Entrepreneurship Training Program Research Articles

To entrepreneur or not to entrepreneur? How identity discrepancies influence enthusiasm for academic entrepreneurship

Recognizing the commercial potential of university-based inventions and discoveries, legislators and administrators have called upon academic scientists to become academic entrepreneurs. Yet, few academic scientists appear enthusiastic about taking on entrepreneurial activities. The intrinsic reasons underlying the lack of enthusiasm are poorly understood. We extend the research by applying self-discrepancy theory to explore the role of future-oriented self and other guides on enthusiasm for academic entrepreneurship. Integrating self-discrepancy theory with social identity theory, we also examine the moderating effects of scientist identification and academic entrepreneur social identification. We test our model on a sample of National Science Foundation (NSF) funded academic scientists who participated in the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) entrepreneurship training program. We find academic scientists’ self-guides influence their enthusiasm for academic entrepreneurship, while interestingly, their other-guides do not. Additionally, we find that higher identification with a scientist identity enhances the positive effect of the self-guide on entrepreneurial enthusiasm while higher identification with an academic entrepreneur identity attenuates the positive effect. Our paper contributes to the academic entrepreneurship literature by developing and testing a framework that integrates self-discrepancy theory with social identity theory for a nuanced understanding of academic scientists’ thought processes regarding engagement in entrepreneurial activities. Our study has implications for research policy by suggesting a way that universities can identify candidates for academic entrepreneurship activities.

Key Determinants of Women’s Entrepreneurial Intention and Behavior: The Role of Business Opportunity Recognition and Need for Achievement

The focus of this study is to investigate the major factors influencing entrepreneurial intent and behavior, by addressing the role of entrepreneurial education, business opportunity recognition, and the need for achievement. The research data were collected online using a self-administered questionnaire among 148 Moroccan women having completed an entrepreneurship training program. The data analysis using a PLS-SEM provided evidence of the positive impact of entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial self-efficacy and PBC. Likewise, the findings supported the direct impact of subjective norms and entrepreneurial self-efficacy on entrepreneurial attitude. Furthermore, entrepreneurial attitude, business opportunity recognition, and the need for achievement were identified as predictors of entrepreneurial intent, leading to enhanced entrepreneurial behavior. These results highlight a number of useful practical recommendations for public policy-makers on how to stimulate and encourage entrepreneurship initiatives among women.

Do cultural and creative entrepreneurs make affectively driven decisions? Not when they evaluate their opportunities

Our research studies the influence of positive affect on entrepreneurs' evaluations of opportunities (i.e. novelty assessments and entrepreneurial selection) as well as how this influence may be different for entrepreneurs belonging to cultural and creative industries. Drawing on arguments on the role of affect in cognition and considering the particular situational and individual‐level factors of entrepreneurship in cultural and creative industries, we hypothesize that positive affect influences entrepreneurs' opportunity evaluation. We also hypothesize that this effect of positive affect is barely present for cultural and creative entrepreneurs. We test our hypotheses in a sample of nascent entrepreneurs who took part in entrepreneurship training programmes in six incubators in Spain, who we asked to evaluate their own opportunity. Our results show that positive affect positively impacts the perceived novelty and entrepreneurial selection of non‐creative entrepreneurs though this impact is limited for cultural and creative entrepreneurs.

Exploring the System Construction of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program among Local University Students: A Case Study of Shandong University of Science and Technology

Exploring the System Construction of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program among Local University Students: A Case Study of Shandong University of Science and Technology

INNOVATING INNOVATION: ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY IN STEM ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMMING

In the 1980s, interest in entrepreneurship and innovation experienced significant growth in the United States. As a result, many federally funded programs were created to broaden support for entrepreneurship, from small business grants to entrepreneurship training programs. The increase and large-scale adoption of STEM entrepreneurship programs offers the unique opportunity to examine how these programs can seek to advance racial equity in STEM entrepreneurship programs. The goal of this study was to understand the experiences of racially minoritized participants in a STEM entrepreneurship training program (I-Corps), to identify ways to increase diversity and inclusion in the innovation pipeline. We examined the experiences of 13 racially minoritized academic researchers using semi-structured interview approaches grounded in intersectionality theory. The research question that guided this study was, How do racially minoritized academic researchers experience a STEM entrepreneurship training program? Four themes emerged from the data: 1) structural barriers impacted participant experiences; 2) the rigorous environment and intense climate had negative and positive impacts on participant experience; 3) entrepreneurial identity, mindset, and prior experience impacted participant experience and persistence in entrepreneurial programming; and 4) participants articulated specific takeaways and recommendations for the program. Overall, these findings offer STEM entrepreneurship programs insight into how to design supportive, effective, entrepreneurial, and innovative programs that encourage diversity and inclusivity for all.

