O'Reilly, Noel M. (2017) The entrepreneurial university in Ireland - from rhetoric to reality. A phenomenological study of the evolution of the entrepreneurial capabilities of universities. PhD thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.
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Abstract
The role of the university has evolved from teaching and
research to include the ‘third mission’ of knowledge transfer and
beyond to the creation of ‘entrepreneurship capital’ which can
have a positive socioeconomic impact on national economies
(Audretsch & Keilbach, 2005). The modern ‘entrepreneurial
university’ is now expected to fulfil the three roles of teaching,
research and entrepreneurship simultaneously.
This research brings to bear a qualitative,
phenomenological research methodology using semi structured
interviews to understanding both the lived experience and,
indeed, the attitudes of senior university leadership across the
island of Ireland to the entrepreneurial university paradigm.
Executive team members, often at the level of President, in third
level institutions were interviewed. The aims of this research are
twofold. Firstly, the research looks to explore how these leaders
interpret the concept of entrepreneurship within the
entrepreneurial university paradigm: how or, indeed, whether it is
woven into their institutional strategy and with what effect.
Secondly, strategic management theory, specifically dynamic
capabilities theory (Teece et al., 1997), has been chosen as a theoretical lens to consider mission and strategy within the
entrepreneurial university. The findings of this research have
yielded rich and original insights which have contributed to the
development of a new theoretical model of the Entrepreneurial
University in Ireland. This contribution is significant, not just in
advancing theory, but equally, in terms of guiding senior
management of universities as they plan their next steps in their
journey to deliver the third mission.
Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
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Keywords: | University; Business; Ireland; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial University; |
Academic Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Design Innovation |
Item ID: | 20111 |
Depositing User: | IR eTheses |
Date Deposited: | 27 Jun 2025 09:51 |
URI: | https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/20111 |
Use Licence: | This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here |
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