Experiential learning has gained in popularity over the past 20 years in many fields and in entrepreneurship education in particular, where many educators posit that it is essential. Delivery of experiential learning activities and courses became extremely difficult and nearly impossible in some countries during the COVID-19 pandemic due to government imposed lockdowns and restrictions, forcing educational institutions to adapt and many opted to move their teaching online. How these changes impacted positively or negatively on experiential learning and students’ ability to adapt and learn has yet to be fully understood. This paper introduces a concrete experience framework and describes how it was applied to the process of pivoting an MBA experiential learning module online. It contributes by demonstrating how educators can adopt the framework in their efforts to adapt or create online courses that aim to deliver experiential learning.

This paper explores the factors that influence innovative and intrapreneurial behaviour amongst female employees. The paper explores a case study of one business unit (of approximately 1,100 employees) within a much larger corporation. It uses a qualitative methodology of semi-structured interviews to explore (1) the factors that influence innovative and intrapreneurial behaviour amongst female employees and (2) how these factors are influenced by the organisation. The paper is part of an emerging research agenda that explores gendered attitudes to intrapreneurial behaviour. This is an extremely under-researched area of research which tends to borrow heavily from studies into female self-employment. The paper demonstrates that rather than focus upon female attitudes to risk or lifestyle choices, the primary issue facing potential female intrapreneurs is implicit and explicit gatekeeping by male-dominated "innovation teams".

This article provides two case studies of food manufacturing co-operatives in France. Both co-operatives were formed after large multi-national firms ceased manufacturing in a specific factory and the workers, rather than accepting redundancies, established an artisan production company based on “traditional” techniques and co-operative values. In order to do this it utilises the often overlooked literature of the artisan craft movement. While this literature has been primarily developed around the emergence of artisanship in the third world it will be argued that such conceptualisations are also useful when exploring the development of artisanship amongst co-operative companies who are re-establishing their traditional ways of working, even in the “developed world”. In doing so it builds on the work of Dickie and Frank (1996) who stated that “through crafts, tradition is maintained and/or invented, and marketed to consumers who find other meanings in the objects.” The theoretical construct posited by this article maintains that businesses with non-traditional economic models actually faced a complex and multi-faceted series of pulls in a number of different directions. Furthermore that businesses re-establishing themselves as artisan manufacturers using locally sourced materials with democratic models of governance can be directly compared to artisan craft producers from the developing world. The article draws attention to the parallels between two important research areas which have not been linked before. By doing so it has important implications for the mechanisms by which support is given to emerging co-operatives in the developed world and the a priori assumptions which underpin current policy.

Matching skills supply and demand is critical for economic growth, competitiveness and inclusiveness. Yet, measuring skills is difficult. This paper develops an approach for measuring the gap between demand and supply of skills at the local level in the UK West Midlands region. It uses qualifications as a proxy for skills. By comparing the projected supply of qualifications with the forecast demand for qualifications from occupational forecasts, the analysis reveals significant skill mismatches with potential to constrain regional growth potential. Policy implications for connecting skills, transport and housing policy as part of local industrial strategies are explored.

