
Economic
Personal
Technical

Elective rather than mandatory course offering


Matching learning outcomes to industry needs
Creating an awareness of risk management

Access to capital requires experience


Prohibitive legislation on bankruptcy
Current economic climate prevents investment in new programmes
and prohibits growth of new businesses

Self-development

Teamwork


Fear of failure / risk aversion
Age of students impacts their credibility

Perception of entrepreneurship as a viable career path

Opportunity recognition

Feasibility studies

Sustainability of technology ideas

Disjointed agency/policy environment
Lack of networks and industry contacts
Resources for academics who would like to provide entrepreneurship

Structural



education
No one-stop-shop for student entrepreneurs
© Maébh
Coleman,
2009.
Access
to support
and
services
Five elements for
Entrepreneurship Education
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
calculated risk taker
creative
innovative
vision
persistence
inquisitiveness
strong drive to achieve
high energy level
goal oriented behavior
self confident
tolerance for failure
commitment
problem solving skills
tolerance for ambiguity
strong integrity
highly reliable
personal initiative
strong management skills
What is the challenge?
1
2
Business Academic
Non-Business Head of
School
President
TTO/ILO
Depends on the efforts
of a single person
Depends on the efforts
of a single person
Depends on the efforts
of a single person
Limited expertise/
competence
Policy environment and
government
support
Policy environment
and government
support
Limited expertise/
competence
Lacks strategic
integration at an
institutional level
Depends on the efforts
of a single person
Limited time for
academics to
engage properly
Limited time for
academics to
engage properly
Limited time for
academics to
engage properly
Lacks strategic
integration at an
institutional level
No recognition for
excellence at
institution
3
No academic credibility
Lacks strategic
integration at an
© Maébh
Coleman, 2009.
institutional
level
No recognition for
excellence at
institution
Increasing student entrepreneurs
and entrepreneurial students
Policy Focus
HPSU and SME
growth in all
sectors
Policy Action
•
•
•
Targeted support
for campus startups
•
•
Implementation
Action
Implementation
Focus
coherent national
strategy to develop
indigenous
entrepreneurs
national strategy to
streamline
entrepreneurship
education from primary
to fourth level
entrepreneurship
education on the agenda
for strategic plans and
mission statements
entrepreneurship as an
essential programme
outcome
entrepreneurship
education is made
available to all
Hard Supports
•
•
•
•
•
•
Soft Supports
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Investment in curriculum
development
Defining and assessing new
pedagogy
Pilot schemes in place
Tangible rewards for
academia
Innovative funding
mechanisms for start-ups
Dedicated on-campus
enterprise facilities
Access to funding information
Practical mentoring
Pedagogy is integrated into
curriculum across disciplines
Networking and cultural
initiatives
Personal development
HEIs measure entrepreneurial
health
Cultural shift toward new
entrepreneurial mission
Impacts so far at NUI Galway







Research work, conference and journal papers
Innovation think tank
Open source online module
Embedding entrepreneurship in curriculum
Encouraging multidisciplinary approaches
Increased awareness
Launch of initiative and programmes at Farmleigh
House by An Tánaiste
© Maébh Coleman, 2009.
Thank you

This presentation draws from a conference paper
first delivered at the Irish Academy of Management
conference in Galway 2009.
For a copy of the conference paper ‘Shaping the
Next Generation of Entrepreneurs: Overcoming the
Challenges and Barriers’ please contact me.
Phone 091 493550

Email maebh.coleman@nuigalway.ie


© Maébh Coleman, 2009.