Date of Award

9-2017

Document Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business (Research)

Department

Business Studies

First Advisor

Ms Breda O Dwyer

Second Advisor

Mrs Brigid Crowley

Abstract

This study is an examination of the methods and practices applied in the delivery of training in enterprise start-up initiatives. It aims to identify an enterprising approach to learning which can be applied to instill enterprise successfully in enterprise founders. The key questions intrinsic to this research are: to determine the efficacy of the strategies employed by the various stakeholders to infuse entrepreneurial learning throughout the entire programme; and to determine if entrepreneurial learning has a positive impact on the entrepreneurial mind-set and behaviour of participants of enterprise start-up initiatives.

The research proposes a conceptual framework, which identifies key theories and concepts that pertain to the research enquiry. It clarifies why particular areas of literature were chosen and how they influence the formation of the research methodology. An extensive and relevant literature review is presented, which guides the reader through existing knowledge on the research phenomenon including substantive findings from previous studies, as well as theoretical and methodological contributions in the fields of entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship education and training. International models of best practice were identified and examined to facilitate comparison of best practice with other initiatives. An empirical examination was conducted on the strategies employed by the various stakeholders involved in the delivery and management of training in an enterprise start-up initiative in the southwestern region of Ireland. The empirical research involved a mixed methods approach. A broad framework for the evaluation of entrepreneurship training programmes was identified in the literature and used concomitantly with a mixed methods entrepreneurial learning framework adapted from the literature by the researcher. Together, they facilitated the design of the online questionnaire and framed the question structure for the in-depth interviews. The research findings revealed that the enterprise start-up initiative embodies many of the best practices described in the literature and particularly, the strategies employed in the critiqued international models of best practice. The research concludes that the programme is people-led. Learning is transmitted by a multi-discipline stakeholder team. It incorporates several of the most effective pedagogies and strategies characterised in the literature. It concurs that entrepreneurial learning is posited on the fact that acquiring tacit knowledge requires substantial experience in activities while working with experts. The research proposes a model of best practice for the effective delivery of entrepreneurship education and contributions to the literature and practice are identified together with a number of recommendations for the future.

Access Level

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Coverage

August 2024

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