Behaviours and entrepreneurial intention: Empirical findings about secondary students

This paper aims to identify some factors that may be explaining differences among secondary students in start-up intentions. For that, the study develops an entrepreneurial intention model sustained by the use of Azjen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (TBP). Using a sample of students aged between 14 and 15 years old, a questionnaire based on the Li?án and Chen’s Entrepreneurial Intention Questionnaire was administrated. The purpose is to test a model of entrepreneurial intention using structural equations. The findings point that TPB is an appropriate tool to model the development of entrepreneurial intention through pedagogical processes and learning contexts. The education and training should centre itself much more in changing personal attitudes than in knowledge. Moreover, it is desirable that an entrepreneurship educational programme could contribute to the development of competences related to entrepreneurship, social and civic skills, and cultural awareness.     

Learning needs of growth-oriented entrepreneurs

As firms increase in size and complexities, the entrepreneurs managing them face a number of unique problems. Often the entrepreneurs lack the experience to address these challenges. Further, finding the best method to acquire the needed information has proven elusive for both entrepreneurs and educators.The existing entrepreneurship education literature related to teaching and/or learning skills to grow a business does not significantly address the problems brought on by growth. Most studies have examined students in an academic environment, away from realworld problems, in a relatively structured setting of a specific duration and with similar levels of competency and knowledge. Practicing entrepreneurs do not fit this educational mold.The results of this study show that entrepreneurs prefer learning experiences that are short, to the point, content oriented, and taught by practicing professionals. This study also identifies the priority learning needs and preferred delivery methods of fast growth entrepreneurs. These findings could be used to develop a series of courses or modules that could enhance the management efficiency and effectiveness of fast growth entrepreneurs.This study contributes to the general knowledge of entrepreneurship education in the following areas:

• 1.1. It identifies the learning needs and preferred instructional methods of practicing, fast growth entrepreneurs.
• 2.2. It provides market information on course offerings for executive education programs.
• 3.3. It provides a model of curriculum content for universities that wish to bring their courses more in line with the needs of practicing entrepreneurs.
• 4.4. It provides a teaching approach that can help bridge the gap between academe and the business world by focusing on learning needs common to both students and entrepreneurs.

     

创业教育与应用型本科专业教育结合的研究

开展创业教育作为高等教育改革的必然措施和突破的新方向。创业教育最终只有与专业教育结合才具有可持续的发展能力。应用型本科高校应该结合自身特色采用核心专业课程逐步渗入创业教育的内容,在专业课程学习之中学习创业教育理论与实践知识将是有效路径。     

高职会计专业职业技能内涵、培养思路与实践探究

高职会计专业三项职业技能的培养是一项复杂的系统工程,从提高职教质量路径及高职教育的实际来看,会计专业职业技能的培养应从以下方面开展工作:即推动尝试教产合作、校企一体化办学模式,促进优势互补;推行工学结合、校企合作的人才培养模式、加强实践教学,切实提高"实训"、"实习"的教学效果;改革课程体系、教学内容和教育教学模式提升学生的职业技能;改进职业教育技能评价考核方法,激发学生的学习热情;打造一支稳定优质的专兼职相结合的师资队伍;准确全面理解高职会计专业职业技能内涵内容,各方协同作战全方位地做好工作。     

Learning and skills formation in the new economy: evidence from Greece

In today’s knowledge–driven economy, education and training are considered major factors affecting a society’s level of economic attainment and growth. Lack of information–related knowledge and skills, in particular, are among the prime factors likely to delay a country’s progress towards the information society. Experience, however, has shown that an educated labour force does not automatically translate into dynamic economic development and technological innovation. The human resource potential is not a simple outcome of the education system but it is a much more complex process that involves tacit knowledge, learning by doing and on–the–job training. This means that skills and knowledge acquired depend not only on the educational system but on firm organisation and culture as well as ties between organisations. The present study examines the relationship between skill supply, firm organisation and learning by means of interviews in 23 firms in Greece. It shows that a major problem faced by SMEs in peripheral European countries is the lack of in–house capabilities and knowledge which limits the amount and type of learning that takes place. Finally, the article argues that policy–makers should institute educational policies and training programmes that will compensate for the inability of Greek firms to provide a learning environment.     