Evaluation of the implementation effect of the innovation and entrepreneurship training plan for a medical college students in the past two years

Innovative education is the focus of quality education in higher medical colleges. In this paper, we investigate the cognitive situation and satisfaction of the students who plan to participate in and have participated in the innovation and entrepreneurship training program of college students. Discuss how to better carry out the innovation and entrepreneurship training plan for college students under the new situation, and analyze the problems existing in the implementation process of the project, so as to provide guidance and reference for the training of innovative and entrepreneurial talents.

Effects of an Agricultural Entrepreneurial Training Program with 40 Military Veteran Beginning Farmers

Military veterans returning from war face challenges when re-entering civilian life. Our aim was to evaluate how effective an agricultural entrepreneurial training program (The Farm and Education Treatment Program) was to equip 90 returning military veterans to become self-employed in food and agriculture and secondarily to support health. While there are several agricultural entrepreneurial training programs available, there are few with the breadth, depth, and empirical outcomes of the present study. Our method used eight measures to assess pretest-posttest differences associated with becoming successfully employed in production agriculture. We assessed pretest-posttest changes before and after returning military veteran beginning farmers participated in our year-long, 188-200-hour Farm and Education Treatment Program. Our program trained two cohorts per year each with 15 participants over three years for a total of 90 participants. Especially during COVID-19 with virtual rather than in-person training, our drop-out rate was high. By the end of the three-year program, 40 military veteran beginning farmers completed the program and provided usable pretest-posttest data for a 44% response rate. Almost 88% (n =35/40) of participants were self-employed in agriculture either full-time (60%) or part-time (28%). When they began, two were full-time farmers/ranchers, one was in agricultural business, and one was a part-time farmer/rancher. Our participants’ greatest statistically significant improvements were on the Skills Assessment measure with Farming Skill Level, Crop Skill Level, and Livestock Skill Level subscales, on the Entrepreneurial Self Efficacy Marketing, Innovation, Financial Control, and Total subscales, and on the Independent Living and Working levels. These measures linked well with the overall program goal, intervention, and outcomes because the bulk of the program addressed these variables. There was no change in physical or psychological domains. We concluded that face-to-face, in-person teaching of the program was much preferred and more effective than virtual, remote teaching during COVID-19. Also eight measures with 671 items are far too many. Future researchers are encouraged to expand the training with practical, evidence-based behavioral health strategies that participants can use to improve their behavioral health and quality of life.

Предпринимательство в индустрии спорта России: современные тренды развития

This article attempts to investigate the current state of affairs in the development of entrepreneurship in the Russian sports industry, as well as to show their possible perspectives. This issue is very relevant today, because the state sets the task of starting to earn to sports organizations and organizers of sports events, bearing in mind commercial sources of income, because in the coming years there will be a phased reduction in funding from the budget, especially if it comes to professional sports. The purpose of this study is to analyze how entrepreneurship in the sports industry is developing today, bearing in mind different types of sports, and why it is necessary to develop specialized entrepreneurship studying programs in sports. Among the main objectives of the study: to show successful examples and practices of entrepreneurship development in different segments of the sports industry and to explain the possibilities of entrepreneurship development in sports, taking into account the emergence and implementation of specialized studying programs, primarily additional education programs. This article presents the author’s own vision of how entrepreneurship is developing today in mass and corporate sports, as well as in the fitness industry. The article uses various research methods, including comparative analysis and statistical methods. The scientific results include an analysis of the potential audience of such specialized studying programs and the direction of development of targeted programs, including various sports and functional areas. The justification of the need for aspiring entrepreneurs to be trained in additional education programs (advanced training and professional retraining) is given. In the next article, the author will try to more specifically form a model of professional competencies for entrepreneurship training programs in sports.

EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE BUSINESS INCUBATOR PROGRAM IN CREATING ENTREPRENEURS IN INDONESIA

<em>The high unemployment rate is one of the factors that influence Indonesia in achieving decent work and economic growth. Creating entrepreneurs as solutions through entrepreneurship training programs has been organized by various parties. Bright Cube organized by IPB University is one of the business incubators that integrates all stakeholders. The purposes of this study are to analyze the implementation and sustainability strategy and evaluate the effectiveness of the 2<sup>nd</sup> batch of the Bright Cube program. The research methods used are descriptive analysis, Return on Training Investment, and SIPOC diagrams with a quantitative approach. Primary data were obtained through questionnaires and secondary data was obtained through a literature study. The results show that most participants are not satisfied with the resulting turnover. At the reaction level, participants tend to give a positive reaction to the program. At the learning level, there is an increase in knowledge and skills. At the behavioral level, participants are interested in becoming entrepreneurs. At the result level, participants recommend the program, and the ROTI result is positive. Several things need to be improved based on the evaluation. Therefore, this program has been running effectively and can be a successful example in order to achieving the entrepreneur national target</em>

Influence of Environmental Analysis and Financial Sustainability of NGOs in Kenya

Purpose: Environmental analysis is a useful tool in strategic planning. It is a method for identifying all external and internal factors that can influence an organization’s performance. The analysis comprises determining the amount of threat or opportunity presented by the factors. These assessments are then used in the decision-making process. The analysis aids in the alignment of strategies with the firm’s environment. The purpose of this study is to establish influence of environmental analysis and financial sustainability of NGOs in Kenya.
 Methodology: A desktop literature review was used for this purpose. Relevant seminal references and journal articles for the study were identified using Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria entailed papers that were not over 10 years old.
 Findings: The study concluded that environmental analysis is a useful tool in strategic planning. This is because it is useful in identifying all external and internal factors that can influence an organization’s performance. The analysis comprises determining the amount of threat or opportunity presented by the factors. These assessments are then used in the decision-making process. The analysis aids in the alignment of strategies with the firm’s environment. The study also concluded that, external factors had significant positive and negative effects on performance.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommended that the government should embrace environmental analysis as it is a useful tool in strategic planning. The government should also establish a favorable business environment for rural SMEs by providing entrepreneurship training and company incubation programs. The findings help define the future of small business reengineering in rural areas by providing information on environmental analysis strategy and innovation management theory. The study recommends that the strategic leaders should do environmental analysis as it will bring an upper hand to the NGO hence be able to assess the threats and opportunity present. The organization can then act on the opportunity at hand and prepare to mitigate the threats present, resulting to financial sustainability of the NGO.

Abstract IA009: National Cancer Institute Small Business Innovation Research Development Center NCI SBIR & STTR resources for commercializing innovative cancer prevention

Abstract The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) serve as one of the largest sources of early-stage capital for technology commercialization in the United States (US). In FY2021, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) SBIR and STTR Programs provided approximately $182M in non-dilutive funding to US small businesses and managed over 400 different projects. By supporting startups and other small businesses in the cancer space, the NCI SBIR and STTR Programs act as catalysts of innovation for novel technologies and products to achieve NCI’s mission to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. Staffed by a dedicated team of scientists with wide-ranging technology and industry experience, the NCI SBIR Development Center provides both funding and non-funding resources to US small businesses all aimed at translating technologies to the clinic to help cancer patients and providers. During the past 5 years, NCI has provided SBIR/STTR funding to approximately 25 companies who are developing novel cancer prevention agents. Companies focused on prevention of several indications such as colorectal cancer, oral squamous cell carcinomas, and human papillomavirus-related cancers. Award sizes ranged from $200k-$2M and included support for companies with technologies in the preclinical and clinical stages of development. NCI provided opportunities for non-funding support as well, including entrepreneurial training programs such as I-Corps™ at NIH and programs to facilitate connections between innovators and potential investors. Whether a technology is in the preclinical or clinical stage of development, NCI can help small businesses translate their innovative research to the marketplace so they become available to healthcare providers and their patients. Citation Format: Jonathan Franca-Koh. National Cancer Institute Small Business Innovation Research Development Center NCI SBIR & STTR resources for commercializing innovative cancer prevention [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second Biennial NCI Meeting: Translational Advances in Cancer Prevention Agent Development (TACPAD); 2022 Sep 7-9. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2022;15(12 Suppl_2): Abstract nr IA009.

