The transition from secondary education to the first year of higher education is a phase in which students are faced with many challenges. First-year students may lack the academic capital that is needed to understand explicit and implicit rules of higher education. We investigated students’ participation in a preacademic program and the development of their academic capital. In a mixed method study, we showed that first-year students who participated in a preacademic program perceived peer mentors and teachers to be relevant sources of information, learned how to overcome educational barriers, and became more acquainted with explicit and implicit college requirements.
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Purpose: This study aims to extend literature on academic entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial networking by examining how academics, in their role of entrepreneurial educators, network for the creation and execution of novel teaching practices in cooperation with external actors. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical investigation is based on qualitative inquiry, using a case study approach. Specifically, eight cases originating at three universities in Germany, The Netherlands and Mexico were examined. The cases which constituted innovative teaching practices were selected following a replication logic. Each involved extensive participation of societal actors in course development or delivery and aimed to stimulate students to work on real life challenges and disseminate novel knowledge back to the world of practice. All courses were either introduced or taught by educators who possessed different levels and types of academic and industrial or entrepreneurial experience. Findings: Based on eight cases the authors found that the networking behaviour of entrepreneurial educators is crucial for the generation of proximity with external actors and for the acquisition of key resources, such as an external actor to participate in teaching practice and for the generation of legitimacy for their innovations in teaching. The entrepreneurial and industrial experience of entrepreneurial educators emerges as an affordance to network with external actors, helping them to achieve a common understanding of the opportunity and to generate trust among them. Practical implications: This study equips managers of higher education institutions with critical insights into innovating the teaching mission of the university and developing closer and stronger relationships with external actors of the university. Originality/value: This study seeks to advance the literature on academic entrepreneurship by shifting the attention away from academic entrepreneurs as merely founders of spin-offs and collaborators with business on research and development towards entrepreneurial educators who see opportunities in establishing collaborations with external actors as part of their teaching activities. Further, it introduces the “social networking perspective” to this field. Vissa (2012) and Stam (2015) introduced this perspective as a logical extension to the study of the generation of social capital to reach entrepreneurial goals.
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In December of 2004 the Directorate General for Research and Technological Development (DG RTD) of the European Commission (EC) set up a High-Level Expert Group to propose a series of measures to stimulate the reporting of Intellectual Capital in research intensive Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The Expert Group has focused on enterprises that either perform Research and Development (R&D), or use the results of R&D to innovate and has also considered the implications for the specialist R&D units of larger enterprises, dedicated Research & Technology Organizations and Universities. In this report the Expert Group presents its findings, leading to six recommendations to stimulate the reporting of Intellectual Capital in SMEs by raising awareness, improving reporting competencies, promoting the use of IC Reporting and facilitating standardization.
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The overarching aim of the project is to contribute to the development of a sustainable, inclusive and just EU leisure, tourism and hospitality ecosystems, and will be achieved through three interrelated objectives:Create a body of knowledge and theoretical foundations, related to the application of land, capital and financial resources, to develop resilient and future-proof tourism destinations and tourism and travel businesses;Develop conceptual models that contribute towards collective models of resilience in tourism destinations and tourism and travel businesses and are based on equitable use of labour, land and natural resources and financial capital;Propose, through approved EU funding, interventions and applications towards new models of tourism destination management and corporate governance, that use sustainable parameters of success (regeneration of biodiversity and nature, improved human welfare of residents at destinations, social and environmental returns).The Project will lead to a series of research proposals that allows the consortium partners to address urgent societal challenges in Europe. During the project timeline, partners will disseminate findings and search for engagement by public and private actors. Ongoing collaboration and knowledge exchange with key industry actors will improve the resilience capacity of destinations through education, skill development, and co-creation of knowledge. Building resilience through tourism is not just an opportunity but a necessity in the face of global environmental and social challenges. The project will establish theoretical foundations for transitioning towards more resilient and environmentally and socially just ecosystems in the leisure, tourism, and hospitality sectors, aiming to shift the industry’s priorities from short-term gains to long-term sustainability. The project supports international collaboration by facilitating university staff mobility and involving students with diverse cultural, industry, and academic backgrounds and experiences. The successful application and completion of the project will strengthen the consortium's capacities and facilitate the ongoing international dialogue through the Resilient Tourism Ecosystems Lab (RTEL), consequently leading to future collaborative EU grant applications.
