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Inherent to enterprising behaviour is the exercise of strategic awareness, a process of understanding and learning from the environment in which the entrepreneur and the small business operate. This paper notes that a growing recognition of high levels of change and uncertainty in the environment infers a need to increase small business understanding of what is changing and why. Strategic awareness is an individual and organisational capability, tailored to contextual needs and contingencies, that describes processes for identifying, understanding, interpreting and acting on events and influences. It also contributes to the process of innovation. Research in the UK, and later in Western Australia, identified a customer needs-focused and outwardly-directed approach to innovation that relies on understanding the external environment. This paper concludes by stressing the relationship between strategic awareness and innovation, and suggests that the nature of these processes demands a rethink in how we support and research small businesses and entrepreneurs.

In this paper we explore a phenomenon that is currently a key component of the UK government's business support policies. Growing investment in incubation, and increased emphasis on it as a tool for regional development, require an understanding of its practice. We aim to provide insights for policymakers and practitioners to help them meet the needs and aspirations of users. Initially we present the key findings from a significant global review of studies of incubators, conducted on behalf of UK Business Incubation (UKBI), and the UK Department of Trade and Industry. The review identifies key factors in determining the potential added value of incubators. We then present the key findings from a subsequent in-depth study of seven incubators across England and Scotland, commissioned by UKBI. The conclusions of the study highlight the dichotomies relating to the potential polarisation of incubator objectives (from property development focus to business development focus) and how these influence the implementation of effective incubation processes from the perspective of tenant and graduate firms. The policies and practices of operators highlight a blurring of the distinction between incubator management and incubation development.

The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of provision for enterprise and entrepreneurship education within England's Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The paper is based on the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) Mapping Study of enterprise education in England. Research commissioned by NCGE (ISBA 2004) has shown that there is a growing knowledge base about the nature of enterprise education but less so evidence concerning the provision for enhancing student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. Although studies have taken place in the US and Levie undertook a study of the UK published in 1999, there has been no recent study that has comprehensively mapped enterprise education activity in all higher education institutions across England. Institutional contacts in 94% of all the HEIs for this study entered data into an online institutional mapping template containing questions on modules/courses, non-accredited support and other institutional characteristics. The researchers maintained regular telephone contact and made personal visits to maximise data entry and to provide support where needed. This approach has led to the collection of a unique and robust data set that has been analysed using SPSS. The paper presents a national overview and highlights selected regional variations in enterprise education and non–accredited entrepreneurship support. This includes: current and planned course provision over time; student profiles and targets; primary learning outcomes; non accredited provision and student engagement; primary funding sources; and the development of a range of institutional characteristics conducive to supporting student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. The findings from the mapping study illuminate the current HE landscape of support for enterprise and entrepreneurship thereby providing HEIs and educators with a valuable national resource. Additionally, this informs other key stakeholders – RDAs and central government – of the scope and scale of the contribution that HEIs offer to regional economic and social agendas. From such a unique evidence base more informed decisions can be taken when considering effective mechanisms for the future growth and development of HEI contributions. This paper offers the findings from a unique and current comprehensive dataset on the HE provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education in England. With 94% of the HEIs in the study providing data online the study has created a national database that can be a platform for sharing knowledge and experience across the community. Furthermore conducting a repeat online study on an annual basis will provide valuable time series data. The study findings will help shape the future environment for student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship across England.

Intro -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- Abbreviations -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- 1 Introduction to Entrepreneurial Activity in Malaysia: A Country-Level Perspective -- Introduction -- References -- 2 An Overview of Entrepreneurship in Malaysia -- Malaysia: Geography and Structure -- History of the Nation State -- British Colonization and Its Legacy -- Contemporary Malaysia Since Independence -- The New Economic Policy -- The National Development Plan (NDP) -- The National Vision Policy (NVP) -- The New Economic Model -- Malaysia Today -- Government -- People and Population -- New Policy Directions and Initiatives -- Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV 2030) -- National Entrepreneurship Policy 2030 -- Targets, Objectives and Strategies of NEP 2030 -- Summary -- References -- 3 Proximity, Collaborative Relationship and Entrepreneur's Knowledge Spill-Over Opportunity in a Malaysian Regional Innovation System -- Introduction -- Proximity and Innovation System -- Collaborative Relationship and Knowledge Spill-Over -- Methodology -- Method and Data -- The Malaysian Regional Innovation System: The Case of MSC -- Actors and Roles in the MSC Development -- Social Dimension in MSC -- Conclusion -- References -- 4 Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship -- Introduction to Digital Entrepreneurship -- Digital Darwinism -- Evolution of the Internet -- Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship -- Role of Entrepreneur as an Innovator -- New Knowledge Entrepreneurial Organizations -- The Three Building Blocks in Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship -- The Knowledge-Intensive Sectors -- Knowledge-Intensive Business Services -- Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship in Malaysia -- Malaysian Initiatives: Earn Income as a Digital Worker -- Knowledge-Based Economy in Malaysia -- Knowledge-Intensive Economy in Malaysia -- Conclusions -- References.

Small ethnic minority businesses make an important contribution to the UK economy, and this is reflected in their rapid growth over the last decade. A considerable proportion of the growth in new venture creation can be attributed to ethnic minority graduates, who increasingly embark on entrepreneurship as a rewarding and fulfilling alternative to paid employment. An illustrative case study approach is adopted for the purpose of this research study. The results of a qualitative investigation of four new venture creation case studies of graduate ethnic minority entrepreneurs in the UK indicate that the main contribution of higher education for these graduate entrepreneurs was in the area of knowledge and skills acquisition. The main motivational factors acknowledged by the respondents included 'lack of satisfaction' in working for others, the need to be their own 'boss' and achieve more, and the prospect of higher earnings. The authors found no correlation between degree discipline and graduates' propensity to become entrepreneurs. Graduates from non-business disciplines appear to be more likely to engage in entrepreneurship. The size of start-up finance can have an impact on the survival and growth of new ventures. It is therefore suggested that financial institutions and government agencies should develop more focused services, aimed specifically at supporting ethnic minority graduate entrepreneurs in their drive to convert business ideas into thriving and employment-generating enterprises.