Collaborative Learning Instrument in Teaching Entrepreneurship Issues

Abstract

Due to the shortcomings associated with the largely passive learning experience currently experienced by students at the University level in Central and Eastern Europe, active learning approaches have been promoted by educationalists as a more effective method for teaching business and entrepreneurship. This paper contributes to this literature by outlining a collaborative learning instrument involving active learning that can be used to teach entrepreneurship at university level in Central and Eastern Europe. This instrument illustrates the role of entrepreneurship and proprietorship in both a well-established market economy and in the post-communist economies of Central and Eastern Europe. Students outcomes should include the following: firstly, the recognition that the emerging small business sectors of the post-communist economies have much potential as a vehicle for economic growth and for developing capitalist forms of economic production; secondly, an understanding that entrepreneurial behavior is an essential element in the development of the small business sector; thirdly, an ability to identify traits common to successful entrepreneurs; and fourthly, they will develop and practice a variety of entrepreneurial skills themselves that may make them aware of their potential as entrepreneurs.     

推动“双创”综合改革,提升人才培养质量

本文就新形势下高校如何开展“双创”教育,完善创新创业教育的相关法规、机制和教育体系,与综合教育改革相结合等问题进行了探讨,提出现阶段我国高等院校教育教学改革和人才培养应积极搭上“双创”教育这趟改革发展的“快车”,形成高等院校创新创业教育长效机制和模式,对促进高等院校内涵发展和学生综合素质的全面提升具有重要的理论和实践意义。     

The Global Awareness Curriculum in International Business Programs: A Critical Perspective

Designing educational sequences that enhance the cognitive, behavioral, and critical skills of a diverse learning community seeking global competencies, requires mindfulness of different international educational models, a tailored curriculum designed to build different types of awareness learning, and clarity in targeted outputs keeping in mind a range of potential occupations and life situations in which such skills will be used. This article outlines conceptual frameworks for global awareness sequences in international management programs, building on existing cross-cultural research, training literature, and comparative analysis of different higher education models. It updates global competence learning frameworks to include recent advances in cultural intelligence, critical reflexivity, and post-colonial perspectives on management education. It calls attention to changing student demographics as a catalyst for moderate curriculum reform, especially a rehabilitation of core global awareness knowledge components eclipsed by cross-cultural courses and humanities requirements. A curriculum for business students with a sequential and/or simultaneous implementation of three pedagogical dispositions (knowledge, behavior, and critical acculturation) is discussed.     

体验式创业教育对大学生就业的思考

创业教育是我国高等教育发展史上一种崭新的教育理念,是培养高校学生创新精神和创造能力的重要举措,是高校教育改革发展的必然要求。体验式创业教育也是一种新的人才培养方式,是推进大学生就业、素质教育和高校教育教学改革的一种新思路。     

Variations in University entrepreneurship education: An empirical study of an evolving field

