Advancing the stakeholder concept for Entrepreneurship Education : a thematic study of delivery and support within Scotland's higher education institutions

• Main Author: Crammond, Robert James
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of the West of Scotland 2018

The changing nature of education from traditional to progressive ideologies, as expressed by past philosophes and endorsed by current academics, has allowed colleges and universities to embrace Entrepreneurship Education (EE). Governmental statistics report over 11,000 new enterprises were registered from 2016 to 2017 in Scotland, encouraging Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to further harness creative thinking and innovative behaviour, influencing flourishing entrepreneurial activity and start-ups. The emerging ‘Entrepreneurial University’ itself appears in many guises, as per subject, activity or research ambition. This proliferation of Entrepreneurship Education Programmes (EEPs) and Entrepreneurial Activity (EAct) affects the institutional structures of HEIs, and the responsibilities and modes of engagement from related stakeholders, towards improved levels of Entrepreneurship Education Delivery (EED) and Entrepreneurship Education Support (EES). With related impact and legacy studies of EE consistently conducted; investigations that question the identity of internal stakeholders, their activities, and understanding their perspectives are appearing but not extensively witnessed. This thesis addresses this growth of EE within Scotland, and EE-related stakeholder research gap, through a pragmatic study of EED and EES that adopts, applies, and advances stakeholder theory. A sequential-explanatory, mixed method strategy employing a survey and interview process of 250 and 20 participants respectively indicated an emerging EE philosophy, generating a growing enterprise agenda across HEIs in Scotland. However, a fragmented entrepreneurial experience amongst academics and students is dependent on forms of EEP available. This in itself contributes to distinctly dissimilar course structures, forms of assessments, and resultant entrepreneurial learning experiences. Optimistically, students are reacting to and endorsing practical elements of EE. Although differences are evident, productive steps are considered for a unified approach to EE within Scotland’s HEIs. This thesis acknowledges the current, dynamic and purposive roles, interactions and perspectives of EED and EES stakeholders within Scotland’s HEIs. As witnessed from the empirical investigation, this includes the witnessed patterns of EED and EES behaviour through appropriate institutional screening, realising of resources, and engaging with stakeholder needs. This thesis’ offering, categorised across the novel Conception, Action, and Reaction phases, include a prescriptive model of EE stakeholder salience, which embraces ideological, developmental, and practical considerations of EE: defining and detailing ‘archetypal’ roles, such as the philosopher, educator, policy maker, and institutional champion. Theoretically, principles of EE for stakeholder guidance are uniquely stipulated, along with a reasoned, strategic process enacting phased EE implementation that converges EED and EES groups. These varying perspectives of EE are subsequently crystallised in an illustration of the contemporary EE journey, ‘Entrepreneurial Activity for Stakeholder Engagement’ or ‘EASE’ model, resulting in outlined pathways of behaviour for the Enterprise Champion (EntChamp), irrespective of EED or EES role. Ultimately, this thesis theorises these conceptual constructions with a new, stakeholder definition for EE towards an evolving Stakeholder Concept for Entrepreneurship Education (SHCEE). This thesis benefits crucial HE-internal, and externally-supporting stakeholders of EE within Scotland and beyond, including students, HEIs, entrepreneurs, policy makers, industry leaders, and national and international governments.