Entrepreneurial Competencies and SMEs’ Performance in a Developing Economy

This paper aims to empirically test the impact of entrepreneurial competencies on the performances of SMEs in Bangladesh. The data are obtained from 115 entrepreneurs by a structured questionnaire. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method is applied to find the causal relationship between exogenous and endogenous variables. The results reveal that the organizing and leading, learning, relationship, and commitment competencies of entrepreneurs have a meaningful impact on SME performance. On the contrary, strategic and opportunity competencies have no effect on the performance of SMEs. The contribution of this study is to find out the relevant entrepreneurial competencies and to empirically test their impacts on the performance of SMEs in a developing country setting. This study gives insights into the policymakers regarding the entrepreneurship training and development program. Finally, the competency measurement of this study provides a unique scope for designing such training and development programs for entrepreneurs.

Agricultural education for youth empowerment in Nigeria: a brief review.

This study was carried out to review agricultural education for youth empowerment in Nigeria. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and existing studies on related studies were sourced online. The major findings of the study disclosed that motivational strategies for effective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Nigeria include: adequate remuneration of trainers, disbursement of long and short term loans, bursary scheme for youth educational empowerment, sharing of sewing machines, among others. Supervisory strategies for effective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Nigeria include, provision of adequate supervision task force for youth empowerment programmes and preparation of guidelines for reporting youth empowerment training activities. Managerial strategies for effective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Nigeria among others include: development of scopes and sequence of the training programmes, provision of a curriculum for youth empowerment programmes and proper adherence to the curriculum contents. The policy strategies for effective implementation of youth empowerment programmes in Nigeria include, promulgation of decree for compulsory youth empowerment training programmes and centres, adoption of youth oriented policies in the States and formulation of decrees for formal entrepreneurship training programmes in institutions. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made: youth empowerment programmes should be introduced in the curriculum of institutions of higher learning. Tertiary institutions should put in efforts in teaching vocational education and agricultural skills acquisition programmes to enable every Nigerian to be self-reliant, self-developed and creative.

Impacts of Entrepreneurial Education on Rural Youth's Entrepreneurial Behavior in Algeria

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of entrepreneurship training on entrepreneurial behaviour of the Strengthening Rural Youth Development through Enterprise programme in Algeria.
 Methodology: Descriptive design was used in collecting the data from respondents. Questionnaires were used for collecting data containing mainly closed ended questions to the sample respondents. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics employing mean and standard deviation with the aid of SPSS. Data collected and analyzed was finally presented in various formats such as charts, graphs and tables.
 Results: All the predictor variables, that is, attitude, skills, knowledge and social network βvalues were positive indicating that they directly proportional to entrepreneurial behaviour of rural youth in Algeria, in which case an improvement in attitude, skills, knowledge and positive support from the social network causes a positive change towards entrepreneurial behaviour of rural youth in the country.
 Conclusion: The youth in the area are in favor of entrepreneurship than other occupational options as seen by their determination to start a business if they had the opportunity and resources, as well as their indication that they are not afraid to take risks.
 Recommendation: The study therefore recommends that the national government should make flexible policies to attract young graduates to be entrepreneurs to develop their socio-economic status. Also, they should facilitate entrepreneurial training programmes for the youth so as to enable them to develop the right skills, knowledge and competence in entrepreneurship.

Recommendation of Active Employment Policy Based on Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation: Social Entrepreneurship Support Model for Youth in Turkey

In this study, the social entrepreneurship support model will be designed in Turkey as an active employment policy proposal based on entrepreneurship and social innovation in the fight against youth unemployment. Within this framework, the model aims to organize a social entrepreneurship training program for unemployed youth and NEET (neither employed nor in education or training) youth by the Turkish Public Employment Agency (ISKUR). Based on this, it is envisaged that similar support to the ISKUR Entrepreneurship Training Program implemented by the state for young people will be implemented under the name of the Social Entrepreneurship Support Program in cooperation with ISKUR-KOSGEB and ASHOKA. The model also suggests to give financial and consultancy support for those who successfully complete training. This support is thought to be important for start-up social entrepreneurs. Finally, this study aims to discuss the possibility to implement a social entrepreneurship support model for youth in Turkey. Especially in terms of developing countries, the model is believed to be an alternative means of struggle with the fight against youth unemployment.

Identification and first report of Colletotrichum fructicola causing fruit rot on Zizyphus mauritiana in China.