University entrepreneurship education is in the embryonic stage, still a new venture in itself. Recent years have shown unabated growth in the number of universities offering entrepreneurship courses, but the subject is still considered suspect by many faculty and administrators.Effectively meeting university resistance to entrepreneurship course-work first requires an appreciation of the perceptions and misperceptions of the faculty and administration. Once the viewpoints are understood, counteractive communication strategies can be developed. Perceptions may include the following: (a) “small business” (vs. entrepreneurship) is a low-status realm associated with poor-quality research, and small is by connotation less worthwhile than large; (b) sophisticated management practices reside in larger firms and these practices coincide well with the functional organization in business colleges; and (c) entrepreneurship is a fad. More important, however, is the perception that “non-industry, non-stage-of-the-business-life-cycle, non-size truths apply to all,” and that entrepreneurship is therefore too specialized an area for scholarly endeavor. Yet a hard sciences scholar recently pondered, “How could the business discipline ever hope to develop comprehensive theories of business behavior without the equivalent in biology of developmental biology? How do organisms grow and mature into Fortune 500 firms?”With this backdrop an in-depth survey of expert opinion is presented, based on the beliefs and experiences of 15 highly regarded university entrepreneurship educators. These peer-identified respondents reacted to a wide variety of factors that were hypothesized to affect the outcomes of entrepreneurship education efforts. They included (a) educational objectives, (b) administrative and program development issues, and (c) course attributes.Although there were a variety of educational objectives cited by the respondents, most important was to “increase awareness and understanding of the process involving in initiating and managing a new business enterprise.” Other important objectives included attention to entrepreneurship as a career option, contributing to understanding functional business interrelationships, and attention to the characteristics of the entrepreneur. Other objectives concerned building students' selfconfidence, opportunity sensitivity, and analytical skills. Attention to the role of new and smaller firms in the economy was not rated as important.Organizationally, it was viewed as critical to have the support of the college administration. It was not universally agreed that an entrepreneurship major is desirable, with a bimodal response distribution. For universities with multiple courses, there appear to be three conceptual bases, sometimes interspersed, including the business functions, the business plan, and the business life cycle. It was agreed that entrepreneurship coursework should be more experientally oriented than other business school coursework, that the involvement of adjunct faculty should not be minimized, and that faculty research is important to an entrepreneurship education program. There was lukewarm support for business outreach programs and disagreement over the desirability of a student entrepreneurship club.Entrepreneurship course features considered most important were development of a business plan project and entrepreneurs as speakers and role models. Cases ranked next in importance followed by lectures and assigned readings.The future will bring experimentation with various program and course attributes, more research on pedagogy with the measurement of learning outcomes, the increased entree of entrepreneurship Ph.D.'s, and the maturation of this early-stage venture into entrepreneurship education.     

The Learning Process in Technology Entrepreneurship Education—Insights from an Engineering Degree

We propose a model for the learning process in technology entrepreneurship based on the findings from an in‐depth case study of an engineering degree that emphasizes technology entrepreneurship. Taking learning paradigms from entrepreneurship education into account, we specify the links between pedagogical approaches, activities, and learning contexts and specific technology entrepreneurship learning outcomes. For example, we examine how the use of existential learning with self‐directed activities in real‐world contexts contributes to achieving high‐level entrepreneurial competencies such as the ability to critically self‐reflect on the choices made by the technology‐based venture. As such, we contribute to the definition of teaching models for technology entrepreneurship education.     

构建多语言环境的计算机基础课程自主学习平台

为开展计算机基础课程的双语教学和提学生自主学习能力。作者结合教学实践，提出构建智能化网络学习平台，并对平台的设计思想、教育理念和技术难点进行了论述，供人们进一步开展网络教学研究作参考。     

Who Is the Student Entrepreneur? Understanding the Emergent Adult through the Pedagogy and Andragogy Interplay

Although entrepreneurship education is promoted through an active learning approach, critical concerns regarding how to educate potential entrepreneurs has increased. To remedy this, we pose the question: “Who is the student entrepreneur?” Building on conceptual work from developmental psychology, expertise research, pedagogy, and andragogy, we problematize based on the key characteristics of the emerging adult; a construct originating from developmental psychology. We illustrate an educational process moving from a pedagogical phase into an andragogical phase where the learner becomes in control of the learning process. As a result, we propose a continuum model of entrepreneurship education for emerging adults.     

物流高职教育校企合作的困惑及对策探讨

强调了物流高职学生的实践技能训练需更加重视企业的顶岗实训,分析了目前我国物流高职教育校企合作的困惑及原因,提出了推进校企合作,培养物流高职人才的对策。     

基于创新创业能力培养的投资项目评估课程教学体系研究

在实施创新驱动发展战略的背景下,我国对创新创业人才的需求空前迫切。投资项目评估课程作为一门理论性与实践性并重的经济与管理专业课程,在创新创业教育教学实践中存在专业教育与创新创业教育缺乏融合、教师创新创业教育教学能力欠缺、学校缺乏创新创业实践平台供学生实践等问题。基于投资项目评估课程在教育教学实践中所存在的问题,研究该课程与创新创业教育有机融合的教学模式,为提高该课程的应用性,激发学生学习的积极与创造性,满足投资项目评估行业的创新创业人才需求,促进经济高质量发展提供参考意见。     

