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The concept of competence, as it is brought into play in current research, is a potentially powerful construct for entrepreneurship education and training research and practice. Although the concept has been the subject of strong debate in educational research in general, critical analysis of how it has been used, applied and experienced in entrepreneurship education practice is scarce. This article contributes specifically to the discussion of entrepreneurial competence by theoretically unfolding and discussing the concept. Subsequently, the implications of applying a competence-based approach in entrepreneurship education are illustrated and discussed based on analysis of two cases that were aimed at identifying, diagnosing and eventually developing entrepreneurial competence in small businesses in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). The cases show that the added value of focussing on competence in entrepreneurship education and training lies in making the (potential) small business owner aware of the importance of certain entrepreneurial competencies and in providing direction for competence development. In this process it is fundamental that competence is treated as an item for discussion and interpretation, rather than as a fixed template of boxes to be ticked. Furthermore the cases highlight that a competence-based approach does not completely determine the type of educational and instructional strategies to be used. Its consequential power in that respect is limited.

Addressing the need to identify distinctive skills for social entrepreneurs, we conducted an exploratory, qualitative study based on interviews with social entrepreneurs. We identified seven skills, three out of which have not been previously mentioned by entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship scholars. These skills include an ability to induce behavioral change and educate target groups; co-creation with multiple stakeholders; and developing solutions that aim to address the root cause of a social problem. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for further research, as well as how the identified skills can be taught in experiential learning format.

This paper examines the usefulness of support services to manufacturing microenterprises as perceived by the microenterprise owners. In Kenya, there is an emphasis on financial support services at the expense of other services but evidence of their usefulness to the survival and maintenance of manufacturing microenterprises is scarce. Convenience sampling was used to select 172 manufacturing microenterprises that had received any kind of support. Data was collected through researcher-administered questionnaires and analysed using frequencies, percentages and chi-square tests. Results revealed that though financial support was utilised by almost two thirds of the enterprises, over three quarters of the owners did not perceive it as useful, mainly due to the little amount of money given as credit. Training was considered useful to microenterprises, especially in the areas of record keeping and marketing. Social networks, in terms of ROSCAs, friends and relatives, were the major sources of support for manufacturing microenterprises.

Entrepreneurship is reflected in mass media and pop culture by television shows like Shark Tank and The Profit. In fact, entrepreneurship was characterized as the hype of the 1990s (De Leeuw, 1999) and entrepreneurship education has since been described as booming (Fayolle, 2013). The increase in college degree programs in entrepreneurship has been documented by a range of researchers (Jones et al., 2012; Kuratko, 2005; Wakefield, 2012). Recently, such entrepreneurship programs have begun to extend across campuses and beyond the walls of business schools. Such cross campus programs are currently to be found in curricula in the arts, the sciences, and engineering, as well as in medical schools (Nambisan, 2015).

The aim of the present paper is to describe an interdepartmental entrepreneurship curriculum with extra-curricular activities developed at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, for graduate students in public health. Before describing this entrepreneurship curriculum, the changing healthcare landscape is briefly reviewed; the conceptual links between entrepreneurship and the social determinants model of health explored, and entrepreneurship education in the health professions discussed. Shepherd and Patzelt (2015) assert that entrepreneurship scholarship has pushed health topics largely to the periphery. This paper represents an attempt to bring entrepreneurial education among public health professionals closer to the core of healthcare.

Consumers’ new shopping patterns and emerging technologies have created various opportunities, as well as challenges for fashion entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship education plays a vital role in cultivating entrepreneurship and innovation, and can help to shape a person’s entrepreneurial disposition, skills, and competence (Kuratko, 2005), all of which are essential for realization of entrepreneurship in enterprises (Unger et al., 2011). Due to limited research on entrepreneurial intentions of fashion students, it is crucial to discover what factors are relatively more important for cultivating entrepreneurial intentions among fashion students. This study used in-depth interviews with open-ended questions from September 2016 to December 2016 to uncover valuable themes regarding this topic. Findings of this study indicate that both internal and external factors contribute to fashion students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The findings provide valuable insights for policy makers and fashion educators to promote entrepreneurship education and provide better support for fashion students to pursue entrepreneurial success.

