An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Humanitarian Engineering and Entrepreneurship
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The Entrepreneurial Engineer: An Investigation into the Relationship between Humanitarian Engineering and Entrepreneurship Hill, S. Submitted version deposited in Coventry University’s Institutional Repository Original citation: Hill, S. (2016) The Entrepreneurial Engineer: An Investigation into the Relationship between Humanitarian Engineering and Entrepreneurship. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Coventry: Coventry University Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Some materials have been removed from this thesis due to third party copyright. Pages where material has been removed are clearly marked in the electronic version. The unabridged version of the thesis can be viewed at the Lanchester Library, Coventry University. The Entrepreneurial Engineer: An Investigation into the Relationship between Humanitarian Engineering and Entrepreneurship By Simon James Hill April 2016 PhD The Entrepreneurial Engineer: An Investigation into the Relationship between Humanitarian Engineering and Entrepreneurship By Simon James Hill April 2016 A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the University’s requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ii Acknowledgements To my family, for always supporting me and encouraging me when times were tough. Mum & Dad, you have always supported everything I have undertaken, and without your consistent positivity and love, I would not be the man I am today. Jen you have made me the person I am today, and without our personal rollercoaster it is unlikely I would have ever started this process, let alone finish it. You are my rock. Thank you for putting up with me throughout this journey, especially in the closing stages as when all I could talk about was my research. The question is, how will the PhD compare to parenthood? This has been an exciting rollercoaster journey of which I would not have reached the end without the support of some very special people. My supervisor Dr Liz Miles, you have guided me along this path and poked me back on track when I needed it. At times I thought I was going mad, but with your support I came out a better researcher on the other side. To my supervisory team Dr Matthew Harrison, Dr Mark Hooper & Dr Duncan Lawson, your advice made for difficult listening at times, but a much better overall contribution to knowledge. A special thanks goes to Martin Lander, for your patience, support and humour. To my colleagues in the International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship, you have given so much support over the years and especially in recent months during the final writing up. A special mention goes to Professor Paul Jones for massively supporting me in the final stages of this process. Thank you! Thanks to all those others that have helped me when I may have not recognized your influence. The PhD journey has given me tunnel vision at times and so perhaps I did not show my gratitude at the time, but I certainly do appreciate it. Thank You All! iii Dedicated to Jen, Emilia, Mum & Dad… Jen & My Emilia. The ladies I love and my motivation for all that I do. Mum & Dad. Everything I am, I owe to you. I cannot thank you enough. iv Table of Contents Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. x Glossary ......................................................................................................................................... xi Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ xii 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Humanitarian Engineering ............................................................................................ 3 1.2. Enterprise and Entrepreneurship .................................................................................. 4 1.3. Research Origin ............................................................................................................. 6 1.4. Research Aim and Objectives ........................................................................................ 8 1.5. Thesis Plan ..................................................................................................................... 9 2. Literature Review ................................................................................................................ 10 2.1. Literature Sources ....................................................................................................... 11 2.2. Humanitarian Engineering .......................................................................................... 13 2.2.1. Humanitarian Engineering Education ................................................................. 22 2.2.2. Student Employability ......................................................................................... 25 2.2.3. Humanitarian Engineering Case Studies ............................................................. 27 2.3. Entrepreneurship Theory ............................................................................................ 32 2.3.1. Entrepreneurship and Engineering .................................................................... 34 2.3.2. Entrepreneurial Characteristics ........................................................................... 36 2.3.3. Action Orientation ............................................................................................... 41 2.3.4. Creativity ............................................................................................................. 43 2.3.5. Independence ...................................................................................................... 45 2.3.6. Internal Locus of Control ..................................................................................... 48 2.3.7. Leadership ........................................................................................................... 51 2.3.8. Need for Achievement ........................................................................................ 53 2.3.9. Opportunity Recognition ..................................................................................... 55 2.3.10. Perseverance ....................................................................................................... 57 2.3.11. Risk-taking Propensity ......................................................................................... 58 2.3.12. Self-efficacy ......................................................................................................... 62 2.3.13. Tolerance to Ambiguity ....................................................................................... 64 v 2.4. Summary ..................................................................................................................... 66 3. Research Methodology ....................................................................................................... 68 3.1. Research Philosophy ................................................................................................... 68 3.2. Mixed methods ........................................................................................................... 70 3.3. Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 72 3.4. Research Approach: Time horizons ............................................................................. 73 3.5. Data Collection Methods ............................................................................................. 73 3.5.1. Samples ............................................................................................................... 73 3.5.2. Questionnaire ...................................................................................................... 76 3.5.3. Pilot Testing ......................................................................................................... 78 3.5.4. Hypotheses Testing ............................................................................................. 81 3.5.5. Observations ....................................................................................................... 82 3.5.6. Interviews ............................................................................................................ 87 3.5.7. Case Studies ........................................................................................................ 89 3.5.8. Focus Groups ....................................................................................................... 90 3.5.9. Ethics ..................................................................................................................