Because of its high economic value and potential for adaptation to subtropical climates, Indian jujube (Zizyphus mauritiana Lam.) is one of the most important fruit crops introduced into south of Guizhou Province, China. In December 2020, approximately 10 to 15% of the harvested jujube (Z. mauritiana Lam. Wuqian) showed fruit rot symptoms after storage at 4°C for 10-15 days in Luodian county (25°34'N, 106°82'E). Symptoms of brown, circular, watery lesions were observed on the jujube fruits. Small pieces (c.a. 5 mm) at the margins of rot tissue were incubated on PDA plates at 25°C in darkness after surface sterilization in 1.5% NaClO for 45 s followed with triple washes using sterile distilled water. Two monoconidial isolates were obtained after incubation and identical colony morphologies were observed with olive grey, cottony aerial mycelium which became darker after 10 days growth. The colony reverse began white but turned brown with age. Conidia, produced in orange masses, were mainly cylindrical with the size of 9.2-16.8 µm (average 13.7 µm) × 3.8-6.2 µm (average 4.6 µm) (n = 50), typical of Colletotrichum spp. (Vieira et al. 2014). For further identification, DNA of these two isolates were extracted and were used for multi-locus genotyping. Five loci, including the ITS region, partial sequences of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), actin (ACT), β-tubulin (BTU) and chitin synthase (CHS) genes, were amplified and sequenced with primers of ITS1/ITS4, GDF1/GDR1, ACT512F/ ACT783R, Bt2a/Bt2b and CHS79F/CHS354R, respectively. No differences was found between the isolates at any of the loci and one sequence for each locus was deposited in the Genebank database under accessions OL376803, OL404925, OL404926, OL404927 and OL404928, respectively. Blastn results indicated that the ITS, GAPDH, ACT, BTU and CHS sequences of the jujube isolates shared 100%, 98.56%, 96.62%, 99.48% and 99.33% similarity with those of ex-type strain ICMP 18581 of C. fructicola (GenBank Accession Nos. JX010165, JX010033, JX009501, JX010405 and JX009866). Phylogenetic analysis including published ITS, GAPDH, ACT, BTU and CHS data for C. fructicola and other Colletotrichum species was performed using MEGA 6.0. Based on morphological and molecular data, the jujube isolates were identified as C. fructicola. Pathogenicity was determined for both isolates on jujube fruits cultivar "Wuqian". Fruit surface was sterilized with 75% ethanol, air dried, and wounded with a needle by piercing into 2 mm depth. Ten microliters of a spore suspension (1 × 106 spores/ml) or sterilized water were applied to one of two wounds on the same fruit. There were six replicate inoculations for each isolate and the whole experiment was repeated twice. Treated fruit were maintained in a growth chamber with 80% relative humidity at 25°C. Symptoms of fruit rots, identical the original observations, developed around the infection sites at 3 days post inoculation. These began as light brown, circular lesions, which got darker with orange spore masses after 7 days and both isolates caused identical symptoms. However, the wounds inoculated with water remained asymptomatic. C. fructicola was successfully reisolated from the infected areas to fulfill Koch's postulates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of jujube fruit rot caused by C. fructicola in China, which may become an emerging problem considering the area expansion of Z. mauritiana cultivation and transportation of its fruit. Funding: Funding was provided by Science and Technology Foundation of Guizhou Province (Guizhou Science Base [2020]1Y104), Talent Development Program of Guizhou Province (Qian Jiaohe KY [2021]080), Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of Guizhou University (Guo Chuangzi [2020]017). Reference: (1) Vieira, W., et al. 2014. Fungal Divers. 67(1): 181-202.

Effects of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on glycemic control: A GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

SummaryBackgroundPrevious reviews reported that the effects of CoQ10 on glycemic control were inconsistent. There is no review exploring the optimal intake of CoQ10 for glycemic control. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of CoQ10 on glycemic control and evaluate the dose–response relationship via integrating the existing evidence from randomized control trials (RCTs).MethodsDatabases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library) were searched to identify RCTs for investigating the efficacy of CoQ10 on fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR up to March 12, 2022. We performed a meta-analysis on 40 RCTs of CoQ10. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for net changes. Evidence certainty was assessed using GRADE. Dose-response relationships were evaluated using 1-stage restricted cubic spline regression model. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021252933).FindingsForty studies (n = 2,424 participants) were included in this meta-analysis. CoQ10 significantly reduced fasting glucose (WMD: -5.22 [95% CI: -8.33, -2.11] mg/dl; P <0.001; I2=95.10%), fasting insulin (-1.32 [-2.06, -0.58] μIU/ml; P < 0.001; I2=78.86%), HbA1c (-0.12% [-0.23, -0.01]; P =0.04; I2=49.10%), and HOMA-IR (-0.69 [-1.00, -0.38]; P <0.001; I2=88.80%). The effect of CoQ10 on outcomes was greater in diabetes with lower heterogeneity. A “U” shape dose-response relationship curve revealed that 100-200 mg/day of CoQ10 largely decreased fasting glucose (χ2 = 12.08, Pnonlinearity =0.002), fasting insulin (χ2 = 9.73, Pnonlinearity =0.008), HbA1c (χ2 = 6.00, Pnonlinearity =0.049), HOMA-IR (χ2 = 25.89, Pnonlinearity <0.001).InterpretationCoQ10 supplementation has beneficial effects on glycemic control, especially in diabetes, and 100-200 mg/day of CoQ10 could achieve the greatest benefit, which could provide a basis for the dietary guidelines of CoQ10 in patients with glycemic disorders.FundingThis work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82030098, 81872617 and 81730090), Shenzhen Science, Technology, and Innovation Commission (No. JCYJ20180307153228190), CNS Research Fund for DRI, and National innovation and entrepreneurship training program for undergraduate student (No. 202210558161).