This study explores the factors determining the entry and stay of entrepreneurs in the informal economy in a Least Developed Country (LDC): Tanzania. Qualitative data from a focus group with six experts, and individual interviews with two experts and 15 entrepreneurs from the informal economy, were analysed. The results show that (1) necessity motivations are important for the entry and stay of entrepreneurs, as well as (2) the unattractive factors of the formal economy (e.g. degree of excessive regulations regarding high taxes)/attractive factors of the informal economy (e.g. little procedures, low capital requirements) and (3) low levels of education possessed by entrepreneurs, emerged as essential. This study enriches the literature with personal narratives of entrepreneurial activities from the micro level. Therefore, many detailed factors are revealed of the lives of entrepreneurs and experts, dealing in one way or the other with the informal economy.

Entrepreneurs are a product of their social environment. The manner by which they perceive opportunities; access or process information; and make decisions is, influenced by both social interaction, and their social background. Using insights from Socially Situated Cognition (SSC) theory, that posits one’s social environment can have a normative or informative effect on decision-making process we consider proximal social factors influencing the decision-making processes of student entrepreneurs. We propose that entrepreneurial education, networking, and incubation spaces provide direct information to students to aid entrepreneurial decision-making, and indirect informational cues that are situational, synergistic and omnipresent. Noting the multi-faceted and dynamic nature of the entrepreneurial journey of the student, we explore the potential effect of each of these factors on the student decision-making process. We discuss the implications of this inquiry from a researcher and educator perspective, and note the current challenges faced by student entrepreneurs in a socially distanced educational and entrepreneurial context. It is envisaged that this paper will serve as the basis for further thought and empiricism.

Small business and entrepreneurship have been at the heart of Pakistan's economy for almost 60 years, yet little (if any) research has been conducted that identifies factors crucial for small business success in Pakistan. In the past, studies identifying factors crucial for small business success have focused primarily on the United States and Western Europe. This paper presents survey results from 265 small business owners located in and around Karachi, the largest city and hub of economic activity in Pakistan. The survey was designed to identify the internal and external factors that Pakistani small businesspersons believe are critical for success.

To capture the talents of the next generations in new venture creation and to maintain the levels of entrepreneurship in our society, a vibrant "pipeline" of potential entrepreneurs is required. Previous research has shown this pipeline may still be weak, especially for women entrepreneurs. This paper explores the relationships between gender, entrepreneurial education, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy on entrepreneurial intentions and behaviors using the data from different sample groups in three different stages of education and career development: middle and high school students, MBA students, and early career adults. The results of our analyses underscore the importance of entrepreneurial self-efficacy as a key component in understanding entrepreneurship interest and actual career choice. The positive influence of entrepreneurship education on self-efficacy proved stronger for women than for men. Implications for entrepreneurship educators as well as study limitations and areas for future research are discussed.

With the increasing number of social problems for which governments do not have solutions, especially in emerging economies, there have been ever louder calls for establishing social enterprises that will help address these problems. Social entrepreneurial intention increases when individuals have a high level of social entrepreneurial self-efficacy (SESE). The literature suggests that SESE is domain-specific and can be enhanced only through education and experience related to social entrepreneurship. Building upon the social cognitive theory, this study argues that SESE can be improved through general factors such as education level and entrepreneurial experience. Through an online survey involving 241 general individuals, this study finds support for the social cognitive theory, which states that educational level increases SESE and subsequently increases social entrepreneurial intention. This relationship is substantiated for individuals who have prior entrepreneurial experience but not for individuals with no entrepreneurial experience. The results of this study highlight the importance of education in promoting social entrepreneurial intention. In addition, the curricula at all educational levels should encourage students to gain entrepreneurial experience such as by developing business projects or initiating a business.

No abstract received.