Using Mind Maps to Distinguish Cultural Norms between French and United States Entrepreneurship Students

The globalization of entrepreneurship education requires instructors to understand, and adjust the curriculum for, cultural disparities. This study investigates the impact of cultural norms on the attitudes of university entrepreneurship students in France and the United States—regions with contrasting Hofstede and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor indices. It uses mind maps from students as culturally agnostic open‐ended measures of their attitudes. Two mind maps were collected from each student, one on the appeal of entrepreneurship and one on the apprehension toward entrepreneurship, for a total of 1,213 concepts that were then scored using the Moore–Bygrave staged model of entrepreneurship to measure student likes and dislikes toward innovation, the decision to launch a start‐up, new venture implementation, and venture growth. The Shannon entropy of a mind map was used as a measure of student fixation; lower entropy indicates the student is motivated or deterred by a subset of the curriculum, whereas higher entropy indicates that attitudinal components are more balanced across the curriculum. Participating students were enrolled in similar entrepreneurship courses, and exhibited attitudes with similar entropy. However, French students found the growth stage to be the most appealing and were most apprehensive about innovation, whereas U.S. students found innovation to be the most appealing stage and were most apprehensive about the growth stage, thus revealing different contextual drivers of learning and engagement with the educational materials. This research contributes to the advancement of entrepreneurship education in two ways. First, by using mind maps and differential model‐based semantic scoring, it distinguishes between motivation and deterrence, and accounts for both cognitive and affective components of attitudes toward entrepreneurship. Second, it presents a formative assessment technique with which educators can measure students' cultural disposition to the different topics of an entrepreneurship course, and can then tailor the syllabus to this disposition. This technique can potentially improve the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in multicultural settings, such as those involving educators, students, or course material from different regions and cultures.     

The pedagogical side of entrepreneurship theory

This is the second article in a set of two in this issue that deals with challenges in entrepreneurship education related to theory building and pedagogy. The first article argued that educators must increase the theoretical content in their courses if they hope to develop in students the cognitive skills to make better entrepreneurial decisions. This second article discusses a strategy for teaching entrepreneurship theory.The difficulty with teaching theory to entrepreneurship students is that they are likely to complain that “theory is boring! Lectures are boring! School is boring!” All three of these—theory, lecture, and school can also be irrelevant. We as teachers can also be boring and irrelevant! Students may not understand that learning theory can be highly interesting. Unfortunately, the process used to teach theory could be boring.We become boring as teachers when our classroom style becomes predictable because students are never surprised. We become irrelevant as teachers when we fail to apply theory as a tool to answer student questions. Good theory can always pass the test of applicability. If we fail to teach our students how to apply it in surprising ways, it is we who are at fault, not the theory.An effective strategy for teaching theory to students must be approved by them and monitored by teachers to be effective. If our purpose is to assist students to become skilled in theory-based competencies, the most effective method is to establish a student-approved system for class meetings that requires students to practice specific skills. Obtaining student approval is important because almost any system will work better if students feel good about it. In other words, students acquire competencies through their practice with theory-based activities.A theory-based activity approach is based on the assumption that to the extent that a teacher is the initiator of knowledge transfer, students tend to practice less and acquire fewer competencies. This occurs because it is the teacher who is the most engaged, not the students, which is the reverse of what is optimal.One way to evaluate our involvement in the classroom is to ask ourselves if our goal is to have students leaving class talking about how great we are as a teacher, rather than about how wonderful it would be to be an entrepreneur. If our students leave talking about being entrepreneurs instead of about us, we have probably figured out how to involve them in activities that help them to develop personal competencies.The teacher's primary role is to achieve student approval of the learning contract and to identify the theory-based competencies to be mastered. The question for educators faced with ensuring student mastery is not, “What an I going to teach today?” but “What am I going to have my students do today?” The teacher's task can be made easier by delegating part of the responsibility for the second question to students. Delegation of learning activities to students can introduce more variety and surprises into the classroom, each of which can aleviate boredom. It also provides teachers an opportunity to work more closely with students as they attempt to understand theory in anticipation of their classroom assignment to lead the learning activity.The remainder of this article discusses how to implement a theory-based activity approach, obstacles to its success and advantages of its use. The greatest advantage of its use is that students will be learning theory that can improve their odds of being successful as entrepreneurs. Of course their success depends upon us as scholars having gone before them and discovered the rules (theory) according to which events occur (c.f., Whitehead, 1917).     