Who Learns and What They Learn: Evidence from an Action-Based Entrepreneurship Training Program

Scholars highlight that learning outcomes of entrepreneurship training might not be homogeneous for all participants and call for studies on contextual factors that might affect such outcomes. We respond to the call and explore the role of two contextual factors, team dynamics and the learning environment, on two important learning outcomes that are precursors of entrepreneurial engagement – entrepreneurial readiness and knowledge readiness. Drawing from literature on psychological safety and status differences, we hypothesize the differences in learning outcomes of graduate students and faculty members who participated in action-based technology entrepreneurship program as part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) I-Corps program. The findings suggest that positive team dynamics increase entrepreneurial readiness for both types of trainees, but increases knowledge readiness of only graduate students, suggesting differential importance of team-level factors. The findings for learning environment are more complex. While a negative learning environment was not significantly associated with entrepreneurial or knowledge readiness for either trainee type, a positive learning environment was a significant predictor of both entrepreneurial and knowledge readiness for faculty but was only a significant predictor for knowledge readiness among graduate students. This study contributes to the entrepreneurship training literature by showing the impact of team and broader contextual level factors on training efficacy. The findings have implications for both academic and corporate trainers who design action-learning programs.

Demand Pull versus Resource Push Approaches to Entrepreneurship: A Field Experiment

Despite the proliferation of entrepreneurship training programs, the question remains if and how such programs can add value to nascent entrepreneurs. To answer it, we compare two broad approaches that have inspired various entrepreneurship methodologies: resource push and demand pull. Although there are some commonalities, each approach focuses on different starting points and sources of competitive advantage for entrepreneurial ventures. We argue that entrepreneurs can benefit more from one approach than the other depending on their idea stage and educational background. To test our ideas, we conduct a randomized field experiment within a 6-month startup accelerator program in Singapore. Our findings reveal that demand pull training is more effective for early-stage and STEM entrepreneurs than resource push training as it helps them overcome their weaknesses and prioritize the activities that create the most value in the initial steps of startup launch.

The Impact of Entrepreneurial Prison Training on Reducing Recidivism

Approximately 2.3 million Americans were in prison in 2016, costing the US $80 billion a year (English, 2016). 36% of former prisoners are re-incarcerated within three years of release, leading to a cycle of social and economic challenges (Durose, Cooper & Snyder, 2014). As evidenced by the many organizations seeking to reduce recidivism, helping those in prison to become productive members of society represents one of the “Grand Challenges” of our day (Davis et al., 2014; George et al., 2016). In this paper, we seek to be the first to causally identify the impact of entrepreneurship training on recidivism. To answer this question, we have obtained a unique data set that contains all inmates from 2009 to 2016 that were accepted into a leading prison entrepreneurial training program in the US, including those that did not receive training due to parole or medical reasons. This enables a direct comparison of trained inmates against a counterfactual of similar others due to the quasi-random allocation of the non-trained to reasons unrelated to motivation or ability to receive training. Given the significant challenges facing society due to Mass Incarceration, understanding whether these types of programs cause reductions in recidivism has the potential to shape policy while increasing the rate of entrepreneurial entry. Additionally, by uncovering more about the impact of training on the incarcerated, we highlight the potential for entrepreneurship to be used to aid in wellbeing and development among disadvantaged populations. We aim to provide a novel example of the way that entrepreneurship can be used as a lever to address Grand Challenges of our day.