There is, in the UK, increasing attention being paid to the potential of university education to facilitate high quality growth firms. While some commentators believe that this potential can be realised in the short term, many believe that only a long‐term view of the entrepreneurial potential of graduate entrepreneurship is feasible as new graduates lack the resources, skills and experience necessary for sustainability and growth of ventures. Like most university entrepreneurship “departments”, the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Strathclyde examines the profile of students and outcome of entrepreneurship electives in terms of student ambition and motivation. Using data from this exercise along with data from a study of 2,000 Strathclyde alumni, an impression of potentiality and actual outcome of entrepreneurship electives is possible.

The article reports on a qualitative study of the motivations for and experiences of business ownership amongst 11 male gay entrepreneurs in the UK. Included in this analysis is a comparison with issues identified throughout the extant literature for other minority groups, particularly women. Corroborating previous studies, the male-gay-owned firms studied here were concentrated in the service sector and catered to diverse markets. While homophobia is reported in both employment and business ownership it is indirect and implicit rather than direct discrimination or harassment and is not cited as an entrepreneurial motivator. The findings are of importance insofar as they provide new knowledge and consequently, further our understanding of the diverse phenomena of entrepreneurship. Further, the article illustrates that heteronormativity and the gendered nature of most employment contexts also extends to the entrepreneurship domain.

Purpose -There is much evidence that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are drivers of economic growth. As a result, government is keen to promote ICT take-up, particularly where there is economic development need. The rural economy in most countries is regarded as that which requires intervention in order to foster sustainability and development, and there have been many empirical studies of both the value and the use of ICTs in rural areas. These are, however, highly disparate, often being industry-, country-and, indeed, type-of-technology-specific. Aims to draw together the highly eclectic literature on the use of ICTs in rural small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in order to provide an overview of generic issues, relevant to policy. Design/methodology/approach -Comprises a literature review, based on academic, government and agency publications, and provides commentary on emergent issues, particularly those relating to policy recommendations.Findings -Finds that there is a lag in rural uptake of ICTs and that the reasons for this include both supply and demand failures. From a policy perspective the review notes that intervention is best directed via a multi-channel approach.Originality/value -The value of the paper lies in the provision, for the first time, of a coherent review of findings and implications of the many research studies and informed commentaries on ICT up-take by SMEs, particularly in rural areas, thus providing a more sound basis for understanding the implications for, and informing, those involved in policy intervention and support.

PurposeIn response to the emergence of an enterprise economy, government claims that building an enterprise culture is vital. Correspondingly, provision of entrepreneurship education in higher education has expanded. The paper aims to assess the potential of entrepreneurship education to develop skills, and of whether students perceive them as having value within the modern economy.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws from a longitudinal, collaborative study of students of entrepreneurship in four universities. Using a questionnaire‐based methodology, the paper is based on responses from a sample of 519 students.FindingsResults include that any increase in graduate entrepreneurship is most likely to be a long‐term. Results also suggest that many students expect to work in new and small firms, and that skills developed by entrepreneurship education are applicable to both waged employment and entrepreneurship. Accordingly, entrepreneurship education seems to have much potential to develop skills appropriate for the enterprise economy.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by its quantitative nature. As the primary purpose is to evaluate attitudes to entrepreneurship and perceptions of the economic environment, further research should involve qualitative follow‐up, in the form of focus groups and/or longitudinal case studies.Originality/valueThe value of the paper lies in the suggestion that investment in entrepreneurship education is likely to have a positive impact within the economy. The long‐term impact of an increase in awareness of entrepreneurship; of the ability to start firms; and an increase in skills transferable to waged employment within an enterprise‐based economy, can not be underestimated.

Entrepreneurship research principally focuses on business growth. This focus valorizes the masculine and marginalizes other interpretations. Consequently, entrepreneurship is restricted to a phenomenon that is rare in the diverse business world. The leadership literature proposes that entrepreneurship may not be as masculine as we assume anyway. Our understanding of entrepreneurship needs development at the conceptual level. We argue that performativity, as described in feminist theory, can contribute to how we interpret entrepreneurship and that this might inform both the entrepreneurship and leadership literatures to afford us better understanding of what we might mean by “entrepreneurial leadership.”