Claire M. Leitch

Critically examining the concept of the entrepreneurial university, this book provides readers with a comprehensive and systematic review of its key features, the existing debates surrounding it and the results of detailed new research on the idea. It: reviews the emergence and development of the concept of the entrepreneurial university in an historical context explores the impact of this concept on the development of a new focus and range of activities undertaken by universities. A seminal reference work in the field, it is an indispensable tool for students and researchers in the areas of industrial economics, entrepreneurship and education management as well as a range of readers in the public policy arena.

Entrepreneurship is a diverse research phenomenon which demands a multiplicity approach to aid understanding. However, despite the multi-disciplinary nature of entrepreneurship, dualistic perspectives have emerged including quantitative and qualitative; western and non-western; Europe and US, which are apparent within entrepreneurship research. Researching Entrepreneurship argues that a critically reflexive approach is required in order to capture the messy, heterogeneous and complex nature of entrepreneurship. Accordingly, Researching Entrepreneurship challenges the researcher to take a step back in order to ask more fundamental questions prior to engaging in data collection – thus drawing attention to the critical aspects of philosophical perspectives and underpinnings. This is necessary as the substitution of the word methodology for the word method has resulted in the two terms being used interchangeably. From such a position, it is then possible to explore the "taken for granted" norms of entrepreneurship scholarship and methodological myths which currently dominant entrepreneurship research. Indeed, in order to facilitate further theoretical and empirical development within the field then quite clearly, appropriate attention to philosophical underpinnings is necessary to reflect the idiosyncratic contextual nature of entrepreneurship. Aimed at academics, researchers and advanced students in the field of Entrepreneurship, Researching Entrepreneurship will adapt a critical perspective in relation to epistemological and ontological assumptions which currently shape the entrepreneurship research agenda. It will seek and challenge dualistic perspectives including quantitative and qualitative; western and non-western; Europe and US which are apparent with entrepreneurship research and place greater emphasis on the appropriateness of methodological selection in relation to research aims and objectives.