The Effects of Entrepreneurship Courses on Developing Startups at the Technology Parks of the Universities

Abstract

Over the past five years, university students have been involved in different leadership and innovation projects and activities. Such projects and activities are particularly about the incubation of start-up firms in which the students try to commercialize their knowledge by taking entrepreneurship courses to develop partnerships and the delivery of their innovative products and services at the technology parks of the universities. This study aims to explore the effects of the entrepreneurship courses on developing startups at the technology parks in
Turkey. In order to understand the real effects of taking entrepreneurship courses in establishing startups, the data were collected first using a phenomenological concept analysis. The original data were gathered from ‘naive’ descriptions by asking open-ended questions and dialogue. The researcher described the experiences based on reflection and interpretation of the research participant’s story. The aim of the study is to determine what the experience means for the people who have had the experience of entrepreneurial courses to establish startup companies. The study generates a perspective about the effects are critically analyzed before and after the entrepreneurial courses taken at the technology parks of two different universities. After analyzing the data about the reasons behind these short entrepreneurial courses, it is so clear that the reasons are coming not only from national, but also from supranational arenas where innovation and knowledge are taken in the entrepreneurial courses as drivers of the competitiveness and growth. By generating technological and entrepreneurial knowledge in the
courses for the global market economy, the new startup at the technology parks can be empowered by these courses in the private industries. More importantly, they can decrease the unemployment rate and the country’s current account deficit