Stirling Business Lab
Stirling Business Lab is a pilot idea developed by the University of Stirling Management School to allow students to solve real business issues, and businesses to benefit from a different perspective.
During a one-day session on Thursday, 7 March 2024, participating businesses will present a brief to undergraduate business students, who will come up with solutions by the end of that day.
To participate in Stirling Business Lab, businesses must be available to be on campus on Thursday, 7 March. Please contact lynsey.joyce@stir.ac.uk by Wednesday, 21 February. More information here.
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Past events:
Third Sector Organizations: The Relationship of scaling up with their contribution to associative democracy
Hosted by the Scale-up, Regional Growth and Entrepreneurship (SURGE) Research Group
Friday 19th May 2023 from 11:00 – 12:00 pm. It will be held in the Court Room (4C1) in the Cottrell Building.
Presented by Professor John Child, University of Birmingham, Dr Rose Narooz, University of Glasgow, and Dr Nora Ramadan, University of Stirling.
Most third-sector organizations [TSOs] aim to deliver social and public services which are inadequately provided by the market or the state. Some advocate improvements in public policies or practices. The scaling up of their activities in terms of the number of clients served, and/or the range and quality of their contributions is generally assumed to be a desirable aim. At the same time, many TSOs are embedded in local communities and aware of the needs and priorities of such communities. This gives them the potential to act as a community voice. If this potential is realized and facilitated by appropriate gateways into the wider public governance system, TSOs could contribute importantly to associative democracy. The seminar will discuss the relevance of different routes to scale for the ability of TSOs to perform this democratic function, recognizing variation among distinct categories of TSO. It will conclude by outlining considerations for policy. The ground covered by the seminar provides the theoretical foundation for a new research project focusing on Scottish community-based TSO. The first stage of this project is due to be completed by the end of this summer. This research builds on previous projects conducted by the investigators into scaling opportunities for healthcare social organisations in Scotland and Egypt (Rose and Nora) and into the potential contributions of organizational participation in the post-Covid era (John). The results of the initial case-based study will inform the design of a subsequent larger comparative international study. The current project is funded by pump prime funding from the University of Glasgow.
Contextualising entrepreneurship capital for graduate start-ups: The interplay between university, region and general economic conditions
Hosted by the Scale-up, Regional Growth and Entrepreneurship (SURGE) Research Group
4 December 2019, 15:00, Room C.2B39
Dr Fumi Kitigawa, University of Edinburgh (with Chiara Marzocchi and Mabel Sanchez-Barrioluengo, University of Manchester)
Abstract:
Adopting Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship in the study of graduate start-ups, this paper conceptually advances the notion of entrepreneurship capital by identifying the interplay between two levels of context (i.e. university entrepreneurial architecture and regional entrepreneurship capital endowment), while also addressing the influence of the general socio-economic environment on graduates’ entrepreneurship processes. By using panel data representing the population of English universities over six consecutive academic years (2010/2011-2015/2016), we examine contextual conditions at the university and regional levels, combined with the effect of labour market constraints affecting graduates’ start-up. Our findings show that context-specific factors matter for graduate entrepreneurship. In particular, regional entrepreneurship capital endowment influences venture creation and graduate start-ups’ chances to receive external funding support, while university entrepreneurial architecture mainly affects the number of new business creation. However, under weak labour market conditions with high unemployment, universities can exert a positive effect and stimulate graduate entrepreneurship activity.
About Fumi:
Fumi’s research has centred on how public science generates impact on economy and society; in particular, the role of higher education institutions in the regional development and innovation processes. She will be joining us to discuss her latest work on graduate start-ups.
Moral Economy and Sustainable Business: Re-integrating People, Planet and Profit
Hosted by the Scale-up, Regional Growth and Entrepreneurship (SURGE) Research Group
30 October 2019, 15:00, Room C.2B42
Prof George Burt and Prof Sharon Bolton, University of Stirling
Abstract:
In this paper we aim to capture a holistic, rather than dichotomous, notion of sustainability; which includes long-term financial success of the business along with positive contributions to the environment, community and people that create value for all involved (Robinson, 2004). Such an approach requires conceptualising the relationship between business and sustainability differently, with a move away from the dominant view of business only drivers (Wheeler and Elkington, 2001) to one that recognises the role of key actors and their moral authority. As a useful conceptual lens, we utilise moral economy to highlight the embeddedness of businesses in society and to show how institutional and normative dimensions and relationships offer a moral universe that guide the motivations and actions of the people who make or influence business decisions (Sayer, 2007). Within this framework, we contend that successful sustainability initiatives are less about individual quantitative measures and more about human behaviours in the context of different institutional logics and power structures. We draw our insights from rich qualitative data drawn from interviews with key decision makers in small, medium and large businesses operating in Scotland.