Within this study, we examined a sustainable business model which balanced profit and social entrepreneurship in order to maintain their cultural heritage and sustainability, in the face of a changing marketplace. We examined two French food manufacturing cooperatives, both of which have gained national attention by converting commercially failing factories into sustainable economic and employment generators based on artisanal-style and social values within a cooperative governance structure. Those particular cooperatives have balanced both an artisan dimension (producer identity and product values) and an industrial logic (consumer demands and governance strategy). We focus on our newly developed framework of four interdependent and interconnected areas that create a bridge for comparison: Consumer Demand, Producer Identity, Production Values, and Cooperative Governance. We used semi-structured interview convenience sampling of workers and followed up with in-depth interviews with senior managers, operations directors, and factory floor workers. Participants reflected on their experiences during 60-90-minute interviews focused on and coded to literature themes. Validity and reliability were controlled through Yin’s (2014) conceptional triangulation framework. Additionally, coding was used to strengthen the degree of “rigour into the qualitative analysis” and minimize any inherent validity issues (Dey, 1993, p. 59). Our novel framework builds on Daya (2014), Kirezieva et al., (2016), Maier et al., (2016), and Doherty et al., (2014), Faure-Ferlet et al., (2018), Kobrin (2017), Ichijo (2020), Autio et al., (2013), and Battilana et al., (2012), which lies in the interconnectivity of the four areas within the French cooperative businesses: Producer Identity and Production Values are most closely interlinked, Consumer Demand was closely associated as well, and The Cooperative structure is a key driver for workers but not consumers. Our result demonstrates movement to a more collaborative strategy where all areas are interlinked, and none could be separated from the other.

The rapid and dynamic rate of urbanization, particularly in emerging world economies, has resulted in a need to find sustainable ways of dealing with the excessive strains and pressures that come to bear on existing infrastructures and relationships. Increasingly during the twenty-first century policy makers have turned to technological solutions to deal with this challenge and the dynamics inherent within it. This move towards the utilization of technology to underpin infrastructure has led to the emergence of the term ‘Smart City’. Smart cities incorporate technology based solutions in their planning development and operation. This paper explores the organizational issues and challenges facing a post-industrial agglomeration in the North West of England as it attempted to become a ‘Smart City’. In particular the paper identifies and discusses the factors that posed significant challenges for the dynamic relationships residents, policymakers and public and private sector organizations and as a result aims to use these micro-level issues to inform the macro-debate and context of wider Smart City discussions. In order to achieve this, the paper develops a range of recommendations that are designed to inform Smart City design, planning and implementation strategies.

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Purpose– Recently David Jones inWho Cares Winsproposed sustainability as being essential for businesses success over the coming decades. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of the development of a partnership between an environmental non-government organisation (NGO) (world wildlife fund-UK) and a major retailer (Marks and Spencer). The partnership developed three “types”, sponsorship, technical and communication partnerships.Design/methodology/approach– A grounded theory approach was taken; information was gathered using semi-structured interviews. Data from these interviews were then triangulated with corporate materials to allow generalisations to develop.Findings– Through the three “types” of partnership themes of conflict and project drift were identified, although the overarching “Plan A” commitment is seen as a potential exemplar in sustainability. Difficulties were identified with respect to the dissemination of the outputs from the partnership, some of which were too complex, where others appeared to change to be more appealing to the consumer.Social implications– Although a single case study, it highlights the challenges and benefits to both partners. As such, it provides insight into the practical issues of delivering sustainability commitments and projects in partnership. Such approaches are critical not only for the viability of business, but also for the long-term health of our planet.Originality/value– This represents a case study of the development of a sustainable partnership between a large corporate and an NGO, which could represent a template for sustainable business. This paper in responds to the growing demand for such case-study examples.

The rapid and dynamic rate of urbanization, particularly in emerging world economies, has resulted in a need to find sustainable ways of dealing with the excessive strains and pressures that come to bear on existing infrastructures and relationships. Increasingly during the twenty-first century policy makers have turned to technological solutions to deal with this challenge and the dynamics inherent within it. This move towards the utilization of technology to underpin infrastructure has led to the emergence of the term ‘Smart City’. Smart cities incorporate technology based solutions in their planning development and operation. This paper explores the organizational issues and challenges facing a post-industrial agglomeration in the North West of England as it attempted to become a ‘Smart City’. In particular the paper identifies and discusses the factors that posed significant challenges for the dynamic relationships residents,policymakers and public and private sector organizations and as a result aims to use these micro-level issues to inform the macro-debate and context of wider Smart City discussions. In order to achieve this, the paper develops a range of recommendations that are designed to inform Smart City design, planning and implementation strategies.