Welcome

This website is dedicated to explore and promote the practice of knowledge entrepreneurship as well as a humanistic philosophy of entrepreneurship in general.

Definition: Knowledge entrepreneurship describes the ability to recognize or create an opportunity and take action aimed at realizing the innovative knowledge practice or product.

On this site you are invited to explore the concept by reviewing the PhD thesis „Knowledge Entrepreneurship in Universities: Practice and Strategy in the case of Internet based Innovation Appropriation“. The research was conducted by Max Senges within the Information and Knowledge Society Phd Programme at the online university Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Free University of Catalonia) and with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya (beca predoctoral para la formación de personal investigador)

Multimedia & Pdfs

the complete thesis is available as one pdf-file
and you can also watch the 42.min video of the PhD-Defense

Thematic Reading Recommendations

The research is rather trans-disciplinary so there are several reasons why you might be interested in this work, and we have prepared thematic access routes to the work:

Knowledge Entrepreneurship from a Higher Education Management point of view
Philosophy of Entrepreneurship & Knowledge Entrepreneurship as Life Philosophy
Internet based Innovation Appropriation

For a general overview of the work we recommend:

0.1. MOTIVATION, AIM & OVERVIEW (page 3)
5.3. FORMAL ANSWERS TO THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS (page 326)

The University as Knowledge Entrepreneur (Higher Education Management)

A knowledge entrepreneur values benefits in the form of new knowledge (research) and good knowledge services (teaching&learning) as the primary motivation. Therefore the concept allows to exploit the positive aspects of an entrepreneurial spirit without loosing the special character and mission of the university as higher education institution.

The following sections are of special interest:

BACKGROUND & POSITION

1.3.4. The University in the Network Society (page 35)
1.3.4.1. The Entrepreneurial University Discourse (page 35)
1.3.4.2. Research Position: The Importance of Universities as Public Institutions (page 39)
1.3.4.3. The University and Knowledge Management (page 41)
1.3.4.4. The University as Knowledge Entrepreneur (page 42)
1.3.4.5. The University Knowledge Entrepreneurship Model (page 43)
1.3.6.1. Innovation at Universities (page 48)
1.3.6.2. Internet-based Innovation Appropriation at Universities (page 50)

THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE ENTREPRENEUSHIP IN UNIVERSITIES

4.2.2. Cybernetic Analysis of a complex system (page 257)
4.2.3. Knowledge Entrepreneurship in Universities (page 260)
4.2.4. Mindset & Values (page 261)
4.2.5. Institutional Infrastructure and Gestell (page 288)
4.2.6. Knowledge Entrepreneurial Practice (page 299)

CONCLUSIONS

5.2.1. Practical Knowledge Entrepreneurship in Universities (page 317)
5.2.2. Internet Based Knowledge Entrepreneurship in Universities (page 321)

Building Blocks of an Entrepreneurial Mindset or Entrepreneurship as Life-Philosophy

The philosophy of entrepreneurship follows the understanding, that it is beneficial to conceptualize all occations in life as opportunities, and hence no matter whether you are planning where to go for your next vacation, what stocks to buy, or what to get your loved ones for christmas, to conceptualize the options as opportunities and pursue the most preferable with an entrepreneurial spirit is claimed to be a mindfull strategy.

Timmons established definition of entrepreneurship is in tune with this understanding: "Entrepreneurship is the process of creating or seizing an opportunity and pursuing it regardless of the resources currently controlled" (Timmons, 1994: 7)

The following sections are of spezial interest:

0.2. KNOWLEDGE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A MEMETIC PARADIGM (page 6)
4.2.4. Mindset & Values (page 261)

Internet based Innovation Appropriation

Cyberspace is fertile ground for innovation. To evalutate the constant stream of opportunities, and to exploit the ones deemed benefitial is a constant challenge to organisations of all kinds. The thesis develops a set of instruments to manage and institutionalize a culture and practice to strive on and evolve around the constant that is change.