ERIC Number: EJ1119897
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-4222
EISSN: N/A
Universities, SMEs and Social Capital: Can You Get Too Much of a Good Thing? An Illustrative Analysis of One University's Knowledge Exchange Programme
Gordon, Ian
Industry and Higher Education, v30 n6 p382-393 Dec 2016
This article explores a university knowledge exchange programme for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owner-managers. Specifically, it considers why a programme designed to achieve growth in a group of SMEs through the creation of a network high in social capital may have become a constraint on the programme's effectiveness over a period of 5 years. The article presents findings from ethnographic observation and interviews with eight participants. The main findings suggest that university facilitators should guard against becoming part of a strong tie network of delegates, which in this case may have resulted in a reduction in their ability to bridge to other groups and networks. In addition, without the periodical introduction of new activities, there is the danger that the group will become stale.
Descriptors: Universities, Small Businesses, School Business Relationship, Partnerships in Education, Social Capital, Communication (Thought Transfer), Scholarship, Social Networks, Program Effectiveness, Ethnography, Observation, Facilitators (Individuals), Data Collection, Interviews, Data Analysis, Administrators, Longitudinal Studies, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A