非智力因素在高职数学教学中的作用与发展

一个人的成功离不开良好的智力和非智力因素。在传统教育中,比较重视学生智力的培养,对非智力因素的培养比较欠缺。在教育理论和教育方法的研究中,也有弱化非智力因素教育、培养的倾向。非智力能力在学生的学习和职业生涯中起着重要的作用,加强学生非智力能力的培养,可以使学生在学习和职业生涯中拥有充实、乐观、积极向上、健康的心理。加强对高职学生的非智力因素教育和培养的措施主要包括:提高学生的学习兴趣和思维能力,培养学生学习数学的自信心,培养学生顽强的意志力等。     

Entrepreneurship's requisite areas of development: A survey of top executives in successful entrepreneurial firms

Precisely what does one “need to know” in order to become a successful entrepreneur? When should we first begin teaching this knowledge? How should this knowledge be conveyed? These questions and others were answered by 100 leading entrepreneurs and chief executive officers in America's fastest-growing entrepreneurial firms. Questions such as those listed above are rapidly taking on increased importance not only for enhancing U.S. national competitiveness, but also around the world. For instance, eastern block countries wish to understand these questions as they attempt to establish free market economies and foster the entrepreneurial spirit, while developing countries need answers as they turn more toward entrepreneurship as a viable vehicle for promoting economic development and improved living standards for their citizens.This research develops a theoretical framework suggesting four primary areas in which successful entrepreneurs must be developed. Specifically, these areas are content, skills and behavior, mentality, and personality. The first three areas, content, skills and behavior, and mentality are referred to as areas of creative knowledge. This is because new knowledge is brought into existence during the creation and subsequent management of growing business entities.The study analyzes the responses of 100 chief executives from Inc. magazine's list of the nation's most successful publicly held entrepreneurial firms for the years 1979–1989. A list of requisite areas of knowledge in terms of content, skills, and mentality is developed. Personality characteristics necessary for entrepreneurial achievement are also delineated. Examples of essential domains of knowledge include finance/cash management, engineering, accounting, etc. in the area of content. Leadership, communication, and human relations are some of the skills and behaviors deemed essential. Creativity, opportunistic thinking, vision, and positive thinking are examples of required mentality attributes. Self-motivation, propensity for risk-taking, and deep-seated ethical values are required in terms of personality characteristics.After determining the areas of knowledge required for successful entrepreneurship, the study goes further to determine (1) if the executives believe the knowledge can in fact be taught, (2) the priority level of importance of the knowledge, and (3) suggested methods for conveying or teaching such knowledge.The results of the study represent a first attempt in the U.S. for systematically determining, from successful entrepreneurs, the knowledge believed important for engendering successful entrepreneurship. The results will help the designers of entrepreneurship education curricula in deciding which areas might be included in such curricula and which should receive greater emphasis. Finally, while the results could very well be different in other cultures and countries, they could represent a starting point for further analysis in other parts of the world as governments, academicians, and business communities attempt to foster the entrepreneurial spirit as a means of economic development and improvement of local standards of living.     

竞赛效应驱动下的物流人才创新创业能力培养研究

传统教学模式培养的物流人才滞后于社会需求．物流服务模式的创新要求加强物流人才创新创业能力培养。笔者基于物流创新创业人才需求的多雏度分析,以全国大学生物流设计大赛为例,论证了竞赛活动聚焦效应、创新创业效应及扩散、发酵效应对创新创业能力培养的驱动,建议从完善协同培养机制、创新人才培养模式、加强双师型队伍建设等途径来加强物流人才创新创业能力培养。