Purpose Synthesizing theoretical and empirical literature, this study aims to build a theoretical model linking the constructs; corporate entrepreneurship, employee engagement and innovation. Design/methodology/approach Using an integrative review method the current study conducted an examination of related literature on the areas of corporate entrepreneurship, employee engagement, as well as innovation and developed an integrated model which combines the three constructs. The study bases itself on the resource-based view (RBV) for looking into corporate entrepreneurial ecosystems as organizational capabilities and employee engagement as a human resource. The social exchange theory (SET) was also used to analyse the interrelationships. Findings An RBV synthesis made on corporate entrepreneurship, employee engagement, as well as innovation literature shows that while corporate entrepreneurship has been recognized as beneficial to bring positive organizational outcomes, attempts to tie it in the core resource, capability and competence input-output linkage are scanty. The study shows that the RBV can be a good way to see human resources as a source of organizational competitive advantage and corporate entrepreneurship as the capability to product innovation as a competence. The study also shows that by combining the RBV with the SET corporate entrepreneurship, employee engagement and innovation can be integrated as a basis for developing organizational competitiveness. Practical implications The implication of this paper to future empirical studies is that corporate entrepreneurship can be integrated with the RBV to relate it to the core competitive advantage development endeavour. The implication for policymakers and management practitioners on the other hand is that managers can consider corporate entrepreneurship as a major capability to bring the employee resource on board the innovation process. The study further implies that management practitioners need to provide time, freedom, boundary, reward and support to get their employees engaged in innovation. Hence, managers can integrate the SET into their motivation principles. Originality/value The study is original in its attempt to integrate the SET and RBV for studies in the area of corporate entrepreneurship, employee engagement and innovation.

Studies and literature reveal that students’ attitude to create their own business is influenced by different endogenous and exogenous factors. The study aimed at analyzing factors affecting students’ entrepreneurial attitude. The factors considered in this study are family background, role model and entrepreneurial government support programs. Explanatory design was employed to check the magnitude of cause and effect relationship. 328 questionnaires were distributed sampled respondents and intensive interview was conducted with key informants. Key results of the study imply that the explanatory factors identified above positively and significantly affect the dependent variable. The family background, government entrepreneurial support programs and role model combined and explained 79.7% of the variation in entrepreneurial attitude of the students. Thus, if the government and/or the university can devise strategy upon these variables, there is a promising possibility that the attitude of the students for creating their own job.