University - enterprise partnership in training entrepreneurship

• Author: Luca, M. R. - David, L. T.
• Position: Department of Psychology, Transilvania University of Brasov
• Pages: 61-70

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov • Vol. 4 (53) •No. 1 - 2011

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law

UNIVERSITY–ENTERPRISE

PARTNERSHIP IN TRAINING

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

M. R. LUCA1 L. T. DAVID1

Abstract: This paper presents a research concerning the way the main

stakeholders of the university education see the importance and the

achievement of the entrepreneurial competences achieved during the

practical placement. The participants were 182 academics, employers, and

students and graduates from 22 countries who were asked to rate the levels

of importance and of achievement for 14 entrepreneurial competences. The

scales used proved good metric qualities. The results show that the level of

achievement is perceived as significantly lower than the level of importance

and that the competences related to the independent entrepreneurship are

considered as less important and less achieved than the general

entrepreneurial competences.

Key words: higher education, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial

competences, entrepreneurial education, practical placement.

1 Department of Psychology, Transilvania University of Braşov.

1. Introduction

The importance of entrepreneurship in the

economy of a country is given by the

synergic impact of the individuals’

behaviours. These behaviours occur at the

company level as employee entrepreneurship

or as independent entrepreneurship when

starting a privately-owned business. The

effects of entrepreneurship at the company

level consist in innovation, strategic renewal,

creation of value and wealth [8].

At the level of individual behaviour,

theorists distinguish between

entrepreneurship and self-employment.

Entrepreneurship creates opportunities for

emerging businesses, new jobs, added value

and economic growth, while self

employment is rather a life-style, focused on

autonomy in sustaining a professional

activity.

There are several approaches in the field,

each from a different perspective: economic,

managerial, financial, psychological, and

educational. This is the reason why the

literature is quite eclectic. The main

directions of research in the field of

entrepreneurship are related to employee

entrepreneurship [4], academics

entrepreneurship [1], student–entrepreneur

collaboration [7], entrepreneurial traits [9],

and development of disciplinary scholarship

on entrepreneurship [10].

In the psychological literature there still

exists a debate on the nature of the

entrepreneurial personality: is the

entrepreneurial personality born [3], or made

[2]? The first point of view considers