- Title
- A university-based entrepreneurial ecosystem framework in a developing country context
- Creator
- Nkotha, Atlehang
- Subject
- Entrepreneurship
- Subject
- Student-owned business enterprises -- Management
- Subject
- New business enterprises -- Management
- Date Issued
- 2024-04
- Date
- 2024-04
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/65331
- Identifier
- vital:74092
- Description
- As finding employment in South Africa remains difficult, venture creation is a necessary alternative source of income and employment. The literature suggests that a university should serve as an incubator for student entrepreneurs and provide a supportive environment for their entrepreneurial ventures. Universities are also important to the development of entrepreneurial thinking among faculty, students, and other stakeholders. Furthermore, a university-based entrepreneurial ecosystem (U-BEE) is perceived as a source of support for successful student start-up ventures. The literature suggests that the elements of U-BEEs and the interaction between them vary depending on regional and local conditions. Furthermore, the key components of a U-BEE are not appropriate for all regions or contexts. As U-BEEs are dynamic and student start-ups vary, the need exists to understand the interacting elements of the system before it can be built, or the strategies implemented. Against this background, the primary objective of this study was to map and assess a student U-BEE in a developing country context. The current study was situated in an interpretive research paradigm and deductive reasoning was applied. As a single case study research strategy was used and based on convenience sampling, Nelson Mandela University (NMU) was selected as the case to be investigated. Data was collected through a document review, surveying 33 respondents as well as conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 entrepreneurship stakeholders at one point in time. Deductive codes and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. Through identifying and delineating the elements of NMU’s student U-BEE, it was noted that the elements in the system varied in degree of importance and prevalence. The elements investigated were people, infrastructure, funding, leadership and governance, entrepreneurship activities, reward system, collaboration, monitoring and evaluation, as well as organizational culture and outcomes. Several people were identified as supporting student entrepreneurship at NMU ranging from top management, and academics to support staff. Although a science and technology park did not exist at NMU, the findings showed that physical infrastructure and IT facilities existed to support student entrepreneurship. Despite some funding being provided for student entrepreneurship support (SES) development, none was provided for entrepreneurial infrastructure. Some top management personnel were identified as providing leadership for SES at NMU including the Vice-Chancellor who was committed to contributing to the ecosystem. In addition, various co-curricular SES activities were identified as taking place at NMU with most being offered free to registered students. However, NMU did not provide any incentives to encourage staff or students to provide SES at NMU and no formal system for rewards existed. Several internal and external collaborations to provide SES activities effectively at NMU were identified, with most occurring through the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education Community of Practice Network. SES activities were not monitored at NMU, but some student entrepreneurship data was handled by the Department of Institutional Planning. As a result, NMU was not perceived as having an entrepreneurially supportive culture, and the use of metrics to establish measurable outcomes were limited. In addition to identifying the challenges faced when building a student U-BEE ecosystem in a developing country context, the study elaborated on several suggestions on how these challenges could be overcome and what improvements could be made in terms of SES at NMU. The challenges identified related to NMU being under-resourced in terms of funds, staff, and infrastructure to support student entrepreneurship. In general, the findings of this study highlighted the need for student entrepreneurship to be a strategic priority at NMU. The increased involvement of top management, entrepreneurship staff, students, and other stakeholders needs to be encouraged and incentivized. In addition, faculties across the university should encourage student entrepreneurship involvement and encourage students to participate in programmes offered on campuses. The importance of appropriately skilled staff to handle all matters relating to student entrepreneurship was also emphasized. This study has theoretical significance because it identifies, maps, and assesses the elements of a student U-BEE in a developing country context. As such, it paves the way for future researchers to investigate other universities in these contexts, and to undertake further empirical studies. This study also has practical significance in that it makes several recommendations that might be of value to stakeholders within U-BEEs in developing country contexts.
- Description
- Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, School of Management Sciences, 2024
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (xiv, 332 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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Collections
NMU School of Management Sciences
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Nkotha, A April 2024.pdf | 10 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |