Title: How entrepreneurial universities walk the talk or win the prizes: an online content and factor analysis

Authors: Michael Fowle; Cecile Vassaux

Addresses: Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK ' Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK

Abstract: The concept of the entrepreneurial university is open to interpretation. We take the most successful representatives of two distinct types of entrepreneurial university and compare them, their impact and the language they use to describe themselves online. We use content analysis to examine the balance of business language, entrepreneurial language and vocabulary that is specific to entrepreneurial orientation. The findings show that the universities that win entrepreneurship awards, and those that create entrepreneurial ventures, are entirely separate groups. They behave differently, they are organised differently and their use of entrepreneurial language reflects their chosen structures. Additionally, the criteria used by the awards effectively exclude the most productive venture-creating universities. The findings illustrate the gap between theoretical measures of entrepreneurship and practical impact. The study is important for theorists, universities, awarding bodies and policy-makers.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial university; entrepreneurial orientation; content analysis; venture creation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIRD.2018.097482

International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development, 2018 Vol.8 No.4, pp.286 - 305

Received: 14 Apr 2018
Accepted: 25 Oct 2018
Published online: 23 Jan 2019 *

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