Entrepreneurial Opportunity And Collaborative Research Efforts As Panaceas For Improving Academic Entrepreneurship Among Ekiti State University Staff

Ayodeji M Awolaja

doi:10.14738/abr.83.7579

Abstract

The study assessed the impact of entrepreneurial opportunity and collaborative research efforts on academic entrepreneurship among Ekiti State University Staff. The study made use of prior entrepreneurial opportunity and collaborative research efforts as independent variables. The period of study was between 2017–2018. Descriptive survey research design was adopted and the research sample size of 100 was drawn from the total population of academic staff in all faculties in Ekiti State University through the adoption of Taro Yamane (1967) model. Convenience and purposive sampling techniques were adopted to select the sample that shares the same characteristics in order to ensure that every member of staff of all faculties was represented. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that entrepreneurial opportunity exerts positive impact on academic entrepreneurship among Ekiti state university staff and also, that collaborative research efforts exert positive impact on academic entrepreneurship among Ekiti state university staff.

Highlights

Entrepreneurship is considered to be a core competence for growth, employment and personal fulfillment (Yildirim&Askun, 2012)
The population comprised of 14,664, being the entire academic staff in Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria.The researcher made use of convenience and purposive sampling techniques to arrive at 15 respondents from each faculty; these respondents were chosen because they were the easiest to obtain for the study
The result showed that academic entrepreneurship among Ekiti state university staff has increased over the years alongside increase in entrepreneurial opportunities and collaborative research efforts

Summary

Introduction

Entrepreneurship is considered to be a core competence for growth, employment and personal fulfillment (Yildirim&Askun, 2012). Higher education institutions play a fundamental role in establishingand developing an entrepreneurship-oriented economy as these institutions represent a main source of new knowledgeand hold a constantly regenerating stock of students and scientists (Lautenschlager&Haase, 2011). Roles ofuniversities in economic growth through contributing to creation of entrepreneurship climate in a country haveevolved in time and grew beyond being just educators and disseminating the existing knowledge. Generate new ideas, to contribute to innovation by creating knowledge and developing technology as anoutput of their research activities. Academic entrepreneurship has started to be considered a third mission in which university institutions engage, in addition to the traditional mandates of teaching and research. To encourage entrepreneurship among academics and students, universities are developing entrepreneurship polices and implementing these initiatives to embed entrepreneurial thinking and practices within teaching, research and administration. To encourage entrepreneurship among academics and students, universities are developing entrepreneurship polices and implementing these initiatives to embed entrepreneurial thinking and practices within teaching, research and administration. (Nyeko, & Sing, 2015)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion