Enterprise education with Chinese characteristics; policy, practices and uneven development in PRC

Abstract

Purpose – The paper aims to review the emergence and nature of entrepreneurship education in China. This paper considers the variability of developments in practices despite policy. In turn, this allows one to consider the implications of this uneven distribution of expertise and resources. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is primarily empirically descriptive, but it draws upon different literatures to examine entrepreneurship education in the uniqueness of its Chinese context. The authors offer two comparative cases to illustrate the arguments. Findings – Substantial differences were found by region and by the status of the institution. The region aspect is paradoxical because the largest number of new businesses exists in those regions with the best provision of enterprise education. The channelling of resources to elite resources compounds the problem. Less prestigious universities make do with what they have, and this may be detrimental for the quality and effectiveness of enterprise education. Research limitations/implications – There may be some regional differences that have been overlooked, but the thrust is clear. Different resource allocations have shaped entrepreneurship education in the regions. Practical implications – Applied policy may have detrimental effects on less well-endowed universities and thus neglect less entrepreneurial places. Social implications – If entrepreneurship is to deliver its promise of opportunity, innovation and job creation, it needs to be taught by experienced and informed faculty. The uneven distribution of entrepreneurship pedagogy and expertise indicates that this may be more difficult to deliver in some places. Originality/value – Although entrepreneurship education in China is now pervasive, little work has been done in comparing policies with practices.

Conceptualizing context in entrepreneurship education: a literature review

“…National culture and norms, while less tangible, emerge numerous times in the prioritized literature. National values and the social and cultural environment of countries are found to influence entrepreneurship education (Anderson and Zhang, 2015;Chauhan and Das, 2016; IJEBR García-Rodríguez et al, 2017). National culture is found to explain differences in entrepreneurial intention of students, even when common motivational factors (pursuit of profit/social status, desire for independence, creation, personal development and professional dissatisfaction) align across countries (Giacomin et al, 2011).…”

“…National economic situation linked to policy is another context element discussed in the prioritized literature (Anderson and Zhang, 2015;Chauhan and Das, 2016;Giacomin et al, 2011;Lee et al, 2006). The setting of entrepreneurship education in developing countries can serve as both a barrier and a promoter for entrepreneurship and by extension entrepreneurship education.…”

“…Similarly, regional effects can also have a supportive or limiting impact on entrepreneurship activities, as some regions provide strong support and resources for entrepreneurial activities enabling inclusion of various stakeholders (Neumeyer and McKenna, 2016), i.e. local business counsellors, entrepreneurs, funding agencies and potential customers; while others deprioritize one region or university for another (Anderson and Zhang, 2015). Finally, educator network, knowledge, skills and attitudes (Maritz and Brown, 2013) influence the educational process, and much like the students, the educator's background can either enable or limit the entrepreneurial education process.…”

“…and Giacomin et al (2011) CountryArokiasamy (2012),Balan-Vnuk et al (2014),Blenker et al (2008),Chauhan and Das (2016),García-Rodríguez et al (2017),Garavan et al (2010),Haddad et al (2016),Johnson et al (2006),Gerba (2012),Libombo and Dinis (2015) andMwasalwiba et al (2014) Government policyAnderson and Zhang (2015), Arokiasamy(2012), Balan-Vnuk et al (2014), Blenker et al (2008),Garavan et al (2010), Guerrero et al (2014), Lee et al (2006), Libombo and Dinis (2015) and Mwasalwiba et al (2014) Economy Anderson and Zhang (2015), Balan-Vnuk et al (2014), Chauhan and Das (2016), Garavan et al (2010), Giacomin et al (2011) and Lee et al (2006) Labour market Balan-Vnuk et al (2014), Lee et al (2006) and Mwasalwiba et al (2014) National culture and norms Anderson and Zhang (2015), Blenker et al (2008), Chauhan and Das (2016), Garavan et al (2010), García-Rodríguez et al (2017), Giacomin et al (2011) and Lee et al (2006) Globalization Arokiasamy (2012) Technological development Thestrup and Robinson (2016) Meso Regional effects Anderson and Zhang (2015), Blenker et al (2008), García-Rodríguez et al (2017), Leitch et al (2012), Mars and Ginter (2012), Mwasalwiba et al (2014), Walter and Dohse (2012) and Walter et al (2013) University Anderson and Zhang (2015), Arokiasamy (2012), Blenker et al (2008), Garavan et al (2010), García-Rodríguez et al (2017), Gerba (2012), Guerrero et al (2014), Leitch et al (2012), Mars and Ginter (2012), Mwasalwiba et al (2014), Walter et al (2010) and Walter et al (2013) Discipline Johnson et al (2006), Maritz and Brown (2013), Neumeyer and Mckenna (2016) and Thestrup and Robinson (2016) Digital tools Thestrup and Robinson (2016) Micro Pedagogy and didactics Blenker et al (2008), Chauhan and Das (2016), Fayolle and Toutain (2013), Garavan et al (2010), Haddad et al (2016), Johnson et al (2006), Lee et al (2006), Libombo and Dinis (2015), Maritz and Brown (2013), Neumeyer and McKenna (2016), Walter and Dohse (2012) and Xie and Wang (2014) Assessment Maritz and Brown (2013) Students Blenker et al (2008), García-Rodríguez et al (2017), Fayolle and Toutain (2013), Giacomin et al (2011), Guerrero et al (2014), Haddad et al (2016), Lee et al (2006), Leitch et al (2012), Maritz and Brown (2013), Neumeyer and Mckenna (2016), Obrecht (2016), Walter et al (2010) and Xie and Wang (2014) Educators Garavan et al (2010), Giacomin et al (2011), Maritz and Brown (2013) and Libombo and Dinis (2015) Stakeholders and network Libombo and Dinis (2015) and Neumeyer and McKenna (2016) Online setting Thestrup and Robinson (2016) Learning space Haddad et al (2016) Content Blenker et al (2008), Fayolle, and Toutain (2013), Garavan et al (2010), Gerba (2012), Johnson et al (2006), Libombo and Dinis…”

Educator challenges in the development and delivery of constructivist active and experiential entrepreneurship classrooms in Chinese vocational higher education

“…The encouragement by the Chinese government to develop and deliver education using active student centred education approaches has resulted in a number of tensions and challenges, some of which stem from the background of a traditional didactic approach to education based on transmission, knowledge reproduction and content mastery (Tan, 2016;Tan, 2017). There has also been a push to deliver entrepreneurship education using constructivist educational approaches throughout the Chinese education system, in order to stimulate the economy and alleviate unemployment (Anderson and Zhang, 2015;Tang et al, 2014). However, the entrepreneurship education discipline in China is still relatively young and under researched (Lin and Xu, 2017).…”