Bongani Ndamase, Jurie van Vuuren, Menisha Moos, Clint Davies,
Abstract
Unlike resource-based economies that rely on capital, labour, and land, a knowledge-based economy depends predominantly on knowledge as a production factor. Universities play a critical role in this transition, evolving to become entrepreneurial institutions that drive socio-economic development. Despite this understanding, the South African government, entrepreneurship scholars, and other stakeholders have not fully developed an understanding of the role of universities in this significant economic transformation, prompting this study.
The quantitative study used the modified ENTRE-U scale, the most comprehensive tool for evaluating universities’ entrepreneurial orientation. It used a cross-sectional survey with a self-administered questionnaire containing 30 response items. This study significantly contributes to corporate entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial universities, enriching the ENTRE-U scale and enhancing the understanding of factors constituting entrepreneurial universities. The five factors generated through factor analysis contribute to scholarship on universities’ entrepreneurial orientation. The study provides an improved understanding of the differences in the perceptions of different management levels of South African universities regarding the entrepreneurial orientation at their institutions.
The study also enhances the theoretical understanding of entrepreneurial universities as catalysts for economic development, aiding public policymakers in aligning resource allocation towards universities and the knowledge sector in the journey towards 2030.
The quantitative study used the modified ENTRE-U scale, the most comprehensive tool for evaluating universities’ entrepreneurial orientation. It used a cross-sectional survey with a self-administered questionnaire containing 30 response items. This study significantly contributes to corporate entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial universities, enriching the ENTRE-U scale and enhancing the understanding of factors constituting entrepreneurial universities. The five factors generated through factor analysis contribute to scholarship on universities’ entrepreneurial orientation. The study provides an improved understanding of the differences in the perceptions of different management levels of South African universities regarding the entrepreneurial orientation at their institutions.
The study also enhances the theoretical understanding of entrepreneurial universities as catalysts for economic development, aiding public policymakers in aligning resource allocation towards universities and the knowledge sector in the journey towards 2030.