http://dx.doi.org/10.14261/postit/5F1BA34B-4057-418E-96A87AD8B9F13A54In 2015 and 2016, Saxion University of Applied Sciences organized the 2nd and 3rd edition of the Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference (RIEC).Throughout Europe universities are opening up more and more to society, as part of the ideas of a "third mission of universities" suggested by Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff in their triple helix model. Part of this is the increasing attention for university – business relations and the emergence of more and more practical student business projects. Whereas the effects of such projects on the learning results of students are well researched, the effects of such projects on the companies appears to be under researched and fuzzy. This article is a case study about measuring the results of a yearly recurring international university – business student cooperation project. The project consists of students working together in international teams to solve a business problem for a company. This article provides a methodology and an attempt to measure the impact of such projects on companies
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This paper presents the results of a business – university collaborative research project on defining lower management competencies in the year 2025. The purpose of the research was to help a large local airport to define and understand what competencies lower management will need in order to function effectively in the renewed organization portrayed in an internal strategic document called “Chief Plan 2025”. At the same time the research was needed as input for developing new business curricula. Field research was done by a team of five researchers using focus groups and interviews with 43 employees from 15 different business units. Three general types of critical competencies emerged from the data; professional, interpersonal and personal. Management implications are that the airport will need to adapt its HRM policies. New business curricula will need to help graduates to work in roles, rather than functions. Limitations are linked to the generalizability of the results and the fact that the research was organization-centric, meaning broad societal changes that might affect individuals’ attitudes and in turn their attitude towards work were not considered.
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