ERIC Number: ED653599
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 266
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3823-2750-1
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Pitching, Entrepreneurial Culture: An Organizational Ethnography of Curricular and Co-Curricular Social Entrepreneurship Pitch Competitions
Bailey J. Borman
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Arizona State University
In this study, I explore a 20-plus-year process of how one research-intensive university in the United States integrated entrepreneurship into a university-wide initiative to develop an entrepreneurial culture. This research study focuses on the process of how entrepreneurial culture was developed through the implementation of three social entrepreneurship pitch competitions. I designed and implemented this study using organizational and critical ethnography methodologies. Organizational ethnography is a qualitative research approach that immerses the researcher in the natural context of an organization to understand its social dynamics, cultural practices, and lived experiences. Critical ethnography is an interpretive research methodology that aims to uncover power dynamics, social inequalities, and injustices within organizations by examining the underlying structures that shape individuals' experiences and interactions. I used qualitative research methods to understand the everyday work and activity that shaped the experience of entrepreneurial culture through textual document analysis, observations, and interviews with students, faculty, and staff. My work was guided by the following research question: How do faculty, staff, administration, and students create entrepreneurial culture through the production of social entrepreneurship education at a research-intensive university? Through this analysis, I discuss how pitch competitions serve as a prominent ritual and routine of entrepreneurship education at Startup U, in most cases fostering existing entrepreneurial self-efficacy. However, a disconnect exists between faculty intentions for developing an entrepreneurial mindset and the organizational structures supporting student learning, with pitch competitions outside the classroom often emphasizing high-tech, high-growth ventures, potentially excluding ideas developed from Startup U's broad operating definition of entrepreneurship. These findings highlight the influence of philanthropic giving on student opportunities within the university's entrepreneurship ecosystem and how 'training unicorns' limits the potential of engaging students in a university-wide initiative. I conclude this study with theoretical and practical implications. The theoretical implications section advocates for a deeper exploration of entrepreneurial mindsets beyond traditional business contexts, urging scholars to focus on exploring community development versus community growth. The practical implications section proposes the use of critical reflection to bridge entrepreneurial knowledge and skills with an entrepreneurial mindset. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Entrepreneurship, Competition, Speech Skills, Ethnography, Cooperative Learning, School Culture, Social Organizations, Research Universities, College Faculty, Professional Personnel, Administrators, College Students, Attitudes, Individual Development, Extracurricular Activities, Cognitive Structures
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A