PurposeThere is a constant need to produce more entrepreneurial graduates from higher education institutions. This paper aims to present and discuss several successful cases of entrepreneurial learning environments in order to suggest some important aspects that higher education institutions should consider.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a literature review and four previously published case studies. These are used for suggesting a hypothesis for further study.FindingsThe pedagogical challenge is that entrepreneurial competencies are more holistic and psychologically oriented than traditional subject‐matter skills. Entrepreneurial skills are learned via pragmatic real life development projects. The paper presents several successful cases of entrepreneurial education programmes in higher education institutions. It proposes an entrepreneurial learning cycle that supports the development of entrepreneurial competencies.Research limitations/implicationsThe evidence presented is case‐based, and the actual results are very difficult to measure. Further large‐scale research is needed to verify or falsify the hypothesis.Originality/valueEntrepreneurial education in higher education institutions should be fully reviewed and changed. Clear goals should be set regarding the development of graduates who are more entrepreneurially oriented. Furthermore, the educational process will require much restructuring to enhance skill development for entrepreneurship.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the measurement of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in the student population of different academic programmes, in order to enhance entrepreneurship‐related procedures within universities.Design/methodology/approachA survey‐based tool for measuring EO is presented and used in one university. The answers are explored using statistical methods.FindingsThe results show that the survey provides the user with adequate data about EO within student groups. They also demonstrate that while entrepreneurial desire differs between academic programmes, actual EO results do not.Practical implicationsIn the paper it is suggested that the new information can be used for developing entrepreneurial courses as well as student selection procedures. Some modifications for the survey, as well as initiation of a wider research programme, are also proposed.Originality/valueThe paper uses a traditional survey for EO in a novel setting, amongst university students. The results create new interesting knowledge about the differences and similarities of the students of different academic programmes.

Scientific findings have suggested a two-fold structure of the cognitive process. By using the heuristic thinking mode, people automatically process information that tends to be invariant across days, whereas by using the explicit thinking mode people explicitly process information that tends to be variant compared to typical previously learned information patterns. Previous studies on creativity found an association between creativity and the brain regions in the prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the default mode network and the executive network. However, which neural networks contribute to the explicit mode of thinking during idea generation remains an open question. We employed an fMRI paradigm to examine which brain regions were activated when participants (n = 16) mentally generated alternative uses for everyday objects. Most previous creativity studies required participants to verbalize responses during idea generation, whereas in this study participants produced mental alternatives without verbalizing. This study found activation in the left anterior insula when contrasting idea generation and object identification. This finding suggests that the insula (part of the brain’s salience network) plays a role in facilitating both the central executive and default mode networks to activate idea generation. We also investigated closely the effect of the serial order of idea being generated on brain responses: The amplitude of fMRI responses correlated positively with the serial order of idea being generated in the anterior cingulate cortex, which is part of the central executive network. Positive correlation with the serial order was also observed in the regions typically assigned to the default mode network: the precuneus/cuneus, inferior parietal lobule and posterior cingulate cortex. These networks support the explicit mode of thinking and help the individual to convert conventional mental models to new ones. The serial order correlated negatively with the BOLD responses in the posterior presupplementary motor area, left premotor cortex, right cerebellum and left inferior frontal gyrus. This finding might imply that idea generation without a verbal processing demand reflecting lack of need for new object identification in idea generation events. The results of the study are consistent with recent creativity studies, which emphasize that the creativity process involves working memory capacity to spontaneously shift between different kinds of thinking modes according to the context.

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITET For Authors:If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service. Information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comWith over forty years' experience, Emerald Group Publishing is a leading independent publisher of global research with impact in business, society, public policy and education. In total, Emerald publishes over 275 journals and more than 130 book series, as well as an extensive range of online products and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 3 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The importance of innovations in business management is a widely accepted hypothesis. Lately the research on innovation has widened to include consideration of the impact of social networks on the innovation. This paper aims to contribute to research on this approach by suggesting a framework for studying the social aspects of economic innovations. Design/methodology/approach -The paper discusses economic innovation as a product of organizational competencies, highlighting the importance of social network. Findings -This paper has three goals: we clarify the concept of economic innovation, we present the essential questions for studying the economic innovation process, and we present a proposal for an empirical approach and address problems in collecting data about economic innovations. Originality/value -The paper opens a new, socio-psychological approach to studying the innovation processes. It proposes a holistic approach to the phenomenon by combining these with the material aspects of an organization. The paper provides a scientific framework for a new research program.

Learning for innovation is a central element in European policymaking in developing higher education. Students often learn in project settings together with work organizations developing new solutions, products and services. These authentic creative, social and collaborative settings offer an attractive learning environment. The aim of this study was to determine the factors involved in individual innovation competence to be able to design, tutor and assess the pedagogical processes where authentic open-ended tasks are being solved transforming novel ideas into usable products or services. After defining the extraction criteria using a limited sample of articles, a bias-assessed systematic review was conducted of empirical research articles published in 2006-2015. Twenty-eight journal articles were ultimately included in the review. Despite the volume of academic literature in this field, comparatively few studies providing findings addressing the review objectives could be found. There was, however a reasonable weight of research evidence to support the result. The findings suggest that personal characteristics, such as flexibility, achievement orientation, motivation and engagement, self-esteem and self-management, future orientation, creative thinking skills, social skills, project management skills, and content knowledge and making skills can be needed in collaborative innovation process. These findings have implications for pedagogical innovation processes and for competency-based assessment.